More from the Candlemas Procession (Feburary 2): Adorna thalamum

Adorna thalamum is another of the three antiphons used in the Candlemas Procession, along with Ecce Dominus Noster and Lumen ad Revelationem Gentium.  Here's Giovanni Vianini singing this lovely chant:




CPDL has the Latin words for the antiphon, along with a couple of variants, and an English translation for all three versions:

Adorna thalamum tuum, Sion, et suscipe Regem Christum:
amplectere Mariam, quae est coelestis porta:
[amplectere Messiam gratulare huiusce matri:]
ipsa enim portat Regem gloriae novi luminis.
Subsistit Virgo, adducens manibus Filium ante luciferum genitum:
quem accipiens Simeon in ulnas suas praedicavit populis
Dominum eum esse vitae et mortis et Salvatorem mundi.

Variant 1
Adorna thalamum tuum, Syon, et suscipe regem regum Christum:
amplectere Mariam, quae novo lumine
subsistens Virgo portat regem gloriae.
Hunc accipiens Simeon exclamavit et dixit:
Nunc dimittis servum tuum Domine,
Secundum verbum tuum in pace.

Variant 2
Adorna thalamum tuum, Sion, et suscipe Regem Christum:
Quem virgo concepit Virgo peperit quem genuit adoravit.


Adorn thy bridal chamber, O Sion, and receive Christ the King:
embrace Mary, who is the gate of heaven,
[embrace the Messiah and congratulate this mother}
who herself truly brings the glorious King of new light.
She remains a virgin, though bearing in her hands a Son begotten before the daystar,
whom Simeon, taking him in his arms, proclaimed to the people
to be the Lord of life and death, and Saviour of the world.

Variant 1
Adorn thy bridal chamber, O Sion, and receive Christ the king of kings:
embrace Mary, who remaining virgin, in new light,
carries the king of glory.
Whom Simeon took in his arms, exclaimed, and said:
"Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,
according to thy word".

Variant 2
Adorn thy bridal chamber, O Sion, and receive Christ the King:
He whom the Virgin conceived and bore, she also worshipped.

Here's the full chant score:

 
This page at the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913 describes the Candlemas Procession, and notes that St. John of Damascus wrote the text for this antiphon, which is "one of the few pieces which, text and music, have been borrowed by the Roman Church from the Greeks. The other antiphons are of Roman origin."


Here's another video of the same chant, sung nicely (and live, I think, in 2012 at the Church of Saint Theresa of Avila in Budapest, Hungary) by the Schola Hungarica. Strangely enough, the schola seems not to be singing the Latin text.   It could be that they are singing in the vernacular (Hungarian?); if anybody knows, could they let me know in the comments?  The video is labeled "Adorna thalamum," and the music is definitely right; occasionally, too, we get a word in its right place ("Miriam," for instance).



Here is a list of all the chant propers for the Candlemas Procession; the audio files (click the linked names below to hear them) were recorded at the Sao Paolo Benedictine Monastery.

In Presentatione Domini
Ad processionem

Antiphona: Is. 35, 4.5 Ecce Dominus noster (20.4s - 322 kb) score
Procedamus in pace (8.3s - 133 kb) score
Antiphona: Lumen ad revelationem gentium (1m27.3s - 1367 kb) score
Antiphona: Adorna thalamum (2m30.6s - 2367 kb) score

William Byrd set this text, and so did Orlando di Lassus; here's a video of di Lassus', sung at the Church of St. Luke in the Fields, as part of their Candlemas Procession, it appears, from 2013. They are singing the main Latin text above.




Here's another Candlemas liturgy, posted at Liturgies.net:

Candlemas Procession

From the Book of Occasional Services

This procession is intended for use immediately before the Holy Eucharist on the Feast of the Present of Our Lord in the Temple

When circumstances permit, the congregation gathers at a place apart from the church so that all may go into the church in procession. If necessary, however, the procession takes place within the church. In this case it is suitable that the celebrant begin the rite standing just inside the door of the church.

All are provided with unlighted candles. A server holds the celebrant's candle until the procession begins. The congregation stands facing the celebrant.

The Celebrant greets the people with these words

Thanks be to God.

People

Light and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord.

The following canticle is then sung or said, during which the candles are lighted.

A Light to enlighten the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel,
A Light to enlighten the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel.
Lord, you now have set your servant free*
to go in peace as you have promised.
A Light to enlighten the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel.

For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior,*
whom you have prepared for all the world to see.
A Light to enlighten the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel.

The Celebrant then says the following prayer:

Let us pray.

God our Father, source of all light, today you revealed to the aged Simeon you light which enlightens the nations. Fill our hearts with the light of faith, that we who bear these candles may walk in the path of goodness, and come to the Light that shines forever, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Procession

Deacon People

Let us go forth in peace. In the Name of Christ. Amen.

During the procession, all carry lighted candles; and appropriate hymns, psalms, or anthems are sung.

At a suitable place, the procession may halt while the following or some other appropriate Collect is said:

Let us pray.

O God, you have made this day holy by the presentation of your Son in the Temple, and by the purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Mercifully grant that we, who delight in her humble readiness to be the birth-giver of the Only-begotten, may rejoice for ever in our adoption as his sisters and brother; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The following antiphon and psalm is appropriate as the procession approaches the Altar

We have waited in silence on your loving-kindness, O Lord, in the midst of your temple. Your praise, like your Name, O God, reaches to the world's end; your right hand is full of justice.

In place of the long antiphon given above, this shorter form may be used with the appointed Psalm

We have waited on your loving kindness, O Lord, in the midst of your temple.

Psalm 48:1-2,10-13

1	Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised; * in the city of our God is his holy hill.
2	Beautiful and lofty, the joy of all the earth, is the hill of Zion, * the very center of the world and the city of the great King.
10	Let Mount Zion be glad and the cities of Judah rejoice, * because of your judgments.
11	Make the circuit of Zion; walk round about her; * count the number of her towers.
12	Consider well her bulwarks; examine her strongholds; * that you may tell those who come after.
13	This God is our God for ever and ever; * he shall be our guide for evermore.

