Traditional Benedictine Office - Ordo for the sixteenth week after Pentecost (Sept 24-30)

The key feast this week is the feast of the dedication of St Michael the Archangel.

Chants for the day hours can be found in the Antiphonale Monasticum starting on page 1055.

Informal translations of the readings and responsories for the feast will, as usual, appear on the Lectio Divina Notes blog.

The Matins invitatory (Regem Archangeloum) can be found in the Liber Hymnarius, on page 441, along with the hymn (Tibi Christe, pg 443) and sources for the chants of the responsories, can as usual, be found on the Benedictine Responsory Blog.  Unfortunately, however, I haven't been able to locate a source for the chants of the antiphons missing from the Roman version of the Office provided in the Nocturnale Romanum.

Sunday 24 September – Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Class II

Matins: All as in the psalter with Nocturn I&II readings, and all responsories for Sunday 4 of September

Lauds: Psalm schema 1 (50, 117, 62); hymn, Ecce iam lucis; canticle antiphon and collect, MD 475*

Vespers: Canticle antiphon and collect, MD 475-6*

Monday 25 September – Class IV

All as in the psalter; collect, MD 475*

Tuesday 26 September – Class IV [EF: Commemoration of SS Cyprian and Justina]

All as in the psalter; collect, MD 475*

Wednesday 27 September - Class IV, SS Cosmas and Damian, Memorial [EF: Class III]

All as in the psalter; collect, MD 475*; for the commemoration, MD [281]

Thursday 28 September – Class IV [EF: St Wenceslaus]

Matins to None: All as in the psalter, collect, MD 475*

 I Vespers of St Michael: MD [282]

Friday 29 September - Dedication of St Michael the Archangel, Class I

Matins: Three nocturns, all of the feast

Lauds: Antiphons and proper texts of the feast, MD [284] ff with festal psalms

Prime: Antiphon 1 of Lauds

Terce to None: Antiphons of Lauds, chapter versicles and collect, MD [287] ff

Vespers: All as for I Vespers except the fourth psalm and Magnificat antiphon, see MD [289] ff

Saturday 30 September – St Jerome, Class III

Matins:  Invitatory antiphon and hymn from Common of a confessor, one reading of the feast, rest from the psalter

Lauds: Antiphons and psalms of the day; chapter etc from Common of a Confessor not a bishop, MD (78), collect, MD [290]

Prime: Antiphon 1 from the Common

Terce to None: Antiphon, chapter and versicle from the Common; collect, MD [290]

I Vespers of First Sunday of October, MD 457*; collect, MD 476*

Traditional Benedictine Office - Ordo for the fifteenth week after Pentecost (Sept 17 - 23)

Sunday 17 September - Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Class II

Matins: All as in the psalter with Nocturn I&II readings, and all responsories for the Third Sunday of September

Lauds to Vespers: Canticle antiphons and collect, MD 474-5*

Monday 18 September - Class IV [EF: St Joseph of Cupertino]

All as in the psalter; collect, MD 474-5*

Tuesday 19 September - Class IV [EF: St Januarius and companions; **in some places, St Theodore, Class III]

** For St Theodore, MD 44**

All as in the psalter; collect, MD 474-5*

Wednesday 20 September - Ember Wednesday, Class II

Matins: All as in the psalter except for three readings of the Ember Day

Lauds to Vespers: All as in the psalter except for the canticle antiphons at Lauds and Vespers, and collect MD 454*

Thursday 21 September - St Matthew, Class II

Matins to Vespers: All from the Common of Apostles, MD (9) except for the readings for Nocturns II&III, Gospel and collect, MD [279]

Friday 22 September – Ember Friday, Class II; St Maurice and Companions, memorial

Matins: All as in the psalter except for three readings of the Ember Day

Lauds to Vespers: All as in the psalter for Friday except for the canticle antiphons at Lauds and Vespers and collect, MD 455*; for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [280]

Saturday 23 September – Ember Saturday, Class II; St Linus, Memorial

Matins: All as in the psalter except for three readings of the Ember Day

Lauds to None: All as in the psalter for Saturday except for the canticle antiphon at Lauds and collect, MD 456*; for the commemoration, MD [280-1]

I Vespers of the Fourth Saturday of September, MD 456-7*; Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, MD 475*

Traditional Benedictine Office - Ordo for the fourteenth week after Pentecost (Sept 10 - 16)

The notes below provide a guide to the variable texts of the Benedictine Office this week, with page references to the most recent editions (2005-) of the Monastic Diurnal.

