A New Book on Cardinal Dante, with Great Pictures of Papal Ceremonies

I am very happy to be able to share with our readers news of the publication of a new e-book about Enrico Cardinal Dante, just released by Mr. Bartłomiej Krzych, a seminarian with the Community of St Gregory the Great; the book is available for free consultation and download here: http://enricodante.blogspot.com/p/czytaj-online.html. The bulk of the original text is in Polish, but it also contains a number of documents in Latin and Italian, such as the diploma by which Msgr. Dante was appointed to the College of Pontifical Ceremonieres by Pope St Pius X in 1914, and that by which he was made the Prefect of Pontifical Ceremonies in 1947 under Pius XII. By permission of the current Master of Ceremonies, Msgr Guido Marini, and under the copyright of the Office for Pontifical Celebrations, Mr Krzych was also able to include in the book a good number of unique and interesting photographs, including several of Msgr. Dante’s episcopal consecration in the Lateran Basilica at the hands of St John XXIII, on September 21, 1962. There are also over thirty photos of the episcopal consecration of Gabriel Coussa, which was celebrated by Pope John in the Byzantine Rite in the Sistine Chapel on April 16, 1961, Good Shepherd Sunday of that year in the Roman Rite. (Bishop Coussa was shortly thereafter appointed Pro-Secretary of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches; the following year he was made a Cardinal, and Secretary of the same Congregation, but died only four months later.) The book also contains a complete reproduction of the booklet of the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom used at this ceremony, with the Greek original on one side and a Latin translation on the facing pages. Our deepest thanks to Mr. Krzych for his research, and for letting us know about this publication.

Monsignor Dante (far left) at his episcopal consecration, with Pope St John XXIII

The high altar of St John in the Lateran.

Pope St John XXIII celebrating the episcopal consecration of Bishop Gabriel Coussa. The photographs make it clear that, unlike the normal Papal Mass in the Roman Rite, the Pope wears the tiara throughout the ceremony, as the equivalent of the crown normally used by bishops in the Byzantine Rite. He is also wearing a sakkos, the normal vestment of a Byzantine bishop when celebrating the Divine Liturgy, but with the phanon and pallium over it.

A wide view of the Sistine Chapel as it was set up for this ceremony. Even in black-and-white, one can see the sorry condition of the Last Judgment of Michangelo, and of the paintings on the side walls by Perugino and Botticelli, before the great restoration done between 1984 and 1999.

 

The Cherubic Hymn, and the prayer which is said while it is sung. The Greek rubric says that the prayer is said by the archpriest and the priest, while the Latin says it is said “by the Supreme Pontiff and the concelebrants”. This would seem to indicate that the Pope said his parts of the Divine Liturgy in Latin.

Treasures of the Patriarchal Chapel in Lisbon

The Portuguese blog Semper Idem has a nice post with photographs from an ongoing exposition of liturgical objects from the Royal and Patriarchal Chapel of Lisbon. Some of these objects show the traditional triple tiara worn by the Patriarchs of Lisbon, essentially identical to the Papal tiara, but obviously without the Papal keys. The Patriarch also used the ostrich feather fans which are usually seen in photographs of the old Papal liturgy. Here are just a few of the photographs.

Corpus Christi at St. Peter's Basilica, 1933

The Italian blog Cantuale Antonianum posted the following video from the archives of the Istituto Luce, showing the Corpus Christi Procession at St. Peter’s Basilica in the year 1933. The opening title of the video reads, “Corpus Domini (the usual Italian name for Corpus Christi) in Rome. Escorted by the Pontifical Gendarmes and the Palatine Guards, accompanied by 17 Cardinals, His Holiness Pius XI blesses the crowd in St. Peter’s Square from the ‘talamo’ (‘thalamus’ in Latin) of silver and gold.” At 1:21 we see the umbracula of the Patriarchal Basilicas emerging from the church, and one of the tintinnabula, bells which were suspended in a decorative frame and often rung during processions. At 2:17, we first see Pope Pius XI on the ‘talamo’, which is described by the poster at Cantuale Antonianum as “...a portable structure used by the Pope during the Corpus Domini procession. It was made of a base with rings on its side, into which beams (of wood) could be inserted, holding a small platform on which a monstrance and stool were mounted. The Pope could sit on the stool during the long procession, and the great papal mantle was wrapped around the support of the monstrance. The Pope however would always appear to be kneeling before the Holy Sacrament as he was carried in procession in the square.”

