Matthew was named by twain names, that was Matthew and Levy. Matthew is expounded a hasty gift, or a giver of counsel, or it is said Matthew of magnus, and theos, that is God, as it were a great God. Or of manus, that is a hand, and theos, that is God, as it were the hand of God. He was a gift of hastiness by hasty conversion, a giver of counsel by wholesome predication, great to God by perfection of life, and the hand of God by writing of the gospel of God. Levy is interpreted assumpt, or applied, or put to, or set. He was assumpt and taken away from gathering of tolls, he was applied to the number of the apostles, he was put to the company of the evangelists, and set to the catalogue of martyrs.

--Bl. Jacobus de Voragine, Legenda Aurea Sancta, Caxton Translation

In reality, it means gift of God, but I love old Jacobus too much to correct him. A happy patron saint's day to all out there who share my name!

ARRRRRRR!!

This Sunday is Talk Like A Pirate Day - September 19!

Cardinal Stuart...otherwise known as Henry IX and I of England

Dining Hall Conversations One Hears Only in my Circle of Friends

The great Performing Arts Center rug debate continues: "It looks they ran out of money...It looks like casino carpet."

A friend: I forget, were the Jacobites the good guys or the bad guys?
Me: (without hesitating) The good guys.

En Garde!

I just recieved an email from the friendly neigborhood Anglican. No, I want to specify -- not Dan, who has Anglican tendencies (see Matt's post of quotes from the week), but Taylor.

Thus saith the Anglican: "I've got some damning quotes from the Fathers against transubstantiation and episcopal celibacy on my blog. What saith the Shriners?"

The quotes can be found here.

I note with fraternal amusement that this post is located beneath a piece on why heretics and schismatics always want to dialog ;)

I guess I would start addressing this issue by not addressing this issue. Instead consider the theology (as taken in the strictest sense, the study of God Himself) of St. Justin Martyr. All of us know Justin martyr. We love Justin Martyr. Frankly, we wish that parts of the New Testament were written as succintly as Justin Martyr. But Justin, he's a solid guy -- his description of the Mass, the Eucharist, everything. And our first non-Biblical witness in the historical record for a lot of Christian teaching.

Except for his articulation of the Godhead. It's subordinist -- the Father "ranks first, in the second place the Word, and in the third the Holy Spirit." A stunning philosophical error -- how can God be less than God be less than God? -- and a heresy to boot. One of the strongest witnesses to the Christian tradition biffed a pretty big point, mostly because he didn't have the concern to analyze it carefully or didn't have the philosophical language to ask the question correctly.

Similarly, as anyone who has perused Abelard's (shudder) "Sic et Non" knows, there is almost no topic of Christian belief for which you can't get two or more Church Fathers to disagree. OK, relative to transubstantiation, it kind of stung to see St. Ambrose seem to vote no. But it is hardly surprising that the Fathers were not unanimous on something as tricky as transubstantiation when they were not unanimous on a softball question like subordination within the Trinity.

The real question is, "who's right?", not "who said what?" Abelard took some palpable measure of joy by airing the disagreements of the Fathers in his book, forcing a Medieval age that perferred to think through others to admit that, occasionally, disagreements must be settled. But this is why the Church did not stop speaking with the death of St. Augustine; this is why the Church has a voice, the magisterium, through all history, as the Holy Spirit refines in her the same teachings within her depositted those two millenia ago.

The matter at hand. First, it ought be understood that transubstantiation is not revelation; it is the most accurate explanation of a point of revelation (ie, the Eucharist) which is availible. Transubstantiation is more an explanation with which one ought not to disagree, rather than one with which one ought TO agree -- specifically with reference to the East. The Orthodox don't disagree perse, but they don't embrace the term because they don't "think" that way. But nonetheless, this philosophical explanation of a revealed doctrine (the Eucharist) is, the Church argues, both true and beneficial to learn.

The Catholic Encyclopedia argues that, regarding transubstantiation, "The argument from tradition is strikingly confirmed by the ancient liturgies, whose beautiful prayers express the idea of conversion in the clearest manner. Many examples may be found in Renaudot, "Liturgiæ orient." (2nd ed., 1847); Assemani, "Codex liturg." (13 vols., Rome 1749-66); Denzinger, "Ritus Orientalium" (2 vols., Würzburg, 1864), Concerning the Adduction Theory of the Scotists and the Production Theory of the Thomists, see Pohle, "Dogmatik" (3rd ed., Paderborn, 1908), III, 237 sqq."

Looking now towards Thomas Aquinas, we consider III Q75 Art. 2 of the Summa Theologica. Thomas' OTC takes a markedly different interpretation of the writings of St. Ambrose of Milan: "Ambrose says (De Sacram iv) 'Although the figure of the bread and wine be seen, still after the Consecration, they are believed to be nothing else than the body and blood of Christ.'"

On his own authority, Thomas goes on to point out that things do not magically appear out of nothing: if suddenly we have a burning fire, the fire was not added to the wood but proceeds from the conversion of the wood. When something comes to exist that did not formerly exist, it does not come "ex nihilo;" it is because something else that did exist has changed or given way that the new substance may now exist. "Consequently it remains that Christ's body cannot begin to be anew in this sacrament except by change of the substance of bread into itself. But what is changed into another thing, no longer remains after such change."

So, my volley. It looks like we may have to do more work at looking into what Ambrose had to say?

This week's dorm newsletter includes an apocryphal pamphlet title from the hall chapel's holy card rack: The PopeMobile: Eight Cylinders of Holiness.

Random Quotations from the Past Week from Myself and my Friends

"Ah, the Nashville Dominicans, those heartbreakers..."

A friend describes the carpets in the new Performing Arts Center: "It looks like nineteen-sixties Victorian."

"...manly lace..."

Myself, feeling left out: "We altar boys never got to have groupies."

"That would make a good alb."

"That Catholic book discussion group...probably a good place to meet women."

"I've got some phytoplankton!"

"Cassock alert!"

My friend Stephen: "I think we should start a fashion trend among Catholic men of wearing swords in public."

An angry arkie: "I am going to specifically write an article telling people not to call it [the Performing Arts Center] the 'PAC.'"

"I can't help it; I like argyle."

"We're watching a program about the world's greatest bathrooms."

G-Money comments on my axe-bearing beadle: "He's a Tridentine mass groupie!"

Andy: ...and then there was the female policeman--
Me: Was she cute?
Andy: What?
Me: I said, was she cute?
Andy: What does it matter if she was cute? She was a female policeman!

Me, on wearing an oversized surplice: "I felt wide. I felt like Archbishop Laud."

"Wanna talk about tropical fruit?"

Me, on being Hispanic: "I know, I know, I don't seem very Hispanic. There's lots of Cubans that don't seem Hispanic. We're everywhere. I think some day they'll give a signal over the radio or something and we'll all suddenly drop cover and break out the salsa music and big shirts..."

A key principle of liturgy: "We're in favor of more hats in the sanctuary. We're in favor of more hats in general."

"We Had...A Vision. Of a poster."

"Unisex. Meaning...BOTH SEXES!"

"You know, Josemaria Escriva banned Opus Dei members from listening to Pink Floyd. I find it funny we have a saint that contemporary."

"Mmmmmmm...cassocks."

Andy overhears one of my plans to re-translate the liturgy: "Did you just use 'Cranmerian' as an adjective?"

"...red cassocks with ruffles..."

"We've decided he's really Anglican. And Canadian."

"Show him the picture of the Latin Mass groupie!"

Laypeople interested in comparative clerical fashion:

Me: Father Collins [the Franciscan] was there.
A friend: And what was he wearing?

I expand on my friend's carpet assessment: "...nineteen-sixties retro George Jetson Disney Victorian..."

Me: "All the good women are in convents."

Andy solicits an opinion of our chant abilities: "With 1 being Marty Haugen and 10 being Anglican."

My future career plans: "I want to be Duncan Stroik when I grow up."

You really got to respect a religious order that has their own halberdier. I'm a bit mystified as to what this guy is doing here, but I approve. This is a picture from the website of the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest (ICRSP) showing the Te Deum held in honor of new ordinands in 2004. My guess is he's a beadle or verger--New Orleans Cathedral had one up until 1904, and he had his own halberd too. Weird, but in a good way, like the page with the Cardinal's hat. I think, on the whole, there should be more men with axes around, so I applaud Msgr. Watch for his (inimitable) sense of style. Though I wish he'd stop hiking his fascia way up under his arms...

This Is Classic

Stolen from: In Nomine Domini

OKINAWA: Non Stop Fright

Anyone who has been to Asia has probably made a sport out of spotting horrible abuses against the English language -- many of which could be settled with a decent dictionary, except that even the dictionaries sold on the streets of Asian cities are often disasters themselves.

Be sure to check out www.engrish.com for more classic goofs...

"It reminds me of the Scarlet Pimpernickel."
"What?"
"You know, the French Revolution?"

--exchange between two random girls on the quad while helping me burn some red sealing wax to close a letter

Hildegarde Again

In the face of those who assume, in posting some of Hildegarde of Bingen's work, I've been brainwashed by the mushy rabid new-agey feminist crowd, and as the Shrine's resident Knight-Errant, I find it incumbent 'pon me to defend the old girl's honor. I point you to the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia, which lists her as a saint. It notes, interestingly, that, while "no formal canonization has ever taken place, but her name is in the Roman Martyrology and her feast is celebrated in the Dioceses of Speyer, Mainz, Trier, and Limburg, also in the Abbey of Solesmes, where a proper office is said."

Since she belongs to the tail end of that hazy era when the causes of Saints were only starting to become a prerogative of Rome, I find no reason to question the imagination of popular piety, and the Martyrology is nothing to sneeze at. (Incidentally, perennial Shrine fave St. Christina the Astonishing was also never officially canonized, so she's in good company). Plus, the Encyclopedia doesn't make her sound like a closet Dan Brown-ist like some of her modern apologists pretend her to be.

Just because some clown trumpets a spurious 'sacred feminine' doesn't mean that we should shrink back from saying that Woman is not truly glorious in her God-given dignity, in her complementary covenant with Man which images the eternal procession of the Trinity. Heck, take a look at the golden Lady on top of the Dome here!

While the Sibyl of the Rhine may be a favorite among those (ahem) ladies who can't spell 'women' correctly, respondeo that even a blind pig occasionally finds an acorn, as we sometimes say in folksy Florida.

In this day and age when true femininity is trampled in the mud like a silken battle standard trailing from a shattered staff, we should do our part to shout the authentic praise of women and highlight those most noble ladies, Catherine, Joan, Clare (and Hildegarde) who only rose to prominence in the medieval world created by the Church. It is the Church that tamed Man, that gave us chivalry; that gave us the cult of the Virgin, surely the single largest civilizing institution in Catholicism. The Church is Herself a woman, and knows that where women are, civilization lies. Let us never forget this, and hope these models of true womanhood will turn the hearts of those swayed by confused ideas, impure concepts and misbegotten doctrines.

Wait, something interesting in the South Bend Tribune?

I was hanging around in a dorm lobby this morning, when I noticed an article concerning Fr. Brian Stanley, who has been known to lurk around these parts (blogwise and otherwise). The article claims he may have collaborated with the ghost of the Gipper to help save the day this Saturday at the game. (I still maintain it was the Latin Mass, but do we get any calls from the papers? Nooo...)

