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The Feast of the Presentation Feb 2, 2008, Evening Prayer georgia Saturday, January 26, 2008

Question:

Our group will be praying Evening Prayer together on Saturday, February 2. I am in the process of writing out the page numbers for our members to use for Evening Prayer. Some of our members use the Catholic Book Publishing Company editions for the LOH (Christian Prayer or the 4-volume edition), and some use the Daughters of St Paul edition. All editions should have the same text, and usually they have identical or nearly identical text, at least on Sundays and the vigils of Sundays.

However, I see that on Feb 2, 2008, the Catholic Book Publishing Co editions use Evening Prayer II for the Feast of the Presentation, while the Daughters of St Paul edition uses Evening Prayer I for the 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time. Where can I find out which one is right?

I might guess that since it’s called a Feast, it doesn’t take precedence over a Sunday, but it might be something special. Is there a definitive list somewhere?
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Georgia:

I am sorry, I did not see your question until today, July 5, 2009, as this forum was actually closed. Apparently I forgot to close a back door to the Q&A and it was available because of search engines.

Of course, it is way to late for your prayer group. Sorry for the inconvenience. I hope you found your answer.

But, although I am one year and six months late, the answer to your question is that special holy days such as the Presentation are found in the Proper of Saints.  Feast of the Presentation begins on page 1075 in the Daughters of St. Paul edition.

The normal Saturday Vespers is Evening Prayer I of Sunday. Vespers for Sunday is Evening Prayer II. Because the Presentation is a special day, it uses the Evening Prayer II of Sunday.

One must always check the Proper of Saints to see if there are any special antiphons, psalms, or other elements special for that day. The Proper of Saints is organized by date (i.e. February 2).

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary