The Ordo for
Friday 26 March 2027
March 2027
| Mar 26 Friday | Lunar day: 18 |
| red | GOOD FRIDAY - "Preparation Day" | |
| Roman Stational Church: Holy Cross in Jerusalem | ||
| Day of fast and abstinence. Celebration of the Mass and the sacraments is strictly prohibited, except for Penance and Anointing of the Sick. Communion may be taken to the sick, but otherwise is not distributed outside today's Celebration of the Lord's Passion. | ||
| OP | Hours of the day. At Morning Prayer, the Litany Verses from the Dominican Supplement may replace the Intercessions. If so, after Mortem autem crucis all pause and kneel in silence; then the Lord's Prayer is said aloud, and the Hour concludes as usual. | |
| Today the reading of the Martyrology is omitted. | ||
| Celebration of the Lord’s Passion. | ||
| The celebration has three parts: I. Liturgy of the Word (readings, homily, intercessions) II. Veneration of the Cross III. Holy Communion. The celebration begins about 3 p.m. The altar is completely bare, without candles, cloth or cross. The ministers enter in silence and prostrate before the altar. This act of prostration, which is proper to the rite of the day, should be strictly observed for it signifies both the abasement of "earthly man," and also the grief and sorrow of the Church. As the ministers enter, the faithful should be standing, and thereafter should kneel in silent prayer. [PS 65] | ||
| Readings: Isa 52:13-53:12 Ps 31:2+6, 12-13, 15-16, 17+25 Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9 John 18:1-19:42 | ||
| The Intercessions must follow "the form and wording" handed down by tradition, but the celebrant may make a selection of some more relevant to local conditions, provided the range of intentions is preserved. [PS 67] | ||
| The cross is presented to each of the faithful individually for their adoration, since the personal adoration of the cross is a most important feature in this celebration. Only if necessitated by the large numbers of faithful present may the rite of veneration be made simultaneously by all present. Only one cross should be used for the veneration. [PS 69] | ||
| OP | For the veneration of the cross the rite proper to our Order may be used instead of one of the two forms given in the Roman Missal. (See the Dominican Supplement.) The communion rite is as described in the Missal. The sign of peace is not exchanged. After Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament is carried from the church by a priest or deacon wearing a humeral veil and accompanied by two candles. The Sacrament is reserved privately outside the church for the needs of the sick and dying. The altar is stripped at a suitable time, but the cross remains with four candles, placed so that the faithful may venerate and kiss it and spend some time in meditation. [PS 71] | |
| OP | Night Prayer is said after the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion at a suitable hour, with two candles alight; the blessing is not given, the antiphon Salve Regina is omitted, and holy water is not used. | |
| Today after the Veneration of the Cross the brethren, when entering and leaving choir, bow profoundly to the cross as on other days, but they do not genuflect. | ||
| De profundis for deceased brothers and benefactors and Fidelium are omitted at grace for meals. The custom of wearing the cappa in the refectory may be observed. | ||
Variables for the Current Year
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Sunday Readings
Since 1969, in order to open a richer selection of the Holy Scriptures to the faithful, the Sunday readings have been arranged in a three-year cycle. St Matthew’s Gospel is read in Year A, St Mark’s in Year B, and St Luke’s in Year C. St John’s Gospel is read in all years, in Lent and Eastertide principally.
- Cycle B
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Weekday Readings
Since 1969, in order to open a richer selection of the Holy Scriptures to the faithful, the weekday readings have been arranged in a two-year cycle.
- Cycle I
-
Dominical Letter
The Dominical Letter enables one to determine easily which days of the year are Sundays.
- c
-
Golden Number
The Golden Number indicates the current year in the metonic or nineteen-year cycle of the moon. It is used in determining the date of Easter.
- 14
-
Epact
The epact indicates the ‘age’ of the moon at the start of the solar year. For example, an epact of xi (that is, eleven) means that 1 January will be the twelfth day of the lunar month. If the epact is an asterisk (*), 1 January is an ecclesiastical new moon.
- 22
-
Solar Cycle
The solar cycle lasts twenty-eight years, because in the Julian calendar, in any year the days fall on the same day of the week as they did 28 years ago.
- 20
-
Letter of the Martyrology
The letter of the Martyrology is used in conjunction with a table at the head of each day’s reading in that book, indicating the correct day of the lunar month to be announced.
- C
-
Roman Year of Indiction
The Roman emperor Diocletian (284–305) established the practice of taking a census for taxation purposes every fifteen years, a period that became known as the cycle of indiction. In the early middle ages these cycles were taken to have begun with the accession of Constantine in 312, and were widely used to date correspondence, charters and other documents. (To find the year of indiction, add 3 to the year AD, then divide by 15. A zero remainder indicates year 15.)
- 5
-
Julian Period
Invented by Joseph Justus Scaliger (1540–1609), the Julian period combines the solar, metonic and indiction cycles in a period of 7,980 years, beginning on 1 January 4713 BC.
- Year 6740
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Years since the confirmation of the Order
The Order was confirmed by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216.
- 811
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Years since the passing of our Holy Father Dominic
Holy Father Dominic died in the Lord in Bologna on 6 August 1221. His feast day is kept on 3 August in Australia and New Zealand, and on 8 August in the General Roman Calendar.
- 806