The following is taken from the entry on All Souls’ Day in William Durandus’ Rationale Divinorum Officiorum (7.35), the Summa Theologiae of medieval liturgical commentaries. This is one of the longest sections of the seventh book, which covers the Sanctoral cycle, and is being presented in several parts over the course of this month especially dedicated to prayer for the dead; click here to read part 1 and part 2. On four occasions, Durandus refers his reader to other parts of the Rationale where he has already explained something; the reference numbers to these are given in red at the beginning of the relevant paragraphs.
The Office of the Dead imitates the three days of Christ’s burial in every way, for just as on the Triduum, so also in this Office we omit all the songs of praise, and take away all the signs of solemnity. In the Mass, we do not ask for blessings from the bishop (or priest), and in the Office, we do not say “Lord, thou shalt open my lips”, nor “God, come to my assistance” nor “Let us bless the Lord”, nor even the invitatory (unless the body is present), nor “Glory be to the Father” at the responsories and the end of the Psalms, nor do we ask for or give a blessing at the lessons, nor do we say “Tu autem, Domine” or “Thanks be to God”; in the Mass, we do not say Alleluja, nor the Gloria in excelsis, nor Ite, Missa est. For in the old Law it was prohibited to offer the oil of rejoicing and the incense of sweetness for sin. Death is the avenging of sin, and for this reason, where there is sin, there is also darkness, nor should there be rejoicing or the singing of the joyful songs where there is mourning and sadness of the spirit, and funeral rites are celebrated for the dead with mourning.
Again, we suppress praises because, not knowing where the dead go, we do not know whether we ought to praise God for his justice or his mercy; we suppress joy because we enter into this world with sadness, and go out of it with greater more sadly. Therefore, a Sequence also ought not to be said, since it is the song of rejoicing. (Durandus wrote this before the universal adoption of the Dies irae into the Requiem Mass.)
Furthermore, although in a Mass for the living all should be incensed, to signify that their prayers are directed towards heaven, nevertheless, in the Mass for the dead, the altar and the choir incense should not to be incensed, but only the body… Therefore no one is incensed in this service, to signify the dead can no longer merit anything by their praises, whence the psalmist says (113, 25), “the dead shall not praise thee, o Lord.”
The bodies of the dead are incensed and sprinkled with blessed water, not so that their sins may be taken away, which at that point cannot be taken away for such things, but so that all presence of unclean spirits maybe warded off. These things are also done as a sign of the society and communion of the sacraments which they had with us while they were alive. For this reason also, Denis (the Areopagite) tells that in ancient times, the living would kiss the dead as a sign of the unity which they had with them. These things and others like them benefit them to the degree that through such things, reverence is offered to God himself.
6.52.2 At the Introit of the dead Requiem aeternam, two verses are said, because we pray for the dead, asking that they be given rest of both body and soul. The second verse is said in place of “Glory be to the Father…”, which is omitted in the Office of the Dead, since the dead can no longer praise the Trinity…
4.15.16 In Masses for the dead, the collect for the living, as it is called, should not be added, not even the common one composed by Augustine, “God, who rulest over the living and the dead”, to signify that the dead cannot help the living in this life, not even to implore eternal life (for them)…
The Peace is not given for three reasons. The first is that this service … follows the three days of Christ’s burial, when the Peace is not given in detestation of Judas’ kiss. Second, because we have no communication with the dead, since they cannot answer us… This is the reason why a body should never be in the church as long as the Mass of the day is being celebrated. Indeed, if it were there before, it ought to be taken outside the church into the vestibule, however great the authority of the deceased was while they were living, and afterwards be brought back in for the Mass for the dead.
The third is that just one bread is made as from many grains gathered together, and one wine is distilled from many clusters of grapes, so also the one Church is built and united from many faithful, some of whom are good and some bad. Therefore, because we do not know whether a dead man is in union with the Church and has peace and reconciliation with his Creator, we do not give the Peace at Mass, nor do we bring forth any praises for the dead, … for their rest is not yet apparent.
4.53.8 In the Mass for the dead the peace is not given, because the faithful souls are no longer in the tribulation of this world, and never will be again, but are already resting in the Lord; and for this reason, the kiss, which is the sign of peace and harmony, is not necessary for them. For the same reason, in that Mass the prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ who gave peace to your apostles” is not said, nor does the priest receive the peace from the altar. … this is also the reason why among monks the peace is not given, since they are counted as being dead to the world.
… the Office of the Dead begins with Vespers, after which follow the vigils, which are of three kinds. In some churches, nine readings are done from Job… in others, they are taken from the book of Wisdom … but in others from a sermon of Augustine. But wherever they are taken from, they begin without a title or blessing, and without “Tu autem, Domine”, following the custom which is observed in the funeral rites which we celebrate for Christ on the Triduum. But in some churches, in place of “Tu autem, Domine”, the readings end with “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord,” from the book of the Apocalypse (14, 13).
The readings described below in a breviary according to the Use of Bamberg, printed in 1501.
“From the book of Wisdom” – Durandus is here referring to a set of brief readings which some churches had for the daily celebration of the Office of the Dead, the first three of which are taken from the books of Wisdom. (Proverbs 5, 9-11; Ecclesiastes 7, 2-3; ibid. 12, 1 and 7). The next three, however, are from the Prophets (Isaiah 26, 19; Hosea 13, 14-15; Daniel 12, 2-3), and the last three from the New Testament (1 Corinthians 15, 22-23; ibid. 51-52; 1 Thessalonians 5, 2-5 and Apocalypse 14, 13).
The Psalm “A hymn becometh Thee, o God” (64), is frequently said in this service, because it treats of the return of the sons of Israel from captivity to the promised land; so also the dead go from the misery of captivity to eternal life. …
5.9.10 The Office of the dead … does not have second Vespers, to signify that it will have an end, and the souls of those who shall be saved, delivered from every pain, shall enjoy eternal blessedness.
At the council of Toledo, it was established that a priest who celebrates Mass for the dead so that his enemy may meet his death should be deposed, and both he and the one who incited him to do this should be punished with perpetual exile.
Our thanks to Mr Matthew Roth for sharing with us this article about the liturgical value of the Requiem setting by the French composer Gabriel Fauré (1845 – 1924).
