Volume 39 Number 6 August/September 2017 Volume 38 Number 1 ManelineFebruary 2016 ST. Mark Catholic Community Entering into the Church Year By Deacon John Allen mmersing ourselves into the Church the last Sunday of the year, the Solemnity of n Solemnities are the highest ranked. They year leads us to ponder Jesus’ life, reflect Christ the King. include many of the feasts of the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph, the Birth of John the on the message of His life and preach- The Sanctoral Cycle primarily celebrates the I Baptist, Sts. Peter and Paul, and All Saints ing, and model our lives more closely on saints. Feasts of the Sanctoral Cycle are fixed Day. Masses on Solemnities include three those of the saints. The structure of the and are celebrated each year on the same Readings, the Gloria, the Creed, and the Church Year helps us to accomplish these date. Feasts of the Temporal Cycle may be prayers of the Faithful. Often there is also fixed; however, they may also be movable if goals. a special Preface, and a Solemn Blessing is the day on which they are celebrated differs given. Jewish Roots of the Church Year from year to year due to their dependence After Jesus’s Ascension, early Christians on the date for EASTER. n Feasts recognize saints of importance continued to worship in synagogues and the to the universal church, including the Temple. They were familiar with the Jewish The Sanctoral Cycle Evangelists and Apostles. liturgical year, including the recurrence of The Sanctoral Cycle is the yearly calendar of the religious feasts, the Sabbath, and the feast days followed by the entire Roman n Most saint days are memorials. If the memo- various periods of fasting. Church. Certain local additions and varia- rial is obligatory, the three prayers for the Mass (Opening Prayer, Prayer over the Gifts, and Jews who lived in Palestine followed a three- tions are allowed so that members of reli- gious communities or different countries the Post Communion Prayer) are those that year cycle of 154 readings that covered the have been assigned for the saint’s day. For op- five books of the Pentateuch. A selection can especially honor saints of particular importance to them. In the United States, tional memorials, the prayers of the Mass can from one of the prophets was also read as a be either those of the particular saint of the commentary or an extension. for example, we celebrate the feasts of St. Damian deVeuster of Molokai, St. Junipero day or of those of the day in the Temporal In developing the service of the Serra, and St. John Neumann. The Solemnity Cycle. The feasts of the Holy Name of Jesus EUCHARIST, the Church adopted key of the Immaculate Conception is a Holy Day of and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary are principles of the Jewish liturgical practice, Obligation in the United States but gener- also memorials. In the case of optional me- including the following: ally not in other countries; Mary, under the morials, if a saint is especially cherished by a local church or religious community, prayers n Distinguishing feasts from sabbaths (re- title of the Immaculate Conception, is the specific to the saint may be used. placed by Sundays by Christians to recall Patroness of this country. Usually, the feast Jesus’s Resurrection, which occurred on the of a saint is the day on which he or she died, To focus attention on ADVENT and first day of the week) although sometimes the feast must be trans- LENT, greater attention is given to the day’s ferred to some other day because the same Mass for the Temporal Cycle than to me- n Reading Scripture systematically, assigning day has already been assigned. morials from the Sanctoral Cycle On Ash specific readings for each day The Sanctoral Cycle includes most of the Wednesday, during Holy Week and in the oc- n Beginning the celebration of the feast or feasts dedicated to the Blessed Virgin; two tave of EASTER the feasts of saints are not sabbath at sunset on the secular evening be- dedicated to Jesus (the Transfiguration and celebrated. fore rather than at midnight the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus); and n Ferial days have no feast assigned to n Following a three-year recurring cycle of some that recall important events in the his- them. The presider may use either the Mass Scripture readings. tory of the Church, such as the dedications from the preceding Sunday or a votive Mass of the major basilicas in Rome, the Chair of on these days. Two Cycles St. Peter, the Conversion of St. Paul, and the The Church Year is based on two cycles: the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Development