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DIRECTIONS

For understanding the CALENDAR, and ordering the Celebration of the Divine Office.

THE

HE Office every day is either Double, Semidouble, Simple, or of the Feria.

Of Doubles, (so called because the Anthems are repeated entire both before and after the Psalms at Vespers) some are of the first Class, marked thus in the Calendar, D. 1. Cl. others of the second Class, and are marked thus, D. 2. Cl. others are greater Doubles, marked with a capital D. others Common Doubles, marked with a common d.

2. Doubles are always kept on the day marked in the Calendar, unless they chance to fall on some Sunday of the first Class, some privileged Feria, or within certain Octaves, which take place of the Festivals: In which case they are transferred to the first day not marked either as a Double or Semidouble.

The Sundays of the first Class, which take place of all Doubles whatsoever, are,

The first Sunday of Advent; the first Sunday of Lent; Passion-Sunday; Palm-Sunday; Easter-Sunday; Low-Sunday; Whit-sunday; Trinity-Sunday.

The Sundays of the second Class, which take place also of all Doubles, except those of the first Class, and of which, in that case, a Commemoration is made at Mass and in both Vespers, are, the Second, Third, and Fourth of Advent; Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima; the Second, Third, and Fourth of Lent.

The Ferias, which enjoy the same privileges as Sundays of the first Class, are, Ash-Wednesday; all HolyWeek; Whitsun-Eve; the whole Octaves of Easter and Whitsuntide.

In like manner, within the Octave of the Epiphany, no feast less than a first Class can be kept.

On all other Sundays of the year, if a Double chance to occur, it is kept with a Commemoration of the Sunday

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at Mass, and at. Vespers too, except the following day be a feast of the first Class.

3. A Semidouble (so called because only part of the Anthem is said before each Psalm at Vespers) is marked in the Calendar thus, sem. and occurring on any Sunday whatsoever, is put off to the first vacant day; that is, the first day on which there is neither Double nor Semidouble marked in the Calendar. The same is to be observed with regard to all Semidoubles occurring within the Octave of Corpus Christi.

4. Simples have no mark in the Calendar, and are never transferred; but if they fall on a Sunday, or on any other day, when the office cannot be said of them, a Commemoration is made at the first Vespers, and at Mass; unless it be a Feast of the first Class, (on which no notice is taken of Simples) or of the second Class, in which case a Commemoration of them is made in the first Vespers, and at a Low private Mass only.

5. The following Ferias, called Greater Ferias, take place of all Simples, of which there is only a Commemoration made at Mass, viz. the Ferias of Advent and of Lent, the Ember-Days, Tuesday in RogationWeek. A Commemoration is also made of the Ferias of Advent and Lent at Vespers and Mass, whatever feast happens; but, of the Ember-Days and Tuesday in Rogation Week, only at Mass.

6. If a Vigil happen within an Octave, the Mass is of the Vigil with a Commemoration of the Octave, unless there be a Double or Semidouble feast that day : in which case, the Mass is of the feast with a Commemoration of the Octave and of the Vigil. But if a Vigil occur on a feast of the first Class, there is no Commemoration made of it.

If a Festival, that hath a Vigil, fall on a Monday, the Mass of the Vigil is said on the foregoing Saturday, except the Vigil of Christmas and of the Epiphany.

If a Vigil happen in Advent, the Mass is of the Vigil with a Commemoration of the Feria, except the Vigil of Christmus.

If a Vigil happen in Lent, or on an Ember-Day, the Mass is of the Feria with a Commemoration of the Vigil.

In the Paschal-time there is no office of a Vigil except that of Ascension-Eve, which however is no fast.

7. When a Double of the first or second class (which is a holiday of obligation, printed in the Calendar in CAPITALS) falling on any day, is to be transferred, the obligation of the holiday is never transferred, but the faithful are obliged to assist at Mass on the day marked in the Calendar.

8. When several festivals have been translated from their proper days, they are afterwards to be kept in this order: First those that are Doubles, and then those that are Semidoubles; and among the Doubles or Semidoubles, those, whose proper days first occurred, are to be kept first.