On arrival in the sanctuary, the celebrant goes to the usual place, and the Eucharist begins with the Gloria in excelsis.

After the Collect of the Day, all extinguish their candles.

If desired, the candles of the congregation may be lighted again at the time of the dismissal, and borne by them as they leave the church.

And here's some interesting history about this feast:

Egeria, writing around AD 380, attests to a feast of the Presentation in the Jerusalem Church. It was kept on February 14th. The day was kept by a procession to the Constantinian basilica of the Resurrection, with a homily on Luke 2:22-39. However, the feast had no proper name at this point; it was simply called the 40th day after Epiphany. This shows that the Jerusalem church celebrated Jesus' birth on the Epiphany Feast (as is common in some Eastern Churches today).

In regions where Christ's birth was celebrated on December 25th, the feast began to be celebrated on February 2nd, where it is kept in the West today. In 542, the Emperor Justinian introduced the feast to the entire Eastern Roman empire in thanksgiving for the end to a great pestilence afflicting the city of Constantinople. Perhaps this is when Pope Gregory I brought the feast to Rome. Either way, by the 7th century, it is contained in the Gelasianum Sacramentary. Pope Sergius (687-701) introduced the procession to the Candlemas service. The blessing of candles did not come into common use until the 11th century.

While some scholars have asserted that the Candlemas feast was developed in the Middle Ages to counteract the pagan feasts of Imbolc and Lupercalia, many scholars reject this, based on Medieval documents. While the feast does coincide with these two pagan holidays, the origins of the feast are based in Scriptural chronology. Some superstitions developed about Candlemas, including the belief that if one does not take down Christmas decorations by Candlemas, traces of the holly and berries will bring about the death of the person involved. In past times, Candlemas was seen as the end of the Christmas season.

Candlemas Day was also the day when some cultures predicted weather patterns. Farmers believed that the remainder of winter would be the opposite of whatever the weather was like on Candlemas Day. An old English song goes:

    If Candlemas be fair and bright,
    Come winter, have another flight;
    If Candlemas bring clouds and rain,
    Go winter, and come not again.

Thus if the sun cast a shadow on Candlemas day, more winter was on the way; if there was no shadow, winter was thought to be ending soon. This practice led to the folklore behind "Groundhog's Day," which falls on Candlemas Day.

Today, the feast is still celebrated on February 14th in some Eastern Churches, including the Armenian Church, where the feast is called, "The Coming of the Son of God into the Temple." Most churches celebrate it on February 2nd.

The Candlemas Procession (February 2): Lumen ad Revelationem Gentium

It's customary to celebrate the Feast of the Presentation (AKA Candlemas. observed on February 2) with a Procession just before the start of the Eucharist itself (or before the start of Evensong).   Here is the antiphon Lumen ad revelationem gentium, one of three antiphons sung during that Procession; its name (in English, "A light to enlighten the Gentiles") is taken from a line in the Nunc Dimittis.  The Nunc is the Compline Canticle, and is also known as "The Song of Simeon"; its text is taken, verbatim, from Luke 2: 29-32.

The text of the chant itself is, in fact, the complete Nunc Dimittis; the Lumen refrain is sung between each verse.  The singers are the Choir of the Carmelite Priory, London:



Here's another version, from The Graduale Project:



This is the chant score:

Luke 2 tells the story of "The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple" beginning at verse 22:  

And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;  (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)  And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.  And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.  And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.  And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,   Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

Those last four lines, in italics, make up the Nunc Dimittis; this is the event celebrated in the Canticle itself (but of course has wider implications), and on the Feast of the Presentation, AKA Candlemas.

Here is a list of all the chant propers for the Candlemas Procession; the audio files (click the linked names below to hear them) were recorded at the Sao Paolo Benedictine Monastery.

In Presentatione Domini
Ad processionem

Antiphona: Is. 35, 4.5 Ecce Dominus noster (20.4s - 322 kb) score
Procedamus in pace (8.3s - 133 kb) score
Antiphona: Lumen ad revelationem gentium (1m27.3s - 1367 kb) score
Antiphona: Adorna thalamum (2m30.6s - 2367 kb) score

The following article about the Candlemas Procession comes from this terrific Candlemas page at Full Homely Divinity.  I believe the liturgy comes primarily from the Book of Occasional Services.

The Blessing of Candles and Procession

The liturgical event that gives this Feast its popular name is the blessing and distribution of candles, usually followed by a procession. The candles themselves have often had symbolic meaning ascribed to them. There are various ceremonies in the course of the church year in which a candle is seen as a symbol of Christ himself. The pure wax is understood to represent his human body, while the flaming wick represents his divinity. Candles blessed on this day are taken home, like palms, and kept for use at critical moments in the coming year. They may be lit in times of danger, such as severe storms and floods. Someone facing a personal crisis or difficult decision might light the Candlemas candle while praying and thinking through his situation. It is customary to light them when a priest ministers at a sick-bed, especially when death is imminent. Fisheaters.com records this old poem that describes the use of these candles.

This done, each man his candle lights, Where chiefest seemeth he, Whose taper greatest may be seen; And fortunate to be, Whose candle burneth clear and bright: A wondrous force and might Both in these candles lie, which if At any time they light, They sure believe that neither storm Nor tempest cloth abide, Nor thunder in the skies be heard, Nor any devil's spide, Nor fearful sprites that walk by night, Nor hurts of frost or hail.

It is most appropriate that the blessing and procession begin somewhere away from the High Altar, which should be the destination, but not the starting point. Where weather and other circumstances permit, the blessing and procession might begin outside of the church, in front of the main entrance. A room apart from the church itself is a suitable alternative. It would also be fitting for the blessing and distribution to take place at the Christmas crèche, especially if that is not in the chancel. Wherever the blessing of the candles takes place, the figures of the Holy Family should be carried in the procession to the High Altar, or to a suitable place prepared for them near the High Altar.