The notes assume you are familiar with the structure of the normal day to day (ferial) Office and shorthand of the Diurnal though, so if you are new to the Benedictine Office, start by working your way through Learn the Office notes.

The Office this week

The canticle antiphon for Saturday Vespers on 9 September is the Second Sunday of September, and refers to the Matins on the Book of Job.  The antiphon for the sixteenth of September is for Saturday 3 of September.

The Benedictus and Magnificat antiphons this Sunday (and Nocturn III readings at Matins) refer to the Gospel for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost which can also be found over at the Lectio Divina Notes Blog (along with the Matins readings relating to it).

The main feast this week is the Exaltation of Holy Cross on Thursday, and readings and responsories for the feast will appear on the Lectio Divina Notes blog the day before the feast (Australian time).

Friday is the feast of the Seven Sorrows of Mary, which though third class in the 1962 Benedictine calendar, has proper antiphons and other texts from Lauds to Vespers.  At Matins though, only the invitatory antiphon, hymn, (one) reading and responsory are of the feast.

The reading for the Office of Our Lady on Saturday (Sept 16) for the third Saturday of September in the 1962 Office is from sermon no 13 within the Octave of the Assumption by St Bernard, but is not available online.

Sunday 10 September – Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Class II

Matins: All as in the psalter with Nocturn I&II readings, and all responsories for Sunday 2 of September

Lauds: Psalm schema 1 (50, 117, 62); hymn Ecce iam lucis; canticle antiphon and collect, MD 473-4*

Vespers: Canticle antiphon and collect, MD 473-4*

Monday 11 September - Class IV; SS Protus and Hyacinth, memorial

Collect, MD 473-4*; for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [265]

Tuesday 12 September – Class IV [EF: Most Holy Name of Mary]

All as in the psalter; collect, MD 473-4*

Wednesday 13 September - Class IV

All as in the psalter; collect, MD 473-4*

Thursday 14 September – Exaltation of Holy Cross, Class II

Matins: Invitatory, hymn antiphons and readings of the feast (three Nocturns) with psalms of the feast 

Lauds: Festal psalms (of Sunday) with antiphons and proper texts from MD [266] ff

Prime: Antiphon 1 of Lauds

Terce to None: Antiphon, chapter, versicle and collect of the feast, MD [269] ff

Vespers: Antiphons of Lauds (omit fourth); psalms of Sunday, MD 203 ff; rest from MD [270] ff

[Start of monastic Lent]

Friday 15 September – The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Class III (EF: Class II)

Matins: Invitatory antiphon, hymn and one reading of the feast, psalms and antiphons of the day

Lauds: Antiphons and proper texts, MD [273] ff; festal psalms

Prime to None: Antiphons of Lauds; chapter, versicle and collect, MD [276] ff

Vespers: Antiphons of Lauds; psalms from Common of BVM, MD (119); chapter etc MD [277] ff

Saturday 16 September - Saturday of Our Lady; SS Cornelius and Cyprian, memorials [EF: Class III]

Matins: Office of Our Lady with reading for Saturday 3 of September

Lauds to None: MD (129) ff; for the commemorations at Lauds, MD [278]

I Vespers of Third Sunday of September, MD 453-4*; collect, Fifteenth Sunday, MD 474-5*

Traditional Benedictine Office - Ordo for the thirteenth week after Pentecost (Sept 3-9)

The notes below provide a guide to the variable texts of the Benedictine Office this week, with page references to the most recent editions of the Monastic Diurnal.

The notes assume you are familiar with the structure of the normal day to day (ferial) Office and shorthand of the Diurnal though, so if you are new to the Benedictine Office, start by working your way through Learn the Office notes.

The Office this week

This canticle antiphon for Saturday Vespers on 2 September is for the First Sunday of September; on 9 September for the Second Sunday of September.  In both cases they refer to the First (and Second) Nocturn readings at Matins on the Book of Job, and can be found over at the Lectio Divina Notes blog.

