Sunday, June 29, 2008

The Mass as it was in the City of Rome: The Ordo of St. Amand, part 3

THE PREFACE, SANCTUS and THE CANON (cf. The Mass as it was in the City of Rome, part 6 and part 7)
8. On Christmas day, the Epiphany, the Holy Sabbath, Easter day, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, Whitsunday and the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the Bishops stand behind the Pontiff with bowed heads, and the Presbyters on their right and left, and each one holds a corporal in his hand; two loaves are then given to each of them by the Archdeacon, and the Pontiff says the Canon so that he can be heard by them; and they hallow the loaves which they hold, just as the Pontiff hallows those on the Altar. The Deacons, however, stand with bowed heads behind the Bishops; and the Subdeacons face the Pontiff with bowed heads until he says "Nobis quoque peccatoribus".

9. If, however, they be not Solemn days, when the Chalice is put on the Altar, the presbyters go back into the Presbytery, and the rest of the Clergy in like manner go back and stand below the platform; and if it should happen to be a Sunday, the Presbyters stand with bowed heads, but if on weekdays they bend the knee, when the Choir begins, "Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus".

Then the Acolytes come and stand before the altar behind the Deacons, on the right and left, wrapped in linen cloths: and one of them, wrapped in a silken pall with a cross on it, holding the paten before his breast, stands first, and others hold bowls with ewers, others little sacks. Now when the Pontiff has come to "Omnis honor et gloria", he takes up two loaves in his hands, and the deacon takes the chalice and lifts it up a little until he says, "Per omnia saecula saeculorum, Amen."

THE PATER NOSTER, THE LIBERA NOS, THE FRACTION and THE AGNUS DEI (cf. The Mass as it was in the City of Rome, part 7 and part 8)

10. Then the Deacons and Priests rise up from prayer. And when the Pontiff has said, "Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum" the Subdeacon takes the Paten from the Acolyte, and offers it to the Archdeacon, who holds it at the Pontiff's right hand; and the Pontiff breaks one of the loaves which he offers for himself, and sets the crown of it down on the Altar, putting one whole one and the other half on the Paten; and the Archdeacon returns the Paten to the Acolyte, and the Pontiff goes to his Throne.

Then the other Deacons break [the loaves] on the Paten, and the Bishops also [break loaves] in the right side of the Apse. Then the Archdeacon lifts the Chalice up from the altar and gives it to the Subdeacon, and stands with him at the right corner of the Altar; the Acolytes then approach the Altar with little sacks and stand around the Altar; and the Archdeacon puts the loaves into their sacks, and they return to the Presbyters in order that they may break them. Meanwhile the Presbyters and the Deacons sing in an undertone, "Blessed are those that are undefiled."

If it should happen to be necessary, the loaves are first split asunder by a Presbyter, and afterwards broken in pieces by the District-Subdeacons. The choir then return to the left side of the presbytery, and the archdeacon signs to them to say, "Agnus Dei..." And in the meantime, while the Fraction is being carried out, the Acolytes who hold the bowls and the flasks answer again, "Agnus Dei..."

And when they have finished the Fraction, the Archdeacon takes the holy Chalice from the Subdeacon, and another Deacon takes the Paten from the Acolyte, and they go before the Pontiff.

THE COMMUNION and THE INVITATIONS (cf. The Mass as it was in the City of Rome, part 8)

11. The Pontiff takes the Holy Element (Sancta) from the Paten, bites a small piece off, and makes a Cross with it over the chalice, saying in an undertone, "Haec commixtio...etc." Then the Pontiff communicates of the Chalice which is held by the Archdeacon. Then the Bishops and Presbyters receive the Holy Element from the Pontiff's hand and go to the left part of the Altar and place their hands on it, and so communicate. When the Bishops and Presbyters begin to communicate, the Archdeacon goes to the right side of the Altar, and a collet stands before him with the chief bowl. Then the former announces the next station, and they all answer, "Deo gratias," and then he pours from the Chalice into the bowl.

Next, he gives the Chalice to the Bishop who first communicated, and goes to the Pontiff and receives the Holy Element from his hand, and the other Deacons do the same; and they go to the right side of the Altar and communicate. Then they partake of the Chalice at the hands of the same Bishop who communicated the Presbyters therewith. Then the Pontiff communicates the chief and the second (of the schools of the notaries and counsellors). Then the Archdeacon takes the Chalice from the Bishop, and a Subdeacon comes up with a little strainer in his hand, and he takes the Holy Element out of the Chalice, and puts it into the chief Ewer whence the Archdeacon will communicate the people; and the Archdeacon empties the Chalice into the second Chalice, and the Acolyte pours from this into the chief Ewer.

Then the Pontiff goes down to communicate the people, and the Archdeacon signs to the choir to say the Communion-Anthem. And when the choir have said it, the Subdeacons on the left side of the screen below the Throne (thronum) repeat it. And when the Magnates, Tribunes, Counts, and Judges, and any others whom he wishes, have been communicated [by the Pope], he goes to the women's side below the screen, followed by the Deacons who administer the cup to the people. Then, when he desires it, he returns to his Throne, and the Priests stand below the Presbytery to communicate the people in both species.

And in the meantime the Pontiff sits on his Throne, and an Acolyte stands before him with the holy Paten, and the Subdeacons, Notaries, and District-Officials come before him, and the Deacon communicates them with the species of Wine.

12. Then the Notaries stand before the Pontiff with pen and book (dhomum, i.e. tomum) in their hand, and he bids them write the names of those whom he wishes invited. Then the Notaries go down from the Throne, and announce the Invitations to those whose names are written down.

13. Meanwhile a Priest comes and communicates the Choir, and the Ruler of the Choir holds in his hand an Ewer which has been filled from the principal bowl; and a Presbyter takes it from his hand and makes a Cross with the Holy Element over the Ewer, and drops It in, and then he administers the Cup to the Choir. All the Presbyters do likewise when they communicate the people with the Cup. And when the Archdeacon sees that few are left to be communicated, he signs to the Choir to say, "Gloria Patri,...etc." and the subdeacons reply, "Sicut erat in principio,..." and the Choir repeat the verse.

14. Then the Pontiff comes down from the Throne and goes before the Altar, and the candlesticks are put behind him. And in the meantime the Priests and the Deacons wash their hands, and give one another a kiss in order, and the Subdeacons in their turn where they stand, and the Choir likewise in the place where they stand.

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