As if that wasn't enough, below the fold, whose picture should I see but our dear bowtied and bespectacled Professor Stroik, who is working on a Catholic school in the area.

File this away as another one of those "Oh, not that Index" moments.

Here's a pic of my beloved San Gregorio ai Muratori (FSSP), my adopted parish while studying in Rome last year where I learned how the Tridentine Mass really works in a pastoral setting. It also awakened in me a hearty respect for very small churches. The photo, the first I've seen of the chapel online, was unearthed by Christine, "Wife and law clerk, not to mention former hyper-Calvinist, Kierkegaardian, and overall ne'er-do-well," at her blog Laudem Gloriae, which bears reading in and of itself.

FYI, that particular flowered chausible, while nice at a distance, is quite hideous up close; on the whole, though, their sacristy is a surprisingly well-stocked one. Where else but Rome would a church the size of a broom cupboard (seriously) have a relic of the True Cross?

Fr. Tucker allows us a window into his unconscious as he relates last night's dream of a Hapsburg Pope, making me wish I was one of his parishioners. I can't top that in terms of weird dreams (save for one very odd dream some years back which was set in the Basilique Notre Dame de Montreal and involved a Spanish bishop in a blue mitre, stiltwalkers in the choirloft, tinfoil, carpets, an out-of-place Signum Pacis, and a Tridentine Requiem), but the other day while I was riding the South Shore Line to Chicago, I did doze off and imagine the two dippy teenage girls in front of me were discussing Madame de Pompadour and Louis XIV. Trippy stuff.

A red-letter day at Notre Dame

Not quite this POD, but still monumental.

Today (well, yesterday now) marked the beginning of Eucharistic Adoration for this year here at ND. This year was particularly significant for two reasons. First, Adoration hours have expanded drastically to 7 hours a day, 5 days a week! Second, this marks the first year we've been able to hold Adoration in the Coleman-Morse chapel, which was built specifically to house Eucharistic Adoration. Let's hope it sees a lot more of this in the future, and please keep us in your prayers as we work to put the Eucharistic Jesus more and more at the center of campus life.

Go for the Gold!

The liturgical gold, that is. And why not? Could it possibly be too good for Our Lady? I think not. Coming soon to the Solemn Mass of the Blessed Virgin, a gold brocaide chalice veil, matching antependium, and (dare I say it?) perhaps even a burse. Stay tuned...

Ecumenical eye-candy, flying bishops and much, much more from the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Alaska. My only question is: where's Maggie O'Connell?

The Dining Hall Will Never Seem the Same Again

"If you look furtively round the table, Matt, you'll notice a striking resemblance of our group to the Council of Anarchists in The Man Who was Thursday. All we need is a big fat man."

--My friend Stephen, at dinner last night

Matt, Is This Your Fault???

Somehow, someone searching for "yanni impersonator" ended up at our blog!

St. Dominic to his puppy: Anathema, sit!

Tweed, Peanut Butter and Anathema sitting

Fr. Vasily of The Onion Dome discusses trans-fatty acids, "the American abomination, peanut butter," wordy translated liturgies (ICEL take note: Was it short, pithy phrases in Nineteenth Century Russia?), and fooling one's guardian angel with margerine on fast days. *** Jane at Ecclesia Militans talks Tridentine. *** Too much lace (huh?) and a puppy named Anathema, from our beloved friend across the pond Zadok the Roman, presently fetching a circumbendibus in search of a quockerwodger. *** A Dave Barry gag becomes real at the Old Oligarch's. *** Character vs. Fate from Cadet Lauren, who also reports, delightfully, that the new fall look for ladies is librarian chic. More tweed and argyle, in general and for the fair sex in particular, is, in my humble male opinion, always a good thing. *** Erik Keilholtz extolls cold pizza and coffee as the perfect breakfast. He may be on to something. *** And lastly, the Irish Elk posts a gorgeous image of Our Lady of Victories.

Latin Lives Again

Our Solemn Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which our readers know so well, was celebrated in Latin (except for the Liturgy of the Word) this Saturday.

We began with Iesu Dulcis, chanted sparingly (the Sanctus, the Mysterium Fidei, the Agnus Dei, the Pater Noster), and ended with the classic Salve Regina. The rest of the Mass was spoken, since the majority of the congregation had never attended a Latin Novus Ordo before.

It was well recieved. We asked the 40+ congregants to leave us feedback afterwards -- none of it was negative. People asked for it to be repeated on a monthly or a weekly basis.

When we bought our Adoremus hymnals at the end of last year, we were ambitious and purchased 25. They have great music, as well as the Mass parts in Latin and English. These 25 are no longer enough -- we need 20 more! Imagine. "Nowhere else but Notre Dame."

I would also like to formally dare anyone to claim that Notre Dame, the priests supporting these Masses, and the students attending them are "not Catholic enough." Good grief.

Someone mentioned in my post about LAST Saturday's Mass that perhaps Monk would be willing to "Try-dentine" anything. Well, we did indeed say a prayer for the team after Mass yesterday -- and hopefully you all know how that turned out: 28-20, Notre Dame over Michigan. Admittedly, the first quarter involved some of the worst football I'd ever seen, but things surely did turn around. It was the second time in my history here as a student that the crowd rushed the field! (Did you see us on TV?)

Top this day off with a dinner trip our club (about 45 of us) took to the local pizza place (Bruno's) and this, Blogophilus, was the perfect Notre Dame day.

An informative post on medieval underwear from HMS Blog. Once again, if it wasn't for us looking for weirdness, Fr. Sibley would find it eventually.

Another Entry from The Encyclopedia of Failed Ideas:

Pyramidion: The original Pyramidion, the gold cap which topped the Great Pyramid, is of particular interest to the Encyclopedia of Failed Ideas because it is the object whose height is used most to calculate the height of the pyramid by analogy. However, since it was stolen at some point, as is to be expected regarding bits of gold that happen to be sitting around as if they were just, say, rusty pharaonic hubcaps, nobody (except possibly Piazzi Smith) is really sure how tall either it or the Great Pyramid really was.

This earlier Pyramidion is not to be confused with its more modern incarnations. The first, the Pyrami-Dionne, was a Canadian-based Ponzi scheme from the late 1940s involving getting its victims to have families composed of inordinately large numbers of siblings. It was started by Pyramis "Thisbe the Shoulder" Tucci, a prominent member of the Montreal Mafia, in 1948, and crashed shortly before his arrest for herring trafficking in 1954. Then there's Las Vegas's Pyrami-Dion, otherwise known as the Tomb of the Unknown Pop Diva. This should also not to be confused with Grant's Tomb in New York, the final resting place of octagenarian salsa star Celia Cruz.

New Tridentine eye-candy over at The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales. Is it just me, or have we seen these vestments a lot there lately? Not that I'm complaining.

Rocky: Hey Bullwinkle, we're in real trouble now!
Bullwinkle: Oh good, Rocky! I hate that artificial kind!

***

Bullwinkle: Well, if you can't believe what you read in a comic book, what can you believe?

***

Fearless Leader: What does Pottsylvania have more than any other country? Mean! We have more Mean than any other country in Europe! We must export Mean!

***

And so, without further ado, Everything You Ever Were Afraid to Ask About Rocky and Bullwinkle.

A Free Translation of Two Sacred Songs by St. Hildegarde

Antiphon: O pulchrae facies (De Virginibus)

O beautiful faces:
Ye who behold God and build up in the dawn's light,
O blessed virgins, O how noble are ye!
In ye hath the King contemplated Himself:
And in ye every heavenly ornament hath He prophesized:
And thus, ye art the most sweet of gardens,
Perfumed in all your adornments.

Sequence: O virga ac diadema purpurae Regis (De Sancta Maria)

O Green shoot and purple crown,
Thy purity cloistered like gleaming armor:

Thou didst branch and blossom, changed somehow
From that which Adam produced in the whole human race.

Hail, hail, from Thy womb proceedeth another life,
Stripped forth by Adam from all his sons.

O flower! It was not the dew that made Thee bud,
Nor drops of rain, nor wind on high:
But clearest divine light that brought Thee forth
From that O noblest bough of Jesse.

O branch, Thy flowering
God forsaw on the first Day of creation:

And so, O golden matrix of the Word,
O laudable Virgin, He made Thee thus!

O how great is Man's side, how strong,
From which Woman didst God draw forth
And who He made the mirror of all His ornament,
The embrace of all creation.

And so together the organs of heaven do play,
And all the earth beholds you, O Mary all-praised,
O Thou, so beloved of God.

O what great weeping and wailing it was,
That crime and sorrow, through the Serpent's council
Didst flow into Woman.

For that woman, whom God sent us as mother of all,
Self-vulned her gut with wounds of ignorance:
And gave dolorous birth as inheritance to all her offspring.

But! O aurora, O dawn, from Thy womb,
Rose the new Sun:
Purging every sin of Eve
And through Thee a great blessing doth flow
Overwhealming Eve's sad deed.

And thus, O Mother of Salvation,
Thou hast bourne the New Light
For all Mankind
Knit together then all us,
The members of Thy Son
Into this caelestial harmony.

Sid's Ginseng Pagoda, c. 2001, in the aftermath of the end of the TanglePlastic fiasco

From Matt's Encyclopedia of Failed Ideas:

Muskrat Pops: The top-selling breakfast cereal of 1967-1974 in the Prairie provinces of Canada. Invented by William Holdhurst, a high-born member of the Calgary social elite with an extreme fascination for rodents, it reached all-time popularity in 1973 when the Captain (though, as it transpired, not Tenille) gave permission for Muskrat Love to be used in commercials. Tenille, already irritated at the Captain's spurious assumption of military (or naval?) rank, cried foul, and the song was pulled three weeks into the ad campaign. The Muskrat Pop boom quickly deflated, further irritated by an extremely infelicitous typo on the new chocolate-flavored sub-brand which accidentally added an extra 'o' in the most unfortunate of places.

Holdhurst attempted to recoup in the mid-80s by attempting to create a special health bran-flake cereal for Weetabix called "Nutria," but it never got past the drawing board.

Tangle Plywood Music Festival: This notorious 'easy-listening' concert series was held from 1995-1998 in the vacant backlot behind Sid's Wholesale Ginseng Pagoda in the Chevy Chase suburb of Washington, D.C.. Started by Marty Flamsteed, a one-time band member on the long-running Lawrence Welk Show, it came to a brutal end after three years and had to be broken up by a squad of ATF snipers.

Quitting Welk in 1984 because of the omnipresent odor of Metamucil and warm prune juice on the set, Flamsteed broke away to form an all-conch-shell big-band ensemble called Lawrence and the Whelks, which broke up six months later because of the impossibility of playing 'bubble music' on empty mollusc shells and also the impending threat of a lawsuit. Flamsteed, crushed, moved on to organize the first 'easy-listening' music festival in history. It began in 1995 after nearly a decade of work with performances by Yanni, Barry Manilow, and an accordion troupe whose name is lost to history.

Introducing Enya to the mix in '97 would prove to be a momentous and ultimately tragic decision as it attracted vast swathes of New Age followers and also the sponsorship of Dramamine. However, Dramamine's concession stand proved to be somewhat redundant, while Enya's fans proved increasingly uncontrollable. A riot broke out in the middle of a performance of "MacArthur Park" when a wiccan high priestess overturned a vat of scalding-hot patchouli oil on a strolling Buffy Summers impersonator, while John Tesh nearly had his eye put out by a joss-stick wielding hippie. Yanni vowed never to return after someone sneaked into his trailer one evening while he was sleeping and shaved him.

