ICEL

Well, here is the news I didn't post the other day. Mgr Bruce Harbert, the Executive Director of ICEL is leaving his post, and his successor is to be another Englishman, my friend Fr Andrew Wadsworth, a priest of the Diocese of Westminster, and a noted enthusiast for the Extraordinary Form. I don't suppose Fr Wadsworth will have much to do with the Missal now, it being mostly complete, but there is still lots of other things to be done, notably the Breviary.

I shall be glad when the new Missal comes out. Today's Prayer over the Gifts went like this:

Merciful Lord, we offer this gift of reconciliation so that you will forgive our sins and guide our wayward hearts. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Ask what? The 'prayer' was a statement. It didn't ask anything, simply stated the reason for offering the gift.  Our prayers are with Fr Wadsworth in his new job.

My apologies for the picture; it's the only picture of Fr Andrew that I have. It shows him after an EF Mass in Guildford some ten years ago tucking into Bruno's (my chocolate labrador's) squeaky hamburger.

Pulpitum

I've lately been passed a book on the Sarum liturgy and customs to read. It raised for me an interesting question which I hope somebody reading this might be able to help me with.

In any number of guide books to English cathedrals and also liturgiological texts, you can find the rood screen referred to as 'the rood screen or pulpitum'.

In the Sarum Missal, you can read (under the First Sunday in Advent, where a lot of the rubrics lie hidden) 'Et legatur Epistola in Pulpito omni die dominica…in omnibus vero aliis festis et feriis…ad Gradum chori legatur'. And similar directions are given for the Gospel: 'Et sic procedat diaconus per medium Chori, ipsum Textum super sinistrum manum solemniter gestando, ad Pulpitum accedat, thuribulo et ceroferario præcedentibus.'

This has led a number of authorities to conclude that the Gospel and Epistle were read from the top of the rood screen. This is patently absurd: I flatly refuse to believe that. If you look at the various examples of surviving rood screens, if they can be ascended at all, this is done via a narrow staircase accessed by a door, often as little as three feet (=1 metre) high. Possibly the rood screen at Salisbury (destroyed by Wyatt in his 'restoration') had more convenient access, but somehow I doubt that there would have been any dignified way for crucifers, acolytes, subdeacon and deacon, all vested and carrying bits and pieces, to have ascended to the top to sing their parts. It would at least have presented a comic sight.

My Cassells Latin Dictionary has 'pulpitum, a platform: Horace, esp. for actors 'the boards' of a theatre. Hor. Juv.'

My Latham's Revised Mediæval Latin Word-List (a marvellous book) has 'pulpit…ambo'.

Can it be that this long fantasy of the words of scripture being proclaimed from the top of the rood screen is simply that, a fantasy, and is a pulpitum simply, er, a pulpit?

Or a lectern such as the splendid original one in the middle of Merton College Chapel which we actually used for the reading of the Epistle and Gospel in the celebration you can access on the left?

I'd be really interested if anyone has any further information about this.

My suspicion is that a lot of research on the Sarum liturgy was done by Victorian Anglican rectors with plenty of time on their hands but no experience in actually performing solemn liturgy—that didn't really come in until the twentieth century, I think. Having never tried to sing the Gospel from a rood screen, the sheer impracticality didn't occur to them. Other things don't seem to have struck them, such as the fact that the nave in great churches (those with solid rood screens, on the whole) was not used for the gathering of large congregations. But more perhaps on this in another post.

ICEL news

Some of the sharper-eyed among you noticed that very briefly I posted some ICEL news, but having been advised that I was a little premature and should wait for an official announcement, I took the post down again. 

It doesn't (directly) concern the new translation, in case any of you were getting anxious.

Thank you

Several people have recently noticed that I haven't been posting very much in the last few weeks and have, one way and another,  expressed concern: please let me reassure you that I am fine, just very busy in the parish (and the seminary seem to think this is just the time to unload lots of marking [US, grading] on me)! But thank you very much for your kindness.
All will soon, (please God) be back to normal. I'm sure that most, if not all, priests will agree that that this is the most exhausting time of the year, and with three churches, I find this particularly so. But by mid-June, things calm down agreeably, once our children have made their first Holy Communions, and our teenagers have been confirmed, and our converts have been converted.
A few years ago, I had three years of obligatory idleness. However exhausting this is, I find busyness preferable.

Saints

Thanks to Richard for the link.

Councils and all that

As so often, the erudite Fr Hunwicke has got me thinking. 

So often it happens that historical circumstances force the Church to think through things that have never been thought through before. In our own time, the situation of the St Pius X society has brought to the front just what it might be that constitutes a Council: what solemnity is attached to its teachings, doctrinal and disciplinary, and what degree of submission is required by the faithful in order to describe themselves as Catholic (or indeed O/orthodox)? Must Bishop Fellay and his mates subscribe to every jot and tittle of every document of Vatican II in order to be defined as a Catholic?

My friends will tell you that the matter of what makes or doesn't make a Council infallible has been going round in my mind for some time. Fr Hunwicke has simply encouraged me to write about it, since he is obviously on a not dissimilar tack.

Here, then, are some random thoughts:

1) The word 'council' is a very loose one. There were all sorts of councils in the early Church, regarded as more or less authoritative. In one case in the 4th Century, a semi-Arian council of three hundred or so bishops was held to be overturned by a little council of, I think 24, organized by Athanasius in Alexandria. With hindsight, of course, but I think that this is really the key to status. There is another criterion of solemnity when one comes to Ecumenical Councils. These are councils of the Ecumene, of the world, or at least the parts of the world held to be important (which effectively means the Roman Empire—I never heard of Celtic or Persian Christians participating in an early Ecumenical Council, though I stand to be corrected).

