LOTH Solemnity EP I tonight

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I wanted to point out that tomorrow is a Solemnity (Birth of St. John the Baptist) and so Evening Prayer for tonight should be EP I for that Solemnity.

I hope this post is helpful and not annoying to people. Especially during my first year of praying the LOTH, I sometimes overlooked EP I for Solemnities and didn’t realize it until the next day, which was VERY annoying to me. I’m not at all implying that people are not alert to this, but I know I wasn’t always. 🙂
 
sungirl said:
I wanted to point out that tomorrow is a Solemnity (Birth of St. John the Baptist) and so Evening Prayer for tonight should be EP I for that Solemnity.

I hope this post is helpful and not annoying to people. Especially during my first year of praying the LOTH, I sometimes overlooked EP I for Solemnities and didn’t realize it until the next day, which was VERY annoying to me. I’m not at all implying that people are not alert to this, but I know I wasn’t always. 🙂
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No, it’s not annoying, we can always use a reminder! Even though I know that the eve of a solemnity has a First Vespers, I often get caught up in the work day and when EP rolls around, I forget and instead chant the current day office. Today I remembered and made sure I put out the appropriate books in my oratory (I chant, and use Les Heures Grégoriennes and the new Antiphonale Romanum, which has saints in a separate volume). That way I can’t forget!

Even monks make mistakes, lost count of the times I heard the wrong hymn, the wrong reading, etc. I remember once asking my Benedictine spiritual director “why did Father L. take the reading for Year I at Vigils when we’re in Year II???”. Answer: “Because Father L. made a mistake”…
 
OraLabora said:
Even monks make mistakes, lost count of the times I heard the wrong hymn, the wrong reading, etc. I remember once asking my Benedictine spiritual director “why did Father L. take the reading for Year I at Vigils when we’re in Year II???”. Answer: “Because Father L. made a mistake”…
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Cute story. 🙂 Do the monks still do the traditional penance of rapping their knuckles against the floor when they make a mistake in choir?
 
malphono said:
Cute story. 🙂 Do the monks still do the traditional penance of rapping their knuckles against the floor when they make a mistake in choir?
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No, in our abbey, a monk that makes a mistake in choir, kneels in front of his stall momentarily. If he makes a mistake at the lectern, he will kneel briefly after returning to his stall.

There are exceptions: if the monk is wearing a white alb (either because he’s a priest or altar server at Mass), he doesn’t have to kneel. Mustn’t get that nice alb dirty! And I believe there are some exceptions for postulants and novices, who obviously are learning how to do it and can’t be expected to be perfect in Latin psalmody and know all 8 Gregorian and 4 archaic psalm tones, with all their various endings, by heart.
 
OraLabora said:
No, in our abbey, a monk that makes a mistake in choir, kneels in front of his stall momentarily. If he makes a mistake at the lectern, he will kneel briefly after returning to his stall.

There are exceptions: if the monk is wearing a white alb (either because he’s a priest or altar server at Mass), he doesn’t have to kneel. Mustn’t get that nice alb dirty! And I believe there are some exceptions for postulants and novices, who obviously are learning how to do it and can’t be expected to be perfect in Latin psalmody and know all 8 Gregorian and 4 archaic psalm tones, with all their various endings, by heart.
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Interesting. The kneeling was part of the “old” way, too, so I guess they simply dispensed with the corporal part of the penance. Perhaps it was only a Cistercian thing, but I seem to think it was common to the Benedictines as well since I saw it happen at Solemn Vespers in Clerveaux some years ago.

And of course there were always some exceptions for novices, but not many. From what I understood from a Cistercian Abbot, it was kind of like the “school of hard knocks” (pun not specifically intended but certainly applicable) where the mere threat of the knuckle-rapping helped the novice to learn.
 
sungirl said:
I wanted to point out that tomorrow is a Solemnity (Birth of St. John the Baptist) and so Evening Prayer for tonight should be EP I for that Solemnity.

I hope this post is helpful and not annoying to people. Especially during my first year of praying the LOTH, I sometimes overlooked EP I for Solemnities and didn’t realize it until the next day, which was VERY annoying to me. I’m not at all implying that people are not alert to this, but I know I wasn’t always. 🙂
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It is very helpful. I always forget EP I (except on Saturday):o
 
malphono said:
Interesting. The kneeling was part of the “old” way, too, so I guess they simply dispensed with the corporal part of the penance. Perhaps it was only a Cistercian thing, but I seem to think it was common to the Benedictines as well since I saw it happen at Solemn Vespers in Clerveaux some years ago.

And of course there were always some exceptions for novices, but not many. From what I understood from a Cistercian Abbot, it was kind of like the “school of hard knocks” (pun not specifically intended but certainly applicable) where the mere threat of the knuckle-rapping helped the novice to learn.
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The Rule of Saint Benedict is quite vague on the topic actually, and only says that the monk shall “make satisfaction” if a mistake is made in choir, without specifying how:
When anyone has made a mistake
while reciting a Psalm, a responsory,
an antiphon or a lesson,
if he does not humble himself there before all
by making a satisfaction,
let him undergo a greater punishment
because he would not correct by humility
what he did wrong through carelessness.
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But boys for such faults shall be whipped.
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Unless you are a boy of course. I’m glad there are no more boys in monasteries!

I would assume therefore that there is some local tradition built into how individual houses address the matter, as Benedictine houses (not sure about Cistercian) are very autonomous.
 
I didn’t forget in that I am preparing Evening Prayer tonight for our recommitment ceremony for parish liturgical ministers. Even though I have the St. Joseph guide sometimes I do miss it. I blame old age.
 
Joannm said:
I didn’t forget in that I am preparing Evening Prayer tonight for our recommitment ceremony for parish liturgical ministers. Even though I have the St. Joseph guide sometimes I do miss it. I blame old age.
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The St Joe’s should bold it when it happens (outside of a Saturday, at least)
 
Luigi_Daniele said:
The St Joe’s should bold it when it happens (outside of a Saturday, at least)
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That would be really helpful.

I’m very glad people weren’t offended by the original post; I had a long pre-posting debate with myself!
 
I can use a reminder. I can even have the right one in mind all day and then pray the weekday prayers.

I use to go to another local parish for a Thursday evening Mass. Earlier I knew the next day was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception but by the time I got to Mass I read the Thursday of Advent Evening Prayer and wondered why there were more people at Mass. Then I saw the white chalice veil.
“DUH” I prayed the proper prayers after Mass.
 
sungirl said:
Did you mean continue to post reminders? I’d be happy to do so. I know we have another Solemnity next week, but then I think it’s a while before the next mid-week one.
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Yes, please.

I went through my LotH guide, and only found the one next week as far out as August. Might have missed one, though (I’m at work)
 
Back onto the topic of reminders for tonight, I am just about to go to recite Night Prayer (Compline) before I retire for the night.

Keep in mind that since it’s a solemnity tomorrow, Compline for tonight is the same as for Saturday night (psalms 4 and 133), but with the final prayer proper to solemnities.
 
sungirl said:
Did you mean continue to post reminders? I’d be happy to do so. I know we have another Solemnity next week, but then I think it’s a while before the next mid-week one.
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The Nativity of St. John the Baptist, and the Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul next week are both very significant feasts in the Eastern Churches. I’m glad you are doing the alternate readings for them in the LOTH. 🙂 The two deacons and I prayed the Great Vespers tonight after a little work afternoon in church. 👍 We’re unfortunately too tiny a parish to have these wonderful festal vespers normally.
 
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