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year and its parts, and the manner of determining the movable
feasts. The general rubrics (Rubricae gerzerales 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 rnissarn, 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 missarurri 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 (Propriurn
sanctorum), containing what is special to each saint's day in the
order of the calendar, and by the Commune sanciorum, 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 apostolic.”
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.
I. The priest who is to celebrate, having previously confessed (if
necessary) and having finished matms an auds, 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 ri ht and the
sub deacon on his left. After invoking the Trinity (In nomine
Patris, &c.) he repeats alternately with those who are with him the
psalm “ ludica me, Deus, ” which is preceded in the usual way by an
antiphon (lntroibo ad altare Dei), and followed also by the G oria
and Antiphon.' The versicle “ Adjutorium nostrum, " with its
This antiphon is not to be confounded with the Antiphona ad
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 versicle's and
responses beginning “ Deus, tu con versus " 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 secretl The
epistle for the day is then read by the sub deacon, and is followed
by the gradual, tract, alleluia or sequence, according to the time!
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 tub.” Having kissed the hand ot 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 evangelic dicta deleantur
nostra delicta.” The celebrant then standing at the middle of the
altar smgs the words “ Credo in unum Deum, " and the rest of the
N icene 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 sub deacon water, and before the celebrant
mixes the water with the wine he blesses it in the prayer “ Deus
ui 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 splritu humilitatis, " and, lifting up his e es and stretching
out his hands, proceeds with “ Veni sanctifi/cator." After
blessing the incense (“ Per intercession em beati Michaelis archangel
”) he takes the thurible from the deacon and censes the
read 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 Surs-um corda, and the rest of the Prefzue.
A different intonation is given for each of the preface sf At
the Sanctus the handbell is rung. If there is a choir the Sanctus
is sung while the celebrant goes on with the canon? 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
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
(;]o8§). It is omitted in masses for the dead and during Holy
ee
2 A form very similar to the present is given by Micrologus, and it
is foreshadowed even in liturgical literature of the 8th century.
3 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.
4 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.
5 On certain days the Credo is omitted.
~° Now eleven; they were at one time much more numerous.
7 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.,<noinclude><references/></div></noinclude>