It should be noted here that there are competing traditions regarding Christmas decorations. One tradition is that they are removed from the church and homes on Twelfth Night and the burning of the greens takes place that night. Another tradition allows for some or all of the decorations to remain until Candlemas (see below). In either case, the crèche remains in the church and homes until the Eucharist of Candlemas, following which it is dismantled and all remaining Christmas decorations are also removed.

In some churches, it is customary to bless the entire supply of candles to be used liturgically in the coming year, as well as to bless candles for the faithful to carry in procession and then take to their homes. Traditionally, this blessing takes place before the celebration of the Eucharist on the morning of the Feast. However, with its theme of light, it might also be celebrated on the Eve, as prelude to Evensong or an evening Mass.

Celebrant:  Light and peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord.
People:      Thanks be to God.

The following five prayers are derived from the traditional rite for blessing candles. The rite may be abbreviated by omitting two or three of the first four prayers. The fifth prayer should always be included.

Celebrant:  The Lord be with you.
People:       And also with you.
Celebrant:  Let us pray.

Holy Lord, almighty and everlasting God: You created all things out of nothing and, by the labor of your creatures the bees, we have wax for the making of these candles; we thank you that you heard the prayer of your righteous and devout servant Simeon and we now humbly pray you, through the invocation of your holy Name and through the intercession of blessed Mary ever-virgin and all the saints, to bless and sanctify these candles for the use of your faithful people, and for the health and preservation of their bodies and souls on land and sea and in the air. From your holy heaven and the throne of your glory, hear, O Lord, the voices of your people who desire to carry these candles reverently in their hands and to praise you with song; have mercy on all who call upon you, and whom you have redeemed with the precious Blood of your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God: On this day your only-begotten Son was presented in the Temple to be received into the arms of blessed Simeon; we humbly pray you to bless, hallow, and kindle with the light of your heavenly benediction these candles which your servants desire to receive and to carry, lighted in honor of your holy Name. By offering them to you, our Lord and God, may we be inflamed with the fire of your love, and made worthy to be presented in the heavenly temple of your glory; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one, now and for ever. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, the true Light who enlightens every one who comes into this world: Pour your blessing upon these candles, and sanctify them with your grace. As they burn with visible fire and dispel the darkness of night, so may our hearts, kindled by the invisible fire of your Holy Spirit, be free from the blindness of sin. Grant that with purified minds we may be able to discern that which is pleasing to you and profitable to our salvation. And, when the dark perils of this life are past, let us be worthy to attain a place in the unfailing light of your eternal Kingdom, where with your eternal Father and the same Spirit, you live and reign in perfect Trinity, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, who by your servant Moses commanded the purest oil to be prepared for the lamps that burned in the Temple: pour the grace of your blessing upon these candles that, as they shed their outward light abroad, so by your goodness the inward light of the Holy Spirit may never be lacking in our souls; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

O Lord Jesus Christ, you appeared among humankind in the substance of our mortal flesh and, as on this day, you were presented in the Temple; and there the venerable Simeon, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, recognized you, took you into his arms, and blessed you: Grant that, by your mercy, we may be enlightened and taught by the same Holy Spirit and may truly acknowledge you and faithfully love you; who with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

As the candles are distributed and lighted, the Song of Simeon is sung in the following manner:

A light to enlighten the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel.
A light to enlighten the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel.

Lord, you now have set your servant free,
to go in peace as you have promised.
A light to enlighten the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel.

For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior,
whom you have prepared for all the world to see.
A light to enlighten the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel.

Hymns and psalms appropriate to the Feast are sung as the procession moves forward. The following antiphon and psalm is appropriate as the procession approaches the Altar.

We have waited in silence on your loving-kindness, O Lord, in the midst of your temple.

Psalm 48:1-2, 10-13

As the figures of the Holy Family are placed on the Altar or other place prepared for them, this or another appropriate collect may be said:

O God, you have made this day holy by the presentation of your Son in the Temple, and by the purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Mercifully grant that we, who delight in her humble readiness to be the birth-giver of the Only-begotten, may rejoice for ever in our adoption as his sisters and brothers; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

If the Eucharist is to follow, it begins immediately with the Gloria in excelsis. If Evensong is to follow, it begins with the Phos hilaron. The people continue to hold lighted candles until the end of the Collect of the Day at the Eucharist, and relight them for the reading of the Gospel. At Evensong, they may extinguish their candles at the conclusion of the Phos hilaron.

I went to last year's Candlemas celebration at St. Mary's, and was transported by the beauty of the Procession in particular.; I'd been to the service before but they hadn't had the procession previously, as far as I can recall.  I can't find the leaflet now, if I kept it, and can't remember exactly what music was used; will keep looking for those and I'll come back and post what I find, if I do.  It was enchanting, and I highly recommend it to all parishes.  It's a beautiful way to spend a cold winter night, with light all around.


FHD has Candlemas recipes for you, too!  When you get home from the service, you can make some

Candlemas Crêpes

In France, Candlemas, La Chandeleur, is celebrated with crêpes. According to tradition, Pope Gelasius I, whose sacramentary is one of the first to list this Feast, is credited with having fed pilgrims with crêpes. People looking for more ancient roots to the custom claim that the round crêpe resembles the sun whose return is celebrated on the pagan festivals often celebrated at the same time of year. As the Church has often incorporated homely folk customs into her observances, we see no conflict here, for Christ is indeed the Sun of Righteousness. In fact, pancakes serve a very useful function at this time of year, especially when Lent begins soon after Candlemas, forcrêpes and other sorts of pancakes are a good way of using up eggs and butter and other rich foods that are given up in Lent. Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras) is another day when crêpes are eaten--with various rich fillings. (We are particularly happy to know this tradition because our preference is to celebrate a New Orleans style Mardi Gras, with Cajun food. If we have our crêpes on Candlemas, we can have the best of all worlds!

