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THE CATHOLIC ACTION SERIES

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DISCUSSION-CLUB TEXTBOOKS

THE SACRAMENTALS
A Study of the Origin, Nature, and Proper Use of

the Sacramentals of the Church

CHARLES J. McNEILL, A. B., Jour. M.
Associate Editor, The Register

Denver, Colorado

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY

REV. LEON A. McNEILL, M. A.
DIOCESAN SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION

WICHITA, KANSAS

VOL. 1. NO. 4

PUBLISHED BY THE

CATHOLIC ACTION COMMITTEE
424 NORTH BROADWAY

WICHITA, KANSAS

Price 25 Cents

w



?0

The Right Reverend Monsignor Matthew Smith

Editor in Chief of The Register

whose twenty-five years as a Catholic editor have

proved the value of modern journalistic tech-

niques in spreading the ancient truths of

Christ and whose labors have brought

new glories to Catholic journalism

in America.

Nihil Obstat

RICHARD J. DEI

Censor Librorum

Imprimatur

* AUG. J. SCHWERTNER

Wichita, June 29, 1938

Bishop of Wichita

COPYRIGHT, 193 8, CATHOLIC ACTION COMMITTEE

FIRST PRINTING, AUGUST, 193 8

DeacWified



CONTENTS

Introduction 2

The Religious Discussion Club 3

I. The Sacramentals in General 5

II. The Sign of the Cross, The Cross 8

III. The Crucifix, The Stations of the Cross, Veneration of the Cross-11

IV. The Rosary—A Crown of Roses—- 14

V. Holy Water 17

VI. Palms, Ashes, Incense - 20

VII. Blessed Candles 23

VIII. Agnus Deis, Medals, Scapulars, Blessed Cords 26

IX. The Church, Its Furnishings, Holy Oils _ 29

X. Liturgical Books 32

XI. Popular Devotions : - . 35

XII. Sacred Images 38

XIII. Blessings of Persons 41

XIV. Sacramentals in Agriculture 44

XV. Sacramentals in Industry 47

XVI. Family Sacramentals 50

Reference List Inside Back Cover



Introduction

The study of the origin, nature, and proper use of The Sacramentals of the

Church, as presented in this booklet, is the fourth unit in a series of courses

for religious discussion clubs published by the Catholic Action Committee of

the Diocese of Wichita. Altar and Sanctuary, an exposition of the externals of

the Mass; Praying the Mass, a study of the prayers and ceremonies of the holy

Sacrifice; and The Liturgical Year, an explanation of the cycles, seasons, and

feasts of the ecclesiastical year, are the first three units in the Catholic Action

Series, and their widespread acceptance in the field has demonstrated their use-

fulness with study groups which follow the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine’s

method of informal discussion.

Our Catholic people are more or less familiar with those “sacred objects

and actions” which the Church employs to obtain favors, especially those of a

spiritual nature, through her intercession. Very few of the faithful, however,

know the precise nature and proper use of the sacramentals, and few realize

how “the saving influence of the sacramentals is extended over the whole field

of human life and activity.” The object of this booklet on the sacramentals,

therefore, is to render helpful service to members of cooperative study groups,

who not only wish to fulfill their more essential religious obligations, but who

also have a desire to know their religion better, to deepen their inward con-

viction, and to bring the “inner splendor of a right and unsullied conscience”

into conformity with the external observances of their daily lives.

This manual has been developed in strict adherence to suggestions for

preparation of discussion-club texts issued by the National Center of the Con-

fraternity of Christian Doctrine. The subject is presented in a series of six-

teen brief lessons adapted to the knowledge and experience of the average lay

group. At the end of each chapter will be found suggested religious practices

and an outline for discussion based exclusively on the content of the chapter.

The textbook contains material for two semesters, and is, therefore, designed to

serve during a complete discussion-club season.

To His Excellency, the Most Reverend Aug. J. Schwertner, D. D., Bishop of

Wichita, who has omitted no opportunity to encourage the development of suit-

able materials for discussion clubs; to the Most Rev. A. J. Muench, D. D., Bishop

of Fargo, who suggested a treatment of the sacramentals for use of discussion

clubs; to C. J. McNeill, author of The Sacramentals, to whom we are closely united
by fraternal bonds of blood and of faith; to Rt. Rev. Msgr. Matthew J. Smith,

editor in chief of The Register, Denver, Colorado, Rev. F. Gregory Smith, na-

tional chairman of discussion clubs in the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine,

Rev. Clarence G. Issenmann, S. T. D., of The Catholic Telegraph-Register staff,

Cincinnati, Ohio, Rev. Roger Schoenbechler, O. S. B., Collegeville, Minnesota, Rev.

Richard J. Dei, Censor Librorum, Wichita, and Mrs. C. J. McNeill, wife of the

author, for patient and helpful examination of copy; to our esteemed coworker,

Angela A. Clendenin, for assistance in editing the manuscript for publication;

and to a host of generous souls, clerical, religious, and lay, who are active in the

extensive program of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine in the Diocese of

Wichita, we express our heartfelt gratitude and deep appreciation.

We pray the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Whose solemn feast the Mystical Body
is now celebrating, to bless the mission of this booklet among His beloved brethren

here on earth.

(Rev.) Leon A. McNeill, M. A.

Diocesan Superintendent of Education

Wichita, Kansas

June 24, 1938



The Religious Discussion Club

ORGANIZATION
1. A discussion club should ordinarily consist of from eight to twelve

members. If a greater number of persons are interested, two or more groups may

be formed.

2. In addition to a leader, a secretary should be elected by the members or

appointed by the presiding officer of the organization within which the club is

being formed.

3. The parish priest or some other member of the clergy should be invited

to act as spiritual director or moderator of the club.

DUTIES OF OFFICERS
1. The leader should preside at all meetings.

2. The leader, or some member of the club appointed by the leader, should

guide the informal discussion, using the outline which appears at the end of

each chapter. He should keep the discussion within the limits of the day’s

study, and at the close of the session give a summary of the points covered in

the lesson.

3. The secretary should call the roll, keep a brief record of the meetings,

and perform other duties belonging to the office.

4. The spiritual director or moderator need not attend all the meetings,

but he may encourage the members and show his interest by occasional visits.

When a question arises which cannot be answered correctly by the members of
the club, it should be referred to the spiritual director.

MEETINGS
1. Meetings should be held weekly in homes of members, in the parish

hall, or in a classroom of the parish school.

2. Meetings should start promptly and close on time, begin and end with

prayer, and continue not longer than an hour and a half.

3. Order of meeting: Prayer, roll call, secretary’s report, discussion, sum-

mary by leader, assignment for next meeting, adjournment with prayer.

HOW TO USE THE TEXTBOOK
1. Every member of the club should be provided with a textbook and should

read the lesson selected for study before the meeting.

2. The material is presented in sixteen brief chapters, sufficient for a year’s

cooperative study by a discussion club. It is suggested that the first eight les-

sons be covered during the fall term, and the remaining eight lessons during

the spring term.

3. Members should be encouraged to adopt the religious practices suggested

at the close of each chapter.

4. Special attention should be given to the discussion outlines which follow

the chapters. They will be found helpful both in the preparation of the lessons

and in the actual discussion by members of the club.

5. Books, magazine and newspaper articles, pictures and other illustrative

materials which have a bearing on the lesson ought to be brought to the at-

tention of the club. It is suggested that clippings and pictures be preserved in

a club scrapbook.

3



4 THE SACRAMENTALS

ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS

1. A suitable name should be selected for the club. The practice of placing
religious studies under the patronage of the saints is in keeping with Catholic

ideals.

2. Occasional lectures or informal talks by members of the clergy or the

laity on certain phases of the liturgy, or on any of the subjects touched upon or

suggested in the text, will stimulate interest and widen the field of study. These

activities should not, however, be promoted at the expense of the regular club

programs.

3. At the close of the club season, a joint meeting of the discussion groups of

the parish or of several parishes may be arranged. Pageants, plays, tableaux,

illustrated lectures, travel talks, or any other suitable form of entertainment

may be planned by a central committee composed of representatives of all the
groups taking part.

REFERENCES
1. The books, pamphlets, and magazines included in the reference list are

recommended to those who wish to make a more intensive study of the sacra-

mentals, or who may wish to do supplementary reading in the general field of
the liturgy.

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I

I PRAYER TO THE HOLY GHOST

“Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of the faithful:

and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.

V. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created

R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray

I

*

Oh God, Who hast taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the s

Holy Ghost, give us by the same Spirit a love and relish of what is right =

and just, and the constant enjoyment of His comforts. Through Christ i

our Lord. Amen.” 1

Hail Mary
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THE SACRAMENTALS IN GENERAL 5

I

The Sacramentals in General

By His death on the cross, Christ atoned for man’s sins and merited a super-
abundance of grace for all men in all times. Christ’s merits are dispensed by
the Church, which He founded to sanctify men. The principal means of grace
are the sacraments, outward signs instituted by Christ to give grace. Only the

essential elements of the sacraments were determined by Christ. As time went

on, certain rites and formulas became fixed and are now prescribed for their ad-
ministration. These ceremonies came to be known as sacramentals because of

their connection with the sacraments.

Besides the ceremonies used in administering the sacraments, the Church

has always used other ceremonies and objects to increase the religious fervor of

her members and to convey grace to souls. These other objects and actions are

called sacramentals because of their resemblance to the sacraments.

DEFINITION OF SACRAMENTALS: “Sacramentals are sacred objects
and actions which the Church, in a certain imitation of the sacraments, employs

for the purpose of obtaining especially spiritual favors through her interces-

sion.” 1 Thus a sacramental is anything set apart or blessed by the Church to

excite good thoughts and to increase devotion, and, through these movements

of the heart, to produce grace and to remit venial sin or the temporal punish-

ment due to sin.

DIFFERENCE FROM SACRAMENTS: The sacramentals differ from the
sacraments in these ways: The sacraments were instituted by Christ Himself,

the sacramentals by Christ’s Church. The sacraments are forever limited to

the seven instituted by the Redeemer (Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist,

Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and Matrimony). The sacramentals are

subject in number and kind only to the determination of the Church, acting

through the Holy See, which alone can constitute, interpret, and abolish or

modify the sacramentals.2 The sacraments produce grace directly in the soul

if there is no obstacle on the part of the recipient. The sacramentals do not

produce grace infallibly, but, by inciting pious dispositions, they prepare the

soul to receive grace and thus indirectly produce it. The prayers used in the

sacramentals merely ask God to grant certain graces or to produce certain effects.

The formulas used in the sacraments, except in Extreme Unction, positively

declare that God is producing certain effects in the soul. The effects of the

sacramentals depend on the prayer of the Church and the dispositions of the

recipient. Finally, the sacraments give or increase sanctifying grace; sacra-

mentals give actual graces.

KINDS OF SACRAMENTALS: The official law of the Church says that
sacramentals include: 1. Sacred objects. 2. Actions. Some fall under both

classes; for instance, the rosary and the Stations of the Cross. Sacramental ob-

jects include all things which the Church has blessed or consecrated in a special

way to the service of God—the cross, the crucifix, holy water, palms, ashes, in-
cense, candles, medals, scapulars, sacred vestments and vessels, church bells,

holy oils, and sacred images. Sacramental actions include the prayers and cere-

monies connected with but not essential to Mass and the sacraments; other pray-

ers, especially the Divine Office and common prayer in families; devotions such

as litanies and novenas; exorcisms, and blessings and consecrations of persons

or things. Blessings of persons include those for abbots and other religious, those

for the sick, and those intimately connected with Christian family life. Bless-

ings of things include those of religious objects like rosaries and sacred vessels,

also those connected with agricultural, industrial, and family life.

1. Canon 1144. 2. Canon 1145.



6 THE SACRAMENTALS

BLESSINGS AND CONSECRATIONS: Blessings are prayers drawing
down God’s favor on a person or thing. Any priest can perform the common
blessings not specifically reserved to the pope, the bishops, or members of cer-
tain religious communities. There are two kinds of blessings: constitutive and

invocative. A constitutive blessing renders an object, such as a rosary, or a per-
son, such as an abbot, permanently sacred and devoted in a special way to
God’s service. Constitutive blessings are called consecrations if holy chrism is

used in imparting them. Only a bishop can consecrate objects unless the power

to consecrate is specifically given to a cleric of lower rank. Invocative bless-

ings merely ask God’s favor on a person or object, such as an infant or an article

of food. Blessings are real if given to things, personal if given to human beings.

EXORCISMS: An exorcism is a command given in the name of God, order-
ing the devil to depart from a person, place, or thing. Scripture proves that

God sometimes permits demons to exercise influence over men and things. The
influence may include inhabitation of a body by a devil. This is called diabolical
possession. The purpose of exorcisms is to compel devils to cease their evil

interference in human affairs. In using exorcisms, the Church follows Christ’s

own example and fulfills His commission to expel devils in His name .3 Exor-

cisms are included in some ordinary functions, such as in blessing holy water

or sick persons. Others are used to drive the devil out of things or persons

subjected to real diabolical possession. The minor order of exorcist confers on

the cleric the power to exorcise, but no clergyman is allowed to use the solemn

ceremony without special permission of the bishop.

EFFICACY OF SACRAMENTALS: Sacramentals are not to be used with
any superstitious reliance on their efficacy. Blessed objects have no power in

themselves. Their whole value lies in their designation by the Church for sacred

purposes, in the efficacy of the Church’s prayer, and in the merits won by Christ

and translated to us through the Church. In using any sacramental, the indi-

vidual unites himself with the whole Church and acts as a living member of the

Mystical Body, of which Christ is the head and all the faithful are members.

Thus the sacramentals have an efficacy beyond that of mere private devotions,

for they partake of the Church’s activity as a living organism that carries on

the very life and work of Christ Himself. As such they are invaluable aids to

salvation.

BENEFITS ATTACHED: Not only does the Church set aside or bless ob-
jects for sacred usage; she also attaches determined benefits to certain of these

objects and to specified good works. In blessing some sacramentals, she asks

God to grant specific favors and to protect the faithful from specific dangers or

evils. The favors attached to many sacramentals are expressed in terms of in-

dulgences. An indulgence is the remission, outside confession, in whole or in part

of the temporal punishment due to sin that is already forgiven. As the adminis-

trator of God’s grace, the Church has the power to remit the penalty attached

to offenses against the law of God. An indulgence is not a license to sin nor a
forgiveness of sin. An indulgence can be gained only by those who have already
obtained forgiveness of the sins whose temporal punishment is to be remitted.

The recipient must be in the state of grace and must perform the works pre-

scribed by the Church.

GOODNESS AND BEAUTY: Since God is supreme goodness and beauty,
it is fitting that the things used in His service should have in themselves goodness

and beauty. Sacramental prayers and ceremonies are beautiful in both form

and language. Sacramental objects should likewise be things of beauty. In

choosing sacred objects, the man who truly loves God, the source of all beauty,

should be satisfied only with those things which are really artistic and which

best illustrate the aims of the Church in blessing articles for God’s service.

3. Mark XVI, 17.



THE SACRAMENTALS IN GENERAL 7

USE OF SACRAMENTALS: The sacramentals are to be used with rever-
ence due to the things of God, with a disposition to accept and use well the

graces God may grant as a result of the good works. Objects rendered sacred

by the Church’s prayer must never be used for profane purposes nor for ends

other than those intended by the Church.

AIDS TO SALVATION : The sacraments are necessary for salvation. Sacra-
mentals are not necessary for salvation and their use is not commanded. They

are, however, very useful in gaining salvation, and their use has always been

recommended by the Church. They can never supplant the sacraments or the

central act of worship, the Mass. While being kept in their subordinate place

as means of grace, the sacramentals should be employed constantly for the

graces which follow from their use. Nothing that will further the salvation of

the soul can safely be neglected, and the saving influence of the sacramentals

is extended over the whole field of human life and activity.

WHAT THE HOLY FATHER SAID: In his encyclical on Atheistic Com-
munism, Pope Pius XI wrote: “There are too many who fulfill more or less faith-
fully the more essential obligations of the religion they boast of professing, but

have no desire of knowing it better, of deepening their inward conviction, and

still less of bringing into conformity with the external gloss the inner splendor

of a right and unsullied conscience, that recognizes and performs all its duties

under the eye of God.” Use of the sacramentals promotes both that better

knowledge and that deeper inward conviction of the religion which we profess.

SUGGESTED PRACTICES
1. Develop a right attitude toward the sacramentals by knowing more about

them, and rely on their efficacy, not because of any power they may possess of
themselves, but because of the prayer of the Church and the merits of Christ.

2. Use the sacramentals to increase your knowledge and love of God and to aid

in your eternal salvation.

DISCUSSION OUTLINE
1. What are the principal means of grace ? What name was given to the

ceremonies used in administering the sacraments ?

2. Why is this same name given also to other ceremonies and objects ?
3. What is a sacramental?

4. How do the sacramentals differ from the sacraments: in institution? in
number? in effecting grace? in the prayers used?

5. What are the two principal classes of sacramentals ? Give examples of some
sacramentals which fall under both classes.

6. Name some of the principal sacramentals.

7. What are blessings ? Who is the ordinary minister of common blessings ?
What are the two general classes of blessings ? How do they differ ?

8. What are consecrations? Who is the ordinary minister of consecrations?
9. What is an exorcism ? On whose authority do priests conduct exorcisms ?

May a priest conduct solemn exorcisms of possessed persons at will?
10. Do the sacramentals possess any power in themselves ? Whence do they

derive their value?

11. How are the favors attached to many sacramentals expressed? What is an
indulgence? What is necessary for a person to gain an indulgence?

12. Why should sacramental objects be things of beauty? Why should they be
treated with reverence ?

13. Is the use of the sacramentals necessary for salvation ? If not, why should

we bother about them?

14. Discuss Pope Pius XI’s remarks on those who do no more than fulfill the

more essential obligations of religion.



8 THE SACRAMENTALS

II

The Sign of the Cross, The Cross
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”

These words and the action that goes with them form the most common sacra-
mental—the sign of the cross. By it, we profess our Christianity and signify the
chief mysteries of our faith. The sign of the cross brings to mind the unity

and trinity of God, the incarnation and death of our Lord. It is an act of faith,

hope, and love. It obtains grace for its user, repels evil spirits, and wards off

spiritual and temporal dangers. It is much used in the liturgy, and indulgences

are attached to it.

FORMS OF THE SIGN OF THE CROSS: The earliest form was made
with the thumb by tracing a small cross on the forehead, on other parts of the

body, or on objects. This type is still used in the Mass, in which the priest

traces a cross on the book of the Gospels or on the Missal, then makes it on his

forehead, lips, and breast. This triple cross is found also in some other rites, and

should be used by the faithful at the beginning of the Gospel at Mass.

In another form, the priest or bishop traces the sign in the air. This cross

recurs often in the liturgy and in blessings.

The principal type is the large form made thus upon ourselves: Placing

the left hand on the breast, we raise the right hand to the forehead, saying,

“In the name of the Father”; then move the hand down to the breast, saying,

“and of the Son”; proceed to the left shoulder, saying, “and of the Holy Ghost”;

then to the right shoulder, saying, “Amen.” The process is not jerky nor divided

into such sharp divisions as must be made in explaining it. This large form

developed gradually from the smaller. It signifies the dedication of one’s entire

being to God. An old custom of Spain and some other nations, that of kissing
the thumb after completing the sign, may still be seen among persons of Spanish

descent in this country.

SANCTIFIED BY CHRIST: When Christ redeemed fallen man by His death,
the ancient symbol of the cross was sanctified. That it should be used from the

beginning as a mark of His followers was only natural. By it, the first Chris- .

tians made themselves known to one another. Today it remains the sign of the

follower of Christ, for outside the true Church it has been discarded.

GREAT MYSTERIES SIGNIFIED: By the words “In the name,” we call
to mind the unity of God. “Of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy

Ghost” express the mystery of the trinity. The very form of the action symbol-

izes our redemption by Christ on the cross. We touch the forehead first and name
God the Father, then name the Son, to show that Christ proceeds from the Father.

We touch the breast and then the shoulders to show that the Holy Ghost pro-
ceeds from both the Father and the Son. St. Ambrose says we touch our fore-

heads also to profess belief in God, our hearts to show love for Him, our shoulders

to prove that we will work for Him.

ASKS EVERY BLESSING: The sign of the cross shows our desire to win
every blessing merited by Christ. By it, we dedicate ourselves to Christ, place

ourselves under His protection, and ask to partake in all His graces.

