AKELE Y N XtlE }I[aSS. 
 
f - 
 LIBRARY 1 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF I 
 , CALIFORNIA J 
 
^. 
 
 
 '<^ 
 
 GETHSEMAIM! ABBEY, 
 GETHSEMANI. P 0. KY. 
 
THE ORDER AND CEREMONIAL 
 
 or THE 
 
 MOST HOLY AND ADORABLE 
 
 SACRIFICE OF THE MASSj 
 mat. 
 
THE 
 
 OPiDER AND CEREMONIAL 
 
 OP TUB 
 
 MOST HOLY AXD ADORABLE 
 
 Sacrifice of the Mass. 
 
 EXPLAINED IN A DIALOGUE 
 
 BEWEER A PRIEST AND A CATECHUMES. 
 
 WITH 
 
 An Appendix on Solemn Mass, Vespers, Compline, and 
 
 the Benediction of the Most Holy 
 
 Sacf anient 
 
 GETHSEMANI ABBEY, 
 
 FEEDEEIOK 0*AKEEfrf . 
 
 Canon of the Mctropolituu Church. 
 
 New York : 
 
 (JATHOLIC PUBLICATION cr>-TT -y 
 No. 9 "Warren Street. 
 
LOAN STACK 
 
mhn'tiitmmt to tl;c ^ccoutJ (St^tttotT. 
 
 The little Manual, a new edition of which is now of- 
 fered to the public, was compiled by me, more than ten 
 years ago, when I was preparing for the priesthood at 
 St. Edmund's College. I should hardly have ventured 
 upon republishing it, but for the encouragement it has 
 received in the circumstance of the chief part of it hav- 
 ing obtained, in the form of an accurate Italian transla- 
 tion, the official " imprimatur" of the IIol}' See. The 
 translation in question was made in 1855, by a young 
 student at Rome, named Lorenzo Santarelli, under the 
 immediate eye of one of the Professors of the Roman 
 College. 
 
 The portion of the Manual to which this approbatibh 
 extends has been printed in this new edition, foFthe 
 sake of distinction, in a larger type. One or two pass- 
 ages, which occur in the approved ti-anslation, have 
 been omitted in tliis edition as unnecessary; and one 
 which is .mitted in the translation solely on the ground 
 of being more applicable to a Protestant than to a Ca- 
 tholic country has been, for that reason, retained. The 
 rest of the work, which was not included in the Italian 
 translation, and consequently not submitted to the judg- 
 ment of the Roman authorities, has undergone a new 
 and complete revision, and received several additions and 
 corrections. 
 
 A notice taken of the Italian translation in the Civiltd 
 ( 'attoUca^ in the midst of a great deal which is fiir too 
 kind in other ways, expresses very fully the object I had 
 
 I 725 
 
Tl ADVERIISi: MENT TO THE SECOND EDITION. 
 
 in giving to the world the results of study on the su})ject 
 of the Mass, undertaken primarily with a view to my own 
 improvement. The writer says : 
 
 " Egli" (r Autore) " destind quest' operetta ai suoi 
 oattolici concittadini, non solo per istruirli degli alti 
 misteri che si velano sotto i riti augusti della S. Messa, 
 ma eziandio per ammaestrarli a ribattere gli errori e so- 
 fismi con cui i Protestanti, ora per ignoranza, ora per 
 malizia, sogliono oppugnare o deridere la liturgia catto- 
 lica. II che se h cosa utilissima ai fedeli d' Inghilterra, i 
 ■quali vivendo in un' atmosfera protestante debbono tenersi 
 in continua e diligente guardia per non contrarne qualche 
 •corrotto alito d' errore. .... Per5 questo confutare che 
 
 fa V A. &c non occupa che una piccola parte e 
 
 eecondaria del suo libro ; ed egli lo fa senza nulla mu- 
 tare del tono semplice e pacifico che s' addice a un dia- 
 
 logo catechetico La confutazione degli errori 
 
 vi germogiia quasi spontanea dalla semplice esposizioue 
 della verita, accadendo ancor qui, come in molte altre con- 
 iroversie religiose, die il solo mostrarsi della veritd caitolica 
 nello schietto splendore delle sue forme native hasti a dissi- 
 pare gli errori contrarii, la cui appareyite forza contro il 
 ■vero non altro7ide suol nascere che dal travisarlo.^^ 
 
 I could not have expressed more precisely the rule 
 by which I desired, in this little work, and always desire 
 in similar attempts, to be guided. 
 
 It is necessary to state distinctly, that, although I 
 have tried to follow the most approved rule in describ- 
 ing the ceremonies of Mass and the other offices, this 
 little work is not intended as any authority on rubrical 
 Bubjects. 
 
 St. John's, Ismkgtoh, 
 February 1859. 
 
The following is the Approbation of the Italian Translation of 
 this work (exclusively of the Appendix) published at Rorce in 
 the year 1855: 
 
 NiniL OB STAT. 
 
 Fr. Joseph Cajazza, Proc. Gen. Ord. Erem. S. Augustini 
 
 et Theol. Censor. 
 
 iMraiMATun. 
 Fi. Dom. Buttaoni, Ord. Traid. S.P.A. Mag. 
 
 mriiiJiATL'R. 
 Fr. Ant. Ligi Eussi, Ord. Mm, Oonv. Arcn. icon. Vicesg, 
 
THE 
 
 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL, 
 
 PART I. 
 dTrom tl;e JScginnuKj; of fHa^fJ to tl;e CvcctJ. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE USE OF CEREMONIES. 
 
 Catecliiimen. You have now, '"everend Father, 
 fully instructed me in the doctrine of the Church 
 upon the holy Sacrifice of the Mass ; I pray you to 
 give me some explanation of the words and cere- 
 monies prescrihed to he used in it. 
 
 Priest, Most willingly. Your devotion cannot 
 fail to he strengthened hy some acquaintaace with 
 the Liturgy of the Church, as well as with the use 
 and meaning; of those sacred rites hy which this most 
 solemn of all religious actions is accompanied. 
 
 C. First, then, allow me to ask, what is the pre- 
 cise use of ceremonies ? 
 
 P. The Church tells us, in the Decrees of Trent, 
 that they are designed very principally to promote 
 the reverence and edification of the faitlifuL* An- 
 other very imi)ortant end of them is, to impress the 
 • Sess. xxii. c. v, 
 il 
 
2 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 ministers of relig-ion themselves with a sense of the 
 greatness and awfulness of the work in which they 
 are eng-ag-ed. And an incidental result of the care 
 which the Church bestows upon the externals of re- 
 lig-ion, and which I cannot but think is a part of her 
 object in providing- for them, is, the preservation, in 
 all its integ'ritv, of the great doctrines to which these 
 ceremonies are evidently subservient. 
 
 C. Explain, if you please, these several uses. 
 
 P. First, then, of the effect of ceremonies upon 
 the people. We naturally form a hig'h estimate of 
 actions which we see done with care and attention. 
 This principle is well understood by kings and the 
 great men of the world, who, whenever they appear 
 in public, intrust their marshals and ushers with the 
 care of arranging their processions and receptions 
 according to a prescribed ceremonial. The Church, 
 fearing to incur the malediction of those who perform 
 the work of God negligently (Jer. xlviii. 10),* and 
 animated by that spirit of loyalty which inclines us 
 to execute every ^' labour of love" with punctilious 
 exactness, abhors nothing more than a perfunctory 
 and slovenly performance of religious actions. 
 
 Another end of ceremonies is, to fix upon the 
 mind of the priests and ministers of religion a sense 
 of the greatness of the work in which they are en- 
 gaged. ^ Our outward gestures have the greatest 
 effect upon the disposition of our minds. For this 
 reason it is, that, in all well-regulated families, chil- 
 dren are brought up to observe an outward demean- 
 our of respect and affection to their parents, as the 
 best, or rather the only, security for keeping them- 
 selves habitually in those dispositions. What pru- 
 dent teacher or governor ever thinks of dispensing 
 with such little proprieties and etiquettes as those 
 which obtain in all orderly households and societies, 
 * In the Septuagint " negligently." 
 
THE USE OF CEREMONIES 3 
 
 on the score that true love and duty are independent 
 of such minutiae ? We well know that the certain 
 consequence of neg'lecting" outward sig*ns of regard 
 is to cool, in the end, even the most promising affec- 
 tion. It is for these reasons that the Church binds 
 her priests and minjisters, even under pain of grievous 
 sin, to an exact performance of all the most important 
 ceremonies of Mass ; and under a decided, althouf>-h 
 less severe obligation, to a care even of less essential 
 details. 
 
 Thirdly : considering what vital doctrines are 
 wrapped up in the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and 
 how intimately many of its ceremonies are connected 
 with these doctrines, it will appear that the Church 
 has other and still higher reasons for the attention 
 she bestows upon the ceremonial of religion. It can- 
 not be doubted that these ceremonies have materially 
 contributed to preserve the doctrine to which they 
 relate in its utmost purity. There is not one of them 
 which does not spring from reverence towards the 
 blessed Eucharist, while many of them directly implv 
 the great verity of Transubstantiation. This will 
 more clearly appear when we come to consider the 
 ceremonies themselves in detail. 
 
 C. I remember, sir, that, in an earlier part of our 
 conversation, you spoke of the iise and ini'aning of 
 the ceremonies in the Holy Mass. Did you employ 
 these words in their strict sense ? 
 
 P. I did so ; intending to express by them that 
 not one even of the very least of all these ceremonies 
 is, as the enemies of the Church assert, and as some 
 of her less instructed members may possibly suppose, 
 idle and insignificant. Many even of the" most ap- 
 parently unimportant details in the ceremonial of tli*» 
 Mass will be found, on examination, to express some 
 high truth, secure some great priucij)le, or allegorise 
 some holy mystery. 
 
4 C/tDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 C. This is quite new to me. I had thoiig-ht that 
 many of the practices of the Church, especially at 
 Hig'h Mass, had no other ohject than to affect the 
 imagination or please the senses of the people 5 and 
 as to the ceremonies of Low Mass, in which no such 
 cbject can be supposed, since many of them are 
 scarcely observed by the people, or are even carried 
 on out of sigiit, I own that I have been tempted to 
 regard these as unnecessary and frivolous, and, since 
 they g"ive offence, even objectionable. 
 
 P. What you will now learn, dear brother, will 
 read important lessons, which all of us do well to 
 bear constantly in mind ; such as, that we cannot 
 always expect to understand the Church, but are 
 always bound to trust her; that were she always 
 plain and intelligible to all men, certainly she would 
 so far be unlike the revelation which she professes to 
 represent ; that she, as our mother, has a right to oiu' 
 confidence, but we, as her children, have no corre- 
 sponding* rigiit to be instructed in all which she may 
 please to withhold from us ; rather, that in first 
 claiming- our obedience, and afterwards taking* us 
 into her confidence and telling" us her secrets, she 
 proves herself the faithful representative of our 
 Lord, who first called His disciples servants, and 
 afterwards treated them like friends.* 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 PREPARATION FOR MASS. 
 
 C. Considering" the g"reat solemnity of the act 
 which the priest performs in offering* the adorable 
 Sacrifice of the Mass, I conclude that he does not 
 enter upon it without some preparation ? 
 
 P. You are rigiit. The Church is too much 
 * St. John XV. 15. See Office for the Ordinatiou of Priests. 
 
PREPARATION FOR MASS. 
 
 alive to tlie necessity of such preparation to leave it 
 to chance, and has prescribed prayers for the pur- 
 pose, to be used according* to the o[)portunities of 
 the priest. The particular prayers which the Churcli 
 appoints to be said before Mass are rather matter of 
 direction than of obhg-ation, and the priest is left to 
 his own discretion whether he will use them or any 
 part of them ; but he does not satisfy the intentions 
 of the Church unless he dedicate a portion of his 
 time before Mass, greater or less according- to cir- 
 cumstances, to prayer, either vocal or mental. 
 
 C. What are the particular devotions which the 
 Churcli ap})oints to be used by the priest before 
 Mass? 
 
 V. Certain of the Psalms, with prayers for par- 
 don and aid. The Psalms prescribed are the follow- 
 ing*; and they may be used with great profit, not only 
 by the priest, but by those also who hear Mass, pro- 
 vided they have leisure for much previous preparation. 
 They are'the 83d, " Quam dilecta;" the 84th, " Be- 
 nedixistij" the 85th, " Inclina, Domine, aurem Tu- 
 am;" the 115th, ^-Credidi;" and the l:21)th, " De 
 profundis." 
 
 C Will you be so kind as to explain the ap})li- 
 cation of these Psalms to the occasion ? 
 
 JP. The 83d is a meditation on the beauty and 
 g'lory of God's sacred House, and is therefore espe- 
 cially suited to the time when we are about to enter 
 into His immediate presence. The 84th recounts 
 the blessing's of redem})tion, and is accordingly one 
 of the Psalms in the office of Christmas-day. This, 
 too, is very appropriately used in drawing near God's 
 altar to offer up the g*reat Sacrifice of the Eucluirist 
 for the remission of sin. The next is a petition for 
 mercy, and falls in with the whole of the first part, 
 of the Mass, in which the'priest and people conjointly 
 deprecate God's anger, fLat they may npproadnvitn 
 
6 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 proper dispositions to tlie ^reat offering*. Tlie 115th 
 is a Psalm of confidence in the Divine mercy, and 
 contains the very words which the priest afterwards 
 employs in receiving* tlie precious Blood of our Re- 
 deemer : " What shall I render to our Lord for all 
 that He has done unto me ? I will receive the cha- 
 lice of salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord." 
 The 129th is the well-known ^^De profundis," which 
 is probably added as a Psalm from the Ofiico of the 
 Dead, for whom, as well as for the living', the holy 
 Sacrifice is offered. 
 
 C. What other preparation for Mass does the 
 Church require of her priests ? 
 
 P, She apj)oints certain prayers to be said while 
 lie washes his Iiands for Mass, and while he puts on 
 the several holy vestments. 
 
 C. Why should the priest wash his hands before 
 Mass, especially since he washes them, at least in 
 j)art, in the course of it I 
 
 P. For two reasons : 1 . to remind himself of 
 the purity which is needed in those who draw near 
 God's altar ; 2. to enable him to handle the sacred 
 vessels and sacred linen with due propriety. 
 
 C. Does the Church account even the vessels 
 and linen of the altar as sacred ? 
 
 P. So much so, that none but those in holy or- 
 ders may touch the vessels and linen which come in 
 contact with the adorable Body and Blood of our 
 Lord, except by a permission from authority, wliich 
 is commonly extended to sacristans and others di- 
 rectly engag-ed in the ceremonies. 
 
 C. What are the names of the different holy 
 vestments ? 
 
 P. First, the amice {amictus, a covering;), which 
 IS an oblong' piece of linen with two strings. The 
 priest first puts it over his hgad, then on his shoulders 
 (whence it is called also Jmmeralejy and then ties it 
 
PREPARATION FOR MASS, 
 
 iwind the \^aist. 2. The alh, a long white lineu 
 g*arment reaching' almost to the feet. It is white, 
 as its name imports, and, together with the amice, 
 signifies the pm-ity of the priesthood. 3. The girdle, 
 with which the priest girds his loins in memory of 
 our Lord's admonition to readiness. The girdle is 
 also significant of holy chastity. 4. The maniple, 
 through which tlie priest puts his left arm, and which 
 he fastens just helow the elbow. It was anciently of 
 linen, and answered the purposes of a handkerchief; 
 but it is now made of stuff, of the same colour with 
 the stole. It is esteemed the badge of present sorrow 
 and the pledge of future joy, according to those words 
 of the 125th Psalm, " Going they went and wept, 
 casting their seeds ; but coming they shall come 
 with joy fulness, carrying their sheaves" (in the 
 original, maniples), 5. The stole, which is a scarf 
 varying in colour with the day. The stole is worn 
 by the deacon across the left shoulder; but it is 
 crossed over the breast of the priest at his ordina- 
 tion, and in that form he always wenrs it at the 
 Mass. 6. The chasuble, or outer vestment, covering 
 the person before and behind, and bearing botli on 
 its front and on its back the sign of the Cross, as a 
 memento of the Passion both to priest and people. 
 The chasuble, as well as the maniple and stole, varies 
 in colour according to the character of the day. These 
 vestments, together with tlie surplice, or cotta, are all 
 blessed before use according to a prescribed form. 
 
 C. What are the different coloure used by the 
 Church, and how are they varied according to dif- 
 ferent days? 
 
 P. Tiiere are five colours used by the Churcli in 
 flie cehibration of solemn ofHces. 1. White, as em- 
 l)lematic of purity, is proper to all Feasts of our 
 Lord (excejit those rehiting to Tlis Passion), to all 
 days of the B1(^«»'''»'J Virgin and of Saints not martyrs, 
 
8 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 and tlirouglioiit Easter time ; it is also used (in conn- 
 tries where the Roman rite prevails*) on festivals of 
 the Blessed Sacrament. 2. Red, the colour of blood, 
 is proper to all Martyrs' days ; it is also used on Whit 
 Sunday and within its Octave, as an emblem of the 
 fic*iy tongues in the form of which the Holy Ghost 
 descended on the apostles. 3. Green, used on all 
 Sundays on which no festival occurs (excepting those 
 during Octaves, which follow the rule of the Festi- 
 val, and those in Advent, Lent, and during Easter 
 time), as being the least expressive of all colours, or, 
 perhaps, as being the prevailing colour of nature. 
 4. Purple, a mourning colour, used on the Sundays 
 of Advent and Lent, the two great penitential sea- 
 sons ; on the Rogation-days, the Ember-days, and at 
 all special Masses of supplication.| 6. Black, used 
 on Good Friday, and in all Masses of the Dead. 
 
 C. Does the Church require any other devotions 
 to be used by the priest besides those which are 
 called his " Preparation"? 
 
 P. Yes ; the Church appoints prayers to be used 
 by him on putting on each of the sacred vestments, 
 as well as when he washes his hands. 
 
 C. What are these prayers ? 
 
 P. They are as follows : 
 
 On washing the hands. 
 Grant, Lord, such virtue to my hands, that 
 they may be cleansed from every stain, and that I 
 may serve Thee without defilement of mind or body. 
 
 On 'putting on the amice. 
 Place, Lord, on my head the helmet of salva- 
 tion, that so I may resist all the assaults of the devil. 
 
 * In France, red is used for the Blessed Sacramento 
 t Purple is used also on the Feast of the Iloh'^ Inno- 
 cents, unless it occurs on a Sunday, in which case red la 
 used; as likewise on the Octave -day. 
 
PREPARATION FOR MASS, 9 
 
 On 'putting on the alb. 
 
 Make me white, Lord, and cleanse my heart ; 
 that being made white in the blood of the Lamb^ I 
 may deserve eternal rewards. 
 
 On girding hhnselfwith the girdle. 
 Gird me, Lord, with the g-irdle of purity, and 
 quench in my reins the fire of concupiscence ; that 
 the virtue of continence and chastity may abide in 
 me. 
 
 On pouting on the maniple. 
 May I deserve, Lord, to bear the maniple of 
 tears and sorrow, that with joy I may receive the 
 reward of my labour. 
 
 On taking the stole. 
 Restore me, Lord, the stole of immortality 
 which I lost in the transg'ression of our first parent : 
 and althoug-h unworthy to approach Thy sacred m3's- 
 teries, may I deserve to inherit eternal joys. 
 
 On putting on the chasuble. 
 Lord, who hast said. My yoke is sweet and 
 My burden is lig'ht. g-rant me so to bear Thy yoke 
 that I may obtain Thy gTace. 
 
 0. What other forms are customary in putting 
 on the sacred vestments '.^ 
 
 P. The priest makes the sig-n of the Cross on him- 
 self when he beg-ins vesting, and kisses the amice, 
 maniple, and stole, as he puts them on, or rather a 
 small cross worked on each. On leaving- the sacristy 
 he bows to the Crucifix, which is always placed in it. 
 
 C. What is the linen used in the service of tho 
 altar ? 
 
 P. The princinnl are, 1. The corporal, so called 
 because the sacred Body of our Lord rests upon it ; 
 
10 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MAS3. 
 
 2. tlie pnlla or pall, a square covering of linen, wliicli 
 is placed on the chalice ; 3. the purificatory, or mun- 
 datory, which is used to wipe the chalice and paten. 
 These linens are all blessed, and may not be touched 
 except by clergy in sacred orders. It is the office of 
 the subdeacon to wash them, which he does in three 
 waters, which are afterwards thrown into the sacra- 
 rium, or drain for carrying* off all sacred liquids into 
 the earth. The reason. of these precautions is, that 
 any of the above linens may possibly, in spite of all 
 care, have contracted atoms of the adorable Sacra- 
 ment. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE BEGINNING OF MASS. 
 
 C. What ceremonies does the priest use at the 
 beginning- of Mass 1 
 
 P. Bearing' the sacred vessels under a veil, and 
 wearing- his herretta, he proceeds at a slow pace, with 
 eyes on the ground, from the sacristy to the altar. 
 If, on his way, he pass the high altar, or an altar 
 where Mass is saying, and the Blessed Sacrament 
 present, he makes the proper Reverence or act of 
 adoration, as may be. If the consecration be pro- 
 ceeding, he kneels and adores till it is over. Having 
 reached the altar where he is to celebrate, he makes . 
 a profound reverence, or, if the Blessed Sacrament 
 be in the tabernacle, goes on one knee. Rising, 
 he immediately ascends the steps, and having depo- 
 sited the sacred vessels, unfolded the corporal and 
 opened the Missal, again descends, and begins the 
 Mass. 
 
 C. What reflection is suggested by the latter 
 action ? 
 
 P. We are reminded by it that it is unbecoming 
 
THE BEGINNING OF MASS 11 
 
 to remain in God's holy presence till we have first 
 cleansed our souls by acts of humiliation. 
 
 C. How does the Mass begin ? 
 
 P. In the IN^ame of the Holy and Ever-hlessed 
 Trinity, which the priest pronounces while signing- 
 himself with the sig-n of the Cross. 
 
 C. Has the Church long- used the sig-n of the 
 Cross as an introduction to solemn actions 'i 
 
 P. From the very first ages of Christianity. At 
 the end of the second century, Tertullian writes : 
 "At every moving* from ])lace to place, at every 
 coming" in and g'oing" out, in dressing-, at the baths, 
 at table, on lig-liting- candles, going- to rest, sitting- 
 down, in whatever action we are eng-ag-ed, we sig-n 
 ourselves on the forehead with the cross" {De Cur, 
 Mil § 3). 
 
 C, Having- crossed Ijimself and invoked the 
 Blessed Trinity, what words does the priest then 
 use? 
 
 P. He recites the forty-second Psalm, " Judica 
 me, Deus," prefacing- and following* it by one of the 
 verses contained in it as an antiphon. 
 
 C. What is an antiphon r* 
 
 P. Pro})erly it means a song in response. The 
 word is used by the Church to denote short verses 
 prefixed and added on to the Psalms, and frequently 
 taken, as in the present case, from the Psnlm to 
 which they are joined, as a sort of key to the inten- 
 tion of the Church in using* it, or as drawing* atten- 
 tion to that part of it on which she desires to hiy 
 peculiar stress. Thus, in tlie instance before us, the 
 ])rominent idea of the Psalm is broug-ht out in the 
 words of the antiphon, " I will go to tho altar of 
 God." 
 
 C, What means the resj)onse of the minister, "'I'o 
 Q<h[ who makes glad mv youth'*.'' 
 
 P. We may regartf it as a kind of encourage- 
 
12 ORDER xVND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 ment to the priest to proceed. Renewal of spiritual 
 streDg'tli being- the great end of the Holy Eucharist, 
 and its effect on every rightly prepared heart, there 
 is a singular propriety and beauty in reminding the 
 priest of this quality of Almighty God as the reno- 
 vator of youth at a moment when, like the publican 
 in the parable, lie is "standing afar off/' holding 
 himself aloof from the altar, as if waiting for encour- 
 agement to carry his desire into effect. 
 
 C. The servers at Mass generally say their part 
 so rapidly as to leave no time for such reflections. 
 
 F. This onjy makes it the more necessary that 
 those who hear Mass should know something of its 
 words and ceremonies ; an acquaintance with which, 
 added to the requisite attention and devotion, will 
 enable the mind to advert in an instant to such 
 thoughts as are suitable to the occasion. 
 
 C. Please, sir, to explain the Psalm, " Judica 
 me, Deus." 
 
 P. It is a Psalm of preparation for the altar, and 
 was so used under the Old Dispensation. '^ Judge 
 me, God, and separate my cause from the unhoh^ 
 peo})le5 from the unjust and deceitful man deliver 
 me." Here we may consider the priest as pleading 
 with God, at the foot of His altar, for deliverance 
 from his spiritual enemies. The minister answers in 
 the name of the congregation, both for them and 
 for the priest, "For Thou art God, my strength; 
 why hast Thou rejected me, and why do I go about 
 sorrowfully, while the enemy afflicts me ?" As if to 
 say, " God will surely perform what you ask of Him 
 for yourself and for us ; since He is our true strength : 
 wherefore, then, should He cast us off'-; and where- 
 fore should we go about sorrowfully, even though 
 the enemy afflict us ?" The priest continues, in the 
 accents of hopeful prayer, -Send forth Thy light 
 and Thy truth; they it is which have djawn me 
 
THE BEGINNING OF MASS. 13 
 
 away''* from tlie world, " and conducted* me to Thy 
 holy momitain," even Thy Church, " and into Thy 
 tabernacle 5" by separating" me otF from sinners, and 
 calling- me into the service of Thy altar. The min- 
 ister rej)lies, in the words of the anti})hon, " And I 
 will go to the altar of God, even to the God who 
 maketh glad my youth." Confirmed by this sug- 
 gestion, the priest continues : " I will confess to Thee 
 on the harp, God, my God; why art thou sor- 
 rowful, my soul; and why dost thou trouble me?" 
 The minister replies, as if summing- up the grounds 
 of confidence, " Hope in God ; for I will yet confess 
 to Him, who is the salvation of my countenance and 
 my God." Assured of his hope, the priest continues, 
 " Glory be to the Father," &c. " I will go to the 
 altar of God." Then, '^ Our help is in the name of 
 our Lord." I\7. " Who made heaven and earth.'' 
 Then follows the mutual confession and prayer for 
 absolution between the priest and minister in the 
 name of the people. 
 
 C, What is the meaning' of joining the names of 
 the Blessed ^Bjin and other Saints with that of 
 Almighty Goain the ^' Confiteor"? 
 
 P. We call on the Blessed Virgin, and the whole 
 court of heaven, as witnesses of our sorrow ; and 
 then ask them to pray to God for us. We add, in 
 the enumeration of those before whom we desire to 
 abase ourselves, our brethren on earth as well as in 
 heaven, and entreat their prayers likewise ; thus en- 
 listing, as it were, all our most powerful patrons and 
 best friends in the cause of our necessity. The people, 
 on their side, include their spiritual father, the priest, 
 in the same list of intercessors. 
 
 6'. Why do priest and j)eople confess to one an- 
 other, and intercede for one another? 
 
 P. Jn compliance with the injunction of tii*j 
 * Deduxeruut et adduxeruut. 
 
14 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 Apostle St. James, " Confess your sins one to another, 
 and pray one for another, that you may be saved'* 
 (St. James v. 16). 
 
 C. What is the force of the absolving- prayer, 
 '^ Misereatur vestri," &(i. ? 
 
 P. It is not authoritative, but supphcatory ; and 
 'fi used in the same sense by priest and people. 
 
 O. Is it true also of the form ^^Indulgentiam," 
 •fee, which follov/s, that it is no more than a prayer ? 
 
 P. Yes ; for in it the priest makes himself a part 
 of the people, saying', Peccatorum nostrorum (pur 
 sins). 
 
 C. I observe that when the priest uses the same 
 form before giving' the Holy Communion, he substi- 
 tutes xestrorum for nostrorum {your for our sins). 
 
 P. Then he speaks as a priest; but still not in 
 the immediate exercise of his absolving' power as in 
 the confessional, but in the way of blessing*. An- 
 other difference between the uses of this form before 
 Mass and at Communion will be noticed in its place. 
 
 C. Does not the priest seem |o lower his dig-nity 
 by making- him'^elf as one of the f^|fc)l0; confessing" 
 with them, and even to them, and asking* their 
 prayers ? 
 
 P. The dig-nity of the priestly office is amply 
 secured in the eyes both of priest and people by the 
 whole ritual of the Church, and by the tenor of all 
 his dealing's with liis flock. On the other hand, it 
 is most important that lie should remember how he is 
 a sinner like others ; and that they should be moved 
 to self-abasement, as well as loving* compassion, by 
 seeing' one whom God has " set among- the princes 
 of His people" humble himself to the dust, like the 
 most guilty of those for whom he is to intercede. 
 Our g-reat High Priest had no need to offer for Him- 
 s(ilf as well as for the people ; but such is the necessity 
 under which all those lie who minister at His altar 
 
THE BEGINNING OF MASS. 15 
 
 in His person. And it is meet that the sacrifice of 
 a sinner should be prefaced bj such an act of pubhc 
 humihation. 
 
 G. What follows the Confessions and Absphitions 
 in the beginning- of Mass? 
 
 P. The priest, as if now encouraged to proceed, 
 continues, in the words of the 84th Psalm, ^' God, 
 Thou bein^ turned, wilt quicken us." " Moved to- 
 wards us by our contrition. Thou wilt now impart ta 
 us Thy Life-g-iving' Spirit." The minister answers 
 in the words of the same Psalm : " And Thy people 
 shall rejoice in Thee." The priest continues : ^' 
 Lord, show us Thy mercy." I\7. "And grant us 
 Thy salvation." " Lord, hear my prayer." 1^. "And 
 let my supplication come to Thee." " Our Lord be 
 with you." I\r. " And with thy spirit." All this 
 the priest says with his head partially inclined to the 
 altar, as thoug-h still preserving- the character of a 
 penitent. At leng-th he becomes erect ; and having- 
 said, "Let us pray," ascends the steps of the altar, 
 repeating- in silence a short prayer for deliverance 
 from all sin, alpi' g-race to enter the Holy of Holies 
 with rig-ht dispositions. He next prays, by the 
 merits of the Saints whose relics repose in the altar, 
 and of all the Saints, that God would be pleased to 
 j-ardon all his sin j and at the same time kisses the 
 altar. 
 
 C. Do altai*s always contain relics ? 
 
 P. Yes ; they are deposited in them at tlie time 
 of their consecration. 
 
 C. Why doos the priest often kiss the altai* dur- 
 ing- Mass? 
 
 F. As a sign of I\is affection and close adherence 
 to Christ, whom the altar represent!. 
 
Ifi ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE INTROIT, KYRIE ELElSON, AND GLORIA 
 IN EXCELSIS. 
 
 C. I observe that after saying- tlie sliort prayer, 
 on first coming- to the altar, the priest moves to the 
 book at the left-hand corner ; and then, making- the 
 sig-n of the Cross, g'oes on to read some short sen- 
 tences. What is the proper name for this portion of 
 the Mass? 
 
 P. It is called the Introit, or ^' Entrance" upon 
 Mass ; and consists of a sliort passag-e, nearly always 
 from Holy Scripture ; v.dth a verse of a Psalm, and 
 the Gloria Patri ; after which the introductory pass- 
 ag-e is repeated. The priest begins with the sig-n of 
 the Cross 5 because this is the proper commencement 
 of the Mass itself, the previous prayers having- been 
 rather introductory. The Scripture passag-e is of the 
 nature of an antiphon to the Psalm, which, in primi- 
 tive times, though not in all places,gras said entire. 
 "^Vhen the service of the Mass was afterwards short- 
 ened, the first verse of the Psalm alone was retained, 
 as a memento and often epitome of the whole. The 
 Gloria Patri, which gives a joyful character to tlie 
 Introit, is omitted from Passion Sunday to Holy Sa- 
 turday, and in all Masses of the Dead. 
 
 C. Does the Introit vary from day to day ? 
 
 P. On Sundays and greater festivals it is always 
 proper. On Saints' days it is generally from the 
 office common to all saints of the class, whethe.- 
 martyrs, confessors, virgins, &c. ; with some excep- 
 tions in favour of saints distinguished for some pe- 
 culiar qualities of sanctity, or prominent in some 
 great work of faith or charity. Thus, for instance, 
 St. Francis of Assisi, who was distinguished by bis 
 
THE INTROIT, KYRIE ELEISON, ETC. 17 
 
 great zeal for the Cross, Ims for liis Introit the words 
 of St. Paul, " God forbid that I sliould g'lory, save 
 in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ," &c. St. 
 Laurence, on account of his g-reat charity to the 
 poor, has the words, "He hath dispersed, he hath 
 given to the poor," &c. St. Jerome ^milian, famed 
 for his compassion towards destitute little chikh'en, 
 has the words of the Lamentations, " My heart is 
 ])oured out upon the earth for the desti-uction of tlie 
 daughter of My people, when the children and tlie 
 suckHngs fainted away in the streets of the city" 
 CLam. ii. 11); followed by the Psalm, "Praise the 
 Lord, ye children ; praise ye the Name of the 
 Lord." St. Ignatius of Loyola has the singular hon- 
 our of receiving in his Introit a commemoration of 
 the g'reat Order which he founded under the title of 
 the Society of Jesus. " At the Name of Jesus, let 
 every knee bow of those that are in heaven, on earth, 
 and under the earth ; and let every tongue confess 
 that our Lord Jesus Christ is in the g'lory of God the 
 Father ;" followed by the Psalm, ^'All they that love 
 Thy Name shall glory in Thee, for Thou wilt bless 
 the just." The Introit, therefore, is one of those 
 special parts of the Mass which give it a character 
 according" to the day or season. 
 
 C. What follows the Introit? 
 
 P. The Kyrie elei'son, or ancient Greek form of 
 " Lord have mercy," which is repeated thrice ; then 
 Christe eleison thrice 5 and then Kyrie elei'son thrice 
 ag;ain. 
 
 C. What means this reiterated petition ? 
 
 P. It is an earnest supplication for mercy, suit- 
 able to the commencement of so sacred an action. 
 Tliero is, indeed, something; very striking* and beau- 
 tiful in the amount of penitential and supnlicatoiy 
 addresses thrown into tlie earlier part of tlio Mass, 
 and alternating^ with expressions of confidence and 
 
18 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 joy, sucli as tlie " Gloria Patri" in tlie Introit. It 
 imports a kind of shrinking* awe in tlie prospect oi 
 that immense privilege to which the priest is admitted, 
 which seems to overwhelm him in proportion as, in 
 the fullness of his heart, he gives vent to the emo- 
 tions of holy gratitude. 
 
