d class only give
place to a double of the first class and then are commemorated at Lauds,
Vespers and Mass, and have the ninth lesson in Matins.

But section 2 (_Dominicis minoribus_)... goes to the root of the matter
of the new change in the rules for Sunday's liturgical office. The
ordinary Sundays ranked as semi-doubles and hence their Mass and Office
was superseded by the Mass and Office of some occurring feast. The
length of the Sunday office, in the breviaries until lately in use, made
many hearts rejoice over the occurring feast. But the almost total
omission of the ancient and beautiful Sunday Masses was a misfortune
and, in a sense, an unbecoming practice, which broke away from ancient
liturgical rule and tradition. The abbreviation of the Sunday office in
the new breviaries and the rule laid down in Title IV., sect. 2, restore
Sunday's office and Sunday's Mass to their old and proper dignity.

The general rule laid down is that on Sundays throughout the year the
proper office of the Sunday shall always be said. The exceptions are (1)
Feasts of our Lord and their octaves, (2) Doubles of the first class,
(3) Doubles of the second class. On these days the office will be the
office of the feast, with commemoration in Lauds, Vespers and Mass.
Henceforth Sundays are divided into:

(1) Sundays of the first class, which exclude all feasts;

(2) Sundays of the second class, which exclude all feasts save doubles
of the first class;

(3) The ordinary Sundays, which exclude all but doubles of the first or
second class, feasts of our Lord, and their octave days.

The date of Easter is the pivot of Calendar construction. Before Easter
come the Sundays of Lent and Quinquagesima, Sexagesima, Septuagesima
Sundays. Septuagesima cannot fall earlier than the eighteenth day of
January, nor later than the twenty-second day of February. Hence, in
some years there are fewer "Sundays after the Epiphany" than in others,
owing to the dates of Easter and Septuagesima. The smaller the number of
Sundays after Epiphany the greater is the number of Sundays after
Pentecost. If the number of Sundays after Pentecost be twenty-five, the
twenty-fourth Sunday will have the office of the sixth Sunday after
Epiphany. If there be twenty-six Sundays after Pentecost, the
twenty-fourth Sunday will have the office of the fifth after Epiphany,
and the twenty-fifth will have that of the fifth Sunday; the
twenty-sixth will be the sixth Sunday's offic