In 1998, the festival finally had to close down only three days into the series because a rogue splinter group of Enya fans code-named "The Willow Rosenberg 7" attempted to sacrifice Henry Mancini to the Celtic war goddess Morrigan in the middle of the Burt Bacharach Tribute Q-and-A Session. In 1999, Flamsteed died a broken man above a used records store in Boulder, Colorado, clutching a Ravi Shankar album to his heart.

Seven Tips for Participating in the Traditional Mass

At Dappled Things.

Call It an Examination of Conscience for the Sinister

EvilRulers.com - If I Were The Evil Overlord

If I have an unstoppable super-weapon, I will use it as often as possible instead of holding it in reserve.

I will not indulge in the practice of maniacal laughter, despite the proven stress-relieving effects of such behavior.

I will not fly into a rage and kill a messenger who brings me bad news just to demonstrate how evil I am.

I will never turn into a giant snake, no matter how much I might want to, because it never helps.

The artifact which is the source of my power will not be kept on the mountain of despair beyond the river of fire guarded by the dragons of eternity. It will be locked up in my safe-deposit box.

MOST IMPORTANTLY,
I will never utter the sentence 'Before I kill you, you should know...'

Mark Shea Would say..

"Sin makes you stupid."

So does disorderedly dedicating your entire existance to politics, or its outcomes. It makes people do really stupid stuff, like forge documents "from the 70's":

'60 Minutes' Documents on Bush Might Be Fake -- 09/09/2004: "But the use of the superscript 'th' in one document - '111th F.I.S' - gave each expert pause. They said that is an automatic feature found in current versions of Microsoft Word, and it's not something that was even possible more than 30 years ago."

Today is the Marian Feasts of...

Our Lady of the Puy/Le Puy. Velay, France. 221.
Joachim and Anna, the parents of Mary (Orthodox).

"The woods behind Christendom [College] are infested with Mexican bandits."

--Meredith of Basia Me, Catholica Sum

Zadok, in discussing the Most Bizarre Thing He's Seen All Year, thinks he knows what the Shrine of the Holy Whapping would look like on acid. I'm not sure I disagree. *** Andrew Cusack makes me cry with a story on a historic church closure in Harlem and plans out a Catholic academic fantasyland on the Gowanus Canal. *** Harpist Jane from Alle Psalite and her beau Gavin have set up Ecclesia Militans, a new blog on liturgical matters. Encourage them at the start of their labors by visiting the site. *** Dawn Eden, on patrol in her biplane, discovers the sour side of Tarts. *** The ever-talented Lauren the Classics-majoring Cadette from the blog with the impronounceable name, in addition to putting the Militant in Church Militant, has a new site documenting her adventures abroad in Rome this semester. *** Meredith, the Liturgical Avenger, and her friends battle safe-stealing Mexican banditos at Christendom College and live to tell the tale. Perhaps, amiga, they came from Pax House: "Marty Haugen? We don't need no stinkin' Marty Haugen!"

Questionable Practice Spreads

Why is it important to ask if preemptive strikes are safely within the criterion (not just possibly permissable, but safely within) the Just War Theory?

Because sooner or later, someone else says, "Hey, that's not a bad idea."

Yahoo! News - Russia prepared for pre-emptive strikes on 'terror bases' worldwide:
"'With regard to preventive strikes on terrorist bases, we will take any action to eliminate terrorist bases in any region of the world. But this does not mean we will carry out nuclear strikes,' General Yuri Baluyevsky said Wednesday. "

Today Is...
September the 7th,
the celebration of...

Vigil of the Nativity of Our Lady. Instituted by Pope Gregory II. 722.
Our Lady of Zyrowice. Poland (or Belarus currently, I believe)
Our Lady of Consolata. Turin, Italy.

For the Closet Trekkies at this Blog...
(certain members of our courageous staff have, indeed, attended actual conventions...)

From the blog Proud Member of the JPII Generation:

What StarTrek Race Are You?

Back in Liturgical Shape

The year has begun and so has our Saturday Solemn Mass for the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Mass is back and it's solemner than ever... which is to say, um, funner. Not to mention, better-attended: about 45 college students were up and at 'em (ritually speaking) by 9am on a Saturday (for you non-college students, this implies about 5-6 hours of sleep). And all for Our Lord's Blessed Virgin Mother.

We owe significant thanks to the donors who made possible the bells and communion chin-paten... (as well as any donors who might feel compelled to supply silk brocade...) Chalice veils and altar frontals, these are a few of our favorite liturgical things. So, THANKS TO ALL!

In breaking liturgical news, Notre Dame will soon witness its first completely Latin Mass (Novus Ordo) in a while. We've had a handful of priests on campus excited to offer their services in offering these Services. With any luck, our Misa will go Solemnis this next Saturday, and periodically thereafter -- so, wish us luck!

In the words of one first-time participant... "The best Mass on the Notre Dame campus. Thanks for doing this."

Posted by: Andrew / 3:24 PM
Permalink | 

Our Lady of Kazaa, Our Lady of Kazan, what's the difference?

The Ordo Karolingianus, Part V and Last

This is the final part of the Ordo, taking us up to the Last Gospel and the Dismissal. Unlike other portions of the Rite, here the Mass is more similar to the present form of the Roman Rite, without the "duplication" of parts in the Communion rite such as the separate Domine, non sum dignus for the priest. I think this duplication was not just complexity for complexity's sake and had some theological nuances, but I also think that it could be simplified somewhat without significant damage to the rite, perhaps to the benefit of the faithful.

Admitted, the spectacle of the priest saying silently Domine non sum dignus was an edifying one; but perhaps the audible canon with its self-effacing humility might serve the same purpose. Furthermore, it also allows the priest's Communion to come after the Agnus Dei, thus allowing the larger consecrated Host used during the rite to be shown to the people rather than a smaller one. This seems the logical conclusion of the many regulations encouraging the dispensation of Hosts consecrated at the same mass. I have omitted the Pax, presupposing its earlier placement before the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, but I am by no means satisfied by this inversion.

I am also somewhat unsatisfied with my my suggestion of restricting the Last Gospel to Advent, Christmas, and the Annunciation: perhaps it should be more common. There is always, I suppose, the possibility of reviving the use of multiple Last Gospel texts, as was previously the practice in very limited circumstances. They might change depending on the season of the year, but this might be unduly innovative and unprecedented. The 1964 Missal suppressed it, suggesting it was of the few edits actually intended by the Council, but the beauty of this this pivotal Gospel text nonetheless suggests it should be preserved.

Lastly: regarding communion under both Species. I think that in principle this is a good thing. Certain theological accretions, quite beautiful ones, explained the priest's drinking from the Chalice alone, though these are secondary to the ancient custom of communicating under both Species. However, speaking from a pastoral pespective, the use of Communion under both Species causes a great deal of procedural trouble and comparatively few people consume it, resulting in a multiplicity of lay Communion ministers, not to mention the difficulty of coordinating taking the Cup at the rail. On the other hand, the Lutherans have maintained the practice at their own services, and still kneel: though, however, their theology does not admit the Real Presence as we know it, and thus are far less concerned about spills. I have also suggested shortening slightly the traditional rite's formula of "Corpus Domini..." to the portion which can be said dignifiedly while making the sign of the Cross with the Host.

Well, that's the end of my idea for the Mass: it's been a fun ride. I will keep tinkering with this Ordo and perhaps when I open up a more permanent website, it'll have a home there. Thanks everyone for your intelligent commentary, your suggestions, and your thoughts. I hope in my own small way I've been able to add something to the vast debate which swirls around this controversy.

THE COMMUNION

P. Let us pray. Taught by our Savior’s command, and formed by divine instruction, we dare to say:

Pater Noster

R. Our Father, Who art in heaven: hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread: and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us: and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

The Embolism

P. Deliver us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, from all evil: graciously grant peace in our days, and by the intercession of the blessed and glorious ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and all the saints, mercifully grant us peace in our days, that, assisted by the power of Thy merciful love, that we may always be free from sin and safe from all distress: as we await the blessed hope of the advent of our Savior Jesus Christ.
R. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever and ever.

P. Lord Jesus Christ, look not upon our sins, but on the faith of Thy Church: and be pleased to grant Her peace and unity in accordance with Thy holy will. To Thee, who lives and reigns, God, forever and ever.
R. Amen.

Then shall the people, all kneeling, all sing aloud these words:

Agnus Dei

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world: have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world: have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world: grant us peace.

Rite of Fraction

As the people sing, the priest shall make his preparation for Communion, saying thus as he divides the Host:

P. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, Who, by the will of the Father and the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, have by Thy death given life to the world, by this Thy most holy Body and Blood deliver me from all my sins and from every evil. Make me always cling to Thy commandments, and never permit me to be parted from Thee. Amen.

Or, he shall say, as he desires:

P. Let not the partaking of Thy Body, O Lord Jesus Christ, turn to my judgment and condemnation; but through Thy goodness, may it be for me a safeguard of mind and body and an effective remedy. Amen.

Then shall the priest say silently, mingling the Precious Blood with a fragment of the holy and venerable body of Christ:

P. May this + mingling of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bring eternal life to us who receive it.

Now shall the priest turn to the people, and say, showing unto them the Holy Sacrament:

P. Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takest away the sins of the world.

And then shall all say, striking their breasts thrice:

R. Lord, I am not worthy that Thou should come under my roof: but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.
Lord, I am not worthy that Thou should come under my roof: but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.
Lord, I am not worthy that Thou should come under my roof: but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.

And then shall the priest reverently consume the Host, saying thus silently:

+ May the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve my soul unto life everlasting.

And then shall the priest drink the most precious Blood, saying thus silently:

+ May the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve my soul unto life everlasting.

Then shall the priest come to the Communion rail with the ciborium, saying silently:

P. What return shall I make to the Lord for all the things he has give unto me? I will take the bread of heaven and the chalice of salvation, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. I will call upon the Lord and give praise: and I shall be saved from my enemies.

Then the priest shall distribute the Communion, saying each time, + The Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ to each who kneel at the rail. The appointed antiphon or a hymn may be sung as the priest cleanses the sacred vessels, saying this silent prayer:

The Ablutions

P. What we have received with our mouths, O Lord, may we take with pure minds, and from a temporal gift, may it become for us an eternal remedy.

[He also may say thus, either in addition to or in substitution of the preceding prayer:

P. May Thy Body, O Lord, which I have received, and Thy Blood which I have drunk, cleave to my inmost parts, and grant that no stain of sin be found in me: whom these pure and holy Mysteries have renewed.]

[Afterward, he may also say thus, also secretly:

Placeat tibi

P. May the tribute of my service be pleasing to Thee, most Holy Trinity, and grant that the sacrifice which I have offered in the presence of Thy Majesty, may be acceptable to Thee, and through Thy mercy obtain forgiveness for me and all for whom I have offered it.]

THE DISMISSAL

Then shall the priest say, Let us pray, saying the Post-Communion prayer, and then shall he bless the people in these words:

P. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
P. May Almighty God bless + you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
P. (now turning to the people.) Go, the Mass is ended. (or, Let us bless the Lord.)
R. Thanks be to God.