The Requiem Mass of Gabriel Fauré seems to be in vogue this year for All Souls (2023), between the author’s personal experience and posts on social media; notably, the choir of the London Oratory sang this setting for the solemn Mass of All Souls. I certainly acknowledge the merits of the singing, particularly in the lesser-known organ reduction of the original 1893 score for a funeral celebrated at the church of the Madeleine in Paris. Well done! Bravo! Nevertheless, it is appropriate to ask if this setting is one truly needed in a church’s repertoire.
There are beautiful moments to be sure, and at this point, the introit is a part of the canon of memorable pieces, at least for those well-versed in music. The Pie Jesu, if one begins right after the consecration of the chalice, is perfectly timed to finish during the minor elevation. While it is a solo, it seems to follow the requirements of Saint Pius X in his famous motu proprio Tra le sollicitudini on sacred music, without imitating theatrical or operatic styles too closely.
However, Fauré did not respect the liturgical form of most of the Requiem Mass. He significantly changed the offertory. While one may be free to use pre-Tridentine settings of the propers with minor textual variations, such as those found in the collection by Heinrich Isaac, Fauré lived at the height of French ultramontanism, in the period of lively intellectual debate on sacred music and on chant including in Paris itself; changing the text was not yet beyond the pale, apparently. Now, Fauré repeats portions of the text, but not the portions repeated in the Gregorian setting, the only one with a responsorial character in the post-Tridentine repertoire, apart from the chant De Profundis from the final Sundays after Pentecost. I argue that it would be more appropriate to sing the chant here.
The Libera me loses most of its responsorial nature, sacrificed on the altar of the baritone solo, and there is no real reason for the piece to end with “Libera me, Domine” again; Fauré does not even repeat the portions of the responsory which he previously omitted, so he does not make up for it even partially, as is somewhat the case with the offertory.
The Agnus Dei is fused with the communion Lux aeterna. In theory, this is understandable, since in his time, the priest’s communion would continue directly into the ablutions, which would be completed in the time that it takes to sing the one piece. However, a general communion is the norm nowadays, even at the Requiem Mass; it stands to reason that the music should be interrupted, if awkwardly, to allow for the communion ceremonies.
In both the introit and the communion, Fauré fails to repeat the portions which are repeated according to the liturgical books; he repeats the introit before the verse, but not after, and the “Cum sanctis” of the communion is not repeated at all; the music simply ends after the verse “Requiem aeternam”. This leads to another point: I cannot imagine singing this mass setting in the Novus Ordo. Even if the rubric on the Sanctus (that it be sung by the choir and people together) is to be ignored entirely, that still leave the question of the missing Benedictus. The introit fused with the Kyrie works in the classical Roman rite, because the ministers say the prayers at the foot of the altar quietly, but not in the Novus Ordo, even on All Souls. It is incompatible with funerals even if a grand occasion such as a state funeral presented itself.
With respect to the movements that he composed, Fauré clearly intended to replace the chant, not only the official books of the Madeleine or of the diocese of Paris, which had passed to the Roman rite by his time, but also the early Solesmes editions used unofficially by 1893 in France and even in Italy. There is hardly any relationship to the chant, even to the nineteenth-century editions considered “corrupted” and “unfitting”, which is not the case above all for the classical polyphonic settings, particularly Victoria’s (I’m partial to the setting in four voices) or Campra’s, a favorite of the Schola Sainte-Cécile in Paris. In those, even with the addition of instruments, the relationship to the underlying chant is clear, particularly in the introit. This is all the more apparent as the Gradual, the Tract, and the Sequence, as well as the chants of the absolution following Mass, must be chanted if one sings the Fauré mass. While nothing should take away from a musically-sound execution of what is admittedly a beautiful and striking work, musicians working in the Catholic Church today should privilege the Gregorian Mass above all, followed by polyphonic settings which hewing closely to the chant, of which there are so many as to make the Fauré setting superfluous.
The Archangel Michael is mentioned three times in the book of Daniel, once in the Apocalypse, and once in the Epistle of St Jude, and these are all of his Biblical appearances. Both New Testament authors introduce him quite abruptly, taking it for granted that their readers already know who he is. “And there was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon…” (Apoc. 12, 7) This would certainly be due to his prominence in pre-Christian Jewish literature, works of the sort which we now call (rather inexactly) apocrypha. And indeed, the mention of him in the Epistle of St Jude is taken from such a work.
St Michael Defeating the Devil, by Guido Reni, 1635
“When Michael the Archangel, disputing with the devil, contended about the body of Moses, he durst not bring against him the judgment of railing speech, but said: The Lord command thee.” (verse 9) These words refer to an episode in a Jewish apocryphal work called The Assumption of Moses, which is only partially preserved; it is not in the part that survives, but ancient scholars such as Origen, who had the complete text to hand, say that it is in the work cited by St Jude. One explanation of the story is that the devil sought to claim possession of Moses’ body as that of a murderer, since he had killed the Egyptian, (Exod. 2, 11-12), and it was for this that St Michael said, “May God rebuke thee.” (In this context, it should be remembered that the Greek word “diabolos” means “slanderer.”) Another explanation is based on a tradition which goes all the way back to Tertullian, that idolatry was taught to mankind by the devil; therefore, in the story cited by St Jude, the devil’s purpose in trying to get the body of Moses would be to have the Jews worship it as an idol.
The story has attracted almost no attention from artists, with one very prominent exception, a fresco of it in the Sistine Chapel. When the chapel was originally constructed, Pope Sixtus IV (1471-84) commissioned a group of some of the most prominent painters of the era (Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and Perugino among them) to paint eight episodes each from the lives of Moses and Christ; they are paired to show how the Church understands the life of Moses, the lawgiver of the Old Testament, as a prophecy of the life of Christ, the lawgiver of the New Testament. The final two, however, The Dispute over the Body of Moses and The Resurrection of Christ, break the parallelism; Moses, the giver of the old Law, dies and stays dead, but Christ, the giver of the new Law, rises from the dead.