It should be remembered that 1933 was also the year of an Extraordinary Jubilee, proclaimed by Pope Pius XI on Epiphany of that year, and running from Passion Sunday of 1933 to Easter Monday of 1934, (both occurring on April 2 of their respective years.) Assuming 33 A.D. as the year of Our Lord’s Death and Resurrection, it was held to honor the 19th centenary of Human Redemption. This was the first Jubilee to be held with the full public ceremonial in over a century; in 1850, no Jubilee was held because of the chaos in Rome brought about by the Roman Republic, and although Jubilees were proclaimed in 1875, 1900 and 1925, they were kept with minimal ceremony due to the occupation of Rome and the Papal States by the Kingdom of Italy. (It is not an accident that the Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee of 1875 begins with the words, “(Moved) by the grave calamities of the Church and this age”!) The full celebration of the Extraordinary Jubilee of 1933 was made possible by the Lateran Treaties in 1929, finally bringing peace between the Italian State and the Papacy after 59 years. Pope Pius XI also elevated the feast of the Most Precious Blood to the highest rank (Double of the First Class) as the annual liturgical commemoration of the Jubilee. It may be supposed that the incredibly large crowds which are seen in the Piazza in this video are due at least in part to the fact that it was both Corpus Christi and a Jubilee. (In 1983, Pope John Paul II proclaimed a second such Extraordinary Jubilee, for the 1950th anniversary of our Redemption; the original Jubilee cycle began in the same way, so hopefully there will be another in 2033.)

Corpus Christi is a medieval latecomer to the Church year, and this may be the reason why different languages have different names for it. In English and Spanish, it is traditionally called ‘Corpus Christi’, but in Italian ‘Corpus Domini’, (as we see in the opening title of the video), in French, ‘Fête-Dieu - God-feast’, or more freely ‘feast of God,’ and in Polish ‘Boże Ciało - Body of God’. In German, it is called ‘Fronleichnam’, a literal translation of ‘Corpus Domini’. This is a compound of the Old German word ‘Vrone - Lord’, and ‘Leichnam - body’, and has been retained as a traditional name for the feast even though ‘Leichnam’ has come to mean ‘corpse’ in Modern German: not the result of theological carelessness, but a reminder that the Eucharist is also a “memorial of the death of the Lord”, as St. Thomas says in the hymn Adoro te devote. In the Ordinary Form, the formal Latin title of the feast was changed to ‘The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ’; the words ‘and Blood’ were added when the Feast of the Precious Blood was removed from the General Calendar, the most widely protested such removal.

The Oblations in the Older Rite of Canonisation

Recently, some objects appeared on John Sonnen's blog from the Vatican's Museo Storico (Historical Museum), where apparently not even the employees know quite what they are.





These objects were used in the traditional Rite of Canonisation, where gifts of bread, wine and doves were offered to the Pontiff.

An example of this can be seen - albeit in a stylised form - on the tomb of Pope Alexander VIII in St. Peter's, where the canonisation of five Saints is represented, which he performed in 1690:



The Saints canonised on that occasion were Sts. John of God, Paschal Baylon, Lawrence Justiniani, John a S. Facundo, and John of Capistrano, all of which are still celebrated in the calendar of the usus antiquior, but only two of them - St. John of God and St. John of Capistrano - remain in the Roman calendar of the newer form.


