February 2023

Notes on the traditional Benedictine Office for February are set out below. 

Note that the season of Septuagesiamtide starts at Vespers on 4 February, at which point the word alleluia is banished from the Office!

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FEBRUARY 2023

 Wednesday 1 February – St Ignatius, Class III 

MD [46]/AM 800; In some monasteries, I Vespers of the Purification, MD [47] ff. 

Thursday 2 February – Purification of the BVM, Class II 

MD [49]/AM 802 ff. 

Friday 3 February – Class IV; St Blase, Memorial 

collect, MD 149-50*/AM 308; for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [52]/AM 805. 

Saturday 4 February – Class IV; Saturday of Our Lady [EF: St Andrew Corsini, Class III] 

Matins to None: MD (129)/AM 714 ff; 1 Vespers of Septuagesima Sunday: MD 153-4*/AM 311. 

Sunday 5 February – Septuagesima Sunday, Class II

MD 154*/AM 312 ff. 

Monday 6 February – Class IV [EF: St Titus, Class III; St Dorothy, Memorial; NZ: Waitangi Day] 

Magnificat antiphon MD 161*/AM 316-7; collect, MD 157-8*/AM 313. 

Tuesday 7 February – St Romuald, Class III 

MD [58]/AM 810. 

Wednesday 8 February – Class IV [Gower: SS John of Matha and Felix of Valois, Memorial; EF: St John of Matha, Class III] 

collect, MD 157-8*/AM 313; Magnificat antiphon MD 161*/AM 317. 

Thursday 9 February – Class IV [EF: St Cyril of Alexandria, Class III; St Apollonis, Memorial] 

collect, MD 157-8*/AM 313; Magnificat antiphon MD 162*/AM 318; If the feast of St Scholastica is Class I (and in some monasteries): 1 Vespers of St ScholasticaMD [59]/AM 812 ff. 

Friday 10 February – St Scholastica, Class II [Class I for monasteries of nuns; Previously: when Class I, with an Octave] 

MD [62]/AM 815 ff. 

Saturday 11 February – Class IV; Saturday of Our Lady [EF/Gower: Our Lady of Lourdes, Class III; Benedictine Confederation: St Benedict of Aniane, Optional Memorial] 

MD (129)/AM 714 ff; 1 Vespers of Sexagesima, MD 162*/AM 318 ff. 

Sunday 12 February – Sexagesima Sunday, Class II

 MD 164*/AM 319 ff. 

Monday 13 February – Class IV 

collect, MD 167*/AM 321; at Vespers, Magnificat antiphon MD 170*/AM 324. 

Tuesday 14 February – Class IV; St Valentine, Memorial [In Europe: SS Cyril and Methodius] 

for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [67]/AM 822; Magnificat antiphon MD 170*/AM 324. 

Wednesday 15 February – Class IV [EF: SS Faustinus and Jovita, Memorial] 

Magnificat antiphon MD 170*/AM 324-5. 

Thursday 16 February – Class IV 

Magnificat antiphon MD 171*/AM 325. 

Friday 17 February – Class IV 

Magnificat antiphon MD 171*/AM 325. 

Saturday 18 February – Class IV; Saturday of Our Lady [Gower: St. Bernadette, Memorial; EF: St Simeon, Memorial] 

MD (129)/AM 714 ff; 1 Vespers of Quinquagesima Sunday, MD 171*/AM 326 ff. 

Sunday 19 February – Quinquagesima Sunday, Class II

 MD 173*/AM 326 ff. 

Monday 20 February – Class IV 

Magnificat antiphon MD 179*/AM 331-2; collect, MD 176*/AM 328 

Tuesday 21 February – Class IV 

Magnificat antiphon MD 179*/AM 332. 

START OF LENT 

Wednesday 22 February – Ash Wednesday, Class I 

MD 180*/AM 332-3. 

Thursday 23 February – Thursday after Ash Wednesday, Class III; St Peter Damian, Memorial 

All as in the psalter for throughout the year and season of Septuagesima, except for three readings and responsories of the day at Matins; versicles, canticle antiphons and collects, MD 181-2*/AM 333-4; for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [73]/AM 827. 

Friday 24 February – St Matthias, Class II 

MD [73-4]/AM 827; for the commemoration of the Lent day at Lauds and Vespers, MD 182-3*/AM 334-5. 

Saturday 25 February – Saturday after Ash Wednesday, Class III [**In some places: St Walburga, Class I] 

Matins to None: MD 183*/AM 335; 1 Vespers of the First Sunday of Lent, MD 184* ff/AM 340. 

Sunday 26 February – First Sunday of Lent, Class I

 MD 186*/AM 341 ff. 

Monday 27 February – Monday in the first week of Lent, Class III [EF: St Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, Memorial] 

Ordinary of Lent, MD 190*/AM 338 ff; canticle antiphons and collect of the day, MD 195-6*/AM 346. 

Tuesday 28 February – Tuesday in the first week of Lent, Class III 

canticle antiphons and collects, MD 196*/AM 347.

January 2023

 The notes below are a guide to the Benedictine Office in its traditional form, form January 2023.

While the notes generally follow the 1962 calendar and rubrics, some notes on pre-1962 practices have been included both because some of the reforms (such as the abolition of the Octave Days of the sanctoral feasts of the Christmas Octave and the Octave of Epiphany) represent major divergences from tradition, create new problems for the calendar, and because a number of monasteries have revived them. 

 

JANUARY 2023

 Sunday 1 January – Octave Day of the Nativity (Circumcision of the Lord), Class I

 MD 108*/AM 271 ff. 