The first 'ecumenical' council is generally agreed to be Nicæa, 325. But what made this any more authoritative than any number of other councils around the same time? Did the participants believe it to be so, just because there were more bishops there than before? The West was not very strongly represented. The actions of some participants subsequently (such as those of Eusebius of Nicomedia) suggest that the answer is no.

One possible answer is that the participation of the Bishop of Rome is the sine qua non for a council that is universally authoritative. And it is certainly true that the Popes or their representatives have taken part in all the councils regarded as 'Ecumenical', though also, presumably, some not so regarded.

There are parts of even ecumenical councils that are now disregarded. Mostly on disciplinary matters, of course, and yet they still have anathemas attached. So what is their status? What, for instance is the status of a bishop who breaches the prohibition of moving from diocese to diocese, this being analogous to adultery? (Nicæa). But then, even a participant of Nicæa, Eusebius of Nicomedia (he had been in another diocese before Nicomedia, too), moved to Constantinople very shortly after the council.

2) Then there is the matter of the preamble and canons. Most councils formulate their material into a discourse followed by canons. The canons at the end are the bits that are considered necessary for a Catholic to believe; they usually conclude anathema sit (condemning those who hold the contrary to the assertion). The preamble is important, but does not require the submission of mind and heart that the canons do. 

Vatican II is different. Bd. Pope John XXIII declared that it was to be a 'pastoral council', and therefore that there were to be no anathemas. The consequence is that we have all preamble and no canons. And we find people giving canonical weight, infallible status, to the entire text of Vatican II: something that I suspect we would never have had, had there been canons.

3) The additional problem is actually that those who insist so hard on adherence to the letter of Vatican II are probably far less adhering to its letter than Bishop Fellay. I suspect that Bishop Fellay believes and teaches far more of what is in the documents than do some of his detractors. The things his opponents mean by 'Vatican II' are not really the documents and their contents, but the post-Vatican II 'spirit'.

There is more, illustrated by the Nestorian schism, which will follow when I can get up the energy.

And lest I be accused of heresy or something, if I err, put it down to ignorance. I entirely submit to the judgement of the Church and will rejoice to be corrected.

St Michael and mounts

Sorry for the long silence; the press of parochial and other matters rendered it inevitable.

Having celebrated the first Mass of Sunday last night at Upper Beeding, I returned home and went to sit in front of the television for a while. I don't do that very often, but I'm not feeling on top form right now. There was an edition of Time Team being broadcast—perhaps you saw it too. For those outwith these shores, Time Team is an amateur archaeology programme which can, if you're in the right mood, be quite entertaining. This week the team were excavating two little chapels dedicated to St Michael at Looe in Cornwall. They correctly drew attention to the fact that there are a lot of chapels on the top of hills in the South West of England dedicated to St Michael—St Michael's Mount being the most famous, no doubt parallel (though they didn't say this) to the more famous Mont St Michel over the other side of the Channel. One of these little chapels was on an island in Looe Harbour, over a treacherous and rocky little bit of sea—there were stories of many pilgrims drowning on the way. The island is identified on 16th Century maps as being 'St Michael's Island' but for some reason is now 'St George's Island', perhaps because it was important strategically at the time of the Spanish Armada. For more information on the island, go here.

The chapel on the mainland mirrored the island chapel almost exactly, and it was suggested (probably correctly in my opinion) that the mainland chapel served as the focus of the pilgrimage when it was simply too dangerous to risk the short sea crossing. This suggests that the pilgrimage there was for one day only in the year, otherwise surely pilgrims could have waited for a calmer day. They found in the chapels a full tomb in the floor before the altar on the island, and in the mainland chapel floor a corresponding, but much smaller, space, which they supposed to be a sort of reliquary. Well yes; this lends support, I think, to their theory that the mainland chapel was a sort of foul-weather spare building. If the tomb contained some significant burial, then some bones could be kept in the tomb in the mainland chapel for the veneration of pilgrims. Enough: to the point of the post.

An expert was asked the reason why so many churches were dedicated to St Michael on the tops of hills, and the reply came that, well, he was an angel, and angels fly, so they wanted to be nearer him (I'm paraphrasing).

Well, I didn't think much of that. The thought suddenly flew (as it were) into my mind that the Sarum Liturgy keeps a feast of St Michael in Monte Tumba, on October 16th, as it happens, when sea crossings might very well be risky. In various translations of the Sarum Missal I have seen, this feast is generally translated as 'St Michael in the Mountain Tomb'.

That always sounded rather dodgy to me, rather second nocturnish, (?nocturnal?) if I can put it like that. [n.b. it used to be a rather recherché clerical insult to say 'you lie like a second nocturn!']*

However, a little research reveals that the feast really is St Michael in Monte Tumba—i.e. the apparition of St Michael on Mount Tumba in Apulia—now called Monte Gargano, or Monte Sant'Angelo, (see it here) near the sea, as it happens, where the apparition is commemorated on May 8th each year—a rather balmier season. If you fancy making a pilgrimage, it isn't that far from S.Giovanni Rotondo, so you could take in Padre Pio as well. Apparently the spot was originally sacred to Mithras, which might account for the tomb reference. The shrine is still functioning; you can make a virtual tour here.

The account can be found in the Bollandists, 29th September, Vol 8 (you can now find the whole Acta Sanctorum on line) and is related in Jacobus de Voragine's Golden Legend.

