T
Tartini
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Why is the New Mass calendar different than the Traditional Latin Mass calendar? Thanks for the help.
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J
japhy
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With the promulgation of the new order of the Mass, came a rearrangement of the liturgical calendar. The three-year Sunday cycle of readings and the two-year weekday cycle of readings is not readily compatible with the Extraordinary Form, which only has a single-year cycle of readings (which does not correspond to any cycle in the Ordinary Form).
Octaves were reduced and saints days were moved. Why? I don’t know.
Octaves were reduced and saints days were moved. Why? I don’t know.
A
AJV
Guest
Below is more of a general survey - if you had a specific feast in mind, or a specific feature of the Traditional calendar, you could post it and perhaps I could hunt up the reason.
When the calendar was released in 1969, it was accompanied by a commentary detailing why such and such change had been made. For the best insight therefore, that volume is the most helpful if you can get it.
Calendarium Romanum ex Decreto Sacrosancti OEcumenici Concilii Vaticani II (1969)
in English: The Roman Calendar. Text and Commentary (1976)
I’ll try to give as detailed a synopsis as I can manage with some other background notes – maybe someone else will come along later and fill in the gaps.
PROPER OF SEASONS:
To establish the Sunday as the weekly commemoration of the Resurrection and the foundation of the liturgical year as mandated by Sacrosanctum Concilium. This was done in two ways
---- raising the number of Sundays that could not be outranked by any feast. Pius X had done this for the Sundays of Lent and Pius XII for the Sundays of Advent. The reform extended this to the Sundays of Easter
---- slight changing of the rubrics and reduction in the number of feasts that could replace a Sunday
Ridding them of the title “post Pentecost/Epiphany” removed them from being under the dependence of these feasts. It was therefore thought to emphasize Sunday as Sunday- prime feast of Christians.
The juggling of the Propers that took place due to the variation in the date of Easter was simplified by Ordinary Time. As a Traditional Missal (altar or lay) will tell you, a part of the Propers of the Sundays after Epiphany are transferred after to the end of the liturgical year when Septuagesima occurs early. The “Ordinary Time” sequence makes this adjustment much easier.
When the calendar was released in 1969, it was accompanied by a commentary detailing why such and such change had been made. For the best insight therefore, that volume is the most helpful if you can get it.
Calendarium Romanum ex Decreto Sacrosancti OEcumenici Concilii Vaticani II (1969)
in English: The Roman Calendar. Text and Commentary (1976)
I’ll try to give as detailed a synopsis as I can manage with some other background notes – maybe someone else will come along later and fill in the gaps.
PROPER OF SEASONS:
- The removal of Septuagesima:
- Easter and Pentecost
The idea here was to celebrate Easter as one great day, the entire Easter season being regarded as “the time of Pentecost”, the “one great day”. As a result the Sundays of Easter were retitled ( “of Easter” instead of “after Easter”) and the Pentecost octave was suppressed, with Pentecost being regarded as a theme throughout the Easter Season and its pinnacle. The days before Pentecost were given new formularies (often inspired, or taken from the old Octave ones) as a kind of build-up to the end of the Season. - Sundays
To establish the Sunday as the weekly commemoration of the Resurrection and the foundation of the liturgical year as mandated by Sacrosanctum Concilium. This was done in two ways
---- raising the number of Sundays that could not be outranked by any feast. Pius X had done this for the Sundays of Lent and Pius XII for the Sundays of Advent. The reform extended this to the Sundays of Easter
---- slight changing of the rubrics and reduction in the number of feasts that could replace a Sunday
Ridding them of the title “post Pentecost/Epiphany” removed them from being under the dependence of these feasts. It was therefore thought to emphasize Sunday as Sunday- prime feast of Christians.
The juggling of the Propers that took place due to the variation in the date of Easter was simplified by Ordinary Time. As a Traditional Missal (altar or lay) will tell you, a part of the Propers of the Sundays after Epiphany are transferred after to the end of the liturgical year when Septuagesima occurs early. The “Ordinary Time” sequence makes this adjustment much easier.