These last two are on the chapel’s back wall, which has a large door in the middle, under part of each of the paintings. On Christmas Day of 1522, the architrave over the door suddenly cracked and fell, just after Pope Hadrian VI had passed under it while processing into the chapel to say Mass. (Two of his guards were killed.) This break would eventually lead to the complete deterioration of the paintings; around 1575, Matteo da Lecce replaced the original Dispute over the Body of Moses with the same subject, but in a very different style, as Hendrick van den Broeck had done about 20 years earlier with the Resurrection.
St Michael also figures very prominently in another apocryphal work, The Testament of Abraham, which exists in two recensions; the longer of these mentions him 24 times, the shorter 44 times. The basic idea of both is that he is sent to Abraham, whose life is extended from the Biblical 175 years (Genesis 25, 7) to 995 in the long recension, to persuade him to accept that his time has come to die. When Abraham’s son Isaac comes to meet the Archangel, the latter says to him, “the Lord God will grant you his promise that he made to your father Abraham and to his seed.” (chapter 3) Later on, Abraham meets Death himself, who appears to him with the heads of various animals, including a “terrible lion.” (chapter 17) Finally, when Abraham dies, “the archangel Michael came with a multitude of angels and took up his precious soul in his hands … and they tended the body of the just Abraham …. but the angels received his precious soul.” (chapter 20) These passage were clearly the inspiration for the first part of the Offertory chant of the Requiem Mass.
“O Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory, deliver the souls of all the faithful departed from the pains of hell and from the bottomless pit; deliver them out of the lion’s mouth, lest hell should swallow them up, lest they fall into darkness; but let Thy standard-bearer, Saint Michael, bring them into Thy holy light, which Thou didst promise of old to Abraham and to his seed.”
First of all, I’d like to apologize for the delay in getting to these, caused in part by several other work commitments. With these we are including some spontaneous contributions of photos of Requiem Masses celebrated for His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. As always, our thanks go to everyone who sent these in, and we wish all our readers a holy and spiritually profitable Lent.
St Joseph – Troy, New York (O. Carm.)
Blessing of Candles and Procession celebrated in the traditional Use of the Carmelite Order, which has the pastoral charge of this church. Candlemas is one of the feasts on which a stational procession is held, along with Palm Sunday, the Ascension and the Assumption, as described in a post from 2019. As in many medieval Uses, the first part of the ceremony is done in white, where the traditional Roman color is violet.
We are very glad to share these pictures of a solemn Requiem Mass which was recently celebrated in the Ambrosian Rite for the repose of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, at the church of Santa Maria della Consolazione in Milan. They come to us courtesy of the photographer, Mr Derek Zani, who also made the tiara that you see on the catafalque. Our own Nicola de’ Grandi was the Master of Ceremonies.
In the Ambrosian solemn Mass, only the celebrant wears the biretta.
During the Confiteor, the Master of Ceremonies stands behind him, while the acolytes (six in number, two for each major minister) line up to either side of them.
Here we can the Ambrosian cappino, a piece which is put on the outside of the chasuble, dalmatic and tunicle at the neck line on the back.
It is generally the case that minority liturgical traditions to various degrees adopt the customs of the majority traditions with which they live in close proximity, and the Ambrosian Rite is no exception. One of the places where it has been most evidently Romanized is in its liturgy for the dead; both the Mass and Office have incorporated several features of the Roman Rite, and in some cases, have retained the specifically Roman form of those features, even where it might just as easily been conformed to the normal pattern of the Ambrosian Rite. Here we will sum up the proper texts of the Ambrosian Requiem Mass; the ritual features (e.g. the use of black vestments, omission of the Peace, etc.) are not sufficiently different to call for much comment. The two photos here were provided by Nicola; a follow-up post will describe the Ambrosian form of the Absolution at the catafalque.
Mass for all the faithful departed celebrated early this morning in the Ambrosian Rite in the church of Santa Maria della Consolazione in Milan.
The Ambrosian equivalent of the Introit is called the Ingressa, and is sung without a Psalm verse, Gloria Patri, or repetition. At the Requiem Mass, however, it is identical to the Roman form, with the addition of the single word “Domine” to the Psalm verse. (In the Missal, the Psalm verse is called “Psalmellus”, which is also the name of the Ambrosian equivalent of the Gradual.)
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Dómine: et lux perpétua lúceat eis. Psalmellus (Ps. 64, 2-3) Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion, et tibi reddétur votum in Jerúsalem: exaudi oratiónem meam, Dómine, ad te omnis caro veniet. Réquiem… – Eternal rest grant to them, o Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. Ps. A hymn becometh thee, o God in Sion: and to Thee shall a vow shall be paid in Jerusalem. Hear Thou my prayer, o Lord: all flesh shall come to thee. Eternal rest…
The Ambrosian Mass has no Kyrie, so the first prayer, called the “super populum”, follows immediately. (The prayers are always introduced by “Dominus vobiscum” and “Et cum spiritu tuo”, but “Oremus” is not said.) The prayers of the first two Masses on November 2nd are the same as in the Roman Rite; at the third it is as follows. “Praesta, quaesumus, Domine, animabus famulorum famularumque tuarum misericordiam sempiternam; ut mortalibus nexibus expeditas, lux eas aeterna possideat. – Grant, we ask, o Lord, eternal mercy to the souls of Thy servants and handmaids; that, being set free from mortal bonds, the eternal light may keep them.”
At the first and second Masses, there are three Scriptural readings, at the third only two. The Old Testament readings of the first two Masses are 2 Maccabees 12, 43-46 (the Epistle of the Roman second Mass and anniversary Mass), and Job 14, 13-16 (the sixth reading of Roman Matins of the Dead).
The Psalmellus which follows is uniquely Ambrosian, and one of the very few not taken from the Psalms; it is also sung as a responsory in the Office of the Dead in Lent.
Psalmellus Qui suscitasti Lazarum quatriduanum foetidum, tu dona eis requiem, et locum indulgentiae. V. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Dómine: et lux perpétua lúceat eis. Tu dona eis requiem, et locum indulgentiae. – Thou who raised Lazarus that stank on the fourth day, grant to them rest, and a place of indulgence. Eternal rest grant to them, o Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. Grant to them rest, and a place of indulgence.
