Season
To view the complete list of seasons, collapse the current season
To view the complete list of seasons, collapse the current season
– This season is the interval from Easter Sunday to Trinity Sunday exclusively. Easter can fall between March 22 and April 25, and Trinity Sunday between May 17 and June 20.
– The Octave of Easter is I class. The Sequence Victimae Paschali laudes is said each day within the proper Masses of the days of the octave.
– The Regina caeli is the Compline antiphon of the BVM until the Friday after Pentecost. It is said standing.
– The Angelus likewise is replaced with the Regina caeli until Trinity Sunday.
– The Asperges is not said, but rather Vidi aquam, from Easter Sunday until Trinity Sunday exclusive. On Trinity Sunday, the Asperges is resumed.
– The Kyriale assigns Mass I to this season, which continues until Trinity Sunday exclusive.
– When Holy Communion is distributed outside of Mass, there is a special form during Eastertide.
– The solemn nuptial blessing may be imparted again starting on Monday after Easter.
– There is a proper Common for Apostles and Evangelists and Common for Martyrs for Eastertide.
– In all Masses (except those of Requiem), Alleluia is added twice to the Introit, once to the Offertory, and once to the Communion, even if not indicated in the Missal, unless there is a proper form given with additional Alleluias. When indicated, the Missal has T. P. (for tempore paschale).
– The usual Gradual-Alleluia form is not used in Masses of Paschaltide. Instead, the Paschal Alleluia form is used: Alleluia, Alleluia with verse, Alleluia, second verse, Alleluia. Votive Masses and the Commons include this form for use during Paschaltide.
– Alleluia is also added to some other verses such as at Benediction: Panem de coelo and Omne delectamentum, and at the Sunday aspersion after Vidi aquam: Ostende nobis and Et salutare.
– Good Shepherd Sunday (typically associated with the Seminaries) is the II Sunday of Easter.
– The major litanies occur on April 25. Those bound to the Divine Office are bound to pray the Litany of the Saints in Latin. The minor litanies occur on the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension Thursday (the Rogation Days). The Litany on those days is not obligatory.
– Paschal Candle: during Paschal Season, the Paschal Candle remains on the Gospel side of the sanctuary. It is lighted on Easter Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, on Sabbato in Albis, on Sundays of Eastertide, on other major feasts occurring during the season, and on Ascension up to the end of the Gospel. On these days, the Candle is lighted for Masses in cantu, parochial and conventual Low Masses, and for Vespers. It is not lighted during ferial days, nor at Benediction unless this follows Vespers on one of the above days.
– The Feast of the Ascension is on the Thursday 40 days after the Resurrection. The Ascension of Our Lord is one of the six Holy Days of Obligation in the USA. After the Gospel at the principal Mass, the Paschal Candle is extinguished. After the Mass, this candle is put into storage in a box in the sacristy. It is not displayed anywhere in the church outside of Paschal time, and is not placed in the baptistery. Its only role in the liturgy after being blessed, lauded with the Exultet, and immersed in the baptismal font at the Easter Vigil is to stand (representing the Risen Christ) on the Gospel side of the sanctuary during the 40 days between Easter and the Ascension. A typical Paschal candle can be used for multiple years if needed (changing the date each year), even up to five years for taller ones, before it becomes too short to be liturgically fitting (below 24”/60cm). It is brought out of its box and blessed each time in the Lucernarium which begins the Easter Vigil. Once the Paschal candle has reached the end of its use, it can be melted down. The incense grains can be new each year, or reused. Note that the red tacks do not contain grains of incense, although there may be incense powder mixed into the red wax. As the rite requires grains of incense, it is necessary to imbed a grain into the side each of the tacks. Some authors, however, state that incense grains must be embedded directly into/onto the Paschal Candle, and that incense grans mixed in wax or encased in wax invalidate the blessing of the candle.
– The Vigil of Pentecost is traditionally a day of Fast and Partial Abstinence (USA), or in other places fast and complete abstinence.
– Pentecost has a I class octave. The Sequence Veni Sancte Spiritus is said each day within the proper Masses of the days of the octave.
– The Ember days of Pentecost are within its octave. (This is a remnant of fasting beginning soon after the close of Eastertide, before Pentecost was given its octave.) The color of the Ember days of Pentecost is red instead of violet. Friday is observed as a day of fast and abstinence, with Wednesday and Saturday observed as days of fast and partial abstinence (USA) or fast and complete abstinence elsewhere.
– Funerals are not permitted during the Paschal Season on: Easter Sunday, Low Sunday, the Ascension, and Pentecost Sunday.
– The Season extends from Trinity Sunday until the first Sunday of Advent. Its color is green, symbolizing both hope and the life of grace within the soul, as this season is in a way an extension of the mystery of Pentecost through the year.
– The Compline antiphon is the Salve Regina.
– The Angelus is resumed at Compline of the Saturday before Trinity Sunday.
– On Trinity Sunday the Asperges with the psalm Miserere is resumed for the sprinkling of the clergy and congregation before the principal Mass on Sundays.
