Sunday, December 30, 2007

The Announcement of Movable Feasts at Epiphany

On Epiphany, after the reading of the Gospel, the traditional announcement of the movable holy days of the church year may be made in the following form:

"Dearly beloved brethren, ye shall know that as we have rejoiced in the Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, so there is announced to you by the mercy of God the joyous observance of the Resurrection of the same our Savior:

January 20th is Septuagesima Sunday.

On February 6th, Ash Wednesday begins the most holy season of Lent.

On March 23rd, we shall celebrate with great rejoicing the holy Easter Festival of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May 1st is the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

May 11th is the Feast of Pentecost.

November 30th is the First Sunday in the Advent of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be honor and glory, world without end. Amen."

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

The Preface and Proper Preface.

Others, especially Fr. Eckardt on his Liturgy Seminar, have addressed the Hymn of the Day, the Sermon, the Prayer of the Church and the Offertory. I will move directly to the Preface and Proper Preface.

The text of the Preface presents a curiosity.

In Latin, it reads Vere dignum et justum est, aquum et salutare,...

In German, it reads Es ist in Wahrheit würdig und recht, billig und heilsam,... or Wahrhaft würdig und recht, billig und heilsam ist es,...

All of the Englich liturgies with which I am familiar render this It is truely meet (good), right and salutary,... I welcome your comments on this point.

Concerning the Proper Preface, I offer the following:

I do agree with Fr. Eckardt that the Proper Prefaces for the seasons have suffered lack of uniformity. I disagree with Fr. Eckardt regarding the divisions of the lengthy Trinity season. Although sub-dividing Trinity Tide into St. John's Tide, St. Laurence Tide, and Michaelmas Tide, may have historic precedent, it has not been done since 1570. In addition, the trend to number Sundays after (in) St. John's Tide and St. Laurence Tide and after Michaelmas, seems innovative.

The seasonal Proper Prefaces also suffer when, following the understanding that every Sunday is a little Easter, a proper Sunday preface with Easter overtones is used during Trinity Tide whenever the historic preface seems to have been suppressed.

I have listed the historic Proper Prefaces, including a few that do not appear in TLH, in the Orde Missae on LexOrandi.

Here again, I welcome your comments.