I found this post in my draft folder today when I opened the blog to post the Chart of Christmas Sundays (included below). I had forgotten I had started this! While I still have more images to load, I'll just post what I have.
Quotes are from the CGS Materials Manual FAQ regarding the wooden Liturgical Calendar.
This is a major work, and there is a great level of nuance to it (including the Metonic Cycle, ecclesial date of the equinox, time zones and so much more!). I have found ways to keep it essential but accurate enough that can a child's understanding can build into the nuances if they choose to explore deeper. I am deeply saddened when inaccurate information is put forth for the sake of the essential. This only sows confusion and discord within a child's heart to have to re-learn (or choose not to because now it is too tedious!).
"The Liturgical Calendar moves counterclockwise. This is in keeping with Maria Montessori’s version of the Liturgical Calendar as a reminder that “God’s time is not our time.”"
It is true that Dr. Montessori suggested having the Liturgical Calendar material counterclockwise for this reason, but it was not her "version" - it is simply her explanation for why something was set up already and had been so for centuries. It is only in the United States of America (and areas influenced by USA) that anyone even thinks to have the liturgical calendar clockwise.
Some images of liturgical calendars throughout Europe:
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| http://www.lemeestudies.com/jean/article-Labyrinth.html Chartres |
"This Liturgical Calendar from Rome does not show Sundays of Christmas. However, the Liturgical Calendar in the USA shows 3 white prisms for the Sundays of Christmas. The three white prisms include: (1) one prism for Christmas Day itself (that may or may not fall on a Sunday) (2 ) a second prism for the Feast of the Holy Family (3) a third prism for the Epiphany of the Lord "
"While the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is actually the first Sunday of Ordinary Time, the color worn by the priest that Sunday is white because the Roman Catholic Ordo calls for wearing white vestments."
There is no "first Sunday of Ordinary Time." The actual term would be "Sunday in the First Week of Ordinary Time" but that day does not exist. It is *always* Baptism of the Lord or Epiphany. Both sets of these readings and related Liturgical prayers are found in the Christmas section of the Roman Missal. There is a "Monday in the First Week of Ordinary Time." To say this another way, some "liturgical weeks" do not have 7 days or they never use all of their 7 days in the same year; and several are partial some years vs others. That is another topic of discussion (think the first days of Lent, Holy Week, the weekdays after Pentecost and the first two Sundays after Pentecost (these three weeks all are "Ordinary Time" weeks but their Sunday is something else), etc.).
Conclusion for this topic of discussion: there should be a prism for the Baptism of the Lord. See chart below.
"Note: The Feast of Christmas falls on a Sunday every seven years. When Christmas does not fall on Sunday, an extra white prism is not added for the Feast of Christmas. But if your completed material has 53 instead of 52 prisms, that is fine, you do not need to change it."
That's not how it works. We have a leap year that messes with the system. Christmas falls on Sunday on a pattern of 6, 5, 6, 11. We just had Christmas Sunday in 2022. The next time Christmas will be on Sunday is in 11 years: in 2033. 2039, 2044, 2050, 2061.
"Note: When Christmas and New Year’s Day both fall on Sundays, the Feast of the Holy Family is celebrated on December 30. But then you would still have the second white prism for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and the third white prism for the Feast of Epiphany."
Accurate. Ish. Here is a chart showing what happens for each possibility. Note that there is a 28-year cycle where we repeat the same solar calendar:
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| Chart of the Sundays after Christmas based on the weekday of Christmas. By far, 3 Sundays are needed after the Christmas prism. |
From the Roman Missal, with my added bold and italics for emphasis.
VI. Ordinary Time
44. Ordinary Time begins on the Monday which follows the Sunday occurring after January 6 and extends up to and including the tuesday before the beginning of Lent; it begins again on the Monday after pentecost Sunday and ends before first vespers (evening prayer i) of the first Sunday of advent.
During these times of the year there is used the series of formularies given for the Sundays and weekdays of this time both in the Missal and in the Liturgy of the hours (vol. iii-iv).
I have another draft post about Finding the Date of Easter and how to build the Liturgical Calendar accurately but simply!
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