The General Roman Calendar of 1954 (Part One)

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The following is a list of the Feast Days of the General Roman Calendar, as it was in 1954. It is, thus, basically that established by Pope Pius X (1903–1914), but it also incorporates changes that were made by Pope Pius XI (1922–1939), such as the institution of the Feast of Christ the King, while not including those made in 1955 by Pope Pius XII (1939–1958).

The changes, that the last-mentioned Pope made, are indicated in the General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII. They included the institution of two Feasts in May: St. Joseph the Workman was added on May 1 as a Double of the First-Class, requiring the transfer of Saints Philip and James to May 11, and involving also the suppression of the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, which for just over a century had been celebrated on the second Wednesday after the Octave of Easter; the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen, was added on May 31 as a Double of the Second-Class, transferring Saint Angela Merici, but not the Commemoration of Saint Petronilla, to June 1. A total of fifteen Octaves - all those except Easter, Pentecost, and Christmas - were also suppressed in the reform of 1955.

Pope John XXIII (1958 - 1963) made a revision of the General Roman Calendar with the motu proprio, Rubricarum instructum, in 1960.

Five years later, Pope John XXIII made a further revision with the motu proprio Rubricarum instructum of July 23, 1960. This revision, the General Roman Calendar of 1962, was incorporated in the Roman Missal of 1962, which was issued as implementation of this motu proprio. The 1962 Calendar is thus the Calendar approved by Pope Benedict XVI with his July 7, 2007 document Summorum Pontificum for use as an Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

The General Roman Calendar was again revised in 1969, in connection with the revision of the Roman Missal, and later. For its current state, see Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints.

For most of the celebrations here listed, the Mass is found in the Roman Missal of the time in the section called the "Proper of the Saints", but for those occurring from 24 December to 13 January it is found in the "Proper of the Season", as these days do not move with respect to the seasons of the Church year. The Offices of these feasts are likewise arranged in the Breviary.

Rank of Feast Days

The ranking of Feast Days, that had grown from an original division between Doubles and Simples, and that by the time of the Tridentine Calendar included Semi-Doubles, with Pope Clement VIII adding, in 1604 to the distinction between First- and Second-Class Doubles, the new rank of Greater Double, was still in use in the 1954 Calendar, and would continue until the following year,1955, when Pope Pius XII abolished the rank of Semi-Double.

The rank of Feast Days determines which Mass is to be said when two Feast Days coincide (or "occur") on the one day, as well as when a Feast Day falls on Sundays or certain other privileged days. Feast Days were classified as Simple, Semi-Double, or Double, with Feast Days of the Double Rite further divided into Double of the First Class, Double of the Second Class, Greater Double or Major Double, and Double, in order of descending rank. On Ferias and many Feast Days of Simple rank, the Celebrant was permitted to substitute a Mass of his own choice, such as a Votive Mass, or a Mass for the Dead.

Pope Clement VIII (1592 - 1605) added a new rank 

of Greater Double in 1604 

What the original meaning of the term "Double" may have been is not entirely certain. Some think that the greater festivals were thus styled because the antiphons before and after the psalms were "doubled", i.e. twice repeated entire on these days. 

Others, with more probability, point to the fact that, before the 9th-Century in certain places, for example at Rome, it was customary on the greater Feast Days to recite two sets of Matins, the one of the Feria or week-day, the other of the Festival. Hence, such days were known as "Doubles".

The Catholic Encyclopedia of the early years of the 20th-Century shows the incremental crowding of the Calendar (which had increased further by 1954) in the following table based on the official revisions of the Roman Breviary in 1568, 1602, 1631, 1882 and on the situation in 1907.

Pope	Date	Doubles, I Class	Doubles, II Class	Greater Doubles	Doubles	Semidoubles	Total
Pius V	1568	19	17	0	53	60	149
Clement VIII	1602	19	18	16	43	68	164
Urban VIII	1631	19	18	16	45	78	176
Leo XIII	1882	21	18	24	128	74	275
-	1907	23	27	25	133	72	280

In 1907, when, in accordance with the rules in force since the time of Pope Pius V, Feast Days of any form of Double, if impeded by "occurrence" (falling on the same day) with a Feast Day of higher class, were transferred to another day, this classification of Feast Days was of great practical importance for deciding which Feast Day to celebrate on any particular day. Pope Pius X simplified matters considerably in his 1911 reform of the Roman Breviary.

