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This was Sexagesima Sunday. And the evening before, we received word that Father had a sore throat and would not be able to sing the Mass.

We made do! Father was wearing violet. Had we sung the Mass, we would have sung Mass XI, as is called for in the Liber Usualis (without the Gloria, of course). We would have paired that with Credo I.

We did not sing a processional. We sang the Introit from the day as a hymn as Father recited the prayers at the foot.

At the Offertory, we sang Virgo Dei Genitrix in honor of Our Lady.

At the Communion, we sang the Tract of the day as a hymn. We followed that with three verses of Parce Domine, omitting the fourth verse which speaks specifically to the fast of Lent.

At the recessional, we sang God of Mercy and Compassion, which has a certain penitential feel to it without being full-on Lenten.

This was another green Sunday. Mass XI and Credo I.

The propers we sang were the same this week as they were last week. Why is that? The number of Sundays after Epiphany varies from as few as 1 to as many as 6. This year we have 4. The total number of Sundays after Epiphany plus those after Pentecost will total to 29 (or 30 depending on the day of the week on which Epiphany falls). This, of course, is due to the fact that the better part of the Liturgical year is based on the date of Easter which can vary by as many as 5 weeks. Thus, the propers for the 3rdSunday after Epiphany are repeated as many times as necessary just as the propers for the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost are repeated as many times as necessary.

The accompanying illustration shows the various possibilities for the number of Sundays after Epiphany and Pentecost. Note that this year, we will move the readings and propers for the 5th and 6thSundays after Epiphany to the 24th and 25th Sundays after Pentecost.

Because it is Epiphanytide, we sang What Star is Thisas the processional in honor of the three Kings.

At the Offertory, we sang Lumen ad Revelationem, a piece that is fitting for both Christmastide and Candlemas, which is later this week.

We gave Christmastide one last gasp as the season comes to an end this coming week on the Feast of the Purification, Candlemas – precisely 40 days after Christmas.

We sang Alma Redemptoris Mater, the Marian anthem from Compline that is sung during Christmastide, at the Communion. Given that January is the month in honor of the Holy Name of Jesus, we followed that with the vespers hymns from the Feast of the Holy Name, Jesu Dulcis Memoria.

For the recessional, we concluded with the last Christmas piece we will sing this season, Good Christian Men Rejoice.

Today was a busy day in terms of liturgical music.

The season of Christmastide ended earlier in the week on February 2nd with the feast of the Purification. This feast occurs precisely 40 days after Christmas because, according to the Mosaic Law, a woman was required to go to the temple to be purified 40 days after the birth of a son (80 for a daughter).

This was also the feast of the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple, Candlemas, and Groundhog Day.

Wait! Groundhog Day? Yes, indeed. And it is not a coincidence. Candle processions on February 2nd were customary in ancient Rome to mark the midpoint between the solstice and the equinox. These were effectively Christianized and associated with the Christian holy day of the Purification and Presentation.

Meanwhile, a folk custom developed throughout Europe of predicting the weather on Candlemas. Generally, if Candlemas were sunny, that would presage a longer winter. The German lore would observe the following.

Sonnt sich der Dachs in der Lichtmeßwoche, so geht er auf vier Wochen wieder zu Loche.

If the badger sunbathes during Candlemas-week, for four more weeks he will be back in his hole.

German immigrants brought the custom into Pennsylvania, though they adopted the indigenous groundhog in place of the badger.

Similar proverbs exist in all European countries and many other countries throughout the world. This is one of several variations from England:

If Candlemas be fair and bright, Come winter, have another flight. If Candlemas bring clouds and rain, Go winter, and come not again.

Every Italian village and town seems to have its own version. One that is common in Rome:

Per la santa Candelora se nevica o se plora dell’inverno semo fora.

For the feast of Candlemas, if it snows or rains, we’re done with winter.

The joyful seasons of Christmas and Epiphany being behind us, we will soon enter the penitential season of Lent. The 3-week season of Septuagesima bridges the gap between the Christmas season and Lent. We now leave behind the joyful Gloria, and the joyful word, Alleluia. The Gloria will be sung on Holy Thursday, and feast days, but the Alleluia will be strictly avoided until the Mass of the Paschal Vigil. So, of course, we will refrain from singing hymns that contain the word Alleluia.

Recall our rule of thumb that if the priest is wearing green, we will often sing Mass XI. There is another rule of thumb: If the priest is wearing purple, we will usually sing Mass XVII. But it would be premature to sing Mass XVII during Septuagesima because Mass XVII is to be used for Lent and Advent. The book that gives us much guidance regarding the Liturgy, the Liber Usualis, doesn’t give us an option for the commons, prescribing Mass XI. So, we have the interesting case where the priest is wearing purple, but we sing Mass XI – and of course, we sing it without its Gloria. And as usual, we paired it with Credo I.

The hymns we choose during Septuagesima will generally have a penitential character, but we still have much to celebrate. So, as the processional we sang Immaculate Mary (with the Lourdes refrain) in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes, which feast will be celebrated later this week.

At the Offertory, we sang Parce Domine, omitting the fourth verse owing to the specific reference to the fasting of Lent.

