Wednesday 29 February 2012

Domine, non sum dignus……

You may remember that I bemoaned the lack of enthusiasm for the Sacrament of Penance in the Valle Adurni. Last weekend, Diaconus in Valle decided to address it head-on. This is what he had to say:

“What have you given up for Lent?” That’s a common question at this time, one that is still quite common even amongst non-Catholics or even amongst people of no faith where it may be more related to a slimming routine!
The other question might be “What are you doing extra for Lent?” And both questions are good and valid; it can do something good for us to go without a luxury or two as a reminder of Lent; it will certainly do us and others good if we can undertake some charitable action in these next few weeks.
However I want to propose something to you that is not really, or at least should not be, something extra – and that is to renew or rediscover the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. Now I can sense the silent and inward groans, “Oh no, he’s not going to bang on about that again, is he?” Well yes I am, but I hope in a way that may cause you to think about the Sacrament in a positive way again.
One of the reasons that the practise of going to regular Confession has lapsed over the last 30 or 40 years is that we have lost the sense of connection to the Eucharist, so let’s concentrate on that first.
As Catholics we have as a central tenet of our faith, the belief in the Doctrine of Transubstantiation and the Real Presence. We believe that at the words of the Consecration, the bread and wine are changed into the Real Body and Blood of Our Saviour, Jesus Christ. The bread and wine keep their material form but are also the Body and Blood; at that moment Jesus is truly present on the altar and we receive Him in Holy Communion. Afterwards the Body of Christ is reserved in the Tabernacle and we genuflect each time we pass in front of it as a sign of our belief and reverence.
Someone once said that if as Catholics we truly, really, passionately believed in the Real Presence then when we came to the doors of the church we would throw ourselves down on our faces and crawl into church on our hands and knees, not daring to look up at Almighty God in front of us! It’s a thought isn’t it – do we truly believe?
And the reason for our reverence, our genuflections and so on, is that we acknowledge our unworthiness, our sinfulness, our need for forgiveness. The church teaches that we should only receive the Lord in Holy Communion if we are in a state of grace having reconciled ourselves to God and one another. So how do we do that? Well, I am sure most people will say we do that when we recite the Confiteor at the beginning of Mass.
But Jesus went so much further than that. He instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation when he conferred on the Apostles through the Holy Spirit, the power of forgiveness of sins. “Those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven in heaven, those whose sins you retain, they are retained in heaven”. This power given to the priest by his ordination, passed down to him by the Apostolic Succession, is not given to you or me. Jesus was, as always, very clear – forgiveness of sins is achieved through genuine repentance, prayer and the confession of those sins to the Almighty Father through the words spoken to the priest and given to us by the specific words of Absolution spoken by the priest – it is at that point that the power of the Holy Spirit works through the words and gestures of the priest, and then we are forgiven.
Then we enter a state of Grace, a state a little more worthy to contemplate entering into the presence of the Lord here in his church, in front of Him reserved in the Tabernacle; a state a little more worthy to contemplate receiving Him in Holy Communion.
Many Catholics will regard the reception of Holy Communion at Mass as their right, an automatic action that is always part of attending the Mass. However that is to lose sight of the connection between our state of Grace and whether we are worthy to receive; to lose sight of the connection between the Sacraments of Reconciliation and of Holy Communion. Always, Forgiveness first, then Communion second.
So, Confession is not the optional extra it has sadly become for many, it is a vital and life-giving prerequisite to our full and active participation in the Mass and it should be part of our regular devotional routine.
If you regularly attend Confession, than make it part of your Lenten preparation to meditate on the connection between it and your regular reception of Holy Communion.
If you occasionally attend Confession, then make it part of your Lenten preparation to resolve to use the Sacrament more regularly in Lent and beyond.
If you rarely or never attend Confession, then use this Lent to try again. As we use this season to prepare for the great services of the Easter Triduum and celebration of the Resurrection of Christ, use the Sacrament to honestly examine your life and answer to Almighty God the question “what kind of person am I truly?”
Do you believe in the Real Presence, can you honestly say to Almighty God; I am ready and worthy to receive you in Holy Communion?

Friday 24 February 2012

Nuts in a box

A very few nuts in a box will, when shaken, produce a lot of noise. In other words, the noise mustn't be taken for an indication that there are a lot of nuts in the box. Cristina Odone (h/t Archbishop Cranmer) has pointed out that the National Secular Society can boast only about 7000 members, about the same as the British Sausage Appreciation Society.

Wednesday 22 February 2012

Defining marriage

I have been wanting for some time to produce a post on the 'gay marriage' thing, and today I see that James Preece has written (in his characteristically more direct language) more or less what I wanted to say, and with great thoroughness.

In brief, the problem is not that gay people want to get married; it is that they don't want to get married. What they want is an opportunity to celebrate their relationship in a public and enjoyable way, and have it recognized as equally valuable to a similar heterosexual relationship.

In one sense, they have a point, because most heterosexual relationships are not, except in a rather general sense, marriages. Marriage involves all sorts of things, fidelity, chastity (in the strict sense of the word), sacrificial love, openness to children, permanence: it is a lot more than a public celebration of an affectionate and possibly (increasingly, probably) temporary sexual relationship.

The troubles suffered by Blondpidge (here and here) at the moment for a short while shook my resolve on the subject of artificial contraception. But the gay marriage thing has strengthened it again, and much more powerfully.

The difficulty is that the battle for marriage was all-but lost for society not with civil partnerships or the forthcoming (and pretty well sure to happen) resolution on gay marriage. Rather, it was when purely recreational sex became first possible and then socially acceptable. And for the vast majority of people (including so many Catholics) anything else would be unthinkable.

And what do we do about it? Find another name for what we believe marriage to be? 'The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony', perhaps? And what if, as seems to be happening in certain of the United States, we come to be required to officiate at these ceremonies in our churches? And don't say it won't happen, because there are people who are very determined that it will.

I guess all we could do is to suspend the requirement for Catholics to marry in church (it isn't required by Divine law); let them go to the registry office, and then come to the church for a nuptial Mass and blessing. Then we simply say to all comers, of whatever sexuality 'we don't do marriages here'.

What a sad state of affairs.