– Volume II of the Breviary is needed from Trinity Sunday through the end of the Season.
– The Saturday office of the Blessed Virgin Mary is said on every Saturday of this season if not impeded by a feast or liturgical day of III class or higher.
– Sundays not used after Epiphany are resumed before the Last Sunday after Pentecost (XXIV). In 2018, the Feast of Christ the King takes precedence over the XXIII Sunday. After this, three Sundays are resumed: IV Epiphany on 4 November, V Epiphany on 11 November, and VI Epiphany on 18 November, with the Last Sunday occurring on 25 November.
– The scriptural lessons at Matins are variable from the first Sunday of August through the end of the Season. If a month has only four Sundays, one week of lessons will be omitted. In 2018, the lessons assigned to the XI Sunday after Pentecost and its week are omitted, as that is the first Sunday of August.
August 2018: Week I begins August 5. Omit the lessons assigned to week V.
September 2018: Week I begins September 2. Use all five weeks of lessons.
October 2018: Week I begins October 7. Omit the lessons assigned to week III.
November 2018: Week I begins November 4. Omit the lessons assigned to week II.
– Funerals are not permitted during this season on Trinity Sunday and the feasts of Corpus Christi, the Sacred Heart, Christ the King, and the Assumption of the BVM.
Advent:
– Change to Volume I of the Breviary starting with I Vespers of the I Sunday of Advent.
– The liturgical color of Advent is violet, which signifies penance. At the Office and Masses of Gaudete Sunday, the III Sunday of Advent, rose vestments may be worn.
– During the entire Season of Advent the altar is not ornamented with flowers and the organ is not played, except to sustain the choir. None of this applies, however, for the Office and Masses of Gaudete Sunday. The organ and musical instruments are permitted also on Holy Days of Obligation, except Sundays, and the feasts of the Principal Patron, titular of the principal church, titular of the religious order, or extraordinary solemnities.
Masses in Advent:
– The Sunday and ferial Masses of Advent are without the Gloria, including Gaudete Sunday. The Gloria is still said, however, when the Mass of a feast is celebrated instead of the ferial day.
– If there is no feast on a specific day the priest should say the Mass of the preceding Sunday of Advent (except on the Ember days, which have proper Masses). On ferial days, after the Epistle, only the Gradual is said and the Alleluia with its verse are omitted; they are only said on the Sunday itself. In the ferial days after Gaudete Sunday, the vestments used are violet, not rose, even though the Mass is of the preceding Sunday (which is Gaudete).
– The Sunday preface is that of the Holy Trinity; the common preface is used on ferial days.
– On feasts of the saints (including December 8), the feria is always commemorated at Lauds and Vespers, likewise at Mass whether Low or Sung. For Mass, the Advent collects are printed on one page of the Missal to facilitate the commemoration; this tabula orationum is located between the Proper of the Season and the Proper of the Saints.
The Divine Office in Advent:
– At Matins, the Invitatory antiphon from the I Sunday until the eve of the III Sunday is Regem venturum Dominum * Venite, adoremus. From the III Sunday until December 23 it is Prope est iam Dominus * Venite, adoremus. On December 24 it is Hodie scietis quia veniet Dominus * Et mane videbitis gloriam eius.
– At Lauds, the 2nd schema of psalms is used on ferial days, but on Sundays, the 1st schema is used (unlike during Lent). On Wednesdays, the 2nd schema is used for the last three psalms of Matins on ferial days. When the liturgical day is a feast and not a feria, however, all is from the 1st schema.
– The preces are said at Lauds and Vespers on Wednesdays and Fridays which are ferial days and on the Ember days. If a feast occurs on one of those days, the preces are not said.
– At the Little Hours on ferial days, the antiphons are proper; they are included in the psalter. But if a feast occurs, the Advent antiphons are not used, but rather those per annum, titled Extra tempus paschale.
– At Prime, the verse of the short responsory unless otherwise noted is Qui venturus es in mundum.
– At Vespers, from December 17 to 23 the “O” Antiphons (or Major Antiphons) are said for the Magnificat. They are found in the Breviary immediately after the III Sunday of Advent, along with a listing of the proper antiphons for the ferial days from December 17-23, which are also printed in the psalter on their respective days (as ferias “ante vigiliam Nativitatis Domini”).
– At Compline, the Marian antiphon is Alma Redemptoris Mater. The verse and prayer following it are changed from Angelus Domini to Post partum at Compline on Christmas Eve.
General:
– The ferias of Advent until December 16 are III class. Those from December 17-23 are II class. December 24 is I class. The Ember days of Advent are assigned to the third week, following the III Sunday of Advent (Gaudete).
– Vigil of the Nativity: When December 24 falls on a Sunday, the Mass is of the Vigil of the Nativity, not of the IV Sunday of Advent, which is omitted (vacat) and is not commemorated. However, for I Vespers on the evening of Saturday, December 23, I Vespers of the IV Sunday of Advent is used, as the Vigil of the Nativity lacks its own I Vespers. This is included in the Ordo entries for the respective days.
