Vigilia Pentecostes

Moving on from the question of Octaves, the next subset of Liturgical observances to have been the victim of pre-Vatican II downsizing was the Vigil observance. Firstly, let's clarify what is meant by Vigil for purposes of this post. A vigil, in simple terms, is keeping watch associated with penitential acts on the day or evening before a major feast. In official liturgical parlance, the Vigil is a Liturgical Day which begins with Matins (never First Vespers) as would a Ferial Day and ends (usually) with and inclusive of None the same day as the Liturgical observance of the actual feast for which the Vigil awaits usually begins with First Vespers the eve before. Within the Liturgical Day of the Vigil (i.e. Midnight to 3:00 pm) would normally be the Mass assigned to that day; hence, there exists a Mass of the Vigil, usually penitential in nature. This Vigil Mass is not to be confused with the Novus Ordo definition of the Vigil Mass - i.e. the Mass on Saturday evening at the time of First Vespers which fulfills the Sunday obligation. No, in the Traditional Mass, the Vigil Mass is always the Mass for the DAY of the vigil itself.

So, what happened in 1955? Along with the elimination of all but three Octaves, most Vigils were likewise stricken from the Calendar. No further elimination of Vigils occurred under John XXIII such that from 1956 onward (until the Novus Ordo came), the following Vigils were retained in the Liturgical Calendar: Vigil of Christmas (I Class), Easter (I Class), Ascension (II Class), Pentecost (I Class), St. John the Baptist (II Class), Sts. Peter & Paul (II Class), Assumption (II Class), and St. Lawrence (III Class). Gone were all the Vigils of the Feasts of Apostles, the Immaculate Conception, and All Saints. By gone, I mean these latter Vigils ceased to be liturgically observed (i.e. no Mass nor Office). The ones which were retained continued to have their proper Masses and Offices, except for the Vigil of Pentecost.

Leaving aside Holy Saturday which underwent its own revision per the general revision of the Holy Week rites in 1955/56, the Vigil of Pentecost is the only other Vigil to have lost a portion of its observance. All other Vigils noted above, including Christmas, never had any type of special ceremony attached before the Mass proper began. However, the Vigil of Pentecost had a ceremony very similar to that of the Easter Vigil, namely:

Six Prophecies (these six are taken out of the 12 original Holy Saturday Prophecies)
Three Responsories (exactly the same from Holy Saturday)
Blessing of the Baptismal Water and Font (abridged version from that of Holy Saturday) including the return of the Paschal Candle which had been extinguished nine days earlier on the Ascension.

The Mass of the Vigil, which is now what only remains of this Liturgical observance, had elements similar to those of the Easter Vigil Mass in that it lacked some of the Mass Propers (e.g. Introit) but was actually the "First" Mass of the Feast for which it anticipates as opposed to being a Mass for the day of the Vigil (e.g. the morning Mass of Christmas Eve is a Mass of Advent for that morning). Hence, the Mass of the Vigil of Pentecost is celebrated in red vestments, has a Gloria but no Credo, employs the Preface of the Holy Spirit and likewise the proper Communicantes and Hanc Igitur of Pentecost.

However, where things get really bizarre is that this Mass is celebrated in the morning on the day before Pentecost while it is not yet liturgically Pentecost according to the Office. The Office is that of Ascensiontide employing proper formulae and orations from the Ascension up to and including the Office of None that day. In the Ordo, it specifically states the Mass is celebrated in red, but the Office in white (i.e. when Matins and Lauds are celebrated in choir, the celebrant and ministers are vested in copes of the applicable liturgical color).

So, instead of restoring the Vigil of Pentecost to be an evening observance the same way Pius XII restored the Easter Vigil to the night of Holy Saturday, the Vigil of Pentecost was eliminated, while its associated Mass was relegated to the morning out of sync with the Office of the day. Would that this Vigil ceremony be restored as a Liturgy to be performed after the Office of None, leaving no Mass to be celebrated in the morning of the Vigil of Pentecost. Following the Vigil and its Mass would then be First Vespers of Pentecost.

Next topic on tap is the question of Ember Days and specifically that of fasting during the Easter Season.