IN ALL OUR ACTIONS: We should use the sign of the cross constantly
in our daily lives. Tertullian (160-230) wrote: “In all our travels and move-

ments, in all our coming in and going out, in putting on our shoes, at the bath,

at the table, in lighting our candles, in lying down, in sitting down, whatever

employment occupieth us, we mark our foreheads with the sign of the cross.” 1

So should the sign be used by Christians today.

1. De Corona Militis, iii.



THE SIGN OF THE CROSS, THE CROSS 9

WEAPON AGAINST EVIL: In time of temptation, the sign of the cross
is man’s best weapon against Satan. St. John Chrysostom (347-407) says: “If

you thus engrave it on your forehead, no impure spirit will dare to stand be-

fore you. He sees the blade with which he has been wounded, the sword with

which he has received his death blow.” The very sign of Christ’s death repels

evil spirits and is a protection against both spiritual and temporal evils.

USE IN LITURGY: The Church’s regard for this sacramental is proved
by its use in the Mass, in the sacraments, in all public and private ceremonies

and prayers. For example, at Mass it is used about fifty times; in the adminis-

tration of Baptism, it is made fourteen times; in Extreme Unction, seventeen

times; in the blessing of holy water, twelve times.

INDULGENCES GIVEN: In 1863, Pope Pius IX attached an indulgence
of fifty days to making the sign of the cross. In 1876, he granted an indulgence

of 100 days for making the sign with holy water.

THE CROSS
“A sign of shame became a sign of glory”

REGARD OF ANCIENTS: Ancient peoples almost universally regarded the
cross as a mystic or religious symbol. In Egypt and Assyria, it typified creative

power. In India, Mexico, and Peru, it had the same meaning. Many nations,

however, used it for the execution of criminals. The Romans, to whom the Jews
were subject at the time of Christ, used the cross only in executing the lowest

criminals—insubordinate slaves, common brigands, and the like. The Romans had
no regard for the cross as a mystic symbol. For them it was merely an instru-

ment of torture.

AN IGNOMINIOUS DEATH: Hence Christ’s death on the cross was an
ignominious one; His, the death of the lowest malefactor. Yet His dying sanctified

this shameful tree and gave to His followers a common sign of their faith and
their Master. The early Christians, to protect themselves from the savage treat-

ment of the Roman emperors, did not use the cross openly, but disguised it under
various forms—the Greek letter X, the trident, the anchor, and several monograms.

“WORSHIPPERS OF THE CROSS”: So universal was the use of the cross
as a Christian symbol that the pagans called followers of Christ “worshippers

of the cross.” They added that the Christians “deserve that which they wor-

ship.” The proud Romans considered the Christians worthy of the same shame-
ful death their Master had died. The Emperor Constantine, who found victory in
the sign of the cross, abolished the cross as an instrument of capital punishment

and promoted its use as an object of veneration.

TRUE CROSS DISCOVERED: After St. Helena’s discovery of the true
cross at Jerusalem in the fourth century, devotion to the cross increased rapidly

and its use became more open. Particles of the true cross were distributed

over Christendom, and today these particles, many in churches of our own
country, are still venerated. A particle of the true cross is placed in all pectoral
crosses worn by bishops and abbots. A relic of the true cross is also necessary
to give the blessing of St. Maurice over the sick, as described in the Roman
Ritual.

USE IN CHRISTIAN ART: More widespread now is devotion to the cruci-
fix, but the plain cross is still used as a symbol of our faith. Throughout the
centuries it has been employed in Christian art. It is a frequent ornament on
churches and other institutions, on vestments and sacred vessels. It is worn by
many devout persons.

MAY BE BLESSED: The simple cross or the crucifix may be blessed and
used as a powerful sacramental. For instance, the indulgences granted for
making the Stations of the Cross are actually attached to the wooden crosses
that must surmount the images or pictures representing the scenes of the



10 THE SACRAMENTALS

passion. The apostolic indulgences, those conferred by the blessing of the pope

himself, can be attached to a cross. The power to confer these indulgences is

now held by many priests. The benefits can be conferred by the priest’s mere

act of making the sign of the cross over the object.

VARIOUS FORMS: Various forms of the cross have always been used.
The one most common today is the Latin cross, the kind on which Christ died.

In it the upright beam extends above the crossbar. Others are the Greek cross,

having four limbs of equal length; St. Andrew’s cross, formed like the letter X;

the Maltese cross, having four equal triangular limbs; the Celtic cross, whose

arms are connected by a circle; the Tau cross, resembling the Hebrew or Greek

letter T; the Egyptian ansated cross, with a circular handle at its top. One

with two crossbars is sometimes called an archiepiscopal or patriarchal cross and

is used in the heraldic arms of archbishops and patriarchs.

FEASTS IN THE LITURGY : Several days are dedicated to the cross in
the Church’s liturgy. The feast of the Invention (Finding) of the True Cross

is celebrated on May 3 in the Western Church; the feast of the Exaltation of the
Cross, on September 14. The Eastern rites have various other festivals. The

veneration of the cross is an important part of the Good Friday ritual. Crosses

are carried at the head of liturgical processions and are worn by bishops and

by members of many religious orders.

SUGGESTED PRACTICES
1. When making the sign of the cross, recall the mysteries of faith which this

sacramental signifies.

2. Keep a blessed cross in your home, and take part in services honoring the

true cross.

DISCUSSION OUTLINE
1. The sign of the cross is the Church’s most common sacramental. What does

it signify and what ends does it serve?

2. Discuss the earliest form of the sign of the cross. What other form is used

by priests and bishops ?

3. How do we make the common sign of the cross ? What pious old custom is
preserved by Spanish-Americans in the United States ?

4. What use did the early Christians make of the sign of the cross ? Does it

serve the same purpose today ?

5. What great mysteries are signified by the sign of the cross ? What does St.

Ambrose say of the reasons for touching forehead, heart, and shoulders ?

6. What blessings are desired by those who devoutly use the sign of the cross ?

What did Tertullian say about making the sign of the cross ?

7. What of the sign of the cross as a weapon against evil ?

8. How is the sign of the cross used in the liturgy? What indulgences are at-
tached to its use?

9. How did the Romans differ from other ancient peoples in their attitude
toward the cross ?

10. After the cross was sanctified by Christ’s death, why did not the early

Christians use it openly as a sign of their faith ? How did they disguise it ?
What did the Romans call the Christians ?

11. What events led to the more open use of the cross ? How has the cross been
used since these happenings ?

12. What indulgences may be attached to a cross?

13. Discuss some of the forms of the cross that have been used.

14. When does the Western Church keep feasts of the cross? What about its
other uses in liturgical functions?



THE CRUCIFIX, THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS 11

III

The Crucifix, The Stations of the Cross

Veneration of the Cross

The painter, C. Bosseron Chambers, stepped into New York’s Church of the

Holy Innocents one evening. Huddled before a great crucifix was a man marked

by a dissolute life but marked too by an overpowering contrition. The penitent

that evening was converted from his life of sin, and the artist conceived his great

picture, “The Return.” That crucifix is known as the famous “Return Crucifix.”

Before it many sinners have found salvation. There America’s soldier poet,

Joyce Kilmer, found his way to Christ—through the crucifix.
If the cross, the symbol of redemption, has been a source of strength to

Christians, the crucifix, the actual representation of the act of redemption, has

been a source of even greater strength. A crucifix is a cross to which is attached
an image of our Lord’s body.

SYMBOLS WERE USED: As the early Christians were afraid to use the
cross openly, they were also afraid to use the crucifix openly. They, therefore,

used symbols of the crucifixion—the lamb reclining beside an anchor, the dolphin
twined about the trident.

IDEALIZED REPRESENTATION: After the sixth century, the image of
Christ on the cross was used openly. The crucifix was at first an idealized rep-

resentation of Christ’s death. The Savior was shown robed in a tunic and ruling

from the cross as Master of the universe, as Christ the King. This type was

generally used until about the thirteenth century, when it was replaced by the

more realistic type with which we are now familiar. But in our time, with the

liturgical revival, has come a return to the ancient symbolic crucifix, showing

a radiant and glorious Christ reigning from the cross. The great Benedictine

liturgical center, Maria Laach Abbey in Germany, is the source of many beauti-
ful modern crucifixes of this style.

A SUFFERING CHRIST: The common crucifix portrays the torn body
of Christ, wearing a loincloth, nailed to the cross. The word crucifix is from

the Latin “cruci fixus,” “fixed to a cross.” Above Christ’s head is a tablet inscribed

I. N. R. I., the first letters of the words Pilate had written for the cross
—

“Iesus

Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum,” “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” (The Latin

I and J are the same.) At the foot of the cross are often a skull and crossbones

to typify Calvary, or Golgotha, which means skull.

ON EVERY ALTAR: The Church requires a crucifix on every altar at which
Mass is offered. The crucifix is also used as a processional cross in solemn

ceremonies. The faithful are urged to display the crucifix in their homes, es-

pecially in their bedrooms. It is generally attached to the rosary.

INDULGENCES: To all who, after worthy Communion, recite before a
crucifix the prayer, “Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus,” a plenary in-

dulgence is granted. To a crucifix may also be attached the apostolic indulgences
and the Bona Mors (Happy Death) plenary indulgence given in the hour of
death; and with a crucifix blessed for the purpose a priest can confer the bless-

ing “In Articulo Mortis” (In the Moment of Death), which also carries a plenary
indulgence for the dying.

THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS
PILGRIMS MADE STATIONS: Devotion to the passion of Christ reaches

its height in the Stations or Way of the Cross. This devotion grew out of the
practice of the faithful to follow Christ’s path to death when they visited Jeru-
salem as pilgrims. When the holy places fell to the Moslems, it was no longer



12 THE SACRAMENTALS

safe to make the Way of the Cross there, and representations of the incidents
of the passion were set up in churches of Europe. It is said that the first to

encourage this practice was Blessed Alvarez, a Dominican of Cordova, Spain.

About 1350 the devotion was adopted by the Franciscan Minorites. It was soon

approved and indulgenced by the Holy See, and so popular did it become that

one man, St. Leonard of Port Maurice, erected 572 sets of Stations himself, one

in the Colosseum in Rome and the others in various parts of Italy.

FOURTEEN STATIONS: The number of Stations varied at first, but Pope
Clement XII in 1731 fixed the number at fourteen. They are: 1. Jesus is con-

demmed to death. 2. Jesus takes up His cross. 3. Jesus falls the first time.

4. Jesus meets His Mother. 5. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross.

6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. 7. Jesus falls the second time. 8. Jesus

speaks to the weeping women of Jerusalem. 9. Jesus falls the third time.

10. Jesus is stripped of His garments. 11. Jesus is nailed to the cross. 12. Jesus

dies on the cross. 13. Jesus is taken down from the cross. 14. Jesus is laid in

the sepulcher.

CROSSES ARE ESSENTIAL: In most places where the Stations are
erected there are paintings or images illustrating these fourteen scenes. These

are not, however, actually the Stations, which are the crosses (not crucifixes)

that surmount the representations. To these crosses the indulgences are at-

tached. The crosses must be wooden and must be erected by the bishop or by

a priest who has been given this privilege. This power was formerly reserved

to the Franciscans. The Stations may begin at either the Gospel or the Epistle

side of the church. They may also be erected out-of-doors. When so erected,
they should begin or end in some holy place, such as a church or chapel. The

magnificent outdoor Way of the Cross on the Carmelite monastery grounds at
Holy Hill, Wisconsin, is a popular place of devotion.

MEDITATION NECESSARY: To gain the indulgences one need not recite
any vocal prayers, even for the pope’s intention. It is necessary to meditate on

the passion of Christ and to move from Station to Station, or, "when making

the Way of the Cross in a crowded church, to turn toward the Stations or make
some movement to symbolize the going about.

PROVISIONS FOR THE SICK: The sick and those who cannot go to
church may use a special crucifix in making the Stations. Those who do this are

required to say the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father twenty

times, once for each Station, five times in honor of the five wounds of the crucified

Savior, and once for the intention of the Supreme Pontiff. It is customary, but

not necessary, for those who make the devotion in the regular way to say these

prayers.

PIUS XI FIXED INDULGENCES: Pope Pius XI in 1931 abrogated all
previous indulgences attached to the Stations and declared new ones as follows:

A plenary indulgence as often as the Stations are made. A plenary indulgence for
those who make the Stations on the day they receive Communion or for those

who make them ten times within a month and receive Communion. For those who

begm the Stations without completing them, an indulgence of ten years and ten

quarantines (40 days) for each Station made.

VENERATION OF THE CROSS
ORIGIN OF THE PRACTICE: After St. Helena’s discovery of the true

cross, it was exposed for public veneration, and thousands journeyed to Jerusalem

to honor Christ by honoring the instrument of His death. When particles of
the cross were distributed to churches in other parts of the world, these too

were venerated, and where there was no relic of the true cross a simple blessed

crucifix was used in the devotion.

GOOD FRIDAY LITURGY: This devotion has become an important part
of the Good Friday liturgy. The devotions on this day consist of: (1) an in-



VENERATION OF THE CROSS 13

struction and prayer service which preserves the ancient form of the Mass of

the Catechumens; (2) the Collects or prayers for the needs of the Church and

of mankind; (3) the uncovering and veneration of the cross; and (4) the Mass

of the Presanctified.

“COME, LET US ADORE”: In the third ceremony, the crucifix, which has

been veiled since Passion Sunday, is taken from the center of the altar by one

of the ministers and given to the celebrant, who gradually unveils it, three times

intoning: “Behold the wood of the cross on which hung the Savior of the world.”

All except the celebrant kneel at each intonation, and the choir responds: “Come,

let us adore.” When the cross is completely uncovered, it is placed on a cushion

at the foot of the altar.

“ADORATION” OF THE CROSS: After removing their shoes, the celebrant
and the other clergy kneel and kiss the cross. The faithful then make their

veneration. This ceremony is often called the “adoration” of the cross. This

name is justified by long usage, but all understand that no real adoration is paid

to the crucifix but only to Christ.

“REPROACHES” CHANTED: While the veneration is taking place, the
“Improperia” (“Reproaches”) are chanted by the choir. These are the com-

plaints addressed to the Jews by Jesus, Who chides them for their ingratitude.
And to all who have ever sinned, the Reproaches may be applied. Hence, all

the faithful, for all are sinners, should show their contrition and their love and

their gratitude to Christ by venerating the crucifix and treasuring it in their

homes.

SUGGESTED PRACTICES
1. Hang a blessed crucifix in a prominent place in your home, and thus identify

yourself as a member of the true Church.

2. Develop the habit of making the Way of the Cross frequently.

DISCUSSION OUTLINE
1. Tell the story of the “Return Crucifix.”

2. How does the crucifix differ from the cross ? What symbols of the crucifix
were used in the first ages of Christianity?

3. Discuss the development of the crucifix toward its most common form today.

What famous abbey is making idealized crucifixes such as were used in the

early centuries of the Christian era? Describe the common form of the
crucifix. What is the meaning of I. N. R. I.?

4. How does the Church use the crucifix in its ceremonies ? Where should the
faithful have it?

5. Discuss the indulgences that may be attached to a crucifix.
6. Tell about the origin of the Stations of the Cross.

7. When was the number of Stations settled? Name the Stations.
8. What is the essential part of the Stations to which the indulgences are at-

tached? Who can erect Stations? In what direction should the Stations
proceed? Where can one see a fine set of outdoor Stations in this country?

9. Must one say vocal prayers to gain the indulgences ? What is necessary ?
Flow may the sick make the Stations ?

10. When did Pope Pius XI declare new indulgences for making the Stations ?
Name the indulgences he granted.

11. How did the practice of the veneration of the cross originate?
12. Tell of the place of this practice in the Good Friday liturgy. What are the

parts of the liturgy on this day?

13. Describe the veneration of the cross. What can be said of the name “adora-
tion” of the cross ?

14. How should we consider the “Reproaches” which are chanted while the cross
is being venerated?



14 THE SACRAMENTALS

IV

The Rosary—A Crown of Roses
Members of the Mystical Body have always honored Christ by honoring

His Mother. No devotion to Mary is more popular or more powerful than the

rosary. The word “rosary” comes from the Latin “rosarium,” which means a

garden or a wreath of roses. In the Middle Ages noble persons were accustomed

to wear crowns of flowers called chaplets. The rosary is a triple chaplet, a

crown of roses, offered to Mary, noblest of our race. The devotion is called the

Psaltery of Mary because its 150 Hail Marys correspond to the Bible’s 150 Psalms.

ORIGIN OF THE ROSARY: Centuries ago the faithful used to repeat
prayers, especially 150 Ave Marias, counted on pebbles, beads, or embossed belts.

A form of the rosary was popularized by St. Dominic, who used it successfully
in fighting the Albigensian heresy, which threatened the life of both Church and

State in the twelfth century. This devotion was recommended to him by Mary

herself.

WHAT THE ROSARY IS: The entire rosary includes 150 Hail Marys in
fifteen sets (decades) of ten each. The fifteen decades form three groups (chap-

lets) of five decades each. A chaplet is familiarly called the rosary. Each decade
is prefaced by an Our Father and is usually followed by a Glory Be to the

Father. Each chaplet is devoted to one of three groups of mysteries: joyful,

sorrowful, or glorious. The mysteries cover the principal events in the lives of

Jesus and Mary. In them we honor Mary—joyful with Christ in His birth and
in His life at Nazareth, sorrowful with Him in His passion and death, glorious
with Him after His resurrection.

JOYFUL MYSTERIES: The joyful mysteries are the Annunciation, Visita-
tion of Mary to her Cousin Elizabeth, Nativity of Christ, Presentation of the

Infant in the Temple, and Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple. These are

recited on all Mondays and Thursdays, and on Sundays from the beginning of

Advent until Lent, when the liturgy commemorates these events.

SORROWFUL MYSTERIES: The sorrowful mysteries are Christ’s Agony
in the Garden, Scourging, Crowning with Thorns, Carrying of the Cross, and

Crucifixion. These are said every Tuesday and Friday, and on Sundays in Lent,

when the liturgy recalls the sorrows and death of our Lord.

GLORIOUS MYSTERIES: The glorious mysteries are Christ’s Resurrec-
tion, His Ascension, the Descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, the As-

sumption of Mary, and her Coronation as Queen of Heaven. These are recited

on all Wednesdays and Saturdays, and on Sundays from Easter to Advent, when

the liturgy celebrates these mysteries.

THE CHAPLET OF BEADS: The chaplet usually contains fifty-nine
beads—six large for the Our Fathers, fifty-three small for the Hail Marys. There
are five decades consisting of an Our Father and ten Hail Marys each, with

another Our Father and three Hail Marys appended. There are no beads for

the Glory Be to the Fathers. On the chain is a crucifix or a medal stamped with

a cross for the Apostles’ Creed. Only the fifty Hail Marys and five Our Fathers

are essential. The complete chain of fifteen decades is rarely used except by

religious. The beads must be of a substance not easily broken.

ORIGIN OF FEAST: When the Turks were pounding at Christendom’s
Eastern frontiers in 1571, Pope Pius V ordered that rosary devotions be held to
ask heaven for a Christian victory. On October 7, Don John of Austria, Chris-

tian commander, defeated the Turks at Lepanto. To commemorate that day,

Pius V instituted the feast of Our Lady of Victory. This became the feast of
the Most Holy Rosary under Pope Gregory XIII in 1573. The feast was extended



THE ROSARY—A CROWN OF ROSES 15

to the Universal Church by Clement XI in 1716, and was made a double of the

second class, with a new Mass and Office, by Leo XIII in 1888.

THE ROSARY IN THE LITURGY : The feast of the Most Holy Rosary
“is a summary of the liturgical year, as we meditate on the mysteries, and also

of the breviary, as we recite hundred-fifty Ave Marias corresponding to hundred-

fifty psalms.” 1 As a private devotion, the rosary consists of prayers from the

liturgy. The feast of the Most Holy Rosary is part of the liturgical cycle.

MENTAL PRAYER: The Collect in the Mass for October 7 shows that
the rosary is mental prayer. It begs God to grant “that, meditating on these

mysteries in the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may both

imitate what they contain, and obtain what they promise.” Meditation is es-

sential for all who are able to meditate. By considering the joys, sorrows, and

triumphs of Christ and Mary, we share their experiences and make progress in

the life of virtue.

VOCAL PRAYER: The Gospel of the Mass contains part of the Hail Mary
and shows that the rosary is also vocal prayer. Christ Himself composed the

Our Father for His disciples. It glorifies God and asks for all needs of body

and soul. The Hail Mary begins with the angel’s salutation to Mary and ends

by begging her help “now and at the hour of our death.” No more excellent

vocal prayers could be desired.

