Commemoration

[JohnRDOrazio]

Where is this term defined exactly? It seems that some languages may not use this term at all.

[JohnRDOrazio]

As regards memorials during lent that are reduced to "commemoration" : in Latin they are simply called "memoria ad libitum" in the Universal Norms published in 1969 and updated in 2002.

NORMAE UNIVERSALES DE ANNO LITURGICO ET DE CALENDARIO

N. 14
Memoriae vero obligatoriae, quae occurrunt in feriis Quadragesimae, solummodo tamquam memoriae ad libitum celebrari possunt.

The English translation also talks about "Optional Memorial":

Obligatory Memorials which fall on weekdays of Lent may only be celebrated as Optional Memorials.

And even the Italian translation talks about "Memoria facoltativa":

Le memorie obbligatorie che coincidono con le ferie della Quaresima si possono celebrare solamente come memorie facoltative.

So the terminology "commemoratio", "commemoration", and "commemorazione" is not specifically used in this context.

However in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, without using that specific terminology, the rule is stated that only the collect can be used from the optional memorial on the weekdays of Lent, on the weekdays of Advent from Dec. 17th, and on days within the Octave of Christmas:

355. On optional memorials,

On the weekdays of Advent from December 17 to December 24, on days within the Octave of Christmas, and on the weekdays of Lent, except Ash Wednesday and during Holy Week, the Mass for the current liturgical day is to be used; but the collect may be taken from a memorial which happens to be listed in the General Calendar for that day, except on Ash Wednesday and during Holy Week. On weekdays of the Easter Season, memorials of Saints may rightly be celebrated fully.

On the weekdays of Advent before December 17, the weekdays of the Christmas Season from January 2, and the weekdays of the Easter Season, it is possible to choose either the weekday Mass, or the Mass of the Saint, or the Mass of one of the Saints whose memorial is observed, or the Mass of any Saint listed in the Martyrology for that day.

On the weekdays in Ordinary Time, it is possible to choose either a weekday Mass, or the Mass of an optional memorial which happens to occur on that day, or the Mass of any Saint listed in the Martyrology for that day, or a Mass for Various Needs, or a Votive Mass.

https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20030317_ordinamento-messale_en.html#I._THE_CHOICE_OF_MASS

[JohnRDOrazio]

The liturgical ORDO for the Diocese of Rome defines the term "Commemorazione":

[JohnRDOrazio]

Transcription of the text from the Italian ORDO:

[7] Commemorazioni
Nelle ferie privilegiate di Avvento (17-24 dicembre), nelle ferie dell'Ottava di Natale e nelle ferie di Quaresima (fatta eccezione per il Mercoledì delle Ceneri e per le ferie della Settimana Santa), le memorie, anche quelle obbligatorie, si possono commemorare sostituendo la Colletta della feria con quella del santo. Tutto il resto è della feria (OGMR 355 a).

Translation into English:

[7] Commemorations
For the privileged weekdays during Advent (December 17-24), for the weekdays of the Octave of Christmas and the weekdays of Lent (with exception for Ash Wednesday and the weekdays of Holy Week), memorials, even if obligatory, can be commemorated by substituting the Collect of the weekday with that of the saint. Everything else is from the weekday (OGMR 355 a).

The quote is from the Ordinamento Generale del Messale Romano ( General Instruction of the Roman Missal ).

[JohnRDOrazio]

Other sources (non-liturgical) that use the term "Commemoration":

• https://it.cathopedia.org/wiki/Commemorazione
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commemoration_(liturgy)
• https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/commemorating-saints-in-lent-4516