There has been a change in the time for Vespers for the First Sunday of Lent. Solemn Vespers will be celebrated at 6:00 PM rather than our usual time of 1:30 PM. This change is being made to move Vespers to its appropriate evening hour to coincide with the beginning of the Parish Mission that same Sunday evening.
Vespers will return to its customary time of 1:30 PM for Passion Sunday (April 10).
Title: First Sunday of Lent – II Vespers
Location: Mater Ecclesiae
Description: We are celebrating Vespers (hopefully Solemn Vespers) on the second Sunday of the month in March rather than the third Sunday as has been our custom.
Date: March 13, 2011
Time: 1:30 PM
A prayer from the appendix to the Breviary: Itinerarium.
On Wednesday, December 8 at 6:45pm in the chapel at Mater Ecclesiae, at Fr. Pasley’s request, we will pray the Second Vespers of Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception with Commemoration of the Advent Feria.
Everything will be chanted recto tono except the introduction, hymn, versicle, and Benedicamus Domino. These latter will be sung in their full Gregorian melodies. Vespers will be in the simple form (i.e. without ceremony).
The highlights of yesterday’s meeting are as follows:
1. New and returning members provided updated contact information.
2. John Rotondi spoke a little about refocusing our efforts on the monthly Vespers. Fr. Pasley reiterated that the norm will be to schedule Vespers on the third Sunday of every month, but that particular exceptions may arise according to liturgical observances and/or the availability of Fr. Pasley. One of the goals is to train the participants at Vespers well in Latin pronunciation and the simple melodies of the psalm tones while relegating antiphonal singing to the cantors. To facilitate this goal, an initial practice is set for Wednesday, October 6 in the St. Cecilia room after the evening Mass, and more practices will likely occur on other Wednesday evenings at the same time and place. Simple booklets of strictly text wihtout music will be made available, but musical resources are available from the Divinum Officium book sold in the Padro Pio gift shop and/or by going to the Roman Vesperal link on this website.
3. Fr. Pasley mentioned the possibility of scheduling less formal and/or recto tono Offices (e.g. Compline after First Friday Masses, Matins during the 40 Hours, etc.). These would not require any preparations nor the presence of servers, singers, so these could be done “off the cuff” with enough advance notice, but the challenge would still be in the scarcity of available texts to facilitate the few who would come to these informal services. Overall, any such service of this sort would be scheduled ad hoc.
4. Questions were posed about where to find resources for praying the Office and the links on this website along with the Baronius Press Breviary were discussed.
5. Fr. Pasley spoke about how our work is to promote the praying of the Divine Office as it is one of the hinges of the Liturgy. This work ties into his sermons about the Liturgy.
A meeting of the Confraternity is scheduled on Sunday, October 3 @ 1:00pm in one of the classrooms off the corridor between the sacristy and the rectory at Mater Ecclesiae. The agenda of this meeting will be as follows:
1. Brief address by our chaplain, Fr. Pasley
2. Welcome any new members
3. Update contact information for all members
4. Proposal to eliminate membership distinctions (i.e. everyone is simply a member and membership no longer depends on how much of the Office one prays)
5. Solicitation for someone to fill the cantor role
6. Re-focus the short term goals of the Confraternity to be centered primarily on monthly Sunday Vespers. All other initiatives such as Compline and building up the Divine Office at home are relegated to a longer term outlook. Discussion.
7. Discuss feasibility of specially assigned events such as Prime w/ the Christmas proclamation in the Martyrology on Christmas Eve morning. Any others?
8. Ongoing training for Vespers. When to schedule?
9. Questions and open discussion
The schedule of future Divine Office services at Mater Ecclesiae is currently under review. As of today, nothing is scheduled for the month of September (i.e. no Vespers on the third Sunday and no Compline on the fourth Wednesday).
If there is a suggestion you would like to share about adding and/or changing the scope of our work (e.g. Sext on Sunday, how to increase participation, etc.), please utilize the comment function here and let us know.
On Saturday, August 14 @ 6:15pm at Mater Ecclesiae Chapel will take place First Vespers of the Assumption of Our Lady in the Solemn Form. These Vespers will “kick-off” the grand festivities of the Assumption for which Mater Ecclesiae is so well known culminating with the noon Solemn High Mass the next day. Vespers may be further solemnized by the presence of visiting clergy serving as Coped Ministers; more details to follow once this becomes known. Spread the word and get your friends and family to come.
Some practical notes:
1. Booklets will be made available as we get closer to August 14.
2. Because the Feast of the Assumption occurs on a Sunday this year, the Sunday (i.e. the 12th. Sunday after Pentecost) is commemorated at both I and II Vespers, at Lauds, and at all Masses as the commemoration of Sundays, regardless of rank, is always privileged. At I Vespers, the commemoration is taken from the Antiphon for the Saturday before the Third Sunday of August, the Saturday versicle, and the Collect from the 12th. Sunday after Pentecost. The service booklets provided for Vespers will take this into account.
3. If utilizing a Liber Usualis dated before 1950, you won’t have the new Hymn “O prima Virgo” composed for I Vespers following Ven. Pius XII’s declaration of the dogma.
4. Men sit on the Epistle (right) side and women on the Gospel (left) side of the aisle and alternate psalm verses accordingly.
The Vespers for the 8th. Sunday after Pentecost, as previously scheduled for Sunday, July 18 have been cancelled; there is no alternative date for Vespers for the month of July.
The next publicly celebrated Vespers at Mater Ecclesiae will be the First Vespers of the Assumption on Saturday, August 14 @6:15pm.