From a reader…
QUAERITUR:
I have begun the habit of adding a devotion to my prayers for each month. Some are obvious, like July being the Precious Blood. But, there seems to be some disagreement on certain months, like August, where some sources say it is dedicated to
the Eucharist and others to the Assumption. What are the proper dedications to each month and day of the week?
As I understand them:
January | The Holy Name of Jesus |
February | The Holy Family |
March | St. Joseph |
April | The Holy Eucharist |
May | The Blessed Virgin Mary |
June | The Sacred Heart of Jesus |
July | The Precious Blood of Jesus |
August | The Immaculate Heart of Mary |
September | The Seven Dolors of Mary |
October | The Holy Rosary |
November | The Holy Souls in Purgatory |
December | The Immaculate Conception |
And
Sunday | Most Holy Trinity |
Monday | Holy Angels |
Tuesday | Apostles |
Wednesday | St. Joseph |
Thursday | Holy Eucharist |
Friday | Passion of the Lord |
Saturday | Blessed Virgin Mary |
However, priests know that we offer votive Masses on days of the week in a traditional order: Monday – Holy Trinity, Tuesday – Holy Angels, Wednesday – St. Joseph…. etc.
I’m sure you will find other lists.
Pick one and pray!
And, please, a prayer for me.
My Blessed Trinity Prayer Book gives Mondays to the Poor Souls and Tuesday to the Holy Angels, as well as the month of April to the Holy Spirit.
My St. Gregory’s Prayer Book (Anglican Ordinariate) has this list:
Sunday: Resurrection
Monday: Holy Spirit
Tuesday: Holy Angels
Wednesday: All Saints
Thursday: Blessed Sacrament
Friday: Holy Cross
Saturday: Our Lady
Tuesday is also dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua, my patron.
I’m not sure of the origins of this tradition, but I know it exists.
In May, I printed out a longish (5 min) prayer to Our Lady to add to our family’s nightly prayers. Since then, we’ve done the litany of the Sacred Heart in June and now the Litany of the Precious Blood for July. My 7 y/o said she wanted to save one of the print-outs for each month, presumably for some kind of commemoration. It’s natural to want to remember, preserve, commemorate special events, although the more German–er, “rational” among us might say that in the realm of pure reason God is a unified simplicity.
The Eastern tradition is:
Sunday: Resurrection
Monday: Holy Angels
Tuesday: Saint John the Baptist
Wednesday: Holy Cross
Thursday: Apostles and Saint Nicholas
Friday: Holy Cross
Saturday: Our Lady, All Saints, and All Souls
The old Dominican rubrics observed the following: pro Missa conventuali dici
potest una ex sequentibus : Feria III de S. P. N. Dominico, ut infra. Feria IV de S. Thoma Aquin., die 7 Martii. Feria V de SS. Sacramento vel de D. N. Jesu Christo
Summo et Aeterno Sacerdote, ut infra, et in eis fit Memoria Feriae de qua factum est Officium, et additur Oratio pro diversitate Temporum assignata, juxta Rubricas.
In other words:
Tuesday: St. Dominic
Wednesday: St. Thomas Aquinas
Thursday: Blessed Sacrament or Christ the High Priest