The French have added to the custom of eating  crêpes on la Chandeleur a bit of ritual related to their making. When it is time to turn the crêpe, the cook is supposed to hold a coin in one hand, make a wish, and flip the crêpe in its pan with the other. Everyone is invited to attempt this operation and those who are successful may expect good luck in the coming year. If your  crêpe pan is sticky, like ours, this may not work so well--but much fun will be had in the attempt, anyway.

Crêpes are a versatile food and may be eaten as a main course or as dessert. Our favorite dessert crêpes for Candlemas are filled with strawberries and whipped cream. The strawberry is known as the "Fruitful Virgin" and is regarded as sacred to Mary.

A Recipe for Dessert Crêpes

The batter can be used immediately, or refrigerated for up to three days for use as needed.

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 eggs
½ cup milk
½ cup water
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted butter

Place the ingredients in a blender in the order given. Blend until smooth. Or, mix in a bowl with a wire whisk or mixer, first combining flour and eggs, then adding liquids gradually. Beat until smooth; add other ingredients. Pour a thin layer of batter on a hot iron griddle or crêpe pan, tipping the pan to spread the batter evenly. When the surface of the crêpe is covered with small bubbles, turn the crêpe with a spatula or by flipping it and cook briefly until done.  This will make about 16 crêpes. Crêpes will keep up to a month in the freezer or a week in the refrigerator.

The strawberry filling is simplicity itself. Simply slice the strawberries and sprinkle them with a bit of sugar. When the crêpes are ready, fill them with strawberries, add some whipped cream, and roll. If fresh strawberries are not available, and if you forgot to buy and freeze some when they were in season, strawberry jam makes a very satisfactory substitute.

Falling in love with God

“We Anglicans are not given to writing great theology. There are notable exceptions, but they are difficult to remember; but when Anglicanism is at its best its liturgy, its poetry, its music and its life can create a world of wonder in which it is very easy to fall in love with God. We are much more adept at the left hand than at the right.”

- Urban T. Holmes, What Is Anglicanism?


 

William Mathias: "As truly as God is our Father"

Sung by the Choir of St. Paul's, London.  The text comes from the writings of Julian of Norwich (c. 1342-1416):

As truly as God is our Father, so just as truly is he our Mother.
In our Father, God Almighty, we have our being;
In our merciful Mother we are remade and restored.
Our fragmented lives are knit together.
And by giving and yielding ourselves, through grace,
To the Holy Spirit we are made whole.
It is I, the strength and goodness of Fatherhood.
It is I, the wisdom of Motherhood.
It is I, the light and grace of holy love.
It is I, the Trinity.
I am the sovereign goodness in all things.
It is I who teach you to love.
It is I who teach you to desire.
It is I who am the reward of all true desiring.
All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well. Amen.

On the Feast of S. Vincent, M. (Jan. 22)

From Hymn melodies for the whole year, from the Sarum service-books:

 On the Feast of S. Vincent, M. (Jan. 22) :

L. & 2nd Ev. Christi miles gloriosus ... ... ... 45

Follow along with the office here, at Breviary Offices, from Lauds to Compline Inclusive (Society of St. Margaret, Boston, 1885).     I'll link-in via iFrame at the bottom of the post too.

The hymn for today's Feast of St. Vincent Martyr (also known as Saint Vincent of Saragossa) is sung to the same tune as the hymns for "the Feast of the Dedication of a Church," Urbs beata Hierusalem and Angulare fundamentum.  This is interesting, because this melody would thus call to mind concepts like "foundations" and "cornerstones"; its use here is surely no accident.

That's this melody:

Oremus hymnal online has a midi of this plainsong at its listing for Urbs Beata Hierusalem.  And Guilliame Dufay used the plainchant melody in his alternatum setting of the hymn:



Here's a set of English words, from Lauda Syon:

GLORIOUS was the Christian warrior
Deacon Vincent, as with tread
Firm and free, the pile ascending
To that fiery doom he sped;
Where the salt shower fiercely crackling
O'er his tortured flesh was spread;

While the furnace flamed around him,
Crimsoned with his gushing blood;
Yet he still endured intrepid
Faithful ever to his Lord;
And with eyes to Heaven uplifted
Christ upon His Throne adored!

Glory be to God and Honour
In the highest, as is meet;
To The Son as to The Father,
And The Eternal Paraclete;
Whose is boundless Praise and Power
Throughout ages infinite! Amen.

This may be the original Latin (hard to find anywhere!):

Christi miles gloriosus 
levita Vincentius 
ut tribunal, sponte rogum 
conscendit intrepidus
cujus salis crepitantis 
per corpus minutiæ 

Sparsim ibant atque prunæ 
vernabantur sanguine
inter hæc manet immotas 
ille Dei famulus
orans Christum in sublime 
erectis luminibus 

Gloria et honor Deo
Usquequo Altissimo
Una Patri Filioque 
inclito Paraclito 
cui laus est et potestas 
Per æterna secula. Amen.

It's very interesting to me that the Sarum calendar celebrated an early Iberian martyr!  It may simply be the facts that he was so early (martyred under Diocletian), and a martyr, and a deacon - and that, according to his legend, and like Sts. Peter and Paul, he converted his own jailer.

It could be that he was venerated everywhere in the early church - perhaps as a result of Prudentius' poem about him.  It could be on account of his inclusion in the Litany of the Saints.  It could be because his relics were housed at Castres, apparently an important stop on the Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

It could be because as this site notes:

Hard by the Holy Well, there is a major relic of St. Vincent of Saragossa in the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.

(More at Our Lady's Mirror, Spring 1946.)

I'm still reading about him to try to understand why he has his own Sarum "Proper of Saints" feast day; that puts him right up there with Mary, Peter, Paul, and the other major saints.  It's a huge honor.