Wikipedia has this to say:

To Michael's dramatic later intercession, appearing with flaming sword atop the mountain, in the midst of a storm on the eve of the battle, the Lombards of Sipontum [=Manfredonia] attributed their victory (May 8, 663) over the Greeks loyal to the Byzantine emperor, and so, in commemoration of this victory, the church of Sipontum instituted a special feast honoring the Archangel, on May 8, which then spread throughout the Catholic Church. Since the time of Pius V it has been formalized as Apparitio S. Michaelis although it originally did not commemorate the apparition, but the victory of the barbarian Lombards over the Orthodox Greeks, faithful subjects of the Byzantine Emperor in the East and the patriarch of Constantinople, and thorns in the papal side.

So that's why Rome keeps it on May 8th. I have no explanation of October 16th [but see a very interesting contribution by Gem of the Ocean in the combox]. And, I am satisfied, that is why there are so many shrines to St Michael on the tops of hills and near the sea.

* The second nocturn of Matins of saints' feasts, until the mid 20th-century reforms, usually consists of biography, or, better, hagiography, and sometimes strays, shall we say, into the legendary.

Virtual Tonsure

I thought it was interesting to see the Holy Father placing ashes on the spot where the young deacon would have been tonsured if he had actually been tonsured. This is the traditional custom for clerics: I and my parish deacon observe it, though neither of us have been tonsured (except by the years, alas).

Ashes

Ash Wednesday is not a day I usually associate with church giggles, but at our Mass at Steyning tonight, I was a little generous with the holy water (one likes to make a nice black mark, naturally). As I thumbed a generous dollop of wet ash onto the forehead of one of our servers, sonorously intoning 'remember man that you are dust and to dust you will return' a large portion detached itself from his forehead and landed on the end of his nose where it remained until the end of Mass. I had to consciously avert my eyes in case I snorted with laughter…… Such are the trials of parish ministry. The lad was quite happy with it when he looked in the mirror after Mass and left it there.

'Utraquism'

Fr Hunwicke has an interesting post on what he calls utraquism—nothing to do with eucharistic theology, but rather trying to hold together in one parish the usage of both the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the liturgy. He's right: it isn't easy. I celebrate the Divine Office in the extraordinary form, and offer Mass in that form once a week, on a Saturday. The other rites I celebrate are according to the ordinary form. Because of calendar changes, this means that if I observe the calendar proper to each form, I will celebrate some saints twice and others not at all. And I would often find myself celebrating the office of one saint and saying the Mass of another. I have reached an uneasy compromise, which I hope is one the Church would not frown upon. Copying the practice I noted at Fontgombault Abbey, I simply observe the new calendar, even when celebrating the traditional Mass or Breviary, taking texts from the commons on the feasts of saints canonized since 1962, or from the 2002 missal, supplying offertory antiphons from the common. For the breviary, I have put together a sort of sanctoral that follows the new calendar but uses traditional forms. If I could not find a genuine liturgical text for any particular saint (and I've come up with an awful lot), then the commons come in useful again. The only real lack is third readings for Matins of third class feasts (=memoria) for the celebrations of newer saints. In this case I have supplied the second reading from the Office of Readings in the Liturgia Horarum, comforting myself that, since it is longer than an average third lesson, this might be held to suffice.

Seasons like Septuagesima I observe in the office but not at Mass. And I have to keep feasts like Corpus Christi and Ascension on their original day, or I would really be in trouble. Here and there one has to fudge: I really cannot work out what to do on the Second Sunday after Christmas, though the last Sunday of October can be patched back together again using older breviaries.

No doubt some of you would find my practice rather unconventional, but really it is not easy to harmonize one's liturgical life, and the blessings of using the more traditional breviary are considerable. Having been granted their use by Summorum Pontificum, I'm not really prepared to forgo them.

Ethelbert

Reading the Martyrology this morning, I was intrigued to read that today is the feast of St Ethelbert. I knew who he was, of course; the (pagan) king of Kent that welcomed St Augustine of Canterbury, who had a wife called Bertha, the Christian daughter of Charibert, King of the Franks. He embraced Christianity, and this kicked off the conversion of the Saxons. I was surprised to discover that for this, he is venerated as a saint. It's reassuring, really, that it isn't only the Francis of Assisis of this world that go to heaven.

The rather romantic story of the time would seem to suggest that Britain was at the time a pagan wilderness to which St Augustine brought the light of the Gospel single-handedly. Well, of course, credit where credit is due. But credit is also due, perhaps even more so, to St Aidan and the Celtic monks of Lindisfarne and Iona, who had already been hard at work converting this island from the top down. And then moving on to the Low countries, Germany, and Switzerland. Their achievement was really spectacular. However, Rome was a little suspicious of the different way that the Celts went about things. Bishops were not very important in the Celtic general scheme of things; they were there to administer the sacraments and that was about that. A bishop may well have been a not particularly important monk in a monastery. The real power in the Church was wielded by abbots. And then there was all that fuss about the date of Easter, and whether a tonsure should be a bald patch on top with a ring of short hair left, or a shaved front of the head with the hair left to grow long down the back. Shades of mullets!

There is a lot of nonsense talked about the Celtic Church, though: I have heard Episcopalians in Scotland seriously assert that they were the natural heirs of the Celtic Church before the Roman usurpation; that the Celts were sorts of proto-Anglicans! As if St Columba every evening kissed his wife and children before going to the Cathedral for Evensong and Stanford in A. There is no question that the Celts were in communion with Rome—its just that the Irish have always liked doing things their own way, whereas Rome has always liked things tidy. 

And the third bunch of Christians in the country were the old Romano-British hierarchy, whom everyone always forgets about. There had been English bishops at the Council of Arles, and Pelagius was said to have been British (though in fact he may have been Irish or Scottish), and there were still plenty of Christians and the whole operation, though on the whole pushed into the West country and what we now call Wales. This old hierarchy was in a bad mood, though: indigenous Christians had refused point-blank to engage in any evangelization among the Anglo-Saxons, which is understandable since the old A-Ss had been engaging in quite a lot of pillage, murder and rape over the last couple of hundred years.

