Finding the collects, canticle antiphons , readings and responsories from August to November: a guide

One of the ongoing sources of confusion in the Office at this time of the year relates to the two separate sequences of Sundays at work.

Accordingly, I thought I'd devote a couple of posts to explaining where to find the relevant moving parts of the Office, and then, for those interested, a bit of the history behind it (which is alas, a classic example of the human tendency to increase the complexity of things over time!).

But first, the mechanics of navigating the Office from August to November.

Note that I'm only talking about the Benedictine Office here, though the same principles apply to the Roman.

Finding the moveable parts of the Sunday Office

For most of the year, the canticle antiphons for Saturdays and Sundays, as well as the collects, can all be found located together in the 'of time' (temporale) section of an Office book - in the Monastic Diurnal and Breviary, that is the first main section of the book.

Between August and November each year though, there are actually two different sequences of Sundays in play: those relating to the calendar month; and those relating to the number of Sundays after Pentecost.  And the texts relating to these two separate sequences found in two different parts of the temporale.

The short version is, if you are using the Diurnal, the Saturday Vespers Magnificat antiphon is of the calendar month Sunday, in a sequence starting at page 451*, while the collect and Sunday Lauds and Vespers canticle antiphons are of the Sunday after Pentecost, in a sequence starting at page 461*.

If you use my Ordo (and next year's will be available shortly from Lulu as usual), the page numbers for each Sunday are set out in it.

For those who are learning Matins, want to understand in more depth, or work it all out for themselves, the long version is set out below. 

Matins on Sundays

When it comes to Sunday Matins each week, between August and November there essentially three sets of moving parts, viz:

• Nocturn I&II readings of the relevant Sunday of the calendar month;
• responsory sets for all three Nocturns relating to the book(s) of the Bible being read in Nocturn I; and
• Nocturn III readings, Gospel and collect of the relevant Sunday after Pentecost. 

The impact on the day hours is that the Magnificat antiphon for Saturday Vespers relates to the calendar month cycle, while the collect and canticle antiphons for Sunday Lauds and Vespers relate to the Sunday after Pentecost.

a) The 'calendar' Sunday: Saturday Vespers and Sunday Matins Nocturns 1&2

In essence, the Magnificat antiphons for Saturday Vespers are generally taken from, or relates to the Scriptural readings for the first Nocturn of Sunday Matins.  

And between August and November, these are for the calendar month, not the Sunday of the liturgical year.

If you are just saying the day hours, this calendar month sequence only affects Saturday Vespers (the Magnificat antiphon) and the September Ember days (which are placed in the third week of the month).

In the diurnal you can find this sequence of antiphons from page 451* onwards.  In volume 2 of the 1963 Monastic Breviary they start at page 112. 

Monastic Diurnal and Breviary: calendar month sequence

Sundays of …	Monastic diurnal page – Saturday Vespers Magnificat antiphon	Monastic Breviary 1963 (vol 2) – Saturday Vespers Magnificat antiphon; Sunday readings for Nocturns 1&2; Sunday responsories for all Nocturns
August	451*	112
September	452*	130
October	457*	156
November	459*	172

b) which Sunday of the month?

 There are three potential traps to note here though.  

The first is that there are rules dictating which Sundays of the month are actually used depends on the number of Sundays that actually occur in the month.  The rules are set out in the Diurnal so you can work it out for yourself, but the alternative is just to consult an Ordo!

The second potential trap is that the '1962' books literally use modern calendar months to calculate which Sunday it is - so the first Sunday in October, for example, can never occur before October 1.  

In the earlier books, though, the Roman calendar system was used to calculate this, and so each year there are some differences (which change each year) between the two sets of books as to which Sunday is said/when it is said.  

For what it is worth, my own view is that although it was one of the sillier simplifications made, there are swings and roundabouts in its net impact that make it not worth worrying much about.  

For those who beg to differ though, or want to consider the topic in more depth, I recommend the annual rant (I mean dissertation!) on the subject by by Mr Dipippo over at New Liturgical Movement.

And the third point to note is that the last Sunday of October is always the feast of Christ the King - but for reasons I don't understand, the breviary and Diurnal put this not in the temporale section, but in the sanctorale....

c) The responsory sets

The third moving part affected by these calendar convolutions only affects Matins, and relates to the responsories, so you can ignore this one if you are only using the Diurnal!

For most of the year, the responsories (essentially meditations on/summaries of the readings) used at all three Nocturns on Sundays relate to the particular book or group of books of the Bible being read (in Nocturn I).  