– Fast and Abstinence: December 24 is a day of fast and abstinence; it may be observed on 23 December (S. Congregationis Concilii, 3 Dec. 1959). But when December 24 falls on a Sunday, the fast is omitted altogether. The Ember days are days of fast and partial abstinence in the USA; in some countries they are days of fast and complete abstinence.
– Weddings: Advent is a closed time for the solemn nuptial blessing; it may not be given without permission or equivalent supplied regulations. Nuptial blessings may resume on December 26. Marriages may be celebrated, with the nuptial blessing to be imparted at a later time, but spouses are to be admonished to avoid excessive festivity during this penitential season. For more information, see the Nuptial Blessing heading under Rubrical FAQs at the bottom of the page.
– Funerals: They are not permitted during Advent on Sundays, on the Vigil of the Nativity, and on the Immaculate Conception.
– Rorate Mass: In those regions where the custom already exists, a votive Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary may be celebrated on Ember Wednesday and during the novena preceding Christmas, using the Mass of Our Lady assigned to Advent: Rorate caeli. It was permitted by the Sacred Congregation of Rites only as a Sung or Solemn Mass, not as a Low Mass, and is considered a II class votive.
– Advent Preface: In some places the Advent preface from the 1738 Parisian Missal was already permitted by the hierarchy for many years. It is included in the appendix of the 1962 Missal.
– From December 24 until February 1, at Compline the verse and prayer after the antiphon of the BVM Alma Redemptoris Mater is: V. Post partum, with the oration Deus, qui salutis.
– For the Vigil of the Nativity, there is a special chant provided in the Martyrology (Anno a creatione mundi, etc.), which corresponds to December 25. This chant may be used also for devotional or pastoral purposes apart from the Office with some solemnity, such as before Midnight Mass.
Midnight Mass: The Midnight Mass, as given in the Missal, may not begin before midnight. The faithful may receive Holy Communion at only one of the three Masses of Christmas.
– If an image of the Christ Child is visible in the sanctuary during Christmastide, which is laudable, it is incensed in the same manner as the altar cross.
– There are three proper Masses for Christmas: Midnight, Dawn, and Day. Any priest may celebrate all three. Ideally, the Midnight Mass follows Matins, the Dawn Mass follows Prime, and the Day Mass follows Terce.
– There is a proper Communicantes for the whole Octave. In the Midnight Mass, say Noctem sacratissimam celebrantes qua, in place of the words Diem sacratissimum celebrantes quo, which is used for all other Masses of the Feast and Octave.
– In the second Mass (even solemn) the commemoration of St. Anastasia is said.
– The Gospel of the third Mass (Day) is of the Prologue of St. John, therefore the Last Gospel is omitted.
– Regarding the particular ceremonies involved when two or three Masses are celebrated within a short time frame, see the rubrics of Trination. When one Mass follows another without pause, the prayers after Low Mass are omitted, to be said only after the final Mass of the series.
– In Sung Masses the ministers genuflect at the words Et incarnatus est when they are recited, then kneel when they are sung, even if the ministers are already at the sedilia (they kneel there).
– The Twelve Days of Christmas, as devotionally observed, continue until the eve of the Epiphany.
– Christmas day is followed by the II class days of its octave. December 26-28 are the feasts of Sts. Stephen, John, and the Holy Innocents. The Sunday within the Octave uses the Mass of Dominica infra Octavam Nativitatis, as given in the Missal and Breviary immediately after the Nativity. The days of December 29-31 use the Mass and Office of Diebus infra Octavam Nativitatis (Mass Puer natus est nobis), as given in the Missal immediately after December 28. St. Thomas of Canterbury (Thomas a Becket, English Bishop and Martyr) is commemorated on December 29 and St. Sylvester on December 31, unless one of these is the Sunday within the Octave.
– The Feast of the Holy Name is assigned to the Sunday occurring between January 2 and 5, otherwise it is assigned to January 2. The Feast of the Holy Family is assigned to the first Sunday after Epiphany. If this Sunday occurs on January 13, it takes precedence over the Baptism of the Lord, which is omitted.
– The Feast of Epiphany is January 6. It commemorates principally the worship given to the Divine Infant by the Magi, but also the other events which occurred on this day: the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan (celebrated with its own feast on the eighth day after Epiphany) and the Wedding of Cana.
– Epiphany has a proper Communicantes, which is said only on the feast. The Mass of Epiphany may not be said as a votive Mass.
– On the Vigil of Epiphany, Epiphany water may be blessed according to the form given in the Ritual. It contains a lengthy exorcism and blessing; the water may then be made available to the faithful.
– Chalk is blessed on Epiphany according to the form in the Ritual and can be provided to the faithful so that the lintel over the principal door of their dwelling may be marked with the year and the initials of Saints Casper, Melchior, and Balthasar, the three Magi. For the year 1962, for example, the marking would be: 19+C+M+B+62 (this is for the patriarch of the family to perform if a cleric is not present).