The Epistle readings of the three Masses are as follows:
– 1 Corinthians 15, 51-57 (the Epistle of the Roman first Mass, and the burial Mass of priests)
– 1 Thessalonians 4, 13-18 (the Epistle of the Roman burial Mass for non-priests)
– Apocalypse 14, 13 (the Epistle of the Roman third Mass, also said at the daily Requiem)
The Ambrosian equivalent of the Tract is called a Cantus; the repertoire of these chants for ferial days is very small, and they are all very short. The one used at the Requiem Masses is also sung on the Thursdays of Lent, and consists of only the first four words of Psalm 101, “Domine exaudi orationem meam. – Lord, hear my prayer.” (Coincidentally, I suppose, in chant it is exactly 101 notes long.)
The Ambrosian Rite never adopted the Sequence, and so the Gospel follows immediately after the Cantus. The Gospels of the first Mass is John 5, 25-29, the same as at the Roman first Mass; those of the second and third Masses, John 6, 44-47 and 5, 21-24, are specifically Ambrosian.
Following the Gospel, the Ambrosian Mass has a series of features which have no true analog in the Roman Mass. The priest says “Dominus vobiscum”, to which the choir replies “Et cum spiritu tuo. Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison,” and then sings an antiphon called “post Evangelium – after the Gospel.” At a Requiem, however, the three Kyrie eleisons are omitted, and the antiphon is quite short. “Requiem sanctam dona eis, Dómine: et lux misericordiae lúceat eis. – Holy rest grant to them, o Lord; and let the light of mercy shine upon them.”
During the antiphon, the deacon spreads the corporal in its place on the altar; he then turns to the people and says “Pacem habete”, to which the choir answers “Ad te, Domine”, but this is also omitted at a Requiem. The priest then says “Dominus vobiscum” again, followed by a prayer called “super sindonem – over the shroud.” The form of this prayer is the same as that of the Roman Collect, and there are many Ambrosian Masses in which it is the same as the Roman Collect of the same day. The “super sindonem” of the Third Mass, however, is used in the Roman Rite as a Post-Communion prayer for several deceased. “Deus, cui soli cómpetit medicínam praestáre post mortem: praesta, quáesumus; ut ánimae famulórum famularumque tuárum, terrenis exútae contagiis, in tuae redemptiónis parte aggregentur: Qui vivis. – O God, to Whom alone it belongeth to grant healing after death; grant, we ask, that the souls of Thy servants and handmaids, being rid of earthly contagion, may be joined unto the portion of Thy redemption. Who livest.”
The Offertory chant of the first Mass is the same as the Roman one, with one very small variant that hardly changes the sense (“laci” instead of “lacu”), and the music has many similarities. At the second and third Masses, however, an entirely different chant is used, which is also said at the daily and anniversary Requiems.
Libera me, Domine Deus, in die illa tremenda judicii: quando Angeli offerent tibi chirógrapha peccatorum hominum. V. Miserere mei, Deus, miserere mei; quoniam in te confidit anima: quando Angeli… – Deliver me, Lord God, on that fearful day of judgment, when the Angels shall offer Thee the writing-down of the sins of men. V. Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me: for my soul trusteth in thee. When the Angels …
The incensation at the Offertory during a traditional Ambrosian Requiem Mass; note that the deacon wears his stole on top of the dalmatic. The Ambrosian custom is to hold the chasuble very high during the incensations, parallel to the floor.
The Ambrosian equivalent of the Secret is introduced by “Dominus vobiscum” like the other prayers, and is said outloud. Those of the first and second Masses are the same as in the Roman Rite; that of the third is taken from the Ambrosian daily Requiem for several deceased. “Hostias tibi, Domine, humili supplicatione deferimus: ut animae famulorum famularumque tuarum per haec piae placationis officia tuam misericordiam consequantur. Per. – We bring Thee offerings o Lord, with humble supplication, that the souls of Thy servants and handmaids, by this holy office of propitiation, may obtain Thy mercy. Through…”
The Preface for the Dead is attested in many ancient Roman sacramentaries, and inspired the neo-Gallican preface of the 1738 Parisian Missal, which Pope Benedict XV later added to the Roman Missal.
Qui es assumptor animarum sanctarum. Quamvis enim mortis humano generi illata conditio pectora humana mentesque contristet: tamen clementiae tuae dono spe futurae immortalitatis erigimur, et memores salutis aeternae, non timemus lucis huius subire dispendium. Quia misericordiae tuae munere fidelibus vita mutatur, non tollitur: et in timoris tui observatione defunctis domicilium perpetuae felicitatis acquiritur. Tibi igitur, clementissime Pater, preces supplices fundimus, et maiestatem tuam devotis mentibus exoramus, ut animae famulorum famularumque tuarum, quorum diem Commemorationis celebramus, mortis vinculis absolutae transitum mereantur ad vitam: et in ovium tibi placitarum benedictione, aeternum numerentur ad regnum. Per Christum.
Truly it is worthy… Who receivest the holy souls. For although the condition of death brought upon the human race saddeneth human hearts and minds, nevertheless by the gift of Thy clemency, we are raised up in the hope of future immortality; and mindful of eternal salvation, we do not fear to undergo the loss of the light of this world; fecause by the gift of Thy mercy, life is changed for the faithful, not taken away, and in keeping the fear of Thee, a place of everlasting happiness is obtained for the dead. To Thee, therefore, most clement Father, we humbly pour forth our prayers, and beseech Thy majesty with devout hearts, that the souls of Thy servants and handmaids, whose day of commemoration we celebrate, may be set free from the bonds of death, and merit to pass over to life, and in the blessing of the sheep that have pleased Thee, be numbered unto the eternal kingdom.
The Fraction is done immediately after the Canon, while the choir sings an antiphon called the Confractorium; the text at the Requiem Mass is based on the reading of the Apocalypse listed above, and is also said as the versicle of Roman Vespers and Lauds of the Dead. “Audivi vocem de caelo dicentem: Beati mortui qui in Domino moriuntur. – I heard a voice from heaven, saying: Blessed are the dead, who die in the Lord.”
As in the Roman Rite, the Peace is not given in a Requiem Mass. The Ambrosian Rite does not normally have the Agnus Dei, but in a Requiem, it is said, with a longer addition to the third invocation. “Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccáta mundi: dona eis requiem * sempiternam, et locum indulgentiae cum Sanctis tuis in gloria. – Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, grant them rest * everlasting, and a place of forgiveness with Thy Saints in glory.”
