About the Commune Sanctorum for Mass
  • AlwaysChant
    Posts: 2
    Hello, I am trying to learn more about what ought to be sung at Mass, in particular for feasts and memorials which do not have a proprium. Ideally I'd like to learn about this for both vetus and novus ordo.

    Now, what I have noticed about the Gradual of 1908 is that it only includes a few categories of saints (apostles, martyrs, confessors, abbots, doctors, virgins and a "neither virgin nor martyr [but somehow a saint]") and offers some variations on them (is it a pope, is it one or many, is it Easter tide).
    The Solemnes Gradual from 1961 still has this same list of commons. The list is the same in the Missal so, okay, that's an explanation why it's only these. But the Litany of the Saints clearly promotes other categories of saints, like pastors, monks, nuns and holy women. Were these not celebrated as such liturgically in the Vetus Ordo? I suppose my question phrased differently is: is this collection of commons sufficient for all occasions?
    And additionally: any historical information how these categories came to be? I'm especially intrigued by the inclusion of abbots over pastors.

    The Solemnes Gradual from 1974 follows the NO Missal and therefore features a much richer set of commons. At the same time, I get the impression it wants to get away with as little as possible. For holy pastors, only popes and bishops are served, while pastors, founders of orders and missionaries are done away with a remark to do-it-yourself from the common of saints (if I understand the Latin correctly on p. 492). I am also very surprised (shocked, actually) that it does not include a commons for martyr-virgins; a category which I think has been upheld throughout Tradition as only second to the Virgin Mary and the apostles. Can anyone explain (or guesstimate) why this is so? Also, how come the entire category of confessors has been axed? Are there any other commons for NO published and sanctioned to be used in liturgy?

    Any additional information or insights are very welcome, both on the Gregorian chant associated with these masses and the theology behind these categorisations.
  • smvanroodesmvanroode
    Posts: 1,089
    Interesting question! I can only answer for the current liturgical books.

    On the General Calendar there are only about seven ‘virgin and martyrs’, most of whom have already proper chants assigned to them. All other ‘virgin and martyrs’ must be on local calendars then. I think the question was if the number of occurrences during the year and the availability of appropriate and authentic Gregorian chants would justify a separate common of ‘Virginis et martyris’.

    Overall, the commons in the 1974 Graduale Romanum are organized in such a way to function as a guidance to facilitate the selection of appropriate chants. They are not prescribed sets that can only be sung for certain categories of saints. There are indeed less different categories than in the 2008 Missale Romanum, but that might be in order to offer a good selection of options in each category.

    You also mention the Commons of Confessors, which indeed doesn’t appear in the Roman Missal from 1970 onwards. Confessors were holy men and women who lived virtuously and defended the faith, and who had suffered persecution and torture for the faith but not to the point of martyrdom. ‘Real’ confessors lived before the fifth century. Later on, the title was also given to saints that ‘merely’ lived virtuously and defended the faith.

    The disappearance of the Confessors as a category might be an effort to correct the inflation of the title. I should look into the liturgical documentation, like Notitiae, if anything has been mentioned about it.
  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 606
    Were these not celebrated as such liturgically in the Vetus Ordo?

    Nuns, unless previously married or not a virgin, they fall under the category of virgin. Virgin Martyrs primarily used their own propers (ie Veni Sponsa Christi is one of the proper chants used during Mass, but it’s actually antiphon from Divine Office, as well as the pre-Vatican II rite of Consecrated Virgins in the Roman Pontifical (It’s not called that. I believe it’s the Blessing and Crowning of Virgins, but the rites are almost identical. It is very rich and full of beautiful antiphons.)

    Non-virgins such as nuns who were previously married would be classified as Holy Women. Mary Magdalene is the exception, who is classified as Penitent. Many of the propers for her feast come from that of virgins.

    The loss of celebrating virgin Saints and specifically virgins is a literal disgrace to them. Virgins have a unique place of honour in Heaven. They are particularly close to Christ in Heaven.

    Confessors were holy men and women who lived virtuously and defended the faith, and who had suffered persecution and torture for the faith but not to the point of martyrdom.

    Women weren’t classified as Confessors.
    Thanked by 1tomjaw
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 3,210
    What SponsaChristi said is really great.

    In the usus antiquior it is very likely that the Mass for an abbot was originally Saint Benedict’s and became the common later on. But since the Roman rite is not monastic, only the collect is proper at the office, and so the abbots are folded into the common of a confessor not a bishop. Doctors except for the Magnificat antiphon are folded into the appropriate common as well, but they have a Mass that is its own common.

    I believe that Saint Anne is the only holy woman not a martyr who is not a widow besides Mary Magdalene. I am fairly sure that on the Roman calendar, the only pair of martyred women is Ss. Felicity and Perpetua, and they were not virgins either which is fascinating.

    Pastors are bishops so it’s redundant. Saint John Vianney was a very late canonization so there was no need for treating parish priest as a unique category of confessor. And the popes are treated as confessors or martyrs respectively. It was an obvious mistake to make being pope, a job reserved to a handful of men, the most likely thing to make you a saint, and it was a mistake to make it liturgically special. Only Saint Peter should be special enough for his own propers, and only a few popes have a proper collect before 1944. Most use one from the commons (martyr or confessor bishops, including Doctors).

    Also the more commons you have, the more antiphons or Mass propers you have…and that puts a bigger burden on Solesmes since you probably need to compose chant or force a deviation between the text of the missal and the chant books.
  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 606
    I am fairly sure that on the Roman calendar, the only pair of martyred women is Ss. Felicity and Perpetua, and they were not virgins either which is fascinating.

    The Roman Canon is full of Virgin Martyrs who are still on the current calendar.
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 3,210
    The only pair.
    Thanked by 1tomjaw
  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 606
    They were martyred together at the same time in prison. Felicity was a slave to Perpetua, a noblewoman. They were both young mothers.
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,908
    @MatthewRoth
    We call it the common of unholy Popes. Most of the time our priests use Missals without that common so say the older Proper Masses. As we follow the old calendar the modern unholy popes are not celebrated. end purple text.
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 3,210
    I vastly prefer the original prayers of course.
    Thanked by 1tomjaw
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