The pre-Lenten season of Septuagesima is rapidly approaching, with Septuagesima Sunday on January 28. As done in 2017, we will continue the restoration of an ancient tradition by burying the Alleluia before the TLM at St Mary’s in Pine Bluff.
From last year’s post:
What is the “burying of the Alleluia”?
In the Medieval churches of Western Europe, various customs arose around the final “Alleluia” which concludes First Vespers of Septuagesima. Especially in the French and Germanic lands, this often included writing the word “Alleluia” on a cloth or parchment, placing this in a catafalque, and burying it as at a funeral, to be uncovered after the joy of Easter Sunday. This act would be accompanied by hymns and canticles, most notably the hymn Alleluia, dulce carmen (O sweet song, alleluia), of French origin. The pre-Tridentine Germanic missals even included a Sequence bidding farewell to “Alleluia” on Septuagesima, Cantemus cuncti melodum nunc alleluia (Let us all now sing the melodious alleluia).
The Alleluia will be buried beneath the church basement immediately before the 7:30 am Mass at St Mary’s on Septuagesima Sunday.