Firstly, let’s look at the Propers for the feast of St Michael the Archangel
The parts that the choir looks at are:
- Introit
- Gradual
- Alleluia
- Offertory
- Communion
The easiest parts are usually the Introit and the Communion antiphon. In this Mass both these start with the word Benedicite. This word means “Bless” as in Bless the Lord, all ye His Angels".
That’s not going to give us many words for a vocab quiz, but it just so happens that there’s a fantastic Old Testament Canticle from the three boys thrown into a fiery furnace in Babylon which repeats the word Benedicite a gazillion times, telling everything on earth and in heaven to Bless the Lord. And this canticle is sung at Lauds on many feast days, including the feast of the Dedication of St Michael.
So let’s look at the first part:
Benedícite, ómnia ópera Dómini, Dómino: * laudáte et superexaltáte eum in sǽcula.
Benedícite, Ángeli Dómini, Dómino: * benedícite, cæli, Dómino.
Benedícite, aquæ omnes, quæ super cælos sunt, Dómino: * benedícite, omnes virtútes Dómini, Dómino.
Benedícite, sol et luna, Dómino: * benedícite, stellæ cæli, Dómino.
Benedícite, omnis imber et ros, Dómino: * benedícite, omnes spíritus Dei, Dómino.
Benedícite, ignis et æstus, Dómino: * benedícite, frigus et æstus, Dómino.
Benedícite, rores et pruína, Dómino: * benedícite, gelu et frigus, Dómino.
Benedícite, glácies et nives, Dómino: * benedícite, noctes et dies, Dómino.
Benedícite, lux et ténebræ, Dómino: * benedícite, fúlgura et nubes, Dómino.
Better still, print this PDF:
Practice your new vocab at Quizlet
The vocabulary is akin to the opening chapters of Orbis Pictus by Comenius, the world’s first printed picture book for children. You can browse a messy copy with detailed pictures on the Internet Archive or a tidier copy with much less detailed pictures at Project Gutenberg.
See you on Friday.
God bless, Veronica