The Epiphany Proclamation

Another beautiful reason to love the Catholic Church. I just discovered this year.

From New Liturgical Movement (I hope they don't mind me borrowing a large chunk, but I must save this):

Epiphany is the last principal feast before the beginning of the Easter cycle. In this day, the Roman Pontifical (Pars III. De Publicatione festorum Mobilium in Epiphania Domini) gives the how to publish the date of Easter and of the main movable feasts of the year, in cathedrals and other principal churches.

HISTORY

This tradition dates back to the early days of the Church. The Patriarch of Alexandria, in which town were the most skilled astronomers of Christianity, had the mission to send the date of the Paschal solemnity to other Eastern Patriarchs and to the Roman Pontif, who shall then inform the metropolitans of the West.

The Council of Nicaea is said to have formalized the practice, as a consequence of the that everyone, everywhere should celebrate it on one and the same day. Although there is no mention of the fixing of the date of Easter in the canons of the Council of Nicaea which have been preserved, we know that the issue was discussed and decided by the council with three texts: a letter of Emperor Constantine, a synodal letter to the Church of Alexandria, and a letter written by St. Athanasius in 369 to bishops of Africa. In the fifth century, Cyril of Alexandria is said to have written in an Easter letter: "The Ecumenical Council voted unanimously that the Church of Alexandria, because of its illustrious astronomers, should report annually to the Church of Rome the date of Easter, and Rome would be communicated to other churches." However, it is not certain that this passage refers to the first Council of Nicaea.

Soon, the bishops took the practice to publish annually, on January 6, an Epistola festalis, a pastoral letter in which were announced the dates of Easter and movable feasts of the current year.

Many Fathers of the early Church speak of the announcement of the date of Easter on the feast of the Epiphany. The Fourth Council of Orleans in 541 and that of Auxerre in 578 are good witnesses of this use in Gaul, and broadly, in the West. In the old Parisian Breviary, at the end of the office of a prime, a canon from decisions of the holy councils used to be read on Sundays & holidays. Here's the one for the Epiphany:

The Council, guided by the inspiration of a God full of goodness for men, ruled that the priests will celebrate at the same time the holy Easter, and that every year on the day of Epiphany the people in the church will be informed of this solemn feast... Let the priests before the Epiphany send deputies to the bishop to be informed by him of the beginning of Lent, and to be able to instruct the faithful upon that on the day of Epiphany.

-- Fourth Council of Orleans, in the year 541, c. 1, and Council of Auxerre, held under St Aunaire, in the year 578, c. 2.

The Roman rite has a formula (the "Noveritis") quite developed for this announce: to the proclamation of the date of Easter is also added those of Septuagesima, Ash Wednesday, the diocesan synod, Ascension, Pentecost and First Sunday of Advent. The Roman recitative uses the same tune as the Exultet of the Easter Vigil, which gives a taste of the Easter joy to this publication of the date of Easter.

Here's last year's proclamation:



And the text, via a blog named Tending the Temple:

Dear brothers and sisters,
the glory of the Lord has shone upon us,
and shall ever be manifest among us,
until the day of his return.
Through the rhythms of times and seasons
let us celebrate the mysteries of salvation.
Let us recall the year's culmination,
the Easter Triduum of the Lord:
his last supper, his crucifixion, his burial,
and his rising celebrated
between the evening of the twenty-first day of April
and the evening of the twenty-third day of April,
Easter Sunday being on the twenty-fourth day of April.


Each Easter -- as on each Sunday --
the Holy Church makes present the great and saving deed
by which Christ has for ever conquered sin and death.
From Easter are reckoned all the days we keep holy.
Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent,
will occur on the ninth day of March.
The Ascension of the Lord will be commemorated on the second day of June.
Pentecost, joyful conclusion of the season of Easter,
will be celebrated on the twelfth day of June.
And, this year the First Sunday of Advent will be
on the twenty-seventh day of November.
Likewise the pilgrim Church proclaims the passover of Christ
in the feasts of the holy Mother of God,
in the feasts of the Apostles and Saints,
and in the commemoration of the faithful departed.
To Jesus Christ, who was, who is, and who is to come,
Lord of time and history,
be endless praise, for ever and ever.
Amen.

And a very beautiful Latin version at NLM.


How cool - the astronomy, the hierarchy and the communication. And the tune - that of the Easter Exultet - giving a foretaste of the Easter celebration.

Aaah. Just glorious :)