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Ordo for December 2024

This Ordo provides a calendar for the liturgical year to aid those saying the Benedictine Office for those familiar with the rubrics of the Benedictine Office.  It can be used in conjunction to the Quick start guide to the Monastic Diurnal.

Those less familiar with the Office, or looking for other supporting material, should consult the more detailed version of this Ordo available through Lulu, the How to say the Benedictine Office notes on the Saints Will Arise blog.

In addition, an English translation of the rubrics can be obtained from Libri Sancti Press.

 ABBREVIATIONS

Com: Commemoration (used for either a feast rated as a memorial, or where a feast or other day displaces another feast or day (such as during Advent and Lent). 

Default collect: The collect used at all hours other than Prime and Compline (which have their own fixed collect), except where displaced by a feast or higher level day. 

 ff: And following pages.

 L&V: Lauds and Vespers

 MD: Monastic Diurnal (St Michael’s, Farnborough editions 2005 - ). 


 THE ORDO 

The Office during Advent, up to December 16

 Tomus Prior of the Monastic Breviary (MB) 1963 is used from 1 Vespers of the First Sunday of Advent. 

The season of Advent falls into two parts, the first of which extends from the First Sunday of Advent up to December 16. 

The ordinary days of Advent are of the third class (Class III). The default collects (for hours other than Prime and Compline) are from the previous Sunday. 

On Sundays: 

·      There are ‘proper’ texts for all hours, set out in the Proper of the Season (temporale) section of the Farnborough edition of the Monastic Diurnal (MD) or Breviary (MB) for the relevant Sunday; and

·         At Matins, the antiphons and Nocturn III canticles are of Advent, set out in the psalter section of the MB and NM. 

On weekdays: 

·         At Matins the Invitatory antiphon, hymn, versicles and chapter are of the Ordinary of Advent, MB 14/NM 14-5 ff;

·         At Matins the (three) readings are of the Advent day (ie Monday in the first week of Advent, etc);

·         At Lauds and Vespers the chapter, hymn, responsory and versicle are of the Ordinary of Advent (MB 15 ff/MD 9* ff), which can be found in the temporale section of your Office book (note: ignore the ‘throughout the year’ texts in the psalter section of your Office book);

·         Lauds and Vespers have Benedictus and Magnificat antiphons for each day of the relevant week of Advent;

·         At Prime to None the antiphons are taken from the relevant Sunday of Advent (MB 16 ff/ MD 13*ff); and

·         At Terce to None, the chapter and versicle are of Advent (set out in the psalter section of your Office book). 

On feast days, a commemoration of Advent, consisting of (in order) the canticle antiphon (of the Advent day) and versicle (of the season) for the relevant hour, as well as the collect of the Advent week or Ember Day, is made at both Lauds and Vespers.  

DECEMBER 2024

  

First week of Advent. 

Ordinary of Advent, MD 9*; default collect MD 6* with antiphons of Advent wk 1 at Prime to None. 

Sunday 1 December First Sunday of Advent, Class I, MD 4* ff. 

Monday 2 December – Class III; com of St Peter Chrysologus at Lauds, MD [8-9]. 

Tuesday 3 December – Class III; com of St Francis Xavier at Lauds, MD [9]. 

Wednesday 4 December – Class III. 

Thursday 5 December – Class III. 

Friday 6 December Class III; com of St Nicholas at Lauds, MD [9-10]. 

Saturday 7 December St Ambrose, Class III, MD [10], with com of the Advent day at Lauds. 1 Vespers of the Immaculate Conception, MD [11] ff, with com of Second Sunday of Advent. 

Second week of Advent. 

Ordinary of Advent, MD 9*; default collect, MD 22* with antiphons of Advent wk 2 at Prime to None. 

Sunday 8 December The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Class I, MD [13] ff; com of Second Sunday of Advent at L&V. 

Monday 9 December – Class III. 

Tuesday 10 December Class III. 

Wednesday 11 December – Class III; com of St Damasus at Lauds, MD [17-18]. 

Thursday 12 December – Class III. 

Friday 13 December St Lucy, Class III, MD [18] ff; com of the Advent day at L&V. 

Saturday 14 December Class III; 1 Vespers of Third Sunday in Advent, MD 28* ff.

Third week of Advent. 

Ordinary of Advent, MD 9*; default collect, MD 33*. Monday: with antiphons of Advent wk 3. 

**From Dec 17, antiphons for psalms of day of the week between 17-23 Dec; O antiphons at Vespers.

Sunday 15 December Third Sunday of Advent, Class I, MD 31* ff. 

Monday 16 December – Class III.  

The Office in Advent between December 17 and 23

 The days between December 17 and 23 are Class II days, and reflecting this, the liturgy intensifies. 

At Matins there is a proper Invitatory antiphon for the season (Prope est, NM 14). 

At Lauds to Vespers a set of antiphons for the psalms for each day of the week are used, set out at MD 37*/AM 212 ff. 

At Lauds the Benedictus antiphons are normally of the relevant Advent day, but there are specific antiphons said on December 21 and 23. 

At Vespers, the 'O Antiphons' (MD 35-6*/AM 208 ff) are sung with the Magnificat, displacing the Magnificat antiphon of the Advent day. 

Tuesday 17 December Class II, at Vespers, O Sapientia, MD 35*. 

Wednesday 18 December Ember Day, Class II, with collect MD 42-3*. 

Thursday 19 December Class II. 

Friday 20 December Ember Day, Class II, with collect MD 44*. 

Saturday 21 December St Thomas, Class II, MD [22-3]; com of Ember Saturday of Advent, antiphon Nolite timere at Lauds. 1 Vespers for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, with O antiphon, MD 45* ff.

Fourth week of Advent/Christmas. 

Ordinary of Advent with antiphons of Dec 17-23, with collect, MD 50*, then Octave of Nativity.

Sunday 22 December Fourth Sunday of Advent, Class I, MD 48* ff. 

Monday 23 December – Class II; Benedictus antiphon Ecce completa est, MD 45*.  

The Office during Nativitytide

 The season of the Nativity lasts from 1 Vespers of Christmas Day until January 13, and falls into four parts: the Vigil and feast of the Nativity; the Octave of the Nativity; the days from January 2 to 5; and the season of Epiphanytide. The texts for the Vigil and feast are proper to it.

Tuesday 24 December Vigil of the Nativity, Class I, MD 54* ff. 1 Vespers of the Nativity of Our Lord, MD 58* ff. 

Wednesday 25 December The Nativity of Our Lord, Class I with a Class II Octave, MD 61* ff. 

Thursday 26 December St Stephen with com of Octave at L&V, Class II; MD 83* ff. 

Friday 27 December St John with com of Octave at L&V, MD 90* ff. 

Saturday 28 December Holy Innocents with com of Octave at Lauds, MD  97* ff; Vespers of the feast with com of Sunday within the Octave at Vespers, MD 77*.

Nativitytide. 

Octave of Nativity, as for the feast, MD 64*; from Thurs, Ordinary of Jan 2-5, MD 119* ff. 

Sunday 29 December Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity, Class II, MD 77* ff. 

Monday 30 December Sixth Day within the Octave of the Nativity, Class II, MD 103* ff. 

Tuesday 31 December Seventh Day within the Octave, Class II; com of St Sylvester at Lauds, MD 103-4*. 1 Vespers of the Octave day, MD 104* ff.

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