Explanation and walk-through of Memorial (both optional and obligatory) found in the Liturgy of the Hours. *several mistakes were made but I believe I caught and corrected them all during the recording of the video*
It is good to see kind comments on a RU-vid site. I concur. Part of what I like about LOTH is the modest complexity of process, something that resonates with me. Even though I figured most of it out myself with a few helpful texts, I have also enjoyed your videos. I’m going to watch this one carefully because today is the Memorial of St. Gregory the Great and thus a classic case of how to observe a Memorial. Peace to all.
I've gone through all the videos in this series and I wanted to let you know how useful and informative they are and how much I have enjoyed them. I got some new information out of them, especially how to handle the Memorials, which I found very helpful. I had figured out Solemnities and Feasts fairly well because they don't "move you around" as much, but Memorials were a puzzle. Now I understand them, especially the interface between the Commons and the Psalter. Also, I had not realized that the italicized portion of the Intercessions is repeated after each intercession like is done for the universal Prayer part of the Mass. So, thanks for that as well. I think you have done an excellent job on the videos and you are to be congratulated. The information has been thorough and easy to understand. The "mistakes" that you apologize for are very few in number and are acknowledged and corrected. A more vain person would have filmed the section over, so congrats on your honesty and humility. An excellent series of videos and users of the Liturgy of the Hours owe you a large debt. God bless you.
Thanks for your kind words! I'm still learning the nuances myself, but I realized early on that the whole thing can be frustrating enough that a newcomer would easily drop the whole idea and miss out on a very rewarding part of liturgical life. I am overjoyed that I was able to help you, and I wish you luck! God Bless!
Something of which you may not be aware (known mostly to organists and music directors, which I was for about 45 years) is found at the lower left of every hymn. It says “Melody: “ and in one of your examples, that melody was “Ash Grove.” Every hymn is given a proper name (although how I’ve forgotten in my senility) as a mnemonic and identifier. You can go to a site such as Hymnary.org or just search it in RU-vid, enter that hymn name, listen to it and you can sing along if you wish. My God how many times I’ve played all the common hymns! Ash Grove is a favorite of mine. And don’t worry if you think you “can’t sing.” Learning music is no longer common in schools, alas, and we are all poorer for it, Saint Cecilia help us.
And as P.S. for those who wish to chant hymns, the Benedictus, Magnificat and their antiphons, and more, there is the Hymnal for the Hours, published by GIA Publications. The only obstacle for some will be that one has to be able to read music, but not just the standard stave and notes, but “Gregorian notation.” The book is printed in the old four-line staves and has the moveable clefs. But it is astonishingly comprehensive. BTW the photo in my avatar is my adorable wife, not me!
Hey Gord! I usually do all the memorials. I admit that I sometimes miss the newer ones since I don't always check the St. Joseph Guide or the red addendum. I figure if the church thought those saints important enough to memorialize, the least I can do is honor them, even if not obligatory!
So confused on how the proper of seasons goes into all this along with the 4 week psalter. Also couldn’t you just pull all of the prayers from the commons of Virgins if it were, for example, the optional memorial of Saint Clare rather than go to the psalter
It can indeed be a bit confusing! The proper of seasons for the weekdays only provides you the readings for your Office of Readings (if you perform them) and also provides your morning and evening canticles for Sundays. The psalter is the bulk of your work. The Commons are generic.. they give you the entire layout for the day so that you can pick out what you need for Memorials, Feasts and Solemnities without them having to duplicate the sections with deletions for each type of celebration. The Memorials are "lesser" celebrations, which is why you normally use the psalms from the weekday. Feasts and Solemnities would require more to be used from these sections. If you are using the 4 volume set, please turn to the Ordinary page 619. As mentioned in previous videos, the Ordinary is your "instruction guide"... the last paragraph under the "PSALMODY" heading is: "For the memorial of saints, the psalms, canticle, and antiphons are taken from the current week of the Psalter, unless there are proper psalms and antiphons." The 'proper' psalms and antiphons they are referring to is usually the proper of saints. Now here is the best part.... if you wanted to use the full Common to honor a saint normally given a memorial, you are free to do so! I do that for my own patron saint and others that have a deeper meaning for me personally. Hopefully this helps you a bit....
Thank you for your kind words! I actually spoke with my pastor about two weeks ago and he will be sponsoring me when the diocese starts the application/interview process this Sept/Oct. :-)