A
AJV
Guest
PROPER OF SAINTS
The revision of the Proper of Saints was along the following lines
Virgin- the feast were divided into several classes. The most important were the Annunciation, Purification, Visitation, Assumption, Birthday, and Immaculate Conception. These kept their high ranks. The Queenship (added in 1954), OL Sorrows, Holy Rosary and Presentation were popular and showed important mysteries and so were retained as memorials. The Immaculate Heart, Lourdes and Mt. Carmel were extremely popular universally and so did not disappear but were left as optional memorials, along with the Dedication of the basilica of St. Mary Major. (The Immaculate Heart was later made obligatory was John Paul II). The Maternity (added by Benedict XV) was suppressed, and the old Circumcision/Octave of Christmas was retitled as “Mother of God” (which was, in fact, what the formularies were about)
St. Joseph – had 2 feasts – St. Joseph the Worker, introduced by Pius XII to Christianize and counteract ‘May Day’, and his feast day on March 19 . However, the revisers observed that May Day was only popular in certain countries and so optionalized the Worker feast.
St. John the Baptist also had two feasts – his Nativity, and his Beheading. The latter was made a memorial, albeit with Proper texts.
Angels – St. Gabriel and Raphael were late additions to the calendar by Pope Benedict XV. Nonetheless, their feasts were retained but combined with St. Michael’s on September 28th as a feast of the holy archangels. The Guardian Angels, also a late addition, was retained but as a memorial with Proper texts.
Some of the dropped ‘idea’ feasts were however, retained in the missal as Votive Masses.
Solemnities, Feasts and Memorials were more suitable names for the I, II, III Class system of 1961. They kind of capture the underlying idea better - celebrate a feast with solemnity, make a memorial of a saint, etc. The ‘Optional Memorial’ idea was introduced because of the preeminence of the Proper of Seasons, that many wanted to see.
Of course, since 1969, there has been a small drift away from this view. The holy names of Jesus and Mary were added back. So were (for ecumenical reasons) some saints like St. Catherine. There has also been an influx of feasts of the BVM into the calendar. Personally, while I could see the reasons for Fatima and the holy name of Mary, I’m still a little doubtful as to why Guadalupe should appear on the universal calendar. But perhaps that the subject for another thread!
The revision of the Proper of Saints was along the following lines
- Feasts of the Lord, the Virgin, St. Joseph, St John the Baptist and the angels
Virgin- the feast were divided into several classes. The most important were the Annunciation, Purification, Visitation, Assumption, Birthday, and Immaculate Conception. These kept their high ranks. The Queenship (added in 1954), OL Sorrows, Holy Rosary and Presentation were popular and showed important mysteries and so were retained as memorials. The Immaculate Heart, Lourdes and Mt. Carmel were extremely popular universally and so did not disappear but were left as optional memorials, along with the Dedication of the basilica of St. Mary Major. (The Immaculate Heart was later made obligatory was John Paul II). The Maternity (added by Benedict XV) was suppressed, and the old Circumcision/Octave of Christmas was retitled as “Mother of God” (which was, in fact, what the formularies were about)
St. Joseph – had 2 feasts – St. Joseph the Worker, introduced by Pius XII to Christianize and counteract ‘May Day’, and his feast day on March 19 . However, the revisers observed that May Day was only popular in certain countries and so optionalized the Worker feast.
St. John the Baptist also had two feasts – his Nativity, and his Beheading. The latter was made a memorial, albeit with Proper texts.
Angels – St. Gabriel and Raphael were late additions to the calendar by Pope Benedict XV. Nonetheless, their feasts were retained but combined with St. Michael’s on September 28th as a feast of the holy archangels. The Guardian Angels, also a late addition, was retained but as a memorial with Proper texts.
- The elimination of ‘idea’ feasts and ‘feasts of devotion’. St. Pius X had seen their removal from many particular calendars, and the 1961 document on Particular calendars continued the process by directing certain feasts to be removed from the appendix (e.g. the Eucharistic Heart, those in honour of the Passion or various titles of our Lady. The 1969 continued this idea though prudence was exercised)
Some of the dropped ‘idea’ feasts were however, retained in the missal as Votive Masses.