So, happy feast of St Ethelbert! But let's not forget all the others.

Nuts in a box

I thought that I might write a letter to The Tablet about Elena Curti's treatment of Fr Tim. However, James McMillan has done so so much better than I might have done. What does strike me in all of this is the unfairness.

All priests know very well that whenever a change of any kind is made to a Sunday Mass, at least a dozen people will take serious offence. When I came to this parish, my first duty was to combine it with a neighbouring parish up the valley, and so Mass times had to be rescheduled. There are several people who, four years later, have still not forgiven me for my inability to bilocate and who therefore attend Mass elsewhere. Some can still be quite vocal, too. This disaffection is a naturally-recurring phenomenon, if I can put it like that, and it is unfair to make it a particular sin in Fr Tim's case, since all of us who have had to make some change to Masses have experienced it.

In the end, people want the Mass they want at the time they want in the location they want, and if any of these things be changed, then there is trouble. A technique that I have found useful is to implement changes ad experimentum, promising a review several months later. When those several months have passed, usually people have adapted, got used to the new way, and are reluctant to undergo further changes. But there are always those few. Like nuts in a box, you only need a few to make a lot of noise.

Okay

Many thanks to those who offered prayers recently. I am delighted to say that things seem to have been resolved happily now. Sorry to be so mysterious, but it is necessary.

Clarification

For those who know what I am writing about, certain criticisms (made recently by somebody in authority) about clerical blogs does not apply to this blog, according to the very person who made the criticisms. No further comment will be made on this topic, nor will I post comments, I'm afraid.

Fr Tim

I know I have not been posting for a few days: this is an extraordinarly difficult time right now, for reasons I cannot now disclose. But I must put my head above the parapet to state my complete support for Fr Tim. Please pray right now for clerical bloggers.

Say the black; do the red

I found this wonderful hymn today on Eugenia's blog. It goes to the tune 'Greensleeves'.

In hospita Siberia
te vocant, frater, studia.
In muris proseminarii
expectant Jesuitae.

Chorus:
"Dic nigrum, rubrum fac" -
memento, frater, verba haec.
Usque ad tuum obitum
dic nigrum et fac rubrum.

Persolves horas canonicas,
ad Missam quoque servies,
disce, ora et labora,
sec noli hoc oblivisci:

Chorus:
"Dic nigrum, rubrum fac" -
memento, frater, verba haec.
Usque ad tuum obitum
dic nigrum et fac rubrum.

Et quando eris presbyter
et celebrabis primitiam,
manus tuas deosculans
cum reverentia dicam:

Chorus:
"Dic nigrum, rubrum fac" -
memento, pater, verba haec.
Usque ad tuum obitum
dic nigrum et fac rubrum.

Psalm 151, Revised revised psalter

I found this on The Muniment Room—Ttony had got it from here, Sing lustily and with good courage, which I'm going to investigate more thoroughly when I have time.

Do click on the image and have a singalong—if you can stop laughing.

Book-burning, 21st Century Style

Damian Thompson's blog has a story that ought to be almost incredible. Unfortunately, it's only too believable. The publishers of a four-volume Encyclopaedia of Christian Civilization have been forced to pulp the whole first edition because, er, it's too Christian! Their site here.

Objections were raised to the book's use of BC/AD for dates, rather than the politically correct BCE/CE; they demanded that mentions that from time to time Islam has persecuted Christianity be removed, and instead, negative articles about Christianity be inserted…and lots, lots more.

I am reminded of a quotation that I found the other day on that declaration of support for Pope Benedict:

"Nothing emboldens more the audacity of the wicked than the weakness of kind people"

Leo XIII, encyclical Sapientæ Christianæ, January 10th, 1890

rather like Burke's more famous

For evil to triumph, it is only necessary that good men do nothing.

There is a more thorough treatments of this topic here. on Claves non defixi.

David Foster's Summer School

I am happy to carry the following advertisement:

July 25th – August 1st 2009 at the Oratory Preparatory School, near Reading.

After the sad death of David Foster in late December, Dominic Sullivan, Sr. Valerie Walker O.P. and Susanna Ward intend to continue the International Summer School which he started in 1982. David had a high ideal of what a Catholic school should be, insisting that it must not simply impart religious doctrine as an isolated subject, but that supernatural revelation should inform the whole of its syllabus and life. Although only a week long, his summer school tried to cover a wide range of knowledge within a Catholic framework, and to demonstrate that modern culture both derives from Catholic roots and yet denies them.

The course is not a retreat, although there is Holy Mass and Rosary every day, and lessons on religious doctrine and spiritual subjects form part of the curriculum. There are also opportunities for swimming, sport and other activities in the beautiful setting of the Oratory Preparatory School. On most evenings there is a visiting speaker.

The course is open to young people between the ages of 13 - 19. The cost will be £220. For further information about application, please contact the Course Director by March 31st 2009.

Dominic Sullivan
Tel: 0208 788 8659
Email: dsullivan@los.ac


The Association of Catholic Families www.cfnews.org.uk

RIP

Three seminarians from Ecône were killed on a mountaineering expedition this afternoon. May they rest in peace.

Support Pope Benedict

I haven't mentioned this before, but having read that, apparently, all Catholics are outraged by Pope Benedict's actions in lifting those excommunications, I thought that some of you might welcome an opportunity to take from your mouth the words that others have put in it.

