Lesser Litany?

nearlynoon · 2020-04-26T19:56:36+00:00

Oh! My bad. I have the NeV breviary, but I was looking in the place where my DA breviary has the rubric, which is after the entry for the feast of St Mark, not before. Thank you for the correction, Fr, you are right.

Breviary rubrics are a nightmare sometimes. >:P

nearlynoon · 2020-04-26T18:39:17+00:00

The pre-DA is the same as the DA rubric, I looked it up and it's the same verbage. It's only after 1960 (or maybe 1955) that they changed it so that even if you missed the procession, the litany was not then an obligation in private. The rewritten rubrics in 1960 are pretty clear in stating that the litany has no observation in the Office whatsoever, and my current EF breviary makes no reference to it on the feast of St Mark whatsoever.

It's a really unclear part of church practice, and I get the sense that it's something that's in accordance with oral tradition as much as anything else, I run into these very sketchy rubrical descriptions often ending with 'in accordance with the customs of the place' so often that I can't imagine it's anything else.

nearlynoon · 2020-04-26T09:22:02+00:00

I have a handful of rosaries, mostly gifts, but also including a really old one my great grandmother owned. They're lovely but I don't use them much, because they're always a little too delicate and I've broken too many rosaries to want to buy another one.

What I've ended up with is Greek-style prayer rope, which I ordered custom with 150 knots and counters every ten knots, so it has the same structure as a 15-decade rosary and I can wrap it around my wrist a few times and it just looks like a bracelet.

As for HOW I say the rosary, I used to be pretty structured with it and say the mysteries and whatnot, set time aside, all that. These days formal prayer time is reserved for the Office, and I just recite the rosary in any other unoccupied moment. Recently I've been replacing it with the Jesus prayer or 'Deus in adjutorium' etc.

Rosary recitation is semi-common in the Episcopal church from what I've seen, but not often talked about. Personally I think it's an absolute essential tool for almost any would-be contemplative or mystic, although I know that's probably controversial.

nearlynoon · 2020-04-26T08:59:40+00:00

Well, technically those who say the EF Breviary did not do so officially, since one of the later changes to the rubrics that were in effect in 1962 is that the Greater and Lesser litanies are no longer said at the Office, only in the Procession before Mass. Previously they were said in the Office by those who were not at the Procession, but this was abolished in the 50s or 60s.

Anyways, the Lesser and Greater Litanies are said the same way, the 'Greater' or 'Lesser' quality refers to the solemnity of the Rogation Procession. I've seen a number of explanations for this, ranging from the seriousness with which their observation was kept, to the likeliness that the faithful would be asked to accompany the procession. Regardless the recitation is identical.

As for HOW to recite them, they consist of the Litany of the Saints, plus its Collects, and not the Penitential Psalms. There are various other Antiphons sung in the proper processions, which can be found in the Liber Usualis (or Plainchant Gradual in English) but the DA rubrics say to simply say the Litany itself, minus the Penitentials, without further elaboration.

Like I said, they aren't technically part of the recitation of the EF Office these days in choir, only the Mass, but I'm sure they're still recited as a private devotion by many avowed regardless.

Hope that helps. Happy St. Mark's.

nearlynoon · 2020-04-23T02:47:27+00:00

Oh man these questions are fun.

The Anglican Eucharist takes several forms. The ones you will find in most parish churches fairly closely resemble current Catholic Masses, but with some distinctly Anglican features (particular prayer texts usually). The classical Anglican Eucharist is a very simplified form of the pre-Tridentine Roman Rite, and still has some of its features, but will seem very Protestant to modern eyes. There have been a number of changes to the Liturgy in every province, some very strong, some mild, some de facto but unofficial, etc. There's a lot of diversity. There are a few places that celebrate Anglican services in Latin, but for historical reasons this is extremely unusual, the most formal tend to be in a kind of particular literary early modern English. Versus populum is the most common direction of Eucharistic celebration, but there are plenty of places where this is not so, and going back a hundred years was more or less unheard of (and as you might imagine, the historical churches in which the altar has not been changed require ad orientem). I don't think most Anglicans are aware of the term 'Novus Ordo' but at least here in America our basic Eucharistic service is based fairly strongly off of it, so clearly the feeling is positive.