This is from the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913, via New Advent:

St. Vincent

Deacon of Saragossa, and martyr under Diocletian, 304; mentioned in the Roman Martyrology, 22 Jan., with St. Anastasius the Persian, honoured by the Greeks, 11 Nov. This most renowned martyr of Spain is represented in the dalmatic of a deacon, and has as emblems a cross, a raven, a grate, or a fire-pile. He is honoured as patron in Valencia, Saragossa, Portugal etc., is invoked by vintners, brickmakers, and sailors, and is in the Litany of the Saints. His Acts were read in the churches of Africa at the end of the fourth century, as St. Augustine testifies in Sermon 275. The present Acts (Acta SS., III Jan., 6) date from the eighth or ninth century, and were compiled from tradition. Anal. Boll., I, 259, gives another life. All agree in substance with the metric life by Prudentius (P.L., LX, 378). He was born at Saragossa; his father was Eutricius (Euthicius), and his mother, Enola, a native of Osca. Under the direction of Valerius, Bishop of Sargossa, Vincent made great progress in his studies. He was ordained deacon and commissioned to do the preaching in the diocese, the bishop having an impediment of speech. By order of the Governor Dacian he and his bishop were dragged in chains to Valencia and kept in prison for a long time. Then Valerius was banished, but Vincent was subjected to many cruel torments, the rack, the gridiron, and scourgings. He was again imprisoned, in a cell strewn with potsherds. He was next placed in a soft and luxurious bed, to shake his constancy, but here he expired.

His body was thrown to be devoured by vultures, but it was defended by a raven. Dacian had the body cast into the sea, but it came to shore and was buried by a pious widow. After peace was restored to the Church, a chapel was built over the remains outside the walls of Valencia. In 1175 the relics were brought to Lisbon; others claim that they came to Castres in 864. Cremona, Bari, and other cities claim to have relics. Childeric I brought the sole and dalmatic to Paris in 542, and built a church in honour of St. Vincent, later called St-Germain-des-Prés. Regimont, near Bezières, had a church of the saint as early as 455. Rome had three churches dedicated to St. Vincent; one near St. Peter's, another in Trastevere, and the one built by Honorius I (625-38) and renewed by Leo III in 796. A pilaster found in the basilica of Salona in Dalmatia shows an inscription of the fifth or sixth century in honour of the saint (Rom. Quartalschrift, 1907, Arch. 135).

Here's some of what Wikipedia says about him:

Saint Vincent of Saragossa, also known as Vincent Martyr, Vincent of Huesca or Vincent the Deacon, is the patron saint of Lisbon and Valencia. His feast day is 22 January in the Roman Catholic Church and Anglican Communion and 11 November in the Eastern Orthodox Churches. He was born at Huesca and martyred under the Emperor Diocletian around the year 304.

He was born at Huesca but lived in Saragossa.
Vincent served as the deacon of Valerius of Saragossa, the city's bishop. Imprisoned in Valencia for his faith, and tortured on a gridiron — a story perhaps adapted from the martyrdom of another son of Huesca, Saint Lawrence— Vincent, like many early martyrs in the early hagiographic literature, succeeded in converting his jailer. Though he was finally offered release if he would consign Scripture to the fire, Vincent refused.

The earliest account of Vincent's martyrdom is in a carmen (lyric poem) written by the poet Prudentius, who wrote a series of lyric poems, Peristephanon ("Crowns of Martyrdom"), on Hispanic and Roman martyrs. Prudentius describes how Vincent was brought to trial along with his bishop Valerius, and that since Valerius had a speech impediment, Vincent spoke for both, but that his outspoken featureless manner so angered the governor that Vincent was tortured and martyred, though his aged bishop was only exiled.

According to legend, after being martyred, ravens protected St. Vincent's body from being devoured by vultures, until his followers could recover the body. His body was taken to what is now known as Cape St. Vincent; a shrine was erected over his grave, which continued to be guarded by flocks of ravens. In the time of Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula, the Arab geographer Al-Idrisi noted this constant guard by ravens, for which the place was named by him كنيسة الغراب "Kanīsah al-Ghurāb" (Church of the Raven). King Afonso I of Portugal (1139–1185) had the body of the saint exhumed in 1173 and brought it by ship to the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon. This transfer of the relics is depicted on the coat of arms of Lisbon.^[1]

Legacy and veneration

St. Vincent of Saragossa
(Menologion of Basil II,
10th century)

Three elaborated hagiographies, all based ultimately on a lost 5th-century Passion, circulated in the Middle Ages

Though Vincent's tomb in Valencia became the earliest center of his cult, he was also honoured at his birthplace and his reputation spread from Saragossa. The city of Oviedo in Asturias grew about the church dedicated to Vincent. Beyond the Pyrenees, he was venerated first in the vicinity of Béziers, and at Narbonne. Castres became an important stop on the international pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela when the relics of Vincent were transferred to its new abbey-church dedicated to Saint Benedict from Saragossa in 863, under the patronage of Salomon, count of Cerdanya.

Reliquary containing the leg bone of
St. Vincent, located in the
Treasury of Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris

A church was built in honour of Vincent, by the Catholic bishops of Visigothic Iberia, when they succeeded in converting King Reccared and his nobles to Trinitarian Christianity. When the Moors came in 711, the church was razed, and its materials incorporated in the Mezquita, the "Great Mosque" of Cordova.

The Cape Verde island of São Vicente, a former Portuguese colony, was named in his honour.

The island of St. Vincent in the Caribbean, now a part of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, was named by Christopher Columbus after Vincent of Saragossa, as the island was discovered by Europeans on 22 January, St. Vincent's feast day.

The 15th-century Portuguese artist Nuno Gonçalves depicted him in his Saint Vincent Panels. A small fresco cycle of stories of St. Vincent is in the apse of the Basilica di San Vincenzo near Cantù, in northern Italy.

Vincent is also the patron of vintners and vinegar-makers.

In Valencia, Spain, there is a long road called Calle San Vicente Mártir, or in English, Saint Vincent the Martyr Street named after the aforementioned saint.

