The Ordo notes for May for the Benedictine Office according to the 1962 monastic calendar and rubrics are set out below.
Note that you can obtain more detailed notes by purchasing the full Ordo from Lulu.
You can also find detailed instructions on how to say the Benedictine Office using the Monastic Diurnal published by St Michael's Abbey Press (or the Antiphonale Monasticum or Breviarium Monasticum) here.
The Office this month
Texts of the season
The season is currently Eastertide, and the Ordinary texts for the season are set out in the 'of time section of your Office book. After the feast of the Ascension on May 18 the Ordinary changes to those for Ascensiontide.
May 1 and the feast of St Joseph
May 1 is designated as the feast of St Joseph the Worker in the 1962 calendar, however as this feast now looks very outdated, many monasteries have adopted the option to say instead the Office of the former Solemnity of St Joseph (previously said on the Wednesday of the second week after the Octave of Easter).
The texts for the Solemnity of St Joseph can be found at page [130] and following in the Monastic Diurnal; page 883 in the Antiphonale; and page 992 and following in the new Nocturnale Monasticum.
The former Solemnity also had an octave, with three patristic readings each day at Matins.
May 3: Finding of Holy Cross
A number of monasteries have also revived the Feast of the finding of Holy Cross, on May 3, for which see page 896 of the Antiphonale and 998 in the Nocturnale.
The texts for the day hours are the same as for the feast of the Exaltation of Holy Cross on September 14, which can be found at page [265] and following in the Monastic Diurnal, with the exception of the canticle antiphons and collect (which you can find on Divinum Officium).
May 6: St John before the Lateran Gate
The feast of St Joh is another secondary feast suppressed in the 1962 calendar, but being revived in a number of places. The necessary texts and chants for it can be found in the Antiphonale from page 904.
Octave of the Ascension
The most important twentieth century calendar change affecting this period was the suppression of the Octave of the Ascension.
The texts previously used are mostly preserved as the 'Ordinary of Ascensiontide' however where the former Octave is celebrated, on weekdays up until Wednesday: at Matins, there are three Patristic readings of the Octave; and at Lauds to Vespers, all is as for the feast.
On the Friday after the Octave, the Office is said as for the Sunday within the Octave (ie as per the ‘Office in Ascensiontide’ 1962 rubrics) unless displaced by a Class I or II feast (in which case the Octave is commemorated).
MAY 2023
Monday 1 May – St Joseph the Worker, Class I [Previously: SS Philip and James]
MD [126] ff or MD [133] ff.
Tuesday 2 May – St Athanasius, Class III
MD [138]/AM 896.
Wednesday 3 May – Class IV; SS Alexander, Eventius and Theodolus, Memorial [Previously: Finding of Holy Cross]
Canticle
antiphons, MD 366*/AM 491; collect, MD 362*/AM 488;
for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [138-9]/AM 902.
Thursday 4 May – Class IV; St Monica, Memorial [EF: Class III]
Canticle antiphons, MD 366*/AM 492; for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [139-40]/AM 903.
Friday 5 May – Class IV; St Pius V, Memorial [EF: Class III]
Canticle antiphons, MD 366-7*/AM 492&489; for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [140]/AM 903.
Saturday 6 May – Class IV; Saturday of Our Lady [Previously: St John before the Latin Gate; Canada: St François de Laval, Class III]
Office of Our Lady in Eastertide, MD (135)/AM 718-9; 1 Vespers of the Fourth Sunday in Eastertide, MD 367*/AM 493 ff.
Sunday 7 May – Fourth Sunday after
Easter, Class II
MD 368*/AM 493 ff.
Monday 8 May – Class IV
Ordinary of Eastertide, MD 346*/AM 466 ff; canticle antiphons for Lauds and Vespers, MD 370*/AM 495-6; collect, MD 368*/AM 494.
Tuesday 9 May – St Gregory Nazianzen, Class III
MD [141]/AM 905.