But please don't simply let it happen without at least making a token resistance; it is really important to sign this petition arranged by the Coalition for Marriage.

Tuesday 21 February 2012

Viennese Whirl

His eminence Christoph Maria Michael Hugo Damian Peter Adalbert Cardinal Graf von Schönborn, the third to be created Cardinal in his aristocratic family, is a man with an unenviable job to which he needs to bring all the diplomatic skills he can find in his armoury.

For a start, his two immediate predecessors hardly left him a smooth playing-field. The late (and some would say great) Cardinal König was one of the powerful liberal champions at Vatican II and continued to favour the cause with intelligence and vigour until his death in 2004 at the advanced age of 98, having governed the diocese of Vienna from 1956 until 1985. He was a great champion of Ostpolitik, the policy of detente with the Communist East, and this led him to welcome the election of Pope John Paul II, something he was later to regret when it became apparent to him that liberalism was going to be increasingly placed on the defensive. He became increasingly critical, even while in office, of the Pope, for, as he was said to see it, turning his back on the Council. He continued until his death to subscribe to The Tablet and correspond there. To his annoyance, his favoured candidate was not selected to succeed him; instead was chosen the disastrous Hans Hermann Groer, a man who was said by one writer (Hubertus Czernin, Das Buch Groer) to have abused up to two thousand young men.

Improbable as that figure might sound, people seem prepared to believe it, and so Groer is understandably now a focus of ecclesiastical hatred in Austria, and his perceived conservatism served only to persuade more to the other side, remembering the 'good old days' of Cardinal König, who remained alive throughout Groer's tenure of the office and this fact alone no doubt made life no easier for his successor. Rumours still abound in Vienna of Groer's partiality for women's clothing and handsome young men; whatever the truth may be (and to the end Groer denied everything) his memory is a painful one. A couple of years ago Cardinal Schönborn let slip (in the way he does) that the then Cardinal Ratzinger had wanted to have a proper investigation of the Groer scandal, but Cardinal Sodano used his influence with Pope John Paul to prevent it.

Schönborn followed an academic career, studying in the 1970s under Professor Ratzinger at Regensburg, his scholarly work culminating in his crucial role in the preparation of the new Catechism of the Catholic Church. In some ways the publication of the Catechism was a turning point in the history of the Church; although certain people believe it to be theologically deficient (from one perspective or its diametrical opposite), the overwhelming majority consider it a welcome restatement of the Catholic faith for the modern era. The English-speaking world has particular reason to be grateful to Schönborn for his assistance in ensuring that the new Catechism would not employ politically-correct language, but would rather seek to be accurate in the first place. This was almost the beginning of the fight-back that was to culminate in the publication of the 2011 Roman Missal which, for all its faults, is such an improvement on its predecessor.

It was not surprising that Schönborn became a bishop; he was consecrated in Rome in 1991, and appointed coadjutor of Vienna in 1995 in the shadow of the Groer debacle, succeeding to the see in the same year.

This is where it gets sticky. I think that Schönborn has had the most difficult innings of any Archbishop of Vienna, and quite possibly of any Western European see in the last couple of centuries.* The memory of Cardinal König and the contrasting example of Cardinal Groer served to give extraordinary impetus to the liberal cause in Austria. Schönborn in his pontificate has had to ride the bronco and try to hold together and if possible pacify a church threatening imminent melt-down. In order to do so he has had to be all things to all men; this is a very difficult thing to achieve. My experience is partial, but I have to acknowledge that although you will find him attacked from all sides on the internet (participating in a strange liturgical goings-on here, known to be in the intimate circle of the Pope there), those whom I have met who actually know him acknowledge the greatest respect for him—and these include a (very) liberal parish priest in Vienna and some (very) conservative Religious. And, more to the point, both parties are convinced he is on their side. In fact, I'm sure that the fingers of some readers may already be twitching to identify in the comments box this or that dreadful event at which Schönborn was present. **

Now, this might be duplicity, of course, but it might also be simple aristocratic diplomacy and good nature. It is the nature of the products of posh schools to be at ease in company, to speak to high and low alike with equal affability. And, simply, he seems to be a nice man.

He also seems to have some good ideas. Last week I met one of his seminarians; this young man had the highest regard for his Archbishop, who visits the Seminary almost every week, and makes it a kind of home from home. Each year he, personally, takes his seminarians on holiday for a fortnight, and in his company they have had access to remarkable sights and places. In other words, he understands what so many do not, that the relationship that a bishop has with his priests is a vital one, and if this present crisis in the Austrian Church can only be healed by personal charm, well that is better than schism. The Church has used it in the past to great effect (I think of Cardinal Consalvi after the Congress of Vienna) and it might serve well now.

We are all well aware of that group of priests in Austria who want to revolutionize the Church right now. I was interested to read in this week's Tablet that Schönborn seems to have negotiated their demands down to near-moderation. He seems to have made them feel heard and valued and all those other things, and to be well on the way to defusing a potentially highly explosive situation.

Which is all to say that though I have said in the past that what the Church really needs is passionate defenders of the faith, sometimes diplomats have their role, too.

* Well, okay, I suppose that the Archbishop of Paris who was murdered during the communes might have found things more difficult. And many of the Spanish hierarchy in the 1930s. and…………Look, permit me a little artistic licence!
** And there is his puzzling attitude to the business at Medugorje. I can't account for that.

What the Council really meant

Don't miss this remarkable account from a father of Vatican II. Thank you, Shane.

Monday 20 February 2012

The TAC


The world of the Traditional Anglican Communion is not well known among Catholics. Broadly, most of its members are former Anglicans—former, that is from the point of view of Canterbury. Members of the TAC would argue that the Anglican Communion has left them, rather than the other way around. They try to maintain what, in their view, Anglicanism had been, and ought always to be. In particular, they reject liberalism in doctrine (women clergy and homosexual cohabitation in particular), expressed in the 1977 Affirmation of St Louis, and liturgically tend to the Catholic end of the candle. Historically they have leant Romewards, but have been keen to maintain their particular Anglican practices and not simply become part of the Roman Rite.
The TAC is not huge: formed in 1991, it has a worldwide membership of about 400,000 spread over the various continents, being stronger in Australia and North America than elsewhere. In England it is very small, this being probably due to the difficulty of any dissenting congregation retaining ownership of their church buildings. It has few substantial buildings, perhaps the most significant being the Church of St Agatha in Portsmouth.

