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DIRECTIONS

FOR THE USE OF THE CALENDAR.

THE prayers and portions of Holy Scripture, of which the MASS or Liturgy of the Catholic Church, is composed, are, in part, unalterably the same, and in part, different every day: those that are fixed and not to be changed, are contained in what is called the ORDINARY OF THE MASS, from pages 35 to 81 inclusively; and the parts which are changed or the proper parts, viz., the INTROITS, COLLECTS, EPISTLES and LESSONS, GRADUALS and TRACTS, GosPELS, OFFERTORIES, SECRETS, COMMUNIONS, and POSTCOMMUNIONS, form the subsequent contents of the book. As the PREFACES are not so frequently changed, they follow each other in regular succession in the Ordinary of the Mass.

The Ecclesiastical year commences with the First Sunday of Advent, which is the Sunday nearest to the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, the 30th of November.

Sundays and Festivals are celebrated with different degrees of solemnity; some are called Doubles; others, Semi doubles. Festivals which are neither Doubles nor Semidoubles, are called Simples. Week-days, on which no Festival occurs, are called Ferias. Some Festivals are celebrated with an Octave, that is for eight successive days.,

Of Doubles, (so called because the Antiphons are repeated entire both before and after the Psalms in the Divine Office) some are of the First Class, marked thus in the Calendar, d. I. cl. others of the Second Class, and are marked thus, d. II. el. others are Greater Doubles, marked thus, gr. doubles, others, Common Doubles, and are marked d. or double.

A Semidouble, (so called because only part of the Antiphon is said before each Psalm in the Divine Office,) is marked in the Calendar thus, semidouble, or semid., 01 sd.

Doubles are always kept on the day marked in the Calendar, unless they fall upon some privileged day which takes precedence of the Festival; in which cases they are transferred to the first vacant day; that is, to the first day on which there is neither Double nor Semidouble marked in the Calendar. The same is to be observed with regard to Semidoubles, which are also transferred to the first vacant day, if they fall on a Sunday, or during the Octave of Corpus Christi.

Simples have no mark in the Calendar, and are never transferred; but if they fall on a Sunday, or ou any other day, when the Office cannot be said of them, a Commemoration of them is made by the Collect, &c., in the Mass, except on Doubles of the First Class, and at High Mass on Doubles of the second Class.

When any Festivals have been transferred from their proper days, they are afterwards to be kept in this order; those that are Doubles are to be kept first, and afterwards those that are Semidoubles.

DIRECTIONS

FOR FINDING OUT WHAT MASS IS TO BE SAID ON
EACH SUNDAY.

1. THE proper Mass of the Sunday is always said on the following Sundays: the First Sunday of Advent; the First Sunday of Lent; Passion Sunday; Palm Sunday; Easter Sunday; Low Sunday; Whitsunday, and Trinity Sunday.

2. The proper Mass of the Sunday is also always said on the following Sundays, except a Double of the First Class falls upon them; the Second, Third, and Fourth Sundays of Advent; Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima Sundays; also the Second, Third, and Fourth Sundays of Lent.

3. On all other Sundays, refer to the Calendar, at the beginning of the Missal: if the Festival which occurs on that

day is a Double, the Mass will be of the Festival with a Commemoration of the Sunday: but if the Festival is not a Double, the Mass of the Sunday is to be said.

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TO FIND OUT WHAT MASS IS TO BE SAID ON THE
WEEK DAYS.

1. THE Mass of the Feria, or Vigil, is always said on the following days; Christmas-Eve; Ash-Wednesday; all Holy Week; all Easter Week; Whitsun-Eve, and during the Octave of Whitsunday.

2. On the Fridays between Septuagesima and Palm Sundays, the Masses of the Passion, &c., are said, unless a Double of the I. or II. class, falls on them. These Masses are to be found in their proper places.

3. On other Days refer to the Calendar; if a Double or Semidouble occurs, the Mass will be of the Feast. On Simples, and on days on which no Festival occurs, refer to The Guide to the Service of the Church, or Directory, which is published annually, in order to find out whether any transferred Feast is to be kept on that day. If no Feast is transferred to that day, the Mass will be of the Simple or of the Feria. In Advent and Lent, Mass is never said of a Simple, but a Commemoration only is made of it after the Collect of the Day. Out of Advent and Lent, if a Simple or a Feria falls on a Thursday, the Mass of the B. Sacrament, (page 547,) is said; if on a Saturday, the Mass of the Commemoration of the Conception of the B. V. Mary, (page 547,) is said.

On Ferias, the proper Mass of the Feria is said during Lent, on the Ember Days, and Rogation Monday and Tuesday. At other times of the year, the Mass of the preceding Sunday is said.

On Vigils, the Mass of the Vigil is said, unless there be a Double or a Semidouble Feast that day. If a Festival, which has a Vigil, falls on a Monday, the Vigil is kept on the preceding Saturday, except the Vigil of Christmas and of the Epiphany.

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