Office of the dead

[newyorkcatholic]

Fr. Haussmann, in his little book on saying the breviary, mentions an extra psalm said I the Office of the Dead, after the repeated antiphons for the gospel canticle. For vespers, the Lauda anima mea, and for Lauds, the De profundis.

(He also says the psalm is omitted on day of death/burial and on All Souls').

The Baronius Breviary doesn't mention this though. Neither does my roman diurnal (the PCP reprint).

So is Haussmann incorrectly referring to an older rubric?

[Paul]

My usual Breviary, which has the 1911 Rubrics, still contains these Psalms. They're omitted not only on the days mentioned, but any time the Office of the Dead is said as a Double. My 1960 Breviary (which isn't Baronius, but the reprint done by the FSSP some years ago) omits them.

[newyorkcatholic]

My usual Breviary, which has the 1911 Rubrics, still contains these Psalms. They're omitted not only on the days mentioned, but any time the Office of the Dead is said as a Double. My 1960 Breviary (which isn't Baronius, but the reprint done by the FSSP some years ago) omits them.

This would seem to support the theory that the psalms were omitted in 1961 and Haussmann made a mistake in referring to them as still part of the Office of the Dead.

[Allan]

I had been told* that the various "votive" offices were all supressed at some point prior to 1962.  There was a time, I gather, when one could pray various special "Offices" in lieu of the standard Office much the same way a ferial Mass could be replaced with a votive Mass or Mass for the Dead. 

Personally, I quite like the idea of having a book of special, votive Offices that one could say in lieu of the normal one.

*NB: This is hearsay, obviously, and I share it here without any special authority or knowledge to know whether or not this is factually accurate.  Others here, no doubt, are much better informed and will chime in.

[rbjmartin]

I believe the Carthusians say (or used to say) the Roman Breviary, the Office of Our Lady, and the Office of the Dead (all three daily).

[aquinas138]

I had been told* that the various "votive" offices were all supressed at some point prior to 1962.  There was a time, I gather, when one could pray various special "Offices" in lieu of the standard Office much the same way a ferial Mass could be replaced with a votive Mass or Mass for the Dead. 

Personally, I quite like the idea of having a book of special, votive Offices that one could say in lieu of the normal one.

*NB: This is hearsay, obviously, and I share it here without any special authority or knowledge to know whether or not this is factually accurate.  Others here, no doubt, are much better informed and will chime in.

To my  knowledge, the office was always "of the day," and any votive offices were said in addition to the day's office.  The LOTH allows votive offices to be said instead of the day's office on any day an optional memorial is permitted, but this is an innovation.

[newyorkcatholic]

I had been told* that the various "votive" offices were all supressed at some point prior to 1962.  There was a time, I gather, when one could pray various special "Offices" in lieu of the standard Office much the same way a ferial Mass could be replaced with a votive Mass or Mass for the Dead. 

Personally, I quite like the idea of having a book of special, votive Offices that one could say in lieu of the normal one.

*NB: This is hearsay, obviously, and I share it here without any special authority or knowledge to know whether or not this is factually accurate.  Others here, no doubt, are much better informed and will chime in.

To my  knowledge, the office was always "of the day," and any votive offices were said in addition to the day's office.  The LOTH allows votive offices to be said instead of the day's office on any day an optional memorial is permitted, but this is an innovation.

Aquinas, do you happen to know the answer to my original question?

[aquinas138]

Aquinas, do you happen to know the answer to my original question?

Yes, he is incorrectly referring to an older rubric.  As Paul mentioned, besides the days Haussmann mentions, the preces (the psalms you mention and a few other versicles) are omitted whenever the antiphons are doubled.  Now the 1960 reforms ordered that the antiphons are always doubled in every hour of every day; the Little Office of the BVM and the Office of the Dead also made this change.  Thus according to the traditional rule, the preces would always be omitted, and thus they were simply dropped from the Breviary.  One other change this necessitates in the Office of the Dead is that Matins of the Dead must always begin with the invitatory; in the older rubrics, when the antiphons are not doubled, the invitatory is omitted and Matins begins absolutely with the first antiphon of the nocturn being said.

This is also akin to the greatly reduced presence of preces in the 1960 books in general.  The 1960 books have the ferial preces on penitential Wednesdays and Fridays in the ferial office only at Lauds and Vespers.  Formerly, whenever the ferial preces were to be said (much more frequently in DA), they were said at all hours but Matins; the dominical preces of Prime and Compline have totally disappeared.

[newyorkcatholic]

Thanks for that thorough answer!  So another question. If, using 1962, I anticipate matins and don't anticipate lauds, should I say matins of the dead anticipated after matins of the day anticipated and lauds of the dead after lauds on the day?

Or does it make more sense to say matins and lauds of the dead, together combined, after a separate non-anticipated lauds?

[aquinas138]

Thanks for that thorough answer!  So another question. If, using 1962, I anticipate matins and don't anticipate lauds, should I say matins of the dead anticipated after matins of the day anticipated and lauds of the dead after lauds on the day?

Or does it make more sense to say matins and lauds of the dead, together combined, after a separate non-anticipated lauds?

Either practice seems justified.  Though Matins and Lauds of the Dead after Matins and Lauds of the day is the most traditional place, out of choir, it has always been permissible to say the Office of the Dead whenever convenient.  I personally think Matins with Matins and Lauds with Lauds would make the most sense, but that's nothing more than a preference.