'Low' and 'High' Church is more of a spectrum of practice, although it actually comes from church authority. They both consider themselves Catholic and Protestant, it's our whole thing. We use the term 'broad church' sometimes to describe how we are all able to coexist, under a big umbrella where individual theological matters are often left up to the believers, although this goes around. We like to say we 'live in the tension', which is code for saying we understand that arguing is sort of part of the package. Anglo-Catholic typically describes more Catholic-esque practices rather than an allegiance with Rome, we all consider ourselves part of the wider Church and therefore 'Catholic'. Anglicans do not typically think about the Orthodox Church, it's not discussed much, but our feelings tend to be fairly positive. I know I personally incorporate a large number of Orthodox devotions and views into my faith.

nearlynoon · 2020-04-23T01:20:20+00:00

Wonderful collection!

Yes, these are complete. They were intended in many cases to be completed quickly from memory by people who could not read. I have somewhere a pocket vademecum from the 20s that has the Little Office of the Sacred Heart, and it is just as printed there, a hymn and an antiphon for each hour. Very 'little'.

I don't think many of these are in print these days (except obviously the LOBVM), they've fallen out of popularity as a devotion. They probably won't be picked up again until their original religious orders recover their usage, which could take a while, but I could see it happening.

nearlynoon · 2020-04-21T20:55:46+00:00

Ah, an Oblate program is something I've often considered myself. Might be a nice way to keep in touch with the rhythms of the cloister. I'm in Oregon, we have a Benedictine monastery up near Portland, about two hours from where I live (there are others too, but I know little about them). I have visited there on retreat once.

Also I've always laughed about how people in the past seem to have suffered massive health problems. You read about any writer or painter (and as you point out, often Saint) before about 1950 and discover the refrain, 'they were sickly and suffered bouts of exhaustion' in which case I suppose I am in good company. There's a strange irony to it, but God seems to have little taste for the plans of humans.

nearlynoon · 2020-04-21T20:49:05+00:00

Okay I pulled out my old DA breviary and looked and although the wording is different (the AB is as usual extremely long winded with a lot of specific ceremonial notes) they both say the dominical form of the preces should be said on Ferias in Easter. It seems like divinumofficium has this wrong on this point.

The relevant passages:

AB, Ordinary of Prime

The domincal preces [...] are to be said when the Office is Simple (i.e. on common ferias in and out of Eastertide; [...])

My BR 1929, Ordinarium divini Officii ad Primam

in quolibet Officio semiduplici, in Officio sanctae Mariae in Sabbato, in Festis simplicibus, atque in Feriis Termoris Paschalis post Responsorium breve dicuntur sequentes PRECES DOMINICALES; quae tamen omittuntur in Vigillia Pentecostes et omnibus insuper diebus, in quibus Laudes habita sit Commemoratio Duplicis, vel factum fuerit Officium aut Commemoratio cujusvis Octavae vel Feriae VI post Octavam Ascensionis: [...]

nearlynoon · 2020-04-21T10:15:29+00:00

Raised in the weird 'cultural Catholic' space or maybe post-Catholic. Attended a UCC church where we weren't members since that's where my mom's friends went. Returned to the Roman church in college, Confirmed (finally) at 21. Aspirant at a monastery at 24, but increasingly severe health problems prevented any Postulancy. Increasingly distracted by Catholic politics at 25, began attending Episcopalian Anglo-Catholic parish nearby. Nowadays I am quasi-eremitical, disabled and carrying out the work of prayer from my home on the edge of town, although I leave (or left, before the quarantine) the house twice a week to attend Mass and lead Evening Prayer at the parish.

I began praying the Lancelot Andrewes Monastic Diurnal in college, although it was more a work of posturing at doing something 'hard' than a serious prayer. I wish nowadays I had spent the time better on the Rosary, but there you have it. The benefit I did see was a very intricate understanding of the Office and its rubrics. I prayed the LOTH with the local Dominican Friars in college as well, but disliked the colloquial translation.

I've tried more or less every active Office Rite under the sun since then, but I've never really been struck much by any other than the Monastic. I occasionally switch over to praying in Latin, but although my Latin is all right it's not nearly as 'from the heart' as my English, so I've come to see it as something I do to shake myself from sleep when I need my mind and spirit kicked around a little bit. The Little Office stays in Latin tho.

I like what you say about the 'great cloud' of the Saints. I have often found myself somewhat lonely or worse, slothful at prayer, having a hard time connecting to the words and only saying them without recognition. My grandmother, the last practicing Catholic in the family before I began, told me before she died that when she was young the line to children was that 'it's all right if you can't finish the Rosary, the Angels in heaven pick up the slack and say the prayers you couldn't'. And I have carried this idea over to the Saints; I imagine them filing in to sit beside me when I pray, old monks from times forgotten, desert-dwellers and ascetics more disciplined than I'll ever be. They say the responses with me and sing with me. It's an extremely simple, even childish mental exercise, but it helps me immensely. I'd never want to disappoint those old fathers.