An excellent description and explanantion of this depiction on Pope Alexander's monument in the Vatican Basilica and of the rites themseves can be found in the book by Edward J. Olszewski, Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni (1667-1740) and the Vatican Tomb of Pope Alexander VIII, Philadelphia, 2004. Here is an excerpt of that book, regarding the rites of the canonisation and the objects seen above and their depitction on Pope Alexnader's tomb (click to enlarge):




Another representation of this oblation at a canonisation, including the objects seen above (although in different forms), can be seen on this fresco from one of the rooms adjacent to the Apostolic Library in the Vatican:



Another example is found at the Roman church of "Il Gesù", presumably showing the canonsation of St. Ignatius:


Finally, the very same objects as shown the beginning of this post can seen in these photographs from the canonisation of the Uganda Martyrs by Paul VI in 1964:




Image Sources: John Sonnen, Ceremonia y Rúbrica, www.saintpetersbasilica.org

Papal Low Mass of Pius XII

Many if not most of you will have come across a photograph like this of the Venerable Servant of God Pius XII celebrating Low Mass at the papal altar of St. Peter's Basilica.


Since the solemn papal Mass was an incredibly complex ritual involving a very large number of people holding offices at the Curia and the papal court, including highranking prelates, it was only celebrated on rare occasions (for a brief description, see here). An alternative - although an extraordinary one - was the public celebration of a Papal Low Mass. At a Papal Low Mass (which was usually celebrated at a portable altar set up in one of the rooms of the Apostolic Palace and is distinct from the private Mass the Pope said in his private chapel), the Pope is assisted by two bishops and four papal Masters of Ceremonies. Chamberlains (cubicularii) served as torchbearers. The pontifical canon was used, as was the bugia.

Here is a video of such a Mass. The Mass was celebrated on 14 May 1942, the Feast of the Ascension, and the occasion was the Silver Jubilee of the Pontiff's episcopal consecration (you can find the text of the papal sermon in AAS 34 (1942), 167).

Video source: http://te-igitur.blogspot.com/

Return of Silveri to Papal Liturgy

On the eve of yesterday's Feast of the Sacred Heart (10 June), our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI celebrated an evening Prayer Vigil with subsequent Adoration and Benediction with approx. 15,000 priests and 4,000 lay Faithful in St. Peters' square for the conclusion of the Year for Priests.

Here is a video of the occasion. While the answers of the Pontiff to questions asked by five priests, given without prepared text, are as always impressive and very much worth listening to, I would like to point out an item of liturgical interest. If you go to minute 63:15 of the video, you will see the Blessed Sacrament arriving on St. Peters' square, and it is greeted by the "March of Silveri", which used to be played at the elevation in the old papal Mass. This was the first time, as far as I am aware, that this piece was heard in papal ceremonies in decades. You may also recognise the baldachin used:

For comparison, here is the elevation of the Mass of Coronation of Blessed John XXIII (go to minute 2:55):

Film Footage of the Consistory of 1946

My friend Alipius, an Augustinian Canon of Klosterneuburg, has found this spectacular footage from the 1946 public consistory for the creation of new cardinals (among the elevated is Blessed Clement Augustus Count of Galen, Bishop and "Lion" of Münster) from the archives of Britsh Pathé. Click on the image below to go their wbesite and see the video. For a description of the ceremonies, read our own Nicola DeGrandi's post on the subject.

On a personal note, what I like most about these pictures - apart from the splendid ceremonial - is the beautiful smile of the Holy Father Pius XII, which you so seldom see in static photographs.

Spectacular Vestments from the Treasury of St. John Lateran

Over at the Italian forum Cattolici Romani, a user has posted some photos of vestments found in the treasury of the Papal Basilica and Cathedral of St. John Lateran. While the quality of the photographs - taken through the glass casings - is maybe not the best, they still give very good impressions of these simply outstanding vestments. One might hope that at least some of them might be used again in papal liturgies for solemn occasion, as their quality is simply infinitely higher than almost anything we see today. While considerations regarding conservation should not be discounted off hand, I have always thought that treasures such as these were created to give greater glory to Almighty God, and if they are ultimately worn out in his service they simply fulfill their proper purpose. The mere preservation in a museum for items such as these has always struck me as the approach of people to whom they are just the objects of abstract interest like that of the ethnologist, not a part of their living tradition.