 C But why is the Greek form retained in the 
 midst of a Latin office ? 
 
 P. On account of its great antiquity, and as a 
 constant memorial of the unity of the Church, which 
 admits no distinction of nation or province. Other 
 portions of the Greek Ritual are retained in the Latin 
 Church, — as in the solemn commemoration of the 
 Passion, called the Improperia, on Good Friday. 
 The Western Church in this way manifests hei 
 sense of relationship with the Eastern, and her con- 
 tinual yearning after the restoration of peace, un- 
 happily hroken by the schism which has torn tha\. 
 portion of our Lord's heritage from her maternal 
 embrace. 
 
 C. Is the Kyrie eleison very ancient ? 
 
 P. It is mentioned by several of the ancient 
 Fathers. St. Gregory the Great implies that in his 
 time, as at present, it was often repeated, and said al- 
 ternately, in the Roman Church, between the clergy 
 and people.* 
 
 C. Why is Kyrie eleison said six, and Christe 
 eleison three, times ? 
 
 P. The number nine is certainly mystical ; and, 
 consisting of thrice three, has relation to the Holy 
 and Ever-blessed Trinity. Thus Kyrie is said thiico 
 to God the Father, Christe thrice to God the Son, 
 and then Kyrie again thrice to God the Holy Ghost. 
 
 C. What is the Gloria in excelsis 1 
 
 P. It is called the Angelical Hymn, as opening 
 with the words sung first by the angels at the an- 
 * Ep. 1. vii. 64. 
 
THE INTROIT, KYRIE ELElSON, ETC. ID 
 
 nouncement of our Lord's nativity. The rest of the 
 hymn lias come down to us by tradition from the 
 remotest antiquity. 
 
 C. When was it first introduced into the Mass? 
 
 P. Very anciently, as appears from the Liturgies 
 of St. Chrysostom and St. Basil. Pope Nicholas I. 
 ordained that it should be used on Maundy Thurs- 
 day 5 Pope Symmachus, a.d. 499, that it should be 
 said on all Sundays in the year, and on all Martyrs' 
 days ; and Pope Telesphorus, that it should be sung* 
 at midnight on the eve of the Nativity. These ordi- 
 nances prove that it was previously in use ; and we 
 may rationally suppose it to have come down from 
 the time of the Apostles. Some believe a portion of 
 it to have been composed by St. Hilary. 
 
 C. I observe that the Gloria in excelsis is not 
 always said in the Mass. At what times is it 
 omitted ? 
 
 P. On all ferial, or week days, observed as such ;* 
 on all Sundays in Advent and Lent; in Masses 
 for the Dead, and in Votive Masses (except of the 
 Ang-els, and of the Blessed Virgin, if said on Satur- 
 day), and on special occasions of penitence and humi- 
 liation. 
 
 C. What is a Votive Mass ? 
 
 jP. A Mass said, out of particular devotion, in 
 honour of the Blessed Trinity, the Holy Spirit, the 
 Holy Angels, the Blessed Virgin, &c., apart from 
 the regular order of the Church offices. Such Masses 
 are allowed by the Church, for a sufficient reason, 
 excepting at certain solemn seasons, when, together 
 with Masses of tlie Dead, they are prohibited. 
 
 C. I observe that the priest inclines his liead at 
 certain words in the Gloria in excelsis ; what are 
 they 'I 
 
 P, At the words, "We adore Thee/' "We give 
 • Except in Paschal timo. 
 
20 ORDER AND CERI^MONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 thanks to Thee;" at ^^ Receive our prayer," and at 
 the two mentions of the holy Name of Jesus. 
 
 C, Does the Church authorise the practice of 
 bowing- at any other names than that of our Blessed 
 Lord T 
 
 P. Yes; at the name of the Blessed Virgin, of 
 the Saint of the day, and of the reigning Pope; but 
 each with a less profound inclination tlian the pre- 
 ceding*.* 
 
 C. This seems a direct refutation of the charge 
 brought against the Church by unbelievers and here- 
 tics, of honouring the Blessed Virgin with the hon- 
 our due to our Lord. 
 
 P. To any one who seriously considers the ofHce 
 of the Holy Mass, such a charge must appear not 
 only unfounded but absurd. 
 
 G. Is the Blessed Virgin named in the Mass ? 
 
 P. Yes, several times, in the way of commemo- 
 ration, as the greatest of all Saints. 
 
 C. Are any other Saints named ? 
 
 P, Yes, as we shall see ; especially St. John the 
 Baptist^ SS. Peter and Paul, and St. Andrew. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE DOMINUS VOBISCUM. 
 
 C. What follows the Gloria in excelsis ? 
 
 P, The priest kisses the altar, and turning to 
 the people, says, " Dominus vobiscum," ^- The Lord 
 be with you," or, ^' is with you." 
 
 C. What is the origin of this salutation ? 
 
 P, It is found in Scripture, having been used by 
 the angel who saluted Gideon (Judges vi. 12), by 
 
 * These variations are prescribed in the " Cajremoniak 
 Episcoporum,'* 
 
THE COLLECT, EPISTLE, AND GRADUAL. 21 
 
 Boaz in addressing* his reapers (Ruth ii. 4), and bj 
 Azarias (2 Parahp. xv. 2), and has been used in the 
 Church probably from the time of tlie Apostles. 
 
 O, What means the sahitation and its answer ! 
 
 P. It may be taken either as a benediction or 
 an assurance, to which the people respond, throug-h 
 the minister, by offering* the same salutation to the 
 priest. 
 
 C. How many times does it occur in the Mass ? 
 
 P. In all seven times ; and, as some say, in the 
 way of safeguard against the seven deadly sins. 
 
 C, Why should the priest turn round to the peo- 
 ple when he is engaged in so solemn an act of com- 
 munion with Almig-hty God ? 
 
 P. To assure them continually of his g*ood-will 
 towards them, to remind them that they are parties 
 with himself in the g"reat act he is performing*, and 
 to keep up their attention ; even as our Blessed Lord 
 Himself broke off three several times from His prayer 
 in the garden in order to sustain the fainting* hearts 
 of His Apostles : and hence the Church would have 
 us remember that our life on earth is divided between 
 the duties of devotion and charity, for on tliose "two 
 g'reat commandments han^ all the Law and the Pro- 
 I)liets." But you will find that when the priest has 
 once entered upon the more solemn parts of the 
 Mass, lie no longer salutes the people by turning 
 towards them. 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 THE COLLECT, EPISTLE, AND GRADUAL. 
 
 C. When the priest has said " Dominus vobis- 
 cuni," and the minister has responded "Et cum spi- 
 ritu tuo," 1 observe that he moves to the epistle side 
 
22 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 of the altar, and reads one or more prayers ; what 
 are these ? 
 
 P. They are termed the Collects of tlie Day. 
 Before commencing- them, he says "Oremus," which 
 is an invitation to the people to join him in prayer. 
 Its being' in the plural shows that the Mass is a com- 
 mon act of worship. 
 
 C. Excuse me, reverend sir, for interrupting you ; 
 but if the Mass be a common act, how is it so often 
 said without the attendance of any one but the server? 
 
 P. I am glad to answer this question. The 
 Church desires that there should be always hearers 
 and, if possible, communicants ; but she will not 
 suffer the backwardness of the faithful in coming- to 
 Mass and Communion to hinder the offering- of that 
 precious Sacrifice, the fruits of which extend to many 
 who do not personally assist at it. All, then, which 
 the Church makes essential is the presence of one, 
 who, in default of others, represents the body of the 
 faithful. Moreover every Mass has the Angels to 
 assist at it, besides the sick of the parish, -and others 
 who are present at least in spirit. It is the pious 
 custom in Catholic countries to toll the church-bell 
 at the Elevation in the Mass, that those who are 
 hindered from assisting may adore in their hearts. 
 The same practice is also gaining- ground in Eng- 
 land. 
 
 C. What is the origin of the word Collect? 
 
 P. Different explanations have been given ; but 
 that which is most generally received supposes it to 
 refer to the "gathering tog-ether" of the various 
 needs and desires of the people into certain forms 
 of prayer. 
 
 C. By whom was the present order of Collects 
 determined ? 
 
 P. By St. Gregory the Great j although the 
 use of collects was prior to his time. 
 
THE COLLECT, EPISTLE, AND GRADUAL. 23 
 
 C What is the subject of the Collects, and why 
 are there often more than one ? 
 
 P. The first and principal Collect is always pro- 
 per to the Sunday or Festival, and if on a week-day, 
 the Collect of the preceding* Sunday is used. On 
 greater da3^s one Collect only is said ; but on all 
 Festivals, except the chief, other collects are admis- 
 sible, and these are called Commemorations. On 
 Semi-doubles there are three, on festivals of lower 
 rank there may be five, and even seven Collects. 
 Besides the regular Collects of the season, there are 
 occasional ones which may be used at the discretion 
 of the bishop, some for public and national benefits, 
 such as peace, plenty, and the like ; others for per- 
 sonal graces; others for the good estate of the 
 Church, the Pope, Sao.. 
 
 C. I observe that the priest reads the Collects^ 
 and some other parts of the Mass, with his hands 
 extended, while at other times he keeps them joined. 
 What is the meaning of this ? 
 
 P. The priest extends his hands in imitation, 
 perhaps, of our Lord upon the Cross. There may be 
 also an allusion to the words of David : " Elevatio 
 manuum mearum sacrificium vespertinum" (Ps. cxl. 
 2); and to Ps. cxlii. 6 : '^ I stretched forth my hands 
 to Thee j" " The lifting up of my hands is an even- 
 ing sacrifice." St. Paul bids St. Timothy (I Tim. 
 ii. 9) to " pray, lifting up holy hands." When the 
 priest prays in silence (except in the Secret Prayers, 
 which follow the rule of the Collects, and during the 
 chief part of the Canon) he joins his hands together, 
 and uses the same action when he recites the Gospel 
 and reads the short sentences called tho Oifertory 
 and Communion. 
 
 a What is the Epistle? 
 
 P. A portion of Holy Scripture, so called because it 
 is genemlly taken from one of the Apostolical Epistles. 
 
24 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 0. Was tliis anciently read in the Mass ? 
 
 P. The custom of reading the Scriptures in di- 
 vine assemblies is as ancient as the Scripture itself 
 (see Ex. xxiv., Dent, xxxi., 2 Esd. viii.). It is com- 
 monly thought to have been St. Jerome who ar- 
 ranged the Epistles in the Mass according to the 
 present order. At any rate, that arrangement is very 
 ancient. St. Ambrose speaks of the reverence in 
 which the Epistle was held by the faithful in his 
 time. On the Wednesdays in the Ember- weeks 
 the Epistle is preceded by a portion of the Pro- 
 phecies. This is considered to mean, that those who 
 receive Sacred Orders should be instructed both in 
 the Old and New Testaments. On the Ember Satur- 
 day S; the day of the Ordination itself, five of these 
 Lessons from the Prophets are prescribed; on the 
 Vigil of Pentecost, six; and on Holy Saturday twelve, 
 on account of the public Baptisms solemnised on 
 those days. 
 
 C, Why does the minister answer " Deo gratias" 
 to the Epistle ? 
 
 P. To give thanks to Almighty God in the name 
 of all the people for the "unspeakable gift" of His 
 holy doctrine. 
 
 THE GRADUAL, TRACT, AND SEQUENCE. 
 
 C. What follows the Epistle ? 
 
 P. The Gradual ; so called from gradus^ be- 
 cause formerly, and still occasionally, sung (in so- 
 lemn Masses) from the steps of the altar. It usually 
 follows the character of the Epistle, to which it is, 
 indeed, a kind of response. It is commonly inter- 
 spersed with one or more verses of the Psalms. 
 
 C. Why is Alleluia introduced into the Gradual? 
 
 P, As an expression of the joy which the Church 
 feels in the blessed truths commemorated in the 
 Gradual. It is repeated as if in consequence ol' 
 
THE GOSPEL, ETC. 25 
 
 tlie apostolic injunction, ^^ Rejoice in the Lord al- 
 ways ; ag-ain I say, Rejoice."* In PascIiiU time 
 the Gradual opens with two Alleluias besides those* 
 which occur in the course of it. 
 
 C. Is the Gradual very ancient ? 
 
 P. Durandus (lib. iv. cap. xix.) ascribes the pre- 
 sent arrangement of the Graduals to St. Gregory, 
 St. Ambrose, and Pope Gelasius. 
 
 C, What is the Tract ? 
 
 P. On all ferial or week-days (kept as such), 
 and from Septuagesima till Easter, the Church omits 
 the Alleluias; and in their place, and during the 
 great penitential season, substitutes a portiofl of the 
 Psalms, which, from the leisurely and mournful 
 strain in which it is sung, is called a Tract. The 
 Tracts were arranged in their present order by Pope 
 Celestine or Gelasius. They are, however, as old as 
 the oldest liturgies in existence. 
 
 At certain great seasons, a hymn of joy is intro- 
 duced between the Epistle and Gospel, which is 
 called the Prose, or Sequence. Such are the hymns, 
 " Victimae Paschali," used during the Octave of 
 Easter; "Veni Sancte Spiritus/* during the Octave 
 of Pentecost; and "LaudaSion," during the Octave 
 of Corpus Christi. The " Dies irae" is the Sequence 
 proper to Masses of the Dead, and is an exception to 
 the others in being a hymn of mourning. 
 
 THE GOSPEL, AND SOME CEREMONIES USED 
 BEFORE AND AFTER IT. 
 
 C. Will you kindly proceed, reverend father, 
 with your account of the Holy Mass ? 
 
 P. Willingly. The Epistle, Gradual, and Tract, 
 or Sequence, ended, the Missal is removed to tho 
 other corner of the altar, and the pnest goes to tlie 
 
 • Pbil. iv. 4. 
 
26 -J?vDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 middle, and, in a posture of profound supplication, 
 says two prayers preparatory to reading- the Gospel 
 of the day. 
 
 C. Be so kind as to translate and explain these 
 prayers. 
 
 P. The first is called the " Munda cor meum/' 
 and is as follows : " Almighty God, who didst with 
 a burning* coal purify the lips of the Prophet Isaiah ; 
 cleanse also my heart and my lips, and of Thy mer- 
 ciful kindness vouchsafe to purify me, that I may 
 worthily announce Thy holy Gospel, througli Christ 
 our Lord. Amen.'' The allusion in this beautiful 
 prayerts to Isaiah vi. ^^1 \ " And one of the sera- 
 phim flew to me, and in his hand was a live coal 
 which he liad taken with the tong*s off the altar. 
 And he touched my mouth, and said, Behold, this 
 hath touched thy lips, and thy iniquities shall be 
 taken away, and thy sin shall be cleansed." 
 
 The second prayer is as follows : '^ May the Lord 
 be in my heart and on my lips, that I may worthily 
 and competently announce His Gospel." 
 
 After saying' these prayers in secret, the priest 
 moves to the Gospel side of the altar ; and having- 
 said '' Dominus vobiscum," and received the answer, 
 proceeds to announce the title of the Gospel, at the 
 same time sig-ning- the first words of the Gospel, and 
 afterwards his own forehead, lips, and breast, with 
 the sig-n of the Cross. 
 
 The Gospel consists of a portion of the writings 
 of one of the holy Evangelists suitable to the day or 
 season. On days commemorative of any event in 
 our Lord's life, or in that of the Blessed Virgin, the 
 Gospel usually contains the narrative of such event; 
 on the Sundays it relates to some circumstance in our 
 Lord's ministry ; on days sacred to the memory of 
 Saints, it is ordinarily taken from the common Office 
 of the Saints. 
 
THE CREED. 27 
 
 The Gospel ended, the minister answer^, ^^ Laiis 
 Tibi, Christe/' '' Praise be to Thee, Christ )' and 
 the priest kisses the sacred text, saving- at tlie same 
 time the words, "Per evang'elica dicta deleantur 
 nostra delicta," " By the evangelical words may our 
 sins be blotted out." 
 
 C. Is not this to attribute to the words an expia- 
 tory virtue? 
 
 jP. Some understand the prayer to mean only, 
 " May the words of the Holy Gospel take such hold 
 of our minds as to work in them the dispositions ne- 
 cessary to the remission of our sins." But I prefer 
 to regard it as implyinj^ that the words themselves 
 carry with them something" of sacramental power, as 
 being- the words of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 C. Why does the priest kiss the sacred text ? 
 
 P. In token of his love and veneration for the 
 blessed gift of the Gospel. 
 
 Here follows the exi)lanation of vhe Gospel, where 
 one is given ; and thus ends whr.t was anciently called 
 " the Mass of the Catechumens." We now approach 
 that portion of the Liturgy which has always been 
 reg'arded as appropriate more peculiarly to the Faith- 
 ful ; and it begins, as is suitable, with the Creed. 
 
 THE CREED. 
 
 C. What follows the Gospel in the Mass ? 
 
 P. On all Sundays in the year, on all feasts of 
 our Lord and of the Blessed Virgin, the Apostles, 
 the Doctors of the Church, and on some other occa- 
 sions, it is followed by the Creed sometimes called 
 the Nicene, from the g-i-eater portion liaving* been 
 drawn up at the Council of INica^a ng-ainst Arius, 
 1)nt moi-e properly styled the Constantinopolitan, hav- 
 ing been fiuthor ratified at the First Council of Con- 
 stantinople, with the addition of its latter portion thee 
 framed aj^inst the heresy of Macedouius. 
 
28 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 C. Is there a special propriety \\\ the Creed fol 
 lowing' the Gospel ? 
 
 P. There is ; since it embodies^ in the languagt- 
 of the Church, tlie great doctrines of Divine revela- 
 tion, especially that of the Holy Trinity. Again, it 
 is a suitable introduction to the Sacrifice ; as it is a 
 confession of faith in our Divine Redeemer, who is 
 both Priest and Victim. 
 
 C. Why does the priest kneel at the words ^^Et 
 incarnatus est" ? 
 
 P. In adoration of our Lord's blessed Humanity, 
 and in profound acknowledgment of His unspeakable 
 condescension in taking our flesh upon Him. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 dTrom tl;e ^fferton) to tj^c Communion. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE OFFERTORY AND OBLATION. 
 
 P. We are now to enter upon the more solemn 
 part of the great Eucharistic Office ; let me bespeak 
 your reverent and devout attention. 
 
 After the Creed, or, on days when it is not said, 
 at the close of the Gospel, the priest addresses the 
 people in the w^ords "Dominus vobiscum." After 
 receiving the answer, he turns round to the altar, 
 and, with hands joined, reads the sentence called the 
 Offertory, prefacing it by the invitation, " Oremus," 
 " Let us pray." The Offertory is usually taken from 
 the Psalms, and, like the Introit, bears upon the sub- 
 ject of the day. After reading it, the priest removes 
 
THE OFFERTORY" AND OBLATION. 29 
 
 the chalice to one side, arrang-es the corporal,* and 
 taking' into his hands the paten, with the hiead of 
 the Sacrifice resting* upon it, elevates it as hig-li as 
 his breast. Then, iirst raising* his e^^es to the cruci- 
 fix, and afterwards fixinj^ them on the bread, he re- 
 cites secretly the prayer of oblation: " Accept, Holy 
 Father, Almighty Eternal God, this i:nlmaculate 
 Host, which I, Thy unworthy servant, offer Thee, 
 
 MY LIVING AND TRUE GOD, FOR MY INTsTJMERABLE SINS, 
 OFFENCES, AND NEGLIGENCES, AND FOR ALL NOW PRE- 
 SENT ; MOREOVER, FOR ALL THE FAITHFUL, LIVING AND 
 DEAD, THAT IT MAY BE PROFITABLE FOR MY OWN AND 
 FOR THEIR SALVATION, UNTO LIFE ETERNAL. A.MEN." 
 
 The priest then lowers the paten with the bread to 
 within a short distance of the altar, makes with it 
 the sign of the Cross, and, depositing- the sacred 
 bread before him on the corporal, places the paten 
 partially under the corporal on his rig'ht. 
 
 C. Why is the term " Immaculate Host" (or 
 Victim) applied to the material of the Sacrifice be- 
 fore consecration? 
 
 P. Your question is a very apt one. The term 
 can only be employed by anticipation. Althoug-h 
 the subject of the oblation is as yet bread and wine 
 only, yet the priest herein offers the whole substance 
 and future action of the Mass. 
 
 C. Why does the priest make the sign of the 
 Cross before depositing* the holy bread on the altar.' 
 
 P. To sig-nify that the oblation has its effect from 
 the Cross and Passion of our Redeemer. 
 
 C. What is represented by the sacred Host lying- 
 on the corporal ? 
 
 F, The mecik submission of our Blessed Lord to 
 the will of His Eternal Fatlier in the Garden of Getii- 
 semani. " He fell upon His face," as wo read in St. 
 Matthew xxvi. 30. 
 
 * See page 9. 
 
S3 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 ^'J. Proceed, sir, if you please, with your account 
 of t'io Oblation. 
 
 P. The priest, having- completed the oblation of 
 the bread, takes the chalice to the Epistle side of the 
 altar, and, after wiping it carefully, pours into it a 
 small quantity of wine from a cruet, which he re- 
 ceives from the hands of the server, who first kisses 
 it (as prescribed in the rubrics of the Missal), in token 
 of reverence to the priest and devotion to the service 
 of tiie altar. The priest afterwards receives the cruet 
 of water, previously making over it the sign of the 
 Cross as an act of blessing, and then, as he pours 
 some drops from it into the chalice, says the follow- 
 ing prayer : " God, who didst wonderfully form 
 
 THE SUBSTANCE OF HUMAN NATURE, AND YET MORE 
 WONDERFULLY EEGENERATE IT; GRANT US, BY THE MYS- 
 TERY OF THIS WATER AND WINE, TO BE UNITED WITH 
 
 His Divinity, who deigned to become partaker of 
 OUR Humanity, Thy Son Jesus Christ oue Lord, 
 who liveth and eeigneth with Thee in the unity 
 of the Holy Ghost, God for ever and ever. Amen." 
 While in the act of saying* this prayer, the priest 
 wipes the inside of the chalice with the mundatory* 
 down to the surface of the wine, and then places it near 
 the middle of the altnr, to which he himself moves ; 
 and, having covered the still exposed portion of the 
 paten with the folded mundatory, proceeds to make 
 the oblation of the chalice. 
 
 0. Why is the priest required to be so careful in 
 wi})ing off any drops of wine which may have ad- 
 hered to the inside of the chalice if 
 
 jP. For a theological reason. It is not certain 
 among divines whether these di-ops, separated from 
 the main body of the wine, might not partake in the 
 effects of the conseci-ation. According to the opinion 
 in the affirmative, if care were not previously taker 
 * See page 10. 
 
THE OFFERTORY AND OBLATION. 31 
 
 to remove them, portions of the sacred Blood of our 
 Lord rnig-ht remain in the chalice after tlie abkition,* 
 f^nd thus be exposed to the dang-er of irreverence. 
 To obviate this risk, and to ensure the ])riest ag-ainst 
 all scruples on the point, the rubric directs that the 
 interior of the chalice shall be cleared of all detached 
 portions of the vvine. 
 
 C. Is the addition of a small quantity" of water 
 to the wine essential to the Sacrament i!* 
 
 P. No ; the Sacrament is valid if wine alone be 
 used ; but the addition of water is binding- upon the 
 priest, under pain of mortal sin. 
 
 C. Why is woter added ? 
 
 P. It is added by order of the Churcli on the 
 strength of a most ancient, and, as is generally sup- 
 posad, apostolical tradition. The practice is men- 
 tioned by some of the earliest Fathers of the Church, 
 especially by St. Justin nnd St. Cyril of Alexandria. 
 It is noticed by the 3d Council of Cnrthag'e. Bing-- 
 ham, the ecclesiastical antiquaiy, not himself a Ca- 
 tholic, acknowledg'es and testifies to its g-i"eat anti- 
 quity, as do also other writers of the Protestant reli- 
 gion. 
 
 C^ What is the renson of the practice ? 
 
 P. It refers to the issue of " blood and water" 
 from the side of our Divine Redei^mer after His deatli. 
 It is likewise symbolical of the Incarnation : the 
 wine, as the more precious element, representing His 
 Divinity ; the water, as the inferior, His sacred Hu- 
 manity. This will be evident from the i)rayer used 
 during- its infusion, of which a translation has been 
 given above. 
 
 There may also bo a reference to tlie two princi- 
 pal Sacraments of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist, 
 whereof the first is necessary as a preliminary to the 
 second. 
 
 • This term will be explained in the sequel. 
 
32 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 C. Why does the priest bless the water, and not 
 the wine ? 
 
 P. Because the wine is about to receive consecra- 
 tion, but not the water, which is lost in the substance 
 of the wine, and requires a previous sanctification by 
 the blessing- of the priest on account of being- set 
 apart to so sacred a purpose. 
 
 C, Why does the priest put so little water into 
 the chalice 'i 
 
 P. In order that the substance of the wine may 
 not be impaired by the addition of the water, but 
 rather the water immediately taken up into the sub- 
 stance of the wine. 
 
 C, What follows next in the ceremonies ? 
 
 P. The priest, having* now moved to the middle 
 of the altar, takes the chalice by the knot with one 
 hand, and with the other supporting* the foot, holds 
 it about the heig-ht of his eyes, and, looking* up to 
 the Crucifix, pronounces the prayer of oblation, which 
 is as follows : " We offer Thee, Lord, the Cha- 
 lice OF Salvation, BESEEcinNG Thy clemency that 
 IN the sight OF Thy Divine Majesty it may as- 
 cend WITH the ODOUR OF SWEETNESS FOR OUR SALVA- 
 tion, and for the salvation of the whole world. 
 Amen." 
 
 C. Why does the prayer nm thus : " We offer" ? 
 
 P. Because, at solemn Mass, the assisting* dea- 
 con joins with the priest in the oblation of the Cha- 
 lice. 
 
 C. But why is the same form used at Low Mass? 
 
 P. The Church has but one Liturgy; and its 
 iorm presumes that more solemn celebration which 
 is most according* to her intentions. Low Mass dif- 
 fers from High Mass in the way of omissmis alone. 
 
 O. Is not the phrase "Chalice of Salvation" 
 found in Holy Scripture? 
 
 P. Yes; "in the 115th Psalm. 
 
THE LAVABO. o3 
 
 C, When the priest has offered the cliaHce, what 
 follows ? 
 
 p. He lowers it, as he did the paten, to within a 
 short distance of the altar, and then makes with it 
 the sig-n of the Cross over the part of the corporal on 
 which he places it. Then, covering- it with the pall,* 
 he leaves it on the altar, and says, with head inclined, 
 and hands joined and resting* on the edg-e of the altar, 
 the following" humble prayer, founded on Dan. iii. 39: 
 
 " Ix THE Srir.IT OF HUAULlTr, AND IN A CONTRITE 
 lEEART, GRANT US, LORD, TO BE RECEIVED BY TlIEE ; 
 AND LET THIS OUR SACRIFICE BE SO MADE IN TlIY SIGHT 
 THAT IT MAY PLEASE ThEE, LORD GOD." The 
 
 priest next invokes thegTace of God the Holy Ghost, 
 to bless the Sacrifice. liaisinj*', and then immedi- 
 ately lowering", his hands, he says : " Come, Sanc- 
 TiFiER, Almighty, Eternal God, and bless ^ this 
 Sacrifice, prepared to Thy Holy Name." At the 
 same time he blesses the Offering-, making" the sign 
 of the Cross over the paten and the chalice. 
 
 THE lava BO. 
 
 C. I observe, that at this period in the Mass, the 
 priest moves to the Epistle side of the altar; for what 
 purpose ? 
 
 P. He moves to the side, in order to wash the 
 tips of his fingers in a small vessel prepared for th*^ 
 purpose. While the server is pouring* water on then* 
 the ])riest says a portion of the 25th Psalm. 
 
 C. What is the meaning* of this action I 
 
 1\ The priest washes the thumb and forefinger 
 (I' eiich hand, wliich, at liis ordination, were conse- 
 crated for tlie offering of the Adorable Sacrifice, lest, 
 in the previous part of the ceremonies, any crumb of 
 the sacred bread, or other matter, may luive adhered 
 to them. The symbolical use of this action is to re 
 • See page 10. 
 D 
 
34 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE SL\SS. 
 
 mind him incessantly of the purity required in tliose 
 who come before G od at His altar. The ends of the 
 fingers, and not the hands, are washed, to express 
 that the priest should be " clean wholly." (See St. 
 John xiv. 10.) 
 
 C. Is this practice of great antiquity ? 
 
 P. It is an apostolical tradition, originating in 
 the custom of the Jews, who frequently washed theii* 
 hands at the time of their sacrifices. It is noticed 
 by St. Clement, St. Cyril, and others. 
 
 C, Will you be pleased, sir, to explain the Psalm 
 ^' Lavabo," recited by the priest while in the act of 
 washing and drying his fingers? 
 
 P. It is the latter portion of the 25th Psalm, 
 and is found in the Liturgy of St. Peter. It is sin- 
 gularly appropriate both to the act of washing and 
 to the purity which that act denotes. "I will wash 
 my hands among the innocent, and will compass Thy 
 altar, Lord, that I may hear the voice of Thy 
 praise, and tell of all Thy wondrous works. I have 
 loved, Lord, the beauty of Thy House, and the 
 place where Thy glory dwelleth. Destroy not, 
 God, my soul with the wicked, nor my life with 
 bloodthirsty m.en ; in whose hands are iniquities ; 
 their right hand is full of gifts. But as for me, I 
 have walked in my innocence j redeem me, and have 
 mercy on me. My foot hath stood in the direct way ; 
 in the churches I v/ill bless Thee, Lord." 
 
 C. How do you understand those passages: ^^] 
 have washed my hands among the innocent." ^^ As 
 for me, I have walked in my innocence," &q. How 
 can a sinner use such languag'e of himself ? 
 
 P. Certainly the priest does not hereby den\' 
 that he is a sinner. For ho adds, " redeem me, and 
 have mercy on me." But there is a true, though 
 assuredl}^ not a boastful sense, in which every priest 
 can say '^ I have walked in my innocence." His 
 
THE OBLATION CONTINUED. 35 
 
 state is a state of innocence ; secured by its oblig-a- 
 tions ag-ainstmany of the worst forms of evil. From 
 the time of his entering" on tliat state, which is usually 
 long" before he becomes a priest, he may say, ^' My 
 foot hath stood in the direct way." And because 
 he speaks, not as an individual, but in the name of 
 his order, he may recount its privileg-e of sanctity 
 without any breach of personal humility. 
 
 C. Thank you, sir. I now see that there is a 
 peculiar beauty in the priest thus reminding* him- 
 self, in words not his own, but of the Holy Spirit, of 
 the innocence which belong-s to his state. 
 
 P. You have precisely hit the point; and you 
 will see, on reflection, that so far from such lang'ung-e 
 endangering" personal humility, the lig-ht which it 
 throws upon the character of the priestly state is, 
 of all thing-s, the most apt to fill the individual priest 
 with a humbling sense of his own unworthiness, and 
 amazement at the goodness of God in calling- such a 
 one hito Ilis confidence, and suffering' him to ai)proach 
 Him in these adorable mysteries. 
 
 THE OBLATION CONTINUED. 
 
 C. What follows upon the priest's return to the 
 middle of the altar ? 
 
 P. Having" now exercised himself in fresh acts 
 and desires of purity, he proceeds in the oblation with 
 incrt'asod conhdence. Placing" his hands on the altar, 
 as if offering- all his powers in the work in which he 
 is engaged, he calls upon the whole Blessed 'J'rinity 
 to receive the oblation. The y)rayer is as follows: 
 " Reckive, Holy Tiiinity, this" oiiLATioN which 
 WE MAKE Thee in memory of the Passion, Resuk- 
 
 RECTION, AND AsCENSION OF OUR LoRD JeSUS CiIRIST, 
 IN THE HONOUR OF BlESSED MaRY EVER VlRCJlN, OF 
 
 Blessed St. John the Baptist, and of the holy 
 Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, of tiu:se and of 
 
56 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 ALL THE Saints, that it may be profitable to their 
 
 HONOUR AND OUR SALVATION ; THAT THEY WHOSE ME- 
 MORY WE KEEP ON EARTH MAY VOUCHSAFE TO PRAY FOR 
 US IN HEAVEN, THROUGH THE SAME ChRIST OUR LoRD. 
 
 Amen." 
 
 C. Is this a new oblation^ or a continuation of 
 the former 't 
 
 P. It is most probably the latter ; the washing' 
 of the flnf>-ers being* an incidental ceremony ; after 
 which the piiest returns to the act of oblation with 
 additional fervour. 
 
 C. Why ore the Passion, Eesurrection, and As- 
 cension of our Lord here commemorated ? 
 
 P. In the beg'inning" of the Mass, called the Mass 
 of the Catechumens, His Advent, Nativity, and 
 Teaching- are represented- His Advent in the In- 
 troit, His Nativity in the Gloria in excelsis. His 
 Teaching in the Gospel. But in the Sacrifice, which 
 is the Mass of the Faithful, the great essential mys- 
 teries of our salvation are expressed, and of this we 
 are reminded in the oblation })reparatory to it. We 
 now come to 
 
 the ^^ ORATE FRATRES" AND SECRET PRAYERS. 
 
 C. What is the " Orate Fratres "? 
 
 P. '^ Orate Fratres" are the first two words of an 
 address which, at this part of the Mass, the priest 
 makes to the faithful present, and they signify, 
 " PRAY, brethren." The whole prayer is as fol- 
 lows : " Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and 
 
 YOURS MAY be ACCEPTABLE TO GoD THE FaTHER 
 
 Almighty." Of this prayer the iirst tAvo words 
 only are said aloud towards the people, the rest in 
 secret towards the altar. Thus the priest, distrust- 
 ing' his own merits, and knowing' himself to be com- 
 passed with infirmities, invites those present to join 
 their prayers with his own, to the end the Sacrifice 
 
THE PREFACE. 37 
 
 he is to offer for himself, and for them, may be well- 
 pleasing- in the sight of their common Father. 
 
