| Question Title | Posted By | Question Date |
|---|---|---|
| Evening Prayer I for St. Michael | Dan | Thursday, September 6, 2012 |
Question: My home parish is named for St. Michael, and so I want to observe September 29 as a solemnity. I am unsure what to do for Evening Prayer I, however, since there is no Common for angels. The two thoughts I had were to repeat the proper evening prayer for both Evening Prayer I and II, or to use psalms and canticles from Evening Prayer I for a Sunday (Sunday Week I maybe) but with antiphons, readings, and prayers from the proper Evening Prayer for the Archangels. Is there a correct way to handle this situation? Thank you. |
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| Question Answered by
Dear Dan: Very good question. I applaud your desire to observe the Feast of St. Michael and the Archangels as a solemnity. But, then again, I am bias since this feast is our order's primary feast. St. Michael is our Patron. It is for us always solemnity. The 29th is also the anniversary of my profession as a Brother. The Office for the Feast of St. Michael and the Archangels begins on page 1429 in the Proper of Saints in the Complete edition of the Divine Office (page 1269 in the one volume Catholic Book Publishing edition). There is no Evening Prayer I as the Feast of St. Michael and the Archangels is not a solemnity on the Church calendar. Thus, there is no vigil for the Feast. Evening Prayer I is for the evening vigil of Solemnities. Since the Divine Office is a liturgy it is regulated by the Church in the same manner as Mass. Thus, we are not allowed to insert add or subtract anything from the liturgy—we cannot invent a Evening Prayer I for the Feast without permission form the Holy See. Thus, since there is no vigil for this Feast, we celebrate the Feast as presented in the Divine Office as written. The Evening Prayer for Feast is in the Proper of Saints (page 1441) and is said in the evening of the 29th. What you can do is the Office of Readings for September 29th on the night of the 28th. That Office is allowed on the night before the Feast. So you could do the Office of Readings on the night of the 28th (some time after you do the Evening Prayer for the 28th) to celebrate the Feast of St. Michael and the Archangels. If you wish to treat the 29th as if it were a solemnity you can do what we are suppose to do for any solemnity of the Church—treat the day as if it was a Sunday. That means not working if that is possible, going to Mass if possible (That will mean going to a Daily Mass since the Church does not consider this a solemnity), and spending the day in prayer, devotions, bible study, and rest and recreation with family. God Bless, |
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