There is also the small town of São Vicente on the Portuguese island of Madeira named after this saint.

Saint Vincent is the patron of the Order of the Deacons of the Catholic Diocese of Bergamo (Italy).

Here's the peek-in for this feast day to the SSM Breviary:




This is a painting of San Vicente de Zaragoza, by an anonymous XVIth century artist:

"Electronic Anglican Breviary Project on Kickstarter"

For those interested in such things, Derek has launched his new Electronic Anglican Breviary Project on Kickstarter.  I (obviously!) love the fact that so much is happening online these days; there's so much available to us all today that we might never even have known about in earlier eras.  And, Derek's the creator of the St. Bede's Breviary, so he's got some serious chops in this area.

Here's an excerpt from his post, with a link to the Kickstarter page if you'd care to support this effort.

Today I have officially launched a Kickstarter project to convert the Anglican Breviary to digital form and to make it available as a completely free web application.

For those not familiar with it, the Anglican Breviary is one of the great liturgical works that has come out of the Catholic movement in Anglicanism. 30 years in the making, it was produced in the year 1955 by the Frank Gavin Liturgical Foundation. Like all breviaries, it contains the traditional hours of prayers of the Western Church: the long early morning Matins office with its readings from the Church Fathers interspersed with psalms; the main offices for the hinges of the day, Lauds and Vespers; the daytime offices of Prime, Terce, Sext, None; the bedtime office of Compline; and the brief Capitular office that includes the martyrology recounting the saints to be remembered. Built on the structure of the Roman Catholic Divine Office according to the usage established by Pius X, it utilizes the Scriptures of the King James Bible and the Coverdale Psalms of the Book of Common Prayer to place these prayer hours within an Anglican idiom.

For more information on the Anglican Breviary itself, visit its home site at www.anglicanbreviary.net, owned and operated by Mr. Daniel Lula, the man responsible for keeping it in print. We have corresponded regarding this initiative, and I have his blessing to proceed.

More at the link.

The Saturday Office hymns, "from the Оctave of the Epiphany until the 1st Sunday in Lent"

From Hymn melodies for the whole year from the Sarum Service books, for Saturdays in Epiphanytide the hymns are as follows:

From the Оctave of the Epiphany until the 1st Sunday in Lent - On Saturdays:

Mattins: Summe Deus clemencie ... ... ... 15
Lauds: Aurora iam spargit polum ... ... ... 17
Evensong: Deus, Creator omnium ... ... ... 21

There are in total 21 hymns for this season:  3 different hymns per day, for each day of the week.  Each day's hymns for this period, including texts and audio files, are available at the following links:

• Sunday
• Monday
• Tuesday
• Wednesday
• Thursday
• Friday
• Saturday

 
The Saturday hymn for Mattins during this period is Summe Deus clemencie; Hymn melodies prescribes it to be sung to melody #15:

I couldn't find a recording of this one anywhere - but it's the same familiar tune we've seen for Mattins hymns all week now (as, for example, on this Liber Hymnarius recording (mp3) of the Mattins hymn for Thursday,  Nox atra rerum contegit. 
 

The Hymner has a set of English words for Summe Deus clemencie, but I haven't found them anywhere in Latin so far; still looking.  (Interestingly, The Hymner does prescribe different doxologies for dates before and after Candlemas for the hymns during Epiphanytide; this is an example of that system.)

O God of mercy passing thought,
Who hast the world contriv'd and wrought:
In Power, Essential Unity,
In Person, Blessed Trinity.

Do thou in love accept these lays
Of mingled penitence and praise:
That we, with hearts without alloy,
Thyself may perfectly enjoy.

Our reins and hearts in pity heal,
And with thy chastening fires anneal:
Gird thou our loins, each passion quell,
And every harmful lust expel.

That we, who now the hours of night
With songs united put to flight,
What gifts the blessed land can give,
May all abundantly receive.

Doxology until Candlemas:

All honour, laud, and glory be,
O Jesu, Virgin-born, to thee:
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete. Amen.

After Candlemas:

O Father, that we ask be done,
Through Jesus Christ, thine only Son:
Who, with the holy Ghost and thee,
Shall live and reign eternally. Amen. 

At Saturday Lauds during this period, the prescribed hymn is  Aurora iam spargit polum, sung, according to Hymn melodies,  to melody #17:

LLPB offers this mp3 (in English) of Aurora iam spargit polum; they call it "The Dawn Is Sprinkling in the East."   They are using a different hymn tune than the one prescribed by Hymn Melodies, though - and I have no chant score of it.   If you wanted to use the prescribed melody, just use the chant score above; it's sung to the same tune as the Lauds hymns have been all week (for example, on this mp3 of Nox et tenebre et nubila, ("Ye Clouds and Darkness"), the Wednesday Lauds hymn, sung to melody #17 ).


Here's TPL on this hymn:

Attributed to St. Ambrose (350-397). This hymn is traditionally sung at Saturday Lauds and is used in the Liturgia Horarum at Lauds for Saturdays of the first and third weeks of the Psalter during Ordinary Time. Likewise the hymn is also found in the Roman Breviary for Saturday Lauds.

Here are the words in Latin and English; the translation is by Fr. Edward Caswall (1814-1878). :

AURORA iam spargit polum: terris dies illabitur: lucis resultat spiculum: discedat omne lubricum.	THE DAWN is sprinkling in the east its golden shower, as day flows in; fast mount the pointed shafts of light: farewell to darkness and to sin!
Iam vana noctis decidant, mentis reatus subruat,1 quicquid tenebris horridum nox attulit culpae, cadat.	Away, ye midnight phantoms all! Away, despondence and despair! Whatever guilt the night has brought now let it vanish into air.
Ut mane illud ultimum quod praestolamur cernui, in lucem nobis effluat, dum hoc canore concrepat.2	So, Lord, when that last morning breaks, looking to which we sigh and pray, O may it to Thy minstrels prove the dawning of a better day.
Deo Patri sit gloria, eiusque soli Filio, cum Spiritu Paraclito, in sempiterna saecula.3 Amen.	To God the Father glory be, and to His sole-begotten Son; Glory, O Holy Ghost, to Thee, while everlasting ages run. Amen.

