Visitors ask..."Feria"

I have begun to post dates using the Liturgical calendar provided by the F.S.S.P. at the Seminary of Our Lady of Guadalupe which is linked above in the header. This is because I was receiving requests for an "online traditional calendar." I've also recently posted where someone might purchase a "wall calendar" or an Ordo for use at home.

If you use the Traditional Calendar, April 23rd reveals the following: 23- Feria in Paschaltide - 4th class or St. George - 4th class. For those raised strictly on the Liturgical Calendar post Vatican-II, this is very confusing! First, what is a "feria", why is it in "Paschaltide" and why are there "classes" of apparent Feasts?

Some of the biggest changes that occurred post Vatican II were the changes made to the Liturgical Calendar. Not only were dates of feasts changed, new saints added and three cycles of readings added to the Liturgical Year itself, but the very essence of the year was changed in a way that is not apparent unless you are aware of what went before.

Here is a simple explanation of "feria" as taken from the Catholic Encyclopedia. This is all well and good, but it doesn't shine much light on what the designation for April 23rd means. To understand that better, I recommend an excellent article from Fisheaters.com which explains the pre-Vatican II Liturgical year calendar. Here, you will encounter terms such as Ember Days, Rogation Days, Feria, Octaves and a pattern of Feasts, Propers, and readings graded in terms of their precedence or priorities.

Here is an example of the Novus Ordo Calendar juxtapositioned with the Traditional Calendar from an F.S.S.P. Parish in Tulsa, OK. The Parish uses the Traditional Calendar provided by Catholocity.net.

So, a "feria" is a "free day." The Propers for that Mass use the Propers of the Sunday before. Hopefully, after reading the explanation from the Fisheaters.com site, this will all make far more sense.




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