Pre-1955 Holy Week Permission Granted

[FontgombaultMonks]

4? The post 1955 Easter Vigil had less readings than the current Easter Vigil?

Yes, that is correct. I am of the opinion that the 1970 rites of Holy Week are of higher liturgical value (except possible the general intercessions on Good Friday).

 

[FontgombaultMonks]

Saturday evening is the proper time; it was a Vesperal liturgy, not a nighttime one, commencing after None with the lucernarium done anciently before Vespers, and including Vespers as part of the service.

Correct, and I would agree that the correct time for the beginning of the Paschal Vigil (according to tradition) would be at about 3 pm. The morning time was not an incorrect time, only a distorted one.

 

[FontgombaultMonks]

If it is, it is proof of the need for liturgical reform. When rules get piled upon rules without regard for the impact, you end up with twisted logic like a Vigil in the morning and Lauds being celebrated in the evening. Granted the celebration of Tenebrae required Lauds and Matins in the evening. But they could have simply altered that by combining Tenebrae, with slight modifications, with Vespers attached to Matins as anticipated Matins has always been allowed. It would have made much more sense.

Dear Ora,

The anticipation of Matins always included the recitation of Lauds (only in the Roman tradition, not the monastic), so in a Roman setting (any location that uses the Roman Rite for the Divine Office), it would be perfectly correct to celebrate anticipated Matins and Lauds in accordance with the tradition. In fact, before St. John XXIII’s Rubricarium Instructum, it was required that Matins and Lauds be celebrated as one office (again, only in the Roman Breviary). Also, including Vespers instead of Lauds during Tenebrae would eliminate parts of the symbolism of the rite as well. Lauds is a morning office (even when anticipated the evening before), and the revealing of the 15th candle symbolizes the morning of the Resurrection, so in a sense, the symbolism of Lauds as a morning office is certainly found in Tenebrae.

In Domino,
FontgombaultMonks

 

[FontgombaultMonks]

Bugnini and his band of merry men got it wrong in the 50s, mostly because of a mistaken notion that the prophecies of the Vigil = a primitive Matins (they didn’t).

If you wanted to be “authentic”, you’d start the Vigil “after None”, i.e., at perhaps 4pm. It takes about 4 hours in full, and ends with the abbreviated Vespers.

Paschal Matins and Lauds then = the midnight service, or very early in the morning, whatever.

KMG,

Paschal Matins and Lauds were very rarely celebrated as the ‘midnight service’, except for a few select monastic communities. The Paschal Vigil would have been celebrated in the morning at about 8 am, and then Paschal Matins and Lauds would have been anticipated at around 5:30. This would have been the standard schedule before the 1955 reforms.

In Domino,
FontgombaultMonks

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

This is the complete pre-1955 schedule for Holy Week at Westminster Cathedral in London as posted on New Liturgical Movement. This will give you a good idea of at what times the liturgies took place. This was by no means the standard parish schedule for Holy Week, as Westminster Cathedral is the primatial see of England.

 

[KMG]

You missed my point.

The Bugnini crowd got the times wrong in the 50s, when they pushed for a midnight Easter Vigil.

The Easter Vigil was a Vesperal liturgy, not a nighttime one.

it wasn’t being done in the evening for a variety of reasons, but an authentic “restoration” would have meant celebrating it starting “after None,” i.e., sometime around 4pm (finishing several hours later).

 

[OraLabora]

Domino,

Thanks for the clarification. Apart from the current LOTH which I sometimes use, I’m much more familiar with the monastic practice, where Lauds also usually followed Vigils, but in the wee hours with Lauds at around daybreak.

 

[FontgombaultMonks]

KMG,
I fully agree with you about the correct Vesperal timing of the Paschal Vigil. In my previous response to you I was merely commenting on the fact that Paschal Matins & Lauds were rarely celebrated at midnight on Easter day. Sorry for the confusion…

In Domino,
FontgombaultMonks

 

[FontgombaultMonks]

Dear Ora,
For me this is how I would like to see Tenebrae celebrated:
In Roman Rite Parishes: anticipated at 6 pm the evening before
In Benedictine Monasteries: In the morning at 5:30 am

I have no problem with celebrating Tenebrae in the morning as long as it is still dark! If it is not dark, then the entire symbolism of the office is eliminated. Places that celebrate Tenebrae while it is still light should be required to call it Lux

In Domino,
FontgombaultMonks

 

[FontgombaultMonks]

Saturday evening is the proper time; it was a Vesperal liturgy, not a nighttime one, commencing after None with the lucernarium done anciently before Vespers, and including Vespers as part of the service.

