June 22: Blessed Innocent V, P, C, O.P., Comm.

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the commemoration of Blessed Innocent V, one of the four Dominican Popes.  The ferial office is prayed, and a commemoration is made of Bl. Innocent at Lauds only.

Coat of Arms of Bl. Innocent V

We anticipated his feast yesterday at Pretiosa, during the reading of the Martyrology:

Feast of the Most Holy Body of Christ (1st Class)

At the end of the propers for Wednesday after Trinity Sunday, in the Dominican Breviary, the following rubric appears:

The feast of Corpus Christi is celebrated.  The Office was composed by St. Thomas Aquinas.

As Dominicans, it is a source of supreme pride that a member of our holy Order was tapped to compose the liturgical office for such an important feast in the calendar of the Church.  In his book “The History of the Dominican Liturgy”, Fr. Bonniwell, O.P., relates the tale of how there was much confusion, in modern times, over whether or not St. Thomas actually composed the office for the Feast of Corpus Christi.  Thankfully, the controversy was settled in favor of St. Thomas' authorship of the Office for the Feast.  As Dr. Martin Grabmann concluded,

"We can therefore regard the office of Corpus Christi as the genuine composition of St. Thomas Aquinas, it being in regard to its contents and constituent parts the product of his genius and intellect" (Bonniwell, p. 226, footnote).

Some of the distinctive features of the Office of the Feast of Corpus Christi, in the Dominican Breviary are:

The responsory at 1^st Vespers:

℟.  A man once gave a great banquet, and sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, “Come * for all is now ready” ℣.  Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. – For all is now ready. – Glory. – For all is now ready.

The Nunc dimittis antiphon at Compline:

Alleluia.  The bread which I shall give, alleluia, is my flesh, for the life of the world, alleluia, alleluia.

The versicle and response at the beginning of Lauds:

℣. I eat my honeycomb with my honey, alleluia. ℟.  I drink my wine with my milk, alleluia.

During these days, when belief in the Real Presence is at tragically low levels among even Catholics who attend Mass regularly, we implore you, St. Thomas Aquinas, to pray for us.

June 2: BB Sadoc and Companions, M., O.P., Commemoration

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we commemorate the feast of Blessed Sadoc and his companions, martyrs of Poland.   The ferial office is prayed, according to the rubrics and at Lauds and Vespers, the commemoration of Blessed Sadoc and his companions is made.  A second commemoration is made of Ss. Marcellinus, Priest and Peter, Exorcist, both of whom were martyrs.

The joy of Ascension-tide is pierced through by the back-to-back feasts of Dominican martyrs, celebrated today and tomorrow.  However, we should recall the words of St. Thomas Aquinas, regarding the perfect charity of those who shed their blood, or indeed forfeit their lives, for our Lord's sake:

Time To Switch To Volume II

With the arrival of the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, we officially close Volume I of the Dominican Breviary and open Volume II.  We opened Volume I in late November, to start the holy and penitential season of Advent.  From there, we went through the seasons Christmas, Epiphany, Septuagesima, Lent, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost.  Now, we open Volume II and settle in for the season of Time after Pentecost.  This season is marked by some wonderful feasts, such as Corpus Christi and the Sacred Heart, the Nativity of John the Baptist and Ss. Peter and Paul, and of course the Assumption.

The Dominican Breviary has always been divided into two (2) volumes.  The oldest known editions, from the middle of the 13th Century, are in two (2) volumes.  Recently, Loome Theological Booksellers was offering a four (4) volume edition of the 1962 Breviarium S.O.P., but this was probably a custom edition that was made for someone.

So we bid farewell to Volume I, and begin the second half of the liturgical year.  When we pick up Volume I again, it will be to prepare for the season of Advent, when the year begins anew.

Pentecost Sunday, I Class

Best wishes for a happy and holy octave of Pentecost to the readers of this blog and your loved ones!

Compline from Pentecost to Trinity Sunday

We have finally arrived at the end of the period, in the liturgical year, where the office of Compline takes on a specific character that is proper to the seasons we have just passed through.  Beginning with the 1st Sunday of Lent, all the way through Passion-tide, Eastertide, Ascension-tide, it finally comes to an end after the week of Pentecost.

Compline begins as usual.  After the responsory, which is said with the Alleluia's as noted in the rubrics, the following hymn is said.  This is the same hymn that was prayed during Paschaltide, with the exception of the last two (2) stanza's, which change during Ascensiontide.

Ferial Office in Ascensiontide

We are now in the brief liturgical season of Ascensiontide. This year, we will pray the ferial office 3 times. In the Dominican Breviary, the ferial office in Ascension season is similar to that of the Roman Breviary, with slight differences. The invitatory at Matins is different, as is the Benedictus antiphon at Lauds is different, and the hymn at Vespers, to name a few.

Though this season is short, and is overshadowed by the looming arrival of Pentecost, it is a beautiful liturgical season nonetheless.  The ferial days in Ascensiontide are IV Class, so when a III Class feast occurs on the calendar, no commemoration is made of the ferial office.