Vigil of Pentacost

[PacoG]

I read somewhere that when Pius XII revised the Holy Week liturgy, he also revised the Vigil of Pentecost liturgy. From what I understand, the Pentecost Vigil Mass was as festive and long as the Easter Vigil.

Does anyone remember the Pre-Pius XII Pentecost Vigil liturgy. What was it like? Was there a proclamation? Were there seven readings, an epistle and a gospel? What was the theme?

Why did Pius XII reduce the Pentecost Vigil? Doesn’t the “birthday of the Church” deserve a Vigil on par with Easter Vigil and Christmas Midnight Mass?

 

[benedictgal]

While I don’t have the answer you seek, I can tell you that the Ordinary Form of the Mass does indeed have special readings for the Vigil of Pentecost. They have a choice of four OT readings, including the famous Dry Bones account from the Prophet Ezekiel. The Gospel translation is a little troubling, though. It comes from St. John’s Account. The US Lectionary, which uses the ghastly RNAB, says “…there was no Spirit” yet, since Jesus had not ascended to the Father.

Surely they could have given a more theologically clearer translation than that.

 

[James0235]

I read somewhere that when Pius XII revised the Holy Week liturgy, he also revised the Vigil of Pentecost liturgy. From what I understand, the Pentecost Vigil Mass was as festive and long as the Easter Vigil.

Does anyone remember the Pre-Pius XII Pentecost Vigil liturgy. What was it like? Was there a proclamation? Were there seven readings, an epistle and a gospel? What was the theme?

Why did Pius XII reduce the Pentecost Vigil? Doesn’t the “birthday of the Church” deserve a Vigil on par with Easter Vigil and Christmas Midnight Mass?

The 6 OT Readings as well as several Tracts and Collects were dropped in 1951.

They were:
1st Prophecy - Genesis 22:1-19

2nd Prophecy - Exodus 14:24-31 and 15:1
Tract - Exodus 15:1-2

3rd Prophecy - Deuteronomy 31:22-30
Tract - Deuteronomy 32:1-4

4th Prophecy - Isaiah 4:1-6
Tract - Isaiah 5:1-2

5th Prophecy - Baruch 3:9-38

6th Prophecy - Ezekiel 37:1-14

But, these were all reused from the Easter Vigil. They were the 3rd, 4th, 11th, 8th, 6th, and 7th Prophecies of the Easter Vigil, respectively.

The remaining readings - the Epistle (Acts 19:1-8), Alleluia (Psalm 106:1), Tract (Psalm 116:1-2), and Gospel (John 14:15-21) were left untouched at the time.

I don’t have a 1970 Missal in from of me right now to compare the changes made then.

As to why this was done I have no idea. Perhaps Pius XII gave his reasons. Personally, if I were given the chance to ask a deceased Pope “why?” I would save the question for Paul VI and not Pius XII.

James