The final proper chant of the Mass, the equivalent of the Roman Communio, is called the Transitorium. The text from John 11, 25-26 is said in the Roman Rite as the Benedictus antiphon at Lauds of the Dead. “Ego sum resurrectio et vita : qui credit in me, etiam si mortuus fuerit, vivet: et omnis qui vivit et credit in me, non morietur in aeternum: dicit Dominus. – I am the Resurrection and the Life: he that believeth in Me, although he be dead, shall live: and every one that liveth, and believeth in Me, shall not die for ever, saith the Lord.”
The prayer “after Communion” is identical in form and function to the Roman prayer. That of the second Mass is not found in the Roman Missal. “Inclina, quaesumus, Domine, precibus nostris aures tuae pietatis, et animabus famulorum famularumque tuarum remissionem tribue omnium peccatorum: ut his sacrificiis purificati, consortio mereantur perfrui Beatorum. – Incline the ears of Thy mercy, we ask, o Lord, unto our prayers, and grant to the souls of Thy servants and handmaids forgiveness of all their sins; that, being purified by these sacrifices, they may merit to enjoy the company of the blessed.”
Next Monday, November 8th, the church of St Vincent Ferrer in New York City will have a solemn Requiem Mass in the traditional Dominican Rite, followed by the Absolution at the catafalque; the schola will sing Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem Op. 9. The Mass will begin at 7pm; the church is located at 869 Lexington Avenue.
Our thanks to Mr Matevž Hribernik for sharing with us this account of a pilgrimage held last summer in his native Slovenia, and the accompanying pictures.
Last August, a small Slovenian community of followers of the traditional Latin Mass celebrated a Requiem for the victims of communist persecution who were killed on the grounds of a concentration camp in Teharje, and in underground caves in the vicinity.
The camp was first built by the Nazis for the Hitlerjugend in 1943, but after their defeat, repurposed by Yugoslav communists in 1945 for the interment of anti-communist soldiers, but also civilians, factory owners and landowners, and many women and children. In total, more than 5000 people were killed near the camp at Teharje without trial in the two months after the war ended, even though they were not executed in the camp itself. The majority of the victims were Catholic men who fought against the Marxist regime and atheistic-socialist society it advocated, and for the greater glory of God and protection of the nation and their families. The Yugoslavian communists later turned the grounds into a landfill, and built a golf course on the site.
After the secession of Slovenia from Yugoslavia, plans to construct a national memorial park on the site were begun in 1993, and completed in 2004. A colossal monument is a central point of the park, with an altar directly above the symbolic sarcophagus, and a baldachin in the form of a wreath. There is a Way of the Cross on site which leads from the entrance to the nearby church of St Anne. Since its construction, Mass has been celebrated in front of a tomb on a makeshift altar twice a year.
Our traditional community decided to make a pilgrimage to the “site of the martyrdom”, as is often called, on a cloudy and rainy August afternoon last year. Since the monument incorporates a great altar, we celebrated a Missa Cantata in the traditional rite, the same Mass those martyred knew. As far as we know, this is the first time TLM was celebrated here. This made our pilgrimage an historic and emotional occasion, since every Slovenian has a connection to this historic site from both sides of the fighting. After a homily, the Requiem mass was celebrated, followed by a procession of all the faithful to the tomb with the catafalque, where the Absolution was done.
It was an honour to celebrate and serve a Requiem Mass for the repose of the souls of all the victims. To illustrate the connection Slovenian Catholics have to this special place: the celebrating priest’s grandfather was held a prisoner in the camp, but was spared due to his young age of 17. My own grandfather, as a 15-year-old boy, was a partisan army guard in the camp; incidentally, he was assigned guard duty of his own father, my great-grandfather. Even though communist leaders of former Yugoslavia tried to cover those crimes and post-war atrocities, the memory and stories of those suffering persisted, and the truth always prevails.
We are contemplating making this pilgrimage an annual occasion for the Slovenian traditional community. In our country, World War II and the atrocities committed after it are still a subject of heated debate. A nation, neighbours, families, brothers divided by ideology are slowly recovering and coming together. We consider this pilgrimage our small contribution towards national reconciliation.
The Archangel Michael is mentioned three times in the book of Daniel, once in the Apocalypse, and once in the Epistle of St Jude, and these are all of his Biblical appearances. Both New Testament authors introduce him quite abruptly, taking it for granted that their readers already know who he is. “And there was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon…” (Apoc. 12, 7) This would certainly be due to his prominence in pre-Christian Jewish literature, works of the sort which we now call (rather inexactly) apocrypha. And indeed, the mention of him in the Epistle of St Jude is taken from such a work.
St Michael Defeating the Devil, by Guido Reni, 1635
“When Michael the Archangel, disputing with the devil, contended about the body of Moses, he durst not bring against him the judgment of railing speech, but said: The Lord command thee.” (verse 9) These words refer to an episode in a Jewish apocryphal work called The Assumption of Moses, which is only partially preserved; it is not in the part that survives, but ancient scholars such as Origen, who had the complete text to hand, say that it is in the work cited by St Jude. One explanation of the story is that the devil sought to claim possession of Moses’ body as that of a murderer, since he had killed the Egyptian, (Exod. 2, 11-12), and it was for this that St Michael said, “May God rebuke thee.” (In this context, it should be remembered that the Greek word “diabolos” means “slanderer.”) Another explanation is based on a tradition which goes all the way back to Tertullian, that idolatry was taught to mankind by the devil; therefore, in the story cited by St Jude, the devil’s purpose in trying to get the body of Moses would be to have the Jews worship it as an idol.
The story has attracted almost no attention from artists, with one very prominent exception, a fresco of it in the Sistine Chapel. When the chapel was originally constructed, Pope Sixtus IV (1471-84) commissioned a group of some of the most prominent painters of the era (Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and Perugino among them) to paint eight episodes each from the lives of Moses and Christ; they are paired to show how the Church understands the life of Moses, the lawgiver of the Old Testament, as a prophecy of the life of Christ, the lawgiver of the New Testament. The final two, however, The Dispute over the Body of Moses and The Resurrection of Christ, break the parallelism; Moses, the giver of the old Law, dies and stays dead, but Christ, the giver of the new Law, rises from the dead.