THE LAST GOSPEL

[On the feast of the Annunciation, at Advent and during Christmastide, save at those masses when the beginning of St. John’s Gospel is appointed to be read, the priest shall turn and read these Sentences of Scripture at the northern horn of the altar:

P. In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came as witness to the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not the true Light, but was to bear witness to the Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. AND THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH, (here he shall genuflect) and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
R. Thanks be to God.]

Then shall the priest kiss the altar, and depart, as a hymn or Marian antiphon is sung, unless he should elect to remain and lead some private devotions from the steps of the sanctuary, as is customary.

THE COMPLETION OF THE HOLY MASS
ACCORDING TO THE ORDO KAROLINGIANUS

Columba Aspexit: Sequence for St. Maximinus

A very evocative text, full of remarkably vivid and dreamlike imagery, from St. Hildegard of Bingen, the Sibyl of the Rhine. It has that heady, potent, earthy and sometimes downright weird flavor that characterizes some elements of medieval mysticism. Incidentally, the Latin version of this is being played on the record player in the movie A Beautiful Mind when John Nash meets his imaginary friend in the dorm for the first time.

A dove gazed in
Through the latticed window:
There sweetest balm rained down on her face,
Sweated from bright Maximinus.

The heat of the sun blazed out
To irradiate the dark:
A bud burst open, jewel-like,
In the temple of his heart:
most pure and kind his heart.

A high tower of cypress is he,
Wrought of Lebanon's cedars--
Sardis and hyacinth stones frame his turrets--
A city surpassing the arts
of all other artisans.

A swift stag is he
Who sped to the clearest font,
Pure wellspring springing forth
From the most powerful of stones
Coursed by the most sweet-smelling of spices.

O perfumers! Ye who do dwell
In the most luxuriant viridian
Of the royal gardens,
Ascending on high
As ye finish a holy
Sacrifice of pure rams:

Among ye this architect shines,
A rampart of the temple,
He who longed for the wings of an eagle
As he kissed
His wet-nurse Wisdom
In the glorious gardens of Mother Church.

O Maximinus,
Both mountain and valley,
On Thy towering height
The mountain goat leapt
With the oliphaunt,
And Wisdom was in rapture.

Strong and sweet
In the sacred rites and
In the shimmer
of the altar,
Thou dost rise like incense
To the pillar of praise--
Interceding for Thy people,
Who strive toward the mirror of light,
To thee be praise and glory in the highest!

If I could tell the world just one thing...

Or really, the US and Europe, it would be this quote from "The Restoration of Christian Culture":

"People who care for nothing but themselves inevitably lose to those who, capable of sacrifice, will fight for something more than themselves."

The Ordo Karolingianus, Part IV

The current part takes us through the whole Roman Canon, which I have kept almost wholly unchanged, save for a slightly more explicit Epiklesis based on the suggestion of traditional liturgist Fr. Brian Harrison of the Oblates of Wisdom. Many of the rubrics suggested are derived from the former rubrics, though I have omitted most of the signs of the Cross after the Consecration: while I love them very much, there seems to be evidence that they're mutations of some sort of other oratorical gesture which has been lost. Rather than simply invent a new posture out of whole cloth, I have ommited them since it would seem odd to bless something already blessed: though if someone can offer an explanation of them I would be perfectly happy to reinstate them. Several other crossings have been removed since sometimes three crossings in a row could often look undignified. There are, however, enough hieratic gestures to prevent the Canon from seeming only monologuic.

I considered keeping some sort of cruciform benediction using the Host at the Per ipsum but it seemed clumsy to attempt to simultaneously raise the Host and chalice while also making signs of the Cross with the Host, and I like the idea of the Doxology being marked by an elevation. Also, the Benedictus is now sung in place of the Memorial acclamation since at a high mass it was usually delayed until after the Consecration. I believe St. Agnes in St. Paul does something similar.

The Canon is intended to be spoken aloud, though I have envisioned that the Consecration would be said in a lower voice. Perhaps having the option of a silent canon, though, might be salutary, as while it seems to have been spoken aloud originally according to some sources (which may or may not have been superseded by more recent studies), many beautiful things have been written in its favor. Nonetheless, after the changes of the last 30 years, a silent Canon would be well-night inexplicable to most church-going Catholics, and in the hopes of making the Church's Tridentine heritage more widely disseminated, I think a spoken Canon would be wholly appropriate. Sadly, though, I have been unable to figure out vocally how to distinguish the Nobis quoque peccatoribus from the rest of the Canon. It seems undecorous to shout it.

Furthermore, I have chosen to keep one acclamation, at the end (save for the Benedictus), rather than having the people voice the Amens that were interspersed throughout the older version, as some Neo-Gallican missals had it; while this has some precedent in Coptic customs, it is not Roman practice.

Also, I have noticed that the bell that is to be rung directly before the Consecration has in recent years unintentionally become attached to the Epiklesis. I have kept the custom, though I am not an expect in Pneumatology: perhaps someone might enlighten me as to whether this is a good adaptation of the liturgy.

THE ROMAN CANON

Then shall the priest say the Canon in an audible voice, while all the people and the server shall kneel, beginning thus:

To Thee, therefore, most clement Father, we humbly pray and beseech Thee through Jesus Christ Thy Son, Our Lord, hold acceptable and bless + these gifts, these + offerings, these + holy and unspotted oblations which, first, we offer unto Thee for Thy holy catholic Church. May it please Thee to keep in peace, unite and govern throughout the whole globe, together with Thy servant, our Pope, N., and our Bishop N., and the orthodox of the catholic and apostolic Faith.

Memento of the Living

Be mindful, O Lord, of Thy servants and handmaids, [N. and N.], of all here present, whose faith and devotion are known to Thee, on whose behalf we offer to Thee, or who themselves offer to Thee this sacrifice of praise for themselves, their families and friends, for the redemption of their souls, for the hope of safety and salvation, and who render their homage to Thee, eternal God, living and true.

Communicantes

Joining in their communion, we glorify the memory, first of all, of the glorious and ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of our Lord and God Jesus Christ, and also of blessed Joseph, Her most chaste spouse, and of Thy blessed Apostles and Martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew, [James, John, Thomas, James, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon and Thaddeus; of Linus, Cletus, Clement, Sixtus, Cornelius, Cyprian, Lawrence, Chrysogonus, John and Paul, Cosmas and Damian, N.,] and of all Thy Saints. Through whose merits and prayers grant that in all things we may be strengthened by the help of Thy protection.

Hanc Igitur

Graciously accept, then, we beseech Thee, O Lord, this oblation of our worship and that of all Thy family. Order our days in Thy peace, deliver us from eternal damnation, and cause us to be numbered in Thy chosen flock.

Epiklesis

This oblation, O God, we beseech Thee, (here shall the priest extend his hands over the elements, and the acolyte shall ring the Sanctus bell once) vouchsafe in every way by the power of the Holy Ghost to make it blessed +, approved, effective, right, and wholly pleasing, that it may become for our good, the Body + and Blood + of Thy most dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

And here shall the priest bow low, and, when reading the Words of Institution from the appointed text, shall say them in a slow and clear voice, audible but more moderately:

Who, the day before He suffered, took bread into His holy and venerable hands, and raising His eyes to heaven to Thee, O God, His Almighty Father, giving thanks He blessed + it broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying:

TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT: THIS IS TRULY MY BODY,
WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.

The Body of Christ is lifted up for worship, and the Sanctus bell is rung thrice. The priest here shall genuflect before the altar.

In the same way, when the supper was ended, taking also this precious chalice into His holy and venerable hands, and again giving Thee thanks, He blessed + it, and gave it to His disciples, saying:

TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK OF IT, THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD, THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND EVERLASTING COVENANT: WHICH SHALL BE SHED FOR YOU AND FOR MANY, UNTO THE REMISSION OF SINS. DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME.

The Blood of Christ is lifted up for worship, and the Sanctus bell is rung thrice. In the same way shall the priest here genuflect before the altar, and, upon rising, say, more loudly than before:

The Mystery of Faith.

And all shall sing these words:

Blessed + is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

Then shall the priest continue, saying, in an audible voice:

Unde et memores

Therefore, O Lord, we Thy servants and Thy holy people, mindful of the ever-blessed passion of Christ, Thy Son, His Resurrection from the dead, and His glorious Ascension into heaven, offer unto Thy most glorious Majesty, from thy most gracious gifts, a pure Victim, a holy Victim, a spotless Victim: the holy Bread of eternal life and the Chalice of perpetual salvation.

Deign to regard with a gracious and kindly countenance and accept them, as it pleased Thee to accept the gifts of Thy righteous servant Abel, and the sacrifice of Abraham our Patriarch, and that which Thy high priest Melchisedech offered to Thee: a holy Sacrifice and an immaculate Victim.

Supplices Te Rogamus

Then shall the priest bow low again over the Oblation, saying:

Most humbly we implore Thee, Almighty God, to bid these gifts to be brought by the hands of Thy Holy Angel to Thy altar above, before the face of Thy Divine Majesty: (and here shall he stand erect again) that those of us who share in Them and receive the sacrosanct Body and Blood of Thy Son, be filled with + (over the priest) every heavenly grace and blessing.

Remember also, O Lord, Thy servants and handmaids [N. and N.] who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith and rest in the sleep of peace. [To them, Lord, and] to all who rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, and peace.

Nobis Quoque Peccatoribus

To us also Thy sinful servants (here shall the priest strike his breast once) hoping in the multitude of Thy mercies, vouchsafe to grant some share and fellowship with Thy holy apostles and martyrs: John, Stephen, Matthias, Barnabas, [Ignatius, Alexander, Marcellinus, Peter, Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy], Agnes, Cecilia, Anastasia, and all Thy Saints. Into their company we beseech Thee to admit us, not weighing our merits, but freely granting us pardon. Through Christ our Lord, through Whom Thou dost ever create, sanctify, vivify, bless + (over the priest) and grant us all these good things.

Now shall the priest raise the Body and Blood on high, saying:

Through Him, with Him, and in Him, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, all honor and glory is to Thee, God the Father Almighty: forever and ever.

R. Amen.

That's an image of eighth-century iconoclasts hard at work with a pot of whitewash. We'd've called them "liturgical design consultants" today. For more on the subject, see this intriguing article on everybody's favorite (?) "church renovator," good old "Dynamiter Dick" Richard Vosko, who, if you look him up in the thesarus, is the antonym of Duncan Stroik. Turns out Dick's not even a real architect!

The Ordo Karolingianus, Part III

This part takes us from the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist to the singing of the Sanctus. There is probably very little here likely to cause controversy to a person familiar with the 1962 Missal. The only significant additions have been the slight re-structuring of the Offertory prayers (such as the Suscipe, Sancte Pater) to be said aloud in the manner of the present Offertory (i.e., Blessed are You, Lord, God of all Creation, which are okay, but seem a little 'constructed' in their character). My omission of the Benedictus at the very end of the post is deliberate--you'll see what I have planned for it in Part IV. My name for the Secret, the 'Prayer of Separation,' comes from the theory that the term 'Secret' is a misreading of the name of a prayer said when the offerings were separated, since the faithful often brought great messes of very unhygenic offerings in addition to the unconsecrated Species. Since the Secret seems to have been spoken aloud originally, the name seems something of a misnomer, though it has a certain poetry to it that "Prayer over the Gifts" lacks. Perhaps "The Oblation"? Someone with good taste and imagination should come up with something, or maybe it's better to stick with the old name, even if it is somewhat odd: oddness is not always a bad thing.