MONTH OF THE ROSARY : Because of the date of the feast, October is
the Month of the Rosary. Pope Pius XI, in his encyclical letter on the holy

rosary, wrote: “ . . . the holy rosary should be recited in a special manner in

the month of October and with increased devotion both in the churches and in

homes.” Many families say the rosary in common daily in October, when the

devotion carries special indulgences.

“STIMULUS AND SPUR”: “The holy rosary, besides,” said Pius XI, “not
only serves admirably to overcome the enemies of God and religion, but is also

a stimulus and spur to the practice of evangelic virtues which it injects and

cultivates in our souls. Above all, it nourishes the Catholic faith, which flourishes

again precisely in opportune meditation of the sacred mysteries, and raises

minds to the truth revealed to us by God.”

FORMULA OF BLESSING: The blessing for chaplets used by members
of the Dominican Confraternity of the Rosary asks God to “bless and sanctify

these beads . . . that whosoever shall carry them and shall reverently keep

them in his house, and shall devoutly pray, dwelling on the divine mysteries . . .

may abound in true and lasting piety ... be kept safe from every foe, visible
and invisible, and in the hour of death, abounding in good works, be found worthy

to be presented unto Thee by the same most Blessed Virgin Mary.”

INDULGENCES OF ROSARY: Four kinds of indulgences may be attached
to the rosary: Dominican, Apostolic, Crosier, and Bridgettine. All may be at-
tached to one chaplet and may be gained in one recitation. There is another
simple blessing which attaches no indulgences to the beads.

DOMINICAN INDULGENCES: The Dominican indulgences are attached
in the blessing mentioned above. They are primarily for associates of the con-

fraternity. Confraternity members’ names must be entered on the Dominican

register and their beads must be blessed by a Dominican or another authorized

priest. The blessing confers an indulgence of five years and five quarantines

for saying five decades; 100 days for every Our Father and Hail Mary when at
least five decades are said; a plenary indulgence on any one day in the year for

saying five decades every day for a year; ten years and ten quarantines once a

day for five decades said with others; a plenary indulgence on the last Sunday

of every month for saying five decades with others three times a week; 100 years
and 100 quarantines once daily to confraternity associates who devoutly carry
a rosary with them.2

1. Saint Andrew BaUy Missal. Page 14„1.



16 THE SACRAMENTALS

OTHER INDULGENCES: The apostolic indulgences may be attached to a
rosary by any priest who can confer these favors.

Members of the Canons Regular of the Holy Cross and others duly author-

ized can confer the Crosier blessing, granting an indulgence of 500 days for

each Our Father and Hail Mary said with a rosary thus blessed.

The indulgences attached to the Rosary of St. Bridget, comprising six

decades and three extra Hail Marys for the sixty-three years Mary is said to

have lived, may be gained by reciting five decades and may be conferred on the
regular chaplet.

CONDITIONS FOR GAINING INDULGENCES: To gain these indulgences
one must use a rosary properly blessed and must recite five decades in one day.

Those who, because of physical disability, manual labor, or other reasonable

cause, cannot hold the beads in their hands, can gain the indulgences so long as

the beads are on their person. When the rosary is recited in common, only the
person leading the recitation need have beads.

USE IN THE HOME: Pope Pius XI called the recitation of the rosary
in the home “a beautiful and salutary custom.” He wrote: “When very fre-

quently We receive newly-married couples in audience and address parental words
to them, We give them rosaries, We recommend these to them earnestly, and
We exhort them, citing Our own example, not to let even one day pass without
saying the rosary, no matter how burdened they may be with many cares and
labors.”

SUGGESTED PRACTICES
1. Endeavor to recite the rosary every day, and especially during the month

of October.

2. Develop the habit of meditating on the mysteries of the rosary.

DISCUSSION OUTLINE
1. Why have members of the Church always honored Mary? How does the

rosary rank among devotions honoring the Mother of God?

2. Why is the rosary called Mary’s “Crown of Roses”? What other name is
used for it? Why?

3. How did the custom of using pebbles or beads as aids to devotion begin?
Who popularized a devotion like the rosary?

4. How many decades of Hail Marys does the rosary include? How are these
decades grouped ?

5. Name the joyful mysteries. When are they recited?
6. Name the sorrowful mysteries. When are they recited?
7. Name the glorious mysteries. When are they recited?
8. Describe the chaplet on which the prayers are counted. Which prayers are

essential to the rosary ? What others are usually said ? What kind of sub-

stance may be used for making the beads ?
9. Tell the story of the origin of the feast of the Most Holy Rosary.

10. How is the feast of the Most Holy Rosary a summary of the liturgical year
and of the breviary ?

11. Discuss the quality of the prayers used in the rosary.

12. Why do we meditate on the mysteries ? Is this meditation necessary ?
13. Discuss the vocal prayers used in the rosary.

14. How should the month of October be observed?
15. What purposes does the rosary serve?
16. How many kinds of indulgences are attached to the rosary? Discuss the

Dominican, the Apostolic, the Crosier, and the Bridgettine indulgences.

17. What did Pope Pius XI say of using the rosary in the home?

2. Raccolta. Page 238.



HOLY WATER 17

V

Holy Water

Water, the natural and universal cleasing agent, has been used from very

ancient times to signify the purification of the soul just as it actually

cleanses the body. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans used water in

purification ceremonies. The Law of Moses in the Old Testament called for the

use of water in liturgical sprinkling of the people, the sacrifices, the sacred ves-

sels, etc. Likewise in Christian times, water has been used for sacred purposes,

as in Baptism from the very time of Christ, and as a powerful sacramental from

early in the Christian era.

HEALTH OF BODY AND SOUL: As water cleanses the body, so holy water,
through the blessing of the Church and the good dispositions of those who use

it, purifies the soul. And as the drinking of water is necessary for the health of

the body, so holy water promotes the health of the soul.

AN ANCIENT CUSTOM: The use of water as a sacramental, apart from
the administration of Baptism, dates, at least in the East, from the second

century. In the West the blessing of water can be traced to the period from the

sixth to the eighth century. For the use of the faithful in blessing themselves,

fountains and basins to contain the sacred water were placed, first on the outside

walls of churches, then inside the doors, that all might bless themselves as they

entered the house of God. Catholics still dip their fingers in holy water and

make the sign of the cross as they enter a church so that they may come into

God’s presence with pure souls.

IN CHURCH AND HOME: Formerly the water was used only on entering
the church to denote that purification was necessary before but not after Mass.

Today we use it both on entering and on leaving to gain the indulgence at-

tached to making the sign of the cross with holy water. Catholics also keep holy

water in their homes to use with reverence upon rising in the morning, going to

bed at night, leaving or entering the house, or going from one room to another.

KINDS OF HOLY WATER: There are four kinds of holy water: 1. Ordinary
holy water. 2. Easter water. 3. Baptismal water. 4. Gregorian water.

ORDINARY HOLY WATER: The ordinary kind is usually blessed just
before the principal parish Mass on Sunday, but may be blessed at any other
time. Salt is mixed with the water, and both are given a double blessing, one

an exorcism to free them from all power of the Evil One and the other a positive

blessing to sanctify them for the good of souls. Salt, symbol of wisdom and of

preservation from corruption, is fittingly mingled with water, the purifier.

BLESSING OF THE SALT: The blessing of the salt begins with a solemn
exorcism: “I exorcize thee, created substance of salt, by the living God . . .

that thou mayest be for the healing of soul and body to all those receiving thee,

and that there may be banished from the place in which thou hast been sprinkled
every delusion and wickedness of the devil, and every unclean spirit . . .” The

second prayer asks God to bless the salt that “it may be unto all who take it, for
health of mind and body; and that whatsoever is touched or sprinkled with it

may be freed from all uncleanness ...” 1 If the salt has been blessed previously,
this part of the ceremony is omitted.

BLESSING OF THE WATER: The water is exorcized “for the banish-
ment of every power of the enemy.” The second prayer over the water is a
beautiful exposition of the purposes for which the water is blessed. The prayer

asks God that the water “may be endowed with divine grace to drive away devils

1. Translations of the Latin prayers given in this chapter are taken from the Saint Andrew Daily
Missal. The E. M. Lohmann Co., St. Paul, Minn.



18 THE SACRAMENTALS

and to cast out diseases; that whatever in the houses or possessions of the faith-

ful may be sprinkled by this water may be freed from everything unclean and
delivered from whatsoever is hurtful. Let no spirit of pestilence or baleful

breath abide therein; let all the snares of the enemy who lieth in wait be driven

forth that everything threatening the safety or peace of the dwellers therein

may be banished by the sprinkling of this water; so that the health which they
seek by calling upon Thy holy Name may be guarded from all assault.”

MINGLING OF THE ELEMENTS: After this prayer, the priest puts the
salt into the water three times in the form of a cross. He prays again that God
will bless the mixture for the purposes mentioned in the prayers already recited.

INDULGENCE GIVEN: To the use of this ordinary holy water, there is
attached an indulgence of 100 days when one makes with it the sign of the cross.2

USES OF THE WATER: Ordinary holy water is used in the “Asperges”
or sprinkling of the faithful before the main parish Mass, usually a high Mass,

on Sunday; is kept in churches and homes for the use of the faithful, and is

employed in most blessings, in the ceremonies of Matrimony and Extreme Unc-

tion, in taking Holy Communion to the homes of the sick, and in the services for

the dead.

EASTER WATER: Of the three other kinds of holy water, that which is
blessed on Holy Saturday morning for use in the Easter season is much like the

ordinary holy water. This is blessed with a different formula, but its value and

use are much the same. When the Easter water has been blessed on Holy Satur-
day, part of it is placed in the baptismal font. Of the rest, some is used for

sprinkling the people immediately after the blessing. Later the water is dis-

tributed to the faithful for use in their homes until Pentecost.

BAPTISMAL WATER: After the blessing of the faithful with the new
Easter water on Holy Saturday, some of this water is poured into the baptismal

font and the priest mixes oil of catechumens and holy chrism with it to form

baptismal water. After this, Baptism is conferred on any who are present to

receive the sacrament. The water is then kept in the font for use in future

Baptisms. This same kind of water is blessed on the eve of Pentecost, because

Holy Saturday and the eve of Pentecost were the traditional days for Baptisms

in the early Church.

GREGORIAN WATER: At the consecration of churches Gregorian water
is blessed for use in the ceremony. After being mixed with wine, ashes, and salt

and receiving its blessing, this water is sprinkled on the walls of the church by

the celebrant, usually the bishop. This water is so named because its use was

ordered by Pope Gregory IX. It is also called water of consecration.

TWO CONCERN THE FAITHFUL: While all these forms of blessed water
are used for sacred purposes by the Church, only ordinary holy water and Easter

water directly concern the faithful and are provided for their use. Many Catho-

lics who take home containers of Easter water on Holy Saturday preserve this

water for use throughout the year. Easter water, however, is blessed for use

only in the Easter season, that is, until the feast of Pentecost. Ordinary holy

water should be used in homes at all other times of the year.

THE ASPERGES: Since the eighth century it has been the custom for
the celebrant to sprinkle the faithful with holy water before the principal Mass

each Sunday. After he has blessed the water in the sacristy or at the Epistle

side of the altar, he puts on a cope, goes to the foot of the altar, and intones the

antiphon, “Asperges me.” The “Asperges” says: “Thou shalt sprinkle me with

hyssop, O Lord, and I shall be cleansed; Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be

whiter than snow.” He sprinkles the altar, then passes through the church

sprinkling the faithful, who genuflect and bless themselves as the water falls

on them or as the priest passes. It is not necessary that the water touch every

2. Raccolta. Page 8.



HOLY WATER 19

person. As the priest sprinkles the people, he recites in a low voice the first verse

of Psalm 50, the “Miserere,” of which the “Asperges” is a verse. The Psalm

begins: “Have mercy on me, 0 God.”

THE VIDI AQUAM: In the Easter time, the “Asperges” antiphon and
the “Miserere” are replaced by the “Vidi Aquam”

—
“I saw water flowing from the

right side of the temple, alleluia; and all to whom that water came were saved.”

BAPTISM RECALLED: The “Asperges” or the “Vidi Aquam” is intended

to renew in the faithful each Sunday the memory of their Baptism and to purify

them of all distractions during the Mass that is to follow.

PROCESSION OUTSIDE CHURCH: In former times, the “Asperges” pro-
cession moved outside the church, and the celebrant blessed not only the people

but the cemetery, the graves, the monastery or other ecclesiastical buildings in

the neighborhood, and the houses of the faithful. This custom is recalled in

the prayer the priest recites at the conclusion of the sprinkling ceremony: “Hear

us, 0 holy Lord, almighty Father, eternal God: and vouchsafe to send Thy holy

angel from heaven to guard, cherish, protect, visit, and defend all that dwell in

this house.”

SUGGESTED PRACTICES
1. Always make the sign of the cross with the holy water provided at the

entrance to church.

2. Keep holy water in the home. Use it with reverence in making the sign of

the cross upon rising in the morning, going to bed at night, leaving or enter-

ing the house, or in going from one room to another, and sprinkle it about

in times of storms or other dangers.

DISCUSSION OUTLINE
1. Why has water always been used as a symbol of interior purification ? How

was it used in the Old Testament?

2. Compare the action of water on the body and that of holy water on the soul.

3. How old in the Church is the custom of blessing water as a sacramental?
Why is holy water placed at the entrance to churches? Why do we now
bless ourselves with the water when leaving church?

4. How many kinds of holy water are there? Name them.

5. What is mixed with the water that is blessed to provide ordinary holy water ?
What is the symbolism of salt?

6. Discuss the two prayers used in blessing the salt. When are these prayers
omitted in the blessing of holy water?

7. According to the prayers used in the blessing, what purposes is holy water

meant to serve ?

8. What indulgence is attached to making the sign of the cross with holy water?

9. When is Easter water blessed? How is it used?

10. Tell about the blessing of baptismal water on Holy Saturday and on the eve

of Pentecost. Why is baptismal water blessed on these two days?

11. What is Gregorian water? Why is it so named? By what other name is it
known ?

12. Which of the kinds of holy water are for the use of the faithful ? Through
what period is Easter water to be used?

13. Describe the “Asperges” ceremony.

14. When is the “Vidi Aquam” used in place of the “Asperges” ?

15. How is the old procession outside the church recalled in the present ceremony
of the “Asperges”?



20 THE SACRAMENTALS

VI

Palms, Ashes, Incense

“Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the

Lord.” This was the cry of the multitudes who strewed palms before Christ as

He entered Jerusalem in triumph a few days before His death. The palm branch

has been a sign of high joy and of great victory from time immemorial. As the

Jews paid tribute to Jesus on the first Palm Sunday, so the Church renews the

triumphal procession “to give public homage to the Savior, the ‘King of glory,’

before turning our attention to a remembrance of His Passion.” 1

PROCESSION AT JERUSALEM: In the fourth century at Jerusalem a
joyous procession was held in the very place where the events of the first Palm

Sunday occurred. A bishop accompanied by people carrying palms and singing
hymns rode on an ass to the Church of the Resurrection on Mount Olivet. The

procession followed the reading of the Gospel that tells of Christ’s entry into

Jerusalem.2 After many years in which it was not performed, the procession was

revived in the Holy Year of 1933, nineteenth centenary of Christ’s death.

PARADE OF TRIUMPH: The blessing of the palms grew out of this pro-
cession, which became a great social event in all Christian lands of Europe. The

blessing was introduced at Rome about the eleventh century. In the Middle Ages,

the clergy and people joined in the triumphal parade from the principal church

to another, usually outside the city’s walls. Sometimes the Blessed Sacrament

was carried. In Catholic England the Eucharist was enshrined in a beautiful

tent in the churchyard before the procession.

THE “DRY MASS”: The blessing of palms is a long and solemn rite. In
form it resembles the Mass itself, having an Introit, Collect, Epistle, Tract,

Gospel, Preface, and Sanctus. It is sometimes called a “dry Mass.” Centuries

ago at Rome the blessing took place at a special Mass in the Church of St. Mary

Major. It is part of this Mass that is preserved in the present ceremony.

THE BLESSING: The Church asks God to “let Thy manifold mercy de-
scend upon us, and let these branches of palm trees or olive trees be blessed . . .

that into whatever place they may be brought, those who dwell in the place may
obtain Thy blessing, and all adversities being removed, Thy right hand may pro-
tect those who have been redeemed . . . grant that what Thy people this day

bodily perform for Thy honor, they may perfect spiritually with greatest devo-

tion by gaining a victory over the enemy . . .”

DISTRIBUTION OF THE PALMS: After the blessing the branches are
distributed to clergy and laity. During the distribution the choir chants the

“Pueri Hebraeorum” antiphons: “The Hebrew children, bearing branches of

olive, went forth to meet the Lord, crying out, and saying: Hosanna in the high-

est.” The people are to hold the palms while the Passion is read in the Mass

that follows, and also in the procession, if the laity take part in this rite.

THE PROCESSION TODAY: Usually today, only the celebrant and other
ministers join in the procession after the palms are given out. They proceed

out of the church and the door is closed. On coming back, the subdeacon knocks

at the door with the staff on the crucifix. The door is reopened and the pro-

cession enters the church to signify that Christ’s death reopened the gates of

heaven, which had been closed by sin. The hymn, “Gloria, Laus” (“Glory and

Praise to Thee”), and the antiphons sung during the procession recall Christ’s

entry into Jerusalem.

TO BE KEPT IN HOMES: The faithful should preserve the palms in their
homes that they may receive the blessings asked by the Church. Palms are

1. Stapper-Baier, Catholic Liturgies. Page 108. 2. Matthew XXI, 1-9.



PALMS, ASHES, INCENSE 21

sometimes put in the hands of the dying or the dead to show the Christian’s

victory over sin. Where palms are not available, as in many parts of the United

States, branches of other trees, usually evergreens, are blessed.

FROM JOY TO PENANCE: The palms of joy and victory on Palm Sunday
are burned to provide the ashes of penance given to the faithful on the following

Ash Wednesday, first day of Lent. This “reminds us that we cannot bear the

palm of victory over Satan, sin, and death unless by the practice of humility

and mortification during life, and by paying the debt of sin in giving our bodies

to the dust at the close of our earthly existence.” 3

SIGNS OF MORTIFICATION: Ashes, universal symbol of the perishability
of earthly things, have always been signs of penance. The repentant David

cried out: “For I did eat ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping.” 4

The Ninivites, touched by Jonas’ preaching, did penance in sackcloth and in ashes.

Like these ancient penitents, the Church puts ashes on the heads of her children

to remind them that they must give themselves to penance and fasting.

EARLY CHRISTIAN PENITENTS: In early Christian times, only those
who had committed grave sins and were obliged to do public penance received the

ashes. On Ash Wednesday, the bishop blessed hairshirts for the penitents and

sprinkled them with ashes. Then, as the seven penitential psalms were chanted,

the penitents were turned out of the church, not to return until Holy Thursday.

In the meantime they gave themselves to acts of mortification to win forgiveness

of their sins. On Holy Thursday they went to confession and received absolution.

ASHES IMPOSED UPON ALL NOW: In the eleventh century, “the Council
of Beneventum ordained that all the faithful without distinction should be urged

to receive the ashes on Ash Wednesday.” 5 By receiving the ashes, the faith-

ful signify their sorrow for sin and prepare themselves for Lenten penances.

“A WHOLESOME REMEDY”: In blessing the ashes before Mass on Ash
Wednesday the priest prays: “O almighty and eternal God . . . sanctify these

ashes, that they may be a wholesome remedy to all who humbly implore Thy holy
name, and accuse themselves . . . deploring their crimes before Thy divine

clemency, or humbly and earnestly beseeching Thy sovereign mercy; and grant

. . . that all who may be sprinkled with them may receive health of body and
safety of soul.” The ashes are incensed and sprinkled with holy water.

“THOU ART DUST”: Then the ashes are placed on the heads of the people.
To each, the priest says : “Remember, man, that thou art dust, and into dust thou

shalt return.” This advice from the Book of Genesis reminds the recipient that

he will receive no benefits from wearing the badges of penance unless he have

real contrition and humility. The ashes are outward signs of inward sorrow.