 C. I observe that the priest speaks of the Sacri- 
 fice as, in some sense, the act of the people as well as 
 his own. 
 
 P. He does so. As we proceed, you will see 
 that the Church reg-ards the faithful present as, in 
 some sort, joint offerers with the priest. There is a 
 sing-ular beauty in the priest reminding* the people of 
 their common interest in the Sacrifice, while he is 
 asking" for their prayers. 
 
 U, Do the people respond to this appeal of the 
 priest ? 
 
 P. They do so, throug-h the minister; and should 
 themselves either employ the same words, or at least 
 join in their sentiment. 
 
 The answer is as follows: "May our Lord re- 
 ceive Tins SACRIFICE FROM THY HANDS, TO THE 
 PRAISE AND GLORY OF HiS NaME, TO OUR PROFIT, 
 AND TO THAT OF ALL HiS HOLY ChURCH." To this 
 
 prayer the priest answers, in a low voice, A:sien. 
 lie then reads out of the Missal tlie pi-ayer, or 
 prayers, called Secret, corresponding* in num])er and 
 in subject with the collects said in the earlier part 
 of Mass, and always bearing* upon tlie oblation. 
 C. Why are these prayers read in secret '( 
 P. The priest, having* invited tlie hearers to pray, 
 leaves them in that occupation, while he, with Anna, 
 the mother of Samuel, s[)eaks to God in his heai*t, 
 and only moves his lips.* Wi! now conK* to 
 
 THE i ». 
 
 (7. What is tlie Preface / 
 
 P, The prioi^t and peoj)lc being* now duly pre- 
 piu'ed for the Sacrifice*, proceed to the sacred Action, 
 
 • Sue 1 Kings i. 
 
38 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 and first join their hearts and voices in a song- of 
 praise and thanksgiving-. 
 
 G, Whence comes the use of a Preface in the 
 Mass ? 
 
 P. From the time of the Apostles. It is found 
 in St. Clement, almost in the verj words now used, 
 and in all the ancient Liturgies. 
 
 C. How many different Prefaces are used in the 
 Mass? 
 
 jP. In all eleven. Their g-eneral pui'port is the 
 same, but they vary, in words, according to the sub- 
 ject of the season. 
 
 C. What, then, is their g*eneral purport ? 
 
 P. To give praise to God for His mercies in the 
 redemption of mankind ; to call upon the Angels to 
 assist at our great Sacrifice ; and put ourselves into 
 communion with them in the songs of love and ador- 
 ation which they continually present at the Throne 
 of God. 
 
 C. Mention, sir, if you please, the several Pre- 
 faces. 
 
 P. They are as follows: for the Nativity, the 
 Epiphany, Lent, Passion- tide, Easter, Ascension, 
 Whit-Sunday, Trinity ; for the Blessed Virgin, the 
 Apostles, and a common Preface for days to which 
 no other is appropriated. 
 
 C. Are the several Prefaces used only at the 
 times to which they properly belong ? 
 
 P. Not altogether so. That for the Nativity is 
 used not only dm-ing the Octave of Christmas, but 
 on the Feasts of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, 
 of the Purification, of Corpus Christi, and of the 
 Transfiguration. That "of the Cross," proper to 
 Passion-tide, is used also on the Feasts of the In- 
 vention and Exaltation of the Holy Cross, on the 
 Festivals relative to the Passion of our Blessed 
 Lord whi(ih fall upon the Fridays in Lent, and on 
 
THE PREFACE. 39 
 
 that of the Sacred Heart ; that for Trinity Sunday 
 is used on all Sundays in the year which have no 
 Preface of their own, and that for the Apostles on the 
 Feasts of St. Peter's Chair at Home and at Antioch. 
 
 C, What is the meaning- of " Per omnia s^cula 
 s.^culorum/' with which the Preface aj)pears to 
 open? 
 
 P. These are the concluding- words of the Inst 
 Secret Prayer, and signify ^^ I'oR ever and evpzr," 
 or ^' World without end." The priest, having- con- 
 cluded the Secret all hut these last words, lays hi? 
 hands upon the altar and says them aloud, as if to 
 certily to the faithful present that he has heen join- 
 ing- tliem in ])rayer, agreeahly to his invitation and 
 their response, for the acceptance of the Sacrifice. 
 They respond to them, Amtn, as if accepting- and 
 reciprocating- his assurance. The priest then, without 
 turning' round, pi'oceeds, " Our Loiti) be with you ;" 
 as if to console them in return for their assi.tnnce. to 
 encourng-e them in their pious intentions, and to pre- 
 ])nre them for the solemn action ahout to take })lace, 
 To this salutation the people respond as usual. 
 
 C, Hitherto the priest, since he went up to the 
 altar, has always turned towards the people when 
 addressing- these words to them. Why does he now 
 say the words towards the altar? 
 
 P. The Preface is the introduction to the sacred 
 Canon, or Action, of the Sacrifice, the most solemn 
 part of the whole Mass ; and now that the priest has 
 niic(; entered upon it, he turns no more to the peoj)le 
 11 it is concluded, hut remains in tlie most intimate 
 ommunion with Almighty God, and with the whole 
 host of heaven. 
 
 6'. There seems an exti-nordinnry henuty and fit- 
 ness in this provision. Proceed, sir, if you ]»leme, 
 witli the otjjer verses and responses introductory to 
 th^ Preface. 
 
40 ORDER AND CERE3iI0NIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 P» The priest next, raising liis liands from the 
 altar, and thus suiting- the action to the words, ad- 
 dresses the people with the invitation, "Lift up Youii 
 HEARTS ;" as if saying', " Let us now withdraw en- 
 tirely from earth, and put ourselves into communion 
 with t)ie Ang'els in heaven, that we may worthily 
 ]:)repare for the coming of our Lord, both God and 
 Man." To this invitation the people respond in, the 
 pe;i*son of the minister, " We have them with our 
 Lord ;'' that is, " Our hearts are already lifted up, 
 and with our Lord." The priest then proceeds, "Let 
 us GIVE THANKS UNTO OUR LoRD GoD ;" ^a tribute 
 which is due to Him whom we acknowledge to be 
 such by lifting up our hearts to Him. Let us there- 
 fore thank Him for all His benefits, and especially for 
 the Eucliaristic Sacrifice.' To this the clerk answers 
 in the name of the people, " It is meet and just ;" 
 "meet" in respect of His manifold benefits, and 
 "just" on our parts who so largely enjoy them. 
 
 C. Does not the priest accompany the latter 
 words by a fresh action ? 
 
 P. He does so. His hands wdiicli were raised at 
 the " Sursum corda," he now joins, at the same time 
 inclining his head in lowly reverence at the remem- 
 brance of the Divine mercies. 
 
 C. How does the priest go on, after the clerk has 
 answered, "It is meet and just"? 
 
 P. He then begins the Preface itself, by echoing, 
 as it were, the pious sentiment of the response, and 
 repeating ft with increased force, " It is verily meet 
 AND JUST, RIGHT AND SALUTARY." " Eight and Salu- 
 tary," no less than " meet and just." " Meet" for 
 Him who claims our homage, "just" in us who be- 
 stow it ; " right" on both these and on all other 
 accounts ; " salutary," for it conduces to our salva- 
 tion, " THAT we should ALWAYS AND EVERY WHERE 
 
 GIVE THANKS TO TiiEE." For the holv Psalmist bids 
 
THE PIIEFACE. 41 
 
 US to "bless our Lord in every plnc-e oflTis domi- 
 nion ;'* niid agiiin lie snys, '^ I will bless the Lord at 
 all times, Plis praise shall be always in my moiitli."t 
 In these words of the Preface there appears to be i\u 
 allusion to the Divine Sacrifice, daily oiiered up, all 
 iliroughout the world, to the praise and honour of 
 God. 
 
 " Holy Lord, Almighty Father, Eternal God, 
 THROUGH Christ our Lord." ^ For IIim we have 
 for our Advocate with tlie Father,t and by Him we 
 have access through faith into this grace, wherein 
 we stand and glory .'§ 
 
 " By whom the Angels praise thy Majesty, 
 THE Dominations alore,|| the Powers do hold in 
 AWE, the Heavens and the Virtues of Heaven 
 and the blessed Seraphim do celebrate with 
 united joy." 
 
 Here four different emotions or actions are as- 
 cribed to the Angels, in which wc are to imitate 
 them ; viz. pi-aise, adoration, awe, and J03'. The 
 priest next prays in the name of the faithful as well 
 as of himself, " In union with whom we beseech 
 Thee that Thou wouldest command our voices 
 
 ALSO to be admitted, WITH SUPPLIANT CONFESSION, 
 
 SAYING." Here the Church ])rays that our voices 
 may be joined with those of the holy Angels, who 
 are actually then assisting at the great Sacrifice, and 
 preparing to commend it to the acceptance of ti>e 
 Eternal Father. 
 
 C. You said, sir, that there are several Prefaces . 
 do they differ in form from that you Ijave cited ? 
 
 J\ I have given you the conmion or ordinary 
 one, which is actually used on all days lor which no 
 special Preface is appointed, and which forms al>o 
 the standard of all. The vorintions relate, princi- 
 
 ♦ Ps. ciii. 22. + lb. xxxiii. 1. t 1 John ii. I. 
 
 i Uom. Y. 2. Ii Fs. xcvi. 7 ; 2 £&d. i.\. 6. 
 
42 ORDER \:;d ceremonial of the mass. 
 
 pnllj, to the su])jects of the different festivals on 
 which they are introduced. 
 
 C. What is a double festival ? 
 
 P. One of hig'her, thoug-h not the hig:hest, dig- 
 nity. The order of precedence in holy days is as 
 foliov/s: 1. Double of the first class ; 2. Double of 
 the second class; 3. Greater double j 4. Double; 
 5. Semi-double; 6. Simple. 
 
 C. How is the Mass of the day affected by these 
 distmctions ? 
 
 P. On doubles there is but one Collect, except 
 when some Saint, or Octave, is commemorated ; on 
 semi-doubles there are three ; and on inferior festi- 
 vals, five, or even seven, may be said, at the option 
 of the priest. 
 
 0. I am* so much struck with the Prefice you 
 have quoted, that I should be glad, if you please, to 
 know some of the variations according- to season. 
 
 P. Your devotion, I am sure, will be promoted by 
 knowing' them ; they will show you how the Chiu'ch 
 hring-s out her high doctrine in a devotional shape. 
 TJius, at Christmas, she introduces into the Preface, 
 after the words " Almighty Father, Eternal God," 
 the following appropriate address : " Becausj:, by 
 
 THE MYSTERY OF THE InCAEXATE WoED A NEW EF- 
 FULGENCE OF TptY brightness hath SHONE INTO THE 
 EYES OF OUR MIND, THAT WHILE WE ACKNOWLEDGE 
 
 God IN VISIBLE form, we may by Hem be drawn 
 
 INTO the love of THINGS INVISIBLE *. AND THEREFORE 
 W^ITH ANGELS AND ARCHANGELS, WITH THRONES AND 
 DOMINATIONS, AND WITH ALL THE ARMY OF HEAVEN. 
 WE SING THE HYMN OF ThY GLORY, EVERMORE SAYING." 
 
 At Epiphany it is slightly varied, and runs thus : 
 " Because when Thine Only-begotten appeared 
 
 IN SUBSTANCE OF OUR MORTALITY, He RESTORED US 
 BY THE NEW LIGHT OF HiS OWN IMMORTALITY." 
 
 In Lent it is as follows : " Who by corporal 
 
TUE PREFACE. 43 
 
 PASTING IjOST restrain VICES, ELEVATE THE MIND, 
 BESTOW VIRTUE AND REWARD, THROUGH ChRIST OUR 
 
 Lord, by whom," as before. 
 
 At Passion-tide and on Feasts of our Iledemj)- 
 tion : " Who hast given to mankind salvation 
 
 THROUGH THE WOOD OF THE CROSS, THAT HIROUGH 
 THE SAME MEANS WHENCE DEATH AROSE LIFE SHOULD 
 RISE AGAIN, AND HE WHO ONCE CONQUERED BY WOOD 
 SHOULD BY W^OOD BE CONQUERED, THROUGH ClIRIST," 
 
 as before. 
 
 At Easter, after the words " riglit and salutary'* ; 
 " At all times to proclaim, Lord, Thy glory : 
 
 BUT CHIEFLY ON THIS DAY [or AT THIS TIME], WHEN 
 
 Christ our passover was sacrificed: for He is 
 THE true Lamb v/ho took away the sins of the 
 world : WHO BY His death destroyed our death, 
 
 AND BY His resurrection restored OUTl life : AND 
 
 therefore with angels," &c., as before. 
 
 At Ascension, after the words ^'Througli Christ 
 our Lord": "Who after His resurrection ap- 
 peared manifestly to His disciples, and in their 
 sight was raised up to heaven that He might 
 
 2SIAKE us to BE PARTAKERS OF HiS DIVINITY: AND 
 THEREFORE WITH ANGELS," &C. 
 
 At Pentecost, and during* its Octave : "Who, as- 
 cending ABOVE ALL HEAVENS, AND SITTING AT 'J'lIY 
 RIGHT HAND, POURED DOWN ON THIS DAY ON THE SONS 
 OF ADOPTION THE HOLY GlIOST, WHOM He HAD PRO- 
 IISED: WHEREFORE WITH JOY SUED ABROAD, ALL THE 
 HOLE WORLD DOTH REJOICE : MOREOVER, ALSO TUE 
 I PERNAL VIRTUES ABOVE, AND THE ANGELICAL POWERS 
 ING WITH ONE ACCORD THE HYMN OF TlIY GLORY, EVER- 
 MORE SAYING." 
 
 On Trinity Sunday, nnd on nil Sundays in the 
 y(>ar, to which no ]>roj)er Prefuco is assi{»"n(»d, after 
 the words ^^Ahnighty Father, Eternal God": ** Wuo 
 
 WITH 'J'iilNE ONLY-BEGOTTEN SuN AND TUi: HoLY 
 
44 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 Ghost, art one God, one Loud ; not in the sei 
 gleness of one person, but in the tllinity of one 
 substance; for, that which, by Thy revelation, 
 WE believe of Thy glory, the same hold we of 
 Thy Son, and the same of the Holy Ghost, with- 
 out ANY DIFFERENCE OR DISTINCTION; THAT IN THE 
 CONFESSION OF A TRUE AND ETERNAL DeITY, TIIE.RE 
 BE ADORED IN THE PERSONS PROPRIETY, AND IN THE 
 ESSENCE UNITY, AND IN THE MAJESTY EQUALITY, WHOM 
 THE ANGELS PRAISE, AND THE ARCHANGELS, THE CHE- 
 RU^JIM ALSO AND SERAPHIM, WHO CEASE NOT TO CRY 
 CONTINUALLY, SAYING WITH ONE ACCORD." 
 
 On all Feasts of tlie Blessed Virgin, after " Al- 
 mighty Father, Eternal God" : '^ And thee in the 
 . . . .* OF Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, to praise, 
 
 BLESS, AND PROCLAIM : WHO CONCEIVED THINE OnLY- 
 BEGOTTEN, by the OVER- shadowing of THE HoLY 
 
 Ghosts and without loss of the glory of virgi- 
 nity, POURED FORTH ON THE WORLD THE EtERNAL 
 
 Light, Jesus Christ our Lord : by whom," (fee, a^ 
 before. 
 
 On an Apostle's Day, or on Feasts in any w^ay 
 commemorative of them, after ^^ right and salutary": 
 "Humbly to beseech Thee, Lord, that Thou 
 w^ouldest not, Eternal Pastor, forsake Thy 
 flock, but guard it, through Thy blessed Apos- 
 tles, with continual care : that it may be go- 
 verned BY THOSE SAME RULERS, WHOM TlIOU DIDST 
 
 appoint to be set over it as pastors to fulfil 
 Thy work, in Thy stead: and therefore w^ith 
 ANGELS." &Q., as hcfove. 
 
 C. These forms are evidently introductory to 
 something- else. Will you kindly, reverend sir, tell 
 me to what ? 
 
 P. All of them conclude with two short hymns; 
 L the Sanctus, addressed to the Blessed Trinity: 
 * Here the name of the Mystery is inserted. 
 
the preface. 45 
 
 " Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth, heaven 
 
 AND EiVETII ARE FULL OF TlIY GLORY ;" 2. tllG WOrds 
 
 addressed by the children to our Divine Redeemer 
 on His entry into Jerusalem. The former is tiiken 
 from the prophet Isaias, where we read that the 
 Seraphim cried one to another, saying-, " Hoh^, ^^^^'y 
 lioly, the Lord God of Hosts, all the earth is fidl of 
 His g-lory."* This hymn has probably formed ])art 
 of the Mass from Apostolic times. Pope Sixtus L or- 
 dered that it should always be sung- before the Sacred 
 Canon. It is found in all the ancient Liturg-ies. 
 
 C. Why does the priest, having sung- or said the 
 Preface with his hands extended, always join them 
 at the'Sanctus? 
 
 P. Perhaps to sig-nify that he unites himself 
 with the ang-els; at the same time he bows his head, 
 as if with them, in acknowledgment of the Divine 
 Majesty. 
 
 * C. "What is the latter hymn ? 
 
 P. It consists in the words of the children ad- 
 dressing- our Lord on entering* Jerusalem the Sunday 
 before His Passion. " Blessed is He that cometii 
 IX THE Name of the Lord; Hosanna in the high- 
 est." This is an expression of thanksgiving-, very 
 suitable to the time when our Blessed Lord is a))out 
 to come to us in the H0I3' Sacrifice and Sacrament. 
 The priest, on saying these words, signs himself with 
 ^he sig-n of the Cross, in memory of the Passion wiiicli 
 he is about to commemorate. 
 
 C. Why does tlie server ring a little bell during 
 tlie Sanctus ? 
 
 7\ To give notice to the faithful present tlint 
 the Canon of the Mass is about to begin, in order 
 tliat they may raise uj) their hearts to (iod with in- 
 creased fervou.', and j)ut tlicmselves in dispositions to 
 receivt) Him. It is time now to speak of 
 • Is. vi. 3. 
 
ORDER aXD CEREMO.NIAL OF THE MAS3. 
 
 THE CANON OF THE MASS. 
 
 C. What is meant by the word Canon ? 
 
 P. It is a Greek word sig-nifving- Rule; and 
 here it means tlie llnle, or Formula, according- to 
 winch the Sacrifice of the New Law is to be cele- 
 Ijrated. 
 
 C. Is this prescribed Form of the Sacrifice called 
 bj any other name ? 
 
 P. Yes; some of the Fatliers call it the Prnver 
 (by wa}M)f eminence); and it is called also, in the 
 Inng-nage of the Church, tlie '^Action ;" since hereby 
 the Sacrament of our Lord's most sacred Body and 
 Blood is " wrong-ht" or " mode" {conficitur). Hence 
 the expression " Infra (for ''■ intra") Actionem ;" 
 ^^ within the Action." 
 
 C. To whom is the authorship of the Canon 
 ascribed ? 
 
 P, It is probably the work of no single anthoi*, 
 but a kind of '' s^^mbolum," or contribution from 
 many holy Popes and Doctors, none of them Inter 
 than St. Gregory the Great; but extending- back to 
 the time of the Apostles ; and incorporating- the ti-a- 
 dition of their words, and those of our Blessed Lord 
 Himself; as the Council of Trent has it.* 
 
 C. What evidence does the Canon bear of its 
 own g-reat antiquity ? 
 
 P, Its containing* the names of Apostles and 
 Martvrs alone, shows that it is ])rior in date to tli^ 
 fourth century; till which time the "cultus," or re- 
 lig-ious veneration, .oF Confessors was not introduced. 
 (Pope Benedict XIV. de Sac. Mis.^.) 
 
 C, You have said, following- the Council of Trent, 
 that the soui-ces of the Canon are to be found in 
 Apostolical traditions, and the ordinances of holy 
 
 * Sess. xxii. c. 4. De Sacriticio MisssB. 
 
THE CANON OF THE MASS. 47 
 
 Popes. Will you further tell me what poi-tio:is r.re 
 Iniced to the one, and what to the other original ? 
 
 P. The narrative introductory to tiie consecra- 
 tion, and the form of consecration of the Chalice, 
 certainly contain Apostolical traditions of the actions 
 and words of our Blessed Saviour, who (as we know 
 i'rom St John xxi. 25 and Acts xx 35) said and did 
 many thing-s which are not in the Holy Gospels. As 
 to the additions of holy Popes, it is beHeved that St. 
 Leo added the words ^^ Sanctum Sacrilicium, imma- 
 cuhitam Ilostiam," at the end of the j)rayer following' 
 the consecration. And St. Greg'or}' the Great is said 
 to have introduced the w-ords before the consecration, 
 ^'diesque nostros . . . g'rcg'e numorari;" also to have 
 added the names of the holy Virgins and Martyrs 
 SS. Ag'atha, Lucia, Agnes, Ctecilia, and Anastasia, 
 to the second commemoration of Saints. After St. 
 Gregory the Great, as Cardinal Bona considers,* 
 nothing- was added. 
 
 C, What are the actions with which the priest 
 begins the Canon ? 
 
 P. He extends and elevates liis hands, at the same 
 time raising* his eyes to the crucifix; then lowering* 
 his hands and joining* them, he lays therli on the 
 altar, and at the same time makes a profound incli- 
 nation of the body. These actions being* over, he 
 bcg-ins the Canon. 
 
 C\ Please to explain its different parts in succes- 
 sion, both words and accompanying* actions. 
 
 P. In the })osture of humility and supj)lication T 
 Jjave just described, the ju'iest beg'ins the Canon as 
 follows, making* the sig;n of tlie Cross three times 
 oven* the oblata, or materials of the Sacrifice, in the 
 part.* which I sludl note : 
 
 *' Thiuikfoue WI-: iiu.mdly beseech and pray 
 
 TliEE, MOST CLKMK.NT FaTHKK, THAT THROUGU JeSUS 
 • Kcr. Lituig. 1. ii. c. 1 % u. 2. 
 
48 ORbEC AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 Christ our Lord Thou wouldest accept and bless 
 {here, having first kissed the altar, he malies three 
 crosses) these >J< gifts, these ►Ji presents, these 
 
 holy ^Ji and unspotted SACRIEICfcS, WHICH WE OFFER 
 
 Thee in the first place for Thy Holy Catholic 
 Church : vouchsafe to give it peace, to PRo;fECT, 
 unite, and govern it ; together with Thy ser- 
 vant OUR chief Pastor N., and our Bishop N., and 
 all orthodox and worshipers of the Catholic 
 AND Apostolic faith." 
 
 And now follows the explanation of this solemn 
 prayer : 
 
 Therefore, as united with tlie company of Angels, 
 we humbly beseech and pray Thee, most clement 
 Father, calling' upon Thee by the title which re- 
 minds us of our filial claim upon Thy goodness, that 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord, throug-li whom 
 only our prayers can be made acceptable to Thee, 
 and the rather because of the Sacrifice instituted by 
 Him which we are about to oHer in His name and 
 on His behalf, Tiiou wouldest accept and bless 
 these gifts which Thou hast bestowed upon us in 
 Thy wonderful mercy and condescension, these pre- 
 sents which in Thy Son's name we offer Thee, these 
 HOLY and unspotted SACRIFICES, ubove all gifts 
 and presents, the offerings of many worshipers, the 
 offered on many altars, which we offer Thee in 
 
 the FIRST PLACE FOR TlIY HoLY CaTHOLIC ChURCH : 
 
 vouchsafe to give it PEACE and to protect it 
 from external enemies, to unite it by inward union 
 among its members, and govern it by Thy counsel 
 and Holy Spirit ; together with Thy servant our 
 CHIEF Pastor N. and our Bishop N., and all or- 
 thodox AND WORSHIPERS who agree in the doctrine, 
 and worship according to the form, of the Cacholic 
 AND Apostolic faith. 
 
 C. Why does the priest make the crosses/ 
 
THE MEMENTO OF THE LIVING. 49 
 
 P, In commemoration of the Passion of our Di- 
 vine Redeemer, tln-oug-ii which the gifts and oiier- 
 mg's He blesses are sanctified. 
 
 a Who are the " orthodox," &c. ? 
 
 P. All members of the Catholic Church, and es- 
 pecially all whose lives are devoted to relig-ion or who 
 labour as missionaries for the conversion of souls ; all 
 benefactors to the Church and the poor ; all Cln-istian 
 princes nnd those in authority who have the means 
 of advancing* the faith of Christ. 
 
 C. Is not the name of the reigning* king* or queen 
 specially mentioned here ? 
 
 P, Yes, in countries where the sovereig'n is happily 
 a Catholic. 
 
 C. Does not tlie Church pray for those who are 
 out of her communion ? 
 
 P. She specifies tlie ^^ orthodox" only; but in this 
 number she certainly includes children who have b^en 
 truly baptised, although out of her communion, and 
 are not yet of age to perform any heretical or schis- 
 matical act, whether external or internal. As to all 
 others, whether infidel-;, heretics, or schismatics, the 
 Church holds that to them also the holy Sacrifice 
 may be remotely applicable, at least by impetrating' 
 in their behalf the grace of conversion to the true 
 faith and communion of our Lord and Saviour. We 
 <hall next speak of 
 
 THE MEMENTO OF THE LIVING. 
 
 C. What is tlie ^rpmento of tlie Living;? 
 
 P. It is a ])rayer named from its fh-st word, " Me- 
 mento," ^' Kemomber," and introduced in this part 
 of the Mass fur all those living* persons to whom the 
 j)riest may desire to upplj'' in nn especial manner the 
 fruit of tlu; present sacrifice. 
 
 C. What fj'o the words of this pi-njer? 
 
 £ 
 
to ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 P. "Remember, Loed, Thy servants and 
 
 HANDMAIDS, N. N., AND ALL HEBE PRESENT, WHOSE 
 FAITH IS KNOWN, AND THEIR DEVOTION MANIFEST TO 
 TlIEE, FOR WHOM WE OFFER, 01' WHO OFFER TO TlIEE, 
 THIS SACRIFICE OF PRAISE, FOR THEMSELVES AND ALL 
 THEIRS, FOR THE REDEMPTION OF THEIR SOULS, FOR 
 THE HOPE OF THEIR SALVATION AND SAFETY, AND WHO 
 RENDER THEIR VOWS TO TllEE, THE ETERNAL, LIVING, 
 
 AND TRUE God." 
 
 C. For wliom and for wliat does tlie priest here 
 pray ? 
 
 P. 1. For those wliose names he mentions in se- 
 cret, or to whom he adverts in thoiig-ht ; 2. for all 
 present ; 3. for all who, whether present or ahsent, 
 join in the offering- of the Mass ; 4. for their relations, 
 friends, and dependents; 5. for their ])ai-ticular in- 
 tentions, i. e. for those hlessing'S, eternal and tem- 
 poral (if lawful), which they may intend to gain 
 throug-h the Mass. 
 
 C. Who are those whom he specifies ? 
 
 P. Any to whom he is specially homid, whether 
 by the obligation of nn express engagement to re- 
 member them in the Mass, or by ties of sj^ritual of 
 natural relationship, gratitude, friendship, <fec. 
 
 C. May he, in this memento, name or remembei 
 persons out of the Churcli ? 
 
 P. Yes, in a secondary and qualified way, and es- 
 pecially that they may be converted to the true faith 
 
 C. How is the Mass here called " a sacrifice oi 
 praise" ? I thought this form of expression had been 
 heretical. 
 
 P. So it is, if the Mass be so designated in any 
 exclusive sense. A sacrifice of praise and thanks- 
 giving it certainly is, only it is mucli more ; it is fi 
 commemorative and propitiatory sacrifice also, as the 
 Church abundantly teaches and implies. Just in the 
 same way, it is true that the people offer sacrifice as 
 
THE MEMENTO OF THE LIVING. 51 
 
 well as tlie priest ; but it is heresy to say that they 
 offer sncrifice as the priest. 
 
 C. Then there is a certain degree of truth even m 
 heresies. 
 
 P. You are very rig-ht ; heresy is always partial 
 trutli ', but in rehg-ion, the renouncing* of* any part, 
 however small, of the whole truth is heretical error. 
 
 C. You do not mean, sir, do you, that a person 
 is no better as to his faith who holds the truth of 
 tlie Cliurch all but a little than he who falls gieatly 
 short of it ? 
 
 P. The nearer he comes to the Catholic faith, the 
 better hope, of course, there is that he will reach it ; 
 and the more of it he embraces, the better also will 
 be his moral disposition. Some truths of relig'ion 
 are also in their own nature of a more saving tend- 
 ency than others. Still he that is not a Catholic is 
 a heretic ; and Catholic none can be without accepting' 
 the entire faith of the Church, not piecemeal, but a« 
 a body of truth upon her authority. 
 
 C. This seems a hard doctrine. 
 
 P. Not more so, surely, than tlie corresponding 
 truth in morals, i. e. "Whoever shall keep the wholtj 
 1:1 w, but offend in one point, is become g'uilty of all" 
 (St. James ii. 10). 
 
 C. But to return to the Mass. Excuse me, sir, if 
 what I am J^oing* to say appears foolish or unbecom- 
 ing- ; but I cannot help wondering* at the boldness of 
 tin; Church in using*, as in these instances, tho very 
 hi5jgu:ig-e which heretics have abused. 
 
 P. Your remark, dear child, so far from being 
 iinj)roper, is a most just and reasonable one. This 
 noble iieedom of ex})ression is just what comes of 
 Ijoing' in the rij^ht, and feeling*, as men say, sure of 
 our gTound. It is rickety or purblintl walkei-s who 
 have need to pick tlieir steps. 'J'iio Church, hke the 
 Scrij)tures, in embodying; ilie whole trutli, compre- 
 
52 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 honcls incliisiv(3ly those partial truths wliicL, ^vhen 
 disjointed and torn from tlie rest^ become symbols of 
 heresy. For as men of low birth do not really dig-- 
 nify their orig-in by borrowing- some armorial ensign 
 from tlie escutcheon of a noble house, so neither may 
 sects of yesterday entitle themselves to a place in the 
 pedigTee of the Church by tearing- some article from 
 her QTBedyjdv- appropnQ,tinQ'. some fi'ag-ment of her 
 cer^periial. S:jiV 
 
 y^ THE ^^COMS 
 
 J^e " Memento," -Fsuppose, is a kind of break 
 in the Canon ? 
 
 P. It is so ; the priest turns his eyes from the 
 Missal to the middle of the altar, and there, with his 
 hands joined and raised towards his face, makes his 
 remembrance and prayer for some moments in secret. 
 
 C. You say, in secret j but is not all this part of 
 the Mass said in silence ? 
 
 P. Yes ; the priest does not speak aloud from the 
 " Sanctus" to the " Nobis quoque peccatoribus." But 
 he is bound to articulate every word so as to hear 
 himself without being' heard by those present ; like 
 Anna, the mother of Samuel, who prayed in her 
 heart and moved her lips, but was not heard at all.* 
 In the Memento, however, both of the living- and the 
 dead, he says no word, but prays in mind alone. 
 
 C And this over, how does he proceed ? 
 
 P. Turning- his eyes towards the Missal, and ex- 
 tending- his hands (the position used throug-hout the 
 Canon when the priest reads from the book), he pro- 
 ceeds to the " communicantes," or commemoration 
 of the Saints in glory, which is made in the following 
 words : 
 
 '* Communicating, and venerating the memory, 
 * J Kings i. 13. 
 
THE *' COMMUIIICANVES." 53 
 
 IN THE FIPwST PLACE, OF THE GLORIOUS AND EVER- 
 
 ViRGiN Mary, Mother of God, even our Lord 
 Jesus Christ ; as also of the blessed Apostles 
 AND ]\Iartyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew, James, 
 John, Thomas, James, Philip, Bartholomew, 
 Matthew, Simon and Thaddeus, Linus, Cletus, 
 Clement, Xystus, Cornelius, Cyprian, Laurence, 
 Chrysogonus, Cosmas and Damian, John and Paul, 
 AND ALL Thy saints, by whose merits and prayers 
 grant that in all things we may be fortified by 
 THE help of Thy protection, through the same 
 Christ our Lord. Amen."* 
 
 C, Is this prayer found in tlie most ancient litur- 
 gies ? 
 
 P. Yes, in substance, but with some variation in 
 detail. All ag-ree in j)lacing- the Blessed Virg'in be- 
 fore all other saints, and in assigning* her the same 
 liig-h titles of honour with tlie Roman. 
 
 C. What is the meaning- of " communicantes," or 
 " communicating'/' with v/hich this commemoration 
 begins ? 
 
 P. It means, ^^ putting* ourselves into communion 
 with" the Saints commemorated. 
 
 C, I observe that in the Missals this part of tlie 
 Canon is introduced with the words " infra actionem." 
 Wliat is meant by this notice? 
 
 P. The priest, having* specified for whom he is to 
 offer the Holy Sacrillce, enters upon the more solemn 
 part^f it, called the Action or Consecration, whicli 
 opens with this commemoration of the Saints in 
 glory. 
 
 C. Why docs the Church omit the name of St. 
 Matthias from the commemoration of the Apostles 'r 
 
 7-^. Because St. Matthias was not an Apostle at 
 the time of onr Lord's Passion. The number, twelve, 
 is nuide up])y the addition of St. Paul, who is always 
 * Seo note A, p. 102. 
 
54 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 united to St. Peter in tlie memorj of the Ctiurcli ; 
 as she sings (applying- to those '' g-lorioiis princes of 
 the eiirtlr ' what was said of David and Jonathan), 
 "• They loved one another ia hfe, and in death they 
 are not divided." Perhaps, too, the Church has re- 
 gard in tliis ]:)hxce to the mystic number^ twelve ; for 
 first twelve Apostles, and next twelve Martyrs, are 
 specified. 
 
 G. Why Martyrs only, and not Confessors ? 
 
 P. Because, as we observed before, the public 
 veneration of Confessors was of somewhat later 
 origin. 
 
 C, How do you justify the expression, "by whose 
 merits,'^ applied to Saints ? Is there any other cause 
 of justification besides the merits of Christ? 
 
 P. No ; there is no other primary and original 
 cause, as the Church implies in this very prayer, by 
 ending it, '^through Cln-ist our Lord." But the good 
 works of Christians derive a saving efficacy from their 
 essential and indissoluble union with Christ, and are 
 even said to be (in and through Him) meritorious ; 
 far more, then, the holy lives and glorious deaths ot 
 the Apostles and other Saints, and chiefly the pre- 
 ens inent graces of the Blessed Virgin. 
 
