May 1 — St. Joseph the Worker
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    "May 1 — St. Joseph the Worker" was added by Pius XII in 1956.

    But MASS & VESPERS by Solesmes (1957) does not have it. WHY?
  • It is supposed to have it. There's a note on p. Liij saying that it is to be found at the end of the book.
    Thanked by 1Ragueneau
  • Let's see... looking at these three similar books which have Mass and Vespers for Sundays and feasts only, with translation in vernacular language of the propers and lectures:

    1956 Paroissien Romain (Messe et vêpres) Desclée No. 904
    page [17] in the end of the book:
    « 1 Mai St Joseph Confesseur, Epoux de la BVM, Ouvrier.
    On trouvera la messe et les vêpres de cette fête à la fin de l'ouvrage. »
    Did I find the mass and vespers of St Joseph Workman at the end of the book? Nope.

    1957 Mass and Vespers Desclée No. 805
    as mentioned in page Liij (page 53 of the PDF from CMAA)
    « May 1. St Joseph Confessor, Husband of Our Lady, Workman.
    The Mass and Vespers of this feast will be found at the end of this book. »
    Did you find it in the PDF? Personally I did not.

    1958 Der Katholische Pfarrgottesdienst Desclée No. 903
    equivalent but in German, page [17] in the end:
    « 1 Mai. Der hl. Joseph, Bekenner, Bräutigam der allerseligsten Jungfrau, Mann der Arbeit.
    Mess und Vesper des Festes findet man in Anhang des Buches. »
    Habe ich es gefunden... ? Nein! er... sorry. Did I find it in the end? Nope.

    Hey! No book is perfect. :-)
    Even if it is written that you will find the new mass for St Joseph the Workman at the end of the book, you don't find it. Unless you prove me wrong...
    Thanked by 2Ragueneau DougS
  • he-he, this is fun. Liber Usualis 780c (1956) "Omnia ut in Suppl." [nope]
    Liber Usualis 801 (1956) "All in the Supplement at the end of the book." [nada]
    But Graduale Sacrosanctae etc. 696A (1957) has the Solemnity of St. Joseph at p. 485 with an insert for St. Joseph the Worker.

    "At the end of the book" was probably aspirational for some of these editions.
  • aldrich
    Posts: 230
    From what I read, the institution of the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker on May 1 was met with stern criticism and opposition from the Sacred Congregation of Rites because it infringed on the traditional Feast of two Apostles who are now celebrated on May 3, thus effectively evicting another ancient Feast--that of the Invention of the Holy Cross. So staunch was the Congregation that they chose to ignore that Feast. It took one year and a strong papal coercion to force the dicastery to compose the Office and Mass of the Feast, and another year to have the propers set to music. The Congregation had purposely patterned the modulations of such propers from the WORST melodies available in those times (which probably is the reason why the tones never grew on me). The tones for Matins themselves must wait until around 2000 to be set to music by Holger Peter Sandhofe (see Nocturnale Romanum). One must understand the opposition of Congregation to this as the institution of the Feast had a Communist or anti-Communist inkling. Some say that the Italians derided the Feast, which eclipsed the two traditional Feasts of Saint Joseph in April and May, by calling it the feast of San Giuseppe Communista.

    So counting those 2-odd years from the institution of the Feast, plus the publisher's time in arranging the types for the printing, it is not hard to imagine why the propers are as non-existent as phlogiston in the feast's coaetaneous liturgical books.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen Ben
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    This is very, very interesting — thanks !
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    Celebrating "The Worker" on May Day...

    "Your Holiness, are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?"

    They could have set the propers to the tune of the Internationale, instead of being so coy about it.