of the Sanctoral Cycle Temporal Cycle (the Proper of the Season) St. Polycarp, who was martyred in 145 A.D., and the Sanctoral Cycle (the Proper of the Feasts differ in priority. The level of prec- seems to have been the first saint to have Saints). These two cycles are superimposed edence determines which feast dictates the entered the Sanctoral Calendar. Thereafter, on each other and guide particular aspects selection of prayers and readings of the other martyrs were honored by recurring of the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours. Mass in cases where two feasts co-occur. feasts. These celebrations usually began at The Temporal Cycle focuses on the events Although in this article, the term feast is used the place where the saints had lived or where of Jesus’s life and teaching. It begins with in its familiar sense, there are actually three their relics were located, but eventually they the first Sunday of ADVENT and ends with levels of liturgical commemorations. Continued on page 2 Entering into the Church Year Continued from page 1 as March 22 or as late as April 25. The dates Gospels of Jesus’s preaching and miracles. were celebrated in other places. Sts. Peter for many other Temporal Cycle feasts depend We are encouraged to reflect on these to and Paul, several of the first Popes, as well on the date set for EASTER, including Ash deepen our understanding and commitment as Sts. Cyprian, Perpetua, and Felicity, and Wednesday, Ascension, Pentecost, and Trinity to Jesus’s message. ORDINARY TIME is the Conversion of St. Paul were honored Sunday. These feasts are therefore movable. the longest of the six Liturgical Seasons, last- by specific feasts very early. Many of the Six Seasons. There are six seasons in the ing 33 or 34 weeks, depending on the year. Apostles and Evangelists also received feast Church Year: ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, The Ordo is a booklet published for each days shortly afterward. A church calendar LENT, the TRIDUUM, the EASTER year that specifies the appropriate Mass and from the year 354 A.D. lists 24 entries; all Season, and ORDINARY TIME. The color Liturgy of the Hours for the day, as well as are martyrs. of the vestments reflects the pervasive any other relevant information on the day’s Feasts for confessors — those who had suf- theme of the Season. ADVENT is a time of liturgical celebrations, such as whether a fu- fered for the faith but not actually died for preparation for Jesus’s coming and penance, neral or wedding may be performed, and a it — began to be celebrated soon afterward. so the liturgical color is purple. LENT is the brief summary of the day’s Gospel or the The earliest was probably St. Martin of more intense period of penance, so again feast being celebrated. Tours. By the eighth century, feasts of oth- the color of the vestments is usually purple. er holy men and women were established. The EASTER and CHRISTMAS Seasons Conclusions How might we make the Liturgical Year Several feasts were introduced to honor the are joyful, and the liturgical color is white. more a part of our lives? Becoming more Blessed Virgin, such as the Conception of The colors for the three-day TRIDUUM conscious of the feasts and the Liturgical Mary (later, her Immaculate Conception), differ according to the day — the Mass of Seasons helps to draw us into the experience the Birth of Mary, her Presentation in the Chrism and the Mass of the Lord’s Supper of the Lord, the saints, and the history of Temple, the Nativity, and the Assumption are celebrated in white; red is worn on Good the early Church. of Mary. The creation of Marian feasts in Friday; and white is used for the EASTER the Western Church was often inspired by Vigil. Preparing for Mass. It is helpful to do the Mass Readings before coming to Mass and earlier celebrations in the Eastern Church. The liturgical color for ORDINARY TIME think in terms of what they say to us. There The Sanctoral Cycle of the Church Year con- is green since this is symbolic of new are many websites that give a reflection on tinues to evolve. Feasts are added or replaced, growth. Gold or silver vestments may in- the feast. One good site for a reflection based on their relevance to the changing stead be worn for important, joyful feasts. on the daily gospel is from Bishop Robert emphases of the faith community. At one Rose may be worn on Gaudete Sunday in Barron’s (https://www.wordonfire.org/) . time, there were many Octaves and Vigils. ADVENT or Laetare Sunday in LENT to St. Louis University also offers reflections However, in 1955, most of these were sup- signal that we are half way to the feast.