Now for the pictures (click to enlarge):

A chasuble of Clement VIII (1592 - 1605):


A set of vestments of Cardinal Rezzonico, the later Pope Clement XIII (1758 - 1769):


A detail of a cope of Clement XII ( 1730 - 1740):


An antependium of the same Pontiff:


And an antependium of Alexander VII (1655 - 1667):


A High Mass set of a Cardinal Chigi:



A chasuble of a Cardinal Colonna:


Some vestments not identified, but no less spectacular:

The Organization of the Pre-Conciliar Cappella Papale

Coming forth from the recent post on the NLM of some rare images of Holy Week in the papal chapel prior to the post-conciliar liturgical reforms, comes a reader submission. They share the following diagram which details the historical arrangement of the various members of the papal court in the context of the papal chapel.

I felt this may be of some historical interest to some of our readers, both liturgically and ecclesiastically (and really is just generally interesting, given that it is a part of our heritage and accordingly seems worthwhile to document here).

(Clicking on the image will bring up a larger view. The image contains numbers which are explained in the index below.)

More Rare Images: Good Friday with Pius XI in the Sistine Chapel

Yesterday, I shared with our readers some rather rare photographs of Pope Pius XI in the papal chapel of Holy Thursday. I had noted to our readers that I had something even more extraordinarily rare (liturgically) to show our readers and I am pleased to present this now.

The images in question are from the same Triduum ceremonies (1936) as the Holy Thursday pictures, but show instead the papal ceremonies of Good Friday -- and evidently, since we are speaking of Pius XI, it goes without saying that these are the Holy Week ceremonies from prior to the time of their revision under Pius XII.

(Pius XI seated upon the papal throne in papal mantum, with Cardinal deacons in cappa on either side)

With regard to Pius XII, I would be remiss to not note that the Cardinal celebrant of this liturgy is none other than Cardinal Pacelli, the future Pope Pius XII.

While that is of some interest as well of course -- particularly given that it would be he who would enact the revision of these same ceremonies nearly 20 years later -- more interesting still (and herein lay the greater liturgical rarity to be found in these images) is the quite rare opportunity to see the use of folded chasubles within the context of the papal ceremonies, and upon Good Friday no less.


(Deacon and subdeacon in folded chasubles before the altar of the Sistine chapel. Cardinal Pacelli, the future Pius XII, is seated upon the faldstool on the Epistle side. The Assistant priest in cope is beside him)


(Note the stripped altar and the smaller cross upon the altar; likewise, there is no canopy above the papal throne)

As yesterday, I include a description of the papal ceremonies from The Ceremonies of Holy Week in the Papal Chapel at the Vatican by Francesco Cancellieri. (Take note of the interesting details such as the use of a Greek and Latin choir.)

Good Friday

The candles on the altar and balustrade are yellow; the Pope's seat, the benches of the Cardinals and assistants are uncovered and the maces reversed in sign of mourning.

The Cardinal Penitentiary who officiates this day, the Deacon and Subdeacon, enter in black garments, without censer or lights, to express the darkness spread over the earth by the death of the Creator.

The Pope, habited as at the Tenebrae preceded by the Cross, without his ring, without giving his blessing, enter the Chapel, deposits his mitre and says a short prayer.

The Cardinal celebrant prays at the altar which, being stripped, is emblematic of the nakedness of the Redeemer on the Cross. A chanter sings the prophecy of Hosea; the Tract follows; the Penitentiary reads the prayer; the Deacon sings flectamus genua, the subdeacon Levate and reads a lesson form the book of Exodus. Three chanters sing the Passion according to St. John, the only Apostle who followed his master to the Cross. At the word "inclinato capite emisit spiritum" the Pontiff and all assistants kneel: the Deacon then lays aside the folded chasuble, puts on the stole as a mark of penance, and without asking the blessing, or carrying either lights or incense, he reads the end of the Passion in the ordinary tone of the Gospel.

Latin Sermon

A sermon is then preached by a minor Conventual who approaches the Pontifical throne and kneeling claims the indulgence of only XXX days saying "Indulgentias Pater sancte" but the Pope answers "Triginta annorum" which is proclaimed at the end of the sermon.