I imagine that most of these portions of the mass, even the Secret and the various prayers of Oblation, could be chanted: I seem to recall reading the entire rite now has notation attached to it. Perhaps the 'more moderate voice' I have suggested for the parts formerly silent could be represented modally somehow.

P. (or deacon) Awake, brethren, and look with reverence to the East, whence shall come the glory of the Lord.
P. Let us pray.

THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

Here, as is set forth according to the customaries of the local church, shall be found the Offertory procession, as appointed on feast days and solemnities. The antiphon appointed for the day or the mass might be sung here as the priest silently recites the Suscipe, Sancte Pater or, if not sung, then it should be recited aloud by the priest: an appropriate hymn or anthem may be substituted. If no hymn is sung, then the priest shall say the Offertory prayers aloud upon returning to the altar. The priest shall come to the entrance of the sanctuary and receive the oblation from the faithful there.

Then shall the priest return to the altar and say silently or aloud, but in a somewhat moderate voice, holding the paten aloft:

Suscipe, Sante Pater

P. Accept, O Holy Father, Almighty and eternal God, this spotless host, which I, Thy unworthy servant, offer to Thee, my living and true God, to atone for my numberless sins, trespasses and faults: on behalf of all here present and likewise for all faithful Christians whether living and dead, that it may profit both us and them as a means of salvation unto life everlasting.
R. Amen.

At the southern horn of the altar, he should then mingle the water and the wine in the chalice, saying silently all the while:

P. O God, + who in creating man did exalt his nature most wondrously, and still more wondrously did reestablish it anew, the mystery of the mingling of this water and wine, grant that we may come to share in His Divinity, who has humbled himself to share in our humanity.

Then, raising his voice again, shall the priest say these words and lift the chalice:

P. We offer unto Thee, O Lord, the chalice of salvation, humbly begging of Thy mercy that it may ascend before Thy divine Majesty, with a sweet fragrance, for our salvation and for that of the whole world.
R. Amen.

[Then, should it be used, incense shall be set using these silent prayers:

P. Through the intercession of blessed Michael the Archangel, standing at the right hand of the altar of incense, and of all His elect may the Lord vouchsafe to bless + this incense and to receive it in the odor of sweetness. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

If an acolyte should incense the people, the following prayer is omitted.

P. (incensing the cross) May this incense blessed by Thee, arise before Thee, O Lord, and may Thy mercy come down upon us. (And the altar) Let my prayer, O Lord, come like incense before Thee; the lifting up of my hands, like the evening sacrifice. (And the people, or when handing the thurible back) May the Lord enkindle in us the fire of His love and the flame of everlasting love.]

Then shall the priest wash his hands at the south horn of the altar, saying silently:

P. I wash my hands in innocence, and I go around Thy altar, O Lord, giving voice to my thanks, and recounting all Thy wondrous deeds. O Lord, I love the house in which Thou dost dwell, the tenting place of Thy glory.

Then shall he stand in the midst of the altar, facing it and praying aloud, but still moderately, with upraised hands:

Suscipe, Sancte Trinitas

P. Accept, most Holy Trinity, this offering which we are making to You in remembrance of the Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ, Our Lord; and in honor of blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed John the Baptist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and of N., (that is: the name of the Saints whose relics are in the Altar, the saint of the day, or the patron of the church or diocese) and of all the Saints; that it may add to their honor and aid our salvation; and may they deign to intercede in heaven for us who honor their memory here on earth. In a spirit of humility and with a contrite heart, may we be accepted by Thee, O Lord, and may our sacrifice so be offered in Your sight this day as to please Thee, O Lord God. Come, O Sanctifier, Almighty and Eternal God, and bless + this sacrifice prepared for the glory of Thy holy Name.

Then shall he turn to face the people, and say these words:

P. Pray, brethren, that my Sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the Father Almighty.
R. May the Lord receive this Sacrifice at thy hands for the praise and glory of His Name: for our good, and the good of all His holy Church.

The Prayer of Separation (Secreta)

The appointed secret is here said aloud, in a normal voice, by the priest, concluding forever and ever, to which the people shall say Amen. Then shall the priest say these words to the people, turning to face them with upraised hands:

P. The Lord be with you.
S. And with Thy spirit.
P. Lift up your hearts.
S. We have lifted them up to the Lord.
P. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
S. It is right and just.

THE PREFACE

Here shall the priest say the appointed preface, ending …with the archangels, cherubim, and seraphs, ceaselessly singing with one voice:

THE SANCTUS

And all shall be up standing, and shall sing:

Holy, Holy, Holy,
Lord God Sabaoth:
Heaven and earth are filled with Thy glory.
Hosanna in the highest.

Processions at Mass

One of the most significant impressions my first Tridentine Low Mass had on me was the economy of ceremonial in the old rite. There was a strong and undilated dignity about the way the priest seldom strayed from the altar, moving only side-to-side with a peculiar and dignified shuffle from Epistle to Gospel corner. The tabernacle was right there in front of him, God literally in your face, and so there was little need for the repeated slouching crossings of the sanctuary or knots of Eucharistic ministers so common today. With the Mass cards, he had everything at his fingertips, and there was none of the frantic page-flipping, botched memorizations or book-juggling so common in parochial celebrations of the current Rite.

There's really no reason that the ornate simplicity of the priest's gestures and posture can't imbue celebrations of the current rite and serve, perhaps, as an inspiration for a future revision of ceremonial. It weds various ceremonial gestures quite fixedly to certain parts of the mass, giving a sense of permanence unlike today where there are, for no good reason and quite in contravention of the rubrics, ten different ways of making the long-standardized orans gesture. Indeed, the more I think about it, the more the old rite, properly done, seems to be a practical benchmark for the noble simplicity which is called for by the current documents.

The Low Mass, of course, is not the perfect, or normative, mass: that honor goes to the Solemn mass in all its forms, both pre- and post-Conciliar, and even the present rubrics (such as those given in the present Caeremoniale Episcoporum) recognize the importance of pulling out all the stops for a Solemn Pontifical Mass. While, sadly, such venerable and harmlessly beautiful customs as the bishop's private candle-bearer, the pontifical gloves, and the bishop vesting at the altar, seem to be absent, there are nonetheless glorious rubrics calling for as many as seven candle-bearers (!), the wearing of an episcopal dalmatic beneath the bishop's chausible, and as many as four deacons, two to assist the bishop and two to assist at mass. I've never seen a mass done that way, but there's nothing legal stopping it from happening in every cathedral in every diocese in the United States. This 'noble simplicity' is a world away from the fantasies of Dick Vosko and Edvard Sorvik, and seems to tremble excitedly on the verge of spilling into full-blown clerical baroque with the addition of just a few more sentences here and there.

What distinguishes the Low Mass from the current parish mass is it knows, rubrically, how much it can handle: it does what it does well. It is a model for the sort of liturgy perfect for a contemplative weekday, and its sense of gravity is perfect for Sunday as well. It is, however, without some celebratory additions, not suitable for any given Sunday: though the full-blown Solemn High of the Old Rite is also beyond the needs of many small parishes. The present rubrics allow, quite brilliantly I think, the introduction of 'high mass' customs into what might have been a silent Sunday Low Mass, such as incense, a processional, hymns and the sung ordinary of the mass.

However, few have seen the genius of this idea and instead we have, in many cases, a Sunday Mass with the same lack of liturgical splendor of a Tridentine Sunday Low Mass, but without its rubrical economy: while there was a quiet grandeur to the solitary priest with the server, it seems gone today when servers wander all over the sanctuary in elaborate and redundandly aimless loops. There's no reason this has to be, even if the current rubrics remain unchanged.

First, sanctuaries should be designed to be more compact, unless, of course, the priest is willing to use a large and spacious sanctuary to his advantage. At the Indult parish I attended in Rome, I was actually much closer to the priest and altar than I would have been in my home parish, with its versus populam altar. Compactness allows the undignified spectacle of large and aimless and unceremonialized processions to the tabernacle and the ambo. Admitted, the current rubrics require some walking, such as at the Gospel and the readings, which is a dignified aspect of the current rite, or with the collect read from the priest's sedilia, which I think probably could be restored to its former position at the old Epistle corner of the altar. However, a small church where grand ritual will be rare should attempt to minimize those long and empty distances.

That being said, a grand church by nature will have a vast sanctuary: and it should learn to use it to its advantage. Processions are certainly in keeping with the new rite, and, gilded over with the pomp of the old, they could be magnificent. At present, St. Peter's retains the custom (seen often in medieval liturgies) of stational processions around the church, prayers at side-altars, and incensations, proceeding some solemn vesperal services.

This, in microcosmic form, is a model to the medium-sized or large parish or Cathedral where solemnity should be more pronounced. The Gospel procession, which is solemnly ceremonialized with much dignity here at my home parish of Notre Dame, is an eminent example of such a practice. Lights, incense, even banners, would be fitting for such a procession: and as a procession, it really ought to go somewhere more than just the shortest distance between two points. Perhaps one could circle the altar, or run round the rim of the sanctuary. It's more a matter of aesthetics and good taste than simple rubrics.

The same should go for the Offertory Procession. More often than not, this is a rather undignified knot of underdressed laymen and women who wander up the main aisle, a world away from the medieval precedent cited to revive this fitting custom. The custom of some high-church Anglicans--who often cite the procession-loving Sarum rite for the source of their revived practices--might be worth considering at this point. In some cathedral churches, several servers retire to a side-chapel and bring up the unconsecrated species in a veiled chalice accompanied by lights, a crucifer and an incense-bearer. Should laymen wish to accompany this procession, they could easily carry up the basket of alms often included in many present-day offertories. But no tank tops, shorts, or flip flops.

Should the priest be required to return to the tabernacle (say, at an altar of reservation in the apse) from the altar of sacrifice, it should be given some measure of dignity. At Notre Dame, when the unused Hosts are taken up from the Communion ministers, they are returned to the tabernacle accompanied by two taperers, a laudable custom indeed.

Another point, I think, worth mentioning, is the current state of the entrance procession. This has often necessitated the awkward placement of the sacristy either in the west end of the Church or the addition of a duplicate and wholly unnecessary vestry, often in a disused side-chapel. This is wholly uneccessary. It would be far simpler to process in from the sacristy behind the sanctuary--which is often provided with a door into a side transept for easy access--then loop around a side-aisle to the back and turn to the front.

This once again revives the ethos of the medieval procession in a simple and dignified manner, allows all those hymn verses to be sung without the priest standing around doing nothing at the sedilia, and I have seen it done to great ritual advantage both in Rome, at the church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, and also at my home at Notre Dame on Sundays when it is too cold to sneak outside the church and pop into the narthex. It prevents an undignified traipse to the back from an east-side sanctuary, and also frees the parish from having to add yet another room to a parish already crowded with cry-rooms, reconciliation chambers, and Eucharistic broom-cupboards.

Small churches may not be able to fully approximate this ideal. In some cases, it might seem rather contrived, as in miniscule daily-mass chapels which is why I suggest these only for high feast days in medium-sized or large churches. Certainly, at simple masses, servers should be trained to take the shortest path between two points, and effort should be undertaken to determine the best way of doing it, as well as teaching them some measure of dignified bearing. And while vast processions--or even simple ones--might be beyond the abilities of some parishes on Sundays, they should remain an ideal, and the movement of the priest and his assistants around the sanctuary should be treated as ritual rather than mere pragmatism. Noble simplicity does not mean sloppiness, and it also means, if you can't pull off something grand, try to do something small in the best way you can do it.

