Sunday with the Octave of the Nativity

Sun 27 SUNDAY within the OCTAVE of the NATIVITY 2 Cl W
Gl Cr Pr of the Nativity
Proper Communic diem sacratissimum
Commem of S John Ap Evangelist at Low Masses
(No commem of the Octave of the Nativity of Our Lord)

5pm St. Patrick's Church, College Road, Kilkenny.

Celebrant: Rev. Thomas O'Toole CC.

A Very Blessed and Happy Christmas!

Come rejoicing, faithful men,

With rapture singing
Alleluia!


Monarch's Monarch,

From a holy maiden sprung,

Mighty Wonder!

Angel of the counsel here,

Sun from star, he doth appear,

Born of maiden:


He a sun who knows no night,
She a star whose paler light

Fadeth never.

As a star its kindred ray,

Mary doth her Child display,

Like in nature;


Still undimmed His star shines on,

And the maiden bears a Son,

Pure as ever.

Lebanon his cedar tall

To the hyssop on the wall

Lowly bendeth;


From the highest, him we name

Word of God, to human frame

Now descendeth.

Yet the synagogue denied

What Isaiah had descried:

Blindness fell upon the guide,

Proud, unheeding.


If her prophets speak in vain,

let her heed a gentile strain,
And, from mystic Sybil, gain
Light and leading.

No longer then delay,

Hear what the scriptures say,

Why be cast away

A race forlorn?


Turn and this Child behold,

That very Son, of old

In God's writ foretold,

a maid hath borne.

Sequence by St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Christmas Masses

Sung Christmas Midnight Mass - Ad Primam Missam in Nativitate Domini

12am Midnight - St. Fiacre's Church, Bohernatounish Rd., Loughboy, Kilkenny.

Confession available before and during Mass.

Mass at Dawn (Low Mass) - Ad Secundam Missam in Aurora

8.30am - St. Fiacre's Church, Bohernatounish Rd., Loughboy, Kilkenny.

Celebrant: Rev. A. Komorowski FSSP.

Dominica IV Adventus - IV Sunday in Advent

Sun 20 FOURTH SUNDAY of ADVENT 1 Cl V
No Gl Cr Pr of the Holy Trinity

5pm. St. Patrick's Church, College Road, Kilkenny.

Celebrant: Rev. Thomas O'Toole CC.

V. Rorate, ceali, desuper, et nubes pluant iustum.

R. Aperiatur terra, et germinet Salvatorem.

Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above and let the clouds rain the Just One.

Let the earth be opened, and bud forth the Savior.

The 3rd 'O' Antiphon: O Radix Jesse - O Root of Jesse

O radix Iesse, * qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, iam noli tardare.

O  Root of Jesse, * Who dost  stand for an enseign of the people, before Whom kings shall remain silent, and unto Whom the Gentiles shall make supplication: come to deliver us and delay not. 

(The antiphon sung by the Dominican student brothers in Oxford)

The 2 'O' Antiphon: O Adonai

O  Adonai, * et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparusiti et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in bracchio extento.

O Adonai, * and Leader of the house of Israel, Who didst appear to Moses in flame of the burning bush and didst give him the law in Sinai: come, and with an outstretched arm, redeem us.

(Recording of the Antiphon sung by the Dominican student brothers in Oxford) 

The 1st 'O' Antiphon: O Sapientia - O Wisdom

O Sapientia * quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

 O Wisdom * Who didst come from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and disposing all things sweetly and mightily: come and teach us the way of prudence. 



(A recording of the Antiphon sung by the Dominican student brothers at Blackfriars in Oxford.)

The Great Antiphons - The Greater Ferias - The Golden Nights

Today begins the period of the 'Golden Nights'; the final period of preparation before Christmas...

'THE Church enters to-day on the seven days which precede the Vigil of Christmas, and which are known in the liturgy under the name of the Greater Ferias. The ordinary of the Advent Office becomes more solemn; the antiphons of the psalms, both for Lauds and the Hours of the day, are proper, and allude expressly to the great coming. Every day, at Vespers, is sung a solemn antiphon, consisting of a fervent prayer to the Messias, whom it addresses by one of the titles given Him in the sacred Scriptures.

In the Roman Church, there are seven of these antiphons, one for each of the greater ferias. They are commonly called the O’s of Advent, because they all begin with that interjection. In other Churches, during the middle ages, two more were added to these seven; one to our blessed Lady, O Virgo virginum; and the other to the angel Gabriel, O Gabriel; or to St. Thomas the apostle, whose feast comes during the greater ferias; it began O Thorna Didjme. There were even Churches where twelve great antiphons were sung; that is, besides the nine we have just mentioned, O Rex Pacifice to our Lord, O mundi Domina to our Lady, and O Hierusalem to the city of the people of God.