THE SYMBOL OF PRAYER: As the palms and ashes have their meaning
in the liturgy, so incense is a sacred symbol. The “burning incense sending forth

its sweet odors heavenward is a natural symbol of prayer ascending to God.” 6

In the 140th Psalm, the sacred writer begs God: “Let my prayer be directed as
incense in Thy sight.” 7 St. John in his vision of heaven saw an angel “having
a golden censer; and there was given to him much incense, that he should offer of
the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar, which is before the throne of

God.” 3

GOD PRESCRIBED INCENSE: As God commanded Moses to place incense
“before the tabernacle of the testimony,” 9 so the Church prescribes its use in her

ceremonies. “Because of its close relationship to pagan worship, incense was not
used liturgically by the Church in the early centuries.” 10

USE TO HONOR MARTYRS: Later incense was used to honor the mar-
tyrs. As martyrs’ bodies were carried in procession to be buried beneath the

3. Lambing, The Sacramentals of the Holy Catholic Church. Page 242. 4. Psalm Cl, 10.
5. McNeill-Clendenin, The Liturgical Year. Page 34. 6. Stapper-Baier, Catholic Liturgies. Page 42.
7. Psalm CXL, 2. 8. Apocalypse VIII, 3. 9. Exodus XXX, 36. 10. Butler-Clendenin, Praying the

Mass. Page 20.



22 THE SACRAMENTALS

altars, small vessels of incense burned in niches along the way. Later the gums

and spices were burned in containers hanging from chains. From these developed

the modern swinging censers. Even today, when relics of martyrs are entombed

in altars and altar stones, incense grains are placed with them.

SIGN OF RESPECT: Incense is made of aromatic resin from trees of
Arabia and India. Spices are mixed with the resin to make it more fragrant

and to produce more smoke. These sweet resins and spices are signs of respect.

As the Magi gave the Infant Jesus frankincense to show their adoration, so we

use it to show our respect for God and His martyrs.

USE IN LITURGY: Incense is burned at Benediction, Exposition, and dur-
ing processions of the Blessed Sacrament. At solemn Masses, the crucifix, altar,

and bread and wine are incensed, as are the priest, ministers, and people. As he

incenses the bread and wine at the Offertory, the priest says: “May this incense

which Thou hast blessed, O Lord, ascend to Thee, and may Thy mercy descend
upon us.” Blessed grains of incense are placed in the paschal candle on Holy

Saturday, and incense is burned at the consecration of churches and altars, and

in certain other blessings.

USE AT FUNERALS: At funerals, the body of the deceased is incensed to
honor it as a temple of the Holy Ghost destined to live forever in glory with God.

SUGGESTED PRACTICES

1. Display the blessed palms in the home in some appropriate manner, remem-

bering the words of the blessing: “ . . . that into whatever place they may be

brought, those who dwell in the place may obtain Thy blessing . . .”

2. When you see incense being burned in church and smell its sweet odors, ask
God to accept your prayers as He receives the rising incense.

DISCUSSION OUTLINE

1. What does the palm branch signify? What great event in the life of our

Lord does the Church commemorate on Palm Sunday ?

2. Describe the fourth-century Palm Sunday procession in Jerusalem. When

was it revived in very modern times ?

3. How did the blessing of palms originate? Tell about the procession in the
Middle Ages.

4. Why is the blessing ceremony called a “dry Mass” ? What benefits are asked
for those who dwell where the blessed palms are kept?

5. Describe the present-day procession.

6. What are the faithful to do with the palms which they receive? What kind

of branches may be used where palms are not available?

7. What is symbolized by the burning of palms to obtain the ashes used on

Ash Wednesday? Tell instances showing the use of ashes as signs of

penance in the Old Testament.

8. Describe the Ash Wednesday ceremony in the early Church. What was the

ruling of the Council of Beneventum regarding the distribution of the ashes ?

What dispositions do the faithful show by receiving the ashes?
9. How do the prayers used in the blessing show the purpose of the ashes ?

10. What is said as the ashes are placed on the heads of the people? What

does this signify ?

11. What is the symbolism of incense? Tell of scriptural references to incense.

12. Why was incense not used by the Church in very early Christian times?
13. Tell of the use of incense to honor the early martyrs. How is this custom

continued today?

14. What is incense made of? How is it used by the Church in her liturgy?
Why is it burned at funerals?



BLESSED CANDLES 23

VII

Blessed Candles

The New Jerusalem ‘‘hath no need of the- sun, nor of the moon, to shine in it.

For the glory of God hath enlightened it, and the Lamb is the lamp thereof,”

says St. John in describing heaven.1 The Church uses light to symbolize the

Lord, the lamp of heaven and light of the world. Moses was commanded to burn a

lamp “in the tabernacle of the testimony.” 2 The Church always burns a lamp

in the sanctuary to show that Christ is there. She employs candles to symbolize

the body, soul, and divinity of Christ; His love and supreme sacrifice for men;

the love of men for God, and their need to consume themselves as candles in

His service. Candles may also be used as powerful sacramentals in the homes

of the faithful.

LIGHTS IN ANCIENT TIMES: The ancient Jews and pagans used lights
in their ritual, and the early Christians followed their custom. There is little

evidence that in earliest Christian times lights had any special liturgical signi-

ficance. The holding of services in the dark corridors of the catacombs made

lights necessary. Nevertheless, many terra-cotta lamps found in the catacombs

bear religious symbols, and some have symbolic shapes, like that of the fish,

emblematic of Christ.

“A TOKEN OF JOY”: By the time of St. Jerome (d. 420) lights were
certainly used for purely liturgical purposes. St. Jerome wrote that candles

were burned “not indeed to dispel darkness, but to exhibit a token of joy.”

Candles were burned at Mass, at Baptisms on Holy Saturday and the eve of

Pentecost, and at funerals. As the liturgy developed, candlesticks were placed

on the altar instead of on the floor, as had been the earlier custom.

RICHNESS OF SYMBOLISM: The candle is one of the richest religious
symbols. The wax, produced by virgin worker bees, is a beautiful symbol of the

body of Christ, born of a virgin. The wick is an emblem of His soul; the flame, a

sign of His divinity. The lighted candle symbolizes Christ’s Gospel, which dis-

pels the darkness of sin and ignorance, and “the Church of the living God, the

pillar and ground of the truth.” 3 For the individual Christian, the candle’s flame

signifies the faith that makes us “children of the light,” its warmth, the Pente-

costal fire “which does not consume but enlightens.” 4 Candles given to the

Church signify Christian self-sacrifice. As the burning candle consumes itself,

so the Christian should consume himself in serving God. Thus the candle es-

pecially symbolizes the priesthood.

MASS OF THE CANDLES: On February 2, the Church commemorates the
purification of Mary and the presentation of the Infant Jesus in the temple. She
also blesses candles in a ceremony that gives the feast the name Candlemas (Mass
of the Candles). In a solemn procession, the clergy and the faithful (if they take

part) carry lighted candles “to signify that they intend to bear within them-

selves the Christ-life throughout the journey of their earthly existence.” 5 The
procession recalls the holy family’s journey to the temple and signifies Christ’s

coming as “a light to the revelation of the Gentiles.” 6

BLESSING OF THE CANDLES: Five beautiful prayers are used in bless-
ing the candles. God is asked to “sanctify these candles for the use of men, and
the health of bodies and souls,” that “being worthily inflamed with the holy fire

of Thy most sweet charity, we may deserve to be presented in the holy temple
of Thy glory ... 0 Lord Jesus Christ, the true light, who enlightenest every
man coming into this world, pour fourth Thy blessing” that “our hearts, il-

1. Apocalypse XXI, 23. 2. Exodus XXVII, 20-21. 3. I Timothy III, 15. 4. Studeny, “Symbolism of

the Candle.” Ave Maria, Aug. 14, 1937. 5. Diekmann, “Light and Life.” Orate Fratres,

Jan. 25, 1936. 6. Luke II, 32.



24 THE SACRAMENTALS

luminated by invisible fire . . . may be free from the blindness of every vice.”

The priest sprinkles the candles with holy water and incenses them three times.

The choir sings Simeon’s beautiful canticle, “Dismiss Thy servant, 0 Lord.”

There is also a simple blessing for candles at other times of the year.

OFFERINGS OF THE FAITHFUL: After the blessing on February 2, the
candles are distributed and the procession follows. Later the faithful give

blessed candles to the Church to recall the gift of turtle doves to the temple by

Mary and Joseph. At Rome representatives of most religious houses offer candles

to the pope in a magnificent ceremony in one of the Vatican throne rooms.

Pious persons and associations in the Middle Ages endowed lights to burn before

shrines or altars. In England and France it was customary to offer a number of

candles or one large candle equalling the donor’s height or weight. This cus-

tom, called “measuring up” to a saint, has grown into the modem practice of
burning vigil lights or votive candles. Since these are not blessed, they are not

sacramentals, but they do symbolize the prayers of those who provide them.

The faithful are constantly warned not to use these offerings superstitiously and

not to allow them to detract attention from the Mass and other devotions.

COMPOSITION OF CANDLES: Blessed candles must be made, at least
in greater part, of beeswax. There are white or bleached candles, made of re-

fined wax, and yellow or unbleached ones. The reddish-yellow unbleached candles

are burned at funerals and Holy Week services, though the bleached are per-

missible.

ELECTRICITY NO SUBSTITL'TE: Electric lights are never to be sub-
stituted for candles and are not to be burned on the altar. In cases of extreme

necessity the bishop may allow the use of an electric light as a sanctuary lamp.

USE IN HOMES: Catholics keep candles in their homes to gain the bless-
ings asked by the Church. Candles are burned to ward off danger from storms.

The Czechs call these “thunder candles” and while they bum pray for divine
protection against the elements. Candles are burned when the Eucharist is

brought to the sick, are placed in the hands of the dying, and burned around the

biers of the dead.

NUMBER TO BE USED: The number of candles prescribed for liturgical
functions depends on the solemnity of the service. At a priest’s low Mass, two are

lighted; four at a bishop’s Mass. At a sung Mass, there are six, though four

suffice for a Requiem. A solemn Mass requires six; a pontifical high Mass seven,
unless the Mass is a Requiem or the bishop is outside his own diocese, when six

suffice. From the Sanctus until after the priest’s Communion, an additional

candle may be burned. At private Benediction (when the tabernacle is opened

but the Host not taken out), at least six are needed. Twelve are required for

solemn Exposition or Benediction. Six bum at Vespers on solemn feasts; four
suffice on ordinary days.

SPECIAL USE IN THE LITURGY: Candles play a particularly significant
part in the liturgy at certain times. On the feast of St. Blase, February 3, a

special blessing is given the crossed candles used in blessing throats. In Holy

Week, the candle’s symbolism is especially dramatic. At Tenebrae (“darkness”)

services on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, the fifteen tapers on the triangular

candlestick and the six on the altar are extinguished one by one to suggest

Christ’s abandonment by apostles and people. The last candle is not extinguished

but only hidden behind the altar for a short time to signify that the light of

Christ was temporarily hidden from the world between His death and His

resurrection.

“LUMEN CHRISTI”: On Holy Saturday no lights bum as the ceremonies
begin. Outside the church the priest kindles the “new fire.” At one time a fire

was made at the church door every day, then only on Saturday, finally on Holy

Saturday alone. From the new fire, the deacon lights a taper. Entering the



BLESSED CANDLES 25

church, he lights the triple candle, symbolizing the Trinity. As each branch is

lighted, he chants, “Lumen Christi” (“The Light of Christ” ).

THE PASCHAL CANDLE: The large and ornate paschal candle is blessed
by the deacon during the chanting of the “Exultet”

—
“Let now the angelic hosts

of heaven rejoice.” Five incense grains are sealed into the candle in the

form of a cross, to recall Christ’s five wounds. The candle is dipped into the

Easter water at the water’s blessing. From it the other tapers and lamps are

kindled. Before being lighted, the candle symbolizes the dead and buried Christ.

When burning, it signifies the gloriously risen Savior. For forty days it burns

to commemorate Christ’s forty days on earth after His resurrection. The paschal

candle also symbolizes the pillar of fire that guided the Israelites on their journey

out of Egypt. It burns at the Gospel side of the altar at Mass until Ascension

Thursday.

SUGGESTED PRACTICES
1. On the feast of the Purification, February 2, procure blessed candles for use

in the home, also for lighting during storms. Make a practice of giving two

or more candles to the Church to be burned during divine services, keeping

in mind the gift of the holy family to the temple.

2. Have your throat blessed on the feast of St. Blase.

DISCUSSION OUTLINE
1. How can we be sure that the use of candles and lights in the liturgy is

pleasing to God?

2. Discuss the use of candles in pre-Christian and early Christian times.

3. By what century were candles used with a purely liturgical meaning and

not just to provide light? According to St. Jerome, why were the candles

used ?

4. Discuss the rich symbolism of the candle: as applied to Christ; to the faithful

themselves; to the priest particularly.

5. What feasts are kept on February 2? What does the procession on this,
day recall ?

6. How many prayers are used in the blessing of the candles ? What does the
Church ask in these prayers ? May candles be blessed with another formula
at other times of the year?

7. What event in the life of the holy family does the faithful’s offering of
candles to the Church recall ? What event takes place in Rome on Febru-
ary 2 ? What was “measuring up” to a saint ? What may be said of the
use of vigil lights ?

8. What substance is used in making liturgical candles ? When are unbleached
candles used ? What about the use of electric lights to substitute for
candles ? for the sanctuary lamp ?

9. How are candles used in the homes of the faithful?

10. What of the use of candles in the liturgy ? Tell the number to be used at
different liturgical ceremonies.

11. Name some of the times when candles are used with special significance in
the liturgy. What is the symbolism of the Tenebrae service?

12. Tell of the first services on Holy Saturday. What is the symbolism of the
paschal candle ? When is it burned ?



26 THE SACRAMENTALS

VIII

Agnus Deis, Medals, Scapulars, Blessed Cords
In the Middle Ages the faithful used fragments of the paschal candle as

sacramentals. It is thought that Agnus Deis, small pieces of wax impressed

with the figure of the Lamb and blessed by the pope, originated from this prac-

tice. About the ninth century, the popes began to bless and send Agnus Deis to

prominent persons.

AGNUS DEIS NOW: Today Agnus Deis are blessed on the Wednesday of
Holy Week in the first year of a pope’s reign and every seventh year thereafter.

On Holy Saturday they are distributed by cardinals and others. The Agnus Dei

may be round, oval, or oblong and may vary in size. The reverse side may
bear the name and coat-of-arms of the pope or some other suitable emblem. The

Agnus Dei is usually carried in a small case. The wax symbolizes Christ’s body,

and the banner of the Lamb signifies His victory over sin and death. The Agnus

Dei’s blessing asks God’s protection against evil spirits, storms, pestilence, fire,

flood, and difficulties of childbirth.

HISTORY OF MEDALS: Of the sacramentals worn by the faithful, none
are more numerous than medals, pieces of metal resembling coins and marked

with religious figures. Amulets worn by the early Christians and found in cata-

combs often bear the chrisma, a Greek monogram of Christ’s name, or figures

of saints. Evidently, common coins were sometimes used as medals since many

coins of the later Roman empire bore religious markings. Medals were less fre-

quent in the early Middle Ages, but by the twelfth century leaden tokens were

used as souvenirs of shrines and places of pilgrimage. These “pilgrim’s signs,”

worn on the hat or on the breast, showed that the pilgrim had reached his desti-

nation. Other forms of medals were counting discs, many of which bore pious

inscriptions. About 1475 medals were cast to commemorate the papal jubilee

years. It was only in the sixteenth century that indulgences were first at-

tached to medals.
#

PURPOSES OF MEDALS: Medals today are almost innumerable, but in
general they serve to increase devotion, commemorate religious events or places,

protect the wearer, or identify members of pious societies. Medals are not

charms; in themselves they have no power. Only through the Church’s prayer

do they gain any efficacy. A general formula is used in blessing all except the
Miraculous medal and the medal of St. Benedict, special blessings being provided

for these two in the Roman Ritual.

KINDS OF MEDALS: Among the many medals are: (1) those honoring
Christ, such as Savior of the World and Holy Childhood medals; (2) those honor-

ing Mary, such as Mother of Sorrows, Mount Carmel, Perpetual Help, Lourdes,

and Miraculous medals; (3) those honoring saints, such as Saints Joseph,

Dominic, Francis, Agnes, Anne, Benedict, and Christopher (St. Christopher medals

are placed in automobiles to implore the aid of the Christ-bearer, patron of

travelers); (4) those commemorating events such as papal jubilees, miracles,

church consecrations, First Communions, canonizations, anniversaries, etc.

THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL: The Miraculous or Immaculate Conception
medal owes its origin to a Sister of Charity, Blessed Catherine Laboure, who had

visions of Mary in Paris in 1830. Mary appeared standing on one globe, with

another in her hand. Rays of light shone from her hands. Surrounding the

vision was an oval frame which bore the words: “0 Mary, conceived without sin,

pray for us who have recourse to thee.” Sister Catherine was ordered to have

medals modeled after the vision. On the reverse was to be the letter M, sur-

mounted by a cross, with a crossbar and the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary

below.



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AGNUS DEIS, MEDALS, SCAPULARS, BLESSED CORDS 27

DEVELOPMENT OF DEVOTION: After the first medals were made in

1832, the Miraculous medal devotion grew rapidly. In 1894, Pope Leo XIII in-

stituted the feast of the Miraculous Medal, November 27, with special Office and

Mass. In many places perpetual novenas honor Our Lady of the Miraculous

Medal. Those who wear this medal may gain 100 days’ indulgence by saying

the brief prayer inscribed on it. 1

MEDAL OF ST. BENEDICT: The medal of St. Benedict was indulgenced
in 1741 by Pope Benedict XIV. In 1877, Pius IX confirmed these indulgences

and granted others for the jubilee medal cast by the Archabbot of Monte Casino

in Italy to mark the fourteenth centenary of St. Benedict’s birth. This medal

shows the saint holding a cross and the book of his monastic rule; the other

side bears a cross and letters standing for the words of an exorcism over Satan.

PURPOSES OF BLESSING: “The efficacy of the Medal of St. Benedict can
be seen from the words of the blessing pronounced over it. God is implored to

preserve those who wear it from all the snares and temptations of the devil;

to protect them from lightnings and tempests, from pestilences, sicknesses, and

poisons; and to bestow upon them His blessings, both temporal and spiritual.” 2

INDULGENCES GRANTED: Those who wear the medal of St. Benedict
may gain plenary indulgences on fourteen days each year, by performing certain

good works, and in the hour of death. They may also win many partial in-

dulgences and those granted by the pope’s blessing on Holy Thursday and Easter

Sunday. Special favors are attached to the jubilee medal.

ORIGIN OF SCAPULARS: The name scapular comes from the Latin word
for shoulder. A scapular consists of two pieces of cloth connected by cords, to
be worn over the shoulders. Members of some religious orders, like the Bene-

dictines, wear scapulars hanging from the shoulders almost to the ground. In

the Middle Ages lay persons were permitted to wear scapulars as associates

of religious orders. These lay members participated in the order’s devotions

and shared in its spiritual benefits. Later smaller scapulars were made for the

laity to wear under the clothing.

LARGE AND SMALL: Today lay associates of the religious communities
wear scapulars about five by two and a half inches in size. These are called

“large” scapulars. Others use “small” scapulars, about two by two and a

quarter inches. Scapulars must be made of woolen cloth. They may be deco-
rated with pictures or religious emblems.

WHO CAN WEAR SCAPULARS: All Catholics, even infants, may be in-
vested in the scapular. It must be worn so that one part hangs on the breast,

the other on the back, with a cord over each shoulder. Only one investiture is

necessary for each scapular. Worn-out scapulars are simply replaced by new

ones. They should be worn constantly.

NUMBER AND KINDS: The Church approves eighteen scapulars. Five
are often worn together on one set of cords. These are the brown Scapular of

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, red Scapular of the Passion, black Scapular of the

Seven Dolors, blue Scapular of the Immaculate Conception, and white Scapular

of the Most Blessed Trinity bearing a red and blue cross. Other scapulars are

those of Our Lady of Ransom, the Most Precious Blood, the Passion (black),

Mary Help of the Sick, Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. Michael the Archangel,

St. Benedict, Our Lady of Good Counsel, St. Joseph, the Sacred Heart of Jesus,

the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, St. Boniface, and the Holy Face.3

SCAPULAR OF MOUNT CARMEL: The widely used Mount Carmel Scapu-
lar originated with St. Simon Stock, a thirteenth-century English Carmelite.

Formerly only Carmelites could invest in this scapular; now priests having
ordinary faculties may give it. The priest says: “Receive this blessed habit, be-

1. Raccolta. Page 234. 2. Deutsch, Manual for Oblates of St. Benedict. Page 270.

3. Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. XIII. Pages 510 ff.