As a new book is started, a new set of responsories starts.  

In some cases, the same responsory set is used for several weeks - the longest usually being those for Kings/Chronicles in the weeks after Trinity Sunday up until the end of July.  But equally, some are only used for one (such as for Tobit, for Sunday 3 of September) or two weeks.  The table below summarises the books read in this period. 

Sunday(s)	Books read	First responsory of the set	No of unique responsories in the set*
Dom II post Pent to end July	Kings	Preparate corda vestra	11
August 1-5	Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus	In principio	11
Sept 1&2	Job	Si bona	11
Sept 3	Tobit	Peto Domine	9**
Sept 4	Judith	Adonai	8**
Sept 5	Esther	Domine mi Rex	4**
Oct 1-4	Maccabees	Adaperiat	11
November 1	Ezekiel	Vidi dominum	14
November 3	Daniel
November 4&5	Minor prophets

*The last responsory on all Sundays after Pentecost is Duo Seraphim.

** The remaining responsories needed to reach the necessary 11 are taken from other sets in the month.

Where the same set of responsories is reused for several weeks, some books, most notably the Gower Matins books, save space by only list them out once.  The table below provides a key on where to find the relevant sets.

From Sunday II after Pentecost to Advent: Gower book page numbers

Sundays	Nocturns I&II readings	Nocturn III readings/Gospel (of the Sunday after Pentecost	Responsories
Easter to September volume
Second Sunday after Pentecost (to last Sunday of July)	Pg 174 ff (of the Sunday after Pentecost)	Pg 240 ff	Pg 235 ff
August	Pg 223 ff (of the Sunday of the calendar month)	Pg 240 ff	August: pg 238
September to Christmas volume
September	Pgs 1 – 72 (and responsories)	Pgs 84 - 119	For Nocturn III only: September Sundays 1&2: 72 September 3: 74 September 4: 75 September 5:76
October	Pg 23 ff		(Ns I, II&III):76 ff
November	pg 35 ff (including weekday readings)		Pg 78-83 (including weekdays)

d) Sundays after Pentecost: Matins Nocturn III, Sunday Lauds and Vespers canticle antiphons, and the collect

The second sequence of Sundays are those of the liturgical year, viz the Sundays after Pentecost, and most particular their Gospels (which are those used at the Extraordinary Form Mass).

So far as the day hours go, these provide the Benedictus and Magnificat antiphons for Sunday Lauds and Vespers, and the collect for the week, starting at page 461* in the Diurnal, or page 217 in the Breviary.

For Matins, the Third Nocturn readings, Gospel and collect can be found under the relevant Sunday after Pentecost entry.

There are two potential traps here.

The first is that where a (Class I) feast is said instead of the Sunday, the collect of the Sunday after Pentecost that would have been said is still used during the week.

The second is that there are only texts for twenty-four Sundays after Pentecost, whereas in practice there are actually usually more than that - in 2026 for example, there are 26 Sundays.  

For these extra Sundays, the clock essentially stops at the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost, and fills the gap before the ('24th' and) last Sunday after Pentecost with the 'Sundays remaining after Epiphany' (ie left over from the beginning of the year).

The table at the beginning of the Diurnal tells you how many Sundays after Pentecost there are each year, and how to calculate which 'Sundays remaining' to use, but again, consulting an Ordo is simpler!

History of the reading and calendar system

So how did this rather complex system actually come to be?

The answer lies in a series of reforms of both the liturgical calendar and Matins reading cycle dating back to the eighth century, on which more anon.

A quick guide to Matins Part 3

In the last part of this mini-series on Matins, I suggested starting focusing first on what you will find in the psalter section/ book you are using, rather than worrying about feasts and readings, and gave some starting points on the opening section of the hour and the daily psalmody.

In this post though, I want to focus primarily on the parts of Matins that differ in structure from the other hours, most particularly the readings.

Our Father, absolution, blessing(s) 

The first significant difference is that immediately after the versicle of the day or season in each Nocturn of Sunday, and Nocturn I on weekdays, the Our Father is said followed by an absolution formula, which is set out in the psalter section for each day of the week (and usually summarised elsewhere in the book as well ). 

There are also three absolution formulas (and an additional one for Saturdays of Our Lady) said immediately after the Pater Noster in each Nocturn on Sundays, and then rotated through during the week at Nocturn I.