Serious Disputed Questions

Don't ask me how I found this, or even why I was looking for it, but it's the funniest thing I've read in a long time. If you don't recognize the reference, it's from Lewis Carroll's poem Jabberwocky.

The Ordo Karolingianus, Part II

Here, we come to one of the more controversial parts of my revision. The Karolingian Mass, while an attempt to come up with a noble and dignified rite, is also governed by some pastoral practicalities. In order to disseminate the beauties of Trent on a wider scale, I have conformed some portions of it to the framework of the Missa Normativa (such as a spoken canon) to prevent, should such a mass be widely implemented, excessive shock to those faithful who are unfamiliar with it. This is perhaps somewhat controversial, but I see it as a tradeoff which allows the faithful to slowly grasp the verbal and ritual beauties of the older rite while keeping some of the more familiar aspects of the new.

In that spirit, I have included some fixed form of the Prayers of the Faithful, as the Council suggested, borrowing heavily on the Deprecatio of the early Gelasian Sacramentary, a litany similar to the long prayers at the beginning of the Eastern Rite, which I have also considered. The language of these Gelasian prayers is somewhat more florid and eastern, and perhaps somewhat foreign to the more terse style of the old Roman rite, but this departure from simplicity is important in order to prevent much of the monotony and lack of poetry which is evident in many home-brewed Prayers of the Faithful. It is probably best they are restricted to Sundays.

In general, though, I have avoided as much eastern borrowing as possible; while many quite lovely eastern formularies were incorporated into the Missal of Paul VI, this practice seems historically unknown in the generic Roman rite, though, in its defense, the rites of Lyons and Sarum owe much to the east. (In the unlikely event that communion is established with some of the Western-Rite Orthodox who use modernized forms of these rites, their liturgical practices might be revived, but at present, that would seem a needless archaeologism.) At the risk of seeming repetitious, however, I have retained the Eastern custom of responding Lord, have mercy to the Intercessions, remembering their original place in the Kyrie at the beginning of the mass. However, tampering with the opening Kyrie would have been utterly disastrous and unecessarily antiquarian, so their current position remains unchanged.

Given also that, should this mass be implemented on a wide scale, it would probably be impossible to get rid of the noisier aspects of the Pax without a great deal of protest from the pews. In the hopes that the more solemn elements of this Mass may eventually temper the decorum of the faithful, I have kept it, moving it, however, to before the Offertory. This is, to some degree, a historical revision, as one of the two original Pax rites was there, as it still is in the Hispano-Mozarabic rite, but also for pastoral reasons to avoid confusion and unseemly noise before the Sacrament. Parishes may omit it, or perhaps restrict it to the clergy if they wish: a revival of the still-valid Roman form of the ritual might be particularly beautiful.

Needless to say, the rubrics for this Mass presuppose the faithful observance of the present GIRM which requires both genuflecting whenever passing the tabernacle and the bowing of the head to the names of the Trinity, Jesus, Mary, the saint of the day, or the Pope. This should do much to restore the ritual flow of the prayers, breaking them up and making them seem less monologuic and monolithic.

I have elected to remain silent on the nature of the Responsory Psalm or Gradual (as well as the Aleluia or Tract), though I hope it will combine aspects of both the new and the old rites. I think also the addition of several sequences to the feasts of the year--not many, but some--would be suitable, but this is principally my fondness for prolix Medieval liturgy talking.

Part III, tomorrow, will cover the Liturgy of the Eucharist, from the Offertory to the Prayer over the Gifts or Secreta.

THE KYRIE

Standing at the middle of the altar, facing it, the priest shall say aloud, in either six-fold or nine-fold form:

P. Lord, have mercy. (or, Kyrie eleyson)
R. Lord, have mercy.
P. Lord, have mercy.
R. Christ, have mercy. (or, Christe eleyson)
P. Christ, have mercy
R. Christ, have mercy.
P. Lord, have mercy.
R. Lord, have mercy.
P. Lord, have mercy.

THE GLORIA

P. Glory to God in the highest:
R. And on earth peace to men of good will. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we adore Thee, we glorify Thee, we give Thee thanks for Thy great glory.
O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father almighty. O Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father. Thou Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Thou Who takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. Thou Who sittest at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For Thou alone art holy: Thou alone art the Lord: Thou alone art the Most High, Jesus Christ: with the Holy Spirit, in the + Glory of God the Father. Amen.

THE COLLECT

The priest, still standing before the altar, but at the southern horn, shall read the collect from the Missal, his arms raised.

P. Let us pray. (Then shall he pray the Collect.) World without end.
R. Amen.

THE LITURGY OF THE WORD

Then shall the priest, an acolyte or a lector, properly vested and appointed to the purpose, read or sing the Lesson for the day from the ambo on the north side of the sanctuary, which he shall conclude by saying The Word of the Lord to which all shall respond Thanks be to God. The priest, if he does not sing the Lesson, shall retire to the sedilia on the south side of the chancel. Then the priest, or the lector, or some other minister, decorously vested, set aside for the purpose should sing the Graduale or Responsory from the ambo, to which the people shall make the prescribed responses as given in the Proper of the Day. Then shall be read the Epistle in the same manner as the first Lesson. The Alleluia or Tract is to follow, which shall announce the Gospel procession to the ambo, which, on festal days, should be accompanied by lights, the setting of incense, and other fitting ceremonial. All shall stand. Then shall the priest shall pray silently this preparation before the Gospel:

Munda cor meum

Cleanse my heart and my lips, O Almighty God, Who did cleanse with a burning coal the lips of the Prophet Isaiah. In Thy gracious mercy vouchsafe so to purify me that I may worthily proclaim Thy holy Gospel.

If a deacon is present, he shall proclaim the Gospel, first taking care to say the silent preparation himself. Afterwards, he shall say to the priest, Grant, O Father, thy blessing, and the priest shall say unto him, + The Lord be in thy mind, and in thy heart and upon thy lips, that though may worthily proclaim His Gospel.

The Gospel

P. The Lord be with thee.
R. And with thy spirit.
P. + (on the Evangelistarium) The continuation (or beginning) of the holy Gospel according to St. N.
R. + (on forehead, lips and breast) Glory to Thee, O Lord.

Then shall the priest read the gospel, and the people respond: Praise to Thee, O Christ. Then the priest shall say silently, kissing the Gospel, Through the words of the Gospel, may our sins be blotted out.

THE HOMILY
The homily, as appointed by the Sacred Council, shall follow here on all Sundays and solemnities, and following it on those days, the Creed shall be said, all standing, the priest facing the people:

THE NICENE CREED

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages: God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God. Begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father, through Whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. (Here all shall kneel.) And became incarnate of the Holy Ghost from the Virgin Mary: AND WAS MADE MAN. (Here all arise.) And also was also crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, he suffered and was sepulchred: and on the third day He rose again, in accordance with the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of the Father. And the same will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead: His kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son: Who together with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified: Who has spoken through the prophets. And one holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

I confess one baptism for the remission of sins and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life + of the world to come. Amen.

THE LITANY OF INTERCESSION

[If a deacon be present among the sacred ministers, he, rather than the priest, should sing or say the portions of the Litany that follow here from the petition O Almighty and ever-living God to We entreat, with his hands folded before his breast. This prayer may be omitted on weekdays that are not solemnities; and while these petitions shall be used, some may be omitted as is considered decorous by the local priest, ordinary or other superior.

P. (turning to the people, arms upraised) The Lord be with thee.
R. And with thy spirit.
P. Let us pray. (He returns to face the altar, arms still upraised.) O Almighty and ever-living God, hear us and have mercy upon us as we call upon Thee, the Father of the Only-Begotten, and upon the Son of God Who is the Creator from all eternity, and upon God the Holy Ghost.
R. Lord, have mercy.
P. (or deacon) We beseech Thee, O Lord and God, deign to give the holy Church of God set up throughout the whole terrestrial globe, peace, keep Her in unity, and guard Her throughout the world from all principalities and powers: and may Thou grant unto us that,leading a peaceful and quiet life, we may glorify God, the Father almighty in Heaven.
R. Lord, have mercy.
P. We entreat Thee, Christ our Lord, for the rulers of Thy Church: for our most holy Father, Pope N., for our bishop N., and for all the venerable priesthood and diaconate, and all ministers of the sacred altar, all Virgins and widows, and for all the faithful who worship before God: for this holy house of God and all who enter it with faith, reverence and the fear of the Lord.
R. Lord, have mercy.
P. We beseech the might of the Lord to strengthen all civil authorities who hold in high esteem justice and right judgment, and also upon all the armies in their service.
R. Lord, have mercy.
P. We pray to the Lord our Ruler for this city, for all cities, countries and nations and all those living therein in the faith of God.
R. Lord, have mercy.
P. We entreat the Lord and Governor of the world for the comfort of good weather and rains, for the careful tending of the winds, and for the favorable course of the seasons.
R. Lord, have mercy.
P. We beg the mercy of almighty God for our Catechumens: that our Lord and God would open the ears of their hearts, and the gate of mercy; that, having received by the font of regeneration the remission of all their sins, they also may be found in Christ Jesus our Lord.
R. Lord, have mercy.
P. We invoke the Lord, the Giver of Life, for all those who have come in unto the Christian faith and are now numbered among us: and in whose hearts hath been enkindled the burning desire for heavenly grace.
R. Lord, have mercy.
P. We entreat the Lord of mercies for the doers of good works, who, out of fraternal charity care for the needs of the sick, the homeless, and the destitute and beg for the safety also of those undertaking long journeys by sea, by land or by the air, or the captive whom wicked powers have oppressed or the hardships of hostility afflicted.
R. Lord, have mercy.
P. We implore the mercy of our Redeemer for those caught up in the weakness of human infirmity, who rejoiceth in all worldly errors.
R. Lord, have mercy.
P. We beg the most merciful Lord for the strength of our souls and bodies, and the forgiveness of all our sins.
R. Lord, have mercy.
P. We entreat the Lord of glory and the Judge of all flesh for the repose of the faithful departed, and especially for all those holy priests of God of this church.
R. Lord, have mercy.
P. We humly ask the Lord, who formed us in His own image and knowest all things, to look in on our hearts and behold the prayers we keep in silence therein.
R. Lord have mercy.

Silence may be kept. Then shall the priest say this collect:

P. Let us pray. Grant us, O Lord, the Angel of peace and the solace of the saints, that our flesh might be free of blemish and our souls living in faith: hear us, O Lord, hear us as we commend to the judgment of providence both ourselves and all that we have, which we have received from the Lord Who is their author. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Spirit: one God, forever and ever.
R. Amen
P. Remembering the great Mother of God, Mary most Holy, with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another, and our whole life, to Christ, our God.
R. Amen.]

THE PEACE

Then the priest shall turn to the altar and say this collect:

P. Let us pray. Grant us, O Lover of humanity, whose Son Jesus Christ said to His Apostles: Peace I leave with thee, my peace I give you, in this service here, Thou would free us from every sorrow and deign to grant us Thy holy kiss, that we might live in charity and peace.
R. Amen.
[P. (or deacon, turning to the people) Brethren, greet each other with the kiss of peace and love, that thou might be fit for this holy altar: and to partake of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.]

