The Office of Benediction & Reverence of Our Blessed Lady

From The Saint Colman Prayer Book by Michael Wood

The choir in its place and the Priest being in his stall in the Quire, vested in cassock, surplice, stole and cope, he shall begin:

      V:  In the Name of the Father, and ✠ of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

      R:  Amen.

      V:  O Lord, open thou our lips,

      R:  And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.

      V:  O God, make speed to save us,

      R:  O Lord, make haste to help us.

      V:  Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost:

      R:  As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

      V: Praise ye the Lord,

      R:  The Lord’s Name be praised.

      Here shall follow immediately that portion of the Psalms set for the day.

        The First Lesson

      The First Lesson shall be that appointed out of the Old Testament. The Priest wearing a humeral veil shall bring the icon of Our Lady from its place and set upon its stand upon the Altar facing the people. The server shall light the candles surrounding it. While the Magnificat is sung, the Priest shall cense the icon and the Altar.

      My ✠ soul doth magnify the Lord : and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

      For he hath regarded : the lowliness of his hand-maiden.

      For behold, from henceforth : all generations shall call me blessed.

      For he that is mighty hath magnified me : and Holy is his Name.

      And his mercy is on them that fear him : throughout all generations.

      He hath shewed strength with his arm : he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of    their hearts.

      He hath put down the mighty from their seats : and hath exalted the humble and meek.

      He hath filled the hungry with good things : and the rich he hath sent empty away.

      He, remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel :  as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed forever.

      Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.

      As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : world without end. Amen.

            The Second Lesson      

      Then shall be read the Second Lesson as appointed, taken out of the New Testament.

      After that, the Deus Misereatur (Psalm lxvii/67) shall be sung.  

God be merciful unto us and bless us : and shew us the light of his countenance and be merciful  unto us.

      That thy  way may  be  known upon earth : thy saving health among all nations.

      Let the people praise thee O God : yea let all the people praise thee.

      O let the nations rejoice and be glad : for thou shalt judge the folk righteously and govern the nations upon earth.

      Let the people praise thee O God : let all the people praise thee.

      Then shall the earth bring forth her increase : and God even our own God shall give us his blessing.

      God shall bless us and all the ends of the world shall fear him.

      Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.

      As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen.

      Then shall all face the Altar to sing the Nicene Creed.

      The Priest shall turn to the people and say:

      V:  The Lord be with you;

      R:  And with thy spirit.

      V:  Let us pray:  Lord have mercy upon us.

      R:  Christ have mercy upon us.

      V:  Lord have mercy upon us.

      Priest: Our Father,

      All:  Which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy Name; thy Kingdom come; thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us from evil.  Amen.

      V:  O Lord, shew thy mercy upon us;

      R:  And grant us thy salvation.

      V:  O Lord save the Queen

      R:  And mercifully hear us when we call upon thee.

      V:  Endue thy servants with righteousness;

      R:  And make thy chosen people joyful.

      V:  O Lord, save thy people;

      R:  And bless thine inheritance.

      V:  Give peace in our time, O Lord;

      R:  Because there is none other that fighteth for us, but only thou, O God.

      V:  O God, make clean our hearts within us;

      R:  And take not thy Holy Spirit from us.

      V:  The Lord be with you.

      R:  And with thy spirit.

      V:  Let us pray;

      Then shall the Priest go to the Altar and standing in the midst, say the following, beginning with the collect of the day.

 Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee O Lord; and by thy great mercy, defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of thy only Son our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

      R: Amen.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, we pray thee of thy mercy, hold us under the protection of thy prayers.  Pray thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ that he will heal us in body and soul, give us wisdom that we may hear and receive the Word of God, and grant us time for amendment of life and the grace and comfort of the Holy Ghost.

      R: Amen.

Almighty God, who hast given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee; and dost promise that when two or three are gathered together in thy Name, thou wilt grant their requests:  Fulfill now, O Lord the desires and petitions of thy servants, as may be most expedient for them; granting us in this world, knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come, life everlasting.

