APPENDIX I
On the Epiphany of the Lord, after the singing of the Gospel, a Deacon or cantor, in keeping with an ancient practice of Holy Church, announces from the ambo the moveable feasts of the current year according to this formula:
Know, dear brothers and sisters,
that, as we have rejoiced at the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ,
so by God's mercy we announce to you also
the joy of his Resurrection, who is our Saviour:
the fourteenth day of February will fall Ash Wednesday, and the beginning of the fast of the
most sacred Season of Lent.
On the thirty-first day of March you will celebrate with joy Easter Day, the Holy Passover of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
On the twelfth day of May will be the Ascension of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
On the nineteenth day of May the feast of Pentecost;
on the second day of June the feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
On the first day of December the first Sunday of the Advent of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
to whom is honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Appendix II
Virgin Mother Mary, with trust we approach you. We, your preachers, fly to you who believed in the words sent from heaven and pondered them in your heart. We stand close around you, who are always present to the gathering of apostles.
In you the Word was made flesh, that same Word which we receive, contemplate, praise together and preach. Therefore, under your guidance we today devote ourselves anew to the ministry of the Word. Furthermore, we declare to you that, hearing with you the Word within ourselves and anointed by the Spirit, whose sacred vessel you pre-eminently are, we are consecrated in the name of Jesus Christ to the evangelization of the world.
With the eyes of your heart enlightened, you understood the mystery of the Word. Through you we, too, are able to perceive the presence of that same Word in the history of our time, so that we may finally contemplate him face to face.
Through you the Father sent his Son into the world that he might save it. Through you we will be powerful in the sight of your people, becoming witnesses of that truth which frees and of that love which unites.
To this place we have brought our needs and here we ponder them. Do you, Mother, give us strength and preserve the harmony of our family, so that what was begun by our profession may be brought to completion by our love for one another, for the salvation of the world and to the praise and glory of God.
Appendix III
24 December : Proclamation of the Lord's Birth
If celebrated at Morning Prayer, the Proclamation comes after the Final Prayer, the blessing being omitted.
The cantor goes to the pulpit and immediately begins with the announcement of the following day.
The community remain standing in choir.
[Eight days before the Kalends of January, N. day of the lunar month.]
Innumerable ages having passed since the creation of the world,
when in the beginning God created heaven and earth and formed mankind after his own image;
many centuries after the flood, when the Most High placed his rainbow in the heavens as a sign of peace and of the covenant;
twenty-one centuries after the going forth of Abraham, our father in faith, from Ur of the Chaldees;
thirteen centuries from the exodus of the people of Israel out of Egypt, led by Moses;
about one thousand years from the anointing of David as King;
in the sixty-fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel;
in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad;
in the year seven hundred and fifty-two from the founding of the city of Rome;
in the forty-second year of the rule of Caesar Octavian Augustus;
when the whole world was at peace:
Jesus Christ, eternal God and Son of the eternal Father, being pleased to hallow the world by His most gracious coming,
having been conceived of the Holy Spirit, and nine months having passed since His conception,
having become Man,
was born at Bethlehem in Judah of the Virgin Mary.
Here all kneel. At a sign from the prior, all rise and the reader continues:
The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.
The cantor may continue with the Martyrology for the day:
[At Rome, the commemoration of Saint Anastasia, a martyr of Sirmium in Hungary.
Also at Rome, in the cemetery of Apronianus on the Latin Way, the martyr, Saint Eugenia.
Also at Rome on the Latin Way, the martyrs, Saints Basil and Jovinian.
At Cracow in Poland, Saint Adalbert Adam Chmielowski, a religious, an outstanding artist, who devoted himself to the poor, striving to assist them in all ways, and who founded Congregations of Brothers and Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis for the service of the poor.
V. Precious in the eyes of the Lord
R. Is the death of his faithful.]
| Short Reading | Heb 1: 8-12 |
Of the angels he says: "He makes his angels winds and his ministers a fiery flame"; but of the Son: "Your throne, O God, stands forever and ever; and a righteous sceptre is the sceptre of your kingdom. You loved justice and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions"; and: "At the beginning, O Lord, you established the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; and they will all grow old like a garment. You will roll them up like a cloak, and like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end." The word of the Lord. R. Thanks be to God.
[Rom 1: 1-3, 5-6 may be used as an alternative.]