The Benedictus and Magnificat antiphons on Sunday (and Nocturn III readings at Matins) refer to the Gospel for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost which can also be found over at the Lectio Divina Notes Blog (along with the Matins readings relating to it).

The main feast this week is the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Friday.  The antiphons and psalms for the feast at Matins and Vespers are from the Common of the Blessed Virgin, but there are a number of proper texts for the feast, including the responsories at Matins.  You can find sources for the chants for the responsories, as well as recordings where I've been able to locate them, on the Benedictine Responsory Blog.

The reading for the Office of Our Lady on Saturday for the second Saturday of September is from Sermon 142 of St Peter Chrysologus - there doesn't seem to be a version of this available online unfortunately.

This Tuesday, as the first unimpeded Tuesday in the month, was traditionally assigned to the Votive Office of St Benedict, and I will provide the readings that would have been said for it at Matins.

Sunday 3 September - Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Class II

Matins: All as in the psalter with Nocturn I&II readings, and all responsories for Sunday 1 of September

Lauds: Psalm schema 1 (50, 117, 62); hymn Ecce iam lucis; canticle antiphon and collect, MD 472-3*

Prime to None: All as for Sunday in the psalter, with collect, MD 473*

Vespers: Canticle antiphon and collect, MD 473*

Monday 4 September  - Class IV

All as in the psalter; collect, MD 473*

Tuesday 5 September - Class IV [EF: St Laurence Justinian] [Votive Office of St Benedict]

All as in the psalter; collect, MD 473*

Wednesday 6 September - Class IV

All as in the psalter; collect, MD 473*

Thursday 7 September - Class IV [**In some places, St Cloud, Confessor, Class I]

All as in the psalter; collect, MD 473*

**For St Cloud, MD [258]

Friday 8 September - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Class II [EF: with a commemoration of St Hadrian, Martyr]

Matins: Three Nocturns, with invitatory antiphon, hymn, readings and responsories of the feast, rest from Common of feasts of the BVM

Lauds: Antiphons and proper texts for the feast with festal psalms, MD [259] ff

Prime: Antiphon 1 of Lauds for the feast

Terce to None: Antiphons, chapter, etc MD [262] ff

Vespers: Antiphons and proper texts for the feast, MD [263] with psalms from the Common of Our Lady at Vespers, MD (119)

Saturday 9 September – Saturday of Our Lady; St Gorgonius, memorial

Matins: Office of Our Lady with reading for Saturday 2 of September

Lauds to None: MD (129) ff; for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [264-5]

I Vespers of Second Sunday of September, MD 453*/MD 473-4*

Traditional Benedictine Office - Ordo for twelfth week after Pentecost (August 27 - September 2)

The notes below provide a guide to the variable texts of the Benedictine Office this week, with page references to the most recent editions of the Monastic Diurnal.

The notes assume you are familiar with the structure of the normal day to day (ferial) Office and shorthand of the Diurnal though, so if you are new to the Benedictine Office, start by working your way through Learn the Office notes.

The Office this week

This canticle antiphon for Saturday Vespers on 27 August is of the Fourth Sunday of August, and refers to the First (and Second) Nocturn readings at Matins, which you can find here.

The Benedictus and Magnificat antiphons on Sunday (and Nocturn III readings at Matins) refer to the Gospel for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost which can also be found over at the Lectio Divina Notes Blog (along with the Matins readings relating to it).

For those saying Matins, translations of the readings for St Augustine and the Beheading of St John the Baptist for study purposes can be found on the Lectio Divina Notes Blog.

The reading for the Office of Our Lady next Saturday will be provided on the Lectio Divina Notes Blog in due course.