      R: Amen.

      The thurifer now charges his thurible and the servers take up the standard candles as all sing the following hymn:

      Hail Mary, full of grace,

      The Lord is with thee.

      Blessed art thou among women,

      And blessed is the fruit of thy womb,

      For thou hast borne the Saviour of our souls.

      The Priest puts on the humeral veil and takes up the icon from its stand.  he turns to the people holding the Icon high, while everyone sings the ancient Old Believer hymn:

      Beneath thy mercy,

      we take refuge, O Virgin Theotokos:

      disdain not our supplications in our distress,

      but deliver us from perils,

      O only pure and blessed one.

      The Priest, thurifer, crucifer and taperers now process around the church with all singing the hymn:

      Ye who own the faith of Jesus,

      sing the wonders that were done

      when the love of God the Father

      over sin the victory won,

      when he made the Virgin Mary

      mother of his only Son.

      Hail Mary, hail Mary, hail Mary, full of grace.

      Blessed were the chosen people

      out of whom the Lord did come;

      blessed was the land of promise

      fashioned for his earthly home;

      but more blessed far the mother,

      she who bare him in her womb.

      Hail Mary, hail Mary, hail Mary, full of grace.

      Wherefore let all faithful people

      tell the honour of her name;

      let the Church, in her foreshadowed,

      part in her thanksgiving claim;

      what Christ's mother sang in gladness

      let Christ's people sing the same.

      Hail Mary, hail Mary, hail Mary, full of grace.

      Let us weave our supplications,

      she with us and we with her,

      for the advancement of the faithful,

      for each faithful worshipper,

      for the doubting, for the sinful,

      for each heedless wanderer.

      Hail Mary, hail Mary, hail Mary, full of grace.

      May the Mother's intercessions

      on our homes a blessing win,

      that the children all be prospered,

      strong and fair and pure within,

      following our Lord's own footsteps,

      firm in faith and free from sin.

      Hail Mary, hail Mary, hail Mary, full of grace.

      For the sick and for the aged,

      for our dear ones far away,

      for the hearts that mourn in secret,

      all who need our prayers today,

      for the faithful gone before us,

      may the holy Virgin pray.

      Hail Mary, hail Mary, hail Mary, full of grace.

      Praise, O Mary, praise the Father,

      praise thy Saviour and thy Son,

      praise the everlasting Spirit,

      who hath made thee ark and throne

      o'er all creatures high exalted,

      lowly praise the Three in One.

      Hail Mary, hail Mary, hail Mary, full of grace.

      The Priest arriving back at the Altar, turns to the people and makes the Sign of the Cross slowly with the icon over all the people as everyone sings the ancient Anglo-Saxon hymn and the thurifer standing to one side censes the icon, the servers raise their candles:

      Almighty and all merciful Queen,

      To whom all this world fleeth for succour,

      To have release from sin, of sorrow, and grief,

      Glorious Virgin, of all flowers the flower,

      To thee I flee, brought down by error.

      Help and relieve, thou mighty debonair,

      Have mercy on my perilous langour.

      Vanquish thou my cruel adversary.

    When the Priest has blessed everyone he then replaces the icon of Our Lady on its stand, crosses himself and goes and divests the humeral veil. As the celebrant and servers process out the following hymn may be sung.

      Her Virgin eyes saw God incarnate born,

      When she to Bethl'em came that happy morn;

      How high her raptures then began to swell,

      None but her own omniscient Son can tell.

      As Eve when she her fontal sin reviewed,

      Wept for herself and all she should include,

      Blest Mary with man's Saviour in embrace

      Joyed for herself and for all human race.

      All saints are by her Son's dear influence blessed,

      She kept the very fountain at her breast;

      The Son adored and nursed by the sweet Maid

      A thousandfold of love for love repaid.

      Heaven with transcendent joys her entrance graced,

      Next to his throne her Son his Mother placed;

      And here below, now she's of heaven possessed,

      All generations are to call her blessed.