28 THE SACRAMENTALS

seeching the Most Holy Virgin that by her merits you may wear it without

stain; may she keep you from all evil and lead you to eternal life.”

FAVORS ATTACHED TO SCAPULAR: It is piously believed that the
Blessed Virgin promised two privileges to wearers of this scapular: 1. Those who

die wearing it will gain salvation. 2. Those who practice certain good works will

be released from purgatory on the first Saturday after death. There is much

doubt particularly about the second (Sabbatine) privilege, supposed to have been

revealed to Pope John XXII. The important thing is that the Church has ap-

proved the scapular and granted favors to its wearers, as follows: They share in

good works of the Carmelites and of all Catholics. After death they share in

prayers and weekly Masses offered by Carmelite priests. A plenary indulgence is
granted on the day of investiture and at the hour of death.

SCAPULAR MEDAL: Pope Pius X in 1910 permitted substitution of a
medal for one or more of the “small” scapulars. The scapular medal shows on

one side Christ and His Sacred Heart; on the other, Mary. One medal may re-
place any or all “small” scapulars in which a person has been invested, but it

must be specially blessed for each. When a medal is replaced, the new one must
be blessed. It may be worn or carried in any manner.

BLESSED CORDS: Blessed cords, like scapulars, are worn by members of
pious associations. These four are approved and indulgenced by the Church:

I. The belt of Sts. Monica, Augustine, and Nicholas of Tolentino. 2. The cord of

St. Francis. 3. The cord of St. Joseph. 4. The cord of St. Thomas Aquinas.

SUGGESTED PRACTICES
1. If you have an Agnus Dei, wear it or carry it with you in order that you

may obtain the benefits asked in its blessing.

2. Be enrolled in the scapulars, at least in the five that are often worn together.

DISCUSSION OUTLINE
1. What is an Agnus Dei ? Tell of the origin of the Agnus Dei. When are

Agnus Deis blessed ? By whom ? For what purpose ?
2. What are medals? Tell of their use in early Christian times.

3. Discuss the development of medals in the Middle Ages
—

“pilgrim’s signs,”

counting discs. WThen did the papal jubilee medals originate ? When were
indulgences first attached to medals ?

4. What purposes do medals serve? Have they any power in themselves?

Where do they get their value ?

5. Name some kinds of medals. Why is the St. Christopher medal placed in
automobiles ?

6. How did the Miraculous medal originate? What other name is given to it?
Describe the Miraculous medal.

7. Tell of the growth of devotion to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. What
indulgence is attached to this medal ? What prayer must be said to gain
the indulgence?

8. How many kinds of St. Benedict medals are there ? For what purpose is the
medal of St. Benedict blessed? Tell some of the indulgences granted for

wearing or carrying this medal.

9. How did scapulars originate ? What are “large” scapulars ? “small” scapu-
lars ? Of what material must scapulars be made ?

10.

Who may be invested in the scapular? How are scapulars to be worn?
II. Name the five scapulars often worn together. What are the others approved

by the Church?

12. Discuss the Scapular of Mount Carmel. What favors are granted to those
who wear the Scapular of Mount Carmel ?

13. Who allowed the substitution of a medal for a scapular or for a number of
scapulars ? When ? Describe this medal.

14. What four blessed cords are approved by the Church?



THE CHURCH, ITS FURNISHINGS, HOLY OILS 29

IX

The Church, Its Furnishings, Holy Oils

The Catholic church building is “the house of God and the gate of heaven.”

As the eucharistic Christ’s home and the place of divine Sacrifice, it holds a

unique position in Christian life. In it the faithful “surround the table of sacri-

fice, they participate in the sacrifice by the performance of various duties, they

receive the sacraments, pray in common and listen attentively to lessons and

sermons.” 1 The church must have the dignity and beauty of a “house of God”

and must also be physically adapted to accommodating crowds of worshippers.

“SOCIAL” SACRAMENTALS: If the Church provides sacramentals for
the use of individuals, how much more fittingly does she bless “social” sacra-

mentals, the things used by all the faithful. Thus the cornerstone, the church

itself, altar, sacred vessels, vestments, linens, bell, organ, and some other fur-

nishings are given special blessings. The things used in the liturgy are im-

portant sacramentals for they serve in the Church’s official life as the Mystical

Body of Christ and are closely associated with the Mass and the sacraments.

These things not only serve a practical purpose in the liturgy; they are visible

signs of invisible graces, and they increase the devotion and religious fervor

of the faithful.

DIGNITY AND BEAUTY : The things dedicated to God should be of the
highest artistic quality and should conform with the careful requirements of the

Church. Thus, the building should focus attention on the altar, the center of

the divine Sacrifice; should combine dignity and beauty, and should symbolize

the spiritual purposes it serves. Thus, the sacred vessels should be first of all

fitting receptacles for Christ’s body rather than intricately decorated works of

profane art. Thus, the linens and vestments should be made of real linen or

good silk and should be decorated in a dignified manner symbolic of the ends

they serve.

BLESSING OF CORNERSTONE: When a church is being built, the bishop
or a delegated priest blesses its cornerstone, which represents Christ. St. Paul

says Christ is “the chief cornerstone: In whom all the building, being framed
together, groweth up into an holy temple in the Lord.” 2 God is asked to bless

the church and purify it from all defilement; to give health and salvation to all

who contribute toward it. The proper place for the cornerstone is inside the

church, in the wall at the Gospel side of the sanctuary, the most hallowed part of

the building. This placement is not always used.

CONSECRATION OF CHURCHES: The completed building is blessed or,
if it fulfills certain requirements, consecrated. Consecration must be performed

by a bishop, but the simple blessing or dedication may be done by a priest dele-
gated by the bishop. A church may be consecrated only when it is a permanent
house of worship. Buildings temporary in construction or designed to serve

religious ends for a time only may not be consecrated. The building should be
free from debt, so that no human power may exercise any claim that might turn
it to non-religious uses. Rarely is a consecrated church sold, though the building

may be razed.

CONSECRATION CEREMONY: Holy water is blessed, and the outer walls
are sprinkled. At the church door, the bishop knocks with his crozier, saying:

“Lift up your heads, ye portals; and be lifted up, ye ancient gates, that the

King of glory may enter in.” This is repeated three times. Between knockings,
bishop and people proceed around the church. After the third knocking they are

admitted by the deacon. A cross is traced on the threshold, prayers are re-
cited, and several symbolic rites are performed. Then Gregorian water is

1. Stapper-Baier, Catholic Liturgies. Page 59. 2. Ephesians II, 20-21.



30 THE SACRAMENTALS

blessed, and peace and virtue are asked for all who visit the church. The

interior walls and floor are blessed, and the walls are anointed with chrism

at twelve places where crosses have been painted or carved to show that this is

a consecrated church.

CONSECRATION OF ALTAR: The bishop says: “I will go in unto the altar
of God: Unto God, Who giveth joy to my youth.” Going to the altar, he makes
five crosses on its top, sprinkles it with Gregorian water, and seals sacred relics

within it. The altar is anointed with oil of catechumens and chrism. This

ceremony may be held separately from the consecration of a church, for altars

are sometimes consecrated in churches that are merely blessed, and altar stones

are consecrated for use in tables that are not fixed and hence cannot be conse-

crated as a whole. A fixed altar is a slab of natural stone, permanently attached
to its base. Altar linens and other furnishings are blessed when the church is

consecrated.

SACRED VESSELS: The principal sacred vessels are consecrated or
blessed. The chalice and paten, which hold the body and blood of Christ at

Mass, are consecrated by a bishop, who anoints them with chrism and says pray-

ers of blessing over them. The chalice represents the tomb in which Christ’s

body was placed; the paten, the stone that closed the tomb. These vessels must

be made of gold or at least of silver, gold-plated on the surfaces that come

into contact with the sacred Species. The ciborium and the pyx, in which the

Eucharist is reserved, and the luna, in which It is held when displayed in the

monstrance at Benediction or Exposition, are blessed.

SACRED LINENS: The most important linens used at Mass are sacra-
mentals. The corporal, on which the Host rests, and the pall, which covers the

chalice, are considered as one and are blessed in a single ceremony. A number
of unblessed linens are also used.

SACRED VESTMENTS: The vestments of the priest and other ministers
serve not only as distinctive garments but also as incentives to devotion and

reminders of Christ’s passion and death. The important ones are blessed. The

vestments used by the priest at Mass are the amice, alb, cincture, stole, maniple,

and chasuble, all of which are blessed. These and the other vestments have

developed from what were once ordinary garments. Each has its special sym-

bolism.

LITURGICAL COLORS: The five principal colors used in the vestments
have a rich symbolism. The color worn at Mass is determined by the season

of the liturgical year or by the feast being celebrated. The principal colors are:

white, for purity or innocence; red, for fire and blood; purple, for penance; black,

for mourning; green, for hope. Gold cloth may be substituted for white, red,

or green. Rose may be worn on the third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete) and the
fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare).

CHURCH BELLS: The bells which “serve to call the faithful to divine
service, to admonish them to participate in certain prayers (the Divine Office,

prayer for the deceased, the Angelus, during storms, etc.), to add to the solem-

nity of festivals,” 3 receive a special blessing. As sacramentals they are intended

to avert evil and to call down God’s blessing on the people. The blessing is per-

formed by a bishop or an authorized priest. Many psalms and prayers are re-
cited; the bell is washed with holy water and anointed with oil of the sick and

chrism. The ceremony is often called a “baptism” because the bells are washed

with water and given the name of a patron saint. “Baptism of bells” is a

quaint and interesting, but not strictly accurate, term, for there can be no ques-

tion of conferring a sacrament upon a mere thing. The patron’s name is not

mentioned when the bell is washed with water, but when it is anointed with oil.

HOLY OILS: In this chapter and in those preceding it, the use of oil in
the liturgy has often been mentioned. Holy oils are used in administering cer-

3. Stapper-Baier, Catholic Liturgies. Page 85.



THE CHURCH, ITS FURNISHINGS, HOLY OILS 31

tain sacraments and in various blessings and consecrations. The three kinds,

blessed by the bishop every Holy Thursday and distributed to all churches, are

oil of catechumens, holy chrism, and oil of the sick. They are mostly olive oil,

a natural source of strength, food, and light. The Church’s oils symbolize spirit-

ual strengthening, nourishment, and enlightenment. They are preserved in the

ambry, a locked box on the sanctuary wall. Oil of catechumens and holy chrism

are also kept at the baptismal font. For use on sick calls, every priest has a

metal oilstock, containing a compartment for each oil.

OIL OF CATECHUMENS: Sometimes called simply “holy oil,” this is
used in Baptism, in blessing baptismal fonts, consecrating churches and altars,

ordaining priests, and crowning kings or queens.

HOLY CHRISM: This is the essential substance in Confirmation. In it
balsam is mixed with the oil. Chrism is used not only in Confirmation, but also

in Baptism, in consecrating bishops, churches, chalices, and patens, and in bless-

ing baptismal water and bells.

OIL OF THE SICK: This is the matter of the Sacrament of Extreme Unc-
tion and is used in blessing bells. In the Latin rite it is pure oil; in certain

Eastern rites it contains a little wine or ashes.

SUGGESTED PRACTICES
1. Visit your parish church and observe how it fills the requirements of “the

house of God and the gate of heaven.” Look for the cornerstone, and for

the twelve crosses if it is consecrated.

2. If you have a chance to attend the dedication or the consecration of a church,

do so and pay close attention to the ceremonies.

DISCUSSION OUTLINE
1. Why should the church building be a place of particular dignity and beauty?

2. What are “social” sacramentals ? Name some of them.

3. Do the church and its furnishings serve only a practical purpose in the wor-

ship of God? If not, what other ends do they serve?

4. What does the cornerstone represent? Where should it be placed in a
church ?

5. What conditions must be fulfilled for the consecration of a church? Tell
something about the ceremony.

6. Describe the consecration of an altar. Must this ceremony be performed

when a church is being consecrated ?

7. Which are the most important sacred vessels ? Which are consecrated ?

Which blessed ?

8. Name the two most important linens used at Mass. Are they blessed?

9. What are the distinctive vestments worn by the priest at Mass ?

10. Discuss the liturgical colors.

11. Who may bless a church bell ? Discuss the ceremony. Why is it sometimes
called a “baptism” ? Is this designation accurate ?

12. Name the holy oils. When are they blessed? What is their symbolism?
Where are the oils kept?

13. When is the oil of catechumens used? holy chrism? oil of the sick?



32 THE SACRAMENTALS

X

Liturgical Books

“The liturgy, taken in the fullness of its organic complexity, forms a vast

sacramental,” says Dom M. Festugiere.1 We may include, therefore, under
sacramentals everything found in the official liturgical books of the Church

but not essential to the Mass and the sacraments. Most important of these

books are the Missal, that is, the Mass book, and the Breviary, containing the

Divine Office or the Church’s Hour Prayers.

DEVELOPMENT OF MISSAL: As the parts of the celebrant and other
ministers in the liturgical drama of the Mass developed, they were written down

in various books: the priest’s part in sacramentaries, deacon’s in Gospel-books,

subdeacon’s in lectionaries, choir’s in antiphonals and graduals. Between the

seventh and the sixteenth centuries, these books were gradually brought to-

gether to form the Missal. The Roman Missal was first printed at Milan in

1474. Nearly 100 years later, in 1570, Pope St. Pius V made the use of the
official Missal obligatory throughout the Church.2 Revisions and additions have

been made by popes since that time, the latest being that of Benedict XV in 1920.

CONTENTS OF MISSAL: The Missal contains the prayers common to all
Masses, those proper to different Masses of the liturgical seasons or saints and to

Masses for special occasions such as weddings and funerals. Besides these

prayers, it includes a list of feasts of the church calendar and rules to guide

the priest in celebrating Mass.

UNION WITH CHRIST: Since the Mass continues the sacrifice of Calvary
and carries on Christ’s redemptive work, it is by participating as actively as

possible in the Mass that the faithful can play their full part as living mem-

bers of Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church. To bring himself into intimate union

with Christ in the holy Sacrifice, one can find no better medium than the Missal,

containing the prayers with which the Church has clothed the Mass. In the

Missal, the faithful say the beautiful prayers right with the priest. Thus they

gain a deeper understanding and love of the Mass, hence, of its sacred victim,

Christ Himself, and they function as active members rather than mere lifeless

appendages of the Mystical Body.

“PRAY THE MASS”: That all are intended to participate in the Mass is
shown by the very prayers of the Sacrifice. Always they say “we, our, us.”

“Wherefore, O Lord, we Thy servants, as also Thy holy people ...” “And now,
most gracious Father, we humbly beg of Thee . . .” By using the Missal the
faithful really “pray the Mass” instead of passively witnessing the drama of

Calvary. Many of the prayers are the word of God, taken directly from Scrip-
ture; all are the words the Church has chosen as best expressing man’s re-

lationship to God.

THROUGH THE CENTURIES: Before the so-called Reformation, the Mass
books, the Breviary, and the Bible were known to religious and laity alike, the

source of instruction and of love. Later the laity lost their familiarity with the

Mass, but this century’s liturgical revival is bringing many back to active par-
ticipation in the holy Sacrifice through use of the Missal. English translations

are available for those who cannot follow the Mass in Latin. In some places the
“Missa Recitata” has been introduced with success. In this the faithful answer

the prayers at Mass aloud along with the server, and also say the Gloria, Credo,

Sanctus, and Agnus Dei together with the priest; at Communion they say the

1. Qu’est-ce que la Liturgie? Pages 79-80.

2. Because of the antiquity of their liturgies, churches or religious orders having Mass customs
dating back at least 200 years were exempted from the obligation to adopt the revised Missal
and were allowed to retain their customs.



LITURGICAL BOOKS 33

Confiteor together, and then the Domine, non sum dignus three times with the

priest.

CONTENTS OF BREVIARY : As the Missal contains the prayers for Mass,
the Breviary contains those of the Divine Office, which priests and most religious

must recite daily. The term Breviary, from the Latin breviarium, abridgment

or compendium, is used because it contains the Office as shortened by Pope

Gregory VII and newly revised in the eleventh century. The Breviary includes

four books, one for each season: winter, spring, summer, and autumn. Each

volume contains these principal parts: 1. Ordinary, elements that recur daily and

determine the Office’s general pattern. 2. Psalter, the 150 Psalms distributed

over the seven days of the week, with their antiphons. 3. Proper, parts for each

separate day divided into the Temporal, for the liturgical seasons, and the

Sanctoral, for saints’ days. 4. Common of saints, parts assigned to different classes

of saints. 5. Appendix, Offices and prayers not frequently used but said on

special occasions and in special places.

HOUR PRAYERS: The Office is divided into eight parts to be said at the
different hours: 1. Matins, originally said during the night, about 2:00 a. m., and

consisting of psalms, Scripture selections, a homily on the Gospel, and a short

biography of the saint or history of the feast of the day. 2. Lauds, which greets

Christ in the rising sun and is devoted entirely to praise of God. 3. Prime, the

morning prayer asking God’s protection through the day. 4. Terce, commemo-

rating the Holy Ghost’s descent upon the apostles. 5. Sext, said at noon to ask

God to “extinguish the flames of strife . . . give health of body and true peace

of heart.” 6. None, which asks God to bestow His light in the evening. 7. Ves-

pers, the official evening song of praise. 8. Compline, the night prayer begging

God’s protection against the spirits of darkness.

BREVIARY AND LAITY: In the Middle Ages, when the laity recited the
Office publicly with the religious or privately in their homes, excerpts from the

Breviary were familiar and generally accepted forms of prayer for the faithful.

But the Office, like the Missal, was forgotten by the people until our own day,

when they are slowly returning to it. The individualistic spirit of the Reforma-

tion, which affected Catholics as well as Protestants; the decline in familiarity

with Latin, and changes in the Breviary were responsible for its gradual neglect

and final abandonment by the people.

OFFICIAL PRAYER: As the Mass is the official act of worship, the Office
is the Church’s official prayer—obligatory for clergy and for most religious,
recommended for all. “It is composed of psalms, canticles, hymns; lessons

from the Scripture, the lives of the saints, and the homilies or sermons of the

Fathers; prayers, versicles and responses, with the frequent repetition of the

Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary, and the Apostles’ Creed.” 3 Though individual

devotions are not to be discouraged, they can never compare with the Office in

which the individual joins his prayers to those of the whole Mystical Body. St.

Alphonsus Liguori said: “Many private prayers do not equal in value only one

prayer of the Divine Office, as being offered to God in the name of the whole

Church, and in His own appointed words.”

MISSAL NOT ENOUGH: To those who would say that the Missal gives
them enough part in the Church’s official life, Dom Rodolphe Hoornaert replies:
“No, the Missal is not enough . . . The Missal and Breviary go together and

each completes the other. If those who love the Mass wish to carry their
devotion to its logical conclusion, they must inevitably take up the Breviary.

The Office is at once a preparation for the Mass and a prolongation of it.” 4 The

theme of the Office follows that of the Mass, stressing the liturgical season and

the same mystery or saint’s day as the Mass.

3. Lambing, The Sacramentals of the Holy Catholic Church. Page 44.

4. Hoornaert, The Breviary and the Laity. Page 24.



34 THE SACRAMENTALS

LEAGUE OF DIVINE OFFICE: As the Missal has brought the people into
union with the Church’s life and hence the very Christ-life itself, it has drawn

them also toward the Breviary. In 1936, the League of the Divine Office was

organized by the Benedictine Fathers of St. John’s Abbey at Collegeville, Min-

nesota. Members devote themselves to recitation of the Office in whole or in

part. In ch^p^ers of seven, they divide the Office so that all the Day Hours

(excluding Matins) are recited daily. The part said by each member is rotated

weekly so that in seven weeks he says all the Day Hours in succession. Mem-

bers of the league share in the fruits of the monthly solemn Mass offered at St.

John’s for the intention of the liturgical apostolate.

THE RITUAL: Every educated and devout Catholic should also be ac-
quainted with the Ritual, which contains all ordinary services performed by

priests but not included in the Missal or Breviary. The Ritual is used in ad-

ministering most of the sacraments and in giving many blessings. It contains

the formulas used in blessing almost innumerable sacramentals. The treasures

of the Ritual will be made clear when the various blessings of persons and things

are considered in later chapters.