Then the prior or hebdomadarian says the following prayer, without "Let us pray" :
May Holy Mary and all the saints intercede for us before the Lord,
that we may be worthy to be helped and saved by Him who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
R. Amen.
[Alternative prayers will be found in the Roman Martyrology (2004)]
May the Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
And may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
R. Amen.
V. Go in the peace of Christ. R. Thanks be to God.
Appendix IV
GUIDELINES FOR LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS
IN THE ORDER OF PREACHERS *
Foreword | |
| 1. | Although the Order of Preachers adopts the revised Roman Rite, it wished to retain certain elements of its own Rite which communities of friars, nuns or sisters might use ad libitum.(1) Furthermore, the revised Roman liturgical books repeatedly refer to particular customs. And so it seemed necessary to up-date our practices that they might be better attuned to the present time.(2) At the same time the important circumstances of our way of life and our customs, which ought to be in harmony with our particular vocation had to be kept in mind.(3) |
| 2. | The conventual structure and the diversity of the communities in which our liturgy is usually celebrated invite us to direct our attention to certain rites, which express the spirit of the Order more fittingly and harmoniously in the liturgy.
For this reason the guidelines which follow are provided to communities of friars, nuns or sisters of the Order as suggestions and give a sense of direction for the correct application of the norms of the new books of the Roman liturgy to our own situation. Later the authorities of the Order can review these Guidelines and interpret them, whether it be for the entire Order or for various provinces, for federations of nuns or for congregations of sisters. |
I General Remarks | |
The Nature of Liturgical Assemblies in our Churches | |
| 3. | The assembly gathered in our churches to celebrate the liturgy possesses in a sense its own particular character. Here other faithful, who happen to be present gather together with our communities which are bound to the celebration of the Eucharist and the Hours.4 All, whether community members or other faithful, are called to participate fully in the liturgical action with each person fulfilling his or her proper role.(5) |
The Arrangement of the Community and the Place of Celebration | |
| 4. | Although the liturgical obligation pertains to the community and not the place of celebration,(6) care should be taken that, depending on the type of celebration, the community can pray in a suitable place and take their proper roles. An arrangement in which the community members face one another rather than the altar(7) fittingly signifies the presence of Christ in the Church at prayer (Mt 18: 20); it is a rich symbol of the contemplative life and of the eschatological dimension of community.(8) No matter what is done in arranging the worship space, what has been said above should be kept in mind when designing or renovating sacred buildings or when planning various celebrations. Attention should also be given to what is required to enable the faithful to share and participate in our conventual liturgy. |
Various Roles | |
| 5. | The role of presider and the other roles to be exercised in celebrations are determined by the new liturgical books. One must keep in mind the practice and customs of our Order to the extent that they are in harmony with the nature of the liturgy and the current liturgical norms. |
| 6. | It is the responsibility of the prior or superior of the community to entrust the task of giving life to the liturgy and of carrying it out properly to a community member who is truly competent in liturgy and chant.(9) |
| 7. | In selecting those who are to exercise various roles in liturgical celebration, especially on more solemn occasions, attention should be given to a person's true competence, rather than to custom or seniority in the Order.(10) However, let us be watchful that all members of the community, as well as the faithful, can actively participate in the celebrations. At a suitable time, adequate preparation for the ceremonies and the singing should be given to the community; the opportunity to give directions within the liturgical action should not be overlooked.(11) |
Progressive Solemnity | |
| 8. | The conventual celebration of the liturgy deserves by its very nature to be known for its quality and it is most fitting that it be sung.12
The principle of "progressive solemnity" can be applied with profit to music as well as to other aspects of the various liturgical actions.13 In this way after considering what is possible as well as the rhythm of conventual life and the liturgical seasons, each community will through experience strive to achieve a liturgical life that glorifies the Lord and suitably nourishes the spiritual life of its members. |
Presentation of Self in Celebration | |
| 9. | Communal prayer is accompanied by gestures and various bodily postures which foster the hearing of the Word of God and the fuller participation of mind and body in common prayer and liturgical celebration.
In the course of time certain appropriate adaptations in bodily postures have been made and certainly will be made in the future. It is important to note, however, that at least some gestures or bodily postures are always necessary in celebration to preserve its harmony and dynamism (see no. 4 above.)
It is commendable that research in this domain is being undertaken and that the participation of the faithful in this kind of prayer, as the occasion permits, has not been forgotten. |
| 10. | In order to foster a harmony in celebrations some general guidelines are given here:
|
II The Celebration of the Conventual Mass | |
General Guidelines | |
| 11. | The conventual Mass, the center of the liturgy of the community,15 should be celebrated according to the spirit and the rubrics of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal and the Order of Mass.