The blessings for the readings

Each nocturn on Sundays, and Nocturn I on weekdays then has one or more readings, each of which repeats exactly the same structure, used whether in choir or said alone, exactly as written:

• a request for a blessing (Jube, domne, benedicere/Pray Lord give a blessing);
• the blessing;
• the reading, concluding with the formula Tu autem Domine, miserere nobis. Deo gratias;
• a responsory.

There are different sets of blessing formulas (used on different days of the week) for the one reading of summer, the three Scriptural readings said in 'winter'.  There are also separate sets for Sundays, major feasts, Class III feasts, and days with patristic readings.

Most of these can generally be found in the psalter section of your Office book, but note that the Gower book places the absolutions and blessings used for days with three or twelve readings towards the end of the book on pages 191 (for Sundays and Class I&II feasts) and pages 192-3 for days with three readings. 

The readings and responsories

The key 'new' element of Matins though, compared to the other hours is the readings and responsories.

On weekdays in Eastertide these are just one fixed short reading and short responsory; from Pentecost the short readings and short responsories are for the day of the week (or for Saturday of Our Lady).

On Sundays and 'winter' weekdays however, Matins basically follows a Scriptural reading cycle that can be found in the 'temporale' section of the breviary (or the separate books for different parts of the year in the case of the Gower books).  

The reading cycle is is arranged (loosely) around salvation history, starting with Genesis (from Septuagesima Sunday), and ending with the Pauline letters in Epiphanytide.

Each book of the Bible (or group of books) also has one (or more sets in the case of Lent when Genesis is read, and Advent, for the Prophets) of responsories that are used in conjunction with the readings of the day.

Finding the readings and responsories...

On Sundays:

• the first Nocturn readings are typically from Scripture; 
• Nocturn II are patristic commentaries related to the Nocturn I readings; and 
• Nocturn III are homilies related to the Gospel of that Sunday (ie the Gospel said at the Extraordinary Form Mass).  

From Advent until Pentecost, the readings for all three Nocturns are associated with the relevant Sunday of  the year, and so can be found in one place in the 'temporale' section of your book (or separate book for the time of the year).

Between  August and November, however, the Nocturn I&II readings are of the calendar month, so are in a separate section of the temporale.

The responsories for all three Nocturns, though, relate to the Nocturn I Scriptural book being read, so the same set may be reused over several Sundays.

Accordingly, some books don't repeat all of the responsories each time they are used.  Instead, they either place them:

• with the Ordinary of the season; and/or
• from August to November (when the readings are of the calendar month rather than fixed to the Sunday after Pentecost), immediately after the readings and responsories for Nocturn II (in the case of the breviary and Le Barroux Nocturnale); or
• in a separate section to the readings (in the Gower books).

Note also that the responsories follow a different pattern to the short responsories of the day hours, so make sure you can decrypt them from the abbreviated form used in most Office books.

The conclusion of the hour

At the other end of the hour, immediately after the last antiphon on weekdays, a chapter and verse is said, usually of the season.  The concluding prayers are said in exactly the same way as the other hours, with the collect for the week or day inserted (both the Gower book and Brignoles Psalter include all of the Sunday collects to save you having to look in another book for them).

In most books, the various chapters for seasons and saints' feasts are placed under each day of the week before the concluding prayers.  In the Gower books, only that for time Throughout the year is placed there; those for seasons and feasts can be found from page 141 (for feasts of types of saints) and seasons (from page 149).

On Sundays however, the concluding structure is completely different, with the Te Deum, Gospel (of the Sunday), Te decet laus and collect, so worth studying carefully.

And you can find more detailed notes on all of these topics here. 

A quick guide to Matins Part 2 - Finding the opening section of Matins and the psalmody in your books**

In the first part of this brief overview of Matins, I provided something of an overview of the hour.  

In this part, I want to point you particularly to the opening section of the hour and the psalmody, and where to find it in your Office book.

Where to find Matins in your book

If you are using a breviary, the core texts for Matins can be found starting immediately after Prime for Monday to Saturday.  For each day of the week, the breviary starts with Matins and then provides Lauds of the day before moving to Matins of the next day.

In breviaries and the Le Barroux Nocturnale, the psalter section is towards the middle of the book

 Page numbers for the basic texts for each day of the week for the most commonly used books are set out in the table below.