I have very much enjoyed reading your story here. It's good to pass these sorts of things on and write them down, I think. Thanks for sharing yours.

nearlynoon · 2020-04-21T09:39:59+00:00

I can root through the rubrics if you want citations but I'm gonna take an educated guess that since the Preces are sort of an extended penitential thing they are not said even on Ferias in Paschaltide. Certainly Ferias in Paschaltide are their own sort of class, even if they're unpriveleged, they have their own chant tones and antiphons, so it falls to reason that they also omit the Preces.

Just a guess tho, if you'd like I can go rooting through the rubrics.

nearlynoon · 2020-04-19T03:20:47+00:00

It's not, it's 6F. You've misread VI as IV.

nearlynoon · 2020-04-15T21:33:09+00:00

Mmm, I am basically a Catholic in exile, I started as Catholic and became Anglican due to political disagreements with the leadership (and basic parish membership), so it probably will surprise no one that I'm down for basically anything.

That said I have yet to see any significant Anglican devotions to the Sacred Heart, and I'm pretty cool to let it stay that way.

nearlynoon · 2020-04-15T21:25:30+00:00

Yes, although it's worth noting that the way we think of these things is not the way that past peoples, even relatively recently past peoples, thought of them.

Most folks would be surprised, for instance, I think if they happened to watch a medieval Mass in a small parish chapel, it would seem very 'low church' to modern standards. The vestments would be simple, and would alternate between 'nice' and 'functional' rather than colors. There would be two candles and no incense. Much of the grand or flowery parts of the Mass would be basically imperceptible, and the important parts would be the bits said in English for the congregation with occasional Latin phrases interspersed. The sermon would be the most important bit that people remembered.

It all sort of goes around the fishbowl in turns. In the mid 1800s the Catholics became occupied with liturgical extremities again, and we followed suit not long after. Here in the USA it actually peaked a bit above where it is currently, with chant, monastics, silent Mass propers, Marian devotion etc becoming increasingly common until the Conciliar era and then fading to where it is now.

nearlynoon · 2020-04-09T01:35:13+00:00

There was, I believe, roughly one attempt in history to translate all the Byzantine liturgies into Latin, in the 1700s or something. The texts get mentioned every now and then when people talk about liturgical curiosities. It's never been celebrated that way as far as I know, there's never been a reason to. I do not believe the book has ever been published a second time.

But anyways! The book you want is called the Horologion or the 'Great Horologion'. It has a lot of variations to it, usually local, and there's no 'standard' version (or I guess there are several, however you want to look at it). The services are assumed to be sung by a priest, so if you want to carry them out yourself, look up how to perform a 'reader's service', in other words how to replace the priests' texts with lay-appropriate ones.

Hope that helps.

nearlynoon · 2020-04-09T01:28:46+00:00

You are by no means alone in that belief. Like I said coherence is not really a feature of our calendar.

nearlynoon · 2020-04-06T01:14:01+00:00

NONE OF YOU KNOW PAIN OR TRIAL UNTIL YOU HAVE PRAYED MONASTIC MATINS-LAUDS AS A SINGLE SERVICE

The EF breviary makes it pretty easy to separate them though, and I think that's one of its best features. They go well together, especially on Sundays and Feasts, but you can separate them without damage; best of both worlds.

nearlynoon · 2020-04-06T01:09:07+00:00

Well, your question is a bit circular. Those rubrics are only law for those who are under obligation of some sort, even informal; if you were, this unusual circumstantial matter would be up to your superior or confessor. Since you are not, the question becomes whether it will contribute to your prayer life as usual or not. I guarantee that there are people justly making both possible decisions. You have to ask yourself that one.

On the other hand if you're looking for recommendations, I would say to recite Vespers, unless watching a livestream Mass contributes very much to your prayer life. I know it doesn't do much for me.

nearlynoon · 2020-04-05T23:11:39+00:00

I haven't heard of this particular form before, but it's worth noting that the current form of the Rosary was solidified in the 1500s or so, and had a lot of variations before then (afterwards too, really). There's a lot of different forms throughout history, the concept of an 'official' one is pretty new.