At Saturday Vespers, the hymn prescribed by Hymn melodies during this period is Deus, Creator omnium, sung to melody #21:

The Liber Hymnarius Wiki has a recording of this hymn sung to melody #21; click the download arrow to listen to it sung in Latin:

Deus, creator omnium (Ambrosius)
Meter: 8.8.8.8
 H.IV, p. 181

This is another tune - an Ambrosian one, apparently, and one I've never heard before - used for this hymn (sung here by Giovanni Viannini):




Here's yet another tune for this hymn, recorded at Vespers in the Charterhouse of Serra San Bruno (which I believe to be this monastery):



They are actually using melody #20 in that last video, which is the standard Vespers hymn melody for days other than Saturday:

So, feel free to sing along with the brothers instead, if you like.


TPL says this about Deus, Creator omnium:

Composed by St. Ambrose ( 340-397). Deus Creator Omnium is an ancient hymn for Saturday Vespers. Virtually all of the ancient Breviaries contain the hymn. Curiously, however, it is not found in the Roman Breviary. The hymn, less verses 6 and 7, is used for Saturday Vespers (Vespers I) in the Liturgia Horarum during Ordinary Time.

Here are the words in Latin and English; the translation is by  F.A. Wright, Fathers of the Church:

DEUS creator omnium polique rector, vestiens diem decoro lumine, noctem soporis gratia.	GOD that all things didst create and the heavens doth regulate, Who doth clothe the day with light, and with gracious sleep the night....
Artus solutos ut quies reddat laboris usui mentesque fessas allevet luctusque solvat anxios.	-
Grates peracto iam die et noctis exortu preces, voti reos ut adiuves, hymnum canentes solvimus.	Day sinks; we thank Thee for thy gift, night comes; to Thee again we lift our prayers and vows and hymns, that we against all ills defended be....
Te cordis ima concinant, te vox canora concrepet, te diligat castus amor, te mens adoret sobria.	-
Ut cum profunda clauserit diem caligo noctium, fides tenebras nesciat et nox fide reluceat.	That so, when shadows round us creep and all is hid in darkness deep, faith may not feel the gloom; and night borrow from faith's clear gleam new light....
Dormire mentem ne sinas, dormire culpa noverit; castos fides refrigerans somni vaporem temperet.	From snares of sense, Lord, keep us free and let our hearts dream but of thee. Let not the envious foe draw near to vex our quiet rest with fear.
Exuta sensu lubrico te cordis alta somnient, ne hostis invidi dolo pavor quietos suscitet.	-
Christum rogamus et Patrem, Christi Patrisque Spiritum; unum potens per omnia, fove precantes, Trinitas. Amen.	Hail we the Father and the Son and Son's and Father's Spirit, one blest Trinity who all obey; guard Thou the souls that to Thee pray. Amen.

LLPB actually uses a different hymn entirely for Saturday Vespers; here's their mp3 (in English) of O Lux Beata Trinitas ("O Trinity of Blessed Light").   That's a beautiful hymn, and I think perfect for Saturday Vespers.    Here are those words - translation J.M. Neale - in case you'd like to substitute; the doxology's a little different on the audio file.

O TRINITY of blessed Light,
O Unity of sovereign might,
as now the fiery sun departs,
shed Thou Thy beams within our hearts.

To Thee our morning song of praise,
to Thee our evening prayer we raise;
Thee may our glory evermore
in lowly reverence adore.

All laud to God the Father be;
all praise, Eternal Son, to Thee;
all glory, as is ever meet,
to God the Holy Paraclete. 

The Friday Office hymns, "from the Оctave of the Epiphany until the 1st Sunday in Lent"

From Hymn melodies for the whole year from the Sarum Service books, for Fridays in Epiphanytide the hymns are as follows:

From the Оctave of the Epiphany until the 1st Sunday in Lent - On Fridays:

Mattins: Tu Trinitatis Unitas... ... ... 15
Lauds: Eterna celi Gloria... ... ... 17
Evensong: Plasmator hominis, Deus... ... ... 20

There are in total 21 hymns for this season:  3 different hymns per day, for each day of the week.  Each day's hymns for this period, including texts and audio files, are available at the following links:

• Sunday
• Monday
• Tuesday
• Wednesday
• Thursday
• Friday
• Saturday

The Friday hymn for Mattins during this period is Tu Trinitatis Unitas; Hymn melodies prescribes it to be sung to melody #15:

The Liber Hymnarius has a version of this in Latin, sung to melody #15; click the arrow to listen to the mp3:

Tu, Trinitatis Unitas (saec. VI?)
Meter: 8.8.8.8
Melody: d e f g eg f e f
  H.IV, p. 203

TPL says this about the hymn:

Attributed to Pope St. Gregory the Great (540-604). This hymn is found in the Roman Breviary for Friday Matins. It is also used in the Liturgia Horarum (less verse four) in the Office of Readings for Fridays of the first and third weeks of the Psalter during Ordinary Time.

Here are the words in Latin and English; the translation is by by Rev. George Herbert Palmer (1846-1926) and Rev. Joseph William Chadwick (1841-1882.