The canonical Hour of Vespers has been selected as the most appropriate time for this solemn supplication to our Saviour, because, as the Church sings in one of her hymns, it was in the evening of the world (vergente mundi vespere) that the Messias came amongst us. These antiphons are sung at the Magnificat, to show us that the Saviour whom we expect is to come to us by Mary. They are sung twice, once before and once after the canticle, as on double feasts, and this to show their great solemnity. In some Churches it was formerly the practice to sing them thrice ; that is, before the canticle, before the Gloria Patri, and after the Sicut erat. Lastly, these admirable antiphons, which contain the whole pith of the Advent liturgy, are accompanied by a chant replete with melodious gravity, and by ceremonies of great expressiveness, though, in these latter, there is no uniform practice followed. Let us enter into the spirit of the Church; let us reflect on the great day which is coming; that thus we may take, our share in these the last and most earnest solicitations of the Church imploring her Spouse to come, to which He at length yields.'

Abbott Prosper Louis Paschal Guéranger, O.S.B.

Each Antiphon addresses Our Lord with a unique title which comes from the prophecies of Isaias and Micheas (Micah), and whose initials, when read backwards, form an acrostic for the Latin "Ero Cras" which means "Tomorrow I come." Those titles for Christ are:

Sapientia
Adonai
Radix Jesse
Clavis David
Oriens
Rex Gentium
Emmanuel

Tempus Adventus - Third Week of Advent

Mon 14 FERIA 3 Cl V
No Gl No Alleluia Verse No Cr Common Pr

Tue 15 FERIA 3 Cl V
No Gl No Alleluia Verse No Cr Common Pr

Wed 16 EMBER DAY 2 Cl V
No Gl No Cr Common Pr
Commem of S Eusebius B M at Low Masses

Thu 17 FERIA 2 Cl V
No Gl No Alleluia Verse No Cr Common Pr

Fri 18 EMBER DAY 2 Cl V
No Gl No Cr Common Pr
Commem of St. Flannan


Sat 19 EMBER DAY 2 Cl V
No Gl No Cr Common Pr

Dominica III Adventus

Sun 13 THIRD SUNDAY of ADVENT (Gaudete Sunday) 1 Cl V/ROSE
No Gl Cr Pr of the Holy Trinity

5pm St. Patrick's Church, College Road, Kilkenny.

Celebrant: Rev. Thomas O'Toole CC.

Ierusalem, gaude gaudio magno, quia veniet tibi Salvator, alleluia!

'Rejoice Jerusalem, with great joy, for thy Saviour will come to thee, alleluia!'

II Antiphon of Vespers and Lauds

Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady

Hodie egressa est virga de radice Iesse: hodie sine ulla peccati labe concepta est Maria: hodie contritum est ab ea caput serpentis antiqui, alleluia!

 This day a rod came forth out of Jesse; this day Mary was conceived without stain of sin; this day the head of the old serpent was crushed by Her, alleluia!

Magnificat Antiphon at II Vespers.
Tuesday, 8th of December 

5pm - Mass at St. Patrick's Church, College Road, Kilkenny.

Celebrant: Rev. Thomas O'Toole C.C.

8pm - Candlelight procession in honour of Our Lady from the Parade to the 'Black Abbey'. To be followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. 

Information on the Feast from the Catholic Encyclopedia  

Dominica II Adventus

SECOND SUNDAY of ADVENT 1 Cl V

No Gl Cr Pr of the Holy Trinity

5pm St. Patrick's Church, College Road, Kilkenny.

Celebrant: Fr. Thomas O'Toole

Tempus Adventus - Second Week of Advent

Mon 7 S AMBROSE B C D 3 Cl W

Gl No Cr Common Pr

Commem of Feria at all Masses

Tue 8 IMMACULATE CONCEPTION of the BVM 1 Cl W

+ Gl Cr Pr of the BVM (et te in Conceptione Immaculata)

Commem of Feria at all Masses

IMPORTANT NOTE:

5pm - Mass at St. Patrick's Church, College Road, Kilkenny.

Celebrant: Rev. Thomas O'Toole CC

8pm - Candlelight procession in honour of Our Lady from the Parade to the 'Black Abbey'. To be followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

Wed 9 FERIA 3 Cl V

No Gl No Alleluia Verse No Cr Common Pr

Thu 10 FERIA 3 Cl V

No Gl No Alleluia Verse No Cr Common Pr

Commem of S Melchiades P M at Low Masses

Fri 11 S DAMASUS I P C 3 Cl W

Gl No Cr Common Pr

Commem of Feria at all Masses

Sat 12 St. FINNIAN
Commem of Feria

No Gl No Alleluia Verse No Cr Common Pr