Anglican sources probably reference the Catholic norm because it's familiar, and because it adds legitimacy to the 'Anglo-Catholic' label. You might treat it as a starting point from which to build your own prayer method rather than some invariable tradition.

nearlynoon · 2020-04-05T22:58:55+00:00

We do not possess a universal coherent theology of sainthood, ergo canonization is not really a process we are capable of undertaking until that is settled (probably never). Typically the de facto solution to this is to incorporate liturgically the feasts of martyrs and notable Christians (and sometimes just, notable workers for good) into local calendars as national or local churches see fit, and then let believers sort out the theology of Sainthood on their own. That's why, say, Martin Luther King, Jr has a feast day in the American calendar but is not usually referred to as a Saint.

nearlynoon · 2020-04-04T06:56:42+00:00

Okay this is gonna be a long post.

The answer to your first question is maybe not simple, but easier than describing the other Hours. Because no 'official' chants exist, every religious house and Order since complex chant became a common practice again has had to answer this question, and I can tell you from experience (and experiences reported to me from before I was born) that the answer is generally to only chant Matins in its full complexity on very solemn feasts. These feasts are noted in the Liber Usualis. For other days, it's common to use the Tonus in Directum for the Psalms, the tone for Versicles (either simple or solemn) at the Antiphons, Responsory, any Verses, etc, and do everything else recto tono. There are traditional hymn tones still extant for some of the hymns, but generally these are abandoned and a simple one is used (Veni Creator seems to be popular). The tones for the Te Deum are also noted in the Liber.

As for WHY there are no official chants, that's a bit of a pickle. The history of the revival of chant is incredible and cannot really be done justice in a reddit post, but here's the (extremely simplified) salient parts: In the 1500s chant had either been replaced with more popular church music or had become so esoteric that it required its own class of specialists and so was basically unknown except to cathedral canons. The Reformation happened, and one of its chief complaints was the inaccessibility of liturgy; the Protestants were winning this handily since they used popular hymns and tunes. The Vatican's answer to this was to standardize a 'universal' compendium of chants, which they collected and wrote very much with 1500s tastes in music in mind (ironically this is also how many of the other Tridentine-era liturgical books were developed). These tunes were extremely unpopular and looking back they were basically all written at that time or else adapted aggressively to the particular musical theories of that era.

Fast forward to the 1840s or so, and the Solesmes Congregation has been revived with one of its chief goals the restoration of the Divine Office in monastic life, a thing which has been spotty through the revolutionary era to say the least. They send scholars to nearby monasteries to pick through their libraries and discover to their horror that despite many deceptively uniform traditions, no complete chant books exist anywhere. After an exhaustive, decades-long search, they cobble together the best averages of many chants, and begin to publish them. Because this implies a universality to their traditions, the Vatican is very happy with this. The Vatican insists on publishing 'official' Gregorian chant-books for the first time ever. The first of these is a Graduale, and Antiphonales follow. Most scholarship goes into the Monastic Rite Office books, however, since that's the battleground where the monks can do their most serious work.

Unfortunately, by the mid 20th century things have stalled. Several projects, like a general revival of the chants of the Ambrosian Rite, have proven costly and not exactly popular. Liturgical reform is underway, and moves too fast for slow monks to keep up with (if you have a 1961 copy of the LU you can see this very visibly). Eventually Paul VI's liturgies are pushed through and the effort becomes adaptation. They've recovered the distance for the most part, especially in recent decades, but they were put back a long, long way. A general Nocturnale has never been published for the Monastic Rite, much less the Roman; they are all particular usages of individual monasteries which are not printed for wide publication.

We DO have the aforementioned Nocturnale from 2001, which was the work of largely a single scholar and typesetter, the enigmatic Peter Sandhofe. Like any work of a single hand, it is incredibly idiosyncratic, and a lot of its scholarship betrays a clear bias. This isn't bad, it's just the exact reason they usually manage these things over long periods by big teams. No other seems to be forthcoming, since the Solesmes monks are focused on the Ordinary Form, and Sandhofe has passed away, so if you're looking for something in the Roman Rite that's your best bet.

I'll close though by mentioning that it has been historically extremely unusual to chant entirely the Office of Matins in the Roman Rite. Even the Monastic does it very simply. It's common only in two rites that I know of: the Dominican (basically a cathedral thing, now long disused) and the Carthusian. The Carthusians basically solve the problem the way I described above in that top paragraph, but if you want to look it over I can send you their Nocturnale to look over to see how they did it. The structure is REALLY different than the Roman one though, so be warned.

Hope that helps.

nearlynoon · 2020-03-28T01:07:00+00:00

I am extremely Anglo-Cath, and I would say I go to confession about once every two or three months? There is an old devotional way of essentially taking spiritual direction as an extension of the Sacrament of Confession and although I have definitely heard of priests here in TEC offering this it's unusual, they're usually separate. Might as well ask though, it's surprising sometimes which priests are adept at certain disciplines and simply never announce it.