Here is an opportunity to sign a statement of support for the Holy Father. 38,000 signatures so far, and rising. H/T The New Liturgical Movement.

Thank you, Coral.

Coral sent me this:

An atheist was walking through the woods.

"What majestic trees"!
"What powerful rivers"!
"What beautiful animals"!
He said to himself.

As he was walking alongside the river, he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look. He saw a 7-foot grizzly charge towards him. He ran as fast as he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder & saw that the bear was closing in on him.

He looked over his shoulder again, & the bear was even closer. He tripped & fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but saw that the bear was right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw & raising his right paw to strike him. At that instant the Atheist cried out, "Oh my God!"

Time Stopped.
The bear froze. 
The forest was silent.

As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky. "You deny my existence for all these years, teach others I don't exist and even credit creation to cosmic accident." "Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer"?

The atheist looked directly into the light, "It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask You to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps You could make the BEAR a Christian"?

"Very Well," said the voice.

The light went out. The sounds of the forest resumed. And the bear dropped his right paw, brought both paws together, bowed his head & spoke:

"Lord bless this food, which I am about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our Lord, Amen."

Arius redivivus

Well, I guess it had to happen. I have often thought that many modern-day Christians have more than a little taint of Arianism about them. Arius (3rd-4th century Alexandria) was an enthusiast for the prevailing sentiment in the East that to assert absolute equality in the Trinity was, as it were, to disrespect the Father. He took it to extremes, however, and sparked a revolution. I think many nowadays think that Jesus was goddish, but not God Himself.

Anyway, Arius has found new disciples—not quasi-Arians, but the real thing (they think). Have a look here, and start rubbing your eyes. H/T Love of your love.

I don't know where the Arian site got the picture from, but Arius was never more than a presbyter.

Well, duh!

"Can you possibly think any individual can believe that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary?"

Thus saith one Fr Peter Kennedy, the parish priest of St Mary, South Brisbane, Australia, who is outraged that his Archbishop wants him out of his parish where he has been carrying on a rather different sort of Catholic priesthood for some years, baptizing 'in the name of the creator, redeemer and sanctifier', presumably because the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are sexist, ceremonially uniting gay couples and encouraging a buddhist prayer group.

Right now he has been invited to leave his parish, but is resisting with the backing of a large number of parishioners. There comes a point, as John Bathersby his Archbishop suggested, when you wonder what the limit is, when somebody has actually left the Church without having to be chucked out. Archbishop Lefevbre never uttered a heretical word (I should think), and yet was treated with far less consideration than Fr Kennedy has to date. And who will be shown to have been, sub specie aeternitatis, the greater threat to souls?

In the end, is the Church what we receive, or what we choose to make of it? This is the ultimate difference between a Catholic and, well, not a Catholic. Is our Communion from the Apostles, or from us?

Concelebration

The question of concelebration has been raised again on Fr Hunwicke's excellent blog. My instinct is to think that his reasoning on the subject is largely right: one cannot deny the validity of a concelebrated Mass, but one may debate its desirability.

Towards the end of his distinguished career —his moonlighting career, that is, his day job, was doorkeeper at Archbishop's House, Westminster, according to the late Brian Brindley—Archdale King (who really needs his own page on Wikipedia) wrote a book on concelebration. I read it several years ago, and it seemed to me that he had been asked to write an authoritative book justifying the practice. The result didn't seem to me to be very convincing, and I suspect that, whatever his official conclusions, he wasn't convinced either. His arguments worked by, effectively, blurring the distinction between true sacramental concelebration, ritual concelebration, and parallel Masses.

Ritual concelebration has a well established pedigree in the Church. This is when priests or bishops assist at Mass dressed in the eucharistic vestments of their order, but do not say the words of consecration with the celebrant. Most, if not all, of the Eastern rites use this form from time to time—there was a famous celebration at Vatican II which no doubt inspired the 'restoration' of the custom to the West. The Carthusians would 'concelebrate' in this fashion also, and I think that one might argue that the ceremonial at a papal coronation was another manifestation, where the cardinal bishops wear cope, the cardinal priests wear chasubles and the cardinal deacons wear dalmatics throughout the Mass.

Parallel Masses are rarer in the Church, but were popular in some places from the second world war until the Council. Chevetogne, the multi-ritual Benedictine/Basilian monastery in Belgium founded by that liturgical enthusiast, Dom Lambert Beaudouin, used this enthusiastically. A friend who visited in the late fifties or early sixties, was bemused to see, at low Mass time, a number of altars being wheeled out into the nave of the Latin church at which priests would celebrate Mass in synchrony, each keeping an eye on the celebrant at the high altar. Odd, I think.

Fr Hunwicke is quite right to insist that the Church has found that the concelebration at ordination in the Latin rite is a true, sacramental, celebration for each priest and for the bishop. It was always said that each ordinatus was entitled to take a stipend for his Mass, and that, for me, clinches it. But I honestly think that this is the only justification for the present day custom. One of the ordines romani has the cardinals celebrating Mass with the Holy Father, each with a kneeling acolyte holding a glass paten with a host for him to consecrate. My instinct is that this is not a true concelebration, rather a Chevetogne-style parallel Mass. I do not think that Archdale King managed to come up with any other precedent.

So, I think we cannot deny the liceity of concelebration, but it rests on very thin ground. I prefer really to think of it in terms of appropriateness. Modern liturgists are very keen that signs and symbols should be as patent or obvious as possible. The sign that fifty priests, all in persona Christi, give to the assembled faithful is surely not a good one if what we are trying to communicate is Christ breaking the Eucharistic bread for his people—or, as I would prefer to say, immolating himself for our salvation and sanctification in an unbloody fashion, using the forms he established at the Last Supper. One Christ, in other words, not many. And is it really valid (as I have asked before) if the celebrant cannot even see the altar, let alone the host?

