Category Archives: Daily Office

Collects Are Up

The Collects are up at the Liturgies of the Order of Julian of Norwich page. This completes the text I received entitled “The Divine Office according to the Use of the Order of Julian of Norwich.” I plan to add the Office Hymnal next in a format that will mesh with the Offices so that the whole set can be conveniently printed out (front-to-back ideally) and used with a minimum of book-juggling.

More Office Matters

Following Josh’s excellent advice I’ve added more clutter to my side-bar… Down below the “Pages” box is now a “Pray the Office Online” box that has links to a few of the best online Office sites I know. If there are others that should be up but aren’t, let me know.

Once again over at the Liturgies of the OJN page, Fr. John-Julian’s plainchant customary is up. It’s a brief guide on how to sing chant and I added a short bit about the pause (caesura) at the asterisk in the psalms.

New Post at the Cafe

I have a new post up at the Episcopal Cafe and (brace yourself) it has nothing to do with Communion without Baptism!

There is actually one more in the series that I intend to post but it currently sits half-finished on my hard drive. I thought it’d be better to post something else than to cast up half-baked thoughts to conclude a discussion that so far I’ve found very informative, respectful, and thought-provoking.

Update: The comment issues overnight seem to have gone away…

St Brendan the Voyager and the Offices

Michelle at Heavenfield has a fascinating post up summarizing an article on the Liturgy of the Hours in the voyage of St Brendan. As I read it, the author argues that the Life of St Brendan is a means of arguing for and presenting an ideal monastic implementation of the Offices. St Brendan is one of the Celtic saints that I recognize, but have never read any of the literature about him. So–for the edification of us all, here’s a link to his Life.

Liber Usualis On-Line!!

Here’s a tender little-known fact from our courtship days lo these many years ago: the first big purchase that M and I made together–before we were married–was a Liber Usualis reprint from St. Bonaventure Publications. (That probably comes as little surprise to those who know us…)

I’m happy to pass on the news today via NLM that the CMAA is now offering the Liber as a complete PDF download.

What is the Liber, you ask? It’s a big collection of helpful and important plainchant settings for masses throughout the year and the Sunday Offices (and Lauds of Feasts) according to the Roman Use as of 1953. Here’s the technical details from the introduction:

This Edition with complete musical notation includes the following:
1. The Kyriale with Cantus ad libitum.
2. The Mass of the Sundays and Feasts including those of double rank throughout the year, with Vespers and Compline for the same.
3. Prime, Terce, Sext, None, for Sundays and Feasts of the First and Second Class.
4. Matins of Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, Corpus Christi; Lauds for Feasts of the First Class.
5. The Litanies: the Mass of Rogation Days, Ember Days, Easter and Whitsun weeks; the Vigils of Christmas, Epiphany and Whitsun.
6. The services of Ash Wednesday, the Triduum of Holy Week and Easter Day.
7. The principal Votive Masses and the Offices for the Dead.
In the beginning of the book will be found the Common Tones of the Mass and Office. Chants for special occasions, e. g. the Blessing of the Holy Oils, Ordinations, etc, are included in the Appendix.

If you do anything or have any interest in chant–you need this!! (And at this price, why not? :-D) It is, of course, in Latin with square notation but it has a fine English language introduction to the basics of chant and a full explanation and presentations of the 8+1 psalm tones.

While the Liber is very helpful for people doing research in medieval liturgy, I must warn you that anything you find here must be backed up by properly contemporary evidence as this really is the 1953 rite. For instance, its hymns are the hacked-up reformed versions promulgated by the Renaissance pope Clement VII.

Partial Ordo Romani XIIIa

I keep loosing this file so I’ll stick it out here…

This is a partial (though mostly complete) rough translation of OR XIII that I did on the train from NYC when I was living in Philly–and thus had a limited dictionary with me. The source is Michel Andrieu, Les ordines romani du haut moyen age, Louvain : Spicilegium Sacrum Lovaniense Administration, 1961-1974.

This ordo provides directions for the Night Office lectionary through the year. Although used in monastic settings, its origin is secular as is evident from the reference to three nocturns during Triduum. Andrieu places it as originating in Rome in the first half of the eighth century.

The bold headings are my own for ease of reference and do not appear in the original. This text breaks off rather abruptly–I don’t think there was much more but will correct and update this post as I have the time to do so…

Ordo XIIIA

Septuagesima—Lent
1. In the beginning of Septuagesima they place the Heptateuch until the fourteenth day before Easter.

