Optional memorial
Encyclopedia
In the Roman Rite
of the Roman Catholic Church
, a memorial is a lower-ranked feast day in honour of a saint, the dedication of a church, or a mystery of religion.
Celebrations of feast days are distinguished according to their importance and named either as "solemnities
", or "feasts", or "memorials".
Memorials are never celebrated if they occur on a solemnity, a feast, a Sunday, Ash Wednesday
, Holy Week
, or the Octave of Easter
.
and the Te Deum
in the Liturgy of the Hours
.
The observance of memorials is integrated into the celebration of the occurring weekday (the "feria") in accord with the norms set forth in the General Instructions of the Roman Missal and the Liturgy of the Hours.
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal
lays down that, for memorials of saints, unless proper readings are given, the readings assigned for the weekday are customarily used. In certain cases, appropriate readings are provided that truly shed light on a special aspect of the spiritual life or activity of the Saint. The use of such readings is not to be insisted upon, unless a compelling pastoral reason suggests it. The Collect proper to the day is used or, if none is available, one from an appropriate Common. The Prayer over the Offerings, however, and the Prayer after Communion, unless they are proper, may be taken either from the Common or from the weekdays of the current Season.
Celebrations of memorials occurring between 17 December and 24 December and during Lent
, which are then never obligatory, consist of replacing the collect of the day with that of the saint.
The General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours gives the following indications on celebration of memorials occurring on ordinary days:
In the Office of Readings and at Lauds and Vespers:
Celebrations of memorials occurring between 17 December and 24 December and during Lent
, which are then never obligatory, consist of adding to the Office of Readings, after the patristic reading and responsory of the weekday, the hagiographical reading and responsory of the saint, and concluding with the prayer of the saint; and adding to Lauds and Vespers, after the concluding prayer of the weekday, the antiphon (proper or common) and the prayer of the saint.
and for Lent, there is the possibility of celebrating instead the Mass either of another memorial assigned to that day, or of the weekday, or of any saint mentioned in the Roman Martyrology
for that day, or indeed (except during the first part of Advent, the days from 2 January to the day before Epiphany, and Eastertide
), a Mass for Various Needs, or a Votive Mass.
Sometimes even those memorials that are called obligatory cease to be such. This happens every year to those that happen to fall within Lent. If two obligatory memorials occur on the same day (as can happen when the movable memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
falls on the same date as a fixed obligatory memorial), both become optional.
Roman Rite
The Roman Rite is the liturgical rite used in the Diocese of Rome in the Catholic Church. It is by far the most widespread of the Latin liturgical rites used within the Western or Latin autonomous particular Church, the particular Church that itself is also called the Latin Rite, and that is one of...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, a memorial is a lower-ranked feast day in honour of a saint, the dedication of a church, or a mystery of religion.
Celebrations of feast days are distinguished according to their importance and named either as "solemnities
Solemnity
A Solemnity of the Roman Catholic Church is a principal holy day in the liturgical calendar, usually commemorating an event in the life of Jesus, his mother Mary, or other important saints. The observance begins with the vigil on the evening before the actual date of the feast...
", or "feasts", or "memorials".
Memorials are never celebrated if they occur on a solemnity, a feast, a Sunday, Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter...
, Holy Week
Holy Week
Holy Week in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter...
, or the Octave of Easter
Octave of Easter
The term Octave of Easter may refer either to the eight day period from Easter Sunday until the Sunday following Easter, inclusive; or it may refer only to that Sunday after Easter, the Octave Day of Easter . That Sunday is also known historically as St...
.
Observance
Celebrations of solemnities and feasts are distinguished from those of memorials by, for instance, inclusion of the Gloria in excelsis in the MassMass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
and the Te Deum
Te Deum
The Te Deum is an early Christian hymn of praise. The title is taken from its opening Latin words, Te Deum laudamus, rendered literally as "Thee, O God, we praise"....
in the Liturgy of the Hours
Liturgy of the hours
The Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office is the official set of daily prayers prescribed by the Catholic Church to be recited at the canonical hours by the clergy, religious orders, and laity. The Liturgy of the Hours consists primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns and readings...
.
The observance of memorials is integrated into the celebration of the occurring weekday (the "feria") in accord with the norms set forth in the General Instructions of the Roman Missal and the Liturgy of the Hours.