There are also other 'Continuing Anglican' bodies, mostly connected ideologically in some way from the Affirmation of St Louis, such as the Anglican Catholic Church; some of these groups speak to each other, some don't. Most of them are uninterested in the Ordinariate scheme until Rome has repented of all her errors.

Early on in its history the TAC signalled to Rome their wish to continue dialogue in the spirit of ARCIC, and the approach was welcomed warmly if cautiously there. The contacts have continued and indeed intensified under the leadership of the present primate, Archbishop John Hepworth, an Australian (the TAC is more numerous there than in many other places).

John Hepworth is an interesting man. A former Catholic priest, he joined the Anglican Church of Australia in 1976 and married twice. Recently he has claimed to have been raped by (Catholic) priests when in his twenties (claims which some dispute, arguing that a tall and burly young man can hardly have been entirely uncooperative in the alleged assault). This sad incident, however one looks at it, has not deflected Hepworth from his biggest scheme, to lead the TAC into full communion with the Catholic Church. He has passionate defenders even among those who will not be following him into the Ordinariate, such as the TAC priest and interesting blogger Fr Anthony Chadwick.

As for what Hepworth stands for, you can read about it his own words here.

In October 2007 there was a meeting at the above-mentioned St Agatha's church in Portsmouth. There the assembled clergy of greater or lesser dignity signed a document known as the Portsmouth Declaration, which takes the form of a petition to the Holy See for admission to full communion. This they consider to be the most significant step in the process that was to culminate in the Ordinariate Scheme. The declaration was signed on the altar during a celebration of the Eucharist by a large number of clerics, including some 'mainstream' Anglicans. It's a long document, and contains the following extraordinary passage:

The Bishops and Vicars-General of this Communion, now meeting in Plenary Session in the Church of Saint Agatha, Portsmouth, England, on the Feast of Theresa of the Child Jesus and in the days following, have reached the following mind which they have asked their Primate and delegates to report to the Holy See:
1. We accept the ministry of the Bishop of Rome, the successor of Peter, which is a ministry of teaching and discerning the faith and a “perpetual and visible principle and foundation of unity” and understand this ministry is essential to the Church founded by Jesus Christ. We accept that this ministry, in the words of the late John Paul II in Ut Unum Sint, is to “ensure the unity of all the Churches”. We understand his words in the same Letter when he explains to the separated churches that the Bishop of Rome “when circumstances require it, speaks in the name of all the Pastors in communion with him. He can also under very specific conditions clearly laid down by the First Vatican Council declare ex cathedra that a certain doctrine belongs to the deposit of faith. By thus bearing witness to the truth, he serves unity”. We understand that, as bishops separated from communion with the Bishop of Rome, we are among those for whom Jesus prayed before his death “that they may be completely one”, and that we teach and define matters of faith and morals in a way that is, while still under the influence of Divine Grace, of necessity more tenuously connected to the teaching voice of catholic bishops throughout the world.
2.We accept that the Church founded by Jesus Christ subsists most perfectly in the churches in communion with the See of Peter, to whom (after the repeated protestation of his love for Jesus) and to whose successors, our Divine Master gave the duty of feeding the lambs and the sheep of his flock.
3. We accept that the most complete and authentic expression and application of the catholic faith in this moment of time is found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and its Compendium, which we have signed together with this Letter as attesting to the faith we aspire to teach and hold. 
4. Driven by these realizations, which we must now in good conscience bring to the attention of the Holy See, we seek a communal and ecclesial way of being Anglican Catholics in communion with the Holy See, at once treasuring the full expression of catholic faith and treasuring our tradition within which we have come to this moment. We seek the guidance of the Holy See as to the fulfillment of these our desires and those of the churches in which we have been called to serve. 
As a position document, this passage is truly remarkable, and it caused something of a stir. The TAC may have been small, but it had boldly seized the Unity initiative and was clearly in the vanguard of the Anglo-Papal movement. Before too long, Rome had responded with Anglicanorum Coetibus. It was a good moment for the TAC which was seen to be punching above its weight. But then things went slow, and the first group to be set up was in England and had nothing to do with the TAC. In fact some began to say that Anglicanorum Coetibus was for the benefit of 'real' Anglicans, not 'continuing' ones.

The trouble is that Archbishop Hepworth had counted his chickens before they were hatched. His signature of the Portsmouth Declaration was greeted with shock by some members of the TAC who do not subscribe to the Anglo-Papal position at all. It seems that some campaigned within the TAC against the move, and others made sure that Rome understood that the TAC was not really a serious player. 