In the case of occurrence, the lower-ranking Feast Day could become a Commemoration within the celebration of the higher-ranking one. Further re-touches were made by Pope Pius XII in 1955, Pope John XXIII in 1962, and Pope Paul VI in 1969.


SUNDAYS

Sundays were divided into Greater and Lesser Sundays, with the Greater Sundays being further divided into two classes. The Greater Sundays of the First Class were the First Sunday of Advent, the four Sundays of Lent, Passion Sunday, Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday, Low Sunday, and Pentecost. No Feast Day whatsoever could be celebrated on these days, although they admitted Commemorations except on Easter and Pentecost.

Greater Sundays of the Second-Class permitted the celebration of Doubles of the First-Class only, and consisted of the other three Sundays in Advent and the three pre-Lenten Sundays. All other Sundays (Second to Fifth after Easter and the Sundays after Epiphany and Pentecost, except for those which might occur during an Octave, which followed the rules for the Octave), were Lesser Sundays or Sundays per annum ("through the year"), and only the celebration of Doubles of the First- or Second-Class, or a Feast of The Lord, took precedence over them. 

The Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity was a special case, due to the fixed date of Christmas and the high rank of the Feast Days following it. If December 29, 30, or 31 were a Sunday, the Mass assigned to it was celebrated on that day; otherwise, it was celebrated on December 30.

Pope Saint Pius X (1903 - 1914).

Instituted reforms in 1911

Before the reform of Pope St Pius X in 1911, ordinary Doubles took precedence over most of the Semi-Double Sundays, resulting in many of the Sunday Masses rarely being said. While retaining the Semi-Double rite for Sundays, the reform permitted only the most important Feast Days, Doubles of the First- or Second-Class, to be celebrated on Sunday.

When a Feast of the rank of Double of the First- or Second-Class fell on a Sunday, the Mass would be that of the Feast, with a Commemoration of the occurring Sunday; the Gospel of the omitted Sunday Mass would be read at the end of Mass, instead of the usual Gospel "In principio erat Verbum" of Saint John. 

Arms of Papa San Pio X (Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto) 1903 - 1914

(Taken from: http://www.araldicavaticana.com/)

When a Feast of a rank lower than that occurred with a Sunday, the Feast would be Commemorated in the Sunday Mass by including a Commemoration of the Feast, and its Gospel would be read at the end of Mass, provided it was a "proper" Gospel, i.e. one not taken from the Common.

Following the reform of Pope Pius X, only three Feasts were assigned to a Sunday: the Feast Days of the Holy Name, the Holy Family, and the Most Holy Trinity. A fourth, Christ the King, was added in 1925.


FERIAS

Ferias also were classified into three categories:

Greater Privileged Ferias: Ash Wednesday and Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week.
No Feast Day could be celebrated on these days.

Greater Non-Privileged Ferias: The Ferias of Advent, Lent, and Passion Week, Rogation Monday, and the Ember Days.
Any Feast Day, except a Simple, could occur on these days, with a Commemoration of the Feria.

All other Ferias:
Any Feast Day of whatever rank could be celebrated without any Commemoration of the Feria.


EMBER DAYS

Ember Days are four separate sets of three days within the same week — specifically, the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday — roughly equi-distant in the circuit of the year, that were formerly set aside for fasting and prayer.

These days set apart for special prayer and fasting were considered especially suitable for the Ordination of Clergy.

The Ember Days are known in Latin as quatuor tempora (the "four seasons"), or jejunia quatuor temporum ("fasts of the four seasons"). They occur in the weeks between the third and fourth Sundays of Advent, between the first and second Sundays of Lent, between Pentecost and Trinity Sunday, and beginning the first Wednesday after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14), which is between the Liturgical third and fourth Sundays of September.


ROGATION DAYS

Rogation Days are, in the Calendar of the Western Church, four days traditionally set apart for Solemn Processions to invoke God's mercy. They are April 25, the Major Rogation (or Greater Litanies), coinciding with Saint Mark's Day (but transferred to the following Tuesday if they fell on Easter); and the three days preceding Ascension Thursday, the Minor Rogations (or Lesser Litanies). These are indicated below in the main body of the Calendar and in the Movable Feasts section.


PART TWO FOLLOWS