 THE PRAYER "lIANC IGITUR 03LATI0NEM." 
 
 C. What prayer does the piiest say ne.-5:t in 
 order ? 
 
 P. Strengthened in the communion of the Saints, 
 and encouraged by the hope of their intercession, he 
 follows up the oblation, saying, 
 
 *' We beseech Thee therefore, Lord, that, 
 being pacified, tliou wouldest accept of this 
 oblation of our service, and that of all tliy 
 
 FAMILY AND DISPOSE OUR DAYS IN TlIY PEACE ; AND 
 
" HANC IGITUR ObLATlONEM." 55 
 
 COMMAND US TO BE DELIVEEED FROM ETERNAL DAM- 
 NATION, AND TO BE NUMBERED IN THE FLOCK OF TlIlNF 
 ELECT, THROUGH ChRIST OUR LORD. AmEN."'* 
 
 C. What is known about the history of this 
 prayer? 
 
 P. The three petitions at the end of it were 
 added by St. Gregory the Great. The rest comes 
 from the okler Liturgies. 
 
 C. Does not the priest, in saying* tliis prayer, 
 use a pecuHar action of the hands ? 
 
 P. Yes; having" previously joined them, Ijp 
 opens them without separating- them, and sju-eads 
 tljem over the ohlata (or materials of the Sacrifice), 
 with the |)alms towards the altar. 
 
 C. What is the meaning- of this action ? 
 
 P. Spreading- the hands is a si^n of submission 
 to the Divine power; holding- them over any subject 
 is a token of benediction ; and as the thing- to be 
 blessed is here of greatest dig-nity, both the hands 
 are used, and not one only, as in ordinary blessings. 
 Moreover the palms of the hands, which are here 
 broug-ht to bear upon the offering's, are specially 
 anointed at the ordination of a priest, with the 
 prayer that " all which they bless may be blessed." 
 You will observe that in tliis prayer three distinct 
 favours are asked, besides the acceptance of tlie sa- 
 crifice, viz. : — 1. that our da3^s may be ordered in 
 peace; 2. that we may escape eternal condemnation; 
 8. that wo may be numbered among- the elect of God, 
 or liavo our " calHng- and election'' made *' sure." 
 
 When the |)riest snreads his linnds over the obla- 
 tion, the server rings iiis bell, to^ive notice tiiat tho 
 consecration is drawing* near. 
 
 6. And this j)ruyer ended, liow docs tljo Canon 
 proceed? 
 
 P. Next follows a prayer in continuation qjT ^Jid 
 • {Sco noto D, p. 102. 
 
56 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 former, during wliicli the priest once more signs tlis 
 
 oblation with the sign of the cross. It is as follows: 
 
 *' Which oblation we beseech Thee, Lord, 
 
 THAT Thou wouldest vouchsafe in all to make 
 
 BLESSED, t^ ASCRIBED, ^ RATIFIED, ►J^ RATIONAL, 
 AND ACCEPTABLE, THAT IT MAY BECOME TO US THE 
 
 Body ^ and Blood t^ of Thy most-beloved Son, 
 OUR Lord Jesus Christ." 
 
 0. How is that prajer explained ? 
 
 P. Its great object is to ask that the miracle of 
 Transubstantiation may be vouchsafed in the change 
 of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of 
 Christ. It also asks that the sacrifice may be 
 "blessed/' " ascribed" to God, " ratified" in its effect, 
 and that it may be both a reasonable service (Rom. 
 xii. 1), i. e. unlike the sacrifice of beasts, and well- 
 pleasing to God. This prayer is of the greatest an- 
 tiquit}^, and is commented on by St. Augustine in 
 almost the above words. 
 
 C. Why does the priest here make five crosses ? 
 
 P. The nearer we come to the act of sacrifice, 
 the more incumbent it is to bring the Passion of. our 
 Lord to mind as the great subject to be commemo- 
 rated and represented. And now that the materials 
 of the sacrifice have been duly prepared and blessed 
 to their sacred use, " all things are ready" for 
 
 THE CONSECRATION. 
 
 P. The priest has now to perform the most (So- 
 lemn act of the highest office in the world. In the 
 exercise of the power which he has received at ordi- 
 nation, he is to make the most precious Body and 
 Blood of our Lord present on the altar, to the un- 
 speakable benefit and consolation of all faithftd souls. 
 This power it is which raises the priest, as St. Chry- 
 sostom says, above angels^ for to compare it with 
 
THE CONSECRATION. 57 
 
 any dip-nity of this world would be simply preposter- 
 ous. Nav, if dig-nity there ever were to which it 
 may suitably be likened, it was that of the Ble^jsed 
 Virgin, chosen by the Holy Trinity to be the means 
 of giving" the Eternal Son of God to the world. 
 Collect then, dear brother, all your devout attention, 
 while I instruct you in the ceremonies which the 
 Cluu-ch has prescribed on this g-reat subject. 
 
 The priest having* concluded the forementioned 
 prayer, which he says with hands joined, prepares 
 for the consecration, by first separating* his hands, 
 and gently rubbing* the thumb and forefing;er of each 
 within the corporal. The reason of this action is to 
 free them from any g*rain of dust, or othet- substance, 
 which they may have g*athered up since the '' La- 
 vabo ;" or, at any rate, to remind himself of the re- 
 verence due to the aug-ust mysteries he is about to 
 approach. While performing* this action, he says 
 (still secretly) the following* words of prepara- 
 tion : 
 
 " Who, the day before He suffered,* took 
 
 BREAD into HiS HOLY AND ADORABLE HANDS, AND 
 WITH EYES LIFTED UP TO HEAVEN TO TlIEE, GOD, HiS 
 
 Almighty Father (here tlie priest raises his eyes to 
 the crucifix), did bless (here holding* the Host in 
 the left hand, he makes over it with the rig*ht the 
 sig-n of the Cross), break, and give to His disci- 
 1M,KS, saying, Take and eat ye all of this," c^c. 
 (IFere lie pronounces attentively and devoutly the 
 words of consecration.) These words over, he kneels 
 jind a(h)res our Blessed Lord, now present in tlie Sa- 
 crament. Then rising*, lie ehivates the Sacred Host 
 almve iiis liead, for the adoration of the faithful, und 
 aftcrwnrds sh)wly lowers it, and j)laces it reverently 
 upon the corjmral; after wliich ho ngiiin kneels anil 
 utlores. During* each of tiieso actions, subseijuently 
 • See notu C, p. 102. 
 
53 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 fco tlie consecration, the server ring's Lis bell to ex- 
 cite the devotion of the faithful. 
 
 The consecration in the species of Bread bein^^ 
 over, the priest g'oes on to that in the species of 
 Wine. 
 
 Rising*, therefore, from his last act of adoration, 
 he uncovers the chalice (upon which the pall has 
 rested since the offertory), and rubbing the thumb 
 and iing*er of each hand over it, that any fragment 
 of the Sacred Host which may have adhered to them 
 may fall in, he repeats the words of preparation : 
 *' In like manner after supper, He took also 
 
 THIS goodly chalice INTO HlS HOLY AND ADOR- 
 ABLE HANDS, ALSO GIVING THANKS TO ThEE (here 
 
 he inclines towards the Blessed Sacrament on the 
 altar), He blessed and gave to His disciples, say- 
 ing, Take and drink ye all of it ; for this," 
 &c. (Here he pronounces attentively and devoutly 
 the words of consecration.) 
 
 C. Is the form of consecrating- under the species 
 of wine the same as that in the Gospels ? 
 
 P. It is the same in substance, with certain other 
 
 Eortions which express an apostolic tradition of our 
 lOrd's words. 
 
 O. Does the Church use these words of our 
 olessed Lord in a merely narrative sense? 
 
 JP. No ; she uses them not as a servant merely 
 repeating* his master's message, but as an ambassador, 
 charged with authority to effect a great work in his 
 sovereign's name. 
 
 C. How do you explain, "with eyes lifted up to 
 heaven" ? We do not read, in the holy Gospels, that 
 our Lord performed this action before consecrating 
 the Blessed Eucharist at the Last Supper. 
 
 P. W^e do not ; but it is related in the oldest 
 Liturgies, upon the authority, probably, of the Apos- 
 tles themselves. 
 
PRAYER AFTER THE ELEVATION. 59 
 
 C, And why does tlie priest make the sig-n of the 
 cross at the consecration in hoth species 1 
 
 P. The cross is the sig-n and hadg'e of the power 
 in virtue of which he claimi to perform the act of 
 Christ. 
 
 C. Why does tlie priest elevate the Blessed Sa- 
 crament ? 
 
 P. In order that the faithful may adore our 
 Lord present therein. 
 
 C. What kind of reverence is that wliich the 
 Church pays to our Lord in the Holy Sacrament ? 
 
 P. It is the highest kind, called Latrictj which 
 signifies worship due to God alone. 
 
 THE PRAYER AFTER THE ELEVATION. 
 
 C. What follows the Elevation ? 
 
 P. When the priest has adored the precious 
 Blood of our Lord for the second time, he proceeds 
 to say the following* prnyer : " Whence both we 
 
 Thy SERVANTS, AND ALSO ThY HOLY PEOPLE, MIND- 
 FUL, Lord, as well of the blessed passion as 
 
 ALSO of the resurrection FROM HELL AND GLORIOUS 
 ASCENSION INTO HEAVEN OF THE SAME ClIRIST ThY 
 
 Son OUR Lord, do offer to Thy Most High Ma- 
 jesty, OF these Thy gifts and grants, a pure >J^ 
 
 host, a holy >J< host, an 1^ IMMACULATE HOST ; 
 THE HOLY BREAD ^ OF LIFE ETERNAL, AND THE CHAL- 
 ICE ^ OF PERPETUAL SALVATION." In the placGs noted 
 the j)riest makes five crosses; tliree over the Sacred 
 Host and clialico together, and afterwards ouv, > 
 the Sacred Host an(l one over the chaHce 
 
 C. How old is this prayer 'r* 
 
 P. As ohl as the Mass itself; it is found, >vith 
 sliglit clianges, in all tlie eai-ly Liturgies. 
 
 C. What is its inijiort ? 
 
 P. It appeal's to be taken up from the wortis, 
 
60 OKDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 " This do in remembrance of Me," wliicli form the 
 sequel of tlie consecration of the chalice. Perhaps it 
 may be connected with that Divine precept in some 
 way like the following- : '^ Even so, Lord, Thou biddest 
 us remember Thee ; wherefore mindful/' &c. Per- 
 haps, also, it contains an allusion to the last prayer 
 of Oblation : " Eeceive, Holy Trinity," <fec. For 
 in that prayer tlie Church commemorated the Pas- 
 sion, Ilesurrection, and Ascension of our Lord ; and 
 here, in making* the oblation of the real Body and 
 Blood of our Redeemer, she renews the memory of 
 the same m^^steries which before she celebrated in 
 offering* the materials of the sacrifice. But whereas 
 in the former prayer she added to the chief myste- 
 ries of our Redemption the commemoration also of 
 the Blessed Virgin, St. John the Baptist, and the 
 Holy Apostles, here she names no subject but the 
 Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ. We 
 may observe that the priest again associates the peo- 
 ple with himself as partakers in the act of oblation. 
 
 C. But why does the priest bless the Holy Sacra- 
 ment after consecration ? It seems almost like an 
 indignity (excuse me) that the minister should bless 
 his I*ord ,* at any rate, it seems a gratuitous and su- 
 perfluous act of honour. Surely consecration includes 
 all other benedictions, and in including*, supersedes 
 them ? 
 
 P. And accordingly theologians have interested 
 themselves in the question. You feel naturally that 
 this act seems to reverse the rule, " Without all con- 
 tradiction that which is less is blessed by the better."* 
 But let us hear Pope Benedict XIV., who sums up 
 the various opinions of divines. He concludes that 
 crossings after the consecration are to be estimated 
 very differently from the same action before it. After 
 the consecration, they are to be taken rather as at- 
 * Heb. vii. 7. 
 
PRAYERS OF OBLATION. 61 
 
 testations or commemorations than as benedictions; 
 or as benedictions of that class which express the re- 
 verence of the Church and tlie sanctity of the object 
 so honoured, but without being* eifective of any chang-e 
 in its state or quality.* As to the five crossings used 
 in this place, tliey are considered to have reference 
 to the five sacred wounds of our Lord. 
 
 C. But the Sacred Host is here called "Bread." 
 How do you reconcile this with the doctrine of Tran- 
 substantiation ? 
 
 JP. It is an instance of that g*enerous freedom of 
 expression peculiar to the Church of which I have 
 already spoken. The Church, having- amply secured 
 the doctrine of the Real Presence of our Lord in the 
 Blessed Eucharist, *has no shyness in expressing* it 
 under those mystical representations by which, in 
 Holy Scripture, it is so beautifully shadowed forth. 
 The Blessed Eucharist is our true Bread, because it 
 is the aliment of our souls, and because bread is the 
 form under which our Redeemer, who st3des Him- 
 self the Living- Bread,f vouchsafes to impart Himself 
 to us. 
 
 THE REMAINING PRAYERS OF OBLATION. 
 
 C Wliat follows upon Jthe last prayer ? 
 P. Its sentiment is carried on in another, which 
 runs as follows : " Upon wuich vouciisafe to look 
 
 WITH A PROPITIOUS AND SERENE COUNTENANCE, AND 
 TO MAKE ACCEPTABLE TO ThYSELF, EVEN AS ThOU 
 DIDST VOUCIISAFE TO MAKE ACCEPTABLE THE OFFER- 
 INGS OF Thy child Abel the just, and the sacri- 
 fice OF Abraham oue patriarch, and that which 
 Thy high priest Melchisedech did offer to Thei:, 
 
 \ HOLY SACRIFICE, AN IMMACULATE HOST," Till:? 
 
 player and that which follows it are also found in the 
 ancient liturg-ies. 
 
 * De Sac. Miss. sec. i. c 277. f St. JuhD vi 48. 
 
62 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 C. What is the intention of the prayer you have 
 just cited ? 
 
 P. In it the Church asks that Almig-hty God will 
 be pleased to look with a favourable eye upgn the 
 present offering, even as He accepted the primitive 
 offering" of Abel (Gen. iv.), Abraham (Gen. xii.), 
 and Melchisedech (Gen. xiv.) ; not, of course, as com- 
 paring" these sacrifices with the Sacrifice of the New 
 Law in point of dig-nity, but reg-arding- them as its 
 types, which received favour both on account of the 
 devotion of the offerers and their own hig-h significa- 
 tion. 
 
 C. Why are these three sacrifices particularly 
 specified, when all the ancient sacrifices were alike 
 typical of the Offering* on the Cross 1 
 
 P. Besides the connection of type and antitype 
 between all the ancient sacrifices and the great Sa- 
 crifice of the New Law, there is something in each of 
 the three sacrifices specified in the Canon of the Mass 
 wdiich bears with an especial propriety upon the great 
 Christian Sacrifice ; for as Abel offered the firstlings 
 of his fiock,* and thence gained a singular respect to 
 his sacrifice^ so Christ, our Passover, is the " First- 
 born among many brethren."! And Abel's blood 
 shed by his brother represents Christ slain through 
 the malice of the Jews, and shedding His precious 
 blood for the sins of the world. The sacrifice of Isaac 
 was a type of the great Sacrifice on the Cross ; it is 
 probable even that Abraham had a foresight of it, 
 since our Lord says of him, " Abraham rejoiced that 
 he might see My day; he saw it, and was glad."t 
 And lastly, the sacrifice of Melchisedech was a direct 
 type of the Encharistic Sacrifice ; for, being a priest 
 of the Most Hi2,-h God, he brouo-ht forth bread and 
 vvme.^ 
 
 * Gen. iv. 4. f Rom. vii. 29. 
 
 t St. John viii. 56. « Gen. xiv. 18. 
 
PRATERS OF OBLATION. 63 
 
 C, The concluding- words of the prayer, " a holy 
 Sacrifice, an immaculate Host/** appear to relate to 
 the primitive sacrifices. Can this be so ? 
 
 P. Those words refer to the oblation of the Holy 
 Eucharist mentioned at the beginning* of the prayer; 
 not to the sacrifices of the patriarchs, which are in- 
 troduced in the way of parenthesis. 
 
 C. I observe that, ufter the consecration, the 
 priest holds the thumb and forefinger of each hand 
 joined together. Why is this ? 
 
 P, Partly out of reverence to the adorable Sacra- 
 ment, in order that, after having' handled the sacred 
 Body of our Lord, he may touch no other object ex- 
 cept itself till the fing-ers have undergone ablution ; 
 and partly in order to prevent minute portions of the 
 Blessed Sacrament which may possibly have adhered 
 to the fingers sustaining* any irreverence by the fing-crs 
 coming' into contact with other substances. 
 
 C. How full of reverence an4 love to onr Lord 
 are all these arrangements ! 
 
 P. Moreover you should know that, for a similar 
 reason, the priest, when he kneels after the consecra- 
 tion, places his hands rvithbi the corporal, whereas 
 previously he laid them on each side of it ; and that 
 whereas before he ])Iaced the palms of the hands on 
 the altar, now, in order to prevent the consecrated 
 flng-ers touching* it, he presses it with the sides of the 
 hand alone ; and, once more, that whereas, up to tho 
 consecration, the priest inclined towards the crucifix, 
 he makes liis reverence after it to our Loiil in tlie 
 Blessed Sacmracnt. 
 
 C. How does tlic Canon })roceed .'' 
 
 P. With a prayer which the priest says in a pos- 
 ture of profound liumility, resting; his joined hands 
 on tho edg-o of the altar. It is as follows : ** We 
 nuMiiLY BESFEcii TiiKE, Almighty God, that Thou 
 
 WOULDEST COMMAND THESE TO BE CARRIED BY TUB 
 
64 
 
 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 HANDS OF TlIY IIOLY AnGEL TO TlIY SUBLIME ALTAR, 
 BEFORE THE SIGHT OF TlIY DiVINE MaJESTY, THAT 
 
 ALL OF US WHO (liei'e he kisses the altar) by this 
 
 PARTICIPATION SHALL RECEIVE THE MOST HOLY BODY 
 
 ^ AND Blood ^ of Thy Son may be filled with 
 
 ALL celestial BENEDICTION AND GRACE : THROUGH 
 
 THE SAME Christ ouii Lord. Amen." 
 
 At the mention of the most holy Body and Blood 
 of our Lord, the priest makes one cross over the 
 Sacred Host and another over the chalice ; and at 
 the words ^^all celestial benediction" he makes the 
 sign of the cross upon himself. 
 
 C. Who is understood by the " Holy Ang-el" ? 
 
 P. Some interpret it of the Ang-el deputed by God 
 to watch over the particular Mass — the Guardian of 
 the Sacrifice, or the Guardian of the priest, who es- 
 oecially watches over his solemn ministerial acts. 
 For if Ang-els assisted at the sacrifices of the old 
 law, as we learn from several places of Holy Scrip- 
 ture,* it is but reasonable to suppose that similar 
 assistants are not wanting* at the Sacrifice of the 
 Church. Other divines oi' still higher authoi'ity un- 
 derstand the " Holy Angel" to mean Christ Himself 
 — the ^^ Angel of great counsel," as He is styled bj 
 the Church, in allusion to His title of Counsellor 
 (Isa. ix. : see the Introit of the third Mass on Christ- 
 mas-day).! 
 
 C. 'Why does the priest lay his joined hands on 
 the altar, and kiss it in the course of the prayer ? 
 
 P. A posture of the humblest devotion and most 
 fervent supplication is natural in a prayer which asks 
 that such immense favours should be granted to the 
 request of sinners. The kiss is a sign of confidence 
 and reconciliation. 
 
 * Gen. xxii. ; Judg. vi. xiii. ; St. Luke i. 
 f On this title of our Blessed Lord, see Le Brun, Cei em 
 de la 31 esse p. iv. art. 13, 
 
65 
 
 THE MEMENTO OF THE DEAD. 
 
 C. 'What follows the prayer last explained ? 
 
 P. The "Memento of the Dead/' corresponding 
 ivith the " Memento of the Living-," which occurs in 
 the earlier part of the Canon. It is as follows : 
 
 '* Remember also, Lord, Thy servants and 
 handmaids, who have gone before us in the sign 
 of faith, and sleep in the sleep of peace, n. n. i 
 TO THEM, Lord, and to all who rest in Christ, 
 WE beseech that Thou wouldest grant a place 
 
 OF REFRESHMENT, LIGHT, AND PEACE : THROUGH THE 
 
 SAME Christ our Lord. Amen." 
 
 At tlie last words, the priest bows towards the 
 Blessed Sacrament. 
 
 C. Was this prayer always used in the Mass ? 
 
 P. Yes ; it is so ancient and was so universal as 
 to leave no doubt of its being* an apostolical tradition. 
 
 [(7. How far may those who liave died out of Ca- 
 tliolic communion be remembered in this prayer? 
 
 P. The same rule applies here as in the " Me- 
 mento of the Living-," except that the conversion of 
 those remembered cannot here enter into the objects 
 of the petition. But considering- the great excuses 
 which want of opi)ortunity, the defects of education, 
 and other similar disadvantages, furnish in the case 
 of material (i. e. actual but unconscious) heresy and 
 scliism, the Church is willing to extend the judgment 
 of charity to many (we know not how many) who 
 have died out of her pale. Still the trembling hope 
 with which we ask God to extend to them the bene- 
 fits of a propitiation intended for the faithful, is some- 
 thing very different indeed from the comfort with 
 which we can appeal to Him for those wlio havo 
 " gor.e before us" at least "in the sign of* true Ca- 
 tholic " faith." J ♦ 
 
 * Tho passago horo contained >vithin brnckots is i)niittcd 
 ia the llaliau translaliun, att being •* applicttblc rather lo t 
 
66 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 THE " NOBIS QUOQUE PECCATORIBUS." ' 
 
 P, The priest here breaks sik nee with a mournful 
 confession, at which, like the pubHcan in the parable, 
 he strikes his breast; then immediately resuming 
 silence, he continues the prayer of which these sor- 
 rowful words form the commencement. It is alto- 
 gether as follows : 
 
 " Vouchsafe to give us sinners, Thy servants, 
 hoping in the multitude of tfly mercies, some 
 
 PART AND FELLOWSHIP WITH TlIY HOLY ApOSTLES 
 
 AND Martyrs; with John, Stephen, Matthias, 
 Barnabas, Ignatius, Alexander, Marcellinus, 
 Peter, Felicitas, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, 
 
 CiECILIA, AnASTASIA, AND ALL TlIY SaINTS, INTO 
 WHOSE COMPANY WE BESEECH THAT ThOU, WHO WEIGH- 
 EST NOT MERITS BUT PARDONEST OFFENCES, WOULDEST 
 BE PLEASED TO ADMIT US ; THROUGH ChRIST OUrLoRD." 
 
 C. What is the force of this prayer ? 
 
 P. Mention having* been made in the prayer for 
 the dead of the state of eternal blessedness, the Church 
 proceeds to ask that we sinners may likewise receive 
 a portion in the same inheritance, together v>dth those 
 members of the kingdom of glory who are enumer- 
 ated, and all other iVa Saints of God. 
 
 C, Who is St. Jo!m, named in this catalogue? 
 
 P. Most probably St. John the Baptist, who, 
 with St. Stephen, first received the crown of martyr- 
 dom after the coming* of Christ. But others have 
 supposed that it is the Evangelist ; and that, having* 
 been formerly named as an Apostle and Martyr, here 
 he is commemorated as eminent, together with St. 
 Stephen, for the grace of virginity. But the former 
 opinion is the more approved. I have already said 
 why St. Matthias was omitted in the earlier list; 
 here the omission is supplied. 
 
 Protestant than to a Catholic country.'* It is consequently 
 EOt included in the Koman "imprimatur." 
 
THE CANON CONTINUED. 67 
 
 C. I would know also sometliing* of the other 
 Saints here commemorated. 
 
 P. St. Alexander was Pope early in the second 
 century; St. Marcellinus and St. Peter suffered for 
 the Faith under Diocletian ; SS. Perpetua and Feli- 
 citas were martyred unier the Emperor Severus in 
 the third century. The rest are better known. Car- 
 dinal Bona remarks {Iter. Liturg. 1. ii. c. 14, n. 5), 
 that in this catalogue various orders of sanctity are 
 represented. Thus St. Stephen was a deacon; St. 
 Matthias and St. Barnabas, apostles ; St. Ignatius, a 
 bishop ; St. Alexander, a pope ; St. Marcellinus, a 
 priest; SS. Felicitas and Perpetua were married; 
 and the rest were virg-ins. We may observe also that, 
 as before, none but martyrs are commemorated. 
 
 THE CANON CONTINUED. 
 
 C. How does the Canon proceed ? 
 
 P. Taking up the last words of the preceding 
 prayer, "Through Christ our Lord," it continues: 
 *'By whom, Lord, Thou dost always create, 
 
 SANCTIFY, ij^ VIVIFY, »J^ AND BLESS, pj^ AND GRANT US 
 
 ALL THESE GOOD THINGS." (At the ci'osses the priest 
 ^-igns the Sacred Host and chalice together; and 
 then with the former makes five crosses, three over 
 the chalice^ and two between it and himself, at the 
 same time saying) *' through >J4 IIim and with ^ 
 Him, and in >Ji Him, to Thee God the Father Al- 
 mighty, ^ in the unity of the Holy Ghost, be 
 ALL HONOUR AND GLORY." (Here the priest holds tlio 
 Saci'ed Host over the clialice, and slightly elevates 
 both of them together.) 
 
 C. Why are these atti-ibutes of God bei*e com- 
 memorated 1 
 
 P. In reference to the A<lorable Sacrament. He 
 who " creates all tliese things," can also ** sanctify," 
 "vivify" (that is, renew as to their nature and ob- 
 
Gfi ORDER AND CLRl-MONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 ject), ^' bless" them to our profit^ and ^^ grant" them 
 to our use. Durandiis thus paraphrases this prayer : 
 ^^ Thou dost create" these gifts by giving- them a 
 being" ; " sanctify" them by consecration ; ^^ vivify"' 
 them by changing- their substance; ^Mjless" them 
 that they may be profitable ; and " grant" them so 
 as to profit us. 
 
 C. What is the action which the priest performs 
 in raising' the Sacred Host with the chalice '{ 
 
 P. It is called the Little Elevation; and is of 
 greater antiquity than that which follows upon the 
 consecration. Since, however, the latter has been 
 introduced in the Church, this second Elevation has 
 been less solemn ; the Sacred Host and chalice are 
 raised but a short distance from the altar, and are 
 not presented to the people for adoration. 
 
 C. What does the Little Elevation express ; and 
 what thoughts should accompany it ? 
 
 P, It may be regarded as an act of homage to 
 the majesty of God in the creation of tlie world 
 through the instrumentality of the Divine Word ; for 
 by this act we make Him a distinct and special ob- 
 lation of the Divine Holocaust; the Body and Blood 
 of His Son Jesus Christ. 
 
 C. Is not the bell sometimes rung at this second 
 Elevation ? 
 
 P. Yes ; this custom prevails in several Catholic 
 countries. I have heard of it as existing in Spain, 
 Portugal, France, and Ireland ; but it is not univer- 
 sal in the Church. At Eome, the bell is rung at the 
 Sanctus and Elevation only.* 
 
 OUR lord's prayer. 
 C. Here the priest again says aloud, '^Per omnia 
 saecula seeculorum," does he not ? 
 
 • When the Blessed Sacrament is exposed, it i? not rung 
 at all; nor between Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday. 
 
THE " OUR FATHER." 6J> 
 
 P. Yes ; in tliis place he agtiin lifts up his voice^ 
 which, except in the penitential words, *^ Nobis qno- 
 cpio peccatoribus," has not been heard since the be- 
 ginning- of the Canon. 
 
 C. Is the sentence "Per omnia ssecala siecn- 
 lorum*' the end of a prayer, as in the former in- 
 stance ? 
 
 P. Yes ; it is so on each of the three occasions 
 on which it forms the introduction of an address to- 
 the people. And in every instance it is a kind of 
 pledg-e to the people that the priest has been all the- 
 while interceding- for them. Here it is the termina- 
 tion of the prayer last cited, which ends, you remem- 
 ber, with an ascription of honour and glory to the 
 Blessed Trinity. This doxolog-y concludes, as usual,, 
 with the words, which are said aloud : " For ever 
 AND EVER." IV. Amen. Then the priest immediately 
 i-ejoins : " Let us pray ;" after which he prefaces 
 the Lord's Prayer with the following- introduction : 
 *' Admonished by salutary precepts, and informed 
 i;r the Divine institution, we presume to say," &c.. 
 
 C, What is the meaninj^ of this introduction ■ 
 
 P, It imports that, except with the encoui-ag'e- 
 ment of our Lord's jn-ecept and institution, sinners 
 such as we could not venture upon addressing- God 
 in those terms of filial confidence and affection witli 
 which the " Our Father" opens. 
 
 C. And now of the Lord's Prayer itself, 
 of great antifpiity in the Mass/ 
 
 P. Yes; all the older Liturg-ies contain it; and 
 it is g-enorally thought to have been iutroducoj by 
 the Apostles, if not under the direct sanction of our- 
 Lord Himself. 
 
 C. But do not some attribute its insertion in tho 
 Mass to St. Gregory? 
 
 P. If so, tliey mean that St. Gregory confirmed* 
 or modified its u^e. 
 
70 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 C. By what ceremonies is it accompanied ? 
 
 P, The priest having- covered the chaHce, after 
 holding* the »Sacred Host over it, adores the precious 
 Blood of our Lord (as is customary before and after 
 •exposing- it), then laying- the palms of his hands on 
 the altar, within the corporal, he proceeds to the 
 ^' Our Father"; at the words '' Let us pray" he joins 
 liis hands, and keeps them joined dnring- the short 
 preface. Then extending* them, and inclining* his 
 head towards our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, 
 and keeping- his eyes intently fixed on Him, he goes 
 on to say, slowly and reverently, our Lord's Prayer. 
 
 C. May the priest he considered to say our Lord's 
 Prayer in any particular spirit and intention, such as 
 may also he shared by those present ? 
 
 P. Beyond all doubt ; he may be undei'stood to 
 use it with an especial eye to the g'oodness of God in 
 the Blessed Eucharist. 
 
 C. Could you throw this idea into a paraphrase ? 
 
 P. I will attempt to do so. " Our Father," 
 whom we so address in the spirit of adoption, as sons 
 beg'ott?n to Thee thi'oug-h the Blood of Jesus Christ, 
 our g-reat High Priest and salutary Victim ; " who 
 ART IN Heaven," yet condescendest to our weakness ; 
 "hallowed be Thy Name," and especially for these 
 Divine mysteries. 0, may this act of ours be some 
 compensation for all the injuries and blasphemies 
 which Thy Eternal Son sustains in this most pre- 
 cious instance of His condescension to man ! " Thy 
 KINGDOM come," in anticipation and hastening* where- 
 of w^e do thus continually " sliow our Lord's death" 
 by "eating- this" Divine "Bread," and "drinking* 
 this" precious " Chalice" (1 Cor. xi. 26). " Thy will 
 BE DONE ON EARTH," by all Thy people, and especially 
 by Thy priests, who strive to serve Thee and to fulfil 
 all Thy mind, even " as it is in Heaven" accom- 
 plished by the Ang-els, whose office they bear as Thy 
 
♦SEQUEL OF THE " OUR FATHER.** 71 
 
 minister?, and whose alacrity they would imitate with 
 the intensity and ardour of a " burning* firo'' (Ps. ciii. 
 4). " Give us this day ouii daily bread/' even as 
 Thou art now about to g-ive it us in this most holy 
 banquet, even the bread of Ang"els, the bread which 
 Thou hast given us from Heaven, *' having- in It all 
 that is delicious, and the sweetness of every taste" 
 (Wisd. xvi. 20). " And forgive us our trespasses," 
 throug*h the great Sacrifice of Propitiation, which 
 here we commemorate, and represent, and continually 
 offer in its unbloody form ; *' as we forgive them 
 THAT TRESPASS AGAINST US," desii'ing*, before bring- 
 ing- our own offering- to the altar, to be reconciled 
 with them (St. Matt. v. 23, 24), whose light '' tres- 
 passes ag-ainst us," how can we remember amid these 
 [irecious memorials of Thy pardoning- love for sin- 
 ners ? But forasmuch as this precious Sacrifice is a 
 ])ledg-e not less of Thy sanctifying* than of Thy sav- 
 ing- ])ower; therefore we ask that throug-h it Thou 
 wouldest be ])leased not only to " lead us not into 
 
 TEMPTATION," bllt also tO " DELIVER US FROm" all 
 
 "evil" both of soul and body. And, therelore, we 
 say, Amen. So be it. 
 
 THE SEQUEL OF OUR LORd's rRAVi:R. 
 
 p. Then straightway, taking* up tlie last words 
 of our Lord's most holy Prayer, and, as it were, 
 |)araj)hrasing* its last petition, the priest continues : 
 '* Deliver us, Lord, we beseech Thee, from all 
 
 evils, present, PAST, AND FUTURE, AND THROUGU 
 THE INTERCESSION OF THE BLESSED AND GLORIOUS 
 
 i.vER Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with U'hv 
 BLESSED Apostles, Peter and Paul, and Andrew, 
 
 AND ALL the SaINTS, GRANT OF ThY GOODNESS PFACE 
 IN OUR DAYS, THAT, BEING HOLPKN BY THE AID OF 
 IhY MERCY, WE MAY BE EVKR FREE FROM SIN, AND 
 SECURE AGAINST ALL DJSTUI^JA^•CE, TliROUGJl," »tc. 
 
/ Z ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE :\rASS. 
 
 During- this prayer the priest holds the paten in his 
 right hand, and at the words, " Grant of Thy g-ood- 
 ness peace in our days/' he crosses himself with it 
 from the forehead to the breast, and across the shoul- 
 ders ; at the w^ords, ^* that hy the aid," he kisses the 
 paten, and then, with all reverence and devotion, 
 places it under the Sacred Host 
 
 C. What is the meaning- of these actions 1 
 P. The priest sig'ns himself with the paten, to 
 remind himself that all our hope of that peace and 
 deliverance from evil, for which he is then praying*, 
 is in the Passion and Death of Christ ; and he kisses 
 it, as thoug'h it were the Feet of Christ, or the ground 
 beneath His feet, to intimate his ardent love of peace, 
 both of soul and body, in Him. 
 
 THE "pax DOMINI." 
 