These last two are on the chapel’s back wall, which has a large door in the middle, under part of each of the paintings. On Christmas Day of 1522, the architrave over the door suddenly cracked and fell, just after Pope Hadrian VI had passed under it while processing into the chapel to say Mass. (Two of his guards were killed.) This break would eventually lead to the complete deterioration of the paintings; around 1575, Matteo da Lecce replaced the original Dispute over the Body of Moses with the same subject, but in a very different style, as Hendrick van den Broeck had done about 20 years earlier with the Resurrection.
St Michael also figures very prominently in another apocryphal work, The Testament of Abraham, which exists in two recensions; the longer of these mentions him 24 times, the shorter 44 times. The basic idea of both is that he is sent to Abraham, whose life is extended from the Biblical 175 years (Genesis 25, 7) to 995 in the long recension, to persuade him to accept that his time has come to die. When Abraham’s son Isaac comes to meet the Archangel, the latter says to him, “the Lord God will grant you his promise that he made to your father Abraham and to his seed.” (chapter 3) Later on, Abraham meets Death himself, who appears to him with the heads of various animals, including a “terrible lion.” (chapter 17) Finally, when Abraham dies, “the archangel Michael came with a multitude of angels and took up his precious soul in his hands … and they tended the body of the just Abraham …. but the angels received his precious soul.” (chapter 20) These passage were clearly the inspiration for the first part of the Offertory chant of the Requiem Mass.
“O Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory, deliver the souls of all the faithful departed from the pains of hell and from the bottomless pit; deliver them out of the lion’s mouth, lest hell should swallow them up, lest they fall into darkness; but let Thy standard-bearer, Saint Michael, bring them into Thy holy light, which Thou didst promise of old to Abraham and to his seed.”
Just over a month ago, Fr Valentine Young, O.F.M., passed away at the age of 88; this coming Thursday would have been his 89th birthday. Fr Young was a great friend of the traditional Latin Mass in places ranging from Arizona and New Mexico to Kansas to Kentucky and Ohio. He was an accomplished Latinist and, for the past ten years or so, said the daily TLM at Old Saint Mary’s Church in Cincinnati, now the home of the new Cincinnati Oratory. On January 30th, the 7th day after his burial, the Oratorian Community celebrated a solemn Requiem for him in the traditional rite, accompanied by Victoria’s Missa pro defunctis a 4, plainchant, and motets by Guerrero and Palestrina. Just before the Absolution, in accordance with an old Francsican custom, the hymn “Ultima in mortis hora” was sung.
Deus, qui inter apostolicos sacerdotes famulum tuum Valentinum sacerdotali fecisti dignitate vigere: praesta quaesumus: ut eorum quoque perpetuo aggregetur consortio. Per Christum, Dominum nostrum. Amen.
God, who among the apostolic priests made Thy servant Valentine to flourish with priestly dignity: grant, we beseech Thee: that he may also be joined unto their perpetual society. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The catafalque decorated with a priestly stole and a Franciscan cord, plus the crown of thorns used at the traditional Franciscan rite of formal profession.
Last Saturday, the Traditional Latin Mass Society of San Francisco held a solemn Requiem Mass and Absolution at the Holy Cross Mausoleum, which is located in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma, California; this cemetery is run by the Archdiocese of San Francisco, and several of the archbishops are buried in the mausoleum. The schola beautifully sang Cristobal de Morales’ “Missa Pro Defunctis a 5”, and the “Miserere” of Gregorio Allegri in the unadorned “original” setting at Communion. We are happy to share the following video of the complete ceremony, which began with a brief sermon, and several pictures.
On October 26, His Excellency Roger Foys, bishop of Covington, Kentucky, celebrated a Requiem Mass and Entombment for Camillus Paul Maes, who served as the third bishop of the diocese from 1885 to 1915, in the cathedral-basilica of the Assumption. Bishop Maes was the visionary behind the construction of the grand neo-Gothic cathedral, which is modeled after Notre Dame de Paris. The entombment of his remains in the church’s former baptistry fulfills his final wish to be buried in the cathedral, and honors his contributions to the Church in northern Kentucky. A video of the complete service is included below.
Designed by our friend Dcn Jordan Hainsey, in collaboration with Philadelphia-based Saint Jude Liturgical Studio, the new tomb features a sarcophagus of white and green marble with an effigy of Bishop Maes in full pontificals, lying in repose. Each item of his vestments modelled on something worn by a previous bishop of Covington; the entire tomb will sit beneath a newly completed starry vault, reminding God’s Pilgrim People that our ultimate destination is Heaven.
A Solemn Requiem in the Dominican Rite, followed by Absolution at the catafalque, will be offered at the church of St Vincent Ferrer in New York City on Wednesday, November 13th at 7 p.m., with a reception afterwards in the parish hall. Fr Sebastian White O.P. will be the celebrant and homilist; the parish’s Schola Cantorum, directed by James Wetzel, will sing the Missa pro defunctis by Italian Baroque composer Francesco Cavalli (1602-1676). The church is located at 869 Lexington Avenue at 66th Street.
A Missa Cantata in the Dominican Rite will also be offered on Friday, November 15th, at 7 p.m. for the feast of St Albert the Great, with the Missa Sancti Wilhelmi devotio by John Taverner (c. 1490-1545).
In the traditional Dominican liturgical calendar, November 13th is the anniversary of All Deceased Friars and Sisters of the Order. This Requiem is sponsored by the Catholic Artists Society, the New York Purgatorial Society, and the Society of St. Hugh of Cluny, and is part of the monthly schedule of Requiem Masses at St. Vincent’s offered by the NYPS.
On Thursday, November 7th, the church of the Holy Name of Jesus in Brooklyn, New York, will have a Requiem Mass in the Extraordinary Form for all of the deceased members of the parish, beginning at 7 pm, with the traditional Gregorian chants and some polyphonic notets. The church is located at 245 Prospect Park West.
