In my early adolescence I wasted a colossal amount of time studying the books of rules for Dungeons & Dragons. I did gain, however, a facility in navigating complex, jargon-laden logical systems, which is a big help as a practitioner of the Catholic Christian religion. Today is a good example, the feast of dear St. Rose of Viterbo, a Franciscan tertiary who died in the odor of sanctity in 1252 at the ripe of old age of eighteen.
We friars of the First Order of St. Francis in the English speaking world do not get to celebrate her feast day, as it is an "optional memorial" that pertains only to the sisters and brothers of the Third Order regular and secular. (In the Italian speaking world, Rose rates a little higher, as an optional memorial for all Franciscans. I don't know about other places.)
Of course, if we make use of permissions and faculties that seem to be granted by Summorum pontificum we can celebrate St. Rose if we shift into the Extraordinary Form. In the 1962 Missale Romano-Seraphicum her day isn't even a iv class feast, but only a commemoratio. This means--and here I'm less sure of myself, so correct me if I'm wrong--the given Oratio, Secreta, and Postcommunio would be used to commemorate her at some other Low Mass to be offered today. But since in this particular year today is a ferial day of the iv class with nothing else going on, it would seem to be an option to fill out Rose's commemoratio with the Mass Dilexisti from the Common of Virgins and give her a complete celebration of her own.
But whatever we decide to do, let us make sure it leads our hearts to also glorify the Lord whom St. Rose also adored.
3 comments:
And then there's the question of how and whether to commemorate a saint when praying the Hours...
I've always thought I was very smart, but there's no way I'd have learned to pray the Hours without help from live people. I tried to teach myself on the Internet-- no way.
Why is St Rose commemorated one way in other countries and another in this country? Missals aside, is there sloppy logic on the part of some liturgical commission? Why not make St Rose an optional memorial throughout the entire Franciscan family? I don't get it.
This post is so cool.
Thanks Fr.
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