 C. What now follows? 
 
 P. The priest, having uncovered the clialice while 
 he concludes the foremen tioned prayer, and adored 
 the precious Blood of our Lord, concludes it with 
 the words, through the same Christ our Lord, 
 during which he breaks the Sacred Host over the 
 chalice into two parts, one of which he places on the 
 paten, and then from the remaining part breaks off 
 also a small portion which he holds over the chalice, 
 in the mean time joining on the part from which he 
 has taken it to iliQ part previously laid on the paten. 
 With the particle in his hand, he says, as the con- 
 clusion of the prayer, "For ever and ever,'' I^. 
 Amen. Then he adds, at the same time making 
 three crosses over the chalice with the particle, " The 
 
 PEACE ^ OF OUR LoRD ^ BE ALWAYS ^ WITH YOU." 
 
 And then he drops the particle into the chalice, say- 
 ing, " May this commixtion and consecration of 
 the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ be 
 TO us receiving it unto life eternal." 
 
THE " PAX DOMINI.** 73 
 
 C. Explain, sir, if you please these various and 
 apparently most important ceremonies. 
 
 P. To beg-in, then, with the fraction, or break- 
 ing*, of tiie Sacred Host. This is found in the ancient 
 Litu]'g"ies. The Sacred Host was every whore di- 
 vided, but not always into the same number of por- 
 tions. The Liturg-y of St. James appoints a divi^^ion 
 into two parts only ; the Greeks divide into four, 
 following- St. Chi-ysostom ; but tlie Latins have al- 
 ways used the division into three. The practice 
 comes from the institution of Christ and the exam[)lo 
 of the Aj)ostles. For the three foi-mer Evangelists 
 expressly tell us that our Lord brake the bread ; St. 
 Luke says, describing- the feast at Emmaus (which 
 appears to have been a celebration of the Holy Eu- 
 charist), that our Lord took bi-ead, and blessed, and 
 brake it (c. xxiv. 30) ; and adds, that our Lord was 
 known thereby (v. 35). From the Acts we learn 
 that the disciples assembled to break bread (c. xx. ?); 
 and St. Paul snys, "The bread which we break" (1 
 Cor. X. IG). 
 
 C. Can the Body of Christ, then, be broken? 
 
 P. No; the division is in the S])ecies or form 
 alone; the Body of our Lord remains unimpaiied 
 and alike in every portion of the consecrated matter. 
 As the Church sings in the Sequence for the Feast 
 of Corpus Christi the words of the g-reat St. Thomas 
 of Aquin : 
 
 " And they who of their Lord partake, 
 Nor sever Him, nor rend, nor break; 
 
 Nought hicks and nought is h\st; 
 The boon now one, now thousands claim. 
 But one and all receive the same, 
 
 lleceive, but ne'er exhaust,*'* 
 
 " A fiumente non conoisus, 
 Non confractus, non divisiUi 
 Integer accipitur ; 
 
74 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS, 
 
 And again : 
 
 " Nor be th}' faith confounded, though 
 The Sacrament be broke; for know 
 The life which in the whole doth glow 
 
 In every part remains; 
 The Substance which those portions hide, 
 No force can cleave; we but divide 
 The sign — the while the Signified 
 Nor change nor loss sustains."* 
 
 C. What is probably the reason of this division 
 of the Sacred Host? 
 
 P. It suffices for the Church to know tliat, in 
 making' it, she is following- the institution of Christ 
 and the practice of the Apostles. Nevertheless, 
 various sig'nifications of the action have been found 
 by holy men, of which one of the most appropriate 
 and devout is that which sees in the three several 
 ])ortions of the Sacred Plost symbols of the three 
 sections of the Church at the time of the Resurrec- 
 tion, — the Court of Heaven, the ^' Spirits in prison," 
 to whom Christ preached during- the three days in 
 which His Divine Soul and Body were separated, 
 and the Faithful on earth. Of these the departed 
 in Christ were, at the Resurrection, united with the 
 g-lorious Church, as represented by the larg-er por- 
 tion of the Sacred Host 5 while the smaller portion, 
 the Church militant, is, as it were, plung-ed into the 
 
 Surait unus, sumunt mille, 
 Quantum iste, tantum ille, 
 Nee sumptus consuraitur.'* 
 
 « " Fracto demum Sacramento 
 Ne vacilles, sed memento 
 Tantum esse sub fragmento 
 
 Quantum toto tegitur. 
 Nulla rei fit scissura, 
 Signi tantum fit fractura, 
 Qua nee status nee statura 
 
 Signati minuitur." 
 
THE *' AGNUS DEI," ETC. 75 
 
 chalice, that is, made to partake of the suifering^ of 
 our Lord. 
 
 You should observe, however, that one such sym- 
 bolical application of these mysteries by no means 
 precludes others. For what is certainly true of the 
 Blessed Eucharist, as it is the heavenly nourish- 
 ment of our souls, is no less true of it as it sup- 
 })lies food of meditation to a devout spiritual inge- 
 nuity. It is the *^ sweetness of every taste." All 
 the powers of the mind are set in action upon its 
 exhaustless materials. It exercises, without either 
 satisfying- or yet wearying*, the intellect; it leads the 
 imag'ination into a new woi-ld of wonders, where, 
 with the clue of a devout intention, and under the 
 guidance of the Saints, she may expatiate at will 
 without danger of error, and certainly without limit 
 of discovery. 
 
 THE "AGNUS DEl" AND PRAYERS BEFORE 
 COMMUNION. 
 
 C. Proceed, sir, if you please, with your expla- 
 nation of the Ma^s. 
 
 P. We have now reached the "Agnus Dei,*' 
 which is the beginning of the priest's preparation for 
 receiving* the Holy Communion. It consists in an 
 address, thrice repeated, to our Blessed Lord as the 
 Lamb of God, slain for the remission of sin, and is 
 said by the priest, with eves fixed on the Sacred 
 Host : 
 
 "0 Lamb of God, who takf.st away the sins 
 OF THE WORLD, HAVE MERCY UPON US ;' and these 
 words lio repeats thrice. The third time ho says, 
 *' Lamb of (jod, who takkst away the sins of 
 THK woRLi>, GRANT US Thy i»ka(^e." Thls ftddross 
 aj)pr()|)rijitely follows the " ]*ax Domini :" for it wns 
 just after our Lord Imd said to His disciples, " Peace 
 
76 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 be to you," that He gave tliem power of remit- 
 ting* sins (St. John xx. 21-23). The prayer refers 
 to the words of the Baptist : ^' Behoki the Lamb of 
 God, behold Him who taketh away the sin of the 
 world" (St. John i. 29). The triple repetition of tlie 
 "Agnus Dei" was ordered by Pope Sergi us, towards 
 the end of the sixth century. It is considered to be 
 in honour of the Holy Trinity, who "sent forth the 
 Lamb, the Euler of the earth" (Isaiah xvi. 1), and 
 gives a peculiar intensity to the prayer. 
 
 C. Why is " grant us Thy peace" said the third 
 time, in the place of " have mercy upon us"/ 
 
 P, Anciently each petition was in the same 
 words ; but as persecutions multiplied, the third was 
 changed into a prayer for the peace of the Church. 
 This, at least, is the account given. 
 
 C, What ceremonies are here used ? 
 
 P. The priest begins the " Agnus Dei" with 
 hands joined before him • but when he comes to the 
 words, " have mercy upon us," he places the left 
 hand upon the altar, and with the right strikes his 
 breast, in token of hum.ility and contrition. 
 
 C. Is the "Agnus Dei" alwavs said in the 
 Mass? 
 
 P. Yes ; except on Good Friday, when it is 
 omitted, together with all this portion of the Mass, 
 out of respect to the great Sacrifice consummated on 
 that day ; and on Holy Saturday, when the Mass, 
 which is in honour of the Resurrection, is also short- 
 ened, because the heart of the Church is, as it were, 
 too full of joy to say many words. In Masses of 
 the Dead, as we shall hereafter see, the form of the 
 "Agnus Dei'* is changed. 
 
 a What follows the " Agnus Dei"? 
 
 P. Three praj^ers, in immediate preparation for 
 the communion of the priest. In the first of them, 
 the Church prolongs her petition for peace, which 
 
THE " AGNUS DEI/' ETC. 77 
 
 slie had before summed up in the last ^^ Ag'nusDei/' 
 She continues : 
 
 " Lord Jesus Christ, who didst say to Thine 
 Apostles, Peace I leave to you, ]\Iy peace I give 
 TO you ; kegard not my sins, but the faith of Thy 
 Church; and vouchsafe, according to Thy will, 
 to pacify and unite it together, who LivEST and 
 reignest, God, world without end. Amen." 
 
 C, Why does the Church speak so much q{ 'peace 
 in tliis part of the !Mass 1 
 
 IP, Because by the union of the two species in 
 the chah'ce at the '^ Pax Domini" is mystically repre- 
 sented the reunion of the Most Sacred Body and 
 Blood of our Lord in His g'lorious Resurrection, the 
 first-fruits of which were bestowed in tlie gift or 
 peace to the disciples : (see St. John xx. 19, 21, 20). 
 Then it was that our Lord ratified the promise, of 
 which we remind Him in this prayer, made on the 
 eve of His death (St. John xiv. 27). In Hke manner, 
 the Church also, while commemorating* in the holy 
 mysteries the g'lorious Resurrection, takes the oppor- 
 tunit}'- of asking- Him to extend to the faithful of all 
 times the benefit of that same precious leg-acy ; and 
 pai'ticularly in reference to the Holy Communion of 
 His most Sacred Body and Blood, for which the 
 peace of God is the best prei)aration, as it is also its 
 most blessed fruit. 
 
 This latter prayer the priest says with head in- 
 clined, and hands joined, and resting* u|)on the 
 altar. In the same posture lie repeats also the fol- 
 lowing" prayers: ** Lord Jesus Christ, Son of tiif. 
 living God, who by the will of the Father, and 
 with the co-operation of the Holy Ghost, by Tiiv 
 
 DEATH HAST GIVEN LiFE TO THE WORLD ; DELIVEli 
 ME BY THIS Thy MOST SACRED liODY AND BlOOD FROM 
 ALL MY INIQUITIES AND FROM ALL EVILS, AND MAKE 
 ME TO CLEAVE ALWAYS TO ThY CoM.MANDMENTS, AND 
 
78 order and ceremonial of the mass. 
 
 never permit me to be separated from tliee, who 
 with the same god the father, and with the 
 Holy Ghost, livest and reignest, God, world 
 WITHOUT end. Amen." 
 
 The third prayer, which the priest says directly 
 before receiving- the sacred Body of our Lord^ is as 
 follows : '*Let not, Lord Jesus Christ, the re- 
 ceiving OF Thy Body, which I, all unworthy, pre- 
 sume to take, be to me unto judgment and con- 
 demnation 5 BUT, ACCORDING TO TlIY GOODNESS, LET 
 IT PROFIT ME TO THE SAFE KEEPING OF SOUL AND 
 BODY, AND TO SPIRITUAL HEALING, W^IIO LIVEST AND 
 REIGNEST WITH GoD THE FaTHER IN THE UNITY OF 
 
 THE Holy Ghost, God, for ever and ever. Amen." 
 These prayers require no other remark than that 
 which a careful perusal will sug-gest. You will 
 observe several blessings, which in the former are 
 asked through Holy Communion ; viz. 1. deliver- 
 ance from personal sins ; 2. from all evils ; 8. adher- 
 ence to the Divine precepts ; 4. adherence to God 
 Himself. The latter prayer is, on the other hand 
 (as couched in the language of deepest humility), 
 deprecatory of evils as well as supplicatory of benefits, 
 and asks that the priest may not (after the awful 
 threatening" of the Apostle ; 1 Cor. xi. 29) receive 
 judgment to himself in partaking* of these holy mys- 
 teries, but contrariwise, the nourishment of soul and 
 oody, and the cure of all diseases. 
 
 C. What devotion may the faithful use at this 
 time ? 
 
 P. They should put themselves into communion 
 with the priest, and endeavour, as much as possible, 
 CO join in his intentions. 
 
 the COMMUNION" OF THE PRIEST. 
 
 C. At this part of the Mass I observe that the 
 priest kneels dov/n. 
 
THE COMMUNION OF THE PRIE^. 79 
 
 P. Yes ; he first adores on his knees our Lord, 
 whom he is about to receive ; for, as St. Aiig-ustine 
 says, " none doth eat the flesh of Christ till he liave 
 first adored ;" then rising*, he says, still in secret, 
 some words derived from Ps. cxv. o, 13, excepting; 
 that for*^^chahce of salvation/' he here says ^' Bread 
 of Heaven." The words he uses are these : " I will 
 
 P.ECEIYE THE BrEAD OF HeAVEN, AND WILL CALL 
 
 UPON THE NAME OF OUR LoRD." The words are again 
 repeated, and in the form in which they stand in the 
 Psalms, at the Communion of the Chalice. 
 
 C, Ag-ain I observe that the precious Body of 
 our Lord is called "- Bread." 
 
 P. It is so; there being*, as I have ah-eady ob- 
 served, no dang-er of any doctrinal mistake, when the 
 gTeat verity of Transubstantiation is so fully secured 
 by the whole language and ceremonial of the Mass. 
 Our Saviour having called Himself the " Living 
 Bread which came down from Heaven" (St. John 
 vi. 1), we may confidently speak of Him under that 
 gracious and beneficent image. 
 
 And here, dear brother, I cannot but draw your 
 devout attention to the sweetness of this expression 
 of confidence, as following directly upon the last most 
 humble prayer. The priest first prepares himself by 
 humility for adoring his Lord ; then rising up, as if 
 witii renewed strength, he goes on to adventure on 
 receiving Him almost with a holy freedom and bold- 
 ness. Then, having reverently taken his Beloved 
 into liis hands, he is again seized witli awe, and the 
 Church puts tlie lowly words of the good centurion 
 into his mouth. Ho says aloud, " Loud, I am not 
 WORTHY ;" and then continues in secret, **tiiat Thou 
 
 SHOULDEST ENTER UNDER MY ROOF ; BUT ONLY SIM.AK 
 THE WORD, AND MY SOUL SHALL UE HEALED." Anil 
 
 tlifese humble wonls ho ropeuts thrice, each time 
 striking his breast. At length he receives the Body 
 
80 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 of our Lord, making' with the Sacred Host the siirn 
 of the Cross, as lie says the words, " The Body," and 
 the rest; and thsn joining- his hands, remains for 
 some seconds in profoimd meditation on the great 
 Gift of which lie has been made partaker. Then he 
 uncovers tlie Chahce immediately (so it is prescribed 
 in the rubric), saying- the words of the 115th Psalm, 
 
 V. 12 • ^MVhAT shall I RENDER TO THE LORD FOR 
 ALL THAT He HATH RENDERED TO ME?" and gOCS On 
 
 to adore the precious Blood of our Lord. Risin^^ 
 from his knees, he removes from the corporal upon 
 the paten any particles of the Blessed Sacrament of 
 our Lord's Body which may appear on it ; and then 
 with the thumb and forefing-er of the rig-ht hand, or 
 one of them, transfers them all, together with any 
 which may be upon the paten, into the chalice. This 
 over, he continues, in the words of the 115th Psalm: 
 
 *'I WILL RECEIVE THE ChALICE OF SALVATION, AND 
 WILL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD." Then 
 
 making- with the Chalice the sign of the Cross, he 
 receives the precious Blood with the words, " The 
 Blood," and the rest. 
 
 THE COMMUNION OF THE FAITHFUL. 
 
 P. At this point the priest administers the Holy 
 Communion to any of the Faithful who, being duly 
 qualified, may desire it. 
 
 C. May lie, then, refiise Communion to any who 
 desire it? 
 
 P. Yes ; he not only may, but is bound to with- 
 hold the Adorable Sacrament from any excommuni- 
 cated person, or notorious sinner, or person approach- 
 ing* it without due external reverence. 
 
 C. What are the other qualifications of a Com- 
 municant, besides being under no ecclesiastical or pub- 
 lic disqualification ? 
 
 P, The Communicant should be in the state of 
 
TIIE COMMUNION OF THE FAITHFUL. 81 
 
 grace; either free, or having" been by confession and 
 absohitiun freed, from mortal sin ; he mnst have 
 fasted strictly from the precedino; midni<:ht, and of 
 com-so approach with the requisite dispositions. 
 
 C. Is the state of fasting* obhgatory upon Com- 
 municants, and what are the conditions of it? 
 
 P. It is not obHgatory only but indispensable, 
 except in the case of persons in danger of denth, who 
 receive the Holy Sacrament in the way of Yiaticum 
 {i. e. as a provision for their passage into the unseen 
 world), and in one or two other extreme cases ; as, 
 for instance, when priests, in order to avoid some yet 
 graver violation of the Church's rules, are allowed to 
 receive it, after having previoush', and, of course, 
 without foresig'ht of such emergency, broken their 
 fast. 
 
 C. But do not priests say three Masses, and con- 
 sequently receive the Blessed Sacrament three times 
 on Christmas-day ? 
 
 P. Yes ; and in countries where there is a 
 scarcity of priests, they are sometimes allowed, even 
 at other times, to dvpUcatey i. e. to say Mass twice 
 on the same day. But in neither of these cases do 
 they partake of any food or liquid, except the Holy 
 Sacrament itself, which, not being; ordinary food, is 
 not considered to militate against the fast, and con- 
 sequently they do not drink the wine, or wine and 
 water, of the Ablutions,* till the last of the Masses 
 which they say on the same day. 
 
 C. And now, sir, about the nature of tliis fnst 
 before Communion. Does it, like the ecclesiastical 
 fast, ahow of taking liquids? 
 
 P. No; it is what is called a physical ^ i.e. na- 
 tural, fast, and precludes the swallowing of any food 
 or liijuid whatever j so that water, taken even by 
 
 • Sco pago 87. 
 Q 
 
82 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 accident, would debar the person from g'oing- to Com- 
 munion on the same day. 
 
 C. What, even a drop? 
 
 P. A drop swallowed by accident along- with the 
 natural secretion of the mouth is a case excepted by 
 the rubi-ic from the general law. 
 
 C. IIow minute are these provisions j an enemy 
 mig'ht say, how trivial ! 
 
 P. Yes ; but he would be a very shallow rea- 
 soner ; for consider onh^ the natural tendenc}' of men 
 to encroach upon laws which are not carried out into 
 detail, and you will acknowledge the wisdom of the 
 Church in making no exceptions to her rules but such 
 as are recpiired by necessity and cliarity. 
 
 C, Be pleased, sir, to explain the manner of giv- 
 ing- Communion^ daring Mass, to the Faithful. 
 
 jP. The priest, having- received of the chalice, 
 takes a sufficient number of the Sacred Hosts^ of a 
 smaller size than that used for the Sacrifice, either 
 on the paten, or in the ciborium, the vessel in which 
 they remain in the tabernacle on the nltar. These 
 particles have either been consecrated in the Mass, or 
 reserved from former consecrations. Placing them 
 on the paten, or if they be in the ciborium, uncover- 
 ing it, he first adores the sacred Body of our Lord, 
 and then turning- sideways towards the people, in 
 order not to turn his back on the Blessed Sacrament, 
 he pronounces over the communicants tlie two pray- 
 ers of Absolution, at the same time blessing them 
 vvith his hand, saying-, " May Almighty God have 
 
 MEIICY LTON you, FOEGIVE YOU YOUR SINS, a5sD LEAD 
 
 YOU TO LIFE ETERNAL. Amen." And then : *'May 
 THE Almighty and merciful Lord geant you in- 
 dulgence, ABSOLUTION, AND REMISSION OF YOUR SINS.'^ 
 
 C, Are not these the same praj^ers which were 
 used at the beginning- of Mass 'I 
 
 P. Yes ; with these exceptions, that here '' your 
 
THE COMMUNIO:^ OF THE FAITHFITL. 83 
 
 sins" is said for " our sins ;" and the form not beini:^^ 
 simply pi-ecatory, but authoritative also, it is ac- 
 companied by an act of benediction. 
 
 The priest then turns to the altar, and liavin<^ 
 ag-ain adored on his knee, takes into liis hand the 
 ])aten, or vessel containing the Sacred Hosts, and 
 slig'htly raising one of theni, so as to exhibit it to 
 the })eople, he pronounces aloud the whole of the 
 following- words, repeating them three times, " Lord, 
 I am not worthy that Thou shouldest enter under 
 my roof; but only si)eak the word, and my soul 
 shall be healed." After the third time, he descends 
 the altar-steps to the communicants, to whom he 
 administers the Blessed Sacrament, beg'inning" from 
 those at the epistle side. 
 
 C. Can Communion be given out of Mass? 
 P. Yes, if there be a reason. Jn that case, the 
 priest habited in a surplice, with a stole of the colour 
 nj)propriate to the day,* communicates the faithful 
 irom the pre-consecrated Hosts reserved for that 
 purpose in tiie tabernacle; and the communion ovei-, 
 lie returns to the altar, saying the Antiphon at the 
 Magnificat on the Feast of Corj)us Christi, " sa- 
 
 ■>'um convivmmy ^'0 sacred Banquet, in which 
 (Jhrist is received, the memory of His Passion cher- 
 ished, the mind filled with grace, and a pledge g-iveu 
 to us of future glory;" with the versicle and res[)onse 
 from the Book of Wisdom : ^. '^Thou didst g'ive 
 them Bread from heaven." IV. ^' Havini^ in it all 
 that is delicious." And then the Collect of Corpus 
 (Jhristi : '^0 Cod, who under this wondrous Sacm- 
 ment hast loft us the memory ot'Thy Passion ; g'rant 
 us, we lieseech Thee, so to venerate the sacred JMys- 
 t cries of Tliy Body and Blood, that we nuiy con- 
 
 tnntly experience the fruit of Tliy redemption ; Who 
 
 * Sec Kitualc HumaDum. I3ut white may be used. 
 
84 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 livest and reignest/' (fee* Then the communiv*ants 
 are dismissed with the hlessiiig-, " The benediction of 
 God Ahnig-hty, Father, ^ and Son, and Holy Ghost, 
 descend upon you, and abide with you always." This 
 is said in the plaral number even when there is but 
 one communicant. But when Communion is given 
 in the Mass, this benediction is not said, because the 
 communicants are blessecl in the Mass itself. 
 
 THE COMMUNION OF THE FAITHFUL CONTINUED. 
 
 C. I suppose that the chief part of the Mass is 
 now over? 
 
 P. Yes ; all divines consider that the Sacrifice is 
 complete in the Communion ; and it is the common 
 opinion that the Consecration is alone essential to it. 
 Even those, however, who so hold, regard the Com- 
 munion as necessary to its integrity. And, accord- 
 ingly, the Church makes the greatest point of the 
 Sacrifice not being interrupted before the commimion 
 of the priest, which is the consumption of the Holy 
 Victim. Should the celebrating priest die between 
 the consecration and communion, or in any other way 
 be disabled from proceeding to complete the SacriHce, 
 the rubric prescribes that another priest be called in 
 to carry on the Mass. And so strong is the Church 
 on this point, that she even waves in its favour her 
 all but necessary rule, which requires that the holy 
 Communion should be received fasting; for in this 
 extreme case she allows a priest who is not fasting 
 to proceed with the Mass, where another cannot be 
 found. 
 
 * During Easter-time, Alleluia is added to the versicle 
 and response, and the following prayer said instead of "Deii8 
 qui nobis:" "Pour into ns, <) Lord, we beseech Thee, the 
 Spirit of Thy love, and as Thou ha^t satisfied us v/ith pas- 
 chal sacraments, K}ake us in Thy pity to be of one heart j 
 through," &c. 
 
THE COMMUNION OF THE FAITHFUL. 85 
 
 C, What is a priest to do wlio forgets tlii.t he 
 lias accidentally broken his fast till he has beg-un and 
 g'ot some way in the Mass ? 
 
 P. If he should have begun the Canon, all 
 igree that lie ought not to break off; if he has not 
 reached the Offertory, all agree that he should do 
 so ; if the disqualification be remembered between 
 the Offertory and the Canon, he woukl not err 
 in adopting either course ; still it would be better 
 to desist. 
 
 C. And a person going to Communion, who re- 
 members, when he is kneeling to receive it, that he 
 is similarly disqualified ? 
 
 P. If the person could withdraw without parti- 
 cular observation, it would be best to do so ; other- 
 wise it would be better to receive, on account of 
 scandal which might ensue from retiring at the last 
 moment. 
 
 C. And what now, if one w^ere to remember, 
 after having received, that one had previously broken 
 fast ? 
 
 P. In all such cases, where there has been no 
 wilful irreverence, or neglect, we should make our- 
 selves perfectly easy. To admit scruples in such 
 cases is far worse than to commit a roere mntcrhd 
 fault, i e. ^ fault which is only such \k itself, not in 
 the individual. 
 
 C. We liave got into a digression, and may as 
 well go on with it a little longer. What should bo 
 done, if by accident the Blessed Sacniment were to 
 fail in the act of conveying it into the mouth of the 
 communicant? 
 
 P. A cloth or card is always held under the chin. 
 If the Blessed Sacrament fall l)y accident into the ci- 
 borium, or on the paten, nothing needs to be done (aS 
 the vessels are sacred), thougli every care must be 
 taken to prevent any such accident at all. But if it 
 
8G ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 full on tlie cloth, or wliat is worse, on the gToimd, the 
 spot on whicJi it rests must he noted aud carefully 
 washed^ and the water which has touched the spot 
 thrown into the sacrarium {oi- drain ofsacred liquids). 
 In such a case the communicant should assist the 
 ]n-iest to ohserve the spot. If (which is unlikeh^, 
 hut possible) it were to fall on the dress of the com- 
 municant, the best thing to do would he to note the 
 spot, and g-o after Mass into the sacristy to g-et it 
 washed. The priest, of course, and not the commu- 
 nicant, must remove the Blessed Sacrament from the 
 dress. 
 
 C. May the Blessed Sacrament ever be touched 
 excef)t by a priest ? 
 
 P. By no means whatever ; if done consciously 
 and intentionally, out of irreverence, or even negli- 
 g'ence, it woidd be a mortal sin so to touch it. 
 
 C. Accidents at the time of communion must be 
 ver}' distressing'. 
 
 P. Nothing* shoidd be very distressing* which is 
 purely unintentional ; however, I do not deny that 
 we may well be distressed, within due limits, at any 
 even purely accidental injuiy to the Mnjesty of our 
 Lord in the Blessed Sacrament ; and on this account 
 communicants should be very careful to assist the 
 priest in the act of giving communion, by openinc^ 
 the mouth and presenting* a sufficient surface of the 
 tongue, though without opening* the moutli too wide, 
 or drawing the head too much back (which look, 
 unseemly), or holding the tongue too much down, 
 which is dangerous. 
 
 But now to proceed with the explanation of Mass. 
 The priest, having received of the chalice, or if there 
 oe communicants, having re-arranged every thing 
 on the altar after communicating the Faithful, first 
 inspects the paten, and receives any atoms of the 
 Blessed Sacrament which may have escaped his no- 
 
THE ABLUTIONS. 87 
 
 tice, tlien liolding* out the clinlice to tlie server, he 
 g-oes on to receive the Jir.'it ahlut'wn. 
 
 PART III. 
 dTrom tl;e Communion to tljc i£nt< of iHasi. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE ABLUTIONS. 
 
 C. What are the ahliitions ? 
 
 P. They are wine and wine and water poured 
 into the chalice, and afterwards received hy the priest, 
 in order to insure his receiving* any particles of the 
 Sacred Blood remaining; in it. The iirst ablution 
 consists of wine only, which is poured into the 
 chalice in al)out the same quantity as at the offer- 
 tory. The priest, while it is being- poured in, say8 
 the following prayer: "Let us, OLord, with pure 
 
 MIND receive what WE HAVE TAKEN WITH OUR MOUTH, 
 AND MAY IT OF A TEMPORAL GIFT BECOME AN ETERNAL 
 REMEDY." 
 
 C. Why is holy Communion called a "tempoi*al 
 gift"? 
 
 P, Because it is received in this our state of j)il- 
 gTinia«i:e. 
 
 When the wine is poured in, the priest tiu-ns 
 round the clr.dice, so as to let the wine take up any 
 (hops which may have adhered to the inside, and 
 then drinks it. Once more glancing* at the )mten 
 (this being the last suitable opjuirtunity of receiving 
 any minute fragments of the Blessed Sacrament) lie 
 sets it down, aud holding; the thumb and forefinger 
 
88 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 of eacli hand joined over the chalice^ he takes it to 
 tbe epistle side, where the server pours first wine nnd 
 then w^ater over his fingers into the chahce. Tbe 
 priest, having' wiped his fingers, receives the wine 
 and water. 
 
 C. Why does the priest wash his fingers and 
 receive tlie ahlution ? 
 
 F. To guard against any fragment of the Blessed 
 Sacrament adhering to them, and to secure his eat- 
 ing and drinking the whole fruit of the consecration. 
 
 C. Why is water used as well as w^ine ? 
 
 P. In order to neutralise the sacred species, 
 which wine alone does not neutralise. There should 
 therefore be at least as much water as wine infused. 
 
 C. Does the priest say any prayer at the second 
 ahlution ? 
 
 P, Yes, before he receives it, he says, ^'May 
 Thy Body, Lord, WHrcii I have taken, and Thy 
 Blood which I have drunk, cleave to my interior : 
 
 AND GRANT THAT NO STAIN OF SIN MAY REMAIN IN ME, 
 WHOM PURE AND HOLY SaCRAMENTS HAVE REFRESHED, 
 
 who livest and reignest for ever and ever. 
 Amen." 
 
 C. I observe that all the latter prayers have been 
 addressed to our Blessed Lord. 
 
 P. Yes, from the " Agnus Dei" till the " Post- 
 communion." 
 
 C. Why is this? 
 
 P. Because all these prayers relate directly to 
 the act of holy Communion. 
 
 C. Why doss the priest here stay at the middle 
 of the altar ? 
 
 P, To wipe and re-arrange the chalice and paten, 
 and cover them with the veil. All these things the 
 Church desires to be done wdth care and neatness, 
 but without needless delay. 
 
89 
 
 CHAPTER ir. 
 
 THE ^^COMMUXIO' AND POSTCOMMUNION. 
 
 C, What is the " Commnnio" 1 
 
 P. A short sentence so called because said, and 
 (at Solemn Mass) also sung-, immediately after the 
 communion of the Faithful, the Missal liaving* been 
 previously removed by the server from the g'ospel to 
 the epistle side. 
 
 C. lias this been always in the Mass ? 
 
 P. It has not. In the time of St. Ambrose the 
 priest said the ^^Nunc dimittis" in his own name and 
 that of the Faithful. In some other ancient Litur- 
 g-ies a psalm was said in this place ; but in process of 
 time it appears to have been curtailed into a sing-le 
 verse or sentence, like the Introit and Offertory. 
 
 C. What is the purport of the verse called " Com- 
 munion" ? 
 
 P. It bears upon the subject of the Mass, where 
 proper to any Festival. At other times it g*enei*ally 
 embodies some holy sentiment or edifying lesson. 
 
 C. Why is it so short ? Is not this a departure 
 from antiquity? 
 
 P. I have said that it is probably abbreviated 
 from some longer devotion. J3ut it is our duty to 
 take every provision of our Holy Church as it comes 
 before us, and never to contrast lier manner at one 
 time with her manner at another, to the disadvantag'c 
 of any one of her institutions. The ancient Church 
 was best for the ancients, and the modern Cliurch is 
 best for us. Holy Scrinturo itself discourag-es such 
 comparisons as ** foolish. It says, " Say not, What 
 thinlvcst thou is the cause that former times wer«^ 
 better tlian they are now ? for tliis manner of ques- 
 tion is foolish."* As tliere was in unci»."nt times a 
 • Ecchis. vii. U. 
 
90 ORDEU AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 beauty in the prolixity of these formS; so there is also 
 now a beauty in their brevity, as they enable persons 
 in the world, who cannot spare a long- time for their 
 devotions, to assist at the public offices of the Church 
 and reap their fruit. Moreover, it is ever to be borne 
 in mind that the essence of the Mass is not a form of 
 prayer, but a g-reat action, to which all the words 
 contained in it conspire and are entirely subordinate; 
 so that whether more or fewer, they fulfil their of- 
 fice with the like effect. And this may reconcile you 
 to a more rapid enunciation of those words than, per- 
 haps, you can at first understand to be consistent 
 with devotion. It is no doubt very possible to be 
 rapid even to irreverence in saying* Mass. But it is 
 also possible to be too slow. Many persons of un- 
 doubted piety find themselves greatly assisted in de- 
 votion by a rapid articulation, as being' apt to lose 
 the spirit of their action in proportion as they make 
 too much of lis form, Nothing', indeed, is more to 
 be guarded against in celebrating the Church offices 
 than languor and heaviness. The ministry of the 
 angels, of which ours is the earthly counterpart, is 
 likened to the briskness of a darting fire. All this 
 is especially true of Mass, for the reason I have 
 given; that it is, even beyond other religious ser- 
 vices, an act. 
 
 C, Thank you, sir; this thought will be of great 
 use to me in checking harsh judgments and restless 
 imaginations. — With what sentiments, should the 
 Faithful listen to the " Communio" ? 
 
 P. They shoidd join with the Church in thanks 
 giving* to our Lord for the great Gift of Himself. 
 But, remember, I am here instructing* you in the 
 ceremonies, not undertaking, except in this indirect 
 way, to su})ply you with devotions. 
 
91 
 
 THE POSTCOMM UNION. 
 
 C. What is the Postcommunion '^ 
 
 P. That j)art of the Mass which immediately 
 follows the Communion, and precedes the termina- 
 tion of the whole. 
 
 Having", then, passed from the epistle side to tlie 
 middle of the altar, the priest kisses it, and says, 
 turning- to the people, ^^ Our Lord be with you ;" 
 whicli is answered as usual by the people. Tlien 
 moving' again to the epistle side, he reads the Post- 
 communion Collects, one or more, according- to the 
 number of the Collects for the day. You should 
 know that every Collect, whether of the season, or 
 occasional, has its proper Secret and Postcommunion 
 belonging* to it. And as the Postcommunions cor- 
 respond in number, so do they likewise in subject, 
 form, and ceremonies accompanying-, with the Col- 
 lects which have g-one before them. I will take two 
 specimens : the Collect for " the Suffrages of the 
 Saints," beginninf^ " A cunctis," which is used at 
 certain times to make up the requisite number of 
 Collects on a semi-double festival ; and another oc- 
 casional one for Bishops and their Hocks. Here are 
 these Collects with their proper Secrets and Post- 
 C(mimunions. 
 