In the TAC, the battle grew more heated; it would not be an exaggeration to say that the Ordinariate option is tearing it apart. Archbishop Hepworth continues energetically to promote the Ordinariate; others equally energetically oppose it, as on a comment on this post, portraying their Primate's efforts as his personal ticket to be accepted back into the Catholic Church which he regrets ever leaving:
As a member of the Anglican Church in America (a part of TAC worldwide). Seeing what he has done to our church body is madding [sic]. As though TAC/ACA are some sort of peace offering for him to get back into the Roman church. Thanks but no thanks. We are Catholics and we are Anglican and we don't need the Pope to be Catholic, but first and foremost we are faithful Christians. I just hope the ACA can repair the damage he has done.
'We don't need the Pope to be Catholic'. Well, no doubt the writer is not a theologian, but that comment speaks volumes. And the battle is getting nasty. In a recent Pastoral letter to the whole TAC passionately deprecating the spat, Archbishop Hepworth made the following remarkable charge against one Bishop Marsh, one of his brother bishops:
Meanwhile, it has emerged that Bishop Marsh is a high-ranking member of a virulently anti-catholic Lodge of Freemasons, and claims to have successfully influenced Roman Catholic authorities to reject the TAC and its bishops as a credible ecclesial communion.
Those TAC bishops who wish not to accept the Holy Father's offer seem now to see themselves as the authoritative leaders of the communion. They have called on Hepworth to resign—he offered to do so at Pentecost, but apparently that is unacceptable. They insist he must go straight away. The feeling seems to be that as Rome did not offer corporate reunion, but insists that each person has to make his own decision to be part of the Ordinariate, then the offer is unacceptable. This is what the English Vicar-General of the TAC wrote to the clergy in his jurisdiction:
To those of you who … have submitted personal dossiers to Rome the following applies directly to you.
As we now know, the petition that was agreed at the Portsmouth Synod of the College Of Bishops and duly sent to Rome. The Petition did not receive an offer of “intercommunion or unity between us” from the Holy See, but an offer to us requiring personal individual conversions to become Roman Catholics. That offer has been rejected by our College of Bishops.
The Motion that was agreed and passed by the Assembly of the Traditional Anglican Church in October 2009, in pursuit the offer made by the Holy Father has also been firmly rejected by the College of Bishops and will not be implemented. The current leadership of the College of Bishops have authorised me to state the following; “that in effect those who have submitted dossiers for personal conversion to Rome have by their own actions indicated their decision to leave and have in effect left the Communion”.
Those of you who have submitted personal dossiers and may now wish to reconsider your position to return to the TTAC/TAC should do so by contacting me directly in writing by February 3rd 2012.
Which is plain speaking enough. The issue of conversion is not really at the heart of the matter, though, for if these people really believed what the Catholic Church teaches, those things that Archbishop Hepworth affirmed in the Portsmouth Declaration, then the Roman Option would become the Roman Imperative (as someone else has said). What they want is Roman Communion without the Roman Faith, and that was never going to work. The faith of the TAC may be more like the Roman faith than is professed in most mainstream Anglican churches today, but it still has a way to go. Those who remain in the TAC will have been weakened by the current movement and some no doubt will feel profoundly hurt by it and probably betrayed by their own Primate. What their future is remains to be seen; if their differences are not too profound, they may seek common cause and communion with the Anglican Catholic Church or some other body. Those of the TAC who do seek Roman Communion, such as the famous St Agatha's Church in Portsmouth (where in fact the mainstream former Bishop Robert Mercer was received into full communion a few weeks ago) will no doubt merge gently into the Ordinariates. In Australia they are likely to be the major player in the Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross, since they already have their own churches and organization, and the mainstream Anglican church tends to be rather Evangelical, and therefore not a large provider of aspirants to Roman communion.

In some ways I feel saddest for those who really do share the Roman faith in their deepest heart but for whom the path of Roman Communion would involve what they believe to be intolerable sacrifice. Like the rich young man in the Gospel, they turn sadly away. In all this one can be deeply edified by the determination of Archbishop Hepworth; whatever else he may have said or done, he has committed himself to Roman Communion with an admirable single-mindedness, rendered all the more poignant by the fact that, as a former priest of the Adelaide Diocese, he is likely to have to surrender his own practice of the priesthood in order to achieve it. As a priest myself, I can only imagine what that prospect must feel like. We would do well not to belittle it.




Sunday 19 February 2012

Celebration

It isn't usually my custom to duplicate stuff from other sites here on the Valle Adurni, but I must make an exception in this case. The church of St Mary Magdalen, Brighton, is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year and has laid on a quite incomparable series of events which I commend very warmly to anyone reading this blog.
The best thing is to consult the source itself.

Congratulations, Fr Ray, not just for the anniversary, but for your enterprise.

Friday 17 February 2012

Chill in the Park

Whether it is just the way that it has been reported here (h/t Catholic Herald), or whether it really happened this way, it would appear that Archbishop Charlie Brown has received a less than warm welcome at Aras an Uachtaráin. Having made an effusive address to the President, the reply new nuncio got would make penguins think that there was a nip in the air.

President Higgins, in reply, asked the nuncio to “convey to the Pope my best wishes and the best wishes of the people of Ireland”.You are right in saying that the relationship between Ireland and the Holy See goes back to 1929 and there are many areas of international policy in which we have a shared view, areas of development, poverty, disarmament, and these have been fruitful for us,” he added.
Mr Higgins wished the archbishop “every happiness and success, both in your capacity as representative of the Holy See and also as dean of the diplomatic corps”.
Concluding with the words, “May I introduce you now to some people who will be of assistance to you in your work,” the President introduced him to Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore, who initiated the decision at Cabinet to close the Vatican embassy.
He could scarcely have said less, really.

But maybe this was just the way it was reported.

Saturday 11 February 2012

Trumpets and Drums

The row in the States over Obamacare has been fascinating at all sorts of levels. There is, for instance, the almost unique spectacle of Western bishops manning up in defence of the Catholic faith, and they are demonstrating just how effective that can be. It remains to be seen whether their stance will be reflected at the polls, but I should be surprised if it were not. Then there is what Rorate Caeli pointed out, the fact that this row has actually brought to the attention of the American public what the Church teaches about artificial contraception and associated matters. Catholics in the pews who have not had the subject mentioned in a sermon or catechesis for half a century are now made aware of what the situation truly is. And thirdly, there is the situation in the UK. Our compulsory National Health Service contributions have for decades been paying for abortions, sterilizations, free contraception in schools and a whole host of other morally dubious or plainly wrong procedures. The chillingly-named NICE* has but to declare a particular procedure or drug a good use of public funds and our money goes to pay for it without a by-your-leave.
The original conception of the National Health Service was, I believe, a noble one. But it has become a kind of monster in some respects, and a shibboleth in others. No politician wants to be seen to be demolishing the NHS, and yet we are confronted with the situation that our health care provision is not, actually, free, and is not nearly as good as that to be found in France or even Spain. We have been through a huge period of privatization of health care at all levels except the vital one of who actually administers the money. If I could choose an insurance system that did not pay for abortions &c, then I should certainly do so, and that would bring some pressure to bear (which is presumably why this part hasn't been privatized). There would, of course, have to be some system whereby those too poor to afford health care could continue to have access to it.

All of which is getting around to saying: wouldn't it be nice if our own bishops also were able to man up and speak the truth. I happen to know that there really are behind-the-scene discussions with the government which are not without their effect, but these discussions are invisible to the population at large, even the Catholic population. There is a lot to be said for sounding the trumpet and beating the drum. It works wonders for morale, and I think that that is what we need right now.