Dear KMG,
You may be interested to know that the Lucernarium is still said in the Ambrosian Rite. If you are interested in seeing the texts you can find them here:

https://www.cantoambrosiano.altervista.org/musica/LiberVesperalisAmbrosiano.pdf

In Domino,
FontgombaultMonks

 

[FontgombaultMonks]

4? The post 1955 Easter Vigil had less readings than the current Easter Vigil?

Yes, that is correct. I am of the opinion that the 1970 Paschal Vigil is of higher liturgical value than the one from 1955. But I would say that the ancient pre-1955 Vigil is far superior to both.

In Domino,
FontgombaultMonks

 

[FontgombaultMonks]

Yes, and this is my main objection to the practices pre-1955. I have no issue with the rites, although I have no issue with the 1955 or even 1970 rites either.

If they use the pre-1955 rites, fine, folded chasubles and all. But keep the times proper. No return, whatsoever to an Easter Vigil in the morning.

Dear Porthos,
I am curious to know why you object to the anticipation of a Vesperal liturgy in the morning. I have heard objections to this before, but I am curious to know what you think.

And, yes, all of the locations using the pre-1955 rites this year are required to use the new times.

In Domino,
Fontgombault Monks

 

[porthos11]

porthos11:

Yes, and this is my main objection to the practices pre-1955. I have no issue with the rites, although I have no issue with the 1955 or even 1970 rites either.

If they use the pre-1955 rites, fine, folded chasubles and all. But keep the times proper. No return, whatsoever to an Easter Vigil in the morning.

Dear Porthos,
I am curious to know why you object to the anticipation of a Vesperal liturgy in the morning. I have heard objections to this before, but I am curious to know what you think.

And, yes, all of the locations using the pre-1955 rites this year are required to use the new times.

In Domino,
Fontgombault Monks

Because Holy Saturday should not be a day of light and joy. Black Saturday is still a day of mourning and darkness. By anticipating it in the morning, you’ve essentially started Easter by Holy Saturday noontime. That’s a glaring anomaly.

I can tolerate the Easter Vigil as a Vesperal service when it’s actually done in the evening and ends when the sky is dark. However, because it’s a vigil by its nature, it is most properly celebrated as a night service. On this point, the 1955 revision was the correct move.

 

[OraLabora]

n Benedictine Monasteries: In the morning at 5:30 am

Dear monks,

At our abbey at this time of the year the service would have to stop at 5:30 am. Otherwise, given its length, it definitely would be a “lux” service and not tenebrae as it would spill over into sunrise!

That said, given that the average age of the monks is 70 and rising, and the oldest are a trio in their 90s with many in their 80s, I suspect such a service would not be too popular. As it is, they pray Vigils of the Triduum at 5:30 am (normally 5:05 am throughout the year), at least those vigorous enough to attend. However, for the first reading, they use the Lamentations sung in French on the same melody used for the Latin at Tenebrae, so at least they are keeping a small vestige of Tenebrae alive in their house.

 

[FrDavid96]

FontgombaultMonks:

One of the biggest changes was the change from 12 readings for the Easter Vigil to 4.

FWIW, we still use the 12 Gospel reading at noon on Good Friday in my EC parish (and most others, I believe)

hawk

I recall participating in that as a seminarian for a few years. Quite impressive. The priest had to have (at least) 12 different sets of vestments and he wore a different one for each Gospel. It was a small parish and I recall that he had to borrow a few sets from a larger neighboring parish.

 

[FrDavid96]

porthos11:

If they use the pre-1955 rites, fine, folded chasubles and all. But keep the times proper. No return, whatsoever to an Easter Vigil in the morning.

At least some parishes, decades ago, in my city would have Easter Vigil at, say, 6 AM. The idea is that you are awaiting sunrise. That makes as much sense as holding it at night. Dark when you go into church, light when you come out.

Yes, but 6 AM on Saturday morning just doesn’t make any sense.

Even the novus ordo suggests that the Easter Vigil end just before dawn on Sunday morning (Paschalis Solemnitatis).