Wednesday 10 May – Class IV; SS Gordian and Epimachis, Memorial [EF: St Antonius, Class III]
Canticle antiphons, MD 371*/AM 497.
Thursday 11 May – SS Philip and James, Class II [Benedictine Confederation: SS Odo, Maiolus, Odilo, Hugh and Blessed Peter the Venerable, Memorial]
MD [142]/AM 893 ff.
Friday 12 May – Class IV; SS Nereus, Archilleus and Pancras, Memorial [EF: Class III]
Canticle antiphons, MD 371-2*/AM 498/495; for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [146]/AM 905.
Saturday 13 May – Class IV; Our Lady on Saturday; St Robert Bellarmine, Memorial [EF: Class III; Previously: Commemoration of Martyrs and Other Saints whose relics are in churches of the Benedictine Order]
Office of Our Lady in Eastertide, MD (135)/AM 718-9; for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [147]/AM 909; 1 Vespers of the Fifth Sunday after Easter, MD 372*/AM 499 ff.
Sunday 14 May – Fifth Sunday after Easter, Class II
MD 373*/AM 499 ff.
Monday 15 May – Class IV; Rogation Day [EF: St John Baptist de la Salle, Class III; Benedictine Confederation: St Pacomius, Optional Memorial]
Ordinary of Eastertide, MD 346*/AM 466 ff; canticle antiphons for Lauds and Vespers (Monday in the fifth week after Easter), MD 375*/AM 501-2; collect, MD 373-4*/AM 500.
Tuesday 16 May – Class IV; Rogation Day [EF: St Ubald, Class III]
Canticle antiphons, MD 375-6*/AM 503.
Wednesday 17 May – Vigil of the Ascension, Class II; Rogation Day [EF: St Pascal Baylon, Memorial]
MD 376*/AM 503-4; 1 Vespers of the Ascension, MD 376*/AM 505 ff.
Thursday 18 May – The Ascension of Our Lord, Class I [Previously: with a Privileged Octave of the third order]
MD 379*/AM 508 ff.
MD 383*/AM 509 ff; for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [148-9]/AM 911.
In some monasteries: Vespers of Our Lady on Saturday.
Saturday 20 May – Class IV; Saturday of Our Lady [EF: St Bernardine of Siena, Class III; Gower: Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles, Class I]
Office of Our Lady on Saturday, MD (130-1)/AM 714; 1 Vespers of the Sunday after the Ascension, MD 388-9*/AM 513-4.
Sunday 21 May – Sunday after the Ascension (Sunday within the
Octave of the Ascension), Class II
MD 389*/AM 513 ff.
Monday 22 May – Class IV
Ordinary of the Ascension, MD 383*/AM 509 ff with collect, MD 386*/AM 514.
Tuesday 23 May – Class IV
Wednesday 24 May – Class IV [In Australia and New Zealand and other places: **Our Lady Help of Christians, Class I]
Thursday 25 May – St Gregory VII, Class III [Previously: Octave Day of the Ascension]
MD [149]/AM 912.
Friday 26 May – St Augustine OSB, Class III [EF: St Philip Neri, Class III]
MD [150]/AM 913.
Saturday 27 May – Vigil of the Pentecost, Class I
MD 386*/AM 514; 1 Vespers of Pentecost, MD 393*/AM 517 ff.
Sunday 28 May – Pentecost Sunday, Class I with Class I Octave
MD 396*/AM 520 ff.
Monday 29 May – Pentecost Monday, Class I [OF: Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church]
Lauds to Vespers: As for Pentecost Sunday, with festal psalms at Lauds and Vespers, except the canticle antiphons and collect, MD 403*/AM 525-6; at Terce, hymn Veni Creator.
Tuesday 30 May – Pentecost Tuesday, Class I
Canticle antiphons and collect, MD 403-4*/AM 527.
Wednesday 31 May – Ember Wednesday of Pentecost, Class I
Canticle antiphons and collect, MD 404-5*/AM 528.
1 comment:
Have any monasteries revived the Commemoration of the Holy Martyrs on May 13?
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