*Non-UK readers might not know what NICE is; it stands for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. But it was also, prophetically, the name for the National Institute for Coordinated Experiments in C.S.Lewis' That Hideous Strength, the body whose immoral experiments with human life brought dreadful calamities to the world.

Thursday 9 February 2012

Consecration


When the Bell once ryngs (if they can not conveniently see) [the people] forsake their seates and runne from altare to altare, from Sakering [Consecration] to Sakering, peeping here and touting ther, and gazing at that thing, which the pildepate [tonsured] Priest holdeth up in hys handes. And if the Priest be weake in the armes, and heave not up hye ynough, the rude people of the countrey in diverse partes of England wyll crye out to the Priest, holde up Sir John, holde up. Heave it a littel hyer. And one wil say to another : "Stoupe downe thou fellowe afore, that I may see my maker. For I can not be mery, except I see my Lorde God once in a day."
(Thomas Becon, Displayeng of the Popysh Masse, in Workes, London, 1563. vol. iii. fif. xli. b. and xliiii.)

Monday 6 February 2012

The Use of Nidaros

Having found a link on the Orkney Chant blog to a facsimile missal of the Nidaros Use (pre-Reformation Norwegian), I got a sudden urge to transcribe the Ordinary (you know, the way one does). Please excuse the typos, the inconsistent spelling and punctuation, the occasional blunder; I did it this morning at one sitting without reviewing it. It's only for interest's sake.
I should perhaps explain that mediaeval and renaissance texts tend to use a lot of abbreviations with which I'm not entirely conversant. But one can pick up a certain amount as one goes through. And, of course, I can't lay my hands on my copy of Hoepli.

It seems to be a step nearer the Roman Use than the Sarum, but then is probably a bit later.

Mass begins p.73 of the facsimile, if you want to have a look yourself and make improvements.


Sacerdos missa celebraturus subscriptum legat hymnum

Veni Creator Spiritus

usque ad finem. Deinde legantur psalmi sequentes

Quam dilecta. Gloria Patri.
Ave Maria.
Deus propitius esto mihi peccatori.
Et pre peccatis meis propter nomen sanctum tuum Domine Jesu Christe quia pius es.

Ps Benedixisti. Gloria Patri. Ave Maria.
Deus propitius.

Ps. Inclina Domine.
Credidi.
De Profundis.

Finitis psalmis dicat Antiphona
Veni Sancte Spiritus.
Deinde Kyriel. Christel. Kyrieel. 
Pater noster.
Et ne nos.

Convertere, Domine, usquequo.
Et deprecabilis esto super servos tuos.
Fiat misericordia tua Domine super nos.
Quemadmodum speravimus in te.
Sacerdotes tui induantur justitiam.
Et sancti tui exultent.
Protector noster aspice Deus.
Et respice in faciem Christi tui.
Domine Deus virt[utum converte nos].
Et ostende fa[ciem tuam et salvi erimus].
Domine exau[di orationem meam].
Et cla[mor meus ad te veniat].
Dominus vobiscum.
Et cum spiritu tuo.
Oremus.
Fac me quaeso omnipotens Deus ita iusticia indui: ut in sanctorum tuorum merear exultatione letari: quatenus emundatus a cunctis vicios sordibus: consortium adipiscar tibi placentium sacerdotum meque tua mi[sericordi]a a viciis omnibus exuat: quem conscientia propria reatus accusat. Per Christum Dominum nostrum.

Psalmus.
Judica me, Deus, et discerne causam meam de gente non sancta ab homine iniquo et doloso erue me.
Quia tu es, Deus, fortitudo mea: quare me repulisti et quare tristis incedo, dum affligit me inimicus.
Emitte lucem tuam et veritatem tuam ipsa me deduxerunt et adduxerunt in montem sanctum tuum: et in tabernacula tua.
Et introibo ad altare Dei ad Deum qui lætificat juventutem meam.
Confitebor tibi in cythara, Deus, Deus meus: Quare tristis es, anima mea et quare conturbas me.
Spera in Deo, quoniam adhuc confitebor illi: salutare vultus mei et Deus meus.
Gloria Patri.

Kyrieleyson. Christeleyson. Kyrieleyson.
Pater noster.
Et ne nos.

Introibo ad altare Dei: ad Deum qui letificat iuventutem meam.
Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus: quoniam in seculum misericordia eius.

Confiteor Deo omnipotenti et beatæ &c.

Respondet.
Misereatur vestri omnipotens Deus et dimis. &c.
Dominus custodiat nos ab omni malo.
Custodiat animam tuam Dominus.
Indulgentiam et remissionem omnium peccatorum nostrorum, spacium vere pentitentie, emendationem vite: gratiam et constolationem Sancti Spiritus tribuat nobis omnipotens et misericors Dominus. Amen.

Deus tu conversus vivificabis nos.
Et plebs tua letabitur in te.
Ostende nob[is Domine misericordiam tuam].
Et salut[are tuum da nobis].
Ab occult[is meis munda me Domine]. 
Et ab [alienis parce servo tuo].
Domine Deus [virtutum, converte nos]. [?]
[Et ostende faciem tuam et salvi erimus.] [?]
Domine exaudi [orationem meam].
[Et clamor meus ad te veniat].
Dominus vobiscum.
[Et cum spiritu tuo.]

Hic inclinet se dicens.
Aufer a nobis Domine cunctas iniquitates nostras ut ad sancta sanctorum puris mereamur mentibus introire.
Acciones nostras quæsumus Domine et aspirando præveni et adjuvando prosequere: ut cuncta nostra operatio et oratio et a te semper i[n]cipiat: et per te incepta finiatur. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Et osculato altari dicat.
Adiutorium nostrum [in nomine Domini}.
Qui fec[it cælum et terram].
Sit no[men Domini benedictum].
Ex hoc [nunc et usque in sæculum].
Benedicite Dominus.
In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritussancti. Amen.

Hic inchoatur officium misse. Deinde

Kyrieleyson.
Gloria in excelsis Deo. Et in terra pax hominibus bonæ voluntatis. Laudamus te. Benedicimus te. Adoramus te. Glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam. Domine Deus, Rex cælestis, Deus Pater omnipotens. Domine Fili unigenite, Iesu Christe. Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris. Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis. Quoniam tu solus Sanctus. Tu solus Dominus. Tu solus Altissimus, Iesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu, in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.

