Wednesday Liturgy: Follow-up: Commemorating Saints in Lent
ROME, MARCH 16, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.
Subsequent to our comments on the celebration of saints during Lent, an attentive reader apportioned a small correction.
She wrote: "In your column of March 2, you stated that the feast of St. Cyril of Jerusalem on March 18 'almost always falls during Lent.' However, in reality the feast of St. Cyril always falls during Lent, since the earliest possible date for Easter is March 22, in which case his feast would be Wednesday of Holy Week."
Our correspondent is correct. This is also true for April 25, the latest possible date for Easter. In this case, Ash Wednesday falls on March 10.
The two extremes are quite rare. Easter last fell on March 22 in 1818 and won't fall again on that date until 2285. The April 25 occurrence is slightly more frequent; it last occurred in 1943 and will return in 2038. At least some people will twice experience the latest possible Easter.
Another reader asked if my answer also applied to the extraordinary form. I answered according to the norms of the ordinary universal calendar.
It is beyond the scope of this column to explain the complex rules of the extraordinary form's liturgical calendar. However, both forms follow the same basic principles, and weekdays of Lent are ranked higher and have precedence over third-class feasts of saints of the universal calendar. Third-class feasts correspond roughly to the memorials found in the ordinary form.
Subsequent to our comments on the celebration of saints during Lent, an attentive reader apportioned a small correction.
She wrote: "In your column of March 2, you stated that the feast of St. Cyril of Jerusalem on March 18 'almost always falls during Lent.' However, in reality the feast of St. Cyril always falls during Lent, since the earliest possible date for Easter is March 22, in which case his feast would be Wednesday of Holy Week."
Our correspondent is correct. This is also true for April 25, the latest possible date for Easter. In this case, Ash Wednesday falls on March 10.
The two extremes are quite rare. Easter last fell on March 22 in 1818 and won't fall again on that date until 2285. The April 25 occurrence is slightly more frequent; it last occurred in 1943 and will return in 2038. At least some people will twice experience the latest possible Easter.
Another reader asked if my answer also applied to the extraordinary form. I answered according to the norms of the ordinary universal calendar.
It is beyond the scope of this column to explain the complex rules of the extraordinary form's liturgical calendar. However, both forms follow the same basic principles, and weekdays of Lent are ranked higher and have precedence over third-class feasts of saints of the universal calendar. Third-class feasts correspond roughly to the memorials found in the ordinary form.
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