Although the conventual Mass does not have any special form of celebration,16 certain special points arising from its choral nature should be noted. |
| 12. | In the communities where there are many concelebrants, care should be taken to maintain the unity of the community, particularly during the Liturgy of the Word. When the Liturgy of the Eucharist begins, if it seems advisable and if the circumstances of place and persons permit, nothing prevents the friars who are not concelebrating as well as the faithful who are present from entering the sanctuary. |
Postures at Community Prayer | |
| 13. | The postures to be observed at community prayer will be best determined by taking into account local customs and circumstances while bearing in mind the guidelines which follow. |
| 14. | As a general rule, community members stand facing the celebrant or the altar:
|
| 15. | For the various parts which are sung, whether by the choir or the assembly, the community may either stand or sit, as the case may be. |
| 16. | During the reading and the homily all are seated. During the Gospel, all stand and face whoever proclaims it.(17) |
| 17. | The Community members make a profound bow:(18)
|
| 18. | If there is a tabernacle with the Blessed Sacrament in the sanctuary, the priest and ministers genuflect before and after Mass.(19) |
| 19. | The Community members kneel:
|
| 20. | Other gestures, as suggested by episcopal conferences21 or adopted by a community, may better express the meaning of the conventual Mass, e.g. during the penitential rite, at the preparation of the gifts, during the Lord's Prayer or at the sign of peace. |
III The Liturgy of the Hours | |
Rites to be observed | |
| 21. | The communal and public celebration of the Divine Office is carried out according to the rites determined by the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours(22) and particular customs.(23) Some customs proper to the Order and certain guidelines are given here as suggestions because of their value for providing a harmony and diversity in celebrating the Liturgy of the Hours in our communities. |
Presiding at a Celebration. | |
| 22. | A Friar who is a priest should preside at Office as hebdomadarian, or, in the absence of the priest, one assigned for this role, or a deacon. In communities of nuns or sisters, a sister assigned for this role presides at the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours or, if it seems appropriate, a priest or deacon who may be present. According to our practice, the prior or prioress may make certain interventions during the Liturgy of the Hours, as well as preside on particular occasions. |
| 23. | The one who presides, even if clothed in the liturgical vestments,(24) takes his place among the friars in the place most suitable for his role, unless the presence of the laity or the solemnity of the day suggest that he be seated in the sanctuary. |
| 24. | In addition to the roles assigned the presider in the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours,(25) others may be assigned in small communities, e.g. reading the lessons, especially when they are short. |
Other roles in the celebration of the Office | |
| 25. | Hymns, antiphons and psalms, and other chants, are intoned by the cantor or cantors, either from their places or, on more solemn days, in the middle of the choir. |
| 26. | Whenever possible, the Invitatory Psalm, responses, intercessions and versicles should be assigned to special ministers who say them either from their places or, if it seems appropriate, in the middle of the choir. |
| 27. | The reader should stand a suitable place to proclaim the readings or, if the text is short, in his or her place among the community members. |
The festive character of celebrations | |
| 28. | When decorating our churches as well as their choirs, we should draw our inspiration from the principles in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal,(26) and the customs of the Order.(27) |
| 29. | At the major hours, it is customary to light the altar candles, and, during the Easter season, (from Easter Sunday through Pentecost) the paschal candle as well. |
| 30. | During the gospel canticles at Morning and Evening Prayer, the altar and then the presider, the community and the people may be incensed.(28) If it seems more appropriate, incense may be burned in the middle of the choir at these celebrations. |
Posture and gestures of the community | |
| 31. | As for the conventual or community Mass, the posture of the community members will be best determined by considering the circumstances of those involved and of the place, and by keeping in mind what follows. |
| 32. | The community members stand facing the altar or the image of the Saviour:
|
| 33. | The two choirs stand facing one another:
|
| 34. | During the psalms and all other canticles, the choir is seated, or remains standing, as the case may be. All bow reverently during the doxologies. |
| 35. | All remain seated to listen to the readings, except for the solemn proclamation of the Gospel. During the responsories which follow the readings, the community members adopt whenever posture seems most appropriate. |
| 36. | The community members make a profound bow:
|
| 37. | If there is a tabernacle with the Blessed Sacrament in the sanctuary, the community members genuflect when entering or leaving the choir. |
| 38. | The community members may kneel:
|
| 39. | All make the Sign of the Cross at the beginning of the Hours, at the words, "O God, come to our aid." They make the Sign of the Cross on their lips at the beginning of the Invitatory, at the words, "Lord, open our lips." |
| 40. | Other gestures which provinces or communities have tried may be used, provided that they correspond to the true meaning and character of the various parts of the Office are in harmony with the choral celebration and can provide a stimulus for expressing common prayer. |
IV. Other Celebrations | |
General Guidelines | |
| 41. | In all liturgical actions, the norms and books of the Roman Rite are to be observed. Due `attention should be given to the form of participation best suited to the community and to the way in which it blends with the participation of the laity.