[Then shall the ministers and the faithful give each other the peace, if this ceremony be observed according to local practice.]

The priest shall conclude thus:

P. The peace + of the Lord be with thee always.
R. And with thy spirit.
P. Let us pray.

Then shall the Liturgy of the Eucharist begin.

The Onion Dome on Eastern Goth Orthodoxy...

St. Mary's, Cashton: The Amish plus the Institute of Christ the King...what more could one ask for?

The truly Sublime and the truly ridiculous in one convenient picture.

More Thoughts on that Slippery Term "Noble Simplicity"

"In celebrating the Holy Mysteries, we should fear neither an appropriate 'otherworldiness' nor the incarnational use of signs, movement, color, sound and the bodily senses...We should make noble simplicity a guiding ideal in all the ceremonies of parish or cathedral. But the words 'noble' and 'simple' are meant to be kept together so that they propose one ideal.

"That ceremonial should be 'noble' excludes both a casual and careless style and a pretentious and self-consious ritualism. Nobility speaks to us of a sense of graciousness and splendor, which may be equally evident at a solemn mass or at the simplest celebration. Nobility means offering the best for God: noble actions, gestures, and also noble altars, vessels, vestments, etc. In this nobility we recognize that God is beautiful, that He should be adored with beauty...

"A fear of nobility in worship finds no place in the rich Christian culture which is embodied in the directives of the Church... The pragmatic approach to noble simplicity in ceremonial is achieved through attention to fine detail: how one genuflects, how people move in harmony, knowing what object is required at this particular moment of worship, what to prepare in the sacristy, etc... A casual regard for detail produces liturgy that is uncertain and clumsy, hence neither noble nor simple.

"...Better 'ritual' should lead away from a verbal, or verbose, style of worship, to more prayerful and reflective celebrations. An emphasis on the 'sacred action' frees the liturgy from didacticism, from adding little homilies, explanations and directions. The celebrant who understands action, gesture and word, as an integrated whole, allows the liturgy to speak for itself. He does not regard the liturgy as primarily talking to people.

"...The lover wills the best for the beloved...one strives to give the faithful the finest forms of worship which raise them to participate with joy in the foretaste of heaven and pledge of eternal life."

--Msgr. Peter J. Elliott, Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite, 1994.

Noble Simplicity Reconsidered

Noble simplicity: these all-too-well-known words are often bandied about liberally by the church restorers, self-appointed liturgists and other hangers-on of the present era of the Church. They're used to justify felt banners, tree branches, and those hideously ubiquitous dead plants that show up during Lent. It's interesting, though, that their first use in ecclesial parlance is a very brief, almost passing, reference in Sacrosanctum Concilium (no. 34), which was considered fully implemented in a Congregation for Divine Worship document some years later through some almost infintesimal changes in pontifical ceremonial. That's it!

No liturgical hijinks, clown masses, sanctuaries covered in beeswax, or otherwise. There's no mention of abolishing incense or such fantastic and wonderful additions such as assisting priests in copes, subdeacons with humerals or cloth-of-gold vestments. It doesn't even really become connected with church design until a later edition of the IGRM, and Sacrosanctum Concilium, for that matter, suggests, not "noble simplicity," but "noble beauty" for church design.

The phrase is, admittedly, a problematical one by its vagueness. However, if one traces it back to its historical origins, one finds some very surprising, and perhaps wonderful things, as architect Duncan Stroik writes: "The art historian, Winckelmann used 'noble simplicity' as early as 1755 to describe the genuine work of art that combined sensual and spiritual elements as well as beauty and moral ideas into one sublime form." In Winckelmann's case, this was found in Greek sculpture, not OCP liturgical clip art gnomes.

The accent seems to be on 'noble' rather than 'simplicity,' and the coordination and combination of many themes into one great whole: much like the polyphony which Sacrosanctum Concilium urges to be preserved. Or the way an ideal mass brings forth all the senses: tasting the Host, smelling the incense, seeing the glitter and gleam of the church, hearing the glorious Gregorian chant. That is the sort of noble simplicity which has always historically characterized the Roman rite, especially in its Tridentine incarnation, and in the (very rare) proper celebration of the Missa Normativa: minute complexity coordinated and knit into one overarching and comprehensible whole. This is the noble simplicity I want.

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.

Coming Attractions: The Karolingian Mass

In the next few days, I will begin posting extracts from a draft proposal for a revised form of the Mass, compiled by myself from both the 1962 and 1970 missals, with a minor interpolation based on the Gelasian Sacramentary. Authors and documents I have considered include Sacrosanctum Concilium, the pre- and post-conciliar authorities and historians of liturgy (such as the Dominican Aidan Nichols, Cardinal Ratzinger, Fr. Harrison, Jungmann and others), both traditionalist and reformist, as well as the current state of the Church and Her needs. I have elected to exclude interpolating non-Roman prayers into this draft rite as smacking too much of excessive antiquarianism, despite my great love of the elaborate ordines of Lyons and Sarum--and my private fantasy of bringing them back from the dead--preferring to cultivate more exclusively the unique heritage of Rome.

This Ordo Karolingianus, as I have called it in honor of Pope John Paul II (Karolingian souns so much cooler than Iohannopauline), remains just an idea on paper, but I hope that it might inspire discussion and commentary (though, I pray, no fist-fights or mutual exchanges of anathema maranatha) among my learned readers. Gentlemen: keep all hands, arms, wings, flippers and associated appendages inside the vehicle at all times.

There is the danger, of course, that such a third option will satisfy neither liberals nor conservatives. However, unless some compromise is reached that will make many of the beauties of the Tridentine ordo for a broader audience, I believe that many indult Tridentine communities--which I know and love and fervently wish I could belong to--risks being a footnote--a glorious and picturesque footnote, though--to Church life. Now, I rather like footnotes, but considering that meanwhile, ordinary parish liturgies have remain unchanged, I find this unfortunate, since the current Mass, while an acceptible and valid form of the Roman Rite, and capable of being served by much of the same ceremonies and music as the old mass, nonetheless lacks much of the textual poetry and ritual finesse of the old rite.

This, I hope, is the beginning of one such attempt at a compromise.

The Rome Depot. I particularly like the Ecumenical Scuba Tanks. From the Curt Jester, naturally.

The Renewal of the Sacred Liturgy in the Light of the Present Decadence of the Acolyte

In the midst of the great turmoil which afflicts the Church regarding the place and nature of the Mass, one solitary figure stands, almost completely ignored, as if in the eye of a hurricane. He is the lonely, cassocked figure of the altar boy, standing on the edge of the sanctuary, abandoned. In some parishes, many servers have little sense of the great ministry they have been called to fulfill, nor the long and honorable tradition they can trace their office back to, all the way to tbe blood of the young martyr St. Tarcisius, who died rather than give up the Host to profanation. In several parishes I know, some simply neglect to show up and serve their obliged Sunday mass, something unthinkable forty years ago. Under these circumstances, it is no wonder that, from the pews at least, it looks as if few of these poor souls are cut out for the priesthood.

This circumstance in particular (around 50% of priestly vocations come from the ranks of the altar boys) has often been cited to justify the entrance of girls and women into the ministry of server. At the moment, this change has not seemed to affect considerably the number of boys involved, though I will admit having seen parishes where whole teams of servers were girls. This is, presently, the exception rather than the rule. Until comparatively recently, I supported the entry of girls into the servership because I knew quite a few and also precisely because I didn't see many vocations among the male servers. Also, at least around ND, they're kinda cute in those albs, as long as they don't wear those ridiculous shoes.

At present, I'm ambivalent on the question, and treat it for what it is, a neutral temporary measure which, while not necessarily in keeping with the historic custom of the Church is nonetheless not a threat to it, unless improperly politicized.

I think, though, the question of male versus female servership is, however, a bit of a red herring. The present decadence of the ministry of server set in long before these recent changes. Its roots date back to a highly unexpected and unforseen consequence of the liturgical changes of the 1950s and '60s. Before the onset of the dialogue mass during the pontificate of Pius XII, in itself a healthy phenomenon, a server was an absolute prerequisite at the Mass. Even the priests of the Vatican Observatory, given to celebrating their daily Mass at very odd times, were forbidden from dispensing with a server. However, at present, with the server's part taken by the congregation, much of the mystique has been lost: instead, the role of the altar boy is less of a partner in the mystery than a peripatetic lectern or candle-bearer, rather like an assistant at a High Mass. Indeed, if one compares the general outline of an old Pontifical High Mass, with prayers said from the chair and various processions, with the present Mass, many of the rubrical changes of the post-Conciliar era seem to make more liturgical sense, but we will have to turn our attention to that at a later date.

However, the altar boy's place remains greatly simplified, perhaps too much so. There is very little special training they need now, less of a sense of an entry into a heretofore-unknown world, a magical and sacred world full of mysterious and evocative gestures and familiar recited prayers. I think that, with the ministry of server being a seed-bed for future priests, simply as a pragmatic matter, their role should be considered in detail in any future revision of the mass.

In short: give the boys something to say.

At first, this proposal may seem both in contradiction to Sacrosanctum Concilium's dictums that liturgy should be both a matter of active congregational participation and perhaps also should achieve a noble simplicity, since so many of the prayers which distinguish the present Roman rite from the 1962 missal are said silently, or at the very least, quietly, just between priest and server. Furthermore, the pessimistic pastoral impossibility of forcing the X-box generation to learn Latin looms large on the horizon.

All these objections can be easily overcome. The principal reason many of these silent and semi-silent prayers, such as the Introibo at the entrance, were removed in the missal of 1970 was their relatively late entry into the Mass. Yet, I should think that any good priest worth his (blessed) salt would be praying silently--mentally, in this case--throughout the Mass.

Yet, upon reflection, they don't seem to interfere with the Roman Rite's preeminent simplicity: and in comparison with its sister rites of Lyons, Milan and Sarum, as well as the rites of the east, from the perspective of the audible prayers such as the Gloria, the Kyrie, the Preface, and so forth, the older rite looks and sounds quite simple and dignified. Go to a well-said Low Mass and tell me otherwise.

Admitted, the regulations regarding priestly gesture are sometimes mind-numbingly complex, but if they are properly digested and enacted, they have a surprisingly simple grace to them. A few crossings--such as those post-Consecration over the Oblation, which seem inappropriate and may have evolved from some other gesture entirely--could have been cut, and some rubrics reduced to mere guidelines, but given the general lack of uniformity at present, some detailed, yet abridged version, might do wonders for the decorum of priest and server on the altar. Tell a boy to hold a candle, and he'll do it any old way, but tell him the right way to hold a candle, and you have given him a special and unique task.

Look at the way a soldier marches on parade: it's a way of imparting discipline desperately needed in the slouching culture of today. The current Instructio Generalis on the Roman Missal, and its 1970 predecessor, assumed the priest and server would know what to do, how to carry himself with dignity: after all, that's what seminaries were for. Unfortunately, this well-meaning idealism has proven misplaced in pastoral practice. Some people have natural dignity. Other people don't. Those who don't have to learn how to get it. It's a long, hard, complicated road to noble simplicity.