Passiontide
2. On the fourteenth day before Easter they place Jeremiah the prophet until Maundy Thursday.

Triduum
3. On Maundy Thursday they read three readings from the Lamentations of Jeremiah and three tracts of St Augustine concerning the Psalm Exaudi Deus orationem meum cum deprecor (Ps 64); three from the Apostle where he says to the Corinthians Ego accepi a domino quod et tradidi vobis (1 Cor 11:23ff); nine psalms, nine readings, and nine responsaries complete everything. On the following morning, Matins having been completed, we do not say Kyrie eleison, nor ne nos inducas in temptationem. Also on this day we do not say the introit nor Dominus vobiscum. A lesson is read from the Apostle and neither a responsary nor an antiphon is sung at communion. Kissing, the brothers pray for their victory (??). After Mass is completed, the deacon does not call Ite but they exit in silence (check).
4. Similarly on Good Friday three readings from the Lamentations of Jeremiah the prophet, three from the tract of St Augustine concerning Ps 69, three from the Apostle where he says to the Hebrews: Festinemus ergo ingredere ad illam requiem (Heb 4:11ff). Then Matins follows.
5. Similarly on Holy Saturday the Psalms, readings, and responsaries are all completed as we said above and, if there are proper sermones, they should be read.

Easter
6. In Easter is placed the Acts of the Apostles—after that, the seven canonical epistles. Then following, the Apocalypse until the Octave of Pentecost.

After Pentecost
7. In the Octave of Pentecost are placed Kings and Chronicles until the first Sunday in the month of August.
8. In the first Sunday of the month of August are placed the books of Solomon until the kalends of September, that is, until the first Sunday in the month of September.
9. In the first Sunday in the month of September is placed Job, Tobit, Judith, Esther, and Esdras until the kalends of October, that is, until the first Sunday in the month of October.
10. In the first Sunday of the month of October is placed the Maccabees until the kalends of November.
11. In the first Sunday of the month of November are placed Ezekiel and Daniel and the twelve minor prophets until the Feast of Andrew, that is, until the kalends of December.

Advent
12. In the first Sunday of the month of December, that is, in the first Sunday of the Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ is placed Isaiah the prophet until the Birth of our Lord.

Christmas
13. In the Vigil of the Birth of the Lord, are placed first three readings from Isaiah, that is, the first reading begins: Primo tempore adleviata est terra Zabulon (Isa 9:1); the second reading begins: Consolamini, consolamini (Isa 40:1); the third reading: Consurge, consurge, induere fortitudine (Isa 52:1). And these readings are not bounded; rather, the prior may continue as he sees fit. Then are read sermons or homilies of the Catholic Fathers pertaining to the day, that is, by Augustine, Gregory, Jerome, Ambrose, and others.
14. In the Feast of St Stephen are read the Acts of the Apostles and readings of the orthodox Fathers pertaining to the day and similarly sermons congruent with the celebration.
15. In the Feast of St John the Evangelist are read the Apocalypse and similarly sermons congruent with the celebration.
16. In the Feast of the Innocents also the Apocalypse and in the same way, if available, sermons for their feast.
17. In the Octave of the Lord the same psalms and readings which were also for the Birth of the Lord, or sermons if they are available of the day.
18. In Epiphany similarly three readings from the prophet Isaiah. The first reading begins: Omnes sicientes venite ad aquas (Isa 55:1ff); The second reading begins: Surge, inluminare, Hierusalem (Isa 60:1ff); the third reading begins: Gaudens gaudebo in domino. Then they read sermones of Augustine, Gregory, Jerome, Ambrose, or others.

After Epiphany
19. In the Octave of Epiphany, the same psalms and lessons as at Epiphany.
20. After these festivals which we have written about concerning the birth of our Lord, they place the Apostle or the commentary on the Psalms by St Augustine until Pentecost.

Specific Saints
21. In the Feast of St Peter (that is at the vigil), they read three readings from the Acts of the Apostles. The first begins: Petrus et Iohannes ascendebant in templum. (Acts 3:1ff). The second reading begins: Factum est autem Petrum dum pertransiret universos devenire ad sanctos qui habitabant Lidde (Acts 9:32ff). The third

“Traditional” Office Hymns

One of my favorite words that gets thrown around–“traditional”–is inherently slippery… “Traditional” for whom? When is the ideal time when something stops and starts being traditional?

