Divine Office QUESTION from David Reinschmidt January 8, 2000 In the Liturgy of the Hours, certain feasts/memorials are designated as commemorations. Example: St.Patrick's Day March 17. Neither in the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours nor in the Ordinary can I find any reference to commerorations or how to observe them. What does the proper celebration of a commemoration consist of?
Gloria in excelsis Deo !!!
ANSWER by John-Paul Ignatius, O.L.S.M. on January 15, 2000 Dear Mr. Reinschmidt:
Thank you for your queestion on the Divine Office and Praise God that you wish to pray the Office. Although Priests and religious may be required to pray the Office, the Church HIGHLY recommends that all the faithful pray some portion of the Office.
Forgive the delay in responding to you. We used the event of your question to launch a new forum on the Divine Office. This is a subject we want to support greatly.
The answer to your question is found in paragaphs 218-239 of the General Instruction of the Divine Office.
Optional Feast days such as St Patrick's day that fall within special seasons (in this case Lent), one would say the closing prayer as usual to the morning or evening prayer of the day, except leave off the ending where you say, we ask this (or we grant this) through our Lord Jesus Christ
Instead go the antiphon in the Poper of Saints for March 17 and recite the antiphon, followed by the prayer given, and THEN end with the closing we ask this... and the rest of the closing prayer per usual.
Thus for optional feasts in advent, Lent, Easter period you ADD an extra ending, per above. In ordinary time just replace the appropriate parts with the corresponding parts listed in the Proper of Saints.
Of course optional feasts, or actually optional memorials is what they are called, are optional. One does not have to include them in your praying of the Office.
Hope this is clearer than mud :-)
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