– There is a special blessing of homes for Epiphany provided in the Ritual. If the pastor blesses the homes of the faithful, he will be the one who marks the doorway with the blessed chalk and will use the Epiphany water for the blessing.
– Other blessings of the season given in the Ritual are the blessing of wine on the feast of St. John (December 27), with two forms, and the blessing of gold, frankincense, and myrrh on Epiphany.
– The days from Epiphany until the Baptism of the Lord (January 13) are the days of Epiphanytide, formerly the Octave of Epiphany. The vestments of the season are white; the preface is that of Epiphany, and the Te Deum is said at Matins (due to the season, even if the ferias are IV class). The Responsory verse at Prime is Qui apparuisti hodie. On the subsequent ferial days, there is a collect used before the I Sunday after Epiphany, and another used after that Sunday.
– There is a tradition that, on Epiphany, the movable feasts of the year are announced after the Gospel in the principal church of each place. The priest or deacon doing so uses a white cope and chants the text from the pulpit. The text is given in the third part of the Pontificale Romanum.
– The solemn nuptial blessing may be given from December 26 onward.
– Funerals are prohibited during this season on Christmas, January 1, and Epiphany.
– This Season follows upon Epiphanytide, and extends from January 14 until Septuagesima Sunday. Its color is green, symbolizing both hope and the life of grace within the soul.
– It is customary to leave the Manger scene in place until Candlemas. But if Septuagesima occurs before February 2, many churches retire the décor on the eve of Septuagesima, as the pre-Lenten season then begins, with violet vestments, the absence of the Alleluia, etc.
– The Compline antiphon until February 1 is Alma Redemptoris Mater with the post-Nativity verse and prayer. From Compline of February 2 onward it is Ave Regina caelorum.
– The Saturday office of the Blessed Virgin Mary is said on every Saturday of this season if not impeded by a feast or liturgical day of III class or higher.
– The number of Sundays after Epiphany is six. If any of these Sundays are impeded by the advent of Septuagesima Sunday, they are resumed on the Sundays occurring between the 23rd Sunday and the Last Sunday after Pentecost. Should there be no place in these Sundays after Pentecost for all of those remaining after Epiphany, the first of the series is omitted entirely. Likewise, if there is no place for a Sunday of the series to be included at all after the 23rd Sunday, the remaining Sunday is omitted. For example, in 2019, five Sundays are used after Epiphany, with the VI Sunday remaining. It is omitted that year, however, as there is no place at all between the 23rd and Last Sunday after Pentecost.
– In the Divine Office, the format is per annum.
CANDLEMAS
– Candlemas, or the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is on February 2. Depending on the calendar of the year, this feast may occur either during the Season after Epiphany or during the Season of Septuagesima. The blessing of candles and procession customarily take place. It is also a traditional day in the SSPX seminaries for the taking of the cassock and Tonsure.
– The color is white. The candles are placed to the Epistle side of the altar, either on the Epistle corner or on a credence beside it. The celebrant ascends the altar, kisses it, then stands at the Epistle side facing the altar for the blessing. The five prayers of the blessing of candles, as given in the Missal, are each closed with the short conclusions. The celebrant sings or says them with joined hands (even at Oremus, although he bows to the cross). He imposes incense there at the Epistle corner, sprinkles the candles thrice (center, left, and right) while saying in a subdued voice the entire Asperges antiphon but without its psalm. When the celebrant makes the sign of the cross over the candles during the blessings and when he sprinkles them, the deacon or server should hold back the right side of the cope. The celebrant then incenses the candles with three simple swings (center, left, right), saying nothing.
– For the distribution of the candles, a priest will give a candle to the celebrant. If there is no other priest, the MC will lay the celebrant’s candle at the center of the altar. The celebrant will take it from the altar (which in the sacred liturgy represents Christ), kiss it, and set it aside. He will distribute candles to the servers, who kneel at the footpace. They kiss first the candle, then the celebrant’s hand. Then the celebrant will distribute candles to the faithful who kneel at the altar rail, taking the customary route used for distributing Holy Communion. The faithful likewise kiss first the candle, then his hand.
– Lumen ad revelationem with Nunc dimittis is sung during the distribution. If there is no choir, the priest reads them before distributing the candles. After the distribution, he may wash his hands (employing the acolytes with ewer and basin) at the Epistle side in plano, then ascend the altar a chant the remaining prayer. At the center, and turned toward the nave, the deacon sings Procedamus in pace, to which the choir responds In nomine Christi. Amen. Without a deacon, the priest will sing or say this himself.
– The procession may take place outdoors, or if needed simply go around the interior perimeter of the church. During the procession, the antiphon Adorna is sung. When the procession re-enters the church (or re-enters the sanctuary after having circumambulated the nave), the antiphon Obtulerunt is sung. If there is no choir, the priest will say these antiphons himself (reading them from a card). Returning to the sanctuary, the celebrant (and ministers) reverence the altar, then go to the sedilia to change out of the cope (and take up maniples), from whence they return to the foot of the altar.