 CoUccf. 
 
 Defend us, Lord, we beseech Thee, from all 
 dang*ers botli of mind and body ; and by the inter- 
 cession of tlie ble^jsed and g-lorious Ever- Virgin Mary, 
 Motlier of God, with Thy blessed Apostles Peter and 
 Paul, and blcssfd N., and all tlie Saints, g-rant us of 
 Thy g'oodness, salvation and peace, that all adversities 
 and eiTors being destroyed, 'J'hy ('inn*ch may serve 
 Thee in secure liberty. Tliroug-h the same. 
 
92 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 Secret, 
 
 Hear \\s, God of our salvation, and by tlie vir- 
 tue of this Sacrament protect us from all enemies 
 both of mind and body ; g-ranting- us p'race for the 
 present, and g'lory in time to come. Through our 
 Lord. 
 
 Postcommumon, 
 
 We beseech Thee, Lord, that the offering of 
 the Divine Sacrament may cleanse and fortify us; 
 and by the intercession of Blessed Mary, Mother of 
 God, with Thy blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and 
 blessed N., and all the Saints, may make us clean 
 from all perversities and ready lor all adversities. 
 Through the same. 
 
 C. Does the letter N. stand for some other saint ? 
 
 P. Yes ; it is usual to insert there the patron of 
 the church or country ; thus, St. George is named 
 in England, except where there is some special patron 
 of the place, as in a college, &c. Should the patron 
 happen to be St. Michael the Archangel, St. John 
 the Baptist, or St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed 
 Virgin, the name of such patron is to be prefixed to 
 those of the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul. 
 
 The following is the other collect, with its tv.o 
 accompaniments. 
 
 Collect. 
 
 Almighty and eternal God, vv^ho doest great won- 
 ders alone, send forth on Thy servants, and on the 
 congregations committed to their charge, the Spirit 
 of Thy healthful grace ; and that they may truly 
 please Thee, pour on them the continual dew of Thy 
 blessing. Through our Lord. In the unity of the 
 same. 
 
 Secret, 
 
 Be propitious, Lord, to the sacrifices of Thy 
 people; that what wo celebrate fcr them with a 
 
END OF MASS. 93 
 
 devout mind, in honour of Thy Name, they may 
 know to profit them unto heaHng-. Throug-h the 
 same. 
 
 Postcomm union. 
 
 Accompany, Lord, with Tliy protection tjiose 
 wliom Thou dost recreate with a heavenly g-ift ; and 
 as Tliou never ceasest to cherish them, so grant them 
 to become worthy of eternal redemption. Through 
 the same. 
 
 These specimens will sliow you the several cha- 
 I'acters of the Collect, Secret, and Postcommunion. 
 ^rhe Collect asks for some blessing-, without, in g;e- 
 neral, any special reference to the Sacrifice ; the Se- 
 cret adverts to the sacrifice about to be offered ; the 
 Postcommunion to its fruits in the soul. 
 
 In Lent, as often as the Mass is of the season, 
 the priest here says, "Let us pray: humble your 
 heads before God;" and then recites a short peni- 
 tential praycT. 
 
 THE END or MASS. 
 
 p. And now the priest, having* closed the Missal 
 if there bo no final Gospel, or left it open for the 
 server to remove, if there be, g-oes to the middle of 
 the altar, and once more addresses the people with 
 ** Our Lord be with you," to which they respond. 
 Then he says, according* to the day, " Ite, missa est,*' 
 or " .Benedicamus Domino;" in the former case turn- 
 ing* towards the peo})le, in the latter towards the 
 altar. 
 
 C, What mean these short forms, and why do 
 they differ on different days ? 
 
 P, " Ite, missa est" means, "Depart, the sacri- 
 fice is over;" " Benedicamus Domino' means, ** Let 
 ws bless our Lord." Tlie difference of subject sliows 
 why one is said to the j>cople and the other to God. 
 
{)4 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 As to the several uses of these forms, " Ite, niissa 
 est" is the more jubilant of the two^ and is therefore 
 used on all days when ^^ Gloria in excelsis" is said in 
 the Mass ; " Benedicamus Domino" is proper to days 
 on jvhich '^ Gloria in excelsis" is not said, such as 
 ferias (or week-days), to penitential seasons^ and to 
 Votive Masses (except of the Ang-els or of the Blessed 
 Virg-in, when said on Saturday). Tlie rule is, that 
 when the "Te Deum" is said in the Divine Office, 
 then " Gloria in excelsis" and " Ite, missa est" are 
 said in the Mass, and vice versd. But Votive Masses, 
 being* out of the usual order^ furnish exceptions to 
 this rule. 
 
 C, What account do you give of the form " Ite, 
 missa est" ? 
 
 P. The whole form is probably, " Ite, missa est 
 Ilostia," " Go, the Victim is sent forth, and received 
 up into heaven." It is equivalent to ^^ Go in peace," 
 which is found in ancient times. We may hear in it 
 the words of the Angel : " Ye men of Galilee, why 
 stand you looking* up into heaven?" (Acts i. 11.) 
 ' The time of contemplation is over, that of action is 
 come ; go to your work, and think of the visions 
 which have been vouchsafed you.' 
 
 To this dismissal the people respond by the mi- 
 nister, " Deo gratias," " Thanks be to God," in imi- 
 tation of the Apostles, who, when they parted, at 
 the Angel's bidding, from the vision of their peace, 
 " adoring went back to Jerusalem with great joy, 
 and were always praising and blessing* God" (St. 
 Luke xxiv. 53). 
 
 C. Is this, then, the time for the people to depart i* 
 
 P. The Mass (properly speaking) is now over, 
 and they are at liberty to go ; but devout persons 
 always remain, if possible, at least till the priest 
 leaves the altar. Were they to go at this point, they 
 would lose his blessin^. 
 
END OF MASS. 95 
 
 C. How miicli of the Mass mufit be lieard in order 
 to fulfil the obligation on Sundays and great holy- 
 dajs ? 
 
 P, Certainly not less tlian from the Offertory to 
 the Communion inclusive. The safest opinion says, 
 from the Gospel to the Communion inclusive. 
 
 C, What kind o^ presence is necessary at Mass in 
 order to hear it 'I Must the priest be actually heard 
 or seen ? 
 
 P. No, this is not indispensable ; but the pei'son 
 must be, morally speakin^', present, i, e. must form 
 one of the worshipinj^ body. Hence a person may 
 hear Mass outside a church with the door open, if he 
 form one of a continuous train of worshipers, as is 
 often the case in Ireland and other Catholic countries; 
 or, again, in another room with an opening* upon the 
 altar. Thus, in old ranges of ecclesiastical buihlings, 
 the hospital commonly opened upon the chaj)el, to 
 let the sick hear Mass from their beds, in fulfilment 
 of the Psalmist's words, "Laitabuntur sancti in 
 cuhilihus suis."* You may see the same beautiful 
 aiTangement at some colleges in England, to enable 
 the students to hear Mass when ill in bed. 
 
 C. Does not the priest say a ])rayer in this place ? 
 
 P, Yes; after the minister has re])lied in the name 
 of the people, ^*Deo gratias/* be inclines to the altar, 
 and says : 
 
 *^ Holy Trinity, may the obedience of my ser- 
 vice be well-pleasing to Thee; and grant that the 
 sacrifice which I unworthy have offered in the sight 
 of Thy Majesty may be accei)table to Thoe, and 
 a means of propitiation to nie and all those for 
 whom 1 have offered it. Through Christ our Lord, 
 Amen." 
 
 Then kissing tlie altar, and raising and joining: 
 
 * •' The saints shall rejoice in their Ms" (Vs. xHx. 5), 
 
96 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MABS. 
 
 his hands, he blesses the people, saying- first towards 
 the altar, 
 
 "May God Almig-lity bless you." 
 
 Then turning- to the people, and making- over them 
 the sig-n of the cross, he continues : 
 
 " Father, and Son, i^ and Holy Ghost." 
 
 Then completing- the circuit, he turns towards the 
 altar, g-oes to the gospel side, and there reads from a 
 card the beg-inning- of the Gospel according- to St. 
 John i. 1-14. Or if there be a proper (second) Gosj)el 
 in the Mass (as on Sundays not kept as such, or 
 on festivals in Lent), he reads this from the Missal, 
 which in that case will have been transferred from 
 the epistle to the g-ospel side by the server. 
 
 C. Does the priest use the same ceremonies here 
 as in reading' the first Gospel ? 
 
 P. He crosses the text of the Gospel, or (if he read 
 from the card) the altar, and himself on the forehead, 
 lips, and breast ; but he does not kiss the book at the 
 end. The minister responds as before to the an- 
 nouncement of the Gospel, " Glory be to Thee, 
 Lord;" but ends, "Thanks be to God." 
 
 C. Does not the priest kneel at some pnrt of the 
 last Gospel ? 
 
 P, Yes; he kneels, in honoiu' of the Incarnation, 
 at the words "Et Verbum caro factum est," "And 
 the Word was made flesh." 
 
 The priest then, taking the sacred vessels under 
 the veil, as at the beginning- of Mass, inclines slightly 
 to the altar and descends the step to the plane be- 
 low ; where, having bowed, if the blessed Sacrament 
 be not in the tabernacle, or gone on one knee if it be, 
 lie receives the herretta from the server, and returns 
 to the sacristy as he came from it. 
 
97 
 
 
 MASS OF THE \)«iy3. 
 
 O. Masses of the dead seem z^^Uff^ in core- 
 monies from ordinary Masses ; will you kindly say- 
 in what respects ? 
 
 P. I must first tell you how a Mass of the Dead 
 differs in itself from another Mass, and then I will 
 explain the ceremonies. Unlike another Mass, then, 
 it is offered primarily and specially for the repose of 
 a soul or souls in purg-atory; either for ony lately 
 deceased, or on the anniversary or ahout the anni- 
 versary of a death or hurial, or at any other time, 
 lor one or more to whom the priest is specially hound, 
 as relations, friends, henefactors, superiors ; o\\ lastly, 
 on All SouW Day, for all the faithful departed, whom 
 it is also customary to commemorate hy a Collect in 
 special Masses of the Dead, and, at certain times, in 
 ttie Mass of the day also. In the Missal you will 
 find four different forms of Mass for the Dead: one 
 for All Souls' Day (which is prescrihod also for some 
 other occasions), one for the day of death or hurial, 
 one for the anniversary of those days, and one termed 
 " Daily," which may he used at any time. There 
 are also added special prayers for deceased persons, 
 such as Bishops, ])riests, and the parents of the priest 
 (where Catholics), which may he incorporated into 
 the Mass, so as to limit or modify the intention, 
 which would otherwise he general. 
 
 C. I understand you to say tliat n Mns3 "pro 
 defiuictis" must ])e offered primarily and snecially 
 for the Dead. Must another Mass ho offercu in the 
 ^iium special manner for the living ? 
 
 P. The SMocial intention of a MaFs " pro de- 
 functis" must he for the dead; but the special inten- 
 tion of anothrr ATmcv.. ;. ,,,.f ,w.f...o..,vi!v confintM' to 
 the living". 
 
 u 
 
98 ORDEU AND CEKEMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 C. Do tbe dead, then, g-ain as much from an or- 
 dinary Mass as from a Mass " pro defunctis" 'I 
 
 P. As far as the benefit of the Mass itself g'oes, 
 or as divines say, looking* to its fruit ex opere ope- 
 rato, i.e. as an act having* an intrinsic efficacy in 
 obtaining' the gTace of God, for those who are its 
 proper objects, the dead gain as much from one Mass, 
 specially offered for them, as from another. But it 
 is certain that the prayers and other devotions, which 
 are directed to their benefit in a Mass for the Dead, 
 carry with them an additional benefit, as divines say, 
 ex opere opcrantis ; that is, not in virtue of the act it- 
 self, but throug'h the pious intentions of the celebrnnt. 
 
 C. Now, then, as the dead may g-ain special bene- 
 fit from an ordinary Mass, can the living- g-ain any 
 benefit from a Mass "for the Dead"? 
 
 P. Certainly from the "memento" which is made 
 of them in every Mass, Masses for the Dead included. 
 But I should also tell you that the most special be- 
 nefit of every Mass accrues to the priest celehratim/ 
 it, and therefore to one living. And what is called, 
 on the otlier hand, the general fruit g'oes to the Faith- 
 ful at larg-e, whether living- or dead. It is, then, 
 what divines call the special fruit (as distinguished 
 from the most special on the one hand, and the gene- 
 ral on the other), which avails to the person or per- 
 sons for whom the priest intends to offer the particu- 
 lar Mass ; and these it is who, in the case of a Mass 
 *4br the Dead," must be deceased, and in the ca e of 
 another, may be such. And now of the ceremonies. 
 
 The vestments, you know, in a Mass for the 
 dead are black. At the foot of the altar, in the 
 beginning of Mass, the Psalm " Judica" is omit- 
 ted, probably on account of " Confltebor Tibi in ci- 
 thara" ("I will confess to Thee on the harp"), which 
 is inappropriate to a mournful occasion. Next, in- 
 stead of ci-ossing himself as he begins the Introit, 
 
MASS OF THE DEAD. 99 
 
 the priest makes a cross towards tlie book, ns if 
 he were blessing* a person. The ^^ Gloria Patri^' 
 is omitted every where ; and, of course, the hymn 
 ^^ Gloria in excelsis." The priest does not say before 
 the Gospel, " Lord, g-rant me a blessing"," nor the 
 prayer following-, ^' May the Lord be in my lieart," 
 tfec^, but goes at once to read the Gospel after the 
 ** Munda cor meum" (" Cleanse my heart,'* <S:c.). 
 At the end of the Gospel the priest does not kiss the 
 sacred text. The Creed is never said. The water 
 is not blessed by the priest before he pours it into the 
 chalice. At the " Agnus Dei," instead of " Have 
 mercy on us," is said (for the dead), '* Grant them 
 rest ;" and, the third time, " eternal rest." Conse- 
 quently, the priest does not strike his breast, because 
 he is praying not for himself, but for others ; neither 
 should the Faithful assisting do so. The first of the 
 three prayers before the Communion is omitted, be- 
 cause it bears upon the prayer for peace in the "Agnus 
 Dei," which is omitted nlso. At the end, neither *' Ite, 
 missa est," nor " Benedicamus Domino" is said, but 
 " Requiescnnt in pace" (" May they rest in peace"), 
 always in the plural number, even when Mass is said 
 for one deceased person only. The priest does not 
 bless the people, but having* said the prayer to the 
 Holy Trinity, and kissed the altar, goes at once to 
 read the Gospel of St. John. 
 
 C, Why are blessings omitted ? 
 
 P. Because the Mass is said for the departed, 
 who ore beyond the roach of sacerdotal benedictions. 
 
 C. But this does not explain why the [)riest omits 
 to bless the writer nt the diiei-tory, or to ask for a 
 blessing on himself before tlie Gospel? 
 
 P. Gav5int gives a mystical reason for the former 
 of these omisssions. He says that the water is not 
 blessed at the Offertory in Ma.sses of the Dejui be- 
 cause it represent.^ the Church militafit, as tho witi 
 
100 ORDER AND CEREJIONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 represents Christ ; wliereas the dead in Christ have 
 foug-ht the g-ood fight^ and though detained from 
 giory^ are yet certain of salvation. This^ however^ 
 is rather a pious construction of the matter than a 
 full account of it. It would seem that all blessings 
 are suspended in Masses of the Dead, either because 
 blessings are joyful things, and these Masses are 
 mournful; or because, inasmuch as the dead, who 
 are chietiy in mind, are not subjects of benediction, 
 therefore the Church, to keep them continually be- 
 fore her, lets them set the rule of the whole Mass in 
 this particular. 
 
 6^. Do not priests receive stipends for saying- 
 IMasses, especially Masses for the dead ? Is not this 
 hke buying- sacred thing-s? Does it not also give 
 the rich an unfair advantag-e over the poor? 
 
 P. Certainly, priests receive stipends for saying* 
 Mass, when the benefit of a Mass is wished, and the 
 party wishing- it likes, or is able, to make an offer- 
 ing-. To 3^our other queries, I answer : 1st, that this 
 remuneration is not purchase-money, but a fee or 
 rather offering- ; and I sup])ose no one denies that 
 the " labourer is worthy of his hire," or that what 
 is given to the clergy is given to the Church. 2d, 
 the rich have certainly a g*reat advantage over the 
 poor in being- privileged to contribute, in whatever 
 way, to the service of God's Church or the mainte- 
 nance of His priests — for a privilege it is to the 
 rich themselves, not any favour to the Church. It 
 may be admitted, too, t'iiat the rich gain in this way 
 •blessing-s upon themselves and their friends, whether 
 living- or dead, from which the poor are necessarily 
 debarred; but the poor, on the other hand, have 
 blessing's which the rich have not. It is probable 
 tliat all which the rich gain in the redemption of 
 their souls and those of their relations and friends 
 from purgatory, is more than made up to the poor 
 
MASS OF THE DEAD. 101 
 
 by the suffering's in which they are so mnch tlieir 
 superiors, and which, we may hope, are to the ])oor 
 full often in the place of a pnrg-atory. I should tell 
 you also that Masses, like Indulg-ences, do not profit 
 the dead according- to any fixed and known law, as 
 they profit the living-; hut as divines say, " hy the 
 way of suffrage" only ; or as far as, and in the way, 
 God pleases. Hence, thoug-h it he a needful act of 
 piety and charity in richer })ersons to obtain Masses 
 to he said for themselves and their friends, it is, after 
 all, uncertain in what precise ratio, or according- to 
 what fixed principle, the mercy of God is distributed, 
 in the case of the dead, among rich and poor.* 
 Moreover, you must bear in mind that (besides the 
 opportunity which priests have of applying- to parti- 
 cular poor the benefit of their diseiigagecl intentions 
 in Mass) every Catholic has it in his power to g'ain 
 partial or plenary Inihdgenccs for any soul in purg'a- 
 tory iri whom he may be especially interested. But 
 the benefit of Indulg-ences, when applied to the dead, 
 is limited by the above conditions. Let me, then, 
 observe that all this uncertainty as to the mode and 
 deg-ree in which the living- can benefit the departed, 
 while it is no reason for relaxing* our charitable efforts 
 on their behalf, is a great reason for doing* all we can 
 towards our deliverance from sin, its penalties as well 
 as its guilt, while alive; according* to tlie spirit of 
 that touching prayer of the Psalmist, *^ Remitte mihi, 
 %it rcjngerer, priusquam aheamy\ Or, as it is in 
 
 * Perrone pivcs it as undoubted, "rocnain tcmporalcnr. 
 ipsis (mortuis) non reiniiti certa le^e, seu sulum mr mmlum 
 »affni|»ii (Sucrificium Misste) eis prodepBc, prout uao placuo- 
 rit illud acirt'ptaro, tx quo intVrtur tftectum hiijus h>acrihcii 
 non ifa certuni esso orga dcfunctos, uicut est crga vivcntts." 
 De Euchariitt. n. 282. 
 
 f "Forgive me, ihat I mnj/ he refreshed before I i;o kenct** 
 (Pi. xxxviii. 14). 
 
102 ORDER AND CEREMONIAL OF THE MASS. 
 
 the Song; of Ezecliias, "Vivens, vivens^ ipse eonfite- 
 bitur tibi, sicut et eg'o hodie."* 
 
 C. Does not the celebrated Dies irce occur in tlie 
 Mass of the Dead ? 
 
 P. Yes, it is the Sequence, Its use is oWig-a- 
 torj on the priest at certain times, optional at others. 
 
 * " The living", the livins^, he shall give praise to Thee, 
 as I do this day" (Is. xxxviii. 19). 
 
 Note A, p. 53. 
 The openino^ words of the " Communlcantes" are varied 
 on the gjreatest Festivals, and during their octaves, as follows : 
 At Christmas, "communicating, and celebrating this most 
 sacred day on which the incorrupt Virginity of the Blessed 
 Mary gave to the world a Saviour." At Epiphany, " .... on 
 which Thine Only-begotten, coeternal with Thee in glory, 
 appeared visibly in a Ijodily form in verity of our flesh." At 
 Easter, " . . . . and celebrating the most sacred day of the 
 Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh." 
 At Ascension, " on which our Lord, Thine only- 
 begotten Son, placed at the right hand of Thy glory, the 
 substance of our frail nature united with Himself." At 
 Pentecost, ". . . . celebrating the most sacred day of Pen- 
 tecost, on which the Holy Ghost manifested Himself to the 
 Apostles in the form of fiery tongues." 
 
 Note B, p. 55. 
 At Easter and Pentecost, the two great seasons of Baptism, 
 this form is varied thus: ". . . . oblation .... famil}', which 
 we offer Thee, for these also, whom Thou hast deigned to re- 
 generate of water and the Holy Ghost, granting them remis- 
 sion of ail sins," &c. 
 
 Note C, p. 57. 
 On Holy Thursday, the day of the institution of the 
 Blessed Eucharist, is said, " who, the day before He suffered 
 for our salvation and that of all men, to wit, on this dajr, 
 took bread," &c. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 I. HIGH OR SOLEMN MASS. 
 Chapter I. 
 
 C Wliat is High or Solemn Mass? 
 
 P. High Mass is the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice 
 with the full complement of ministers and solemnitiea. 
 Sometimes Mass is celebrated with solemnities, but with- 
 out the assistance of sacred ministers. This is called a 
 " Missa cantata," or " Mass with music." 
 
 C. Who are the proper ministers to assist the celebrating 
 priest ? 
 
 P. The deacon, who is next to him in sacred orders ; and 
 the subdeacon, who is next to the deacon. 
 
 C. What are these respective orders and offices ? 
 
 P. The deacon is, strictly speaking, the highest minister 
 (i. e. assistant) in the Church ; for the priest does not tninis- 
 ter, he offers. The subdeacon is a minister of inferior rank; 
 but he too is in sacred orders. 
 
 C. Are there, then, orders in the Church which are not 
 sucied ? 
 
 P. Yes ; there are four", called minor orders, through 
 which all who attain sacred orders must pass. They are : 
 1. Ostiary ; 2. Exorcist; 3. Reader; 4. Acolyth. 
 
 C. What are tlic ofllces respectively of tho deacon and 
 Bubdeacon ? 
 
 P. Tho deacon's office is to assist tho priest ; tho sub- 
 deacon's to assist tho deacon. Or rather, the deacon's is to 
 assist at tho Sacrifice directly and principally; tho sub- 
 deacon's to assist at it indirectly and subordiiiatcl^'. This 
 will appear in detail as we proceed. 
 
 C. Are not tho clergy who assist tho priest at Masi 
 sometimes priests like himself? 
 
 P. When there are none to assist iu tho proper ordcn, 
 
104 APPENDIX. 
 
 it is customary for priests to act as deacons and subdcacons 
 at High Mass. In this case tliey wear the habits and badges, 
 not of the order to which they have attained, but of those 
 tlirough which they have passed, and which they arc thea 
 fulfilhng. 
 
 C. AVhat are these habits and badges? 
 
 P. The deacon wears his stole across the left shoulder, 
 instead of crossed in front like the priest. Also, instead ot 
 the chasuble, the deacon and subdeacon wear peculiar vest- 
 ments, called Dalmatic and Tunic, or sometimes Dalmatics 
 only. 
 
 0. Are deacons and subdeacons bound by the same law* 
 as priests? 
 
 P. Like priests, they are obliged to a single life. They 
 are also bound to recite the whole of the divine office every 
 day. 
 
 C. Will you now, sir, explain to me the ceremonies of 
 High Mass ? And first, will you say generally how it differs 
 from Low Mass ? 
 
 P. Merely in the way of addition. It is substantially 
 the same rite. But such is the dignity of this great Sacri- 
 fice, that the Church prefers its being solemnised with every 
 accompaniment of outward grandeur and beauty ; and dis- 
 penses with these additions only on account of the difficulty 
 of procuring them in frequent and daily celebrations. It is 
 certain that masses are much more frequent in later than in 
 earlier ages ; and their multiplication has necessarily tended 
 ■^ to divest them of all such ceremonial as is not indispensable 
 to their essence. But the Church all the while has never 
 failed to maintain the type of a more solemn and ornate 
 celebration. Hence it is customary, whenever it is possible, 
 to celebrate Mass with solemnity at least on all Sundays 
 and holydays. 
 
 Supposing you, then, to be now fully instructed in the 
 substantial ceremonies of Mass, I shall confine myself to 
 Buch as are peculiar to High Mass. But I shall speak first 
 
HIGH MASS. 10& 
 
 of a ceremony by which, on all Sundays, High Knss w. 
 usually preceded ; I mean, 
 
 THE ASPERQKS. 
 
 C. "What is the Asperges? 
 
 P. It is a solemn service of purification-^ hy which thd- 
 Church prepares her altars, temples, and worshipers, for the- 
 holy mysteries of which the material church is about to be 
 the scene, and the faithful the participants. At this cere- 
 mony she makes ns« of the Holy Water, which has been 
 blessed for the service of the faithful. 
 
 C. Is the use of Holy Water very ancient ? 
 
 P. Yes; it was customary in very early ages of tfje 
 Christian Church to bless water with salt mingled in it, 
 for the faithful to purify their hands on entering places set 
 apart for Divine worship. Pope Alexander I. issued a de- 
 cree to that effect in 109, apparently ratifying a custonx 
 already in use ; so that we may fairly conclude the practice 
 to date from the time of the Apostles. The custom was 
 derived from the Jewish Church. It is enjoined in Exod, 
 XXX. 18. 
 
 C. Why is salt mingled with the water? 
 
 P. Salt is an antidote against coiTuptior:, and thus de- 
 notes purification. It also expresses wisdom (Col. iv. 6) u 
 while water is every where in the Church the sign of God'*- 
 cleansing grace. 
 
 C AVhat arc the ceremonies of blessing the water fo: 
 the use of the Church, and of the "Asperges," or sprinkling?- 
 
 P. The "Asperges" only is seen by the congregation; 
 the water is blessed by tho priest previously to its being 
 brought into the church. The ceremony is as follows; Firsi 
 the salt is exorcised, then the water. The salt is then pu: 
 into the water, and the mixture is blessed. 
 
 C. Wliat means " exorcised"? 
 
 P. To "exorcise" is to baniBh the Evil Spiiit '"rom ai 
 person or thing by solemn adjuration. 
 
106 APPENDIX. 
 
 C. Why should the Evil Spirit be thouglit to reside m 
 the creatures of God ? 
 
 P. Every creature of God naturally labours under tlie 
 curso of the Fall. The devil, by prevailing over man, got 
 a hold on creation — man, beast, and things inanimate. 
 Hence the corruption of the human race, the malicious 
 tempers of certain animals, and the noxious properties of 
 the elements. The air, which is for refreshing, is con- 
 verted by this evil agent into tempests and whirlwinds, 
 which carry desolation in their train. Fire and water, 
 which are for man's use and convenience, break their boun- 
 daries and spread havoc far and wide; while the earth 
 naturally brings forth thorns and briers. Meanwhile, " lie 
 that sits on the throne saith, Behold, I make all things new'* 
 (Apoc. xxi. 5). Man He maketli new in holy baptism ; 
 other creatures by exorcisms and benedictions. Thus in 
 the Church we can say, " Benedicite omnia opera Domini, 
 Domino," — "Oall ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord ;" 
 even those of His works which, without His blessing, be- 
 come instruments of mischief, such as fire and heat, wind 
 and rain, seas and floods, beasts and all cattle. 
 
 C. But does the Church ever bless other creatures be- 
 sides articles of food, or, as in the case before us, the matter 
 of Sacraments and Saeramentals ? 
 
 P. Yes; for example, fire on Holy Saturday. She even 
 blesses animals for the use of man. There is a ceremony of 
 this kind annually performed at Kome. 
 
 C. What a beautiful thought, that the Church should 
 thus make all creation, as it were, one great sacrament ! 
 
 P. Yes, and a religious and practical thought also, the 
 true fulfilment of the Psalmist's loving words : " Aperis Tu 
 manum. et imples omne animal benedictione," — "Thou open- 
 est Thine hand, and fillest every living creature with bene- 
 diction" (Ps. cxliv. 16). Such is the fruit of the great Gift 
 which the Church received on the day of Pentecost: "Emit- 
 tes Spiritum Tuuni, et creabuntur, et renovahisfaciem ierr<B»** 
 
HIGH MASS. 107 
 
 — " TIioii slialt send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be cre- 
 ated; and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth'^ {Vs. ciii. 
 30, proper to AVhit Sunday). Thus you see that the Church 
 on earth is a type and forerunner of the celestial Jerusalem, 
 which was revealed to the Prophet as a " new heaven and a 
 new earth" (Apoc. xxi. 1). 
 
 C. Why are so many things blessed on Holy Saturday, 
 — fonts, fire, &c.? 
 
 P. Because it was by rising from the dead that our Lord 
 renewed, blessed, and glorified the whole world. 
 
 C. When does the priest rece,ive the power of exorcising? 
 
 P. In the third of the four lesser orders, called the Order 
 of Exorcists. He then receives power over evil spirits, which 
 he may use with persons possessed, though not without spe- 
 cial permission ; and this leave is cautiously and very rarely 
 granted. But as a priest he uses this authority in the cere- 
 monies of baptism, and here in the benediction of water for 
 the use of the Church and Faithful. 
 
 C "VVhat is the form of blessing the water? 
 
 P. You will find it at the end of your Latin Missal, under 
 the title of " Ordo ad faciendam Aquam benedictam." It is 
 rather too long to translate. 
 
 C. But now as to the " Aspcrgcs," to which it is prepa- 
 ratory. This ceremony is a public one, which, I observe, 
 nrocedes the High Mass every Sunday. Will you kindly 
 
 lain it? 
 
 P. The priest who is to celebrate the High Mass, vested 
 in a cope of the colour proper to the day, proceeds to the 
 altar attended by his ministers, and an acolyth* bearing the 
 vessel of holy water. Ho kneels with the attendants (ovcu 
 at Easter time),t and, receiving at the hands of the deacon^ 
 the aspersory, or sacred brush, dips it into the water, and 
 
 • Tlift dutlfis f.f ncolyth nro commonly porfurraod, with pormiMiDU, 
 by boys attached to tlio cliiircli. 
 
 t *• GuuiitloxiiH, otiam tompore Pasoliall."— An&rtc in th« UistaL 
 I *' Accipit a dUcono." — lb. 
 
108 APPENDIX. 
 
 CprinkteS ihci altar thrice. Keceiving some drops from it 
 with his finger, he makes with them the sign of the Cross 
 opon his own person ; then, after having sprinkled the mi- 
 nisters, he rises from his knees, and, when erect, intones, 
 according to a prescribed chant, the first words of the anti* 
 phon from Ps. 1. 9, "Asperges me," "Thou shalt sprinkle 
 me," which the choir takes up, and proceeds to sing the fol- 
 lowing words of the verse, and afterwards the opening of the 
 i'salm " Miserere," in which they occur, with the " Gloria 
 Patri ;" after which the first words (at least) of the antiphon 
 are repeated. In the mean time the priest, reciting in a 
 low voice the words of the psalm, sprinkles first the clergy 
 and then the people, from the Vvater carried b}'- the acolyth. 
 Returning to the altar, and having venerated the Blessed 
 Sacrament (if in the tabernacle) with the proper act of ado- 
 ration, he says, standing, and with hands joined, the fal- 
 lowing versiclcs, responses, and prayer : 
 
 ")?■. Lord, show us Thy mercy. 
 
 ^. And grant us Thy salvation. 
 
 y. Lord, hear my prayer. 
 
 T^. And let my cry come to Thee. 
 
 ^. Our Lord be with you. 
 
 17. And with thy spirit. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 Hear us, holy Lord, Almighty Fatlier, Eternal God; and 
 vouchsafe to send from heaven Thy holy angel to guard, 
 cherish, protect, visit, and defend all who dwell in this 
 liabitation; through Christ our Lord. 
 
 During Easter-time the form is different. Listead of the 
 penitantial "Asperges me" and "Miserere," during that 
 joyfil season the Church sings the following antiphon 
 (founded on Ezech, xlvii. 1, 2) to another and more varied 
 chant : " I saw water coming forth of the Temple on the 
 right side. Alleluia; and all to whom that water came were 
 ff<ived;^ and shall say, Alleluia, alleluia." Then follow the first 
 
HIGH MASS. 109 
 
 words of tlie Psalm "Confifcemini" (cxvii.): "Give praise to 
 the Lord ; for IIo is good : for His mercy endureth for ever, y . 
 Glory be to the Father, ly. As it was. I saw water." On 
 Trinity Sunday the " Asperges" and "Miserere" are resumed. 
 
 If the "Asjjcrgcs" be given after the priest and Iris 
 ministers have entered for the Mass, they merely assume 
 the proper vestments in the sanctuary, and begin the Mass 
 at once. If there be no " Aspcrges," or if it have been given 
 apart from the Mass, as a separate ceremony, then the priest 
 with his ministers go in procession from the sacristy to 
 the altar, preceded by thurifer, acolyths with lighted can- 
 dles, and other attendants, two and two. The clergy and 
 choristers separate after the proper reverence to the altar, 
 and take their places on either side of the choir ; the cele- 
 brant and his ministers, with the attendants of the Mass, 
 enter the sanctuary, and the Mass is immediately legun. 
 
 C. Why does the Church sing the " Miserere" during so 
 gi-cat a part of the year ? 
 
 P. To show that in this life we rather " sow in tears'* 
 than " reap in joy." 
 
 C. What is a cope? You have not yet mentioned that 
 vestment. 
 
 P. It is a rich habit, covering the whole person, with 
 a hood or cape, generally bearing some embroidery, joined 
 in front by a clasp. 
 
 C. On what occasions is it used? 
 
 P. At all solemn ofiices except the Mass. 
 
 C. Is it, like the chasuble, peculiar to the priest? 
 
 P. No ; it may be worn by any assistant at solemn cere- 
 monies, even by a cantor not in orders. 
 
 Chap. II. The Incensing of the Altar. 
 C. What is the first ceremony afccr the priest rcachet 
 the altar? 
 