TU, TRINITATIS Unitas, orbem potenter qui regis, attende laudis canticum quod excubantes psallimus.1	O THREE in One, and One in Three, Who rulest all things mightily, bow down to hear the songs of praise which, freed from bonds of sleep, we raise.
Nam lectulo consurgimus noctis quieto tempore, ut flagitemus vulnerum a te medelam omnium.2	While lingers yet the peace of night, we rouse us from our slumbers light; that might of instant prayer may win The healing balm for wounds of sin.
Quo fraude quicquid3 daemonum in noctibus deliquimus, abstergat illud caelitus tuae potestas gloriae.	If, by the wiles of Satan caught, this nighttime we have sinned in aught, that sin Thy glorious power today, from heaven descending, cleanse away.
Ne corpus astet sordidum, nec torpor instet cordium, ne criminis contagio tepescat ardor spiritus.	Let naught impure our bodies stain, no laggard sloth our souls detain, no taint of sin our spirits know, to chill the fervor of their glow.
Te corde fido, quaesumus,4 reple tuo nos lumine, per quod dierum circulis nullis ruamus actibus.	Wherefore, Redeemer, grant that we fulfilled with Thine own light may be: that, in our course. from day to day, by no misdeed we fall away.
Praesta, Pater piissime, Patrique compar Unice, cum Spiritu Paraclito, regnans per omne saeculum.	Grant this, O Father ever One with Christ, Thy sole-begotten Son, and Holy Ghost, whom all adore, reigning and blest forevermore.

At Friday Lauds during this period, the prescribed hymn is  Eterna celi Gloria, sung, according to Hymn melodies,  to melody #17:

LLPB offers this mp3 (in English) of Eterna celi Gloria; they call it "Eternal Glory of the Sky."   They are using a different hymn tune than the one prescribed by Hymn Melodies, though - and I have no chant score of it.   If you wanted to use the prescribed melody, just use the chant score above; it's sung to the same tune as the Lauds hymns have been all week (for example, on this mp3 of Nox et tenebre et nubila, ("Ye Clouds and Darkness"), the Wednesday Lauds hymn, sung to melody #17 ).


Here's TPL on this hymn:

Anonymous 5th century Ambrosian hymn. This hymn is found in the Roman Breviary for Friday Lauds. It is also used in the Liturgia Horarum at Fridays Lauds of the first and third weeks of the Psalter during Ordinary Time.

Here are the words in Latin and English; the translation - this is the set of words on the audio file, not the ones at TPL - is from The Hymn­al Not­ed, 1854:

AETERNA caeli gloria, beata spes mortalium, celsi Parentis Unice,1 castaeque proles Virginis:	ETERNAL GLORY of the sky, Blest Hope of frail humanity, The Father’s sole begotten One, Yet born a spotless virgin’s Son!
Da dexteram surgentibus, exsurgat et mens sobria. flagrans et in laudem Dei grates rependat debitas.	Uplift us with Thine arm of might, And let our hearts rise pure and bright, And, ardent in God’s praises, pay The thanks we owe him every day.
Ortus refulget lucifer, ipsamque lucem nuntiat, cadit caligo noctium,2 lux sancta nos illuminet.	The day-star’s rays are glittering clear, And tell that day itself is near: The shadows of the night depart; Thou, holy Light, illume the heart!
Manensque nostris sensibus noctem repellat saeculi omnique fine temporis purgata servet pectora.	Within our senses ever dwell, And worldly darkness thence expel; Long as the days of life endure, Preserve our souls devout and pure.
Quaesita iam primum fides radicet altis sensibus,3 secunda spes congaudeat, tunc4 maior exstat caritas.	The faith that first must be possessed, Root deep within our inmost breast; And joyous hope in second place, Then charity, Thy greatest grace.
Sit, Christe, rex piissime, tibi Patrique gloria, cum Spiritu Paraclito, in sempiterna saecula. Amen.	All laud to God the Father be, All praise, eternal Son, to Thee; All glory, as is ever meet, To God the holy Paraclete.

At Friday Vespers, the hymn prescribed by Hymn melodies during this period is Plasmator hominis, Deus, sung to melody #20:

LLPB offers this mp3 (in English) of Plasmator hominis, Deus; they call it "Maker of Man, Who From Thy Throne."   Again, they are using a different hymn tune than the one prescribed by Hymn Melodies.  If you wanted to use the prescribed melody, just use the chant score above; it's sung to the same tune as the Vespers hymns have been all week (for example, on this mp3 of Celi Deus sanctissime ("Most Holy Lord and God of Heaven"), the Wednesday Vespers hymn).

One really interesting thing about the daily Vespers hymns is that they recapitulate the 7 days of Creation!    For instance, TPL says this about Plasmator hominis, Deus:

Attributed to Pope St. Gregory the Great (540-604). This hymn continues with the theme of Creation present in the Vespers Hymns during the week. Here the work of the sixth day of creation (Friday) chronicles the animals and man (Gen 1, 25, 27). This hymn is traditionally sung at Friday Vespers and is used in the Liturgia Horarum at Vespers for Fridays of the first and third weeks of the Psalter during Ordinary Time. Likewise the hymn is also found in the Roman Breviary for Friday Vespers, but under the title of Hominis superne Conditor.

Here are the words in Latin and English; the translation is by John David Chambers (1805-1893)

PLASMATOR hominis, Deus,1 qui cuncta solus ordinans, humum iubes producere reptantis et ferae genus:	MAKER of man, who from Thy throne dost order all things, God alone; by whose decree the teeming earth to reptile and to beast gave birth:
Qui magna rerum corpora, dictu iubentis vivida, ut serviant per ordinem subdens dedisti homini:2	The mighty forms that fill the land, instinct with life at Thy command, are given subdued to humankind for service in their rank assigned.
Repelle a servis tuis, quicquid per immunditiam,3 aut moribus se suggerit, aut actibus se interserit.	From all Thy servants drive away whate'er of thought impure to-day hath been with open action blent, or mingled with the heart's intent.
Da gaudiorum praemia, da gratiarum munera: dissolve litis vincula, astringe pacis foedera.	In heaven Thine endless joys bestow, and grant Thy gifts of grace below; from chains of strife our souls release, bind fast the gentle bands of peace.
Praesta, Pater piissime, Patrique compar Unice, cum Spiritu Paraclito regnans per omne saeculum.	Grant this, O Father, ever One with Christ, Thy sole-begotten Son, Whom, with the Spirit we adore, one God, both now and evermore.