year and its parts, and the manner of determining the movable
feasts. The general rubrics (Rubricae generales missalis)
follow, explaining what are the various kinds of mass which may
be celebrated, prescribing the hours of celebration, the kind and
colour of vestments to be used, and the ritual to be followed
(ritus celebrandi missam), and giving directions as to what is to
be done in case of various defects or imperfections which may
arise. The Praeparatio ad missam, which comes next, is a short
manual of devotion containing psalms, hymns and prayers to be
used as opportunity may occur before and after celebration.
Next comes the proper of the season (Proprium missarum de
tempore), occupying more than half of the entire Volume. It
contains the proper introit, collect (one or more), epistle, gradual
(tract or sequence), gospel, offertory, secreta (one or more),
communion and post-communion for every Sunday of the year,
and also for the festivals and ferias connected with the ecclesiastical
seasons, as well as the offices peculiar to the ember days,
Holy Week, Easter and Whitsuntide. Between the office for
Holy Saturday and that for Easter Sunday the ordinary of the
mass (Ordo missae), with the solemn and proper prefaces for the
year, and the canon of the mass are inserted. The proper of
the season is followed by the proper of the saints (Proprium
sanctorum), containing what is special to each saint’s day in the
order of the calendar, and by the Commune sanctorum, containing
such offices as the common of one martyr and bishop, the common
of one martyr not a bishop, the common of many martyrs in
paschal time, the common of many martyrs out of paschal time,
and the like. A variety of masses to be used at the feast of the
dedication of a church, of masses for the dead, and of votive
masses (as for the sick, for persons journeying, for bridegroom
and bride) follow, and also certain benedictions. Most missals
have an appendix also containing certain local masses of saints
to be celebrated “ex indulto apostolico.”
Masses fall into two great subdivisions: (1) ordinary or regular (secundum ordinem officii), celebrated according to the regular rotation of fast and feast, vigil and feria, in the calendar; (2) extraordinary or occasional (extra ordinem officii), being either “votive” of “for the dead,” and from the nature of the case having no definite time prescribed for them. Festival masses are either double, half-double or simple, an ordinary Sunday mass being a half-double. The difference depends on the number of collects and secretae; on a double only one of each is offered, on a half-double there are two or three, and on a simple there may be as many as five, or even seven, of each. Any mass may be either high (missa solennis) or low (missa privata). The distinction depends upon the number of officiating clergy, certain differences of practice as to what is pronounced aloud and what inaudibly, the use or absence of incense, certain gestures and the like. Solitary masses are forbidden; there must be at least an acolyte to give the responses. The vestments prescribed for the priest are the amice, alb, cingulum or girdle, maniple, stole and chasuble (planeta). There are certain distinctions of course for a bishop or abbot. The colour of the vestments and of the drapery of the altar varies according to the day, being either white, red, green, violet or black. This last custom does not go much further back than Innocent III., who explains the symbolism intended (see Vestments).
Subjoined is an account of the manner of celebrating high mass according to the rite at present in force.
1. The priest who is to celebrate, having previously confessed (if necessary) and having finished matins and lauds, is to seek leisure for private prayer (fasting) and to use as he has opportunity the “prayers before mass” already referred to. How the robing in the sacristy is next to be gone about is minutely prescribed, and prayers are given to be used as each article is put on. The sacramental elements having previously been placed on the altar or on a credence table, the celebrant enters the church and takes his stand before the lowest step of the altar, having the deacon on his right and the subdeacon on his left. After invoking the Trinity (In nomine Patris, &c.) he repeats alternately with those who are with him the psalm “Judica me, Deus,” which is preceded in the usual way by an antiphon (Introibo ad altare Dei), and followed also by the Gloria and Antiphon.[1] The versicle “Adjutorium nostrum,” with its response “Qui fecit,” is followed by the “Confiteor,”[2] said alternately by the priest and by the attendants, who in turn respond with the prayer for divine forgiveness, “Misereatur.” The priest then gives the absolution (“Indulgentiam”), and after the versicles and responses beginning “Deus, tu conversus” he audibly says, “Oremus,” and ascending to the altar silently offers two short prayers, one asking for forgiveness and liberty of access through Christ, and another indulgence for himself, “through the merits of the saints whose relics are here." Receiving the thurible from the deacon he censes the altar, and is thereafter himself censed by the deacon. He then reads the Introit, which is also sung by the choir; the Kyrie eleison is then said, after which the words Gloria in excelsis[3] are sung by the celebrant and the rest of the hymn completed by the choir.