There is the argument that the assemblage of celebrants shows forth the unity of the priesthood. Yes, I can see that, but it is a minor point, and could surely be established in other ways. But I would concede that if we must have concelebration, there are occasions when it is more appropriate than others. Perhaps at the Chrism Mass, for instance, or for all priests present at an ordination, and not solely the ordinati. And, I think, when a bishop visits a parish, it may well be appropriate and teaching for the parish clergy to concelebrate with him (provided the bishop is the 'chief celebrant') so that the people may see the proper relationship of bishop and priest, whose ministry depends on the successor to the apostles.

Cuthman

I'm delighted to read of Fr Ray's discovery of a possible saint for his parish. We are delighted here in the Adur Valley today to celebrate the feast of our saint. It is an extraordinary privilege to have our very own, and today, when it has occurred on a Sunday, to celebrate his Mass and Office. I have blogged on St Cuthman of Steyning before, so I won't bore you again.

And now this……

Now the New Liturgical Movement seems to be unavailable. I do hope this is only a temporary glitch……

LMS

Those priests who were not able to attend the traditional rites training conference at Merton college last year have another opportunity in April. This time the course will take place in a seminary, Ushaw College, near Durham, in the wild and wooly north of England. You can find further details here.

Rare

And here a splendid and rare view behind the iconostasis: I suppose it to be the fraction. All these pictures came from the Patriarchate site, and a biretta tip to Fr Tim the Continuous Hermeneut for alerting me.

Vestura sola

The splendid enthronement of the new Patriarch of Moscow brought to my mind an unfair and dismissive, but funny, comment made by a Presbyterian about Anglo-Catholicism. 'Hm; salvation by haberdashery!'

The new Patriarch has no fewer than four different costumes to put on in the course of the ceremony. It all looks very splendid.

Caption

I think this really needs a caption.

Saints

Today is the feast day of St Gilbert of Sempringham (c.1083-c.1190). Originally a secular priest of the diocese of Lincoln, he founded his own religious order (often erroneously described as the only religious order founded in England). It had two interesting characteristics: the first was that it was a double community of both women and men. What is less well known is that the two halves followed very different rules. The women were nuns, following the rule of St Benedict. The men were canons regular, following the rule of St Augustine. How that worked must have been, er, interesting. He was canonized a mere twelve years after his death at well over a hundred years old.

It is also the feast of Saint Rabanus Maurus (780-856), a prolific writer, perhaps best known today for his great hymn Veni Creator Spiritus (Come Holy Ghost, Creator).

It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good

Bishop Fellay's recent comments

We evidently condemn every act of murder of the innocent. It is a crime that cries to heaven! Even more so when it is related to a people. We reject every accusation of Antisemitism. Completely and absolutely. We reject every form of approval of what happened under Hitler. This is something abominable. Christianity places Charity at a supreme level. Saint Paul, speaking of the Jews, proclaims, 'I wished myself to be an anathema [from Christ], for my brethren!" (Rom. 9, 3). The Jews are "our elder brothers" in the sense that we have something in common, that is, the old Covenant. It is true that the acknowledgment of the coming of the Messiah separates us.
"It is very interesting to notice that the Church did not await for the Council to prescribe courses of action regarding the Jews. Since the 30s, even during the war, several texts of Rome provide a very just position: the abominations of the Hitlerist regime must be condemned! 'Spiritually, we all Semites', Pope Pius XI had said. It is a truth which comes from Sacred Scripture itself, 'we are sons of Abraham,' Saint Paul also affirms." - La Croix (h/t Rorate Caeli)

make me wonder whether in fact Bishop Williamson's offensive remarks have actually produced a good effect: they have made the SSPX come out firmly and unambiguously against antisemitism. In some ways the French traditionalists have been among the inheritors of the anti-Dreyfuss tradition, as a friend remarked to me the other day. The extremity of Williamson's views has shocked them into defining just what these things actually mean, and just what might very well be lost if they do not distance themselves from any suggestion of antisemitism.

That business

Having been away in York for a few days (and no, I wasn't there in the Minster on Thursday: I and my friend deemed it an excellent day to visit Rievaulx Abbey [absolutely freezing; they should get the boiler repaired], Byland Abbey [closed, alas], Ampleforth Abbey, the North York Moors [too foggy to see anything] and the wonderful wall paintings in Pickering parish church), I rather missed out on the furore surrounding the reconciliation of the SSPX bishops and the strange behaviour of Bishop Williamson.

When Archbishop Lefebvre performed his illicit consecrations in 1988, I puzzled about the choice of the four men. I continued to puzzle even more about Williamson. I think I have come up with a sort of an answer. None of these men was the superior of the SSPX. At that time, I think it was Fr Schmidburger. I suspect that Lefebvre very deliberately did not want to consecrate as bishop a man who would be likely to be elected superior general. That might have signalled schism. His bishops were simply there to confer the sacraments of Holy Orders and Confirmation. They were not to rule, but were an expedient that he considered necessary under the circumstances.

However, he did not factor in the very natural Catholic instinct to be led by a bishop, and so, after the death of the Archbishop, the least inept of the four remaining bishops was elected Superior General. And there we have it.

And I must say that I was touched by Bishop Williamson's humble apology.[h/t Rorate Caeli] There is no way he could apologize for his horrid views—that would be intellectually dishonest—but I thought that his allusion to Jonah was particularly apt and humble.