- The elimination or optionalisation of local feasts – such feasts which had crept into the calendar due to the influence of a particular order and were felt best left to that order or congregation’s Proper. For example, Our Lady of Mercy or the Stigmata of St. Francis.
- The removal, as far as possible, of saints with a dubious or very little historical basis (although it was noted that this did not mean that they didn’t exist). Thus many of the early Roman martyrs were relegated to a single celebration of the martyrs of Rome. An exception was made for St. Cecilia on account of popular devotion. A second category were martyrs who were known with certainty to have existed, but often did not have anything known about the lives, aside from spurious information from the Middle Ages. A few were kept, others were included in the general celebration of the martyrs of Rome, or left for veneration in churches named after them.
- A selection of saints from different periods of time. Many ancient martyrs, Roman and non-Roman were dropped, and several more modern martyrs included. The ancient martyrs retained tended either to be much better known (e.g. Ss. Perpetua and Felicity) or have a very popular cult throughout the world (e.g. St. Lucy, St. Blase)
- A more universal selection of saints. An attempt was made to avoid too many saints from one country or religious order. This accounted for the purging of several saints who were Roman/Italian and also saints from the religious orders which had exerted a greater influence on the calendar (Franciscans, Dominicans, other orders patronized at one time or another by Catholic monarchs). An effort was made to incorporate martyrs and missionaries from several countries and continents. Thus martyrs like the Ugandan martyrs, St. Isaac Jogues, St. Peter Chanel or missionaries like St. Ansgar were also put in.
- Many of the Eastern saints were moved to the days they were observed in the East.
- Feasts falling in Lent were moved so that they could be observed more festively
- The observance of saints on their natale, or day of death. Earlier this had not often been possible because of the existing saints on the calendar, and many dates had no connection with the saint. When this was not possible, as for example, with St. Gregory, due to the concern of feasts in Lent, another day was chosen like the transference of their relics, or a church built in their honour. In some cases, they were simply moved to the closest day e.g. St. Pius X died on the 20th August, but is celebrated on the 21st, because the 20th is occupied.
Solemnities, Feasts and Memorials were more suitable names for the I, II, III Class system of 1961. They kind of capture the underlying idea better - celebrate a feast with solemnity, make a memorial of a saint, etc. The ‘Optional Memorial’ idea was introduced because of the preeminence of the Proper of Seasons, that many wanted to see.
Of course, since 1969, there has been a small drift away from this view. The holy names of Jesus and Mary were added back. So were (for ecumenical reasons) some saints like St. Catherine. There has also been an influx of feasts of the BVM into the calendar. Personally, while I could see the reasons for Fatima and the holy name of Mary, I’m still a little doubtful as to why Guadalupe should appear on the universal calendar. But perhaps that the subject for another thread!
B
bpbasilphx
Guest
The calendars of the different rites and sui juris churches have ALWAYS differed among each other–sometimes greatly, sometimes with only mild variations.
For example, in the Ambrosian rite, Advent has six Sundays.
For example, in the Ambrosian rite, Advent has six Sundays.
J
japhy
Guest
But, juridically speaking, the Extraordinary Form and the Ordinary Form are not different rites nor do they each belong to different sui juris churches.The calendars of the different rites and sui juris churches have ALWAYS differed among each other…
B
bpbasilphx
Guest
True, but they are different calendars.But, juridically speaking, the Extraordinary Form and the Ordinary Form are not different rites nor do they each belong to different sui juris churches.
Even before Vatican II, only in Rome was the so-called Universal Roman Calendar actually used without change.
A
AJV
Guest
Actually, Rome has its own particular calendar as well, even before Vatican II, the calendar ‘pro clero Romano’.True, but they are different calendars.
Even before Vatican II, only in Rome was the so-called Universal Roman Calendar actually used without change.
B
bpbasilphx
Guest
Thanks for that tidbit!Actually, Rome has its own particular calendar as well, even before Vatican II, the calendar ‘pro clero Romano’.
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