ORDO

Sunday 27 August - Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Class II

Matins: All as in the psalter with Nocturn I&II readings, and all responsories for the Fourth Sunday of August; Nocturn III readings and Gospel of the Twelfth Sunday

Lauds: Psalm schema 1 (50, 117, 62); hymn Ecce iam lucis; canticle antiphon and collect, MD 471-72*

Vespers: Canticle antiphon and collect, MD 472*

Monday 28 August – St Augustine of Hippo, Class III; Commemoration of St Hermes

Matins: Invitatory antiphon and hymn from Common of a Confessor bishop; antiphons and psalms of the day; one reading of the feast; chapter of a confessor bishop

Lauds and Vespers: Antiphons and psalms of the day with rest from the Common of a Confessor Bishop, MD (64) except for the Magnificat antiphon and collect, MD [251]

Prime: Antiphon 1 of Lauds

Terce to None: Chapter and versicle from the Common; collect, MD [251]

Tuesday 29 August - Beheading of St John the Baptist, Class III

Matins: Invitatory antiphon and hymn from Common of a martyr; antiphons and psalms of the day; one reading of the feast; chapter of a martyr

Lauds: Festal psalms with antiphons and proper texts for the feast, MD [252] ff

Prime: Antiphon 1 of Lauds

Terce to None: Antiphon, chapter, versicle and collect of the feast, MD [254] ff

Vespers:  Antiphons of Lauds; psalms from Common of Martyr, MD (36); chapter etc, MD [255] ff

Wednesday 30 August - Class IV; SS Felix and Adauctus, memorial [EF/***in some places, St Rose of Lima]

Collect, MD 472*; for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [257]

For St Rose, see MD 43**

Thursday 31 August - Class IV [EF: St Raymond Nonnatus]

All as in the psalter; collect, MD 472*

Friday 1 September - Class IV [***In some places, St Vibiana; EF: Commemoration of St Giles]

**For St Vibiana: MD 43**

All as in the psalter; collect, MD 472*

Saturday 2 September -– Saturday of Our Lady [EF: St Stephen]

Matins: Office of Our Lady with reading for Saturday 1 in September

Lauds to None: MD (129) ff  

I Vespers of the First Sunday of September, MD 453*/ Thirteenth Sunday, MD 473*

Traditional Benedictine Office - Ordo for eleventh week after Pentecost (August 20 - 26)

The notes below provide a guide to the variable texts of the Benedictine Office this week, with page references to the most recent editions of the Monastic Diurnal.

The notes assume you are familiar with the structure of the normal day to day (ferial) Office and shorthand of the Diurnal though, so if you are new to the Benedictine Office, start by working your way through Learn the Office notes.

The Office this week

This canticle antiphon for Saturday Vespers on 19 August is of the third Sunday of August, and refers to the First (and Second) Nocturn readings at Matins, which you can find here.

The Benedictus and Magnificat antiphons on Sunday (and Nocturn III readings at Matins) refer to the Gospel for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost which can also be found over at the Lectio Divina Notes Blog (along with the Matins readings relating to it).

The main feast this week is of St Bartholomew (Class II, on Thursday).  At Matins the invitatory, hymn, antiphons, psalms, responsories are from the Common of Apostles and can be found in the Liber Responsorialis (downloable from CC Watershed).  Alternative sources for the responsories (and information on the sources of the translations) are listed in the on the Benedictine Responsory Blog.

You can find the reading for the Office of Our Lady next Saturday here.

ORDO

Sunday 20 August – Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, Class II

Matins: All as in the psalter with Nocturn I&II readings, and all responsories for the Third Sunday of August; Nocturn III readings and Gospel of the Eleventh Sunday

Lauds: Psalm schema 1 (50, 117, 62); hymn, Ecce iam lucis; canticle antiphon MD 470*; collect, MD 471*

Vespers: Canticle antiphon and collect, MD 471*

Monday 21 August – Class IV; St Bernard Ptolemy, memorial [EF: St Jane Frances de Chantal]

All as in the psalter; collect, MD 471*; for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [249]

Tuesday 22 August - Class IV; St Timothy, memorial [EF: Immaculate Heart of the BVM]

All as in the psalter; collect, MD 471*; for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [250]

Wednesday 23 August - Class IV [EF: St Philip Benizi]

All as in the psalter; collect, MD 471*

Thursday 24 August – St Bartholomew, Class II

Matins: Nocturn II &III readings of the feast, rest from the Common of Apostles

Lauds to Vespers: All as in the Common of Apostles, MD (9) ff except for the collect, MD [250] 

Friday 25 August - Class IV [in some places/EF: St Louis]

All as in the psalter; collect, MD 471*

*For St Louis, MD 42**

Saturday 26 August – Our Lady on Saturday

Matins: As for Office of Our Lady with reading for Saturday 4&5 of August

Lauds to None: MD (129) ff

I Vespers of Fourth Sunday in August, MD 452* (Canticle antiphon)/ Sunday after Pentecost, MD 472*  

New antiphonale released

I want to alert interested readers to the release of the first volume of a new monastic Liber Antiphonarius (aka Antiphonale, providing the chants and other texts for the day hours of the Office).

