Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 13.djvu/114

 RITES

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RITES

Intone the SjTiapte for peace, which is followed by a Bhort form of the Gloria in excelsis: "Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace and good hope to the sons of men etc." The Phrumiur is then said; this is an introductory prayer, and always comes before the Sedro. which is a prayer of praise said aloud bj- the priest standing before the altar while the censer is* swung. It is constructed by the insertion of verses into a more or less constant framework, commemora- tive of the feast or season, and seems to be a survival of the old psalm verses with the Gloria. For in- stance, a sedro of Our Lady will commemorate her in many ways, something like our litany, but more poetically and at length ; one of Our Lord will celebrate Him in His nativity, baptism etc. Then come the commemorations of the Prophets, the Apostles, the martyrs, of all the saints, and lastly the commemora- tion of the departed: " Be ye not sad, all ye who sleep in the dust, and in the decay of your bodies. The living Body which you have eaten and the saving Blood which you have drunk, can again vivify all of you, and clothe your bodies with glory. O Christ, Who hast come and given peace by Thy Blood to the heights and the depths, give rest to the souls of Thy servants in the promised life everlasting!" The priest then prays for the living, and makes special intercession by name of those living or dead for whom the Mass is offered. He blesses and offers the sacred elements, in a form somewhat analogous to the Offertory in the Roman Rite. Another phrumiun and the great Sedro of St. Ephraem or St. James is said, in which the whole sacrifice of the Mass is fore- shadowed. The psalm preparatory to the Epistle in Arabic is recited, and the epistle of the day then read. The Alleluia and gradual psalm is recited, the Book of Gospels incensed, and the Gospel, also in Arabic, intoned or read. The versicles of thanks- giving for the Gospel are intoned, at several parts of which the priest and deacon and precentor chant in unison. The Nicene Creed, said in unison by priest and deacon, follows, and immediately after the celebrant washes his hands saying Psalm xxvi. This ends the Ordinary of the Mass.

The Anaphora, or Canon of the Mass, is then begun, and varies according to season, place, and celebrant. In the Anaphora of the Holy Catholic and Roman Church, which is a typical one, the Mass proceeds with the prayers for peace very much as they stand at the end of the Roman Mass; then follow prayers of confe.ssion, adoration, and glor>', which conclude by givnng the kiss of peace to the deacon and the other cferg>'. The Preface follows: "Let us lift up our thoughts, our conscience and our hearts! I^. They are lifted up to Thee, O Lord! P. Let us give thanks to the Lord in fear, and adore Him with trembling. I^. It is meet and just. P. To Thee, O God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, O glorious and holy King of Israel, for ever! I^. Glory be to the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, now and forever, world without end. I^. Before the glorious and divine mysteries of our Redeemer, with the pleasant things which are imposed, let us implore the mercy of the Lord! I^. It is meet and just" (and the Preface continues secretly). Then the Sanctus is sung, and the Consecration immediately follows. The words of Consecration are intoned aloud, the choir answering "Amen". After the succeeding prayer of commemoration of the Resur- rection and hope of the Second Coming and a prayer for mercy, the Epiklfisis is said: "How tremendous is thin hour and how awful this moment, my beloved, in which the Holy and Life-giving Spirit comes down from on high and descends upon this Eucharist which w placed in this sanctuary for our reconciliation. With silence and fear stand and pray! Salvation to Ufl and the peace of God the Father of all of us. I^t 118 cry out and say thrice: Have mercy on us, O

Lord, and send down the Holy and Life-giving Spirit upon us! Hear me, O Lord! and let Thy living and Holy Spirit descend upon me and upon this sacrifice! and so complete this mystery, that it be the Body of Christ our God for our redemption!" The prayers for the Pope of Rome, the Patriarch of Antioch, and all the metropolitans and bishops and orthodox pro- fessors and believers of the Catholic Faith imme- diately follow. This in turn is followed by a long prayer by the deacon for tranquillity, peace, and the commemoration of all the saints and doctors of the early Church and of Syria, including St. John Maro, with the petition for the dead at the end. Then comea the solemn offering of the Body and the Blood for the sins of priest and people, concluding with the words: "Thy Body and Thy Holy Blood are the way which leads to the Kingdom!" The adoration and the fraction follow; then the celebrant elevates the chalice together with the Host, and saj^s: "O de- sirable sacrifice which is offered for us! O victim of reconciliation, which the Father obtained in Thy own person! O Lamb, Who wast the same person as the High Priest who sacrificed!" Then he genuflects and makes the sign of the Cross over the chalice: "Behold the Blood which was shed upon Golgotha for my redemption ; because of it receive my supplica- tion". The "Sanctus fortis" is again sung, and the celebrant lifts the Sacred Body on high and says: " Holy things for holy persons, in purity and holiness! " The fraction of the Host follows after several prayers, and the priest mingles a particle with the Blood, receives the Body and the Blood himself, and gives communion to the clergy and then to the people. When it is finished he makes the sign of the Cross with the paten and blesses the people.

Then follow a synapte (litany) of thanksgiving, and a second signing of the people with both paten and chalice, after which the priest consumes all the remaining species saying afterwards the prayers at the purification and ablution. The prayer of blessing and protection is said, and the people and choir sing: "Alleluia! Alleluia! I have fed upon Thy Body and by Thy living Blood I am reconciled, and I have sought refuge in Thy Cross! Through these may I please Thee, O Good Lord, and grant Thou mercy to the sinners who call upon Thee! " Then they sing the final hymn of praise, which in this anaphora contains the words: "By the prayers of Simon Peter, Rome was made the royal city, and she shall not be shaken!" Then the people all say or sing the Lord's Prayer; when it is finished, the final benediction is given, and the priest, coming again to the foot of the altar, takes off his sacred vestments and proceeds to make his thanksgiving.

The principal editions of the Maronitc missals and service boolcs for the deacons and those assisting at the altar are The Book of Sacrifice according to the Rite of the Maronile Church of Antioch (Kozhayya, 1816, 1838, and 188.5; Beirut, 1888), and The Book of the Ministry according to the Rile of the MaroniU church of Antioch (Kozhayya, 185.5).

Maronites in America. — The Maronites are chiefly from the various districts of Mount Lebanon and from the city of Beirut, and were at first hardly distin- guishable from the other Syrians and Arabic-speaking persons who canu; to America. At first they were merely ptidlars and small traders, chiefly in religious and devotional articles, but they soon got into other lines of business and at present possess many well- established business enterprises. Not only are they established in the United States, but they have also spread to Mexico and Canada, and have several fairly large colonies in Brazil, Argentine, and Uruguay. Their numbcjrs in the United States are variously es- timated from 10,00 to 120,000, including the native born. Many of them have become prosperous mer- chants and are now American citizens. Several Maronite families of title (Emir) have emigrated and made their homes in the United States; among them