9. Upon all Doubles one COLLECT, SECRET, and POSTCOMMUNION only is said; except they fall on a Sunday or within some Octave, or upon some Vigil, or in the time of Lent or Advent, or except it occur with some Simple: In all which cases two COLLECTS, &c. are said; one of the Double, the other of the Sunday, Octave, Sc.

10. Upon Sundays and all Semidoubles are said three COLLECTS, SECRETS, and POSTCOMMUNIONS; excepting Sundays, which occur within an Octave, on which are said only two COLLECTS, &c. one of the Sunday, the other of the Octave.

11. The second and third COLLECTS, SECRETS, and POSTCOMMUNIONS, to be said on Sundays and Semidoubles in the different seasons of the year, are specified in their proper places.

12. Upon Semidoubles occurring within Octaves, or on Vigils, &c. the second COLLECT, SECRET, and POSTCOMMUNION are a Commemoration of the Octave or Vigil; and the third of the Blessed Virgin Mary. But, within the Octaves of the Blessed Virgin, the third is of the Holy Ghost.

13. On Semidoubles in Advent, the second COLLECT, SECRET, and POSTCOMMUNION are the COLLECT, &C. of the foregoing Sunday; the third of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

14. Upon Simples and Ferias three COLLECTS, &c. are said; but, if the Priest please, he may say five or seven, to be taken out of the Divers Prayers in the Common.

15. Upon week-days, which have no proper office, nor any saint's day occurring thereon, the Mass is of the foregoing Sunday; excepting Saturdays out of Lent, when the Mass is of our Lady on Saturday, taken out of the Votive Masses according to the season of the year: And our Lady on Saturday takes place of a Simple, of which only a Commemoration is made.

16. Upon days within Octaves, when no proper Mass is assigned, the Mass is said as on the feast, with three COLLECTS, &c.-N. B. The days within Octaves are kept as Semidoubles only.

17. Masses of Requiem, or of the Dead, cannot be said on Doubles, unless the corpse be present. On All-Souls, on the day of the decease or burial, only one COLLECT, &c. is said; in Common Masses for the Dead, three.

18. The GOSPELS assigned on Sundays are never omitted. Wherefore if a Double is kept on a Sunday, at the end of Mass is read the GOSPEL of the Sunday, instead of that of St. John: And the same is observed when a Double or Semidouble is kept upon any day in Lent, or on a Vigil or Ember-Day.

HOLYDAYS of OBLIGATION.

All the days marked in the Calendar in CAPITAL letters. All Sundays, Easter-Day, and the Monday following. Ascension-Day, Whit-Sunday and Monday, und Corpus Christi.

FASTING DAYS.

The week days of Lent.-The Wednesdays and Fridays of Advent.-The Wednesdays, Fridays and Satur→ days of the four Ember-Weeks: viz. the first week in Lent, Whitsun-Week, the week after the 14th of September and the third week in Advent.-The Eves of SS. Peter and Paul, of the Assumption, all Saints, and Christmas.

N. B. When a holyday falls on Monday, the fast or vigil thereof is observed on the preceding Saturday.

Days of ABSTINENCE from Flesh.

The Fridays above excepted from fasts: All Satur→ days throughout the year: All Sundays in Lent: The three Rogation Days, being Monday, Tuesday, and

Wednesday before Ascension-Day: St. Mark's day out of the Diocese of Canterbury, unless it fall in EasterWeek.

N. B. If Christmas-Day fall on Friday or Saturday, it is neither fast nor abstinence.

MARRIAGE is forbidden to be solemnized

From the first Sunday of Advent till after the Epiphany, and from the beginning of Lent to Low-Sunday.

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The DECREE of the Council of LATERAN, Can. 21. "Every one of the faithful of each sex, after they come to the years of discretion, shall in private faith"fully confess all their sins, at least once a year, to "their own Pastor; and take care to fulfil, to the best "of their power, the penance enjoined them; receiving reverently, at least at Easter, the sacrament of "the Eucharist; unless perhaps, by the advice of their "Pastor, for some reasonable cause, they judge proper "to abstain from it for a time; otherwise let them be "excluded the Church while living, and, when they "die, be deprived of Christian burial."-And that no person may plead ignorance for an excuse in this case, it is further commanded, that this salutary decree be frequently published in all places of worship.

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