The Ordo Karolingianus: Part I

A prelimiary draft for a reform of the reform of the Mass of the Roman Rite based on the best authorities of the pre- and post-Conciliar period and of the present day, intended in order to stimulate discussion and foster interest in a definitive form of the Mass drawing on both the new and old rites, and many venerable customs of all eras of the Church's history.

This form of the Holy Mass may be offered fully in Latin or English, or some combination thereof, provided that the admixture of languages is laudable and not capricious in nature. It is particularly laudable that the Ordinary be sung in Latin: however, given the current drought of interest in this venerable tongue, it is fitting and proper to offer much of the beauty of the ancient Mass in a suitable translation into the vernacular. Some deliberate archaicism has been attempted to express the distance which exists between the vernacular liturgical tongues the Church has used for ages, such as Church Slavonic or Greek, and the vernacular of the street, while also serving to underly many of the otherwise untranslatable expressions of courtesy, such as quaesimus, supplices, etc., as well as the familiar (and not at all formal) Tui used in the Latin to address God, closer to the Italian Tu and the obsolete Thou than the more formal You of many translations. Where You is used here, it is taken to mean a plural. The translations are largely derived from an English translation of the 1962 Missal given in Kocik's The Reform of the Reform? and an unofficial Englishing of the 1970 Missal prepared in 1992 by the St. Gregory Foundation for Latin Liturgy. Portions placed in brackets may be omitted at the discretion of the priest, but effort should be made to include them in Sunday liturgies. Today, the fore-Mass up to the kissing of the altar is displayed; tomorrow, the Kyrie, the Liturgy of the Word, and the Liturgy of Intercession--a fixed form of the General Intercessions derived from the Gelasian Sacramentary--will be presented.

THE FORE-MASS

The priest, having recited the introit upon entering the church, enters and stands at the foot of the sanctuary, facing the altar, and, with the acolyte, who shall kneel, should say or sing the preparation in a great voice, unless a hymn be sung, in which case they shall say it privately. Should a deacon or two deacons be present, they should stand on either side of the priest and take the parts of the server.

P. + I will go up unto the altar of God.
S. To God, Who giveth joy to my youth.

Psalm xlii
Judica me, Deus

P. Judge me, O God, and discern my cause from the unholy nation; deliver me from the wicked and deceitful man.
S. For Thou, O God, art my strength: why hast Thou forsaken me? And why do I go about in sadness, whilst the enemy afflicteth me?
P. Send forth Thy light and Thy truth: for they have led me and brought me unto Thy holy mount and into Thy tabernacles.
S. And I will go up unto the altar of God: to God, Who giveth joy to my youth.
P. And upon the harp I will give praise to Thee, O God my God: why art thou sad, O my soul, and why dost thou disquiet me?
S. Hope in God, for I will yet give praise to Him: the salvation of my countenance, and my God.
P. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
S. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Then shall the priest turn to face all the people and say unto them distinctly the following salutations from the Holy Scriptures, and they shall answer to it as follows:

P. + In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
R. Amen.
P. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with thee.
R. And with thy spirit.
P. Brethren, let us acknowledge our sins, that we might fittingly celebrate the sacred mysteries.

The General Confession

Then shall the priest return to his position as before, and bow low before the altar and say, with the rest of the people, the words of the Confiteor, taking care to say my brothers and sisters in a moderate voice as not to confuse the saying of the prayer. The server shall remain kneeling, and incline his head towards the priest at the appropriate words of the prayer. Should a deacon be given the part of the server, he shall bow profoundly rather than kneel.

I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the angels and saints, and to you, Father (or to you, my brothers and sisters), that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed: (here each shall strike his breast three times) through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault, and I ask Blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, all the Angels and Saints, and to you, Father (or to you, my brothers and sisters), to pray for me to the Lord our God.

Then shall the priest turn again towards the people, and say these words:

P. May the almighty and merciful Lord have mercy on us, + grant us pardon, and, having forgiven us our sins, bring us to everlasting life.
R. Amen.

[Returning to face the altar, the priest and the server shall say:

P. You will turn us again, O God, and quicken us.
S. And Thy people will rejoice in Thee.
P. Show us, O Lord, Thy mercy.
S. And grant us Thy salvation.]

Then shall the priest raise his arms and say this collect:

P. Take away from us our iniquities, we beseech Thee, O Lord: that we might worthily enter with pure minds into the Holy of Holies. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.

[The priest shall ascend the altar, bless the incense, should it be used, saying May this incense be blessed by him in whose honour it is to be burned. He shall cense the altar.]

Then shall he greet it with a kiss, saying silently:
P. We beseech Thee, O Lord, by the merits of those of Thy saints whose relics are here, and of all the saints, that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to pardon me of all my sins.