Prayers, Adoration of the Cross

The celebrant laying aside the chasuble receives from a deacon a Cross covered with a black veil which is removed by degrees, and presenting it to the assistants says: "Ecce lignum crucis". The Tenors answer "In quo salus" and the whole choir "Venite adoremus" when all prostrate themselves except the celebrant who, advancing to the Gospel side of the altar uncovers the right arm of the Cross, repeating in a louder voice "Ecce lignum crucis," the choir responding as before. At the centre of the altar he uncovers it in full, saying in a still louder tone, "Ecce lignum crucis"; the same response being made for the last time; it is then carried to the steps of the altar, the Pope and all present kneeling.

When the Pontiff has resumed his seat, his shoes are taken off, the cope and mitre are laid aside; and following by the assistant Bishops he prays before the Cross, and orders his attendant knight to depose his offering which is brought in a purse of red damask silk fringed with gold.

The choir intone the Improperia composed by Palestrina... At the end of each Improperium is sung the "Trisagion", Sanctus Deus, Sanctus fortis, Sanctus Immortalis, miserere nobis, by one choir in Greek and by another in Latin.

The Cardinals, Bishops and other attendants proceed to the adoration: the candles are lighted and the Cross is replaced on the altar. The Improperia finish with the adoration.

Procession to the Pauline Chapel

The chanters lead to the "Sala Regia" and stop at the door of the Pauline chapel... the subdeacon, with the Cross uncovered, between two Voters of the signature carrying lights; the Cardinal deacons, priests and bishops; the Cardinal celebrant, and the Sovereign Pontiff, followed by the officers of his court, and Generals of religious orders. When arrived at the chapel, ten candles are lighted, the Pope kneels and prayers before the holy Sacrament. Monsignor Sacrista received the key from the celebrant, opens the Sepulchre while the Pope places incense in the thurible, and thrice incenses the boat.

Monsignor Sacrista takes the box from the Sepulchre; the Sacrament is put into the chalice, covered with a veil, delivered to the Cardinal and then to then the Pope who places it under a corner of the veil hanging over his shoulders, and the procession returns to the Sistine chapel.

The Assistant Bishops and Protonotaries supporting the canopy are in attendance at the door of the Pauline chapel to receive the Sacrament carried by the Pope...

The celebrant receives the chalice, places it on the altar, and incenses the host, while the Pope, remaining uncovered, puts incense into the thurible. The Deacon pours wine, the subdeacon water, into the chalice, which is placed on the altar; the celebrant says "in Spiritu humilitatis" and turning to the people invites their prayers, "Orate fratres", recites the Pater noster and sings the "Libera nos quaesumus Domine."

All kneel, the Pope goes to the "faldistorium" and there remains till the end of the communion. The Celebrant holding the Sacrament over the paten divides it, puts one particle in the chalice.... then striking his breast, he repeats three times Domine non sum dignus and Corpus Domini nostri at the communion; he then takes another piece of the consecrated particle, with the wine of the chalice, omitting the other prayers.

All rise; the Pontiff resumes his mitre, the Celebrant kneeling says, after purifying the chalice, "quod ore sumpsimus Domine para mente capiamus, et de munere temporali fiat nobis remedium sempiternum", then kneels to the Cross and returns to the vestry.

I hope you have found these images and the corresponding descriptions to be of some liturgical and historical interest.

Thanks again to my friend who found these in an Italian periodical from the 1930's and took the time to scan them.

Rare Images of Holy Thursday with Pius XI in the Sistine Chapel and a Description of the Papal Ceremonies of those Times

Thanks to a very good friend of the NLM for these historical photos. They provide a nice opportunity for study given the particular time of the liturgical year in which we find ourselves, and really, generally -- particularly for those who have an interest and curiousity in the traditions of the papal chapel and papal liturgy prior to the liturgical reforms.