OTHER LITURGICAL BOOKS: The Church’s other official books are the
Pontifical, which describes functions reserved to bishops; the Ceremonial of

Bishops, which contains other directions for episcopal rites; the Martyrology,

which gives the names and brief biographical sketches of saints honored on each

day of the year, and the Memorial of Rites, a sort of small Ritual for use in

smaller churches, especially during Holy Week. Lay Catholics are little con-

cerned with these because the ceremonies contained in them are so seldom wit-

nessed by the faithful. Not an official liturgical book but an important volume

for anyone interested in the sacramentals is the Raccolta, which lists prayers

and actions indulgenced by Rome, the indulgences granted for each, and the

conditions for gaining the favors.

SUGGESTED PRACTICES
1. Form the habit of using a Missal at Mass.

2. If it is possible, organize a chapter of the League of the Divine Office; or

try to pray some part of the Divine Office each day, especially Prime and

Compline.

DISCUSSION OUTLINE
1. Which are the most important liturgical books ?

2. Discuss the development of the Missal. When was it first printed? When
did St. Pius V make its use obligatory ?

3. What is contained in the Missal ?

4. Why should all the faithful develop the habit of using the Missal at Mass ?
How do the prayers indicate that all are to take an active part in the
Sacrifice ?

5. What is the “Missa Recitata” ? When did the laity lose their familiarity
with the Mass ? When did they start regaining it ?

6. What is contained in the Breviary ? How many books ? What are the
principal parts of each book?

7. What divisions are there in each day’s Office?

8. What can be said of the relations between the Breviary and the laity?
What did St. Alphonsus say of the value of the official prayers of the
Breviary ?

9. Is the use of the Missal enough for the Catholic who wishes to play his
full part as a member of the Mystical Body?

10. What is the League of the Divine Office ? How does it function ?

11. What is the Ritual? Name the other liturgical books. What is the Raccolta?



POPULAR DEVOTIONS 35

XI

Popular Devotions
“Where there are two or three gathered together in My name, there am I

in the midst of them,” 1 Christ told His apostles. Relying on Christ’s promise

to be “in the midst of them,” the faithful gather to hold special religious services

apart from the Mass, the sacraments, and the Divine Office. These devotions,

such as Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, the Forty Hours’ adoration, public

recitation of litanies, novenas, triduums, and the like, serve to increase religious

fervor. To many of them generous indulgences are attached.

ORIGIN OF BENEDICTION : When the elevation of the sacred Host was
introduced into the Mass to counteract heretical theological opinions being spread

in the early part of the thirteenth century, the people developed a great desire

of having the Host exposed for adoration. After the institution of the feast of

Corpus Christi in 1246, eucharistic processions and exposition services became

popular. So eager were the faithful to see their eucharistic King that in Spain

a black velvet screen was held behind the altar at the Elevation of the Mass

to make the Host stand out in sharp relief. In some places it was customary to

hold the Blessed Sacrament before the eyes of dying persons who were phy-

sically unable to receive the Viaticum. In Germany especially, the Host was

continuously exposed in “sacrament houses,” huge tabernacles in which the

Eucharist was kept behind a lattice-work door, where it could be dimly seen by

people in the church. In England and France the Eucharist was exposed at

evening services honoring the Blessed Virgin. These ended with a blessing

such as is now given at Benediction.

BENEDICTION TODAY : In our time Benediction retains features that
recall its history: 1. Direct veneration of the Eucharist. 2. Devotion to Mary

that often shows itself in the singing of hymns or the recitation of the Litany

of Loreto. No hymns are prescribed except the “Tantum Ergo,” which must

immediately precede the actual blessing. In this country it is customary to

sing the “0 Salutaris” or another appropriate hymn at the beginning of the

service and to follow it with litanies or prayers preceding the final hymn. Only

the “Tantum Ergo” and the actual Benediction are regarded as strictly liturgical.

Usually the Benediction is followed by the recitation of the Divine Praises

(“Blessed Be God,” etc.).

EXPOSITION OF BLESSED SACRAMENT: A principal feature of the
Benediction service is the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance.

In a simpler form of the devotion, the monstrance is not used, but the blessing

is given with the Hosts in the ciborium, which has been exposed by having the

door of the tabernacle opened. Benediction “is a suitable means of giving

adoration to the incarnate Son of God, of strengthening faith in the presence

of Christ in the most Blessed Sacrament, and of intensifying the dispositions of

the faithful.” 2

ORIGIN OF FORTY HOURS’: Another eucharistic devotion is the Forty
Hours’ adoration, in which the Sacrament is exposed publicly for forty hours,

recalling the time Christ spent in the tomb. It too grew out of the eucharistic

processions of the late Middle Ages. No one knows just when the period of
forty hours was adopted for the exposition, but it became a practice in some

places to expose the Host for forty hours to make reparation to God for the

excesses of the pre-Lenten carnival. The modern custom of transferring the

devotion from one church to another so as to keep public adoration of the

Eucharist in progress throughout the year was proposed at Milan in 1537 by

a barefoot Capuchin friar, Father Joseph Plantanida of Ferno. Two years later,
Pope Paul III granted the first indulgences attached to the devotion.

1. Matthew XVIII, 20. 2. Stapper-Baier, Catholic Liturgies. Pages 178-9.



36 THE SACRAMENTALS

DEVELOPMENT OF DEVOTION: Pope Paul Ill’s document granting in-
dulgences for the Forty Hours’ stated the purposes of the devotion as follows:

“To appease the anger of God provoked by the offenses of Christians and in

order to bring to naught the efforts and machinations of the Turks.” Pope

Clement VIII in 1592 established the devotion in Rome, and in 1731 Pope Clement

XII issued a detailed code of instructions which still regulate the carrying out

of the devotion. The Forty Hours’ was brought to the United States about

1854, probably by Bishop John Neumann, C.SS.R., of Philadelphia. Now it is
usually in progress somewhere in each diocese at all times of the year.

FORTY HOURS’ TODAY: The devotion today opens with a Mass of Ex-
position, followed by a eucharistic procession. On the second day, a Mass for

Peace is said, and on the third the devotion closes with a Mass of Reposition and

another procession, at the end of which the people are blessed with the sacred

Host. In our country the actual period of adoration is seldom continuous for

forty hours, but is interrupted at night. In churches where the Forty Hours’

cannot be held, a one-day devotion, the Thirteen Hours,’ sometimes takes its place.

INDULGENCES: The Forty Hours’ is among the Church’s most richly
indulgenced devotions. A plenary indulgence may be gained once each day by
visiting the church where the Eucharist is exposed and praying for the pope’s

intention. Another plenary indulgence is granted for taking part in the pro-

cessions and assisting at a full Holy Hour during the devotion. All these are

subject to the usual conditions of confession and Communion. There are also

a number of partial indulgences.

THE “ANGELUS”: The “Angelus,” a devotion honoring Christ’s incar-
nation and His Blessed Mother, is held at the sound of the church bells morning,

noon, and evening. It consists in the triple recitation of the Hail Mary, together

with three introductory versicles and a concluding versicle and prayer. The

devotion takes its name from the opening prayer, which recalls the message of

Gabriel to Mary: “The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.” “Angelus” is the

Latin word for angel. The “Angelus” should be said kneeling, except on Satur-

day noon and evening and on Sunday. The “Regina Coeli,” substituted for the

“Angelus” during the Easter time, consists of three versicles and their responses,

followed by a prayer. Its name comes from the opening words, “Regina Coeli,

laetare,” “Oh, Queen of Heaven, rejoice.” This prayer should be recited stand-

ing. Both the “Angelus” and the “Regina Coeli” bring an indulgence of 100

days for each recitation and a plenary indulgence once a month for those who

say them habitually.3

NOVENAS AND TRIDUUMS: Novenas are devotions held for nine con-
secutive days or weeks, usually for the purpose of asking special favors or graces.

The nine days the apostles spent in prayer between Christ’s ascension and the

descent of the Holy Ghost may be regarded as a prototype of novenas. A popular
form of novena is the reception of Communion on the first Fridays of nine con-

secutive months in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, usually to gain the favors

promised to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in a series of visions. In some churches

perpetual novenas, which the faithful may begin in any week, are held in honor

of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Our Lady of Perpetual Plelp, or certain

saints. A triduum is a three-day devotion similar to a novena.

LITANIES: A litany is a prayer in which salutations and petitions are re-
peated again and again in varying forms. In early Christian times, prayers

with set responses were used in the Mass. A trace of this practice remains in
the Kyrie Eleison of the holy Sacrifice today. From this practice developed a

large number of litanies, and at one time as many as eighty were in use. In

1601, Pope Clement VIII forbade the public recitation of any except the Litany

of the Saints and that of the Blessed Virgin. Three others, those of the Holy

Name of Jesus, the Sacred Heart, and St. Joseph, have since been approved for
public use.

3. Sullivan, The Visible Church. Page 164.



POPULAR DEVOTIONS 37

LITANY OF THE SAINTS: The Litany of the Saints, most ancient of
those still in use, was prescribed much as it is used today as early as 590 by

Pope St. Gregory the Great. It is recited in three forms: 1. The most common

form is recommended for private devotion, though no indulgence is attached to

its recitation, and is said at the blessing of a church or cemetery, at the Forty

Hours’ adoration, on the feast of St. Mark, April 25, and on the Rogation days,

the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension Thursday. It was ap-

proved as a blessing for the fruits of the earth in 816 by St. Leo III. 2. A shorter
form is used on Holy Saturday and on the Vigil of Pentecost. 3. The third form

is the “Litany of the Dying,” given in the Ritual as part of the “Commendation

of a Soul Departing.”

OTHER LITANIES: The Litany of the Blessed Virgin is also called the
Litany of Loreto, because of its origin at Loreto in Italy. The titles by which

Mary is addressed are mostly from sacred Scripture. An indulgence of 300 days
may be gained each time it is said, and those who recite it daily may gain a
plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions, on the feasts of the Immaculate

Conception, the Nativity, the Annunciation, the Purification of Mary, and the

Assumption. 4 An indulgence of 300 days is granted once a day for reciting the
Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus,5 which was approved in 1862 by Pope Pius
IX and was extended to the whole Church in 1886 by Leo XIII. The Litany of

the Sacred Heart, approved in 1899 by Leo XIII, also carries an indulgence of

300 days, which may be gained once a day.6 It contains thirty-three invocations

in memory of Christ’s thirty-three years on earth. The Litany of St. Joseph,

latest one approved for public use, was sanctioned by Pope Pius X in 1909. It
also carries an indulgence of 300 days once a day.7

SUGGESTED PRACTICES
1. Cultivate the habit of attending Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament when-

ever it is given in your parish church.

2. Make a habit of reciting regularly the “Angelus” or the “Regina Coeli,” ac-

cording to the season.

DISCUSSION OUTLINE
1. Name some of the devotions that are popular with the faithful.
2. How did Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament originate? Tell some of the

means used in the Middle Ages to allow the people to gaze on the sacred

Host.

3. What two features in the Benediction service today recall the history of
this devotion ?

4. How is the simpler form of Benediction given ?
5. How did the Forty Hours’ adoration begin ? When did it take on the form

in which it is practiced today?

6. Tell of the development of the devotion and discuss the manner in which it

it is usually conducted in our country today.

7. What are some of the indulgences attached to the Forty Hours’?

8. What is the “Angelus” ? What other devotion is substituted for it in the
Easter time ? What indulgences are attached to these devotions ?

9. What are novenas and triduums ?
10. What litanies are approved for public recitation?
11. How many forms of the Litany of the Saints are used? Discuss the use of

this litany in the liturgy of the Church.

12. What is another name for the Litany of the Blessed Virgin? What in-
dulgences are attached to this litany ?

13. Discuss the other approved litanies. Tell what indulgences are granted for

their recitation. Which was the most recently approved ?

4. Raccolta. Pages 167 ff. 5. Raccolta. Pages 50 ff. 6. Raccolta. Pages 140 ff.

7. Sullivan, The Visible Church. Page 218.



38 THE SACRAMENTALS

XII

Sacred Images

The First Commandment says: “Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven

thing, nor the likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or in the earth be-

neath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt

not adore them, nor serve them.” 1 This would seem to forbid any representa-

tions of men or other creatures, but a proper understanding of the command-

ment shows that the real force of the prohibition is in the words: “Thou shalt

not adore them, nor serve them.” What God forbids is not the use of images,

but their worship. Such is the age-old doctrine of the Church.

HISTORY OF IMAGES: This interpretation of the First Commandment
must be correct, for God Himself ordered Moses to place two cherubim of beaten

gold upon the Ark of the Covenant 2 and to set up a brazen image of the fiery

serpent in the desert.3 Many Jews were, nevertheless, bitterly opposed to im-

ages, and some early Christians too feared that images might lead to idol-wor-

ship. But the Roman catacombs contain many sacred pictures and statues, and

archeologists have proved that in the East also images were frequently used by

the first Christians.

IMAGE-BREAKERS: By the eighth century, images, called “icons” in the
East, were universally used, and some abuses had crept in. There were images

everywhere. “They hung in a place of honor in every room, over every shop;

they covered cups, garments, furniture, rings; wherever a possible space was

found, it was filled with a picture of Christ, our Lady, or a Saint.” 4 The Church

officially fought abuses in image-worship, but certain fanatics in the East began

a violent reaction against all effigies. In the middle of the eighth century, the

Iconoclasts, or “image-breakers,” began a drive to wipe out all images. In a

violent persecution of those who followed the traditional doctrine, monasteries

and churches were destroyed, sacred statues smashed, relics of the saints dese-

crated, priests and monks brutally murdered. The Church’s doctrine had al-

ways been clear, and the Second Council of Nice in 787 made explicit once and

for all the principles governing the use of images. Iconoclast disorders con-

tinued until the middle of the ninth century. Some violent followers of the

Protestant Revolt in the sixteenth century repeated the excesses of the Iconoclast

age. An English royal decree of 1548 ordered that all crucifixes and sacred statues
be taken down and that the royal arms of the Lion and Unicorn be put up in

their place.

RIGHT DOCTRINE: The Council of Nice declared: “We define with all
certainty and care that both the figure of the sacred and life-giving cross, as

also the venerable and holy images, whether made in colors or mosaic or other

materials, are to be placed suitably in the holy churches of God, on sacred vessels

and vestments, on walls and pictures, in houses and by roads; that is to say,

the images of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, of our immaculate Lady,

the holy Mother of God, of the honorable angels and all saints and holy men. For

as often as they are seen in their pictorial representations, people who look at
them are ardently lifted up to the memory and love of the originals and induced
to give them respect and worshipful honor but not real adoration, which accord-

ing to our faith is due only to the Divine Nature.” 5 Nothing has since been

audtd to these principles, which were reaffirmed by the Council of Trent in 1543.

BLESSING OF IMAGES: The blessing of images shows clearly the pur-
poses they are to serve. The blessing says: “Almighty eternal God, who dost

1. Exodus XX, 4-5. 2. Exodus XXV, 18. 3. Numbers XXI, 8-9. This brazen serpent was a figure
of Christ crucified. 4. Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. VII. Page 668. 5. Catholic Encyclopedia.

Vol. VII. Page 671.



SACRED IMAGES 39

not forbid the sculpturing or painting of the images of Thy saints, so that, as

often as we gaze upon them with our bodily eyes, we may, with the aid of our

memory, meditate upon their holiness of life for the purpose of modeling our own

upon theirs: we humbly beseech that Thou wouldst deign to bless and sanctify

these images made unto the honor and memory of Thy only-begotten Son, Jesus

Christ our Lord; and grant that, whosoever shall suppliantly worship and honor

Thy only-begotten Son in the presence of these images, may by His merits and

satisfaction obtain grace from Thee in this life and eternal glory in the next.

Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.” 6 This blessing shows that images

serve the highest aim of the entire liturgy: “. . . the process of transfiguration

by which the fallen race of mankind is progressively assimilated to God.” 7

MOTHER OF ARTS: The Church has always been the mother of the arts,
and her use of sacred images has inspired artists of every type to do their best

work. The finest mosaics of the early Christian era, the best metal work of the

Middle Ages, the greatest productions of the Renaissance painters and sculptors,

the most magnificent stained-glass windows of all time—all these are the pro-
ducts of inspired sons of the Church. Religious art reached its highest develop-

ment in works like the Last Supper, painted by Leonardo da Vinci on the refectory

wall of a Dominican convent in Milan; the Madonnas by Raphael, and Michel-

angelo’s sculpture, such as the Pieta in St. Peter’s at Rome. Copies of many

famous religious art works can be found in museums and books available to

everyone.

SINCE THE PROTESTANT REVOLT: Reformation fanaticism almost
stifled religious art, and no age since Protestantism’s rise has produced anything

to rival the work of Catholic geniuses in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

After an era of near stagnation, there is now a revival of the craftsmanship and

artistry that marked the Age of Faith. Monks at the Abbey of Maria Laach in

Germany are making crucifixes and images worthy of the sacred subjects they

represent. In this country promoters of the liturgical revival are producing

really artistic images to replace the unsightly pictures and statues that were

foisted on the faithful for years. At Monterey, California, a group of artisans,

working in barnlike buildings, are beating out metal images and carving wooden

statues that rival works of the Middle Ages.

THROUGHOUT THE WORLD: Sacred images have found their place, not
only in the highly developed art of Europe, but in the art of every Christianized

race. Primitive tribes of Africa and South America have fashioned their own

crude statues, like the weird crucifix, made from a cross-like fishbone by Indians

of Dutch Guiana, brought to this country and displayed in 1937 by a Denver art

collector. Chinese and Japanese have developed a Christian art with all the

delicacy of the Orient’s best workmanship. Indians and Spanish-Americans of

the Southwest have painted on rough slabs of wood or on bits of metal from

tin-cans the likenesses of their favorite santos. From small blocks of wood they
have formed crude statues, the bultos that adorn their humble adobe huts. These

may be seen in many art shops of the West.

USE IN HOMES: Every Catholic home should have its sacred images,
pictures, and statues to increase the devotion of the family and to create an

atmosphere that will better the lives of all who dwell within its walls. In every

home there should be at least a crucifix and pictures or statues of Christ and

His Mother. If possible, every bedroom should have its crucifix, if only a small

one. The presence of sacred images tends to make those who live in the house
think of those virtues of Christ and the saints which everyone should imitate.

There is no better protection against temptation than contemplation of the

crucifix, which recalls the sufferings of Christ for the sins of men. In some

homes, devout Christians set up small shrines of the Sacred Heart, our Lady,

6. Orate Fratres. Jan. 23, 1938. Pages 107-8. (Bold face ours.)

7. Herwegen, The Art-Principle of the Liturgy. Page iv.



40 THE SACRAMENTALS

or some favorite saint. Before them flowers are placed, lights or candles some-

times burn, and family devotions are held. Especially in May, many families

honor Mary by erecting shrines for daily prayer. These customs bring rich

blessings to those who practice them. Not the images or the shrines, but the

holy thoughts they inspire, the prayers they provoke, and the transformation

they effect are the things that merit bountiful spiritual rewards.

GIANTS OVER THE WORLD: Not only in homes but in public places do
sacred images find their proper use. Wayside shrines all over Europe and in

some places of America remind the faithful of Christ and His saints. Over

both American continents tower huge statues of the Savior. High in the range

that separates Chile and Argentina stands the Christ of the Andes, a sacred

symbol of Christian peace. In Colorado’s mountains is the great Christ of the

Rockies, hand outstretched in benediction over the whole United States. The

statues are giant symbols of Christian faith, constant invitations to those outside

the Church. They beckon all to live in the shadow of Christ, Whose blessing

is for all the people.

SUGGESTED PRACTICES
1. If you do not have a crucifix or a sacred image of some kind in your bed-

room, obtain one and be sure to have it blessed; also have one in a prominent

place in the dining room of your home.

2. Examine the images in your parish church and seek to imitate the virtues

of the saints shown in these images.

DISCUSSION OUTLINE
1. How is the use of images restricted by the First Commandment?

2. Cite instances in which God Himself commanded the use of images in the

Old Testament. How do we know that the first Christians made pictures
and statues of Christ and the saints ?

3. Discuss the Iconoclasts. How long did the Iconoclast disorders continue?
Cite an example of “image-breaker” tactics used in the time of the Protes-

tant Revolt.

4. What was the teaching of the Second Council of Nice on the proper use of
images ? In what council was this teaching reaffirmed ?

5. What purposes are images intended to serve, as shown by the blessing?

6. What is the meaning of “transfiguration” as applied to the function of the
liturgy, including sacramentals like images ?

7. How has the Church been “the mother of the arts”?

8. What is the history of religious art since the Protestant Revolt?

9. Discuss the creation of sacred images by all races of the world. What are
santos and bultos among the Indians of the Southwest?