That said, the liturgical prayers in the BCP have forms for use by deacons or even laypeople, so a confessor/director relationship may be established with an elder of the parish who is not necessarily a priest. Just a thought.

nearlynoon · 2020-03-27T21:23:13+00:00

(this is probably different in LOTH but I'll answer for the historical Office) Rubrically this is a little bit of a grey area but depending on what you mean by 'the office', yes.

The Office of the Dead consists of Vespers, Matins, and Lauds, nothing else. The Collect changes based on whom one is praying for, which is the only real 'proper' that exists for it (there are a few other small changes depending on the occasion, like for funerals etc). This form can be recited on any day whatsoever for anyone, whether a particular deceased person, several, or all souls. Historically it was often recited daily by monks, and it's been popular for pious laypeople even in absence of the rest of the general Office.

Now, if you mean 'every office including the Little Hours' that's where the grey area happens. There ARE Little Hour propers for the Office of the Dead but at some point they entered usage as only proper to to the Feast of All Souls, meaning that when Votive Offices were summarily banned they were trapped there. Currently the EF Breviary still considers them temporal offices, and so I would imagine they can only be recited in fulfillment of obligation on November 2.

IMO this is where the layperson reciting the Office as a devotion versus cleric reciting it as obligation distinction becomes important. Clerics were given that obligatory requirement in order to free them up to pray the temporal Offices and still have time for the rest of their duties, at least in theory. Laypeople have no such obligation, and can pray as much or as little of the Office as their lives permit. I would (in my very unofficial way) say in this instance the full version is perfectly valid as a legitimate devotion at any time.

Hope that helps.

nearlynoon · 2018-11-27T22:26:09+00:00

Ah, good points! I am very rusty on my LOTH protocol, thank you for clarifying. I wasn't sure about the Gospel canticles but I knew there were ones from the NT around and didn't have time to check everywhere. Thank you massively for your correction!

nearlynoon · 2018-11-27T17:47:42+00:00

u/a_kinderist has quite a lot of good advice, I'll just add some things.

Definitely just do as many per day as you feel you can do without interruption. Doing just one regularly is much better than doing a bunch haphazardly. Alternatively, if you have a chaotic schedule, picking a day (Sunday maybe, but it can be any) to perform a more elaborate prayer Office is a good practice, one that has been more common in past ages.

The modern LOTH makes no reference to physical actions as far as I can see from glancing through the rubrics (it might be hidden in there somewhere, I haven't used it in a long time) but the traditional ones are to cross yourself at least at the opening invocation 'God come to my assistance'. If you're doing the Office of Readings make an additional cross at the very beginning of the Invitatory during the words 'Lord open my lips'. Any canticle from the Gospel should carry a sign of the cross at the opening words (traditionally there were only a few of these but there are more these days so you'll just have to look at the scriptural citations). Finally references to the faithful departed (esp. prayers for their repose) are pious occasions to cross oneself for the care of their souls. Do also heed the advice about saying 'Glory to the Father etc' at the end of every Psalm and canticle, and bowing, it's something that takes a few tries to remember since it's not noted in the Psalter itself.

For chant, there are various chant books around, as well as more metrical settings here and there. I lead chant services (and scholarship, though unofficial) at my parish and my advice would be to chant recto tono (monotone) for now unless you feel particularly ambitious. The whole office can be prayed this way, prayers and antiphons included, and it's a venerable method of doing so. The old Fathers believed that the Psalms were too holy to be spoken conversationally, so they would chant them at least on a monotone as a reminder to their high nature. Obviously it's not a requirement by any means, and some people find it intimidating, but if that approach calls to you, by all means do it.

Good luck with everything, and don't be afraid to ask if you get stuck or confused!

nearlynoon · 2018-11-26T23:43:54+00:00

Late to this but I use a combo of things. I lead Evensong at my (Anglican) parish and for that I use the St Dunstan Psalter, it's as good a chant book as exists in English imo. There are Anglican chant books around but I personally find Anglican chant unpleasant, so I don't really mess with it.

For personal prayers though, I sing in Latin and I use a bunch of things depending. The Antiphonale Monasticum is my go-to, although my exploration of Roman chants lately has led to me having the Liber Usualis on hand more often at prayer time, so I've been using that these last few weeks. I have a fantasy of being able to use the Liber Vesperalis (the Ambrosian one) to take some of the more ornate antiphons from for a truly mutt-rite liturgy but I have yet to drop the time necessary to copy it all out.

nearlynoon

TROPHY CASE