It is generally the case that minority liturgical traditions to various degrees adopt the customs of the majority traditions with which they live in close proximity, and the Ambrosian Rite is no exception. One of the places where it has been most evidently Romanized is in its liturgy for the dead; both the Mass and Office have incorporated several features of the Roman Rite, and in some cases, have retained the specifically Roman form of those features, even where it might just as easily been conformed to the normal pattern of the Ambrosian Rite. Here we will sum up the proper texts of the Ambrosian Requiem Mass; the ritual features (e.g. the use of black vestments, omission of the Peace, etc.) are not sufficiently different to call for much comment. The two photos here were provided by Nicola; a follow-up post will describe the Ambrosian form of the Absolution at the catafalque.
Mass for all the faithful departed celebrated early this morning in the Ambrosian Rite in the church of Santa Maria della Consolazione in Milan.
The Ambrosian equivalent of the Introit is called the Ingressa, and is sung without a Psalm verse, Gloria Patri, or repetition. At the Requiem Mass, however, it is identical to the Roman form, with the addition of the single word “Domine” to the Psalm verse. (In the Missal, the Psalm verse is called “Psalmellus”, which is also the name of the Ambrosian equivalent of the Gradual.)
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Dómine: et lux perpétua lúceat eis. Psalmellus (Ps. 64, 2-3) Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion, et tibi reddétur votum in Jerúsalem: exaudi oratiónem meam, Dómine, ad te omnis caro veniet. Réquiem… – Eternal rest grant to them, o Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. Ps. A hymn becometh thee, o God in Sion: and to Thee shall a vow shall be paid in Jerusalem. Hear Thou my prayer, o Lord: all flesh shall come to thee. Eternal rest…
The Ambrosian Mass has no Kyrie, so the first prayer, called the “super populum”, follows immediately. (The prayers are always introduced by “Dominus vobiscum” and “Et cum spiritu tuo”, but “Oremus” is not said.) The prayers of the first two Masses on November 2nd are the same as in the Roman Rite; at the third it is as follows. “Praesta, quaesumus, Domine, animabus famulorum famularumque tuarum misericordiam sempiternam; ut mortalibus nexibus expeditas, lux eas aeterna possideat. – Grant, we ask, o Lord, eternal mercy to the souls of Thy servants and handmaids; that, being set free from mortal bonds, the eternal light may keep them.”
At the first and second Masses, there are three Scriptural readings, at the third only two. The Old Testament readings of the first two Masses are 2 Maccabees 12, 43-46 (the Epistle of the Roman second Mass and anniversary Mass), and Job 14, 13-16 (the sixth reading of Roman Matins of the Dead).
The Psalmellus which follows is uniquely Ambrosian, and one of the very few not taken from the Psalms; it is also sung as a responsory in the Office of the Dead in Lent.
Psalmellus Qui suscitasti Lazarum quatriduanum foetidum, tu dona eis requiem, et locum indulgentiae. V. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Dómine: et lux perpétua lúceat eis. Tu dona eis requiem, et locum indulgentiae. – Thou who raised Lazarus that stank on the fourth day, grant to them rest, and a place of indulgence. Eternal rest grant to them, o Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. Grant to them rest, and a place of indulgence.
The Epistle readings of the three Masses are as follows:
– 1 Corinthians 15, 51-57 (the Epistle of the Roman first Mass, and the burial Mass of priests)
– 1 Thessalonians 4, 13-18 (the Epistle of the Roman burial Mass for non-priests)
– Apocalypse 14, 13 (the Epistle of the Roman third Mass, also said at the daily Requiem)
The Ambrosian equivalent of the Tract is called a Cantus; the repertoire of these chants for ferial days is very small, and they are all very short. The one used at the Requiem Masses is also sung on the Thursdays of Lent, and consists of only the first four words of Psalm 101, “Domine exaudi orationem meam. – Lord, hear my prayer.” (Coincidentally, I suppose, in chant it is exactly 101 notes long.)
The Ambrosian Rite never adopted the Sequence, and so the Gospel follows immediately after the Cantus. The Gospels of the first Mass is John 5, 25-29, the same as at the Roman first Mass; those of the second and third Masses, John 6, 44-47 and 5, 21-24, are specifically Ambrosian.
Following the Gospel, the Ambrosian Mass has a series of features which have no true analog in the Roman Mass. The priest says “Dominus vobiscum”, to which the choir replies “Et cum spiritu tuo. Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison,” and then sings an antiphon called “post Evangelium – after the Gospel.” At a Requiem, however, the three Kyrie eleisons are omitted, and the antiphon is quite short. “Requiem sanctam dona eis, Dómine: et lux misericordiae lúceat eis. – Holy rest grant to them, o Lord; and let the light of mercy shine upon them.”
During the antiphon, the deacon spreads the corporal in its place on the altar; he then turns to the people and says “Pacem habete”, to which the choir answers “Ad te, Domine”, but this is also omitted at a Requiem. The priest then says “Dominus vobiscum” again, followed by a prayer called “super sindonem – over the shroud.” The form of this prayer is the same as that of the Roman Collect, and there are many Ambrosian Masses in which it is the same as the Roman Collect of the same day. The “super sindonem” of the Third Mass, however, is used in the Roman Rite as a Post-Communion prayer for several deceased. “Deus, cui soli cómpetit medicínam praestáre post mortem: praesta, quáesumus; ut ánimae famulórum famularumque tuárum, terrenis exútae contagiis, in tuae redemptiónis parte aggregentur: Qui vivis. – O God, to Whom alone it belongeth to grant healing after death; grant, we ask, that the souls of Thy servants and handmaids, being rid of earthly contagion, may be joined unto the portion of Thy redemption. Who livest.”
The Offertory chant of the first Mass is the same as the Roman one, with one very small variant that hardly changes the sense (“laci” instead of “lacu”), and the music has many similarities. At the second and third Masses, however, an entirely different chant is used, which is also said at the daily and anniversary Requiems.
Libera me, Domine Deus, in die illa tremenda judicii: quando Angeli offerent tibi chirógrapha peccatorum hominum. V. Miserere mei, Deus, miserere mei; quoniam in te confidit anima: quando Angeli… – Deliver me, Lord God, on that fearful day of judgment, when the Angels shall offer Thee the writing-down of the sins of men. V. Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me: for my soul trusteth in thee. When the Angels …
The incensation at the Offertory during a traditional Ambrosian Requiem Mass; note that the deacon wears his stole on top of the dalmatic. The Ambrosian custom is to hold the chasuble very high during the incensations, parallel to the floor.