In summis de beata virgine
Gloria in excelsis Deo. Et in terra pax hominibus bonæ voluntatis. Laudamus te. Benedicimus te. Adoramus te. Glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam. Domine Deus, Rex cælestis, Deus Pater omnipotens. Domine Fili unigenite, Iesu Christe. Spiritus et alme orphanorum paraclite.Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris. Primogenitus Marie virginis matris. Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Ad Marie gloriam. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis. Quoniam tu solus Sanctus. Mariam sanctificans. Tu solus Dominus. Mariam gubernans. Tu solus Altissimus, Mariam coronans, Iesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu, in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.

Ferialibus diebus de domina.
Gloria in excelsis Deo. Et in terra pax hominibus bonæ voluntatis. Laudamus te. Benedicimus te. Adoramus te. Glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam. Domine Deus, Rex cælestis, Deus Pater omnipotens. Domine Fili Marie unigenite, Iesu Christe. Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris. Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis per precem piissimam tue matris Marie virginis. Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Ut nos tibi placeamus iugiter et sacrosancte tue matri Marie virgini. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis. Per Marie suffragia que est mater sue prolis et filia. Quoniam tu solus Sanctus. Maria sola mater innupta.Tu solus Dominus. Maria sola Domina. Tu solus Altissimus, Pater Marie et filius Iesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu, in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.

Benedictio dyaconi ante evangelium.
Dominus sit in corde tuo et in labiis tuis ut competenter pronuncies evangelium pacis omnibus nobis. In nomine Patris + et Spiritussancti. Amen.

Dyaconus lecturus evangelium dicat.
Da mihi Domine sermonem rectum et benesonantem in os meum ut placeant tibi verba mea et omnibus audientibus et credentibus verbum Dei propter nomen sanctum tuum in vitam eternam. Amen.

Finito evangelio dicat hec oratio.
Per istos sermones sancti evangelii pacis indulgeat nobis Dominus universa nostra delicta: et sit pax omnibus audientibus et credentibus verbum Dei. Amen.

Credo.

Dyacono offerente calicem cum patena et oblata superposita dicat sacerdos.
Sancti+fica quesumus Domine hanc oblationem ut nobis unigeniti tui corpus et sanguis efficiatur. In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritussancti. Amen.

Sacerdos accepta oblatione procedat ad medium altaris et dicturus orationem teneat calicem in manibus cum patena et oblata desuper locata.
Suscipe sanctam [sic] Trinitas hanc oblationem quå tibi offerimus: in memoriam passionis, resurrectionis, et ascensionis Domini nostri Jesu Christi. Et in honore sanctissime et perpetue virginis Marie. Et beatorum apostolorum Petri et Pauli atque Andree: et omnibus sanctorum tuorum. Ut illis proficiat ad honore, nobis autem ad salutem. Et illi pro nobis intercedere digneris in celis quorum memoriam agimus in terris. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Postea deponat calicem super altare in modum crucis: et hostiam ante pedes calicis et patenam aliquantulum super corporali ad dexteram et cooperiat calicem cum corporali dicens.
Acceptum sit omnipotenti Deo sacrificium nostrum. In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritusssancti. Amen.

Deinde benedicat utrumque simul dicens.
Veni sanctificator omnipotens eterne Deus ac bene+dic hoc incensum et acceptabile fiat Domino in odorem suavitatis. Amen.

Deinde incenset sacrificium dicens
Incensum istud ad te benedictum ascendat ad te Domine et descendat super nos misericordia tua. Domine clamavi ad te exaudi me. Intende voci mee dum clamavero ad te. Dirigatur oratio mea sicut incensum in conspectu tuo. Elevatio manuum mearum sacrificium vespertinum.

Deinde lavet manus et dicat.
Lavabo inter innocentes manus meas et circumdabo altare tuum, Domine. Ut audiam vocem laudis tue, et enarrem universa mirabilia tua. Domine, dilexi decorem domus tue, et locum habitationis glorie tue. Ne perdas cum impiis Deus animam meam, et cum viris sanguinum vitam meam. In quorum manibus iniquitates sunt: dextera eorum repleta est muneribus. Ego autem in innocentia mea ingressus sum: redime me et miserere mei: Pes meus stetit in directo: in ecclesiis benedicam te, Domine. Gloria Patri

Postea pre dēsañ [?} medium altaris dicat orationem sequentem, profunde inclinante.
In spiritu humilitatis et in animo contrito suscipiamur ad te et sic fiat sacrificum nostrum ut a te suscipiatur hodie et placeat tibi Domine Deus omnipotens Pater. In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritussancti. Amen.

Deinde vertens se ad populum dicat
Orate pro me fratres et sorores ut meum pariter et vestrum in conspectu Domini acceptum sit sacrificium.

Deinde dicat secretas et in fine ultime secrete dicat Per Dominum usque ad Per omnia secula seculorum.

[Here are the prefaces, each beginning Aeterne Deus].

Sanctus. Sanctus. Sanctus Dominus Deus sabaoth. Pleni sunt celi et terra gloria tua. Osanna in excelsis. Bene+dictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Osanna in excelsis.


Te igitur, clementissime Pater, per Jesum Christum Filium tuum Dominum nostrum, supplices rogamus et petimus, 
Hic osculetur altare
uti accepta habeas et benedicas hec + dona, hec + munera, hec + sancta sacrificia illibata. In primis, que tibi offerimus pro Ecclesia tua sancta catholica: quam pacificare, custodire, adunare et regere digneris toto orbe terrarum: una cum famulo tuo Papa nostro N. et Antistite nostro N. et Rege nostro N. et omnibus orthododoxis atque catholice, et apostolice fidei cultoribus.