Missing Information

The excellent Anglican blog Mass Information seems to have gone missing. I do hope this is only  temporary. Theological students and seminarians are very vulnerable to unfair pressure from superiors (college, diocesan, whatever) of a liberal persuasion. Free speech is only permitted to those whose views suit a certain party.

Those who sneer at law as a bastion of the establishment, preferring what they like to call freedom, never stop to consider that law is there as a protection of the weak against the strong. The trouble with antinomianism is that it leaves the vulnerable with no recourse. The strong need feel no brake upon their deeds or words, but may bully as they please.

Of course, it may all just be due to the snow or something, and Mass Information may well be back by the time you read this. I do hope so.

Away

I'll be away for a few days, so I don't know what the opportunities for blogging (or posting comments, for that matter) will be. In the meantime, have a look at the new Vatican YouTube.

Pius XII and the Jews

Given the Church's strenuous and confident defence made of Pope Pius XII's war record, is it not strange that the Vatican still will not give unrestricted access to the records? Such an action would clearly be in its best interests.

Or is it that, though the Pope himself acted with clear integrity, there were others in the Vatican at that time who behaved less well, whose actions and words could yet get the Church into trouble?

Fr Eldred Leslie RIP

I was horrified this morning to read of the murder of Fr Eldred Leslie in South Africa. I first met Fr Leslie in 1983, when he was just crossing over into the Pius X Society (those were pre-consecration days), and when I was just off to the seminary. He was an extraordinarily kind, unstrident, defender of the traditional faith. May he rest in peace.

Ge'ez 5

THANKSGIVING
After the people have received Communion, the priest says:
O Lord, Light of eternal life, You have given us, Your servants, strength and protection, keeping us in peace through the past days and nights; bless + us now and in the days to come through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
(Deacon) We give thanks to the Lord, from whom we have received His holy gifts, that they may be a remedy for us for the salvation of our souls. May we who have received them, pray and plead to the Lord, our God, praising Him.

On weekdays:
My mouth speaks the praise of God. All flesh shall bless His holy Name for ever and ever.
Our Father, Who art in Heaven, lead us not into temptation.
(Deacon) We have received the holy Body and the precious Blood of Christ.
My mouth speaks the praise of God. All flesh shall bless His holy Name for ever and ever.
Our Father, Who art in Heaven, lead us not into temptation.
(Deacon) We ought to give Him thanks as we partake of the great and holy mystery.
My mouth speaks the praise of God. All flesh shall bless His holy Name for ever and ever.
Our Father, Who art in Heaven, lead us not into temptation.

On Sundays and Feast Days:
I exalt You, O my King and my God, and I will bless Your Name for ever and ever.
Our Father……
(Deacon) We have received……
Every day I bless You and I will glorify Your holy Name, for ever and ever.
Our Father................
We ought..........

O God, the Sustainer of all things, and Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we give You thanks for allowing us to partake of Your Holy Sacrament. Let it not bring us Your judgment or condemnation, but the renewal of our body, soul and spirit, through Your only Son to whom, with You and the Holy Spirit, be glory and dominion, now, always and for ever.
Amen. Alleluia, Alleluia. Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. Forgive us all our trespasses; lead us not into temptation; but deliver us, Lord, from all misfortune and from every evil temptation.

PURIFICATION
At this time the Sacred Vessels are purified by the priest.
(Deacon) May the Lord accept our prayer and write our petitions in the Book of Life. May the Eternal God remember us by shining His light on us, in the dwelling-place of the saints. We beg the Lord to grant fervour and perfect diligence to our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters who did not come to the Divine Liturgy. May the Lord keep them safe from the lures of this world. May He grant them liberty, love, faith and good hope through the Body and Blood of the Son of the Living God. Amen, amen.

FINAL BLESSING
O King of Peace, Jesus Christ, grant us Your peace. Establish Your peace in our hearts and forgive our sins. When we leave this church, bring us to our homes in safety and in peace. Together with Your most gracious Father in Heaven and the Holy Spirit, the Giver of Life, all glory, honour, power, adoration and worship is Yours, now, and forever and ever. Amen
(Deacon) Bow your heads in humility before the Living God that He may bless you by the hand of the priest, His servant.
Amen. May the Lord bless us at the hand of His servant, the priest.

The people bow their heads while the priest blesses the people with a Sign of the Cross, saying:
O Lord, save Your people and bless + Your inheritance. Watch over them and exalt them. Protect the holy Church that You called, and that You purchased and ransomed by the Precious Blood of Your only-begotten Son, our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, to be a dwelling for Your holy and chosen people. May God, our Father forgive all the intentional and unintentional sins of you who have gathered in this holy Church for prayer, and who have partaken of the Holy Body and and Precious Blood of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. May our Father show you mercy and protect you, for the sake of divine Body and Blood, the Blood of the New Covenant, Jesus Christ, Son of God most High and Son of Mary, Holy and Immaculate, Virgin in mind and body, for ever and ever. Amen.

God be with you.
And with your spirit.

May God bless us, His servants, with His peace, Through our Communion of His most Precious Body and Blood, may we receive the remission of our sins. Through the authority of the Holy Spirit, help us to trample the power of the enemy underfoot. We all hope for the blessing of Your holy hand, which is full of mercy. Keep us from every wicked act but unite us in all good works. Blessed is He who has given us His holy Body and precious Blood. We have received grace and we have found life by the power of the Cross of Jesus Christ. To You, O Lord, we give thanks for the grace we have received from the Holy Spirit.

(Deacon) Go in peace.
Thanks be to God.

Ge'ez 4

They then say three times:
Look upon us mercifully, O Lord, and do not take into account our sins.
The host of angels of the Saviour of the world, stand here before Him. They praise the Saviour, the Body

THE ANAPHORA OF THE APOSTLES
An anaphora corresponds to the Canon or Eucharistic Prayer of the Western Rite.

