December 2018 - SSPX Ordo Notices
Society of Saint Pius X    Regina Coeli House
11485 N. Farley Rd.    Platte City, MO  64079    (816) 733-2500

Note: This document is for the purpose of apostolate planning and offers a collection of practical advice and announcements. Items may be included in priory and church bulletins if desired; simply copy and paste these announcements. Please contact us at ordo@sspx.org to let us know of any corrections needed. This list can be found in the entry of the 20th day of each month in the online ordo. 

The 2019 Online Ordo entries are complete. The entries may be consulted online, and may also be printed out if desired. For example, the week or the month may be printed out for the sacristy desk, or even the whole year may be printed and spiral-bound in the manner of a standard printed ordo.
********************************************************************************************************
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is a Holy Day of Obligation in the USA (including Hawaii). This year it falls on Saturday, but it is never abrogated by the local Ordinaries, and the obligation always remains. For more detailed information on Holy Days of Obligation in the USA, see the FAQ section of the Online Ordo (the icon with the “question mark” at the bottom of the page).
The Season of Advent begins – Here are some Advent reminders:
- Change to Volume I of the Breviary starting with I Vespers of the I Sunday of Advent.
- The liturgical color of Advent is violet, but 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 silent, except to sustain the choir. Relics are customarily not placed on the altar gradines. 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, excepting Sundays, and the feasts of the Principal Patron, titular of the principal church, titular of the religious order, or extraordinary solemnities occurring.
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. The Advent preface from the 1738 Parisian Missal was included in the appendix of the 1962 Missal; it was originally permitted for France and Belgium, but now seems to be authorized in general.
- 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 Lauds, the 2nd scheme of psalms is used on ferial days, but on Sundays, the 1st scheme is used (unlike during Lent). On Wednesdays, the 2nd scheme 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 scheme.
- 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 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").
In 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).
- Fast and Abstinence: December 24 is a day of fast and abstinence; it may be observed, at the choice of the individual, on either 23 or 24 December (S. Congregationis Concilii, 3 Dec. 1959). 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.
********************************************************************************************************
The Christmas Season – Some more reminders…
- 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.
- There are three proper Masses of Christmas: Midnight, Dawn, and Day. Priests may celebrate all three. The Midnight Mass follows Matins, the Dawn Mass follows Prime, and the Day Mass follows Terce. The Midnight Mass may not begin before midnight. The faithful may receive Holy Communion at only one of the three Masses.
At each Mass: Credo, Preface of the Nativity, and proper Communicantes (for the entire octave).
In the Communicantes 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) commemorate St. Anastasia (Martyr). At the end of the third Mass, omit the Last Gospel.
Regarding the particular ceremonies involved when two or three Masses are celebrated within a short time frame, see the rubrics of Trination in the FAQs of the Online Ordo. 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).
- During the Season of the Nativity the sacred image of the Divine Infant should be exposed and is incensed with three double swings, as an Image of Christ. (S. R. C., 15 Feb. 1873)
- 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 Te Deum is traditionally sung on December 31. It is enriched with a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions, as listed in the Raccolta (1950) n. 684 and in the Enchiridion (1999) n. 26, for those who attend the sung Te Deum on the last day of the year in order to give thanks to God for the blessings received from Him during the whole year.
Funerals are permitted every day this month except on the Sundays of Advent, the Vigil of the Nativity, the Nativity, and the Immaculate Conception, and the Titular feast of an individual church.  
********************************************************************************************************
Local observances

Calendar: These apply to priests assigned to these priories. For the public celebration of the Office and Mass, they apply only to the local territory. If a priest is celebrating Mass privately in another location, he may follow either the calendar of his priory or the calendar of the place. For the private recitation of Office, he must follow the calendar of his priory.

Titulars & Patrons: The External Solemnity of the priory or chapel’s titular feast and of the local patronal feast (principal patron) may be celebrated on the Sunday immediately preceding or following the feast unless impeded by a first class Sunday or feast, in which case it can be commemorated in the Sunday Mass (collects under single conclusion).

Accidental Occurrence: A local first class feast take precedence over a second class feast or liturgical day, but is trumped by all other first class feasts and liturgical days in the universal calendar. If the superior feast is of the same Divine Person or saint, the local feast is omitted, otherwise, it is transferred to the next available day which is not first or second class. (Sundays and the Feast of the Consecration of a Cathedral or Church are both of Our Lord).

Chapel Titular Feasts (I class)
The Immaculate Conception is the titular feast of: Gilford, Kalispell, Oak Park, Post Falls, and Wichita. 

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the titular feast of: Boise and Silver City.

St. Thomas Becket (Dec 29) is the titular feast of Veneta.

Local Patronal Feasts (I class)
The Immaculate Conception is the local principal patron of: Austin, Binghamton, Bismarck, Carthage, Chicago/Oak Park, Crookston, Davie, Denver, Dickinson ND, Dickinson TX, Eddystone, Fort Collins, Fort Wayne, Georgetown, Glens Falls, Goldsboro, Kansas City, Massena, Memphis, Miami, Nicholville, North Caldwell, Pittsburgh, Platte City, Portland, Raleigh, Spring, St. Mary’s, Syracuse/Warners, Veneta, and Wichita.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the local principal patron of: Corpus Christi, Phoenix, Prescott, and Silver City. 

St. John the Evangelist is the local principal patron of: Akron, Boise, Cottonwood, Cleveland, Mukwonago, Post Falls, and Saint Maries ID. 

St. Francis Xavier is the local principal patron of: Green Bay and Greenwood. 

Local Cathedral Consecration (I class)
Boston: Dec 8 (transfers to next available day)
Falls Church: Dec 27
Fort Wayne: Dec 8 (transfers to next available day)
Greenwood: Dec 21
Kenner: Dec 8 (transfers to next available day)
Lacombe: Dec 8 (transfers to next available day)
Madison: Dec 22
Phoenix: Dec 11
Prescott: Dec 11
Seattle: Dec 22

Collects/Orations for Ordinary
Added to the collects of the Mass under one conclusion
Atlanta: Dec 9, Wiltonem/Atlantensis
Bakersfield: Dec 1, Armandum/Fresnensis
Buckingham: Dec 5, Finbarrum/Richmondiensis
Carson City: Dec 23, Randolphum/Renensis
Colton: Dec 28, Geraldum/Bernardinopolitanus
Farmingville: Dec 9, Ioannem/Petropolitanus
Oklahoma City: Dec 16, Paulum/Oklahomensis
Richmond: Dec 5, Finbarrum/Richmondiensis
Sanford: Dec 16, Ioannem/Orlandensis
Tavares: Dec 16, Ioannem/Orlandensis
Virginia Beach: Dec 5, Finbarrum/Richmondiensis

Elenchus Sodalium Defunctorum FSSPX, 
December
06. Sacerdos Thomas Bernhard, † 2012
08. Soror Maria Compassiva Nicoll, † 1987
09. Soror Maria Baldina Reichinger, † 2011
22. Soror Marie Véronique de Keating Hart, † 2016
24. Sacerdos Marc van Es, † 1996
27. Soror Maria Cristina Malcervelli, † 2009
27. Soror Maria Veronika Behrens, † 2010
+Requiescant in Pace+