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MASS

Svnod, 692). It is a Service (not really a Mass at all) of Communion from an oblation consecrated at a I>revious Mass and reserved. It is used in the Bvsan- tine Church on the week-days of Lent (except Satur- days); in the Roman Rite only on Good Friday.

Finally came uniformity in the old Roman Kite and the abolition of nearl]^ all the medieval variants. The Council of Trent considered the question and formed a commission to prepare a uniform Missal. Eventually the Missal was published by Pius V by the BuU "Quo primum" (still printed in it) of 14 July, 1570.* That IS really the last stage of the history of the Roman Mass. It is Pius V's Missal that is used throughout the Latin Church, except in a few cases where he al- lowed a modified use that had a prescription of at least two centuries. This exception saved the variants used by some religious orders and a few local rites as well as the Milanese and Mozarabic liturgies. Clem- ent VIII (1604), Urban VIII (1634), and Leo XIII (1884) revised the book slightly in the rubrics and the texts of Scripture (see Liturgical Books). Pius X has revised the chant (1908.) But these revisions leave it still the Missal of Pius V. There has been since the earlv Middle Ages unceasing change in the sense of ad.ditions of masses for new feasts, the Missal now has a number of supplements that still grow (Liturgical Books), but liturgically these additions represent no real change. The new Masses are all built up exactly on the lines of the older ones.

We turn now to the present Roman Mass, without comparison the most important and widespread, as it it is m many wa^rs the most archaic service of the Holy Eucharist in Christendom.

E. The Present Roman Mass. — It is not the object of this paragraph to give instruction as to how the Ro- man Mass is celebrated. The very complicated rules of all kinds, the minute rubrics that must be obeyed by the celebrant and his ministers, all the details of coin- cidence and commemoration — these things, studied at length by students before they are ordained, must be sought in a book of ceremonial (Le Vavasseur, quoted in the bibliography, is perhaps now the best). More- over, articles on all the chief parts of the Mass, describ- ing how they are carried out, and others on vestments, music, and the other ornaments of the service, will be found in The Catholic Encyclopedia. Itwillbesuffi- oient here to give a general outline of the arrangement. The ritual of the Mass is affected by (1) the person who celebrates, (2) the day or the special occasion on which it is said, (3) the kind of Mass (high or low) cele- brated. But in all cases the general scheme is the same. The normal ideal may be taken as high Mass sung by a priest on an ordinary Sunday or feast that has no exceptional feature.

Normally. Mass must be celebrated in a conse- crated or blessed Church (private oratories or even rooms are allowed for special reasons: see Le Vavas- seur, I, 200-4) and at a consecrated altar (or at least on a consecrated altar-stone), and may be celebrated on any day in the year except Good Friday (restric- tions are made agamst private celebrations on Holy Saturday and in the case of private oratories for cer- tain great feasts) at any time between dawn and mid- day. A priest may say only one Mass each day, ex- cept that on Christmas Day he may say three, and the first may (or rather, should) then be said immediately after midnight. In some countries (Spain and Portu- gal) a priest may also celebrate three times on All Souls' Day (2 November). Bishops may give leave to a priest to celebrate twice on Sundays and feasts of obligation, if otherwise the people could not fulfil their duty of hearing Mass. In cathedral and collegiate churches, as well as in those of religious oiders who are bound to say the Canonical Hours every day publicly, there is a daily Mass corresponding to the Office and fonning with it the complete cycle of the public worship of (Jod. This official public Mass is

called the conventual Mass; if possible it should be s high Mass, but, even if it be not, it always has some of the features of high Mass. The time for this oqd- ventual Mass on feasts and Sundays is after Teroe has been said in choir. On Simples aiid ferise the time k after Sext; on ferise of Advent, Lent, on Vigils and Ember days after None. Votive Masses and tiie Requiem on All Souls' Day are said also after None; but ordinary requiems are said after Prime. The celebrant of Mass must be in the state of grace, fasting from midnight, free of irregularity and censure, and must observe all the rubrics and laws concerning the matter (azyme bread and pure wine), vestments, ves- sels, and ceremony.

Tiie scheme of high Mass is this: the procession comes to the altar, consisting of thurifer, acolytes, master of ceremonies, subdeacon, deacon, and cele- brant, all vested as the rubrics direct (see Vestments). First, the preparatory prayers are said at the foot of the altar; the altar is incensed, the celebrant reads at the south (Epistle) side the Introit and Kyrie. Mean- while the choir sing the Introit and K3rrie. On days on which the '^Te Deum'' is said in the office, the celebrant intones the "Gloria in excelsis'V which is continued by the choir. Meanwhile he, the deacon, and subdeacon recite it, after which they may sit down till the choir has finished. After the greeting " Dominus vobiscum V, and its answer '* Et cum spiritu tuo'', the celebrant chants the collect of the day, and after it as many more collects as are required either to conunemorate other feasts or occasions, or are to be said by order of the bishop, or (on lesser days) are chosen by himself at his discretion from the collection in the Missal, according to the rubrics. The sub- deacon chants the Epistle and the choir sings the Gradual. Both are read by the celebrant at the altar, according to the present law that he is also to recite whatever is sung by any one else. He blesses the incense, says the "Munoa Cor meum" prayer, and reads the Uospel at the north (Gospel) side. Mean- while the deacon prepares to sing the Gospel. He goes in procession with the subdeacon, thuriier, and aco- lytes to a place on the north of the choir, and there chants it, the subdeacon holding the book, unless an ambo be used. If there is a sermon, it should be preached immediately after the GospeL This is the traditional place for the homily, after the lessons (Justin Martyr, "I Apolog.", Ixvii, 4). On Sundays and certain feasts the Creed is sung next, just as was the Gloria. At this point, before or after the Creed (which is a later introduction, as we have seen), ends in theory the Mass of the Catechumens. The celebrant at the middle of the altar chants " Dominus vobiscum" and **Oremus" — the last remnant of the old prayers of the faithful. Then follows the Offertonr. ITie bread is offered to' God with the prayer Suscipe sancte Pater '*; the deacon pours wine into the chalice and the subdeacon water. The chalice is offered by the celebrant in the same way as the bread (Offerimus tibi Domine), after which the gifts, the altar, the cele- brant, ministers, and people are all incensed. Mean- while the choir sings the Offertory. The celebrant washes his hands saying the ''Lavabo". After an- other offertory prayer (Suscipe sancta Trinitas), and an address to the people (Orate fratres) with its answer, which is not sung (it is a late addition), the celebrant says the secrets, corresponding to the col- lects. The last secret ends with an Ekphanesis (Per omnia ssecula sseculorum). This is only a warning of what is coming. When prayers began to be said silently, it still remained necessary to mark their end- ing, tliat people might know what is going on. So the last clauses were said or sung alouo. This so-called Ekphonesis is much developed in the Eastern rites. In the Roman Mass there are three cases of it— always the words: '' Per omnia sscula Sfficulorum", to which the choir answers ' ' Amen ". After the Ekphonesis of