I’ve offered that suggestion to my own parish—just an idea thrown out there for consideration–that we begin the Easter Vigil about 3 AM so that we end around dawn on Sunday. I don’t have any realistic expectation that we’ll ever do it that way, but it’s nice to think about it.

 

[KMG]

Again, the Holy Saturday liturgy was traditionally a vesperal liturgy, commencing after None with a lucernarium and ending with an abbreviated Vespers. It was never a nighttime service. Paschal Matins was the nighttime service of Saturday into Sunday.

Anticipation to the morning wasn’t ideal, but neither was what happened in 1955.

 

[dochawk]

The priest had to have (at least) 12 different sets of vestments and he wore a different one for each Gospel. It was a small parish and I recall that he had to borrow a few sets from a larger neighboring parish.

Oh, dear!

At least under our current version, there is a single set of vestments (black), but the rubrics in our booklets do seem to call for him to start without the phelonion, and remove it prior to the conclusion (after the last gospel, I think).

Close to two hours I would expect, although our priest may be the fastest chanter in the east

We also start with twelve candles lit on the tetrapod, and someone (usually me) blows one out after each gospel.

hawk

 

[FontgombaultMonks]

Because Holy Saturday should not be a day of light and joy. Black Saturday is still a day of mourning and darkness. By anticipating it in the morning, you’ve essentially started Easter by Holy Saturday noontime. That’s a glaring anomaly.

I can tolerate the Easter Vigil as a Vesperal service when it’s actually done in the evening and ends when the sky is dark. However, because it’s a vigil by its nature, it is most properly celebrated as a night service. On this point, the 1955 revision was the correct move.

Dear Porthos,
I think that there are a few advantages to celebrating the Paschal Vigil in the morning, although I do believe that it was originally celebrated in the afternoon. The first is that it allows for the celebration of Paschal Matins and Lauds. Contrary to the beliefs of Bugnini and the others who reformed the rites of Holy Week (and the times), the Paschal Vigil is not an elaborated version of Matins (neither is the Vigil of Pentecost). Also, there is absolutely no reason to believe that the Resurrection happened at Midnight of Pascha, as the Jews reckoned days from sunset to sunset (Vespers to Vespers in the Catholic tradition, hence the practice of First Vespers). In addition, the practice from time immemorial has been to celebrate Vespers during Lent at midday, directly after the celebration of Mass (which took place after None during the Lenten season). So in fact, according to the ancient practice of midday Vespers (which coincides with the recitation of Benedicamus Domino as the dismissal at Mass). So in fact, the Paschal Vigil at the pre-1955 time remains the Vesperal liturgy that it originally was. Personally, I would advocate for some options for the Paschal Vigil as celebrated in the Extraordinary Form:

1. The Pian Easter Vigil (along with the Pian Holy Week rites) should be abrogated.
2. There should be an option to celebrate the Vigil at both the original time (around 3 pm), as well as the Tridentine time (around 8 am).

Pope Emeritus XVI has said the following about the practice of the Paschal Vigil being celebrated on the morning of Holy Saturday:

“The day on which I was baptized, as I said, was Holy Saturday. At that time [1927], the practice was still that of anticipating Easter Vigil on the morning, after which the gloom of Holy Saturday continued, without the Alleluia. It seems to me that this peculiar paradox, this peculiar anticipation of the light on a dark day, could be almost an image of history in our time. On one hand, there is still the silence of God and of his absence, but, in the Resurrection of Christ, there is already the anticipation of God’s “yes”, and we live based on this anticipation, and, through the silence of God, we feel his words, and, through the darkness of his absence, we foresee his light. The anticipation of the Resurrection amidst a history that goes on is the strength that shows us the path and helps us move forward.”

 

[porthos11]

No no no no no no .

The 1955 revisions were the right thing to do. The Easter Vigil is a night office and that is my final word on the question. Pius XII was right.

No Easter Vigil should take place in the morning. Never ever again.

And because of opinions like these i hope this ad experimentum period comes to a swift end, the pre-1955 permissions are withdrawn and only the 1955 and 1970 forms remain.

 

[FontgombaultMonks]

And because of opinions like these i hope this ad experimentum period comes to a swift end, the pre-1955 permissions are withdrawn and only the 1955 and 1970 forms remain.

All of the liturgies celebrated according to the pre-1955 rites with the permission of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei are taking place AT NIGHT. Do you have an issue with the rites themselves? Why do you want the indult to be withdrawn?