– The rubrics say that when the blessing of candles and procession have been held, the prayers at the foot of the altar at the beginning of Mass are omitted; the celebrant ascends the altar directly, kisses it, and begins the Introit. The rest of the Mass follows as usual. In Masses without the blessing of candles and procession, the prayers at the foot of the altar are said as usual.
– The candles are held lighted during the procession, during the Gospel, and during the Canon (from the Sanctus to the Pater noster). Ushers or servers should be deputed to assist the faithful in lighting their candles after they have received them, as they return to their pews (in anticipation of the procession), during the Epistle (in anticipation of the Gospel), and during the Preface (in anticipation of the Canon). During a solemn Mass, the celebrant also holds his candle lighted while the deacon chants the Gospel.
– If the Candlemas blessing and procession cannot take place in the solemn form because of the absence of sacred ministers, it is licit to use the simple form, even without chant, in accordance with Memoriale rituum of Benedict XIII.
– For what regards the rubrics governing votive Masses or commemorations in relation to the feast, it is considered as a feast of the Lord.
– If the procession is not held, candles are not blessed with the Candlemas blessing, as the particular candle-blessing exists for the purpose of the procession, forming one inseparable rite of Gallican origin. However, if the candle-blessing and procession are not held, candles may nevertheless be blessed apart from Mass with the form given for the blessing of candles in the Ritual (which can be used any day of the year). The blessed candles of Candlemas are taken by the faithful to their homes, therefore extra candles may well be blessed during the ceremony and set out in the vestibule afterward. The candles are sacramentals which are burned in times of distress, such as during illness, difficult births, hurricanes and other calamities, and are burned furthermore around the bedside of the dying.
St. Blaise
– Traditionally, the blessing of throats takes place today. If the throats are blessed in conjunction with the celebration of Holy Mass, the vestments of Mass, without the maniple, are worn. Otherwise, a surplice and red stole are worn.
– Only candles blessed with the proper form given in the Ritual for the blessing of candles on the feast of St. Blaise may be used to give the blessing of throats. The candles are customarily joined with a red ribbon so that they form a cross shape (more akin to St. Andrew’s Cross: X). Once the candles are blessed, they may be stored in the sacristy and used for the blessing of throats each year. It is not necessary to re-bless St. Blaise candles each year.
– The throats are blessed thus: the faithful kneel at the altar rail (servers at the footpace). There, the priest with surplice and red stole, or the Mass vestments sans maniple holds the unlighted candles against the throat of the person with his left hand, using his right hand to make the sign of the cross in the blessing.
– The blessing of throats is: Per intercessionem Sancti Blasii, Episcopi et Martyris, liberet te Deus a malo gutturis et a quolibet alio malo. In nomine Patris + et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
– The blessing of throats with these blessed candles may be done also on other days of the year, such as on the following Sunday for the benefit of the faithful who were not able to attend Mass on St. Blaise’s day.
Candle miscellanea:
– There is nothing preventing the sacristy supply of altar candles from being blessed during the Candlemas ceremony. The boxes may be stacked under or behind the credence used for the candles at the Epistle corner. However, the altar candles are usually blessed with the normal form given in the Ritual when they are received into the sacristy from the liturgical goods supplier. It is important not to omit blessing candles ordered and received from the supplier, as the sacred liturgy requires blessed candles.
– Altar candles and the principal sanctuary lamp are to be at least 51% beeswax. The candles blessed for devotional use (such as those given to the faithful on Candlemas) do not have this requirement. The sanctuary lamp may burn olive oil if it is not a solid candle; this use dates to antiquity. There may be more than one lamp, as long as there is an odd number. In such a case, the arrangement of hanging lamps is made as an arc over the altar where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. The center lamp must adhere to the rubrical beeswax requirements; the others are merely ornamental.
– The sanctuary lamp must burn day and night, and must not be allowed to burn out. To ensure that this is not neglected, it is prudent to change a 7-day or 8-day candle consistently on the same day of the week, such as on Saturday when preparing the sacristy and sanctuary for the Sunday Mass.
– Septuagesima Season begins with Septuagesima Sunday and goes until the eve of Ash Wednesday (Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras). It includes Sexagesima Sunday and Quinquagesima Sunday.
– The characteristic mark of Septuagesima is the absolute suppression of the Alleluia, which is never mentioned again in the sacred liturgy until its solemn re-introduction at the Easter Vigil.
– On the eve of Septuagesima Sunday, at Saturday I Vespers, the office is concluded with Benedicamus Domino, alleluia, alleluia, to which the response is Deo gratias, alleluia, alleluia. The Alleluia is thenceforth suppressed. At Saturday Compline it is not said.
– The color of the season is violet, but it is nevertheless permitted to play the organ and use flowers on the altar during this season. By custom, relics may also remain on the gradines during this season.