These are extraordinarly rare images which show the Mass of Holy Thursday with Pope Pius XI in the Sistine Chapel. (Something even more extraordinarily rare will be forthcoming in the next day or two. Watch for it.) Further, one sees the Maundy Thursday altar of repose in the Cappella Paolina.

The Mass is a Pontifical Mass coram Summo Pontifice. (Clicking the link will give a greater description of this, but a few brief ceremonial descriptions are provided below for those interested in understanding what they are seeing, and a further source is quoted following the pictures.)

(The Pope is at the throne in papal mantum with two Cardinal Deacons in cappa magna on either side.)


(At the altar, one sees the Cardinal celebrant -- who when seated, would sit upon faldstool on the Epistle side of the altar. One can also see the deacon, subdeacon and assistant priest as per solemn pontifical liturgies. One will note the white veil covering the cross on Holy Thursday.)


(The cardinals attend.)


(The altar of repose in the Pauline Chapel)

For those whose historical curiousity runs deeper, a further supplement may be of interest. In The Ceremonies of Holy Week in the Papal Chapel at the Vatican by Francesco Cancellieri, he notes the following of these ceremonies as they stood in the early 19th century surrounding Holy Thursday, which give some further context to the photographic images above:

This day Mass is celebrated by the senior Cardinal; the altar and cross are covered with white veils, the candles are white.

The Pope wears a white cope and mitre of cloth of gold and formal, with a figure of the Holy Ghost in the centre. At the beginning of Mass, the Cardinals pay their homages. The "Introit" and "Kyrie" are sung.

Before the elevation, twelve Esquires dressed in red and carrying lights kneel before the altar.

Two hosts are consecrated, one being kept for the following day, and two Masters of Ceremonies distribute candles to those who form the procession. The "Agnus Dei" is followed by the dona nobis pacem and the Celebrant having replaced the holy Sacrament, the Postcommunion and Deo Gratias are sung in plain chant...

Procession to the Pauline Chapel where the Sepulchre is Placed

Mass being finished, the Celebrant returns to the sacristy, and the Cardinals change their dress. The procession moves in the same order as on Palm Sunday to the Sala Regia.

On the entrance of His Holiness into the [Pauline] chapel, illuminated by 567 wax candles, the Verbum Caro is sung, and on arriving at the altar the Pope delivers the chalice containing the Sacrament to the Cardinal deacon who deposits it in the sepulchre where it is incensed by the Pope; Monsignor Sacrista locks the sepulchre and delivers the key to the Cardinal Penitentiary who is to officiate on the following day.

The Benediction

The procession passes through the door near the Pauline chapel to the gallery in front of church, to which the Pope is carried under a canopy supported by eight Referendaries.

The bell of St. Peter's, the music of the regiments stationed in the piazza, the firing from the Castle St. Angelo, simultaneously announce the triple blessing of the Holy Father...

Washing the feet of XIII pilgrims

The Cardinals having resumed their violet colored dress, precede his Holiness to St. Peter's which is decorated with damask... for the ceremony of washing the feet called Mandatum, our Saviour having given us the example and command.

The Pontiff, having resumed the violet stole, the red satin mantle and the formal with the silver mitre, repairs to the seat prepared for him, and gives his blessing to the Cardinal Deacon appointed to celebrate the service...

The Holy Father wearing a linen apron... then washes the feet of XIII priests or deacons called Apostles, who are seated on high benches.

A Subdeacon in a white tunic without a maniple, attends on the Pontiff's right, who kneeling, washes the right foot of each in a silver gilt basin presented by an Esquire, wipes the foot and kisses it. Two prelates support the mantle, two extra-Chamberlains follow with silver basins, one containing XIII towels, the other nosegays, each Apostle receiving one. The Treasurer holding a purse of crimson velvet fringed with gold, presents to each a gold and silver medal...

Table for the Apostles; The Pope serves

The Apostles are afterwards conducted into one of the halls of the Vatican where the table is prepared; prayers being said the Pope gives his blessing, an apron is tied round him, he pours water on the hands of the Apostles, presents them sundry dishes; offers them drink one or twice, gives another blessing and retires.