 P. The incensing. 
 
 C. Is the use of incense very ancient in the Church f 
 
110 APPENDIX. 
 
 P. Yes ; it is prescribed in all tlie older Liturgies, and 
 mentioned in the writings of the B'athers. 
 
 C. AVhat is its origin ? 
 
 P. It was adopted from the Jewish Church into the 
 Christian. It is prescribed in Exod. xxx., and a rule given 
 for its composition. Zacharias was accosted, v/hile engaged 
 in sacrifice, by the Angel of the Lord, standing at the right 
 hand of the altar of incense (St. Luke i. 10, 11). And to St. 
 John (Apoc. iii. 5) it was revealed, as part of the worship in 
 heaven : "Another Angel came, and stood before the altar, 
 having a golden thurible ; 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 
 
 And the Angel took the thurible, and filled it with the fire 
 of the altar." 
 
 C. Do not some object to the Church preserving portions 
 of the outAvard worship of Jews and Heathens ? 
 
 P. The outward shell of religion is every where the 
 same, having been constructed on a type which came ori- 
 ginally from God ; but the spirit by which this framework 
 is animated and informed, was one thing in Heathenism, 
 another in Judaism, and is still quite another in the Chris- 
 tian Church. In Heathenism, it was a diabolical spirit ; in 
 Judaism, a true but imperfect one ; in the Church alone is 
 it the Spirit of all Truth, not given in the way of earnest 
 or instalment, but " without measure ;" even as at His first 
 coming on the day of Pentecost, He stinted not His gracious 
 vouchsafements, but at once " filled the whole house where 
 they were sitting," that is, the whole of the then Church of 
 God (Acts ii. 2). 
 
 C. Please to explain the ceremony of incensing the altar 
 
 P. The priest having said the introductory prayers of 
 Mass, turns round by his right, and then, with his side to 
 the altar, puts incense into the thurible, the deacon minis- 
 tering the spoon and holding the incense-boat. The priest 
 then blesses the incense with the words: "Mavcst thou be 
 
HIGH MASS. Ill 
 
 blessed by Ilim in whose honour thou art burned.*'* Then 
 receiving the thurible from the deacon, who kisses the end 
 of its chain, and the hand of the priest, on giving it, he 
 proceeds to incense the altar, beginning with the crucifix, 
 to which he gives three incensings ; and then proceeds 
 along the epistle, and goes on to the gospel side, gcnu- 
 fectingf if the Blessed Sacrament be present, or bowing if 
 otherwise ; and passing back to the epistle corner, where 
 lie returns the thurible to the deacon, who receives it with 
 the afcre-mentioned ceremonies, and then incenses the priest 
 himself three times, and finally restores the thurible into the 
 hands of the thurifer. The priest then reads, while the 
 choir sings, the "Introit." 
 
 Chap. Ill, The Kijrie and Gloria in excchis. 
 
 P. Tlie priest then recites in a low voice the "Kyrie 
 eleison," the deacon and subdeacon joining him at the epis- 
 tle end of the altar, and reciting it alternately with him. 
 Then they go with the priest to the scats and remain seated 
 while the choir sings the "Kyrie," or if it be short, remain 
 at the altar. Tlie Kyrie of the choir ended, the priest goes 
 to the middle of the altar, and gives out the first words of 
 the "Gloria in excelsis," which the choir takes up. Tlie 
 deacon and subdeacon, after the proper reverence in these 
 places, behind the priest, go to either side of him and re- 
 peat with him the words of the "Gloria." Then all go to 
 the seats, where they remain with heads covered (except 
 at the words at which inclinations of the head were noted 
 in Low Mass), while the "Gloria" is singing by the choir. 
 Tlien all rise, and, on coming in front of the altar, niftko 
 the proper reverence. The priest ascends to the altar, the 
 deacon retiring behind him, and the subdeacon taking hii 
 place behind the deacon. 
 
 * Tho niHhop, wbcro asalBting pontlflcallj, blesses tbe IneesM. 
 t S4M abovo. 
 
112 APPENDIX. 
 
 THE COLLECTS, EPISTLE, AND GOSPEL. 
 
 P. The priest having sung " Dominus vobiscuiij," and 
 been answered by the choir, moves to the Missal at the epis- 
 tle corner, and sings the Collect or Collects of the day. The 
 deacon and subdeacon move to their proper places behind 
 Lim. The Collects over, the deacon moves up to the side of 
 the priest, and assists and answers him, while he reads the 
 Epistle, Gradual, and, if so be, Tract or Sequence. Mean- 
 while the Epistle of the day is sung from behind the priest 
 by the subdeacon, in the exercise of the power given him at 
 his ordination. Having first received the book of Epistles 
 and Gospels from the proper assistant, he carries it to the 
 steps of the altar, and there genuflects with it. Then return- 
 ing to his place, and holding the book in his hands, he sings 
 in a loud voice the Epistle of the day. At its close, he again 
 takes the book in front of the altar, and after genuflecting, 
 carries it to the epistle corner, where he kneels with the 
 book, kisses the hand of the priest laid on the book, and re- 
 ceives his blessing.* He then restores the book to the as- 
 sistant, and removes the Missal to the other side of the altar 
 for the priest to read the Gospel. 
 
 The priest then goes to the centre of the altar to say in 
 secret the prayers of preparation for the Gospel, as at Low 
 Mass ; and afterwards, in a low voice, reads the Gospel, with 
 the ceremonies formerly described. The choir is now sing- 
 ing the Gradual, and (when they occur) the Tract or Se- 
 quence. During the Sequence the priest and ministers either 
 sit, or stand one behind the other. 
 
 Meanwhile the deacon receives the book of the Gospels, 
 and, carrying it to the front of the altar, genuflects, goes up 
 to the altar, and sets the book upon it.f He next assists 
 
 * Where the Bishop assists pontifically, the subdeacon receives th« 
 blessing from him, 
 
 i The back of the sacred books is never turned toTrarda the taber* 
 
niGII MASS. 113 
 
 the priest inputting incense into the thurible, with the same 
 ceremonies as before. 
 
 0. For what is this incense? 
 
 P. For the ceremonies at the singing of the Gospel, which 
 is drawing near. 
 
 ThG deacon, having thus assisted v/ith the incense-boat, 
 kneels on the top step to say the " Munda cor meum,'' in 
 preparation for singing the Gospel : an office especially as- 
 signed him at his ordination. Then he takes from the altar 
 the book of the Gospels, and kneeling with it before the 
 priest, asks his blessing with the words, "Jube, domne, be- 
 nedicere," — " My lord, be pleased to bless me ;" then the 
 priest pronounces the blessing over him as follows: "Our 
 Lord be in thy heart and on thy lips, that worthily and com- 
 petently thou mayest announce His Gospel. In the Name 
 of the Father, >^ and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ;" 
 at the same time making the sign of the cross over him with 
 his right hand, which the deacon kisses. 
 
 The deacon then rises and, bowing, retires with the book 
 below the steps, where, with the subdeacon and attendants, 
 he genuflects, and goes, accompanied by the subdeacon, as- 
 sistants, and acolyths bearing their lighted candles, to the 
 place prepared for singing the Gospel. Then, the subdeacon 
 holding the book, the deacon sings in a loud voice, " Domi- 
 nus vobiscum," and is answered by the choir with the usual 
 response. On announcing the title of the Gospel, he signs 
 the book and himself, according to the form specified at Low 
 Mass. The title having been announced, he receives the 
 thuriblo from the thuril'er; and while the choir is singing 
 " Gloria Tibi, Domino," in answer to the announcement, in- 
 censes the sacred text three times, and makes a moderate 
 inclination of the head. Having returned the thurible to 
 the thurifer, ho proceeds to sing the Gospel in the ecclesias- 
 tical tone. Having concluded it, and pointed out the first 
 words to the subdeacon, the latter carries the book to tho 
 priest, tliat hs may ki.ss tho beginning of tho Gospol. Th* 
 I 
 
114 APPENDIX. 
 
 deacon afterwar'Js incenses the priest three times. Then (if 
 tlierc be a sermon) all make the proper inclination at the 
 altar, and retire to the seats, as at the "Gloria." 
 
 Chap. IY. The Creed. 
 
 P. After the sermon (if there be one), the priest rises 
 from liis seat, and, attended by the deacon and subdeacon, 
 proceeds in front of the altar. The priest then goes up to the 
 altar, and the deacon and subdeacon fall behind into their 
 places. The priest then intones the first words of the Creed, 
 *' Credo in unum Deum," to a form supplied him in the Mis- 
 sal. The deacon and subdeacon having genuflected, or bowed, 
 leave their places and come to either side of the priest, whero 
 they repeat with him, in a low voice, the remainder of the 
 Creed, all kneeling at "Et incarnatus est,'* and bowing to the 
 crucifix at the words specified in the account of Low Mass. 
 At the words, " Et vitam venturi S33culi, Amen," the deacon 
 and subdeacon cross themselves, with the priest. Then all 
 go to the seats, where the}'- remain till the choir (which has 
 taken up the Creed after the intonation of the priest) has 
 concluded the singing of it. 
 
 C. I observe the deacon get up from his seat, and go to 
 the altar, after the choir has sung " Et incarnatus est," in 
 tlaf creed. 
 
 P. Yes ; this is to remove from the credence-table to the 
 altar the hurse, containing the corporal, which he spreads 
 for the Sacrifice, and then draws the Missal from the gospel 
 side towards the middle, for the convenience of the priest 
 who is to use it. During this ceremony, the subdeacon rises, 
 and stands uncovered ; the acolyths also rise and stand. 
 On passing the priest, the deacon inclines his head. 
 
 Chap. V. The Solemn Offertory. 
 P. The Creed having been ended by the choir, the priest, 
 attended by the deacon and subdeacon, goes to the altar (for 
 'the last time) in the same form as after the "Gloria" and 
 
HIGH MASS. 115 
 
 the sermon. The deacon and subdeacon again fall into their 
 places behind him, and the priest, after kissing tlie altar, 
 sings the "Dominus vobiscum," and is answered by the 
 clioir. (See Low Mass.) He then sings the " Oremus" for 
 the " Offertorium," which he sai/s in a low voice ; the choir 
 meanwhile singing or reciting it. 
 
 The deacon now leaves his place, having first made the 
 proper reverence, and goes to the epistle side of the altar; 
 while the subdeacon proceeds to the credence-table before 
 mentioned, where he finds the chalice and paten prepared 
 for the Sacrifice, covered with a long veil of the colour of 
 the day, as well as the short one by which they are always 
 covered when not in use. The long veil ,is j)laced over his 
 shoulders to cover the sacred vessels, which he then receives 
 into his hands, and carries to the epistle side of the altar, 
 where the deacon, putting aside the long veil, receives the 
 vessels and sets them on the altar. The deacon then pre- 
 sents the priest with the paten bearing the Bread of the Sa- 
 crifice, kissing the paten and his hand. While the priest is 
 offering the paten (as at Low Mass), the deacon pours suflii- 
 cient wine into the chalice; and the subdeacon, holding the 
 cruet of water in his hand, invokes the blessing of the priest 
 in the words, " Benedicite, pater reverende (or revcren- 
 dissime)," — "Reverend (or Right Reverend) Father, please 
 to give your blessing." 
 
 O. Why " benedicite" in the plural, and not *' bencdic"? 
 
 P. The plural is always a token of respect. Then the 
 priest* blesses the water, as at Low Mass, and the subdea- 
 con proceeds to pour a few drops into the chalice, which the 
 deacon wipes in the inside with the purificatory down to the 
 surface of the liquid. 
 
 C. Now I SCO that the ministers of the Church arc fuU 
 filling all tlieir proper functions. 
 
 J^ Yes, because High Mass is the most perfect cclebr*. 
 tiou of the Sacrifice. You have seen that the subdeiMOQ 
 * Or UtHhop, whoQ MtisUng pontifiMlly. 
 
116 APPENBTX. 
 
 sings the Epistle, and the deacon tlie Gosi:)el. Now you see 
 the subdeacon assisting with the water, and the deacon with 
 the wine. All this is according to the proper duties of their 
 several offices. 
 
 The deacon now presents the priest with the chalice, as 
 before with the paten, kissing it at the foot and the priestV 
 band. Then, with his left hand holding back the priest's 
 vestment to leave play for his arm, and with his right touch- 
 ing the foot of the chalice, or the arm of the priest holding 
 it, he repeats with the priest the words of oblation, which, 
 you may remember, I told you were put in the plural form 
 on that account. 
 
 C. Can the deacon touch the Blessed Sacrament ? 
 
 P. No ; but he can touch vessels containing it ; which 
 the subdeacon may not do. When the Blood of our Lord 
 was given in ancient times to the Faithful, it was the dea- 
 con who administered it. You see, therefore, the beautiful 
 harmony of the Church's provisions ; the wine is the deacon' 9 
 charge, — the more honourable material belongs to the more 
 honourable ministry" ; — the water falls to the subdeacon, as 
 the inferior. 
 
 But to proceed ; the oblation of the chalice over, the dea- 
 con next gives the paten, after wiping it with the purifica- 
 tory, into the hands of the subdeacon, and covers it with the 
 end of the long veil still worn by the latter, who, bearing 
 the paten so covered, proceeds with it to his proper place at 
 the foot of the altar, where he continues holding it till the 
 end of the " Pater noster." 
 
 G. Why is this ? 
 
 P. It is said to date from the time when the Faithful 
 offered bread and wine on the paten. As these oflerings 
 were large, the size of the paten was in proportion, and, 
 being inconvenient on the altar, it was removed, and held 
 by the subdeacon till wanted again by the priest.* Cer. 
 tainly it is very much in the Church's way to maintain prao 
 « Vid. Le Brun, CiTcnu de la Messe. 
 
HIGH MASS. 117 
 
 ticcs in Bymbol after she lias dropped them in their official 
 use. 
 
 C. Does not the choir sing something here ? 
 
 F. Yes; first (proper!}') the sentence called the OfTer- 
 toriuiD, and then, according to a common practice, what is 
 called an Ojferioryjpiece, orMotett, on some appropriate sub- 
 ject. There is always a considerable pause in this part of 
 the ]Mass, to allow time for the various ceremonies at tho 
 altar, and it seems reasonable enough that the devotions of 
 the Faithful should be assisted by some suitable piece of 
 music. 
 
 THE INCENSING AT THE OFFERTORY. 
 
 P. And now, the priest having said in secret the prayers 
 following the oblation of the chalice (as given at Low Mass), 
 tunis his left side to tho altar, to put incense into the thuri. 
 ble, the thurifer holding it, and the deacon ministering the 
 boat, as on the two former occasions. But as this incensing 
 is the most solemn of all, the Church orders that it be ac- 
 companied by special words. 
 
 Instead, then, of blessing the incense in the usual form, 
 " Mayest thou be blessed by Him in whose honour thou art 
 burned," the priest now says secretly, on casting in tho 
 three separate portions, " By the intercession of blessed Mi- 
 chael the archangel, standing on the right hand of the altar 
 of incense,* and of all His elect, the Lord vouchsafe to bless 
 ^ this incense, and to receive it in the odour of sweetness, 
 tlirough Christ our Lord;" making over tho incense tho 
 I'gn of the cross.f 
 
 Tlicn the priest, receiving tho thuriblo from tlio deacon, 
 who kisses it and his hand, proceeds to incense the ohlata^ 
 i)V bread and wine of the Sacrifice. Making over them with 
 tlio thuriblo three crosses, and then round them three cir« 
 clcs (the last in reverse order), ho says tho following words, 
 still in secret : "May this incense, blessed by Thee, ascend 
 to Thee, Lord; and may tlicre descend upon us Thy mercy." 
 * See St. Luke L 11. t See note at p. 111. 
 
118 APPENDIX. 
 
 He nsxt inconscs the crucifix thrice, with tlie words of 
 Psalm cxl. verse 2 : " Let my prayer be directed as incense 
 in Thy sight." Then, while he incenses the whole altar on 
 the epistle and gospel side, and returns to the former (as at 
 the beginning of the Mass), he continues the words of the 
 same Psalm : "The lifting up of ray hands as an evening 
 sacrifice.* Set a watch, Lord, before my mouth, aiid a 
 door round about my lips ; that my heart incline not to evil 
 words, to make excuses in sins." Then he restores the 
 thurible to the deacon at the epistle side, saying, " Ma^^ our 
 Lord enkindle within us the fire of His love, and the flame 
 of eternal charity." The deacon receives it, kissing it and 
 his hand as before, and incenses him thrice.f Then the 
 deacon goes off to incense the clergy in choir. Last of all, 
 he incenses the subdeacon, and is himself incensed by the 
 thurifer. But whereas he incenses the celebrating priest 
 thrice, he incenses the clergy, the subdeacon, and is himself 
 incensed, but twice. The celebrant remaining at the epistle 
 end of the altar, washes his hands, saying secretly the psalm 
 "Lavabo," as already explained. He then jDroceeds with 
 the additional prayer of oblation, the " Orate fratres," and 
 the secret prayers, as at Low Mass, the chief attendant as- 
 sisting at the Missal. 
 
 Chap. VI. The Preface in Solemn Mass. 
 
 C. The Preface seems to be a very prominent feature in 
 solemn Mass. 
 
 P. It is so; the Church invests it with great dignity, by 
 clothing its words of unspeakable majesty in a chant which 
 may be truly said, though it is saying a great deal, to be 
 worthy of them. 
 
 C. Is this chant of great antiquity? 
 
 P. Yes ; it is believed to preserve portions of the music 
 
 ♦ These words are beautifully applied by the Church to the Sacrifice 
 of the Cross, which was confsummated towards eventide. 
 
 t If the Bishop assist at the Mass poni'jicaUi/, he also is incensed 
 thrice. 
 
EIGH MASS. 1 J 
 
 of the Tcmple-worsLlp; and somo think that fragments cf 
 it were learned by apostles and apostolic men in moments 
 cf intimate communion with heaven. 
 
 C. And the choir responds, docs it not, also in song, to 
 the versicles which occur in the Preface ? 
 
 P. Yes ; so as to resemble and represent the voices of 
 angels meeting with sympathetic joy these reiterated ap- 
 peals to their devotion and gratitude. 
 
 C. Does the tone or chant of the solemn Preface vary at 
 different times ? 
 
 P. Yes; because the -words of the Preface themselves 
 vary. On Ferial Days, or in Masses of the Dead, it has Icfs 
 variety of notes, and is consequently less joyful. 
 
 C Docs the priest sing the " Sanctus" at the end of the 
 Preface? 
 
 P. No; he says it, and the choir sings it. 
 
 C. Does the priest say the " Sanctus" with any particu- 
 lar ceremonies? 
 
 P. The deacon and subdeacon go to either side of him 
 at the altar, and sa}' it with him. The subdeacon then re- 
 turns to his own place, and the deacon takes Ms place at 
 the priest's left hand, to assist in turning over the leaves cf 
 the Missal at the Canon. 
 
 CirAP. VII. The Canon and Consecration in Solemn Mum. 
 P. Tiie Consecration is now drawing on, and, with a view 
 to it, the principal assistant at the ceremonies goes out to 
 bring additional acolyths with lighted torches. The rubric 
 directs that at every Mass a candle shall be lighted for tho 
 consecration, but this is commonly interpreted of Iligli Ma.ss 
 alone. Tiic acolyths having come in, arrange tlicmsclvcs 
 in presence of the altar; and shortly before tho consecra- 
 tion, tho deacon, having genuflected, moves round to tho 
 right of the priest, and goes on both knees. At the same 
 time the subdeacon, lowering the paten which he still cur- 
 rics, kneels in bis place. Inccusc is then put into tho tliuri* 
 
1 20 AriENDlX, 
 
 ble to honour the Blessed Sacrament at the consociation. 
 When the priest inchnes to say the words of consecration, 
 all the ministers and assistants bend forward, and remain 
 in a posture of profound inclination till after the consecra- 
 tion in both species. When the consecration and adoration 
 of the Sacred Body are over, the deacon rises and removes 
 tlie pall from the chalice ; and after the consecration and 
 adoration of the precious Blood, he replaces it. The chief 
 assistant incenses the Body and Blood of our Lord ; after 
 the Consecration, it is usual for the choir to sing the " Bene- 
 d ictus." 
 
 Chap. VIII. From the Consecration to the '' Pater noster.'* 
 
 P. After the Consecration, the deacon and subdeacon 
 rise ; and the deacon, having genuflected, goes again to the 
 left side of the priest to assist at the Missal. All proceeds 
 as at Low Mass, till after the Memento of the Dead, when 
 the deacon again genuflects, and goes to the right of the 
 priest to remove the pall from the chalice for the " Little 
 Elevation" (see Low Mass) ; also, when the priest makes 
 the sign of the Cross over the Sacred Host and chalice, the 
 deacon steadies the latter at the foot, in virtue of his privi- 
 lege of touching vessels containing the Body or Blood of our 
 Lord. When the priest comes to the " Pater noster," the 
 deacon, having genuflected, leaves the altar, and goes to 
 his place behind the priest. 
 
 CiiAP. IX. From the " Pater noster^* to the Communion. 
 C. Does not the priest sing the '' Pater noster" as well 
 as the Preface ? 
 
 P. Yes, to a beautiful tone prescribed in the Missal. 
 This, like the tone of the Preface, is simpler on Fcrias and 
 in Masses of the Dead than at other times. When the priest 
 comes near the end, the deacon and subdeacon, having genu- 
 flected at their places, go up to the altar. The subdeacon 
 then delivers up the paten to the deacon, who wipes it witb 
 
niGlI MASS. 121 
 
 the purificatory, and gives it to the priest after tlie " Pater 
 uoster" (see Low Mass), kissing its edge and the priest's 
 hand. An attendant removes the long veil from the 
 shoulders of the subdeacon, who genuflects, and returns 
 to his place. The deacon stays by the priest at his right 
 to remove the pall from the chalice, and steady it when 
 necessary. At the proper place the priest sings, to a tone 
 prescribed in the Missal, the "Pax Domini." Then the Hub- 
 deacon joins him at the altar, and, with the deacon, accom- 
 panies the priest in sa3'ing the "Agnus Dei." This over, 
 the subdeacon goes down to his place ; the deacon goes on 
 both knees while the priest says the first of the three pray- 
 ers before the Communion. 
 
 And here succeeds one of the most remarkable and 
 affecting ceremonies of Mass, called the "Pax" — the me- 
 morial of the holy " kiss of peace," mentioned in St. Paul's 
 epistles, and practised in the early ages, but afterwards dis- 
 continued in consequence of abuses or scandals. I have lately 
 said that the Church is not apt to drop holy customs alto- 
 gether, but preserves them in ceremonies after their use 
 has passed away. Thus it is with the "kiss of peace." 
 This kiss is given at Solcnm Mass, after the "Agnus Dei," 
 to the deacon and subdeacon ; and when there are clergy 
 present, to them also. The manner of giving it is as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 After the first of the three prayers before Communion, 
 tlie deacon rises from his knees, and kisses the altar with 
 the celebrant ; then the celebrant, placing his hand on the 
 deacon, inclines towards his check, saying, "Pax tecum," 
 Peace be with you:" and is answered by the deacon, "Et 
 ni spiritu tuo," "And with thy spirit." The priest then 
 goes on with the following prayers. The deacon nicanwhilo 
 goes down, and gives tlic same "peace" to the subdeacon, 
 in the same form. Then both gcnufcct to the Blessed Sa- 
 crament; and the subdeacon goes off to the choir, where ho 
 again gives the "peace" to the superior of the clergy, h# 
 
122 APPENDIX. 
 
 to the next below, and so on, till all Lave received, down 
 to the youngest of those in surplices. In each case the in- 
 ferior bows to the superior, before and after giving the " Pax," 
 but not vice versa. 
 
 C. Is the "peace" given in all Masses? 
 
 P. No; not in the Masses of the Dead, when, as we have 
 seen, the form of the " Agnus Dei" is changed, and the first 
 of the following Prayers not said. It is likewise omitted on 
 the great "Triduum," or Three sacred Days of the Passion 
 of our Divine Redeemer ; this is said to be in abhorrence of 
 the treacherous kiss of Judas. Even in the joyful Mass of 
 Holy Saturday the "peace" is omitted, to be resumed with 
 all the greater propriety' on Easter morning, when, in early 
 times, Christians embraced one another, as thej^ said, "The • 
 Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia." 
 
 0. Does the ceremony of the "Pax" proceed in silence? 
 
 P. The words are said inaudibly ; but the choir mean- 
 while is singing the "Agnus Dei," having taken it up after 
 the priest. The subdeacon, after giving the Pax, returns to 
 the altar to assist the Priest at the Communion, at wliich 
 he and the deacon incline the head. 
 
 O. Do the faithful ever communicate at High Mass ? 
 
 P. Yes, often, when it is at an early hour; but when, 
 as is usual among ourselves, it is the latest of all the Masses 
 of the day, and is seldom over till twelve or one o'clock, ih^ 
 Faithful generally communicate at an earlier Mass. 
 
 C. When given at High Mass, is the Communion in any 
 way more solemn ? 
 
 P. The deacon and subdeacon receive (if at all) first, 
 and on the top step of the sanctuary ; then tlie clergy (if 
 any) in surplices, and then the laity. The deacon, having 
 himself communicated, accompanies the priest in giving 
 Communion to the rest, holding the paten under the Sacred 
 Host, as it is placed on the tongue of the receiver. 
 
 G. Do priests ever communicate, except at the Maaa 
 which they themselves celebrate? 
 
HIGH MASS. 123 
 
 jP. Rarely; because the same reason which hinders thcin 
 from saying Mass, is likely to hinder them from going to 
 Communion. But sometimes this is not so, as, for example, 
 with a priest newly ordained, who has not as yet said his 
 first Mass; and on Holy Thursday, when but one priest 
 celebrates and the rest communicate. 
 
 C Does a priest communicating at the Mass of ano 
 ther priest receive our Lord under one or under bo'a 
 species ? 
 
 P. Under one; and this even though he were a Bisho}\ 
 or the Pope himself. 
 
 C. Indeed ? Then it is untrue to speak of the law which 
 restricts the communion of the chalice, as made against the 
 laity ? 
 
 P. Yes ; the distinction which the Church makes is not 
 between the clergy and lait}', but between the celebrant and 
 all others. 
 
 C. Is this generally known ? 
 
 P. Very possibly not ; for the ignorance which prevails 
 about our institutions is wonderful, and only equalled by the 
 freedom with which they are discussed and criticised. 
 
 C. But, after all, if I may ask, why does the Church 
 refuse the precious Blood of our Lord to any of the Faithful, 
 contrary, as might seem, to His institution, and the prac- 
 tice of early times? 
 
 P. Do you ask for your own satisfaction, or with a view 
 to others? 
 
 C. For others only. 
 
 P. Well, then, hear me. Do you know what is meant 
 by the doctrine o( concomitance f 
 
 C. I think so. It is that our Divine Lord is entire under 
 each Kpccies ; so that tlie bread, after consecration, is not 
 His Body in any such sense as to bo without His precious 
 Blood; nor the \\inc, after consecration, His Blood in any 
 such sense as to bo without His most sacred Body. 
 
 P. Very well. And now see what Trotcitant objcctort 
 
124 APPENDIX. 
 
 to the witliholding of the chalice in certain cases suppose; 
 namely, that the doctrine you have just stated is untrue. 
 
 C. How so? 
 
 P. Because they suppose that such as receive our Lord 
 under one species alone, receive Him but in part. Conse- 
 quently, in their communions (if they profess any doctrine 
 af the Keal Presence at all), they think that they receive 
 the Body of our Lord without His most precious Blood, and 
 His Blood apart ■from His most sacred Body. This opinion 
 presumes such a separation between the constituents of the 
 One Christ as was never realised, except during the three 
 days between His crucifixion and resurrection. It supposes 
 the whole Christ to be received b}^ receiving the two parts 
 of which the Whole is made up, but wdiich, in His living 
 Person, are inseparable. We not only condemn the doctrine, 
 but abhor the notion of so unnatural a separation. We re- 
 member that onr Lord, ''being risen from the dead, dieth no 
 more," " He is not dead. He is risen." We cannot even 
 imagine receiving Him at all, without receiving Him as He 
 is. Those essential parts of His bodily nature. His entire 
 Flesh and His Blood, once and for ever joined, we dare not 
 sunder even in idea, even in figure, still less in act. It 
 would seem to us almost like crucifying Him afresh, and 
 then feeding upon Him, not by a most high and mystical 
 and yet real participation, but rather as we might partake 
 of merely human food. 
 
 Now the limitation of the chalice to the celebrant was 
 introduced as a point of discipline, and in the exercise of the 
 Church's undoubted power of regulating all matters of prac- 
 tice according to the necessities of the occasion ; j-et, inci- 
 dentall}^, her modification of the Eucharistic institute has 
 undoubtedly subserved the great purpose of investing with 
 life, and embodying in action, this great docti'ine o^ conco- 
 mitance^ the ncgler-t of which has led to results so unspeak- 
 pUv prejudicial to the doctrine of the integrity of our Lo.'d'a 
 Docfilv nature. 
 
men MASS. 125 
 
 C. But is not tlic restriction of tlio cliallcc to the cele- 
 brant against the institution of Christ, and tlie practice of 
 the early Churcli ? 
 
 P. It is any thing but clear, even from the letter of Holy 
 Scripture itself, that our Lord, in giving of the chalice to 
 nis Apostles, designed to impose on them and their suc- 
 cessors the necessary duty of dispensing it to all others. 
 Their office was peculiar ; and the first celebration of the 
 Holy Eucharist, in "which the Apostles were gifted with 
 powers,* and not merely admitted to a privilege, is no pre- 
 cedent for all subsequent celebrations. Had others besides 
 the Twelve been present at the Last Supper, and received 
 of the chalice, that would have been a precedent. On the 
 other hand, it is very remarkable that, in all the earliest 
 i.otices of the Blessed Eucharist, subsequently to the Resur- 
 rection, bread only is named as the sacramental matter.f 
 Again: it is certain that, in the early Church, infants were 
 communicated under the species of wine alone. 
 
 Thus you see that the Church has ever taken on herself 
 TO dispense this precious Gift according to the free discretion 
 with which our Lord has intrusted her; modifying first the 
 institution itself, and then modifying even her own modifi- 
 cations ; relaxing, under certain circumstances, the restric- 
 tion upon the faithful at large, and placing even her priests 
 upon a par with others, when they present themselves witli 
 others at her banquet ; as if to take from her people the re- 
 proach of exclusion, and from her priests the boast of prero- 
 gative ; that so " the eyes of all may hope" in her, she "giv- 
 ing them meat in due season :"| true dispenser of that celes- 
 tial Manna, whereof " one gathereth more, another less ;" 
 yet so that " neither had ho more that gathered more, nor 
 did he find less that had provided less ; but every one ga. 
 thcrcd according to what they wt>r(» -.Mo, to cat.**g 
 
 • T»wT» wiitTt— 'Do this. 
 
 t Sue .St. John XXl. 18; Acts il. 12. xx. 7. 
 
 J Seo Vs. cxiiv. 15. I Exod. xtI. U, 18L 
 
126 APPENDIX, 
 
 CiiAP. X. From the Communion to the end of 
 High Mass. 
 
 P. When tlie subdeacon has concluded giving the ''Fax," 
 he rejoins the priest at his right hand, and removes the pall 
 from the chalice when the priest is about to receive the pre. 
 clous Blood of onr Lord. When the communion of the priest 
 and Faithful (if any of the Faithful communicate) is over, the 
 subdeacon ministers wine for the first ablution ; and then, 
 withdrawing to the epistle end, wine and water for the se- 
 cond. The deacon now removes the Missal to the epistle 
 side. The priest, having received the second ablution, leaves 
 the sacred vessels and linen, and goes to the Missal at the 
 epistle side to read the " Communion." The subdeacon ar- 
 ranges the gacred vessels and linen, puts the corporal into 
 the burse, and, having covered the chalice and paten with 
 the veil, bears them, with the burse resting on them, to the 
 credence-table. Having deposited the sacred vessels on the 
 credence-table, he goes to his place behind the priest and 
 deacon. The priest having read the " Communion," goes to 
 the middle of the altar, sings the " Dominus vobiscum," and 
 is answered by the choir ; then, going to the Missal, he sings 
 the Post Communion prayer or prayers. Keturning to the 
 middle, he again sings " Dominus vobiscum," and is an- 
 swered by the choir. Then the deacon, turning to the peo- 
 ple, sings the "Ite, missa est;" or, if proper to the day, 
 " Benedicamus Domino," towards the altar. 
 
 C Are the tones of these prescribed, and do they vary? 
 
 P. They are prescribed in the Missal itself. There are 
 six tones of the "Ite, missa est," and three of the "Benedi- 
 camus Domino," according to the occasions. Of the "Ite, 
 missa est:" 1. with the two "Alleluias" for Easter-day and 
 week ; 2. for the more solemn festivals at other times of the 
 year ; 3. for ordinary double festivals ; 4. for Masses of the 
 Blessed Virgin ; 5. for semi-doubles ; 6. for simples. And of 
 the "Bcnedicamus Domino:" 1. for Sundays in Advent and 
 
HIGH MASS. 127 
 
 Lent; 2. forFerias; 3. for the Vigil of the Nativity, and the 
 Mass of the Holy Innocents. 
 
 C. What is the peculiarity of this last tone compared 
 with the rest? 
 
 P. It is more joyful. 
 
 C. But I thought the "Benedicamus Domino" was never 
 used on joyful days. 
 
 P. Neither is it; but the Vigil of the Nativity, and the 
 Feast of the Holy Innocents, are days of a very unusual 
 character. The former is a strict Fast, upon -which never- 
 theless the coming Feast of our Lord's Nativity reflects a 
 certain joyfulness. The latter is an exception to all other 
 Martyrs' days, in having mournful accompaniments — purple, 
 instead of red vestments; no "TeDeum," nor "Gloria;" and 
 tlierefore no "Ite, missa est."* Yet, coming as it docs, at 
 Christmas time, it is not simply a mournful festival. 
 
 C. Why is this? 
 
 P. The Church deems it no prejudice to the memory of 
 those earliest and very glorious Martyrs, the Holy Inno- 
 cents, to mourn at the same time for the unparalleled atro- 
 city of the crime which cut them off, like budding floAvcrs, 
 from the earth — a crime too which was especially directed 
 against our Blessed Lord Himself (at this time, Christmas, 
 so fresh in the Church's love), and which was £l kind of first- 
 fruits of the malice to which He afterwards fell a victim. 
 '• The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes assembled 
 together, against the Lord, and against His Christ. "f 
 
 But the Church, having paid her tribute to the niemoiry 
 of those innocent sufferers on the day of their Festival, feels 
 hcrsclfat liberty to rejoice with unclouded joy at their actual, 
 though unconscious, testimony to Christ on the Octave of 
 their Feast, when she appears in red, symbolical of their 
 precious blood, sings the "To Ucnm," and rejoins the angcli 
 in the Hymn of the Nativity. 
 