– The Mass on ferial days is that of the preceding Sunday (votive Masses are permitted), without Gloria or Credo, and with the common preface. After the Gradual, the Tract is said on Sunday but is omitted when the Mass is used during ferial days in the subsequent week. On the Sundays of the season, the preface is of the Holy Trinity.
– The blessed palms from last year’s Palm Sunday will be needed to make ashes for Ash Wednesday. Announce to the faithful that they should bring them in from their homes, depositing them in the vestibule or at the sacristy door, and there will be more than enough for the sacristans or clergy to make the ashes (burn palms, then sift ashes through a sieve and place in a liturgical container, such as a small silver bowl or pyx); anyone can do this, clerical or lay. This is preferable to ordering industrial ashes from a supplier, as the source and original blessing of the palms used is assured.
– Make a note also to order palms for Palm Sunday quamprimum if this has not already been done. The suppliers generally have a very early cutoff date for pre-ordering. Palms cannot be ordered at the last minute as they are shipped from semi-tropical and tropical farms.
Time of Septuagesima and during entire time of Lent:
– After Deus in adiutorium, say Laus tibi, Domine instead of Alleluia;
– In Matins on ferial days omit Te Deum;
– In Masses on ferial days omit Gloria in excelsis;
– Instead of the Alleluia, the Tract is said on Sundays, feasts, and in Votive Masses unless otherwise noted.
CANDLEMAS
– Candlemas, or the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is on February 2. Depending on the calendar of the year, this feast may occur either during the Season after Epiphany or during the Season of Septuagesima. The blessing of candles and procession customarily take place. It is also a traditional day in the SSPX seminaries for the taking of the cassock and Tonsure.
– The color is white. The candles are placed to the Epistle side of the altar, either on the Epistle corner or on a credence beside it. The celebrant ascends the altar, kisses it, then stands at the Epistle side facing the altar for the blessing. The five prayers of the blessing of candles, as given in the Missal, are each closed with the short conclusions. The celebrant sings or says them with joined hands (even at Oremus, although he bows to the cross). He imposes incense there at the Epistle corner, sprinkles the candles thrice (center, left, and right) while saying in a subdued voice the entire Asperges antiphon but without its psalm. When the celebrant makes the sign of the cross over the candles during the blessings and when he sprinkles them, the deacon or server should hold back the right side of the cope. The celebrant then incenses the candles with three simple swings (center, left, right), saying nothing.
– For the distribution of the candles, a priest will give a candle to the celebrant. If there is no other priest, the MC will lay the celebrant’s candle at the center of the altar. The celebrant will take it from the altar (which in the sacred liturgy represents Christ), kiss it, and set it aside. He will distribute candles to the servers, who kneel at the footpace. They kiss first the candle, then the celebrant’s hand. Then the celebrant will distribute candles to the faithful who kneel at the altar rail, taking the customary route used for distributing Holy Communion. The faithful likewise kiss first the candle, then his hand.
– Lumen ad revelationem with Nunc dimittis is sung during the distribution. If there is no choir, the priest reads them before distributing the candles. After the distribution, he may wash his hands (employing the acolytes with ewer and basin) at the Epistle side in plano, then ascend the altar a chant the remaining prayer. At the center, and turned toward the nave, the deacon sings Procedamus in pace, to which the choir responds In nomine Christi. Amen. Without a deacon, the priest will sing or say this himself.
– The procession may take place outdoors, or if needed simply go around the interior perimeter of the church. During the procession, the antiphon Adorna is sung. When the procession re-enters the church (or re-enters the sanctuary after having circumambulated the nave), the antiphon Obtulerunt is sung. If there is no choir, the priest will say these antiphons himself (reading them from a card). Returning to the sanctuary, the celebrant (and ministers) reverence the altar, then go to the sedilia to change out of the cope (and take up maniples), from whence they return to the foot of the altar.
– The rubrics say that when the blessing of candles and procession have been held, the prayers at the foot of the altar at the beginning of Mass are omitted; the celebrant ascends the altar directly, kisses it, and begins the Introit. The rest of the Mass follows as usual. In Masses without the blessing of candles and procession, the prayers at the foot of the altar are said as usual.
– The candles are held lighted during the procession, during the Gospel, and during the Canon (from the Sanctus to the Pater noster). Ushers or servers should be deputed to assist the faithful in lighting their candles after they have received them, as they return to their pews (in anticipation of the procession), during the Epistle (in anticipation of the Gospel), and during the Preface (in anticipation of the Canon). During a solemn Mass, the celebrant also holds his candle lighted while the deacon chants the Gospel.
– If the Candlemas blessing and procession cannot take place in the solemn form because of the absence of sacred ministers, it is licit to use the simple form, even without chant, in accordance with Memoriale rituum of Benedict XIII.
– For what regards the rubrics governing votive Masses or commemorations in relation to the feast, it is considered as a feast of the Lord.
