Calendar of the Augustana Rite

The Calendar of the Augustana Rite conforms to that of the historic Western Rite prior to the Council of Trent. This Council codified the process of beatification and canonization for the Roman Rite, and established the proceedure for adding observances to the calendar.

In the ancient Church additions to the calendar were made based upon popular devotion, local significance, and immemorial observation. Because the Augustana Rite has no formal process for "creating" saints and making additions to the calendar, the more ancient form has been retained. Post-Reformation additions to the Calendar have been made according to this ancient norm.

The Ordo Anno almanacs presented here conform to the historic calendar of the Western Church. The feasts added to the Roman calendar after the time of the Reformation have not been incorporated unless doing so would be in keeping with the ancient customs indicated above. They were complied according to these principles, and according to the calendar rubrics as stated in the General Rubrics.

The basic calendar of the Western Rite is common to many denominations. Only minor variations occur in the seasonal (de Tempore) cycle. More significant variations are to be found in the sanctoral (de Sanctis) cycle. Calendars from a number of sources are also listed for comparison.

The 1731 Lutheran Almanac is a new addition to this catalog. It is of interest because it lists an observance for every feria of the year. Also included are the Gospel references for the Sundays. The titles listed in red are those which have not yet been clearly identified. They are, perhaps, saints that are of local or regional importance. The column at the right indicates the date of this festival in the universal calendar, if it differs from the day indicated in the almanac.

This 1731 Almanac appeared on two copper etchings celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession. The only difference between them is how various names are abbreviated. Copy A is a bit more readable than Copy B. (Please note that these graphics are about 2 megs each.) The Dedication page of this Festschrift has also been included.

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