The Ambrosian equivalent of the Secret is introduced by “Dominus vobiscum” like the other prayers, and is said outloud. Those of the first and second Masses are the same as in the Roman Rite; that of the third is taken from the Ambrosian daily Requiem for several deceased. “Hostias tibi, Domine, humili supplicatione deferimus: ut animae famulorum famularumque tuarum per haec piae placationis officia tuam misericordiam consequantur. Per. – We bring Thee offerings o Lord, with humble supplication, that the souls of Thy servants and handmaids, by this holy office of propitiation, may obtain Thy mercy. Through…”
The Preface for the Dead is attested in many ancient Roman sacramentaries, and inspired the neo-Gallican preface of the 1738 Parisian Missal, which Pope Benedict XV later added to the Roman Missal.
Qui es assumptor animarum sanctarum. Quamvis enim mortis humano generi illata conditio pectora humana mentesque contristet: tamen clementiae tuae dono spe futurae immortalitatis erigimur, et memores salutis aeternae, non timemus lucis huius subire dispendium. Quia misericordiae tuae munere fidelibus vita mutatur, non tollitur: et in timoris tui observatione defunctis domicilium perpetuae felicitatis acquiritur. Tibi igitur, clementissime Pater, preces supplices fundimus, et maiestatem tuam devotis mentibus exoramus, ut animae famulorum famularumque tuarum, quorum diem Commemorationis celebramus, mortis vinculis absolutae transitum mereantur ad vitam: et in ovium tibi placitarum benedictione, aeternum numerentur ad regnum. Per Christum.
Truly it is worthy… Who receivest the holy souls. For although the condition of death brought upon the human race saddeneth human hearts and minds, nevertheless by the gift of Thy clemency, we are raised up in the hope of future immortality; and mindful of eternal salvation, we do not fear to undergo the loss of the light of this world; fecause by the gift of Thy mercy, life is changed for the faithful, not taken away, and in keeping the fear of Thee, a place of everlasting happiness is obtained for the dead. To Thee, therefore, most clement Father, we humbly pour forth our prayers, and beseech Thy majesty with devout hearts, that the souls of Thy servants and handmaids, whose day of commemoration we celebrate, may be set free from the bonds of death, and merit to pass over to life, and in the blessing of the sheep that have pleased Thee, be numbered unto the eternal kingdom.
The Fraction is done immediately after the Canon, while the choir sings an antiphon called the Confractorium; the text at the Requiem Mass is based on the reading of the Apocalypse listed above, and is also said as the versicle of Roman Vespers and Lauds of the Dead. “Audivi vocem de caelo dicentem: Beati mortui qui in Domino moriuntur. – I heard a voice from heaven, saying: Blessed are the dead, who die in the Lord.”
As in the Roman Rite, the Peace is not given in a Requiem Mass. The Ambrosian Rite does not normally have the Agnus Dei, but in a Requiem, it is said, with a longer addition to the third invocation. “Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccáta mundi: dona eis requiem * sempiternam, et locum indulgentiae cum Sanctis tuis in gloria. – Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, grant them rest * everlasting, and a place of forgiveness with Thy Saints in glory.”
The final proper chant of the Mass, the equivalent of the Roman Communio, is called the Transitorium. The text from John 11, 25-26 is said in the Roman Rite as the Benedictus antiphon at Lauds of the Dead. “Ego sum resurrectio et vita : qui credit in me, etiam si mortuus fuerit, vivet: et omnis qui vivit et credit in me, non morietur in aeternum: dicit Dominus. – I am the Resurrection and the Life: he that believeth in Me, although he be dead, shall live: and every one that liveth, and believeth in Me, shall not die for ever, saith the Lord.”
The prayer “after Communion” is identical in form and function to the Roman prayer. That of the second Mass is not found in the Roman Missal. “Inclina, quaesumus, Domine, precibus nostris aures tuae pietatis, et animabus famulorum famularumque tuarum remissionem tribue omnium peccatorum: ut his sacrificiis purificati, consortio mereantur perfrui Beatorum. – Incline the ears of Thy mercy, we ask, o Lord, unto our prayers, and grant to the souls of Thy servants and handmaids forgiveness of all their sins; that, being purified by these sacrifices, they may merit to enjoy the company of the blessed.”
The Traditional Latin Mass Society of San Francisco is sponsoring a Solemn Requiem Mass to be celebrated on Saturday, November 16th, featuring Cristobal de Morales’ “Missa Pro Defunctis a 5”, and the “Miserere” of Gregorio Allegri, which will be sung in the unadorned “original” setting written for the Capella Sistina. The Mass will be celebated at the Holy Cross Mausoleum in the Holy Cross cemetery, located at 1500 Mission Road in Colma, California, and begin at 10 a.m.
Camillus Paul Maes served as the third bishop of Covington from 1885 to 1915. When he arrived, he found the aging, wood-framed cathedral falling into disrepair, and the growing Catholic community in dire need of a larger building for worship. The cathedral that he built, Covington’s mother-church, stands as a testament to the great vision of Bishop Maes, who wished to give the city of Covington a token of his affection, and a monument to speak for centuries to come of the love of Christ, for as he said, “indeed, the message of the cathedral is the message of Christ himself.”
In gratitude for Bishop Maes’ lasting impact and contributions to the Church in northern Kentucky, H.E. Roger Foys, bishop of Covington, will celebrate a funeral Mass for the repose of his soul, followed by the solemn interment of his remains in a new tomb at the heart of the cathedral-basilica which he built. Located in the church’s former baptistery, the new tomb features a sarcophagus of white and green marble, designed to blend with the surrounding marble work. The lid features a hand-carved white marble effigy of Bishop Maes lying in repose, wearing the full set of pontificals, each item of which is modelled on something worn by a previous bishop of Covington. The entire tomb will sit beneath a starry vault, reminding God’s people that our ultimate goal is Heaven. The Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, October 26th, starting at 10 am; the cathedral is located at 1140 Madison Avenue. (Thanks to our good friend Dcn Jordan Hainsey for letting us know about this.)
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