Petitio secunda pro fratribus spiritualibus.
Memento, Domine, famulorum famularumque tuarum N. et N. 
Hic faciat memoriam recommendatorum: sed non longam quia periculosa forte erit.
et omnium circumstantium, atque fidelium christianorum quorum tibi fides cognita est et nota devotio, pro quibus tibi offerimus: vel qui tibi offerunt hoc sacrificium laudis, pro se, suisque omnibus: pro redemptione animarum suarum, pro spe salutis et incolumitatis suæ: tibique reddunt vota sua eterno Deo, vivo et vero.

Petitio teria pro sacerdotibus et ministris. Hic interservuntur aliqua verba in precipuis festivitatibus.
Communicantes, et memoriam venerantes, in primis gloriosæ semper Virginis Marie, Genetricis Dei et Domini nostri Jesu Christi: sed et beatorum apostolorum ac martyrum tuorum, Petri, Pauli, Andree, Jacobi, Joannis, Thome, Jacobi, Philippi, Bartholomæi, Matthæi, Simonis et Thaddæi: Lini, Cleti, Clementis, Silvestri, Cornelii, Cypriani, Laurentii, Crisogoni, Joannis et Pauli, Cosmæ et Damiani: Et eos quorum hodie gloriosus celebratur triumphus: et omnium Sanctorum tuorum; quorum meritis precibusque concedas, ut in omnibus protectionis tuæ muniamur auxilio. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen

Hic interservuntur aliqua verba in precipuis festivitatibus. Inclinet se ante altare dicens
Hanc igitur oblationem servitutis nostre, sed et cuncte familiæ tue, quesumus, Domine, ut placatus accipias: diesque nostros in tua pace disponas, atque ab æterna damnatione nos eripi, in electorum tuorum jubeas grege numerari. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Hic erigat se sacerdos dicens:
Quam oblationem tu, Deus, in omnibus, quæsumus, 
Signet super calicem et hostiam simul. 
bene+dictam, adscri+ptam, ra+tam, rationabilem, acceptabilemque facere digneris:  
Hic faciat primo crucem super solam hostiam deinde super solum calicem, dicens:
ut nobis Cor+pus et San+guis fiat dilectissimi Filii tui Domini nostri Jesu Christi.

Tersis digitis oblatam accipiat dicens:
Qui pridie quam pateretur, accepit panem in sanctas ac venerabilis manus suas, 
Hic accipiat panem in manus: et sursum erigat visum absque mora:
et elevatis oculis in cælum ad te Deum Patrem suum omnipotentem tibi gratias agens, bene+dixit, fregit, dedit discipulis suis, dicens: Accipite, et manducate ex hoc omnes: Hoc est enim corpus meum.
Hic hostia levetur et reponatur: deinde calicem accipiat dicens.
Simili modo postquam cenatum est, accipiens et hunc preclarum Calicem in sanctas ac venerabiles manus suas: item tibi gratias agens, bene+dixit deditque discipulis suis dicens: Accipite, et bibite ex eo omnes. Hic est enim Calix Sanguinis mei, novi et æterni testamenti: misterium fidei: qui pro vobis et pro multis effundetur in remissionem peccatorum.

Hic calicem levat et postmodum reponat et cooperiat dicens: 
Hæc quotiescumque feceritis, in mei memoriam facietis.

Hic extendat brachia in modum crucis sursum elevata. 
Unde et memores, Domine, nos servi tui, sed et plebs tua sancta, eiusdem Christi Filii tui Domini nostri tam beatæ passionis, necnon et ab inferis resurrectionis, sed et in cælos gloriosæ ascensionis: offerimus preclare maiestati tue de tuis donis ac datis,
Hic faciat tres cruces insuper utrumque dicens
hostiam + puram, hostiam + sanctam, hostiam + immaculatam, 
Hic signet corpus Domini solum.
Panem + sanctum vite æterne,
Signet calicem solum.
et Calicem + salutis perpetuæ. Supra que propitio ac sereno vultu respicere digneris: et accepta habere, sicuti accepta habere dignatus es munera pueri tui justi Abel, et sacrificium Patriarchæ nostri Abrahæ: et quod tibi obtulit summus sacerdos tuus Melchisedech, sanctum sacrificium, immaculatam hostiam.

Cancellatis manibus inclinans se dicat:
Supplices te rogamus, omnipotens Deus, iube hec perferri per manus sancti Angeli tui in sublime altare tuum, in conspectu divinæ maiestatis tuæ: 
Erigens se, osculetur altare dicens:
ut, quotquot ex hac altaris participatione sacrosanctum Filii tui
Hic primo signet Corpus Domini: deinde Sanguinem
Cor+pus, et Sangui+nem sumpserimus, 
Hic signet seipsum.
omni bene+dictione celesti et gratia repleamur. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Petitio iiii pro universis fidelibus defunctis in q due orationes dicuntur.
Memento etiam, Domine, famulorum famularumque tuarum N. et N., qui nos præcesserunt cum signo fidei, et dormiunt in somno pacis. 
Hic meditandum et pro familiaribus animis [?] defunctis. Ipsis, Domine, et omnibus in Christo quiescentibus, locum refrigerii, lucis et pacis, ut indulges, deprecamur. Per eundum Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Hic exaltans vocem paululum tundet pectus parum [?] cum summitatibus illorum [?] solummom [???] digitorum quibus sacrum altaris non tangitur dicens:
Nobis quoque peccatoribus famulis tuis, de multitudine miserationum tuarum sperantibus, partem aliquam, et societatem donare digneris, cum tuis sanctis Apostolis et Martyribus: cum Joanne, Stephano, Matthia, Barnaba, Ignatio, Alexandro, Marcellino, Petro, Felicitate, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucia, Agnete, Cæcilia, Anastasia, et omnibus Sanctis tuis: intra quorum nos consortium, non æstimator meriti, sed veniæ, quæsumus, largitor admitte. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. 
Hic non dicatur amen.
Per quem hec omnia, Domine, semper bona creas,
Hic signat ter utrumque, dicens:
sancti+ficas, vivi+ficas, bene+dicis, et prestas nobis. 
Deinde discooperiat calicem, et sumat Corpus Domini inter manus et faciat quinque cruces cum Corpore Domini super calicem: secunda crux calici coequetur videlicet de labio ad labium: tertia infra calicem: quarta fiat sicut prima: quinta inter calicem et presbiterum. 
Per ip+sum,  et cum ip+so,  et in ip+so, est tibi Deo Patri + omnipotenti,  in unitate + Spiritussancti, omnis honor, et gloria.