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal
General Instruction of the Roman Missal
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal —in the Latin original, Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani —is the detailed document governing the celebration of Mass of the ordinary form of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church since 1969...
lays down that, for memorials of saints, unless proper readings are given, the readings assigned for the weekday are customarily used. In certain cases, appropriate readings are provided that truly shed light on a special aspect of the spiritual life or activity of the Saint. The use of such readings is not to be insisted upon, unless a compelling pastoral reason suggests it. The Collect proper to the day is used or, if none is available, one from an appropriate Common. The Prayer over the Offerings, however, and the Prayer after Communion, unless they are proper, may be taken either from the Common or from the weekdays of the current Season.
Celebrations of memorials occurring between 17 December and 24 December and during Lent
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
, which are then never obligatory, consist of replacing the collect of the day with that of the saint.
The General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours gives the following indications on celebration of memorials occurring on ordinary days:
In the Office of Readings and at Lauds and Vespers:
- a) All the psalms with their antiphons are taken from the current weekday, unless the memorial has proper antiphons and psalms.
- b) If the memorial has its own antiphon for the invitatory, hymn, short reading, BenedictusBenedictus (Song of Zechariah)The Benedictus , given in Gospel of , is one of the three canticles in the opening chapters of this Gospel. The Benedictus was the song of thanksgiving uttered by Zechariah on the occasion of the birth of his son, John the Baptist.The whole canticle naturally falls into two parts...
and MagnificatMagnificatThe Magnificat — also known as the Song of Mary or the Canticle of Mary — is a canticle frequently sung liturgically in Christian church services. It is one of the eight most ancient Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn...
antiphons and intercessions, these are used. Otherwise these elements are taken either from the Common or from the Office of the current week and day. - c) The concluding prayer is taken from the Office of the saint.
- d) In the Office of Readings, the biblical reading with its responsory is that assigned to the weekday. The hagiographical second reading with its responsory is proper to the saint, but if no proper reading is assigned, the reading is either taken from the Common or is the patristic reading of the weekday
- e) Prayer during the Day and Compline are taken entirely from the weekday.
Celebrations of memorials occurring between 17 December and 24 December and during Lent
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
, which are then never obligatory, consist of adding to the Office of Readings, after the patristic reading and responsory of the weekday, the hagiographical reading and responsory of the saint, and concluding with the prayer of the saint; and adding to Lauds and Vespers, after the concluding prayer of the weekday, the antiphon (proper or common) and the prayer of the saint.
Obligatory and optional memorials
Memorials are either obligatory or optional. The rules governing the celebration of memorials, whether obligatory or optional, are identical. The only difference is precisely that an optional memorial need not be observed, and, with the limitations indicated for the second part of AdventAdvent
Advent is a season observed in many Western Christian churches, a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. It is the beginning of the Western liturgical year and commences on Advent Sunday, called Levavi...
and for Lent, there is the possibility of celebrating instead the Mass either of another memorial assigned to that day, or of the weekday, or of any saint mentioned in the Roman Martyrology
Roman Martyrology
The Roman Martyrology is the official martyrology of the Roman Rite of the Roman Catholic Church. It provides an extensive but not exhaustive list of the saints recognized by the Church.-History:...
for that day, or indeed (except during the first part of Advent, the days from 2 January to the day before Epiphany, and Eastertide
Eastertide
Eastertide, or the Easter Season, or Paschal Time, is the period of fifty days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday.It is celebrated as a single joyful feast, indeed as the "great Lord's Day". Each Sunday of the season is treated as a Sunday of Easter, and, after the Sunday of the Resurrection,...
), a Mass for Various Needs, or a Votive Mass.
Sometimes even those memorials that are called obligatory cease to be such. This happens every year to those that happen to fall within Lent. If two obligatory memorials occur on the same day (as can happen when the movable memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Immaculate Heart of Mary
The Immaculate Heart of Mary originally The Sacred Heart of Mary is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God, her maternal love for her Son, Jesus, and her compassionate love for...
falls on the same date as a fixed obligatory memorial), both become optional.
See also
- Roman Catholic calendar of saintsRoman Catholic calendar of saintsThe General Roman Calendar indicates the days of the year to which are assigned the liturgical celebrations of saints and of the mysteries of the Lord that are to be observed wherever the Roman Rite is used...