Matins rubrics for ferias and feasts: A summary

As we have gone through this series, I've provided you with the rubrics for the various elements of Matins individually.  Now that we have basically covered all of the elements of Matins, I thought it would be helpful to bring all of that material together in summary form.

The two basic forms of Matins

The key points overall are that:

• Matins always opens the same way, with Domine labia mea aperies.., Psalm 3, Psalm 94 with invitatory and a hymn; and
• then has Matins either two Nocturns (ordinary days) or three (Sundays and major feasts). 

If Matins has three Nocturns, it always has twelve readings and responsories, and ends with the Te Deum, Gospel and Te decet laus.

If Matins has two Nocturns, it can have either one or three readings, depending on whether it is winter or summer, and the level of day in the liturgical calendar, and ends with a short chapter verse before the concluding prayers.

Sunday Matins	Festal Matins	Weekdays
Opening prayer – Domine mea aperies
Psalm 3 (without antiphon)
Psalm 94 (with responsorial verse)
Hymn (of day, season or feast)
Nocturn I: Six psalms (of Sunday) with antiphons	Six psalms and antiphons (for the feast or from common)	Six psalms of the day of the week with antiphons
Versicle, Our Father, absolution
4 readings+responsories		Summer: blessing, short readings, responsory Winter/minor feasts: 3 readings
Nocturn II: Six psalms (of Sunday) with antiphons	Six psalms with antiphons (from common or of feast)	Six psalms of the day of the week with alleluias as antiphon at beginning and end
		Chapter, versicle
Versicle, Our Father, absolution		-
4 readings+responsories		-
Nocturn III:                       3 canticles with one antiphon		-
Versicle, Our Father, absolution		-
4 readings+responsories		-
Te Deum (hymn)		-
Gospel		-
Te Decet Laus (hymn)		-
Collect, Dominus vobisum…Benedicamus Domino, etc		Standard closing prayers

Weekdays

On ordinary weekdays throughout the year, Matins has two Nocturns.

Outside of Advent, Lent and Eastertide (Class IV ferias), the invitatory antiphon, hymn, antiphon and psalms are all of the day of the week.

During the special liturgical seasons, the invitatory antiphon, hymn and sometimes the antiphons (for example the second Nocturn antiphons from Septuageima to Easter; and for Eastertide) are often of the season.

The number of readings depends on whether it is 'summer (after Easter to the end of October) or winter.

As for the other hours, the collect is usually of the (previous) Sunday, except during the more intense liturgical seasons.

Sundays

Sundays always have three Nocturns, with the third Nocturn consisting of canticles.

As for weekdays, outside of the special liturgical seasons, the invitatory antiphon, hymn, psalms and antiphons are for the Sunday (some seasonal variations in the hymn).

The readings, responsories, Gospel and collect are for the particular Sunday of the year.

Feasts

The key changes to Matins on (Class I to III) feasts are that:

• feasts always have an invitatory antiphon and hymn either specific to the feast, or from the relevant Common;
• major feasts also have psalms and antiphons (and versicles) of the feast; and
• there can be either 12, 3 or 1 reading depending on the season and level of the feast. 

How Matins varies depending on the level of the day

The table summarises the key things that change depending on the type and level of the day.

Type of ‘day’	Impact on Matins
Sundays	Three Nocturns, twelve readings and responsories of the Sunday, rest of the season or Sunday
Class I&II feasts	Invitatory antiphon and hymn of the feast (or from the relevant Common); three Nocturns, twelve readings and responsories of the feast, psalms, antiphons etc for feast or from the relevant Common
Class II&III days (Lent and Advent, Ember days etc days)	Ordinary of the season, three readings and responsories of the day
Class II&III vigils (of feasts)	Ordinary of the season, three readings and responsories of the day
Class III feasts in summer (Eastertide to end of October)	Invitatory antiphon & hymn of feast or from the common; reading of the feast
Class III feasts in winter	Invitatory antiphon & hymn of feast or from the common;  3 readings  (1 or 3 of the feast)
Class IV days in winter	Ordinary of the season, three readings
Class IV days in summer	Ordinary of the season, one short reading of the day of the week

Please do let me know if you think I've got anything wrong!