Matins page numbers
OFFICE BOOK	Gower (For Sundays, ferias…)	Brignoles Nocturnale vol 1 (Psalter)	Breviary (1963)	Le Barroux Nocturnale Monasticum
Dominica (Sunday)	Pg 4	Pg 9	Pg (22)	Pg 652
Monday (Feria II)	Pg 28	Pg 48	Pg (58)	Pg 668
Tuesday (Feria III)	Pg 49	Pg 70	Pg (85)	Pg 678
Wednesday (Feria IV)	Pg 64	Pg 86	Pg (105)	Pg 690
Thursday (Feria V)	Pg 82	Pg 104	Pg (126)	Pg 703
Friday (Feria VI)	Pg 101	Pg 123	Pg (149)	Pg 714
Sabbato (Saturday)	Pg 118	Pg 141	Pg (172)	Pg 715

 Where to find the "ordinary' of Matins

 The first challenge you will encounter though, is that each of these books takes a different approach on where it places the various texts of the opening section of the hour.

In essence, as the table below illustrates, the opening section of the hour has a fixed structure used for ordinary (ferial) days, Sundays and feasts alike.  But the invitatory antiphon and hymn are of the day of the week.

Note that the links in the table go to more detailed notes on each of these Office components.

OPENING SECTION	VARIABLE COMPONENTS
Opening prayer - Domine labia mea aperies
Psalm 3 - 'in directum'
Invitatory antiphon (integrated with Psalm 94)	Of the day, feast or season
Psalm 94
Hymn	Of the day, feast or season

Note that Psalm 94 is said responsorially rather than antiphonally: the invitatory antiphon is repeated twice in full at the beginning, then inserted after each couple of verses either in full or in part, so if you aren't familiar with how to do this, do look carefully at the more detailed notes on how to say (or preferably) sing it!

The various books differ on whether to put all of the repeated components in a separate section or under the Sunday, and then whether to repeat some or all of the material each day.

The Gower book, for example, provides the Ordinary of the hour upfront, including the invitatory antiphons, and then just starts from the section for each day of the week with the ferial hymn.  In general, they don't bother repeating Psalm 94 each day, leaving you to refer back to either the Ordinary Le Barroux), Sunday and/or Monday, or the section with Psalm 94 in each chant tone. 

The table below summarises the situation for each of these books: 

Matins page numbers
OFFICE BOOK	Gower (For Sundays, ferias…)	Brignoles Nocturnale vol 1	Breviary (1963)	Le Barroux Nocturnale Monasticum
‘Ordinary’	Pg 1 -3	Pg 9	Pg (58) – (59)	Pg 7 -12
Daily section	Starts at ferial hymn	On Sundays all; weekdays, invitatory antiphon and hymn only for each day	On Sunday and Monday all; on weekdays, opening prayer, Ps 3, invitatory antiphon and hymn of the day.	On Sundays, all; weekdays, includes ferial invitatory antiphon and hymn

The opening section of the hour on feasts and Saturdays of Our Lady

It is also worth noting that on feasts, the invitatory antiphon and hymn are either specific to the feast, or (particularly in the case of Class III feasts) taken from the relevant Common.  Le Barroux's Nocturnale includes all the commonly used ones in its Ordinary section, while Gower includes the relevant texts at the end of its psalter book.

The invitatory and hymn for Saturdays of Our Lady can either be found in the Ordinary, psalter section or after the Common of Our Lady (in the breviary). 

The psalmody

The other key component of the hour is the psalms, which are set out under each day of the week.

Benedictine Matins (unlike the Roman version) always includes twelve psalms, divided into two sets (Nocturns) of six.

The number of antiphons used varies between the seasons, but the normal pattern is that on weekdays (including Class III feasts) Nocturn I has three antiphons (ie one antiphon for two psalms), while Nocturn II has one (consisting of alleluias).

The psalms are said in exactly the same way as for other hours, with a doxology (Glory be) at the end of each psalm, or part of a psalm. 

On higher level feasts (Class I&II), however, sets of festal psalms, typically with one antiphon for each psalm are used, generally as set out in the Commons for various types of saints.

The canticles

On Sundays and major feasts, a third Nocturn is added on to the hour, but rather than adding additional psalms, it consists of three canticles, said exactly the same way as psalms are, said under one antiphon.

The table below summarises which types of days have special sets of antiphons, psalms and canticles.

	Psalms and antiphons	Nocturn III canticles
Sundays	Of the Sunday/ferial antiphons or of the season	Of the season
Class I&II feasts	Of the Common or feast	Of the Common or feast
Class III feasts, Vigils	Of the day of the week	none
Class IV days	Of the day of the week	none

The versicle

The psalter section for each day of the week also generally provides you with the versicle of the day or season said at the end of Nocturn I (and Nocturns II&III on Sundays).  Note that these do not change on Class III feast days.

In the next part of this series, I will look at the readings and other variable parts of the hour.