My inquiries into the matter, from a historical perspective, suggest that it might have been better if the silent prayers destined for reform were divided into two classes. Some could have been digested and pruned into a spoken, congregational form, such as a single Confiteor prefaced by a short greeting as we have at present, or simply said aloud, as with the Canon or the Secret, which seems to have originally been intended to be spoken anyway.

The other class would have been those silent prayers the priest--or the server--could have benefitted from and as such, remained silent, as befitting their origin as prayers of private devotion. Some, such as the prayers surrounding the priest's communion, could have been considerably simplified--such as the separate Domine, non sum dignus could have been enfolded into the response of the laity, while others, such as the Munda Cor Meum should have stayed that same, rather than unnecessarily edited. In the case of the Munda, it removed fruitful biblical imagery of the kind the Council Fathers sincerely wished to keep and further ennoble. Others, such as the Placeat Sancte Trinitas could be retained in some form as either additions to or alternate forms of the present silent prayers post-communion.

The Introibo, followed by Psalm 42, is exactly the sort of prayer which would restore some sense of confidence and significance among the servers, something the priest can't do without their help, unlike, say, holding a book. It could be recited back and forth between priest and server while the congregation was singing a hymn, like the introit was sung at high mass, or perhaps even authorized as a pre-Mass devotion in the sacristy (as it was originally) or at the west end of the Church in the manner of a station in the old medieval rite. Given that it would be silent (except at a daily mass, perhaps), it would be no great concern to the faithful, save perhaps to give them an appropriate ritual tableau to suggest that the altar be approached incrementally rather than in one straight shot. It wouldn't even have to be recited in Latin, though I think that wouldn't be beyond the abilities of a generation able to enumerate twenty or thirty different species of Pokemon.

Lastly, I would like to make a plea for the wide revival of the sacramental ministries on a more stable juridical base, principally because of the fact that, while I do not think these changes beyond the abilities of seven-year-olds, it would give greater dignity to the Mass at present to allow servers to be much older, perhaps teenagers or even grown men. The Council of Trent expected the stable conferral of the minor orders on laymen not destined for the sacristy, including the ministries of Acolyte and Subdeacon: this unfortunately never was implemented.

At present, the true, installed ministries of Lector and Acolyte are only to be found in seminaries and in one diocese, unsurprisingly that of Lincoln, Nebraska: the altar boys and readers we have are not true acolytes and lectors but "lay readers" and "servers." The conferral of these ministries (which would, I presume, permit the wearing of appropriate vesture) on adult male laymen would give both greater dignity to the Mass, a greater sense of purpose to those who love the mass yet are not interested in the priesthood, and permit the laity to involve itself in the liturgy without the unseemly clutter of street-clothed people seen in so many parishes at present.

Such a move would also form a trained class better able to dedicate themselves to the proper serving of the liturgy. Perhaps even the raising of these ministries to a clerical dignity, as they were in the past, and is the case at the present with the permanent diaconate, might also be a fitting conjunction and fulfilment of both Trent and Vatican II.

The altar boy, and his unique role, is equally part of the heritage of the Counter-Reformation and of Blessed Pope John's sadly misunderstood call for Aggiornamento. May he come to play an important part in the true implementation of the Second Vatican Council.

Prayer to One's Patron

O heavenly Patroness, Monica, in whose name I glory, pray ever to God for me: strengthen me in my faith; establish me in virtue; guard me in the conflict; that I may vanquish the foe malign and attain to glory everlasting. Amen
(from the Raccolta)

A Novena

O St Monica, troubled wife and mother, many sorrows pierced your heart during your lifetime. Yet you never despaired or lost faith. With confidence, persistence and profound faith, you prayed daily for the conversion of your beloved husband, Patricius and your beloved son, Augustine.

Grant me that same fortitude, patience and trust in the Lord. Intercede for me, dear St Monica, that God may favorably hear my plea for (mention your petition here) and grant me the grace to accept his will in all things, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
(from this site)

Here's a very interesting reply from the Congregation of Divine Worship on the question of the orientation of the priest at mass, dated September 25, 2000:

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has been asked whether the expression in n. 299 of the Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani constitutes a norm according to which the position of the priest versus absidem [facing the apse] is to be excluded. The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, after mature reflection and in light of liturgical precedents, responds:

Negatively, and in accordance with the following explanation.

The explanation includes different elements which must be taken into account.

It is in the first place to be borne in mind that the word expedit does not constitute an obligation, but a suggestion that refers to the construction of the altar a pariete sejunctum [detached from the wall] and to the celebration versus populum. The clause ubi possibile sit refers to different elements, as, for example, the topography of the place, the availability of space, the artistic value of the existing altar, the sensibility of the people participating in the celebrations in a particular church, etc. It reaffirms that the position towards the assembly seems more convenient inasmuch as it makes communication easier (Cf. the editorial in Notitiae 29 [1993] 245-249), without excluding, however, the other possibility.

It's that last passage (italics mine) that is really most intriguing, wouldn't you say?

I think it must play a recording of Allegri's Miserere.

Blessing of Beer

P. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
All. Who made heaven and earth.
P. The Lord be with you.
All. May he also be with you.

Let us pray.
Lord, bless + this creature, beer, which by Your kindness and power has been produced from kernels of grain, and let it be a healthful drink for mankind. Grant that whoever drinks it with thanksgiving to your holy name may find it a help in body and in soul; through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

The beer is sprinkled with holy water.

--From the 1964 Roman Ritual, VIII:5

The Patriarch of Lisbon's Tiara

If you go to the website of the Patriarchate of Lisbon, and I'm sure everybody has at one point or other, you will find the see's quite singular seal: a triple tiara above a crozier and a double-barred archiepiscopal cross. It's not, surprisingly enough, a gesture of ultramontane fealty, one soon realizes as the odd heraldic details start to build up: the triple crown is peculiarly attenuated, while the papacy abandoned the crozier as an insignia of office centuries ago. In fact, it is a vestige of the papal insignia supposedly granted to the newly-erected patriarchate in 1716. While the late heraldist Archbishop Bruno Bernard Heim, no great lover of the baroque, scoffed at the story and reports the then-current incumbent had not placed the tiara above his shield, Archibald King's 1957 Liturgy of the Roman Church records it as cold fact:

Pope Clement XI (1700-21), at the request of King John V of Portugal (1706-50), accorded papal insignia to the patriarch of Lisbon. The king had earned the gratitude of the Sovereign Pontiff, not only by his victories over the Turks, but also by his lavish expenditure and costly presents. [Note: And you have a problem with this how?] The glorification of the Portuguese monarchy, and, incidentally, of the Church of Lisbon was part of the royal programme for the establishment of the pure absolutism of divine right. The Pope in the bull In supremo apostolatus solio had in 1716 created the patriarch of Lisbon, and later conceded the distinctive papal insignia for the occupant of the see on certain solemnities of the year.

Among the privileges thus granted was the right to wear the fanon, subcinctorium, and falda. [The fanon was a peculiar striped shoulder-cape worn by the Pontiff, while the subcintorium was a maniple-like device attached to the cincture, worn by the Pope and certain Ambrosian-rite bishops, and the falda was a skirtlike vestment with an extended train.] A tiara, known as a triregunum, was conceded at the same time, which, although not identical with the papal triple crown, looked very much like it at a distance. The Pope sent the patriarch two flabella, and from that time, two only were used in Rome. The sedia gestatoria of the Lusitanian patriarch was said to have exceeded that of the Pope in magnificence. The practice of receiving Holy Communion at the throne in solemn Masses was not, however, conceded to the patriarch of Lisbon. (162)

The Catholic Encyclopedia adds to this some equally fascinating details:

The discovery of America added a vast territory to the Church, over which it seemed natural that a patriarch should reign. In 1520 Leo X created a "Patriarchate of the West Indies" among the Spanish clergy. In 1572 Pius V joined this rank to the office of chief chaplain of the Spanish army. But in this case, too, the dignity is purely titular. In 1644 Innocent X gave the patriarch some jurisdiction, but expressly in his quality of chaplain only. He has no income as patriarch and is often also bishop of a Spanish diocese. In 1716 Clement XI, in answer to a petition of King John, who, in return for help in fighting Turks, wanted a patriarch like the King of Spain, erected a titular Patriarchate of Lisbon at the king's chapel. The city was divided between the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Lisbon and the new patriarch. In 1740 Benedict XIV joined the archbishopric to the patriarchate. The Patriarch of Lisbon has certain privileges of honour that make his court an imitation of that of the pope. His chapter has three orders like those of the College of Cardinals; he himself is always made a cardinal at the first consistory after his preconization and he uses a tiara (without the keys) over his arms, but he has no more than metropolitical jurisdiction over seven suffragans.

I don't know how many of these fascinating (if perhaps slightly dubious) practices persist, but they seem to have at the very least been in full swing as recently as one hundred years ago. We at the Shrine are currently seeing if we can get St. Flutius's Basilica here formed into a minor patriarchate; while we're not interested in the tiara, we might like to get one of those liturgical drinking straws the Pope used to use. And the shoes. Definitely the shoes. It's all about the buskins, dude.

CSI: Mount Athos. You heard it here first.

Thought for the Day
Gender bias in the Old Testament?

In Gen 2:18, "The LORD God says, it is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable helper for him."

(Note: the NAB leaks out here and inserts "partner for him," whereas the Nova Vulgate states, "adiuatorium.")

Many theologians attribute common areas where women are unfairly treated by men as coming, predictably, from the Fall, as one of the consequences of the Fall (see Gen 3:16). However, with the verse above, we have a problem.

If Woman was created as a "helper" for Man, and this was before the Fall, does that somehow suggest that Woman is not completely equal with the man?

I was listening to this topic on Relevant Radio the other day and had these thoughts, largely inspired by whatever program it was.

Clearly, this is not "helper" in the sense of someone to cook the food or help plow the fields, since the creation of the woman is before the Fall, so such manual labor was wholly unnecesary. Indeed, humanity's purpose was quite direct and clear, simply "to know, love, and serve God."

But how can Man learn how to love God without a more direct experience of what love is? For we have a supernatural vocation of complete self-gift of ourselves to God, complete love of God. In order to have any chance at success, Adam would need a pedagogical help from God.

Man needed the Woman to understand his own ideal relationship with God; how can a heavenly, eternal communal love be understood without the intial experience of an earthly communal love? For this, the Woman was created to be helper of the Man -- to help understand the nature of God and embrace his eternal destiny. The role which Eve played was so profound and a help so essential to salvation that, perhaps, it alone was the most significant help for sanctification until the coming of Christ Himself. But certainly, that Woman was created as "helper" of Man does not suggest a lesser dignity, but instead propells both Adam and Eve to an eternal dignity, complete communion with the Divine.

Isn't this a sign of the Apocalypse?

mInDu' SaD ghaj ram.
neH wa' ghaj pem.
'a 'e'vaD wovqu' wovmoHwI'vam.
HeghDI' HovDaj, ngabchoH pem.

I fear for the future of civilization. Via Unskilled Labor, which I found (naturally) via Fr. Sibley, I discovered...yes...Bo Logh, a blog written entirely in what I am told on good authority is Klingon. Not being a Trekkie (I watched Babylon 5 as a child), I wouldn't know unless someone told me. And that's not the only one, too. Yikes, this is almost as bad as Leonard Nimoy singing that friggin' Frodo song. Or Leonard Nimoy singing anything, come to think of it.

Where can you see lions? Only in Kenya, it seems. Warning--this link verges on the hallucinogenic. Really.