May 1: St Joseph the Worker, Class I

Georges de la Tour, 1640s

Feasts of St Joseph have had a rather tumultuous history over the last two centuries. 

Traditionally in the West at least, March 19 was Saint Joseph's Day. 

But in 1870 Pope Pius IX declared St Joseph patron of the universal Church and instituted another feast, with an octave, to be held on Wednesday in the second week after Easter.

This was abolished, however, by Pope Pius XII in 1955, when he established the Feast of "St. Joseph the Worker", to be celebrated on 1 May, in order to displace socialist celebrations on that date, a feast that is perhaps arguably looking somewhat outdated today. 

In the Novus Ordo calendar, it is an optional memorial only, and so not celebrated this year being displaced by Low Sunday; but in the 1962 calendar, it remains a solemnity.  Oh well, great saints deserve lots of festivities!

Sunday 1 May: Low Sunday, Class I

Cima da Conegliano, c1459-1518
National Gallery, London

The Octave Day of Easter - aka Quasimodo Sunday aka White Sunday aka...- has a lot of aliases!

The Quasimodo appellation comes from the first word of the Introit for the day ('Like newborn babies..'), which you can listen to below; the name White Sunday comes from the tradition of the neophytes putting aside their white garments; and Low Sunday comes as a contrast to the 'High' Sunday of Easter itself.

The Gospel is John 20:19-31, the story of Doubting Thomas.

April 30: Saturday in the Octave of Easter, Class I

James Tissot, circa 1886-94

The Gospel today is John 20:1-9, SS Peter and John at the tomb.

April 29: The Feast of the Holy Abbots of Cluny

Today the Benedictine calendar celebrates the feasts of four of the abbots of the monastery of Cluny, SS Odo, Majolus, Odilo and Hugh.

Founded in 910, as a result of its series of long-lived and holy abbots, Cluny was enormously influential, supporting the revival of the papacy after one of its darker periods, and the reforms of Pope St Gregory VII (a Benedictine with some ties to Cluny). It had a highly centralized structure (unlike most modern Benedictine congregations), and put an enormous emphasis on the liturgy, particularly emphasising its intercessory value, which consumed most of the day.

And if you think modern day religious wars within the Church are a little over-vigorous at times, have a read of the correspondence between St Bernard of Clairvaux and Peter the Venerable (then Abbot of Cluny), and the various tracts produced by their friends! Talk about propaganda (on both sides). Personally I tend to side with the Cluniacs, but...

Most of the original monastery, located in Bourgogne, including its fabulous library, was destroyed during the French Revolution. The name though stays alive in the remains of the 'Hotel de Cluny' in Paris, which has been turned into the Museum of the Middle Ages, known as the Cluny.

But in any case, to return to the four abbots in question, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia:

• St Odo was the second abbot of Cluny, born circa 878, probably near Le Mans and he died on 18 November, 942. He reformed several monasteries in Aquitaine, northern France, and Italy, and was entrusted with some important political missions;
• St. Majolus or Maieul was born in 906, and died in 994. Otto II desired to make him pope in 974 but he refused;
• St Odilo was fifth abbot of Cluny, born around 962; d. 31 December, 1048. The number of monasteries in the Cluniac congregation (mainly by reforming existing monasteries) increased from 37 to 65 under his incumbency; we worked to achieve a truce system 'the peace of God' that restricted warfare; saved thousands during a time of famine through his charity; and he is primarily responsible for introducing the Feast of All Saints into the calendar;
• St. Hugh the Great was born at Semur (Brionnais in the Diocese of Autun, 1024 and died at Cluny, 28 April, 1109. A friend of Pope St Gregory VII he played a key role in the reform of the clergy, and was widely recognized for his sanctity even during his lifetime.

April 29: Friday in the Octave of Easter




The Gospel today is Matthew 28: 16-20, the great commission.

The extended Sunday of the Octave of Easter

This week we continue to celebrate Easter, in this extended 'Sunday' of the Octave.

Eastertide is so important a liturgical season that in the fifty days after it, no fasting was traditionally permitted.  The Office is festooned with alleluias, and the festal texts are generally used on Sundays.

But Easter itself is such a crucial feast that the Church extends its celebration through the octave. 

At Mass, the 'stations' continue, so there are propers and readings set for each day of the Octave (the eight days including the feast itself). 

In the Office, the psalms and antiphons of the day hours, together with most of the texts of the Office (the exceptions are the canticle antiphons and collect set for each day) are those of the Sunday (Prime uses the first antiphon of Lauds).

The pattern is only broken at Matins, where, for reasons best known to themselves the 1962 reformers have the hour gradually reverting to the ferial psalms as the week progresses, albeit under one antiphon for each Nocturn.

So maintain your joy!  And to help you along, here is the Lauds hymn, Aurora lucis rutilat.

April 28: Thursday in the Octave of Easter

Correggio, c1534

Today's Gospel is John 20:11-18, Mary Magdalene at the tomb.