Deinde deponat Corpus Domini: et cooperiat calicem cum corporali et postea alta voce incipiat.
Per omnia secula seculorum. Amen. Oremus. Preceptis salutaribus moniti et divina institutione formati audemus dicere. Pater noster, qui es in celis: sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua sicut in caelo, et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris et ne nos inducas in tentationem. Sed libera nos a malo.

Libera nos, quæsumus, Domine, ab omnibus malis, præteritis, præsentibus, et futuris: et intercedente beata et gloriosa semperque Virgine Dei Genitrice Maria, et beatis Apostolis tuis Petro et Paulo, atque Andrea, cum omnibus Sanctis, da propitius 
Hic accipiat patenam et osculetur eam
pacem in diebus nostris: 
Hic supra caput in modum crucis cum patena signet
ut, ope misericordie tue adjuti, 
Hic tangat pectus in modum crucis cum patena
et a peccato simus semper liberi, 
Hic tangat oculos:
et ab omni perturbatione securi.
Hic deposita patena ante pedes calicis: discooperiatur calix et Corpus Domini utraque manu teneatur supra medium calicis, et frangatur primo in duas particulas: et particula dextre manus locetur in patena. Dein frangatur particula residua in sinistra manu iterum in duas partes: et pars sinistre manus locetur in patena cum prima parte. Sed tertiam teneat super calicem dicens:
Per eundem Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum 
Hic fiat prima fractio
Filium tuum. Qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate
Secunda fractio:
Spiritussancti Deus.
Deinde teneat tertiam partem super calicem donec misceatur cum sanguine, et paululum calicem levet dum dicitur
Per omnia secula seculorum. 
Et statim deponat.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: dona nobis pacem.

Deinde commiscetur Corpus cum Sanguine dicat.
Hec sacrosancta commixtio et consecratio Corporis et Sanguinis Domini nostri Jesu Christi fiat mihi et omnibus sumentibus salus mentis et corporis et ad vitam eternam promerendam et capescendam sit preparatio salutaris. Amen.

Oratio subscripta dicatur antequam pax detur que non pretermittatur nisique Missa fiat pro defunctis: et in die cene Domini. [this para diff to read]
Domine Jhesu Christe qui dixisti apostolis tuis; pacem meam do vobis pacem relinquo vobis: ne respicias peccata mea sed fidem sancte ecclesie tue catholice: eamque secundum voluntatem tuam pacificare custodire adunare et regere digneris. Qui cum Patre et Spiritussancto vivis et regnas Deus per omnia secula seculorum. Amen.
Osculans [librum ?] et altare dicat
Pax Christi et sancte matris Ecclesie abundet semper in cordibus nostris.
Osculans sacrum[?] Corporis et Sanguinis dicat
per spiritumsanctum qui datus est nobis.
Dans pacem clerico dicat.
Pax tecum.
Respondeat clericus.
Et cum spiritu tuo.
Deinde subiungat presbiter.
Habete vinculum pacis et charitatis ut apti sitis misteriis sacrosanctis: per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Antequam communicet dicat orationes sequentes
Domine sancte pater omnipotens eterne Deus: da mihi hoc corpos et sanguinem filii tui Dominie nostri Jesus Christi ita digne sumere ut merear per hoc remissionem omnium peccatorum meorum accipere: et tuo sancto spiritu repleri: quia tu es Deus solus, et preter te non est alius, cuius regnum et imperium sine fine permanet in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. 

Oratio.
Domine Jesu Christe Fili Dei vivi, qui ex voluntate Patris, cooperante Spiritusancto, per mortem tuam mundum vivificasti: libera me, quæso, per hoc sacr* [?] Corpus et Sanguinem tuum a cunctis iniquitatibus meis et ab universis malis: et fac me tuis semper obedire mandatis: et a te nunquam in perpetuum separari permittas, Salvator mundi, qui cum eo Patre et eodem Spiritu Sancto vivis et regnas Deus, per omnia sæcula sæculorum. Amen. 

Accipiat patenam inter manus in quo locatum est Corpus Domini dicens:
Panem celestem accipiam et nomen Domini invocabo.

Deinde dicat ter.
Domine non sum dignus ut intres sub tectum meum: sed tantum dic verbo et sanabitur anima mea,

Hic signet se cum patena dicens:
Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam meam in vitam eternam. Amen.

Hic communicet et postea levet calicem dicens.
Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus que retribuit mihi. Calicem salutaris acipiam et nomen Domini invocabo. Laudans invocabo Dominum et ab inimicis meis salvus ero.

Hic signet se cum calice in modum crucis dicens.
Sanguis Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam meam in vitam eternam. Amen.

Postquam communicaverit dicat
Corpus tuum Domine quod sumpsi, et Sanguis, quem potavi, adhereat semper in visceribus meis: et presta; ut in me non remaneat scelerum macula, quem pura et sancta refecerunt sacramenta: Qui vivis et regnas cum Deo Patre in unitate spiritus sancti. Per omnia secula seculorum. Amen.

Deinde lavet digitos: et sumpta lotione veniat ad medium altaris et ibi inclinatus dicat
Quod ore sumpsimus, Domine, pura mente capiamus: et de munere temporali fiat nobis remedium sempiternum. Amen.

Deinde lavet manus dicens psalmus
Nunc dimittis
usque ad finem. Hic legatur cõro [??].

Dictoque Ita missa est inclinet se sacerdos dicens
Placeat tibi sancta Trinitas obsequium servitutis meæ et præsta, ut hoc sacrificium quod oculis tuæ majestatis indignus obtuli tibi sit acceptabile, mihique et omnibus pro quibus illud obtuli, sit, te miserante, propitiabile: hic et in vitam eternam. In qua vivis et regnas Deus. Per omnia sæcula sæculorum. Amen.

Deinde fiat benedictio super populum dicens,
Benedicat vos divina maiestas Pa+ter et Fi+lius et Spiritus+sanctus. Amen.

Dominus vobiscum.
Et cum spiritu tuo.
Initum sancti evangelii secundum Joannem.
In principio erat. a xiii.