– If the procession is not held, candles are not blessed with the Candlemas blessing, as the particular candle-blessing exists for the purpose of the procession, forming one inseparable rite of Gallican origin. However, if the candle-blessing and procession are not held, candles may nevertheless be blessed apart from Mass with the form given for the blessing of candles in the Ritual (which can be used any day of the year). The blessed candles of Candlemas are taken by the faithful to their homes, therefore extra candles may well be blessed during the ceremony and set out in the vestibule afterward. The candles are sacramentals which are burned in times of distress, such as during illness, difficult births, hurricanes and other calamities, and are burned furthermore around the bedside of the dying.
St. Blaise
– Traditionally, the blessing of throats takes place today. If the throats are blessed in conjunction with the celebration of Holy Mass, the vestments of Mass, without the maniple, are worn. Otherwise, a surplice and red stole are worn.
– Only candles blessed with the proper form given in the Ritual for the blessing of candles on the feast of St. Blaise may be used to give the blessing of throats. The candles are customarily joined with a red ribbon so that they form a cross shape (more akin to St. Andrew’s Cross: X). Once the candles are blessed, they may be stored in the sacristy and used for the blessing of throats each year. It is not necessary to re-bless St. Blaise candles each year.
– The throats are blessed thus: the faithful kneel at the altar rail (servers at the footpace). There, the priest with surplice and red stole, or the Mass vestments sans maniple holds the unlighted candles against the throat of the person with his left hand, using his right hand to make the sign of the cross in the blessing.
– The blessing of throats is: Per intercessionem Sancti Blasii, Episcopi et Martyris, liberet te Deus a malo gutturis et a quolibet alio malo. In nomine Patris + et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
– The blessing of throats with these blessed candles may be done also on other days of the year, such as on the following Sunday for the benefit of the faithful who were not able to attend Mass on St. Blaise’s day.
Candle miscellanea:
– There is nothing preventing the sacristy supply of altar candles from being blessed during the Candlemas ceremony. The boxes may be stacked under or behind the credence used for the candles at the Epistle corner. However, the altar candles are usually blessed with the normal form given in the Ritual when they are received into the sacristy from the liturgical goods supplier. It is important not to omit blessing candles ordered and received from the supplier, as the sacred liturgy requires blessed candles.
– Altar candles and the principal sanctuary lamp are to be at least 51% beeswax. The candles blessed for devotional use (such as those given to the faithful on Candlemas) do not have this requirement. The sanctuary lamp may burn olive oil if it is not a solid candle; this use dates to antiquity. There may be more than one lamp, as long as there is an odd number. In such a case, the arrangement of hanging lamps is made as an arc over the altar where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. The center lamp must adhere to the rubrical beeswax requirements; the others are merely ornamental.
– The sanctuary lamp must burn day and night, and must not be allowed to burn out. To ensure that this is not neglected, it is prudent to change a 7-day or 8-day candle consistently on the same day of the week, such as on Saturday when preparing the sacristy and sanctuary for the Sunday Mass.
– The Season is from Ash Wednesday until Holy Saturday inclusively. It is based on the movable date of Easter, which can fall between March 22 and April 25. Therefore, Lent can begin as early as February 4 and extend to as late as April 24. The days of March 10-21 are always Lenten.
– The Alleluia remains suppressed since Septuagesima. After Deus in adiutorium, say Laus tibi, Domine instead of Alleluia;
– In Matins on ferial days omit Te Deum;
– In Masses on ferial days omit Gloria in excelsis;
– In Mass, instead of the Alleluia, the Tract is said on Sundays, feasts, and in Votive Masses.
– The oratio super populum is added after the Postcommunion of ferial Masses. In solemn Masses, after the celebrant sings Oremus, the deacon sings Humiliate capita vestra Deo before the celebrant sings the oration; in Low Masses, the celebrant himself says the Humiliate after Oremus, bowing to the cross once as usual.
– The Compline antiphon continues to be Ave Regina caelorum up to Wednesday of Holy Week.
– The choir kneels for the collects (i.e., clergy or religious in choir stalls, not the choristers).
– Each day of Lent has its own proper Mass; the Mass of the preceding Sunday is not used.
– Flowers may not be used on the altar, and the organ and other musical instruments may not be played, except the organ to sustain the choir if needed (excepting Laetare Sunday). The more ornate altar appointments are changed out to those which are more sober, e.g., the gold cross and candlesticks give way to silver, as also the missal stand, acolytes’ candlesticks, the bells, processional cross, aspersorium, etc.
– Laetare Sunday is the IV Sunday of Lent. Flowers may be used on the altar, the organ and other musical instuments may play, relics are exposed on the altar gradines, and Rose vestments are substituted for violet in the Office and Mass.
– Lent is a season of penance: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Consult the local regulations for fasting. In the USA, the traditional days of fast and abstinence are listed on the Angelus calendar, available from angeluspress.org. The last regulations issued in the USA before the conciliar reform were in 1956, and are these for the Lenten season, still observed by custom (de more) if not by law (de jure): Fasting (ages 21-59) is observed on all of the weekdays and Saturdays of Lent. Abstinence (ages 7+) is observed on Ash Wednesday, Fridays of Lent, and Holy Saturday, with partial abstinence observed on Ember Wednesday and Ember Saturday.