The Liber Antiphonarius will mainly be of interest to monasteries and Oblates using the Novus Ordo calendar, but the work on chant reflected in it may also be of broader interest.

In addition it may be of interest to those looking for a shorter version of the Liturgy of the Hours than the traditional monastic one, as it uses an arrangement of the psalms over a week but with no repetitions.  Note however that the book is Latin only.

The project 

The book is the product of twenty years of research by monks from Praglia Abbey, in collaboration with the nuns of the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, who undertook the encoding and typesetting.

Volume 1 of the Liber Antiphonarius provides the texts for the proper of times and daily texts of the Office, including the hymns.    It includes the psalter (using the neo-Vulgate), proper of time (including Sunday canticles for years A, B and C of the new calendar), and texts for feasts of Our Lord. In total it comes in at around 900 pages.

The second volume, scheduled for the end of 2019, will provide the texts for the feasts of saints, as well as the Office of the Dead.

Liber Antiphonarius pro Diurnis horis

The Liber Antiphonarius is printed in red and black print on 50 grams ivory paper with gold cut, and is available with either a canvass or leather cover.

It has three particular features:

• it is aligned with the modern Benedictine Confederation Schema B (rather than St Benedict's own psalm cursus as set out in the Rule and used in the Monastic Diurnal), which is used by a large proportion of modern (Benedictine) monasteries; 
• it provides more than one set of antiphons for Vespers and Lauds each day, and for some major feasts, in order to increase variety; and
• it includes Benedictus and Magnificat antiphons aligned with the new calendar.

It is worth noting that this new Liber Antiphonarius does not simply reproduce the Sunday canticles from the Solesmes 2005 Antiphonale Monasticum, but instead provides new versions of them.

Overall the governing principle for the chants has been to:

• include rhythmical signs (episemes and puncti mora) in squared notation;
• source chants from a particular manuscript source, with no interpolations (such as taking one antiphon from different manuscripts making a sort of "common version");
• use the traditional chant tones;
• minimise the use of newly-composed melodies, privileging medieval compositions; and 
• use the original texts of hymns, not the versions 'corrected' and 'mitigated' in the twentieth century.

I haven't actually seen a copy, so can't attest to the results, but this certainly sounds like an advance on the approach used in the 2005 Solesmes equivalent volume (which is largely based around Benedictine Schema A).

You can read more details on the approach taken here.

Ordering a copy

The Liber Antiphonarius costs Euro 57 (canvas cover) or E75 (leather cover) plus shipping. There is a special discount price for orders before 30 September of E45/63.
It can be ordered by mailing or emailing the monastery:

Praglia Abbey - Shipping
Via Abbazia di Praglia, 16
I-35037 Teolo PD - Italy
spedizioni@praglia.it

Orders will be processed from 2 October 2017.

Return to tradition?

Regular readers will know that my hope and prayers are for a return to the traditional Benedictine Office, using the psalm cursus set out in the Benedictine Rule (and the Vulgate rather than the neo-Vulgate), and this blog is dedicated to that purpose.  While it is true that St Benedictine allows for the use of other weekly arrangements of the psalms, I think his particular one embodies a particular spirituality reflecting the Rule, and so is an important element of the Benedictine charism and patrimony.

Unfortunately the traditional Office was largely abandoned (voluntarily and otherwise!) in the wake of Vatican II, with most monasteries following the Roman Office in suppressing Prime, and seeking to eliminate some or all of the repetitions of psalms in the Office.  This antiphonale obviously reflects this, in my view, unfortunate direction.

Nonetheless, every step in the direction of tradition is to be applauded, and so the development of a new monastic Antiphonale utilising the original chants wherever possible, and thus allowing Schema B to be readily sung in Latin and chant, is at least a step in the right direction!