At the Communion, the mixed choir sang the very penitential De Profundis.

We concluded the Mass with God of Mercy and Compassion,which has a certain penitential feel to it without being full-on Lenten.

Father blessed throats after Mass as the feast of Saint Blaise had come earlier in the week. The Schola sang the Sequence from the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, the very Lenten Stabat Mater.

We are in Epiphanytide, all of which takes place within Christmastide. Today was a second-class feast and so father wore green. Nevertheless, we opted to do Mass II and Credo III to prolong the Christmas spirit a bit.

In recognition of the Epiphany, we sang What Star is This for the processional.

The Offertory antiphon was longish so we only managed two verses of Resonet in Laudibusas the Offertory hymn.

At the Communion, the mixed choir did the classic Victoria piece, O Magnum Mysterium, the fourth responsory from Matins of Christmas.

Finally, for the recessional, we did the rousing Christmas hymn Good Christian Men.

This feast is only a second-class feast, and there were two opportunities to override it. We took neither.

The Feast of the Epiphany had occurred earlier in the week. It is a first-class feast, and we might have solemnized it. And on this day, the men of the Holy Name Society had their Sunday observances, and several men made their solemn professions. The feast of the Holy Name of Jesus had also occurred earlier in the week, and although it, too, is a second-class feast, we might have solemnized it in view of the events of the day. We did neither, opting instead to celebrate the prescribed Feast of the Holy Family and Father gave a beautiful sermon on the role and importance of the family.

The men of the Holy Name Society entered the church behind our banner in the procession of the clergy as we sang the Processional, O Come all ye Faithful.

The propers we sang were for the feast. The Commons, in keeping with the glorious Christmas season were from Mass II and Credo III.

At the Offertory, the Schola sang Ecce Nomen Domini in honor of the Holy Name. At the Communion, the Schola sang 20 verses of the Vespers hymn from the Feast of the Holy Name, Jesu Dulcis Memoria, likewise in honor of the Holy Name.

After the Last Gospel, eight men were received into the Holy Name Society in a solemn ceremony, and as is customary on such occasions, we sang the Veni Creator Spiritus.

The ceremony concluded with the Holy Name Anthem (We Stand for God) as the recessional.

Today’s feast is one of the most important of the year, a first-class feast and a holy day of obligation.

A plenary indulgence is offered for singing (or reciting) the Veni Creator on January 1st, so we sang it as the processional. Father was wearing white, and generally, that will mean Mass II (two) and Credo III.

At the Offertory, we sang the delightful carol, Resonet in Laudibus.

At the Communion, we managed twelve of the fourteen verses of our home-grown harmonization of Puer Natus in Bethlehem, being careful not to omit the doxology.

At the recessional, we sang O Come all ye Faithful, and concluded with a single verse from Corde Natus ex Parentis.

At the stroke of Midnight, in a church lit only by candles and the decorative lighting, the children’s choir began to sing Silent Night. Advent had ended so the singing was accompanied by the organ. Father, wearing gold, carried the figurine of the Infant Jesus in procession and placed Him in the manger.

Even though the Mass started on Sunday, there was no Asperges because this was not the principal Mass of a Sunday morning. Thus, we started immediately with the Introit, Dominus Dixit ad Me, as Father approached the altar.

We sang Mass II, For Solemn Feasts (Kyrie fons Bonitatis) and paired that with Credo III.

At the Offertory, the mixed choir sang a two-part setting of Tota Puchra Es. The piece has a very unique sound, coming, as it does from the repertoire of Corsican chant.

At the Communion, the mixed choir sang O Magnum Mysterium, a 4-part setting by Tomás Luis de Victoria of the responsory that the schola had sung earlier that evening in Matins of Christmas.

The schola followed that with a two-part harmonization of the Gregorian, Puer Natus in Bethlehem.

And finally, we closed with the GLORI-ous Angels we have Heard on High.

Father was wearing violet today. Immediately, you know: no flowers on the altar, no organ, Mass XVII and no Gloria in Excelsis.

We started with the classic, O Come, O Come, Emanuel as the processional.

At the Offertory, we sang the delightful, Advent hymn, Creator Alme Siderum. It is interesting because the melody is very sweet and sing-songy, almost a lullaby, and yet the lyrics speak to the great majesty of Our Lord as Creator of the heavens and Redeemer of the world.

Part of singing the Divine Office is to chant The Magnificat each evening at Vespers. Of course, an antiphon is chanted both before and after. Beginning on December 17th and continuing until December 23rd, seven very particular and very ancient antiphons are used. They are referred to collectively as the Great Antiphons. Each starts with the exclamation, O, and then refers to Our Lord by a particular title (for example, O Wisdom, or O Dawn). For this reason, they are also known as the O Antiphons. (Note that these antiphons form the basis for the popular hymn, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.)

At the Communion, we sang the O Antiphon for this day (O Adonai) both before and after we sang The Magnificat.

O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.

And finally, our last gasp for Advent, observing that once again that John the Baptist is mentioned in the Gospel, we sang Hark, a Herald Voice is Calling as the recessional.