 • If, however, tlio TciiKt of the Holy Innocents occur on a Siin<Uy 
 M In treated a.s any other uiartyr'H day. t IV ii. 2. 
 
1 28 APPENDIX. 
 
 And now, if tliere be a second Gospel of the day, tbe 
 deacon removes the Missal from the epistle side. He then 
 kneels ^Yith the subdeacon, to receive the priest's blessing. 
 The blessing over, the deacon and subdeacon join the priest 
 at the reading of the Gospel ; and if it be the Gospel of St. 
 John, the subdeacon holds the card. The deacon kneels 
 with the priest at " Et Verbum caro ftictum est," but not 
 the subdeacon, because he holds the card. Then all bow to 
 the middle of the altar, descend the steps, make the proper 
 inclination, and, preceded by the acolyths with lights and 
 the clergy, return to the sacristy. 
 
 II. HIGH MASS OF THE DEAD. 
 
 C. Will you kindl}'' explain, sir, what are the varieties of 
 ceremonial in High Mass of the Dead? 
 
 P. There are several, besides those already noticed as ex- 
 isting between the ordinary Low Mass and that of the Dead. 
 
 1. The altar is incensed at the Offertory alone. 
 
 2. The deacon and subdeacon take more time over their 
 genuflection on first ascf Tiding to the altar with the priest, 
 in order that a second genuflection may not be necessary 
 on leaving the middle for the epistle side at the Introit. 
 
 3. The celebrant (as before observed) makes the sign ol 
 the cross towards the Missal, instead of on himself; and the 
 deacon and subdeacon do not, as at the ordinary High Mass, 
 make any corresponding sign. 
 
 4. The subdeacon, after singing the Epistle, docs not re- 
 ceive the priest's blessing, nor kiss his hand. 
 
 5. The celebrant, having said the Dies ircc after the 
 Gradual and Tract, goes with his two ministers to the seats, 
 or stands at the altar, while that Sequence is sung by the 
 choir. Just before the last stanza of the Sequence, the dea- 
 con, having previously laid the book of the Gospels upon the 
 altar, proceeds to say the " Munda cor meum," without ask- 
 
HIGH MASS OF TUE DEAD. 129 
 
 in^ tlic benediction of the priest; and liavlii^ genuflected 
 with the subdeacon, goes with him and the attendants (but 
 without lights and incense) to sing the Gospel. At the end, 
 he gives the book to the subdeacon ; but the latter does not 
 carry it to the priest, as the text is not kissed. 
 
 6. At the Offertory the subdeacon does not wear the long 
 veil on his shoulders, in carrying the chalice to the altar. 
 lie omits the words, " Keverend father, be pleased to give a 
 blessing,'* because the water is not blessed. He does not 
 bear away the paten, but goes without it to his place be« 
 hind the deacon. 
 
 7. After the Invocation of the Holy Ghost, the Bread and 
 Wine of the Sacrifice, the crucifix, and the altar, are incensed 
 by the priest as usual, and with the usual words; the sub- 
 deacon, who is not engaged in bearing the paten, going up 
 to the altar to assist the deacon in holding back the prioist's 
 vestments at the incensing. 
 
 8. The deacon and subdeacon assist at the " Lavabo," or 
 washing of the priest's hands, with the basin and towel. 
 
 9. Shoi-tly before the Consecration, the subdeacon moves 
 towards the epistle side ; then receiving the thurible from the 
 attendant (who has previously supplied it with incense, but 
 without any benediction), incenses the Body and Blood of 
 our Lord at the time of consecration. The subdeacon fulfils 
 this office at High Mass of the Dead, because he docs not, a8 
 in other High Masses, hold the paten. 
 
 10. Not having to deliver up the paten, the subdeacon 
 does not move from his place till the " Pax Domini,** when 
 he goes to the left of the priest at the altar, and then joins 
 the deacon in Baying, with the priest, the "Agnus Dei;'' 
 but (as was observed in the proper place at Low Mass) the 
 striking of the breast is omitted. 
 
 IL At the end of Mass, the deacon sings, towards Ih© 
 
 altar, "Requicscant in pace,*' to a tone prescribed in the 
 
 Missal ; and as there is no final blessing, tho ministers join 
 
 the priest at the Gospel of St. John (which in Masses of 
 
 K 
 
130 APPENDIX. 
 
 the Dead is always said) without previously kneeling. All 
 else proceeds as usual. 
 
 KB. The ferial tone is used for the Preface and "Pater 
 noster." 
 
 III. SOLEMN VESPERS. 
 
 C. There are, I believe, two evening oflices of the 
 Chu'rch, are there not ? 
 
 P. Yes, Vespers and Compline ; the first proper to the 
 earlier part of the evening-, the second to its close. 
 
 C. Are both these offices commonly celebrated with so- 
 lemnity in the Church at large ? 
 
 P. No; Vespers alone are so celebrated as a general rule ; 
 but it is the practice in some places to sing Compline also as 
 a part of the public evening devotion. In communities where 
 the duties of the choir are performed, all the Seven Hours of 
 Prayer are observed in choir, and in that case Vespers and 
 Compline go together. Solemn Vespers are always sung, 
 where there are the means of singing them, on Sundays and 
 ITolydays ; and are, of course, intended by the Church to be 
 sung at other times also. 
 
 C. What is the meaning of " First" and " Second" Ves- 
 pers ? 
 
 P. Every Festival is considered by the Church to begin 
 and end in the evening. First and Second Vespers, there- 
 fore, express its opening on one evening, and its close oixthe 
 next. 
 
 O. How is the succession and arrangement of Festivals 
 determined ? 
 
 P. By certain rules contained in the rubrics, and applied 
 to practice in the " Ordo recitandi Divini Officii," or yearly 
 Calendar of the Church, which is published in all countries 
 of the Christian world. 
 
 O. AVhat is the general principle on which these arrango* 
 m«nts arc made ? 
 
SOLEMN' VESrERS. 
 
 131 
 
 P. All Festivals, except those of the higlicst class, admit 
 of the introduction into their office of Commemorations, i. e. 
 of the subsidiary celebration of other Festivals inferior to 
 themselves, or of days within the Octaves of the great Fes- 
 tivals, or of Ferias, or week-days, in certain special seasons, 
 such as Advent and Lent. These commemorations are made 
 ill the form of an antiphon, versicle and response, and col- 
 lect, and sometimes of a special stanza at the close of the 
 Hymn. There are also certain common commemorations in- 
 troduced on all semi-doubles in the year, excepting at the 
 more solemn seasons. These are : 1. Of the Blessed Virgin ; 
 2. Of the holy Apostles SS. Peter and Paul ; 3. Of the Pa- 
 tron Saint of the country (in England, St. George), or of 
 the Church,* or community ; 4. For peace. 
 
 C. Docs Compline admit of similar introductions? 
 
 P. No ; Compline is not ordinarily liable to these varia- 
 tions, except that of the final stanza of the Hymn. During 
 Easter time, however, "Alleluias" are added in it. 
 
 C. These additions must tend to complicate the oflice, 
 and make it difficult to follow. 
 
 P. Most things which arc worth knowing require time 
 and pains to understand. But many members of the Chris- 
 tian laity arc quite at home in the office of the Church, at 
 least so far as it is publicly celebrated; priests arc alwaj'S 
 ready to give assistance in such inquiries; and the order of 
 tljo Church offices is annually published for the use of the laity. 
 
 O. Is the Vesper oflice on Sundays always that proper to 
 the Sunday? 
 
 P. On the contrary, it is more frequently tho second 
 Vesper oflice of a Festival (when of superior rank to tho 
 Sunday), or tho first Vesper olfico of a Festival on tho fol- 
 lowing day; tho Sunday being, iu such caacs, gouerally 
 commemorated. 
 
 C. Do tho Psalms vary on difTcrcut days? 
 
 P. The first four aro generally thoso of the Sundg}-. But 
 * i. «. where It has been cooaeerated. 
 
132 APPENDIX. 
 
 on the first Vespers of Saints' daj's (except days of oar 
 Blessed Lady, of Virgins, and Holy Women), the fifth is 
 changed into the 116th, "Laudato Dominum omnes gentes." 
 On the First Vespers of the office for the Dedication of a 
 Church, which very rarcl}'' occurs, the last Psalm is the 
 147th, "Lauda Jerusalem." On Feasts of the Blessed Virgin, 
 the Psalms are the 109th, 112th, 121st, 126th, and 147th ; and 
 the same are proper to the Feast ofa Virgin or Holy Woman. 
 At the First Vespers of Corpus Christi, the Psalms are spe- 
 cial. But all this, together with the variations of the Hymns, 
 &c., j'-ou will find explained in the ordinary Vesper-Booh. 
 On the Second Vespers of an Apostle, the Psalms are (in 
 addition to the 109th and 112th), the 115th, " Credidi ;" 
 I25th, " In convertendo ;" and 138th, " Domine, probasti 
 me." On the Second Vespers of a Confessor not a Bishop, 
 the last Psalm is " Laudate Dominum'* (116th); but on 
 those of a Confessor Bishop, it is Psalm cxxxi., " Memento 
 Domine, David;" and on those of one or more Martyrs, 
 Psalm cxv., " Crcdidi." On certain days at the Second 
 Vespers, "Lauda Jerusalem" is the last Psalm, and on all 
 Feasts of the Angels, " Confitebor tibi" (Psalm cxxxvii.). 
 The five Sunday Psalms are consecutive in the Psalter 
 from the 109th to the 113 th. The first is a kind of com- 
 memoration of all the great mysteries of our redemption; 
 the second alludes to the praise of God " in the congrega- 
 tion ;" the third commemorates the graces and privileges of 
 the Just ; the fourth is a Psalm of praise, with a prophecy 
 towards its close of the Blessed Virgin and the Church (on 
 which account it is one of the Psalms proper to her festivals); 
 while the last celebrates the deliverance of the Israelites 
 from Egyptian bondage, and is therefore appropriate to Sun- 
 days, which are days in honour of the Eesurrection of our 
 Lord. It is very remarkable that a series of Psalms so suit- 
 able to the ordinary wants of the Church on her weekly fes- 
 tivals, should be found in succession. 
 
 On days of the Blessed Virgin, Psalm cxxi. is substituted 
 
SOLEMN VESPERS. 133 
 
 for ex., Psalm cxxvi. for cxi,, and Psalm cxlvii. for cxiii. In 
 all these substitutions you will see that the analogy between 
 the Blessed Virgin and the Church is intended to be kept in 
 mind, as is shown especially in the frequent occun-ence of 
 the word "domus;" the Blessed Virgin first, and the Church 
 afterwards, being our Lord's chosen " habitation" or " taber- 
 nacle.'* 
 
 The Psalms of the Blessed Virgin are used on all days of 
 holy women, whether virgins, married, or widows, because 
 of all such our Blessed Lady is the especial model and Par 
 Ironess. 
 
 On Saints' days, Psalm cxiii, (In exitu), being espcciallv 
 appropriate to Sunday, is changed into Psalm cxlvii., a 
 general Psalm of praise. Psalm cxxxi. (Memento) will be 
 Been on examination to contain several allusions to the 
 priestJwod. Psalm cxv. (Credidi) speaks of the "death of 
 God's Saints," whence it is proper to Martyrs' days and to 
 the Apostles, all of whom were also Martyrs. The addition 
 of Psalms cxxv. and cxxxviii. to their Second YcsipcxSj is ex- 
 plained by the antiphon prefixed and added to each. Psalm 
 cxlvii. (Lauda Jerusalem) is proper to the dedication of a 
 church as well as to the Blessed Virgin. 
 
 C. What are the Psalms for Vespers on week-days ? 
 
 P. They are, with some omissions, those which follow in 
 order after the Psalms of the Sunday.* 
 
 C. Why are the Church offices always sung in Latin? 
 
 P. The Church is particular about tho use of Latin in 
 all her public odiccs of devotion, on account especially of 
 the danger to which national languages arc exposed of de- 
 terioration and change, through which, in course of time, 
 even the purity of doctrine might be corrupted. Moreover, 
 as the Church is not for one country, but for all, it is to 
 be desired that she should possess a universal language, as 
 well as a unifor.Ti rito. It is when Catholics travel from 
 country to country that they feci especially tho benefit ol 
 * Thty will be found iu the yt$ptr$Jor(ht Laiiy, Dims and L«nib«rt. 
 
134 APPENDIX. 
 
 this provision of tlio Church, superseding all national dis- 
 tinctions. I will add another reason for the use of Latin, 
 which is, that it is most important to have a language for 
 sacred purposes not vulgarised by familiar use. 
 
 C. But may it not be considered an evil that the laity 
 should be debarred from following the public offices of the 
 Church ? 
 
 P. They cannot be said to be so; for, first, there are 
 many of them who actually understand at least I^atin 
 enough to enter into the meaning of the v/ords; and of 
 those who do not, many have leisure to study it ; a work 
 the labour of which would be greatly lightened by being 
 iHidertalvcn in a pure spirit of devotion, and for so noble 
 an end, — not to speak of the aid of the Holy Spirit, which 
 would certainly be vouchsafed to any one who should be 
 animated by a love of the Church to undertake any enter- 
 prise, whether physical or intellectual, in her cause * You 
 will remember, too, that the Vesper-books give translations 
 side b}' side with the Latin, and thus no one who is able to 
 read is left in ignorance of the meaning of what is said or 
 sung; while I believe that many by the use of these trans- 
 lations have acquired know^lcdge enough of the Latin lan- 
 guage to be of considerable service to them in the public 
 offices of the Church. And, moreover, where the idea of 
 wOTship lias strong possession of the mind, the form of 
 words is of less consequence. It is proved by undoubted 
 facts that the English Psalms are hardly better understood 
 by the majority of w^orshipers than the Latin. Let Catholics, 
 therefore, who do not know Latin use their Yesper-books in 
 the Psalms, and in such other parts of the office as are in- 
 tended to be sung by them, and they will soon enter into 
 the spirit cf the act in which they are engaged, which is, 
 after all, the great matter; and for the rest, the more illi- 
 
 * I am acquainted -with a yonni^ man, at my own church, who has 
 found time in the midst of a laborious worldly calling to learn Latin so 
 well as to translate the Church offices with facility. 
 
SOLE2I2; VESPERS. 135 
 
 terate must pnt themselves into the hands of the Church, and 
 use such devotions as they are able. 
 
 C. What are the ceremonies of Solemn Vespers ? 
 
 P. The priest, habited in a cope, and accompanied by hig 
 assistants, proceeds from the sacristy to the altar with the 
 clerg^'' and acolyths. The clergy having filed off to their 
 places ill the choir, the celebrant goes forward to the steps 
 of the altar, where he kneels with his attendants to say the 
 preparatory prayer ; then moving, preceded by his attend- 
 ants, to the seats at the epistle side, and standing, he says 
 secretly the " Pater" and " Ave." He then sings aloud, 
 *' Dens, in adjutorium meum intende," — ''0 God, incline unto 
 my aid;" and is answered by the choir, "Domine, ad adju- 
 vandum me festina," — " Lord, make haste to help me." 
 Then the choir chants the "Gloria Patri" with "Alleluia," 
 or, from Septuagesima to Easter, " Laus Tibi, Domine, Rex 
 seternaj glorias," — "Praise to Thee, Lord, King of eternal 
 glory." Then the antiphon is sung, entire if on a double, 
 the first words only if on a semi-double or simple festival, or 
 on a Sunday (which ranks as the highest of semi-doubles). 
 Then the chanters give out the first words of the Psalm, 
 which the semi-choir on the principal side continues through 
 the first verse, and is then answered in the second verse by 
 the semi-choir on the opposite side, and thus the Psalms ai*e 
 continued to the end ; each antiphon being sung at the end 
 of each Psalm as well as at the beginning, and at the end 
 always entire. The Psalms are begun alternately by the 
 two sides. It is most proper that the first words of the 
 antiphons should be intoned by tho officiating priest and 
 others of the clergy in succession. 
 
 C. Why arc the Psalnis sung sitting? 
 
 P. The length of tlio Church offices makes it difficult for 
 florae persons to recite them standing; and in order to pro- 
 vide relief without violating uniformity, tho Church allowi 
 the easier posture in tho.se portions of Divino worship wliich 
 do not consist in addrcBSCM to Almighty Qod, or in bjrmns 
 
136 ^APPENDIX. 
 
 snng directly in His honour. Tho Psalms arc more lilce a 
 prolonged commemoration of His mercies ; and arc so faf 
 different from the hymns, which are short, always expressed 
 in the language of worship or praise, and which again differ 
 from the Psalms in relating immediately to the blessings of 
 the Gospel dispensation. 
 
 C. After the Psalms, I observe the ofllciatlng priest and 
 the clergy rise. 
 
 P. Yes ; the celebrant rises to sing the " I/ittle Chapter," 
 which is a short sentence from Holy Scripture bearing upon 
 the subject of the day. After the Little Chapter is sung the 
 Hymn. The hymn over, the versicle proper to the day is 
 intoned by the chanters, and the response by the choir. 
 Then the antiphon at the " Magnificat" is sung in the same 
 way, and according to the same rule, as the antiphons of the 
 Psalms. Then the first words of the " Magnificat" arc intoned. 
 
 C Here, I observe, the priest crosses himself, rises, ai:d 
 goes to the altar. 
 
 P. Yes; this song of our Blessed Lady, and the corre- 
 sponding hymn " Benedictns" at Lauds, are always accom- 
 panied by marks of extraordinary honour, as the two can- 
 ticles relating especially to tlie Incarnation of our Blessed 
 Saviour. Accordingly, at the opening of the " Magnificat," 
 the priest, attended b}^ his ministers, jDroceeds to the altar, 
 and goes up to it after making the proper reverence ; then, 
 receiving the thurible from the principal minister, as at 
 Solemn Mass, and with the same ceremonies, he incenses 
 the crucifix ^nd altar in the usual way, saying at the same 
 time the words of the "Magnificat" with the ministers, 
 while the choir is singing that Canticle. The incensing 
 over, he restores the thurible into the proper hands as usual; 
 and after genuflecting or bowing, as the case may require, 
 returns with his ministers to the scats, and is himself in- 
 censed thrice by his chief assistant, who afterwards incensea 
 also the clergy, choir, and second assistant. The oflScIant 
 coutinues standing till the end of the "Magnificat ;" and wLea 
 
COMPLINE. 137 
 
 the antiphon has been repeated, sings the Collect of the day, 
 after which the Commemorations (if any) are made by the 
 proper antiphon, versicle and response, and collect. 
 
 C. I have occasionally seen* the officiating priest leave 
 the high altar at the beginning of the "Magnificat," and visit 
 other altars in the church to incense them. 
 
 P. This is when the Blessed Sacrament is at a side altar. 
 In that case, the officiant incenses such altar first in order, 
 and other altars in succession, ending with the principal 
 altar ; but if the Blessed Sacrament be at the principal altar 
 then he incenses this alone. 
 
 C Sometimes the priest and choir kneel daring particular 
 stanzas of the Hymn. 
 
 P. Yes, in the following cases : during the first stanza 
 of " Veni Creator" or " Ave maris Stella,** and during the 
 address to the Cross in " Vexilla regis." 
 
 C. What is the Hymn, with versicle and prayer, sung at. 
 the end of Vespers, forming a little office by itself? 
 
 P. It is the Antiphon of the Blessed Virgin, proper to the 
 end of Lauds and Compline, but which it is usual to introduce 
 at the end of Vespers, except when a bishop officiates. During 
 Easter time this antiphon is always sung standing ; at other 
 times it is sung standing from the First to the Second Ve8> 
 pors of Sunday, kneeling on other days.* 
 
 IV. COMPLINE, 
 
 C, Will you please, sir, to explain the office and oerOi 
 monies of Compline? 
 
 P. Compline (" Completorium," the final and"coinple. 
 mental" office of the day) is properly an appendage to Ves- 
 pers, but is often sung as a separate office. It is sung as 
 follows : 
 
 The priest, after kneeling for the preparatory prayers, 
 stands wiiile the blessing is invited by one of the choir is 
 
 * Thene antiphoni arc dMoribed under tht head of CompliDa. 
 
138 APPENDIX. 
 
 the words, " Jube, domne, benedicere," — " Be pleased, sir, to 
 give a blessing." The priest sings in answer, "Noctem 
 quietam,*' &c., — " The Lord Almighty grant us a quiet night 
 and a perfect end." The choir responds, "Amen." The 
 priest then sings the " Short Lesson," from 1 St. Pet. v. 8, 
 "Fratres," &c., — " Brethren, be sober, and watch; because 
 yor.r adversary, the devil, as ar roaring lion, goeth about, 
 seeking whom he may devour ; whom resist strong in the 
 faith." He concludes with the usual termination of a lesson, 
 " But Thou, Lord, have mercy on us," and is answered in 
 song, " Thanks be to God." He proceeds to sing, ^. " Our 
 help is in the name of the Lord ;" I^r. " Who made heaven 
 and earth." He then says in secret our Lord's Prayer. At 
 its close, he makes, with the choir and congregation, the 
 general Confession, as at the beginning of Mass; but instead 
 of being merely said, as at Mass, it is recited in monotone. 
 The " Confiteor" over, the priest proceeds to sing, ^. " Con- 
 vert us, God of our salvation ;" ip' " And turn away 
 Thine anger from us." Then, in a louder tone, as at Ves- 
 pers, ^. " God, incline to my aid ;" Ip'. " Lord, make 
 haste to help me." Then is sung, " Glor}' be to the Father," 
 &c., with " Alleluia" or " Laus Tibi, Domine," &c., according 
 to the season. Then the first word of the antiphon is in- 
 toned, " Miserere," for which, during Easter time, is substi- 
 tuted "Alleluia." Then the Psalms are chanted in succes- 
 sion, and, since under a single antiphon, most properly to the 
 iame tone. 
 
 O. What are the Psalms, and with what intention are 
 they used? 
 
 P. The Psalms are : the 4th (Cum invocarem), the 30th 
 (In Te, Domine, speravi), the 90th (Qui habitat), and the 
 133d (Ecce, nunc benedicite). Their propriety will be ap- 
 parent upon examination. Their general sentiment is prayer 
 for the Divine aid against the dangers, both spiritual and 
 bodily, of the nig ir-season, at which, according to the general 
 belief of the Church, " our adversary the devil" (named at the 
 
COMPLINE. 139 
 
 commencement of the office) is especially on the alert. At th© 
 end of the Psalms, the antiphon is repeated in full : " Havo 
 mercy on me, Lord, and hear my prayer." Instead of which^ 
 from Holy Saturday to the First Vespers of Trinity Sunday 
 (exclusive of the latter), is said, "Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.** 
 
 Then follows the hymn, " Te lucis," &c. ; after which the 
 officiant, having risen, sings the " Little Chapter" from Jer. 
 xiv. 9, " Thou, Lord, art in the midst of us, and Thy holy 
 Name is invoked upon us. Leave us not, Lord our God.** 
 17. " Thanks be to God." Then are sung the short respon- 
 sories. "Into Thy hands, Lord, I commend my spirit. 
 Into Thy hands. Thou hast redeemed us, God of truth. 
 I commend. Glory be, &c. Into Thy hands." "f. " Guard 
 us, Lord, as the apple of the eye.** I7. " Under the shadow 
 of Thy wings protect us.*' At Paschal tide {i. e. from Holy 
 Saturday to Trinity Eve) Alleluias are added. 
 
 Tlien is sung the beginning of the antiphon at the " Nunc 
 dimittis," "Save us." Then the "Nunc dimittis ;" after 
 which the antiphon is repeated iu full, " Save us whilst we 
 are awake, guard us whilst we are asleep, that we may wake 
 with Christ, and rest in peace." In Paschal time " Alleluia** 
 is added. On semi-doubles, several short prayers and re- 
 sponses are then said, beginning with "Kyrie eleison.** On 
 doubles,* the office goes on at once to the "Dominus vo- 
 biscura" and the Collect, which is as follows: "Visit, 
 Lord, we beseech Thee, this habitation, and drivd far from 
 it all the snares of the enemy. Let Thy holy angels dwell 
 in it, to keep us in peace ; and may Thy blcssiug be always 
 upon us. Through." Then, "f. " Our Lord be with you.** 
 IV. "And with thy spirit." 'f, "Let us bless our Ix)rd.'* 
 IV. "Thanks be to God." Then the blessing. "The AU 
 mighty and merciful Lord bless and keep us, Father, and 
 Son, and Holy Ghost." IV- " Amen." 
 
 Then is sung the antiphon of the Blessed Virgin accord 
 ing to the season. 
 
 • <.«. if U>« Vup$r§ bare been tald aooordlng to th« double rlls. 
 
140 APPENDIX* 
 
 C. How many of these antiphoiis are in use ? 
 
 P. 1. The "Alma Redemptoris," which is sung or said 
 from the eve of the First Sunday in Advent to the Feast of 
 the Purification at Compline; 2. The "Ave Regina," from 
 the Feast of the Purification to the Thursday in Holy 
 Week (exclusive) ; 3. The " Regina cceli," from Holy Satur- 
 day to the First Vespers of Trinity Sunday (exclusive) ; 4. 
 The " Salve Regina," from Trinity eve to the eve of the First 
 Sunday in Advent. 
 
 V. THE BENEDICTION OF THE MOST HOLY 
 SACRAMENT. 
 
 " Gustate et videte quoniara suavis est Dominus." 
 
 C. "What is the " Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament"? 
 
 P. It is a rite which has sprung from devotion to th© 
 Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. 
 
 C. What is the meaning of this rite ? 
 
 P. It results from the doctrine of the Real Presence of 
 our Blessed Lord in the Holy Eucharist. His Real Presence- 
 must be a means of benediction to all who are brought with- 
 in its influence, provided they be also animated by right 
 dispositions. 
 
 C. At Benediction, is it our Lord who blesses in His own 
 Person, or the priest who employs the Holy Sacrament a» 
 « means of blessing ? 
 
 P. It is the former rather than the latter. Our Divine 
 Redeemer makes His servant the medium of conveying His 
 benediction. 
 
 C. What are the ceremonies of this great and most con- 
 solatory rite ? 
 
 P. The priest, vested in a white cope, ascends to the 
 altar, attended by an assistant priest or deacon. The cru- 
 cifix having been taken down, the assistant (or, if none b© 
 present, the priest officiating) opens the tabernacle, and. 
 
BENEDICTION OF THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT. 141 
 
 »ftfcf a genuflection, withdraws from it the monstrance con- 
 taining the Blessed Sacrament withiu it. 
 
 O. What is a monstrance ? 
 
 P. It is a frame, of the most costly material which can 
 be had, for exhibiting (ad monsirandum) the Blessed Sacra- 
 ment to the people. 
 
 Tlie monstrance, after the Blessed Sacrament has been 
 placed within it, is set on the altar (on which a corporal 
 has previously been strewn), and the Blessed Sacrament is 
 adored. It is then elevated on a throne above, similarly 
 prepared. The priest meanwhile descends to the foot of 
 the altar, and, after putting incense in the thurible as usual 
 (though without blessing it), receives the thurible on hi» 
 knees, and incenses the Adorable Sacrament thrice. Mean- 
 while it is customary iu this and some other countries to 
 uing " salutaris Hostia," with its accompanying doxology, 
 from the hymn " Verbum supernum prodiens.'* Afterwards 
 the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, or some Motett proper to 
 the day, is sung in honour of the Blessed Sacrament. The 
 priest then intones (or the cantors) the " Tantum ergo s»» 
 cramentura," with the accompanying doxology (from the 
 hymn " Pange lingua gloriosi Corporis," &c.), and the choir 
 takes it up. At the beginning of the doxology, the priest 
 rises, puts incense in the thurible as before, and agfiin in- 
 censes the Blessed Sacrament. The doxology ended, the 
 "versicle " Panem de coelo" and its response (from the ofTico 
 of Corpus Christi) are B»^'»g, Alleluias being added at Easter 
 time and within the octave of " Corpus Christi." The priest 
 then sings the Collect of Corpus Christi. He then receives 
 on his shoulders a rich veil or scarf, while the priest assist* 
 ing (or, in default of one, himnelf) takes down the Blessed* 
 Sacrament from the throne. Then both go up to the altar, 
 and the principal priest receives the Blessed Sacranient into 
 his hands within the veil or scarf, and makes with it the 
 ■ign of the Cross towards the people. A bishop makes this 
 •igu thrice. Meanwhile the bells of the church aie ruug^ 
 
142 APPENDIX. 
 
 to give notice to the people inside the church, and in the 
 neighbourhood, that the Benediction is being given. The 
 Blessed Sati anient is then restored to the tabernacle where 
 it is usually reserved, and all depart in order. 
 
 A living writer thus beautifully describes the character 
 and meaning of this rite : 
 
 "Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is one of the 
 simplest rites of the Church. The priests enter and kneel 
 down ; one of them unlocks the Tabernacle, takes out the 
 Blessed Sacrament, inserts it upright in a monstrance of 
 precious metal, and sets it in a conspicuous place above the 
 ■altar, in the midst of lights, for all to see. The people then 
 t>egin to sing ; meanwhile the priest twice offers incense to 
 the King of heaven, before whom he is kneeling. Then he 
 takes the monstrance in his hands, and, turning to the peo- 
 ple, blesses them with the Most Holy, in the form of a cross, 
 while the bell is sounded by one of the attendants to call at* 
 tention to the ceremony. It is our Lord's solemn benedic- 
 tion of His people, as when He lifted up His hands over the 
 children, or when He blessed His chosen ones when He as- 
 <jended up from Mount Olivet. As sons might come before 
 ;» parent before going to bed at night, so once or twice a 
 week the great Catholic family come before the Eternal 
 Father, after the bustle or the toil of the day ; and He smiles 
 tipon them, and sheds upon them the light of His counte- 
 nance. It is a full accomplishment of what the priest invoked 
 «pon the Israelites: * The Lord bless thee and keep thee ; the 
 Lord show His face to thee, and have mercy on thee ; the 
 Lord turn His countenance to thee, and give thee peace.' 
 Oan there be a more touching rite, even in the judgment of 
 those who do not believe in it? How many a man not a 
 Catholic is moved, on seeing it, to say, ' that I did but be- 
 lieve it!' when he sees the priest take up the Fount of Mercy 
 and the people bent low m adoration ! It is one of the most 
 Ijeautiful, natural, and soothing actions of the Church."* 
 • Dr. Newman's Lectures on Protestantism. 
 
148 
 
 ■ IlIN OF ST. THOMAS AQUINAS fOlS THT 
 FEAST OF CORPUS CERISTL 
 
 *'Lauda Sion Salvalorem." 
 
 Praise high thy Saviour, Sion, praise, 
 "With hymns of joy and holy lays, 
 
 Thy Guide and Shepherd ti-ue ; 
 Dare all thou canst, yea tjike thy fiU 
 Of praise and adoration, still 
 
 Thou fail'st to reach His due. 
 
 A special theme for thankful hearts. 
 The Bread that lives, and life imparts, 
 
 To-day is duly set ; 
 Which at the solemn festal board. 
 Was dealt around, where., with their Lortl^ 
 
 His chosen Twelve were met. 
 
 Full be the praise and sweetly sounding, 
 "With joy and reverence meet abounding'. 
 
 The soulsglad festival ; 
 This is the day of glorious state 
 When of that Feast we celebrate 
 
 The high original. 
 
 'Tis hero our King makes all things new. 
 And living rules and ofieriugs true 
 
 Absorb each legal nte ; 
 Before the new retreats the old, 
 And life succeeds to shadows cold, 
 
 And day displaces night. 
 
 His faithful followers Christ hath bid 
 To do what at the feast He did, 
 
 For sweet remeinbranco* sake ; 
 And, gifted through His high command% 
 Of broad and wine our priestly hands 
 
 A saving Victim make. 
 
 O Truth, to Christian fjiith displayed. 
 The broad His very Body niado, 
 
 His very Blood the wine ; 
 Kor eye beholds, nor thought oonceivosy 
 But dauntless Faith the change beUevM^ 
 
 Wrought by a power Divine. 
 
 Beneath two <liflcring ipecios 
 (fiigiis only, not their HuUtancet) 
 
 JLae mvstcrics deep and rare :. 
 Bis FIoHh the meat, the ilrink His Bloo^ 
 Tet Christ entire, our heave&ly FovkL 
 
 BoiMth oMb kind is UMra 
 
144 HYMN OF ST. TnOM AS AQUINAS. 
 
 Anil they who of their Ijotd partake 
 Nor sever Him, nor read, nor break, 
 
 Noiig-ht lacks, and nought is lost ; 
 . The boon now one, now thousands claiw 
 Yet one and all receive the same, 
 
 Receive, but ne'er exhaust. 
 
 The Gift is shared by all, yet tends. 
 In bad and good, to differing ends 
 
 Of blessing and of wo ; 
 What death to some, salvation bringfs 
 To others : lo ! from common springs 
 
 What various issues flow ! 
 
 Nor be thy faith confounded, thou«:h 
 The Sacrament be broke; for know 
 The Life, which in the whole doth glow* 
 
 In every part remains ; 
 The Spirit which those portions hid© 
 No force can cleave ; we but divide 
 The sign, the while the Signified 
 
 Nor change nor loss sustains. 
 
 The Bread of Angels, lo ! is sent 
 For weary pilgrims' nourishment ; 
 The children's Bread, not to be spent 
 
 On worthless dogs profane ; 
 In types significant portrayed, 
 Young Isaac on the altar laid. 
 And Paschal offerings duly made. 
 
 And manna's fruitful rain. 
 
 Thou Good Shepherd, Very Bread, 
 Jesus, on. us thy mercy shed ! 
 
 Sweetly feed us ! 
 
 Gently lead us ! 
 Till of Thy fulness us Thou give, 
 Safe in the land of them that live. 
 
 Thou who canst all, and all dost knoWj 
 Thou who dost feed us here below ; 
 
 Grant us to share 
 
 Thy banquet there, 
 Clo-heirs and partners of Thy love^ 
 Wt^h the blest citizens above. 
 Amen. Alleluia. 
 
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