The notion of tradition is always a contemporary construct–an idea of how we view things and privilege things that appeared and/or happened in the past. There was discussion on Ship of Fools about whether the “Traditional Office Hymns” in my “traditional Anglo-Catholic” ordo were, in fact traditional. It’s a perfectly fair question and my response is that the list I give matches the list in the first edition of Ritual Notes supplemented and checked with the Anglican Breviary meaning that the list stands firmly documented within Anglo-Catholic tradition.

On the other hand…

Here’s another list:

From Nov 1 Matins: Primo dierum | Lauds: Aeterne rerum | Vespers: Lucis Creator (Sunday, O lux beata) | Compline: Christe qui lux es
Advent Matins: Verbum Supernum | Lauds: Vox clara | Vespers: Conditor alme siderum
Christmas Matins: A Patre unigenitus | Lauds: A solis ortus cardine | Vespers: Christe redemptor omnium
Epiphany Matins: A Patre unigenitus | Lauds: Iesus refulsit omnium | Vespers: Hostis Herodes impie
LXX Matins: Alleluia piis edite laudibus | Lauds: Almum sidereae iam patriae decus | Vespers: Alleluia dulce carmen
Lent Matins: Clarum deus ieiunii | Lauds: Iesu quadragenariae | Vespers: Audi benigne conditor
Passiontide Matins: Arbora decora | Lauds: Auctor salutis | Vespers: Vexilla Regis
Easter Matins: Iesu nostra redemptio | Lauds: Aurora lucis rutilat | Vespers: Ad cenam Agni prouidi
After Asc Matins: Optatus votis omnium | Lauds: Aeterne rex altissime | Vespers: Hymnum canamus gloriae
Pentecost Matins: Veni creator Spiritus | Lauds: Beata nobis gaudia | Vespers: Iam Christus astra ascenderat
Until Nov 1 Matins: Nocte surgentes | Lauds: Ecce iam noctis | Vespers: Deus creator omnium (Sunday, Lucis creator) | Compline: Te lucis ante terminum

There are a number of commonalities between this list and the other, the chief difference being static hymnody through the week in Ordinary time in this listing… But there are other differences as well. This list comes straight from a 10th century English Benedictine customary (Ælfric’s LME for the OE folk in the crowd)–so it’s pretty darn “traditional” too. But which is more traditional? How do we adjudicate?

If we push it further, though, we find that this isn’t even “the” Office Hymn cycle for 10th century English Benedictines. Rather, there were two different hymnal types in circulation, the Winchester-Worcester type and the Canterbury type, that reflect how continental influences shaped local practice during the Benedictine Revival (the 10th c. rebirth of monasticism in England after the Viking depredations of the previous centuries). This present list, while an important witness of actual(?) use, isn’t even a “pure” form of the Winchester-Worcester type. Furthermore, how we even define “pure” is up in the air–do we consider “pure” to be what is in the majority of the sources that have survived? And if so–we need to consider how representative the books are that have survived…

“Traditional” is simple until you start pushing on it and defining it;”tradition” is one of those things that becomes fuzzier the more you look at it.

Tradition isn’t a static thing and it isn’t a single thing. As any medievalist will tell you, there isn’t a common “medieval” anything. Rather, we can only talk about what certain texts represent about what was happening in certain places at certain times (…and discussions will ensue about whether any of it actually happened as it was represented…). Much of what appears as Anglo-Catholic tradition is a Victorian adjudication about what is properly medieval in light of their construct of the high medieval period as an English golden age. (Which is why the contemporaneous pre-Raphaelite paintings of the Arthurian cycle have the 5th century characters in 14/15th century accoutrements…)

Thoughtful discernment is key here. The answer on the Office Hymns is clearly that both lists—the Anglo-Catholic (presumably Tridentine) one and Ælfric’s one—have a place in the tradition. The one we choose positions us in relation to that tradition. Personally, I like Ælfric’s because it has more static elements and thus fits the peculiarities of my current Office practice. Too, it aligns me with the English Benedictine pre-Scholastic practice which I think most fully and properly illuminates the Anglican way. At the same time, I recognize that it falls outside of what is “traditional” for classic Victorian-inspired (heavily Scholastic) Anglo-Catholicism.

I guess if there’s a note I want to end on, it’s this: “tradition” often gets used in churchy circles as a rhetorical blunt instrument meant to end discussions. It doesn’t have to be. Tradition can also be a way of understanding the fullness of what we have received and understanding how adjudicating among the manifold options makes a difference for how we understand ourselves, our faith, and our practices of faith now.