2. Kissing the altar, and turning to the people with the formula “Dominus vobiscum,” the celebrant proceeds with the collect or collects proper to the season or day, which are read secretly. The epistle for the day is then read by the subdeacon, and is followed by the gradual, tract, alleluia or sequence, according to the time.[4] This finished, the deacon places the book of the gospels on the altar, and the celebrant blesses the incense. The deacon kneels before the altar and offers the prayer “Munda cor meum,” afterwards takes the book from the altar, and kneeling before the celebrant asks his blessing, which he receives with the words “Dominus sit in corde tuo.” Having kissed the hand of the priest, he goes accompanied by acolytes with incense and lighted candles to the pulpit, and with a “Dominus vobiscum” and minutely prescribed crossings and censings gives out and reads the gospel for the day, at the close of which “Laus tibi, Christe” is said, and the book is brought to the celebrant and kissed with the words “Per evangelica dicta deleantur nostra delicta.” The celebrant then standing at the middle of the altar sings the words “Credo in unum Deum,” and the rest of the Nicene creed is sung by the choir.[5]
3. With “Dominus vobiscum” and “Oremus” the celebrant proceeds to read the offertory, which is also sung by the choir. This finished he receives the paten with the host from the deacon, and after offering the host with the prayer beginning “Suscipe, Sancte Pater” places it upon the corporal. The deacon then ministers wine and the subdeacon water, and before the celebrant mixes the water with the wine he blesses it in the prayer “Deus qui humanae." He then takes the chalice, and having offered it (“Offerimus tibi, Domine”) places it upon the corporal and covers it with the pall. Slightly bowing over the altar, he then offers the prayer “In spiritu humilitatis,” and, lifting up his eyes and stretching out his hands, proceeds with “Veni sanctificator.” After blessing the incense (“Per intercessionem beati Michaelis archangeli”) he takes the thurible from the deacon and censes the bread and wine and altar, and is afterwards himself censed as well as the others in their order. Next going to the epistle side of the altar he washes his fingers as he recites the verses of the 26th Psalm beginning “Lavabo.” Returning and bowing before the middle of the altar, with joined hands he says, “Suscipe, sancta Trinitas,” then turning himself towards the people he raises his voice a little and says, “Orate, fratres” (“that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the Father Almighty”), the response to which is “Suscipiat Dominus sacrificium de manibus tuis,” &c. He then recites the secret prayer or prayers, and at the end says, with an audible voice, “Per omnia saecula saeculorum” (R. “Amen”).
4. Again saluting with a “Dominus vobiscum,” he lifts up his hands and goes on to the Sursum corda, and the rest of the Preface. A different intonation is given for each of the prefaces.[6] At the Sanctus the handbell is rung. If there is a choir the Sanctus is sung while the celebrant goes on with the canon.[7] After the words of consecration of the wafer, which are said “secretly, distinctly and attentively,” the celebrant kneels and adores the
host, rising elevates it, and replacing it on the corporal again adores- ↑ This antiphon is not to be confounded with the Antiphona ad Introitum further on. This use of the 43rd Psalm goes as far back at least as the end of the 11th century, being mentioned by Micrologus (1080). It is omitted in masses for the dead and during Holy Week.
- ↑ A form very similar to the present is given by Micrologus, and it is foreshadowed even in liturgical literature of the 8th century.
- ↑ During Lent and Advent, and in masses for the dead, this is omitted. In low masses it is of course said, not sung (if it is to be said). It may be added that this early position of the Gloria in excelsis is one of the features distinguishing Roman from Ephesine use.
- ↑ The tract is peculiar to certain occasions, especially of a mournful nature, and is sung by a single voice. By a sequence is understood a more or less metrical composition, not in the words of Scripture, having a special bearing on the festival of the day. See, for example, the sequence, “Lauda Sion Salvatorem,” on Corpus Christi day.
- ↑ On certain days the Credo is omitted.
- ↑ Now eleven; they were at one time much more numerous.
- ↑ The approved usage appears to be in that case that it is sung as far as “Hosanna in excelsis” before the elevation, and “Benedictus qui venit” is reserved till afterwards. In France it was a very common custom, made general for a time at the request of Louis XII., to sing “O salutaris hostia” at the elevation.