Certain customs of the old Rite of the Order can be maintained if they are in harmony with the spirit of the revised liturgy and with the different parts of the celebration. |
The Worship of the Eucharist Outside Mass | |
| 42. | The prescriptions contained in the revised Roman Ritual(29) are to be observed in the worship of the Eucharist outside Mass. |
Processions | |
| 43. | Where processions are held, the norms of the liturgical books, and, in certain cases, the customs proper to the Order, are to be observed. The route to be followed, and the stations, if there are to be any, are determined by local conditions. In all this the meaning of the procession should be clearly apparent. |
Various Prayers Used in Community Life | |
| 44. | As far as the other prayers used in community life are concerned,(30) let our customs be observed, keeping in mind the spirit of the revised liturgy and the guidelines of the present document. |
_____________________________
* The text of this document, inasmuch as it is the particular law of the Order, was approved by the General Chapter (1974), which ordered it to be published as the law for all the provinces of the Order to use (ACG 1974, n.172 [ASOP 43 (1977), pp.160-168 and Notitiae 14 (1978), pp. 463-469]) This translation, which follows the original text, has at times retained the term "friars." However, these guidelines may be applied to monasteries and congregations mutatis mutandis.
______________________________
NOTES | |
| 1. | See ACG 1968, n.58; ACG 1971 , n.135. |
| 2. | See Vatican Council II, Decree on the Appropriate Renewal of Religious Life Perfectae Caritatis October 28, 1965, n. 3 [Hereafter = PC; DOC 203) . |
| 3. | See Paul VI Apostolic Exhortation Evangelica testificatio June 29, 1971 , n. 3 |
| 4. | See LCO n.58; LCM. nn.81, 85. |
| 5. | See Vatican Council II SC, n. 28 [DOC 28]. |
| 6. | See GILH, n.262; LCO, n.61 - iii : "When, for a just cause, the Liturgy of the Hours cannot be celebrated in choir, it shall be carried out in another suitable location especially so that the faithful may be able to participate actively in the liturgical prayer of the brethren." See: ACG 1980, n.188. |
| 7. | See Caeremoniale juxta Ritum S.O.P., ed. V. Jandel, [Mechliniae, 1869], nn.469-477, especially n.472; Missale O.P. ed. A. Fernández (Romae 1965], p. 104 n.5. |
| 8. | See Humbert of Romans, Opera de vita regulari, ed. J.-J. Berthier, II (Romae, 1889) p.84. |
| 9. | See: LCO n. 330; LCM, n. 244; GIRM, nn. 69, 73. |
| 10. | See: MSSL, n. 95; MS, nn. 5, 8, 11 [DOC 4126, 4129, 4132]. |
| 11. | See: SCR (Consilium), Instruction (first) Inter Oecumenici, on carrying out the Constitution on the Liturgy, September 26, 1964, n. 13 [DOC 305]; Idem: MS, n.5 [DOC 4126]; GIRM, nn. 21, 73. |
| 12. | See MSSL, n. 35; MS, nn. 5, 11 [DOC 4126, 4132]. |
| 13. | See: GIRM, n.18; GILH, n.273; LCO, n. 65; LCM, n.88. |
| 14. | See: LCO n.266; LCM, Ord. 10. |
| 15. | See LCO n. 59; LCM, n. 82. |
| 16. | See: GIRM n. 76. |
| 17. | See: Ordinarium juxta Ritum S.O.F.P. (1256), ed. L. Theissling (Romae, 1921), p. 238; Caeremoniale S.O.P., ed. V. Jandel (Mechliniae, 1869), n. 701; Missale O.P., ed. A. Fernández Fernández, n. 10, p. xlvii. |
| 18. | According to custom, in choir the profound bow of which the Roman Missal speaks [GIRM n. 234] is ordinarily executed in such a way that the hands can be placed upon the knees. |
| 19. | See: GIRM, nn. 84, 233. |
| 20. | See: GIRM, n. 98. |
| 21. | See: GIRM, n.21. |
| 22. | See: GILH, nn. 253 - 284. |
| 23. | See: GILH, n. 265. |
| 24. | See: GILH, n. 255. |
| 25. | See: GILH, nn. 256, 257. |
| 26. | See: GILH, nn. 253 - 280. |
| 27. | See: LCO, n. 65; LCM, n. 90. See also the primitive legislation of the Order, where the mind of Saint Dominic regarding buildings is expressed: "[They are to be built] in such a way that the brethren are not encumbered by debts, and other seculars and religious are not scandalized by the sumptuousness of our edifices." [G. Meerssmann, "L'architecture dominicaine au XIII siècle," AFP 16 (1946), p. 146.] |
| 28. | See: GILH, n. 261; Caeremoniale juxta Ritum S.O.P., ed. V. Jandel, [Mechliniae, 1869], nn. 1106 - 1115. |
| 29. | See SCCD, Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharist outside Mass, June 21, 1973 [DOC, n. 125.] |
| 30. | See LCO, nn. 7, 11, 69; LCM, nn. 61, 76. |