– The current regulations strictly oblige (de jure) fast for ages 18-59 on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and abstinence for ages 14+ on these two days and the other Fridays of Lent. They also require under pain of sin that Lent be observed as a time of penance (CIC 1250), and they enjoin abstinence from meat on all Fridays of the year unless superseded by a solemnity (CIC 1251), or some other commuted penance on all Fridays of the year with approval of the local Ordinaries (CIC 1253).
– The Ember days of Lent are in the first week of Lent, following the I Sunday.
– There are two I class feasts on the universal calendar during the Lenten season: St. Joseph (March 19) and the Annunciation (March 25). Both are celebrated unless impeded. The Annunciation is not infrequently impeded by Holy Week or the Easter Octave, in which case it is always transferred (in its entirety and not commemorated on its usual day) to the Monday after Low Sunday. St. Joseph’s feast is solemnized in a greater way outside of Lent. Formerly this was done on the feast of the Patronage of St. Joseph, on the Wednesday after Good Shepherd Sunday, with an External Solemnity on the Sunday following. Pope Pius XII transferred this feast to May 1, incorporating an artisan theme.
– In many places, St. Patrick (March 17) is a primary or secondary patron, therefore being celebrated as I or II class, taking precedence over the Lenten feria, which is commemorated. Where the Apostle of Ireland is not officially constituted as a primary or secondary patron, the feria takes precedence, and the saint is commemorated.
– There are two II class feasts which sometimes fall during Lent: the Chair of St. Peter (February 22) and St. Matthias (February 24). They take precedence over Lenten ferias, which are commemorated.
– The votive Masses of First Thursday, First Friday, and First Saturday are permitted during Lent, with the ferias commemorated. The Saturday Mass and Office of Our Lady is not used; it yields to the ferial days.
– The blessed palms from last year’s Palm Sunday are burned to make ashes for Ash Wednesday. (Around Septuagesima, announce to the faithful that they should bring them in from their homes, depositing them in the vestibule or at the sacristy door, and there will be more than enough for the sacristans or clergy to make the ashes (burn palms, then sift ashes through a sieve and place in a liturgical container, such as a small silver bowl or pyx); anyone can do this, clerical or lay. This is preferable to ordering industrial ashes from a supplier, as the source and original blessing of the palms used is assured.)
– Palms for Palm Sunday should be ordered before Ash Wednesday. Order them quamprimum if this has not already been done. The suppliers generally have a very early cutoff date for pre-ordering. Palms cannot be ordered at the last minute as they are shipped from semi-tropical and tropical farms.
– Lent is the time to review the Holy Week rubrics and ensure that the servers are assigned to their positions for the Holy Week and Easter ceremonies, that their parents are able and committed to having their sons present at the assigned times, and that the servers are provided with notes and good training so that they may fulfill their respective roles digne, attente, ac devote. It is important to ensure that they receive not only the necessary practical skills for Holy Week, but also a solid spiritual formation in the supernatural grandeur of the sacred ceremonies, which allows them to grow in the knowledge and spirit of the Faith.
– The last two weeks of Lent are Passiontide, beginning with Passion Sunday (V Sunday of Lent), also called I Sunday of the Passion. Statues are covered from Passion Sunday until Good Friday (for the Cross) and the Easter Vigil (for all other images).
– Indications for the particular ceremonies of Ash Wednesday and Holy Week will be provided in the Ordo entries for the respective days.
– Lent is a closed time for the solemn nuptial blessing; it may not be given without permission or equivalent supplied regulations. Nuptial blessings may resume on Easter Monday. Marriages may be celebrated, with the nuptial blessing to be imparted at a later time, but spouses are to be admonished to avoid excessive festivity during this penitential season. For more information, see the Nuptial Blessing heading under Rubrical FAQs at the bottom of the page.
– Funerals are not permitted during this season on Sundays nor during the Sacred Triduum.
– The Saturday before Passion Sunday is Sitientes, the traditional day in the SSPX for Ordinations to minor orders and to the Subdiaconate.
– Daylight savings time in the USA begins on the second Sunday of March.
– The last two weeks of Lent are Passiontide, beginning with Passion Sunday (V Sunday of Lent), also called I Sunday of the Passion.
– During Passiontide, starting with I Vespers of Passion Sunday, every crucifix and every other image of Our Lord in a church or oratory, as well as every image of Our Lady and of the Saints on the altars, must be covered with a violet veil. If an image of Our Lady or of a Saint in a church or oratory is not on an altar, its veiling is not strictly prescribed. It is permitted to leave images of the Stations of the Cross unveiled during the whole of Passiontide, even though they are images of Our Lord in a church or oratory.
– The second week of Passiontide is Holy Week, from Palm Sunday until the Easter Vigil.
– Indications for the particular ceremonies of Holy Week will be provided in the Ordo entries for the respective days.