Monday 2 January – Class IV [EF/In some places: Most Holy Name of Jesus, Class II; Previously: with a commemoration of the Octave of St Stephen); **in some places: St Thomas of Canterbury, Class II] 

MD 119*/AM 273 ff.

Tuesday 3 January – Class IV [Previously: Octave Day of St John] 

Ordinary of the Nativity, MD 119*/AM 273 ff. 

Wednesday 4 January – Class IV; St Titus, Memorial [USA/Gower: St Elizabeth Anne Seton, Class III; Previously: Octave Day of Holy Innocents] 

for the commemoration at Lauds, MD 125-6*/AM 285. 

Thursday 5 January – Class IV [EF: St Telesphorus, Memorial; USA/Gower: St John Neumann, Class III; Previously: Vigil of the Epiphany]

 1 Vespers of the Epiphany, MD 126*/AM 287 ff. 

Friday 6 January – Epiphany of Our Lord, Class I [Previously: with a Privileged Octave of the second order] 

MD 129*/AM 290 ff. 

Saturday 7 January – Class IV; Saturday of Our Lady [Tasmanian Benedictines: Our Lady of Cana, Class I (Patronal feast); Canada: St André Bessette, Class III] 

Matins to None: Office of Our Lady after Christmas; I Vespers of the First Sunday after the Epiphany, MD 140*/AM 301 ff. 

Sunday 8 January – First Sunday after Epiphany/Sunday within the Octave of the Epiphany, Class II [EF: Holy Family, Class I]

 MD 142*/AM 302 ff. 

Monday 9 January – Class IV 

Ordinary of Epiphanytide, collect of the Epiphany, MD 133*/AM 292 ff; Benedictus antiphon for Day II (in the former Octave), MD 135*/AM 298; collect (of the First Sunday after Epiphany), MD 144*/AM 302. 

Tuesday 10 January – Class IV; St Paul the First Hermit, Memorial [Benedictine Confederation: St. Gregory of Nyssa, Optional Memorial] 

Canticle antiphons at Lauds and Vespers for Day III. 

Wednesday 11 January – Class IV [EF: St Hyginus, Memorial] 

Canticle antiphons of Day IV. 

Thursday 12 January – Class IV [**In some places: St Benedict Biscop, Class III; Canada: St Marguerite Bourgeoys, Class III]

Canticle antiphons of Day V. 

Friday 13 January – Commemoration of Our Lord’s Baptism (Octave Day of the Epiphany), Class II 

MD 129*/AM 290 ff. 

START OF TIME THROUGHOUT THE YEAR 

Saturday 14 January – Class IV; Saturday of Our Lady; SS Hilary [EF: Class III] and Felix, Memorials 

Office of Our Lady after Christmas, MD (133-4)/AM 717-8; for the commemorations at Lauds, MD [24-5]/AM 775; I Vespers of the Second Sunday after Epiphany: MD 146*/AM 306 ff. 

Sunday 15 January – Second Sunday after Epiphany, Class II [**In some places, Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Class I; Previously: St Maurus]

MD 146-7*/AM 306. 

Monday 16 January – Class IV; St Marcellus I, Memorial [EF: Class III] 

Collect, MD 147*/AM 306; for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [25]/AM 783. 

Tuesday 17 January – St Antony, Class III 

MD (78)/AM 672 ff; collect of the feast, MD [26]/AM 783. 

Wednesday 18 January – Class IV [EF: St Prisca, Memorial; start of Church Unity Octave; In some places, St Peter's Chair] 

Thursday 19 January – Class IV; SS Marius, Martha, Audifax and Abachum, Memorial 

for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [26]/AM 784. 

Friday 20 January – SS Fabian and Sebastian, Class III 

MD [27]/AM 784. 

Saturday 21 January – St Agnes, Class III (Class II for monasteries of nuns) [**In some places, St Meinrad, Class I] 

Matins to None: of the feast, MD [27]/AM 786 ff; 1 Vespers of Third Sunday after Epiphany, MD 147-8*/AM 307 OR IF Class II, 2 Vespers of the feast with a commemoration of the Sunday. 

Sunday 22 January – Third Sunday after Epiphany, Class II

 MD 148-9*/AM 307. 

Monday 23 January – Class IV; St Emerentiana, Memorial [EF: St Raymond Pennafort, Class III] 

for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [35]/AM 790. 

Tuesday 24 January – Class IV; St Timothy, Memorial 

for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [35–6]/AM 790. 

Wednesday 25 January – Conversion of St Paul, Class III 

MD [36]/AM 792 ff.  

Thursday 26 January – Class IV; St Polycarp, Memorial [EF: Class III; Benedictine Confederation: St Robert, SS Alberic and Stephen, Optional Memorial; Australia Day] 

for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [42-3]/AM 797. 

Friday 27 January – St John Chrysostom, Class III 

MD [43]/AM 797. 

Prime: Antiphon 1 of Lauds of the Common, MD (64)/AM 657. 

Saturday 28 January – Class IV; Our Lady on Saturday; St Cyril of Alexandria, Memorial [EF: St Peter Nolasco, Class III; St Agnes] 

I Vespers of the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, MD 149-50*/AM 308. 

Sunday 29 January – Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, Class II

MD 149-50*/AM 308. 

Monday 30 January – Class IV [EF: St Martina, Class III] 

Tuesday 31 January – Class IV; St John Bosco, Memorial [Gower: SS John Bosco, Peter Nolasco and Raymond Pennafort, Memorials; EF: Class III] 

for the commemoration at Lauds, MD [45-6]/SupAnt 35.