10. Why should every Catholic home have its sacred images ? What should be
the smallest number of images in each home? Discuss the setting up of

home shrines and their use for special devotions.

11. Tell about the two huge statues on the continents of North and South

America.



BLESSINGS OF PERSONS 41

XIII

Blessings of Persons

Through the sacramentals the Church extends her saving influence into

every department of daily life. She not only blesses things for the use of the

faithful, she has special blessings for persons themselves. Some are for those

in the religious life, such as abbots and nuns. Others are for the ordinary

Christian, to bring him God’s graces in all the actions of his life, particularly

in times of trial.

BLESSING OF ABBOTS: The blessing of an abbot is performed at Mass
by a bishop, assisted by two other abbots. The abbot receives the symbolic in-

signia of his office as father of the monastic community—the mitre, special
gloves, symbolic shoes and stockings, a pectoral cross, a ring, and the crozier.

Near the end of the ceremony, the monks embrace their new father, kiss his

ring, and pledge obedience and reverence to him. “These outward marks of

honor are more than mere ornaments; they stand for something; they are heavy

with the prayers and blessing of Holy Church; they drip graces” 1 which the

abbot will need in exercising his office.

CONSECRATION OF VIRGINS: The consecration of virgins in religious
communities is a beautiful and impressive ceremony. In the ceremony for the

consecrating of virgins or the solemn profession of nuns, as described in the

Roman Pontifical, the bishop says: “We choose these virgins, to bless and conse-

crate them and to wed them to our Lord Jesus Christ.” The women are vested

in clothes blessed as garments of salvation and of eternal joy. Veils, rings, and

wreaths are blessed. After the vesting, the bishop puts a ring on the finger of

each, saying: “I betroth thee to Jesus Christ . . .” Placing the wreath on the

virgin’s head, the bishop prays that she may deserve to be crowned with glory

and honor by Christ in heaven. At the Offertory of the Mass, each new religious

offers a burning candle to symbolize the oblation of herself to God.

SACRAMENTALS OF THE SICK: Some blessings for lay persons are
intimately connected with the Christian home and family life. These will be

considered in chapter XVI. Others are for every person, and among them none

are more beneficial than the “sacramentals of the sick.” The Church blesses

not only the sick themselves but also their bed, linens, bandages, and ambulances.

The blessing of the sick-bed linens asks that those who are covered with these

cloths and linens may merit health of mind and body. The ambulance’s blessing

mentions Christ’s healing every ailment and infirmity of the people, and asks

that the sick to be carried in the ambulance may arrive safely at the place
of cure.

BLESSING OF THROATS: Catholics often neglect the sacramentals of
the sick, but many receive the blessing of the throat on February 3, feast of St.
Blase. Because he saved the life of a child who had choked on a bone, St. Blase

is recognized as the healer of all throat diseases. Two candles are used in im-
parting the blessing, intended to protect those who receive it from all throat

disorders and other ills.

RITUAL PROVISIONS: One whole division of the Ritual is devoted to the
sick. Besides the ceremonies of Extreme Unction, it contains numerous other

rites—a blessing for a sick child, another for adults, the formal pastoral visita-
tion of the sick, the last blessing, the recommendation of a departing soul, and

prayers for the dying. The next section deals with Christian burial. The Missal

contains a votive Mass for the sick, the Collect of which begs God: “Hear us

1. Abbot Martin Veth, O. S. B., at blessing of Abbot Leonard Schwinn, O. S. B., in Canon City,

Colo., Aug. 10, 1937.



42 THE SACRAMENTALS

on behalf of Thy servants who are sick, for whom we humbly crave the help of
Thy mercy, that, being restored to health, they may render thanks to Thee in

Thy church.” 2 There is also a Mass for a happy death.

BLESSINGS FOR THE SICK: The blessing of a sick child recalls Christ’s
raising of Jarius’ daughter from the dead 3 and asks God: “Extend Thy right

hand upon this Thy servant, who at this tender age is ill, that being restored to

health and vigor he may come to fullness of age, and all the days of his life

ever thank and serve Thee faithfully.” The blessing for a sick adult says:

“May the Lord Jesus Christ be with you to defend you; within you to preserve you;

before you to guide you, behind you to protect you, and above you to bless you.” 4

PASTORAL VISITATION : The pastor’s formal visit to the sick is an im-
pressive ceremony. After the blessing of the house and sickroom, the priest re-

cites certain prayers over the sick person. He may then, if he think fit, read

certain passages from holy Scripture which are indicated in the Ritual, e. g.,

the healing of St. Peter’s wife’s mother, and that of the paralytic at the pool of

Siloe. Both physical and spiritual benefits are asked for the sick person: “Grant,

we beseech Thee, O Lord God, that this Thy servant may enjoy perpetual health

of mind and body; and, by the intercession of the blessed Mary ever Virgin, may

be delivered from present sorrow, and obtain eternal joy.” 5

LAST BLESSING OF THE DYING: In the prayer that precedes the last,
or apostolic, blessing, to which is attached a plenary indulgence “in articulo

mortis” (“at the moment of death”), the Church asks God: “Graciously grant

unto him the pardon and remission of all his sins, that his soul at the hour of

its departure may find in Thee a most merciful judge; and being cleansed from

every stain in the blood of Thy same Son, may be worthy to pass to everlasting

life.” The Confiteor is recited, another prayer is said, and the priest asks:

“Through the most sacred mysteries of man’s redemption, may God almighty

remit to thee all penalties of the present and the future life, open to thee the

gates of Paradise, and bring thee to everlasting joys.” 6 The actual blessing

follows.

RECOMMENDATION OF SOUL: The recommendation of a departing soul
includes many prayers, some of them very ancient, such as the Litany of the

Saints. This ceremony is contained in a ninth-century Ritual used by Prudentius,

Bishop of Troyes, but the prayers are much older than this Ritual. When no
priest is present, relatives or friends of the dying should recite the prayers.

The prayer of the Passion of Christ should be said by the dying person or re-

peated for him by another.

“INTO THY HANDS”: When death draws near, all should kneel to pray
for the departing soul. A crucifix should be placed in the hands of the dying,
and, if he is unable to speak, the name of Jesus should be whispered to him time

after time. Such formulas as this should be repeated in his ear: “Into Thy

hands, 0 Lord, I commend my spirit.” After the death, the prayers include these
words: “To Thee, O Lord, we commend the soul of thy servant (name), that

being dead to the world he may live to Thee.” 7 The Psalm “De Profundis”

(“Out of the Depths”) should be recited, and prayers should continue about the

bier until time for the funeral.

CHRISTIAN BURIAL: The Church continues to pray for her children

after their death, and the liturgy of the dead is among her most beautiful and

consoling rites. When time for the funeral arrives, the body should be taken to

church in procession. In our country this procession is usually held only from

the church doors up the middle aisle. After the body is placed before the high

altar, the recitation of the Office for the Dead, or a part of it, and the Mass

for the day of burial should follow. After Mass, a final absolution is pronounced

over the body, still in the church. This absolution includes the celebrated re-

2. Saint Andrew Daily Missal. Page 1762. 3. Luke VIII, 41-56. 4. Scholz, “Sacramentals for the

Sick.” Orate Fratres. Vol. V. Pages 158-62. 5. Layfolks’ Ritual. Page 65. 6. Ibid. Pages 81-2.

7. Ibid. Page 108.



BLESSINGS OF PERSONS 43

sponsory “Libera Me” (“From everlasting death, deliver me, 0 Lord”). The

bier is sprinkled with holy water and is incensed. In the cemetery, the grave is

blessed and final prayers are recited over the corpse. Besides the funeral rites,

the liturgy includes three Masses for all the departed on All Souls’ Day, No-

vember 2; the Mass on the anniversary of a person’s death or burial, and a common

Mass of the dead. There are commemorations of the dead in the Mass and Office

of every day.

ATTITUDE TOWARD DEATH: The Church’s funeral rites are not marked
by despair or terror, for the thought of the eternal glories of heaven runs all

through them, but “it cannot be denied that they express, sometimes in heart-

rending accents, the realization of human corruption and the horrors of death.” 8

The thought of the Church on death is probably best expressed in the Preface

of the Mass for the Dead, which says that we should ever praise God “through

Christ our Lord. In whom the hope of a blessed resurrection hath shone upon us,
that those whom the certainty of dying afflicteth, may be consoled by the promise
of future immortality.” 9

SUGGESTED PRACTICES
1. When someone in your family is seriously sick, be sure that a priest is

called in time to provide the last rites of the Church for him.

2. Often make the resolution to accept without question any sufferings that

God may give you in this life, but do not fail to make use of the sacramentals

in which the Church asks God to give health to His servants.

DISCUSSION OUTLINE
1. Name two sacramentals for persons in religion. What about blessings for

ordinary lay persons ?

2. Discuss the blessing of an abbot.

3. How is the spiritual wedding of religious women to Christ symbolized in the
consecration of virgins ?

4. How does the Church show her deep sympathy for the sick? Discuss the
blessing of sick-beds and linens; of ambulances.

5. Why is St. Blase considered the patron of those who have throat ailments ?
When is the blessing of throats given ?

6. What are some of the ceremonies contained in the Ritual section dealing

with the care of the sick?

7. Discuss the blessing for a sick child; for a sick adult.

8. What are some of the ceremonies connected with a pastor’s formal visita-

tion of the sick?

9. How do the prayers connected with the last blessing show the purpose of
the Church in providing the blessing?

10. What should be done when a person is dying and there is no priest present?

11. What ceremonies are included in the burial rites of the Church ? What is the
attitude of the Church toward death?

8. Ibid. Page xxxi. 9. Saint Andrew Daily Missal. Page 997.



44 THE SACRAMENTALS

XIV

Sacramentals in Agriculture

Christ taught His followers to pray for the fruits of the earth when He

included in the Lord’s Prayer this petition: “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Never forgetting man’s physical needs, the Church constantly repeats this peti-

tion. Until recent times, agriculture was everywhere the principal occupation

of men. Even today it occupies millions of persons. Hence it is natural that

the Church should give particular attention to the farmer’s needs and should

unceasingly ask God to bless his lands, seeds, harvests, and animals.

EMBER DAYS: The Ember days at the beginning of each season grew out
of nature festivals held by the pagan Romans in June, September, and December.

The Church gave the festivals a Christian character and added the Lenten Ember

days to the others. On these days of fast and abstinence the seasons are dedi-

cated to God and abundant crops are prayed for. Ember days are the Wednes-

day, Friday, and Saturday in the weeks after the first Sunday of Lent, after

Pentecost, after the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, September 14, and

after the feast of St. Lucy, December 13.

ROGATION DAYS: The Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascen-
sion Thursday are known as the Rogation1 days. They fall in the sixth week

after Easter, in the spring growing season. The public procession held every-

where on these days in times past and still observed in Catholic rural communi-

ties, was prescribed in the fifth century by St. Mamertus, Bishop of Vienne,

France, whose diocese had suffered many calamities. He ordered the procession

to appease God’s anger and to ask His protection of people and crops. These

are still the purposes of the devotions. In 511, the Rogation days were adopted

all over France. In 816, Pope Leo III introduced them to Rome, and soon they

were extended throughout the Church.

LITANIES: On Rogation days, called the “Lesser Litanies,” the Litany

of the Saints is recited during the procession. At certain places, the litany is

interrupted and the fields are blessed: “We beg of Thy goodness, 0 almighty
God, that the fruits of the earth . . . may be penetrated by the dew of Thy

blessings; grant also to this people always to thank Thee for Thy gifts; that

the fertility of the earth may enrich the hungry . . . and that the poor and the

needy may celebrate Thy glory . . . May the blessing of almighty God, Father,

Son and Holy Ghost, descend in plenty on the fields and on all these good things,

and remain there forever.” April 25 is the feast of the Greater Litanies,2 in-

troduced at Rome in the fourth century to replace a pagan corn festival. In

this day’s procession, the Litany of the Saints is recited and the Church asks

God to protect people and crops.

OTHER CEREMONIES: Besides these seasonal ceremonies, there are many
other agricultural sacramentals, such as blessings of seeds and fruits, fields and

farm buildings, animals and food stuffs.

GRAINS: In the growing of grains, there is no time for which the Church

has not her special benediction. Formerly no Christian farmer would sow un-

blessed seed. At planting time in both spring and fall, God was asked to pro-

tect the seed and make it fertile. The fall ceremony was held on the feast of

Our Lady’s Nativity, September 8. In the special blessing of seeds, the Church

prays: “We beg of Thee, 0 Lord, deign to bless these seeds, to foster them with

the mild breath of a serene heaven, to render them fertile by dew from above,

and to bring them unharmed to fullest maturity for the use of souls and of

1. Rogation means supplication or petition. It is derived from the Latin verb, rogare, which means
to ask or to beseech.

2. April 25 is also the feast of St. Mark, but there is no connection between the two observances.



SACRAMENTALS IN AGRICULTURE 45

bodies.” For growing crops, the Church prays: “Bless, O Lord, the growing

fruits and grant that we who eat of them in Thy holy Name may enjoy health

of body and mind.” 3 Another prayer asks God’s protection from “mice, grass-

hoppers, bugs, worms or other pests.” Before harvest, crops are solemnly dedi-

cated to God. The Sixty-fourth Psalm, a hymn of thanksgiving for bountiful

crops, is recited. “Thou hast visited the earth, and hast plentifully watered it,”

the Psalm says. “Thou shalt bless the crown of the year of Thy goodness . . .

the vales shall abound with corn.” The first fruits are offered to God, and He

is asked to preserve the crops from evil. The grain is sprinkled with holy water

and is incensed. The benediction for the granary and its contents asks God to

preserve the stored grain and to protect its owners from any such attachment

to temporal goods as might endanger their salvation. The mill also has its bless-

ing: “Omnipotent and eternal God, Who, because of the punishment of sin, hast

said ‘in the sweat of thy brow thou shalt eat thy bread/ bless this mill which

has been constructed to grind grain in order to make bread for our sustenance;

deign to appoint for it an angel of light and defense.” 4

ANIMALS: Farm animals, their quarters, and even their food may be
blessed. In blessing the stable, the Church recalls the ox and the ass in the

manger at Christ’s birth. Salt and hay for animals have special blessings, and

there are others for pasture lands. The blessing of animals in Italy on the feast of

St. Anthony the Abbot, January 17, attracts cabmen with their horses, children

with their pet dogs and cats, housewives with canaries, parrots, or monkeys.

The ceremony received prominence in the Catholic press in 1938, when two

circus elephants were among the animals blessed in Rome.

BEES AND SILKWORMS: The blessings of bees and silkworms are of
particular interest. The prayer for bees recalls the use of beeswax candles in

divine worship. It asks God to bless “these bees and this apiary ... so that

their fruits may be dispensed unto Thy glory, and that of Thy Son and of the

Holy Ghost, and of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” The use of silk in the modern

world is almost unlimited, and the cultivation of silkworms is the sole support

of many people. The blessing of the worm, formulated when silk was intro-

duced to Europe, asks God, Who has given to animals the power of propagating
their species, “to bless these silkworms, to foster and multiply them by Thy

kindness,” so that His altars and His faithful, adorned with silk, may glorify

Him.

FOODS: The Ritual contains numerous blessings for food products of agri-
culture—bread, fruits, eggs, oil, butter, cheese, lard; for drinks such as beer and
wine. On Easter Sunday there are special blessings for the paschal lamb, for

bread, meat, eggs, and eatables in general. All ask health of both soul and body

for those who eat the food. The blessing of the lamb points to Christ: “0 God,

Who didst command Thy people Israel ... to kill a lamb, as a type of our
Lord Jesus Christ . . . vouchsafe ... to bless and to sanctify this meat which

we Thy servants are about to eat.” Another Easter blessing for meat asks that

“all who eat thereof . . . may always rejoice in corporal and spiritual well-

being.” The blessing for bread says: “O Lord Jesus Christ . . . Thou living

Bread of eternal life, deign to bless this bread . . . that all who partake thereof

may obtain the desired health of body and of soul.” There is a special bene-
diction for the colored Easter eggs that have been the delight of children for

centuries. The liturgy looks on these eggs as symbols of creation and resurrec-

tion. 5 The blessings or grace at meals will be considered in the chapter on family

sacramentals.

RELIANCE ON GOD: In an article on “Sacramentals in Agriculture,” from
which we have quoted freely in this chapter, the Rev. Bede Scholz, 0. S. B., wrote:

3. Scholz, “The Sacramentals in Agriculture.” Orate Fratres. Vol. V. Pages 323-6. 4. Scholz, op. cit.

5. These blessings for Easter are considered at some length by Goeb in his article on “Easter
Blessings.” Orate Fratres. Vol. V. Pages 216-20.



46 THE SACRAMENTALS

“Every farmer must undergo many hardships and much fatigue to prepare the

ground for the seed and plant the grain ... he must leave the rest to the

providence of God . . . What farmer does not desire to see his labors blessed,

to obtain a plentiful harvest? . . . Farmers should be told about these bless-

ings and encouraged to ask for these various benedictions.”

REVIVAL OF AGRICULTURAL SACRAMENTALS: The peasants of
Europe centuries ago appreciated and used the agricultural sacramentals. It is

a sign of a revitalized Christian spirit that these ceremonies are now being

revived in agricultural regions of the United States. Plagued by locusts and

by drought, farmers in recent years have turned to God for relief. Many a

drought-cracked field has been the scene of solemn liturgical processions asking

God to bless the thirsty soil and its cultivators. In rural churches, farmers have

repeated day after day the prayers for rain ordered by their bishops. The Missal

contains a Collect, Communion, and Postcommunion asking God for rain. The

Postcommunion says: “Grant us, 0 Lord, we beseech Thee, beneficial rain and

deign to pour out showers from heaven upon the parched face of the earth.” 6

The calamities that have led bishops to prescribe these prayers and influenced

farmers to seek God’s blessing herald a widespread revival of the agricultural

sacramentals.

SUGGESTED PRACTICES
1. When you observe the Ember days and the Rogation days, remember the

purposes for which the Church set these days aside, and pray that God

will bless the fields and their fruits.

2. If you are engaged in agriculture, have your fields and crops blessed so

that God will protect your lands and give abundance to your harvests.

DISCUSSION OUTLINE
1. How did Christ show that men should pray for their food and the other

necessities of human life? How does the Church follow out His example?

2. Tell the origin of the Ember days. When are they observed? For what
purposes ?

3. When are the Rogation days ? What was their origin ? Discuss the Lesser
Litanies; the Greater Litanies. When is the feast of the Greater Litanies
observed ?

4. Tell how the Church asks God’s blessing on the grains of the fields from

before their planting right on up to the time of their consumption. Quote

from some of the blessings used.

5. How does the Church show solicitude for the animals used on the farm?
Tell of the blessing of animals on the feast of St. Anthony the Abbot.

6. Show how the blessing of bees indicates the use to which their product will

be put.

7. Discuss the blessing of silkworms.

8. What are some of the foods for which there are special blessings ? Discuss

the blessings of the paschal lamb, meat, bread, and eggs on Easter.

9. Why should farmers avail themselves of the Church’s agricultural sacra-
mentals ?

10.

Why is there reason to believe that the sacramentals will be used more
frequently in the future?

6. Saint Andrew Daily Missal. Page 1726.



SACRAMENTALS IN INDUSTRY 47

XV

Sacramentals in Industry-

Anyone accusing the Church of not keeping up-to-date would find nothing

to support his argument in the Ritual. This book contains blessings for the latest

and most intricate modern inventions. As the Church provides her benediction

for the farmer, she extends it also to the machines that have promoted industrial

progress. In these recently formulated blessings she shows her understanding

of the people with whom she now has to deal—people who have lost their ap-
preciation for things spiritual in their concern over wordly things. In an age

of rank materialism the Church asks God to give her children the spiritual light

needed to avoid the pitfalls of worldliness.

MARKS OF PROGRESS: Among the greatest marks of modem progress are
the advances in communication, transportation, and manufacture. In communi-

cation, modern times have brought the printing press, telephone, telegraph, and

radio. Transportation employs the automobile and the railroad on land, the

powerful steamship in the water, the airplane in the air. The industrial revo-

lution has also developed power machinery for use in manufacture. Most of

this machinery is run by steam and electricity. For all of these inventions, the

Church has blessings. Thus she brings the influence of her prayer into all

kinds of modern endeavor.

LIBRARIES AND PRESSES: In the Middle Ages there was a benediction
for the writing-rooms in which monks copied the Scriptures and other books

by hand: “Vouchsafe, 0 Lord, to bless this workshop of Thy servants, that all

which they write therein may be comprehended by their intelligence and real-

ized by their work.” 1 Today, when printing has reached a development never

dreamed of by medievalists, the Church still blesses the men and machines en-

gaged in publishing books. In the modern blessing, Christ is asked to “fill the

writers, managers, and workmen with the spirit of knowledge, counsel, and forti-

tude, and imbue them with the spirit of Thy fear, so that . . . they may properly

serve Thee and in a salutary manner also their neighbor. Bless . . . this place

and grant that all dwelling therein may . . . happily arrive at the imperishable
crown of glory.” Then follows a blessing for the machines themselves. The

’ prayer for libraries asks God to protect them from fire and other dangers and

to increase their stock of books “so that all who come together here . . . may
progress in the knowledge of both human and divine things and equally in Thy

love.”

TELEGRAPH AND SEISMOGRAPH: In blessing the telegraph instru-
ment, the Church prays: “O God, who walkest upon the wings of the winds . . .

grant that, when by the power given to this metal in the flash of an eye Thou dost

transmit most swiftly things absent to this place and things present to another

place, we, instructed by new inventions, may by the help of Thy grace more
promptly and more easily come to Thee.” Not an ordinary means of communi-

cation but a valuable instrument by which men learn what is happening in
other parts of the world is the seismograph, which records earthquakes thou-

sands of miles away. This scientific mechanism has a special blessing, which

asks: “Almighty eternal God, who regardest the earth and makest it to tremble,

flood this seismograph with Thy blessing: and grant that signs of the trembling

earth be properly registered in it and correctly understood for the benefit of

Thy people and for the greater glory of Thy name.” At the end of this prayer,
St. Emigdus, protector against earthquakes, is asked to defend both people and

instrument.

1. Clendenin, Altar and Sanctuary. Page 15.



48 THE SACRAMENTALS

AUTOMOBILES: The universal means of modern transportation is the
automobile, but few even know that there is a beautiful blessing1 for this almost

indispensable vehicle: “O God! Vouchsafe to hear our prayers and bless this

car with Thy right hand; bid Thy holy angels to stand by it; save and protect

from all danger those who travel in it. Just as, through Thy levite, Philip, Thou

didst grant faith and grace to the Ethiopian who was sitting in his chariot and

reading Thy sacred words, show likewise to Thy servants the way of salvation,

that, helped by Thy grace and ever striving to do good, they may, after all the

vicissitudes of their life and journey here below, rejoice forever.” 2 This bless-

ing for cars was inaugurated as a regular part of the novena services in honor of

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal at Assumption Church in Cincinnati early in

1938. Car owners should see that their automobiles receive this blessing and

are supplied with a medal of St. Christopher, patron of travelers.

RAILROADS: For more than 100 years the railroad has been important
in commerce. The Church asks God “to bless this railway and its instruments

and ever to guard them with Thy kind providence; so that, while Thy servants

go rapidly on the way, walking in Thy law, and running in the way of Thy

commandments, they may happily arrive at the celestial home.”

SHIPS: There is a blessing for the mighty ocean liner and another for

the small fishing smack, but that for the fishing boat is a long and solemn rite

while the other is a simple ceremony. The liner’s blessing recalls how Noah’s

ark was protected and how Christ stretched out His hand to sustain Peter

walking on the water. An angel of the Lord is asked to preserve the ship from
danger and see it safely to port. Each year in September, the blessing of the

devout Italian fishermen’s fleet is a gala celebration at Monterey, California,

where Santa Rosalia is honored as the fishermen’s patron.

AIRPLANES: About 1920 the Church provided a blessing for a “machine

for journeying in the air.” The opening versicles recall that “our help is in the

name of the Lord . . . who walkest on the wings of the winds.” God is asked

to bless “this machine destined for aerial journeys; that, every injury and danger

being removed, it may serve to propagate more widely the praise and glory of

Thy name, and to dispatch more promptly the affairs of men, and that it may

foster heavenly desires in the hearts of those using this machine.” The airplane

is indeed being used by the Flying Missionary, Father Paul Schulte, O. M. I.,

to “propagate more widely the praise and glory” of the name of God. Through

his Missionary Communications Association, Father Schulte, a German World

War veteran, is supplying planes and other modern means of transportation to
missions where communication is difficult.

DYNAMOS: The blessing for the electric dynamo, which supplies both
power and light, resembles that of the telegraph. Both include the canticle

“Benedictus,” whose last verse is particularly applicable to the purpose the

dynamo serves: “To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of

death: to direct our feet into the way of peace.” A Psalm follows in each case,
and the antiphon for the blessing of the dynamo reads: “Light is risen to the

just, and joy to the right of heart.” The final prayer says: “Lord, God almighty,

who art the founder of all lights, bless this machine recently set up for making

light; and grant that after the obscurity of this world we may come to Thee who

are the light unfailing.”

OTHER BLESSINGS: There are other blessings for instruments used in
industrial life. Limekilns and blast furnaces have been blessed for many years.

The prayer over the limekiln asks that “by the fire’s exerting the force of its

strength may those engaged in this work receive by Thy bounty a good quality
of lime, and grant to them also that at the same time an increase of Thy salutary

grace may grow in them.”

2. Scholz, “Sacramentals in Industry.” Orate Fratres. Vol. V. Pages 268-71.



SACRAMENTALS IN INDUSTRY 49

IMPORTANCE OF INDUSTRIAL SACRAMENTALS: So important does
the Church consider some of the industrial blessings that they can ordinarily be

administered only by a bishop. Among these are the blessings of the dynamo and

the telegraph, and the more solemn formula for railroads. A priest can perform
these ceremonies if he has the bishop’s permission. The importance of the in-

dustrial sacramentals is increased by the fact that the changes brought about

by the introduction of machinery have contributed to the weakening of faith in

the modern age. But all the things of the world can be turned to good purposes

—

to the betterment of man and to the honor and glory of God. And the Church

prays that the very things which have in some cases worked harm to her chil-

dren may rather increase their faith in God and bring them to a better under-

standing and appreciation of things spiritual.

SUGGESTED PRACTICES
1. If you own an automobile, have it blessed by a priest and provide it with a

medal of St. Christopher.

2. When you use the machines of modern industry or their products recall that

God is the first Author of all these wonders and that their complexity is a

sign of His all-inclusive intelligence in creating the world.

DISCUSSION OUTLINE
1. Is the Church behind the times in her sacramentals ? What light can the

Ritual throw on this question?

2. How do the more recently formulated blessings show the Church’s complete
understanding of modern times ?

3. What are the principal marks of modern industrial progress ? How has the
Church taken these into consideration in providing her sacramental blessings ?

4. How does the blessing for a library indicate the purposes of libraries?
Discuss the blessing of printing presses and their operators and managers.

5. Tell how the blessing for the telegraph instrument indicates the operation

of the telegraph. What blessing is asked for those who use the instrument ?

6. What saint is mentioned in the blessing of a seismograph? What special

blessings are asked for people and instrument?

7. How does the blessing for a railroad show the Church’s solicitude for both
the physical and the spiritual needs of her children?

8. Which blessing is more solemn, that of a large ocean liner or that of a fish-

ing boat? Describe briefly the blessing of the liner. Where in America

is the blessing of the fishing fleet a customary observance?

9. Describe the prayer used in blessing airplanes. What priest and what or-
ganization are using airplanes to “propagate more widely the praise and

glory” of the name of God?

10. How does the blessing of the dynamo indicate the purposes for which the
dynamo is used?

11. Name two other industrial blessings.

12. How does the Church indicate the importance of the industrial sacramentals ?
What is the purpose of these blessings ?



50 THE SACRAMENTALS

XVI

Family Sacramentals

“If we do not return to the ideals of our Catholic forebears ... in what re-

spect will our homes differ from those of the pagans?” asked Bishop Aloisius J.

Muench of Fargo in a pastoral letter on the Christian home, issued at the begin-

ning of Lent in 1937. In December, 1937, Bishop J. H. Schlarman of Peoria issued

a letter on the liturgy and the home. “The interior life of every Christian should

be the reproduction in his soul of the life of Christ,” said Bishop Schlarman.

This reproduction can be promoted by constant use of the family sacramentals.

These include rites surrounding the marriage ceremony, blessings of persons

and homes, family prayer and devotions, and sacramental objects.

NUPTIAL BLESSING: Important in the marriage ceremony, though not
essentials of Matrimony itself, are the sacramental rites that surround the sacra-

ment. These include the blessing of the ring, the priest’s instructions to the

couple, and above all the Nuptial blessing. This blessing is directed particularly

to the woman. After the Pater Noster, the priest turns to the couple and prays

over them. He prays that the woman’s marriage may be a “yoke of love and

peace,” that she may be faithful, chaste, long-lived, virtuous, fruitful in off-

spring. The blessing asks that the couple may see “their children’s children

unto the third and fourth generation.” 1

OTHER BLESSINGS: Carrying her influence into the most intimate family
life, the Church provides a blessing for a pregnant woman whose health is in
danger. Prayers are said over the woman, and she is blessed with holy water.

God is asked to defend her from “all craft and injury,” to grant that “her off-

spring may come prosperously to this light of day, and may be preserved for holy
regeneration.” 2 After a woman has brought forth a child, there is the ceremony
of churching, an act of gratitude to God for the gift of motherhood. This re-

calls the Jewish purification ceremony, especially Mary’s purification, but there

is no idea of the woman’s defilement in this Christian rite. Carrying a lighted

candle, the woman is received by the priest at the church door. The priest leads
her into the church, then prays over her as she kneels before the altar: “Al-

mighty, everlasting God, who, through the delivery of the blessed Virgin Mary,

hast turned into joy the pains of the faithful in childbirth, look mercifully upon

this Thine handmaid . . . that . . . she may merit to arrive, together with her

offspring, at the joys of everlasting happiness.” 3 There are also formulas for

blessing children. That for an infant recalls Christ’s becoming a babe. The

blessing for an older child asks that, like the divine Child, this one may grow
in wisdom, age, and grace. The blessing for sick children was discussed in

chapter XIII.

FAMILY RELIGIOUS PRACTICES: A program of family prayer published
in the Diocese of Peoria said: “Its (prayer’s) absence marks the family of

Catholics; its presence, the Catholic family.” 4 Common prayer is the most
salutary of family religious practices. By it, parents and children daily ac-

knowledge their dependence on God and give Him the adoration that is His
due. For family devotions as for others, the official prayers from the Divine

Office are best. Especially fitting for family recitation is Compline, the Church’s

official night prayer, which includes this petition: “Visit, we beseech Thee, 0

Lord, this habitation, and drive far from it all snares of the enemy; let Thy

holy angels dwell in it, who may keep us in peace; and let Thy blessing be al-

ways upon us.”
%

1. Layfolks’ Ritual. Pages 162-4. 2. Layfolks’ Ritual. Pages 168-72. 3'. Layfolks’ Ritual. Pages 165-7.

4. The Register, Peoria Edition. Jan. 7, 1938. Page 10.



FAMILY SACRAMENTALS 51

PRAYER AT MEALS: The Church has her official table prayers, and these
show the principal purpose of prayer, the praise and worship of God. Several

versicles praising God precede the Our Father. Then follows the familiar:

“Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from

Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen.” A young member of the family
addresses the father: “Pray, sir, a blessing,” and the father replies: “May the

King of eternal glory bring us to a share in the heavenly table.” This is the

blessing for noon. At night, the father says: “May the King of eternal glory

lead us to the table of eternal life.” The others respond, “Amen.” The short

form, using only the “Bless us, O Lord,” is approved by the Church.

OTHER FAMILY DEVOTIONS: Other family devotions should include
common recitation of the rosary, daily if possible, especially in October; devo-

tions for particular feasts or seasons, such as in May, when our Lady should

be honored in every home; sprinkling of beds with holy water, particularly in

time of storms. Feasts of the children’s patron saints and occasions such as

their First Communion or Confirmation are fitting times for special devotions.

BLESSINGS OF HOMES: The several blessings for homes include one on
the feast of the Epiphany, January 6; one on Holy Saturday, and the common

blessing at any time. There is a special benediction for a new house.

ON THE EPIPHANY: In blessing chalk on January 6, the priest asks God
to make the chalk “helpful to mankind; and grant that through the invocation

of Thy holy name those who use it or who write with it over the doors of their

homes the holy names of Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar may obtain health

of body and safety of soul.” With this chalk the priest marks the date of the

year and the initials of the Wise Men on the house doors. Gold, incense, and

myrrh are blessed to recall the Magi’s gifts to the Christ-Child. The priest

prays: “Bless, 0 Lord, Almighty God, this home that in it there may be health,

chastity, strength of victory, humility, goodness, and industry, a fullness of law

and the action of graces through God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy

Ghost; and that this blessing may remain on this home and on those who

frequent it.”

5

ON HOLY SATURDAY: The priest, wearing surplice and white stole, visits
the houses in his parish on Holy Saturday. He sprinkles the chief rooms with

Easter water while reciting the “Vidi Aquam.” The last prayer beseeches God:

“Vouchsafe to send Thy holy angel from heaven to guard, foster, protect, visit,

and defend all that dwell in this dwelling.” G

AT OTHER TIMES: The common blessing for homes includes the sprink-
ling of the rooms with holy water, a number of antiphons, and a prayer like

that on Holy Saturday. The blessing of a new house asks God to grant those

who live in the house “the abundance of the dew of heaven, and food of the fat-

ness of the earth, and let their desires and their prayers find fulfilment in thy

mercy.” 7

SACRAMENTAL OBJECTS-FOR PERSONS: Each member of the family
should have his own blessed rosary, and a prayerbook—or a Missal, if he is old
enough to use the official Mass book. Every child should be introduced to the

Missal as soon as possible. Those old enough to recite the Office might well have

a copy of The Day Hours of the Church, the text used by members of the League

of the Divine Office, or a copy of Prime or Compline. Children and adults alike

should also have medals, scapulars, and such other sacramentals as aid in pro-

moting their spiritual development.

SACRAMENTAL OBJECTS—FOR THE HOME: The Christian home should
show forth its religious character in its furnishings and adornment. There

should be a crucifix in each bedroom and in the dining room, and a statue or

5. The Register, Peoria Edition, Jan. 7, 1938. Page 10. 6. Layfolks’ Ritual. Pages 183-4.

7. Layfolks’ Ritual. Pages 182-3.



52 THE SACRAMENTALS

picture of Christ and an image of our Lady in every home. If possible, the home

should include a shrine honoring Christ, our Lady, or some other saint, before

which the family gathers for regular devotions. Some houses have private

chapels, where Mass is sometimes celebrated. There should be the necessary

equipment for a priest’s visit in time of sickness or death. Holy water and

blessed candles should always be available. And there should be a supply of

Catholic literature—the diocesan newspaper, Catholic magazines for both chil-
dren and adults, and a number of religious books.

“UNLESS THE LORD BUILD—”: The home that is so equipped will differ
in every way from “those of the pagans.” It will be a home constantly blessed

by Christ, a home modeled after that of the holy family at Nazareth. Realization

of the need for real Christian family life is indicated by the formation in recent

years of the Catholic Conference on Family Life, by the parent-educators’ pro-

gram of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, and by the many bishops’ ap-

peals for a return to the religious customs that marked the Catholic home in

the past. The pastoral letters of Bishop Schlarman and Bishop Muench have

already been quoted. At the beginning of Lent in 1938, Bishop Louis B. Kucera

of Lincoln urged his people to revive family prayer. These bishops and all who

know the needs of the Christian home realize that “unless the Lord build the

house, they labor in vain that build it.” 8

SUGGESTED PRACTICES
1. Institute the custom of having common prayer and common devotions in

your home. Hold special exercises in such times as May and October.

2. Provide you home with religious pictures or images and if possible with a

small religious shrine. See that Catholic reading material is always available

for members of your family and for your guests.

DISCUSSION OUTLINE
1. What does Bishop Schlarman say the interior life of every Christian should

be ? Can the sacramentals contribute anything to this end ? What are some
of the family sacramentals?

2. Name some of the sacramentals connected with the marriage ceremony. Ex-
plain the Nuptial blessing.

3. What is asked in the prayer for a pregnant woman whose health is in dan-
ger? Discuss the churching of women.

4. What are some of the other blessings for members of the family? What is

asked in the blessing of a child older than an infant?

5. Discuss the value of common prayer in the family. Give an example show-

ing how parts of the Divine Office are especially fitting for family recitation.

6. How do the formulas of the official table prayers show the primary end of
prayer? Describe the blessing to be used at noon.

7. What other family religious practices should be encouraged?

8. Discuss the blessing of homes on the feast of the Epiphany; on Holy Satur-

day; at other times.

9. With what sacramental objects should each member of the family be pro-

vided ?

10. How should the furnishings and decorations of the home show its Christian
character ?

11. What signs are there that leaders in the Church are concerned over the
necessity for a return to real Christian home and family life?

8. Psalm CXXVI, 1.



Reference List

Breen, A Collection of Indulgenced Prayers. Keystone Printing Service, Mil-
waukee. 1931.

Butler-Clendenin, Praying the Mass (discussion-club textbook). Catholic Action

Committee, Wichita, Kansas. 1937.

Catholic Encyclopaedic Dictionary. General editor, Donald Attwater. Macmillan,

New York. 1931.

Catholic Encyclopedia. Universal Knowledge Foundation, New York.

Ceremonies of Holy Week. The Paulist Press, New York. 1935.

Clendenin, Altar and Sanctuary (discussion-club textbook). Catholic Action Com-

mittee, Wichita, Kansas. 1938.

Connell, The Sacramentals—What They Are, What They Do. Paulist Press, New
York. 1930.

Deutsch, Manual for Oblates of St. Benedict. Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minn.

1937.

Ellard, Christian Life and Worship. Bruce, Milwaukee. 1938.

Gasquet, Sacramentals and Some Catholic Practices. Lohmann, St. Paul, Minn.
1928.

Henry, Catholic Customs and Symbols. Benziger, New York.

Herwegen, The Art-Principle of the Liturgy. Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minn.

1936.

Lefebvre, Saint Andrew Daily Missal. Lohmann, St. Paul, Minn. 1937.

Lambing, The Sacramentals of the Holy Catholic Church. Benziger, New York.
1892.

Layfoik’s Ritual, The. Burns Oates and Washbourne, Ltd., London. 1916.

Liturgical Arts (quarterly). Liturgical Arts Society, New York.

MacMahan, The Liturgical Catechism. Gill and Son, Dublin, Ireland. 1930.

McNeill-Aaron, The Means of Grace. St. Anthony Guild Press, Paterson, N. J. 1937.

McNeill-Clendenin, The Liturgical Year. Catholic Action Committee, Wichita,

Kansas. 1937.

Michel, The Liturgy of The Church. Macmillan, New York. 1937.

Mullaly, Could You Explain Catholic Practices? Apostleship of Prayer, New York.
1937.

New Catholic Dictionary. The Universal Knowledge Foundation, New York. 1929.

Official Vatican Manual of Indulgenced Prayers. Translated and edited by Rev.

Richard E. Power. Benziger, New York. 1931.

Orate Fratres (monthly liturgical review). Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minn.

Pius XI, Sixteen Encyclicals of His Holiness, Pope Pius XI, 1926-1937. N. C. W. C.,
Washington, D. C. 1937.

Raccolta, The Collection of Indulgenced Prayers and Good Works. Burns Oates

and Washbourne, Ltd., London. 1924.

Roulin, Vestments and Vesture. Herder, St. Louis. 1931.

Sacramental Liturgy, The (study-club outline). Liturgical Press, Collegeville,

Minn. 1936.

Scholz, Sacramentals (series of five articles). Orate Fratres, Vols. IV and V.

Stapper-Baier, Catholic Liturgies. St. Anthony Guild Press, Paterson, N. J. 1935.

Sullivan, The Visible Church. Kenedy, New York. 1922.



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CATHOLIC ACTION SERIES

of

Discussion-Club Textbooks

Vol. 1—THE LITURGY

No. 1

ALTAR AND SANCTUARY
An Exposition of the Externals of the Mass

No. 2

PRAYING THE MASS
A Study of the Prayers and Ceremonies of the Holy Sacrifice

No. 3

THE LITURGICAL YEAR
An Explanation of the Cycles, Seasons, and Feasts of

the Ecclesiastical Year

No. 4

THE SACRAMENTALS
A Study of the Origin, Nature, and Proper Use of the Sacramentals

of the Church

Similar textbooks on the doctrine and early history of the Mass,
and on the ecclesiastical arts are in course of preparation.

Copies of the above publications may be procured from

THE CATHOLIC ACTION COMMITTEE
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