The Lord be with you. + (Making the Sign of the Cross)
And with your spirit.
Give thanks to our God. + (blessing the people)
It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
Lift up your hearts. + (blessing the servers)
We lift them up to the Lord.

We give thanks to You, O Lord, through Your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ Whom, in the last days, You sent to us as Saviour. Redeemer and Advocate. He is Your Word through whom You made all things by Your will.

(Deacon) We pray for the Catholic, Apostolic Church, made holy by the precious blood of Christ, as an instrument of peace and we pray for our blessed and holy pope, Abuna ... and also our bishop, Abuna... all bishops, priests and deacons and all the Christian faithful. We ask Holy Mary, Mother of God, together with the Apostles and the fathers of the Church to intercede for us. And may eternal light shine forever on the faithful departed.

To these, and to all the dead, grant eternal rest and have mercy on them, O You Who sent Your Son from heaven into the womb of the Virgin.

(Deacon) You who sit, arise!
STAND from now until you return from Communion.

He was made flesh, was carried in the womb, and His birth was proclaimed by the Holy Spirit.

(Deacon) Look to the East!

The multitudes of holy angels and archangels stand before You in adoration and worship, O Lord...

(Deacon) Be watchful!

You are extolled by Your venerable Seraphim and Cherubim who have six wings. With two wings they cover their face, with two they cover their feet and with two they fly from one end of the world to the other. Unceasingly they bless You and glorify You together with all who praise You, therefore accept our praise as we say:

(Deacon) Respond!
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts, the heavens and the earth are full of the holiness of Your glory.

The Priest blesses himself, saying: Truly the holiness of Your glory has filled the heavens and the earth through our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ. Your only Son was born of the Virgin Mary and came to gain everlasting reward for Your people by doing Your will.
Lord, remember us in Your Kingdom; remember us, O Lord our Master; remember us, Lord, in Your Kingdom as You remembered the good thief on the right when You were on the holy, wooden Cross.

The Priest stretching his hands over the elements, says:
He stretched out his arms for the Passion; suffering, to save those who trusted in Him. He offered himself, of His own will, as a sacrifice to the Father that He might overcome death, break the bonds of Satan, trample upon Sheol and lead forth the saints, establish the Sacrament and reveal His resurrection.

The priest places his hands on the corporal, then taking the bread in his hands, says:
In the same night He was betrayed, He took bread in His holy, blessed and immaculate hands.
We believe that this is He, truly we do believe.
The Priest makes the sign of the Cross three times, then indents the Host lightly with his thumb in five places, without breaking the Host, representing the nails and spear.

The people, standing, bow their heads.

He looked up to heaven toward You, His Father, He gave thanks +, blessed it +, sanctified it +, and He broke it and gave it to His disciples and said to them: TAKE THIS AND EAT. THIS BREAD IS MY BODY WHICH IS BROKEN FOR YOU FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.
Amen, amen, amen. We believe and confess that This is truly Your Body. We praise You, our Lord and our God.

In the same way, He took the cup and giving thanks +, He blessed it +, sanctified it + and gave it to His disciples saying: TAKE THIS AND DRINK. THIS IS THE CUP OF MY BLOOD WHICH WILL BE SHED FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS ON BEHALF OF THE MANY.
Amen, amen, amen. We believe and confess that This is truly Your Blood. We praise You, our Lord and our God.

ANAMNESIS
Whenever You do this, do it in remembrance of Me.
Lord, we proclaim Your death, and Your holy resurrection; we believe in Your ascension and in Your second coming. We praise You. We trust in You. We pray to You, our Lord and our God, and we beseech You for Your mercy.

EPICLESIS
And now, Father, commemorating the death and resurrection of Your Son, we offer You this bread (pointing) and this cup of wine (pointing) as a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. We thank You for the grace of being in Your Presence and serving You. We implore You, Father, to send Your Holy Spirit down upon this bread (pointing) and upon this wine (pointing) so that He may change them into the Body + and Blood + of Jesus Christ, Who is our Lord and Saviour for ever and ever.
Amen. Lord, have mercy on us; Lord, have pity on us; Lord, forgive us our sins.

Father, bring together in unity all who partake of the most precious Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, Your Son. Grant that their Holy Communion may be for their sanctification, for the indwel1ing of the Holy Spirit, and for a steadfast belief in the true faith. Grant, also, that they may glorify You and praise You through Your beloved Son together with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever.
Amen.

FRACTION OF THE HOST
(Deacon) With all our heart, let us implore the Lord our God to grant us the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
As it was and is and shall be, from generation to generation, for ever and ever. Amen

The Priest breaks the Sacred Host as he leads the people in prayer. The people repeat the words after him:
1. Through Your Holy Spirit help us to be united
2. And redeem us by this sacrifice
3. So that we may live in You,
4. Throughout all time
5. For ever and ever
6. Blessed is the Name of the Lord;
7. And blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord;
8. And blessed be His glorious Name.
9. Amen,
10. Amen,
11. Blessed be the Lord.
12. Pour out the grace of the Holy Spirit upon us.

(Deacon) Be attentive for prayer!
Lord, have mercy on us.
Peace be to you.
And with your spirit.

I give You thanks, O Lord my God, Sustainer of the whole universe Who sits on the chariot of the Cherubim. You reside in the highest Heaven, and You receive praise from the humble while You dwell in that glorious light. O Giver of stillness to the world, You revealed Yourself to us through the Cross of Your Son. Who is as holy and merciful as You? O Lord our God, You conferred the authority of the Holy Spirit on the apostles. They served You with humble hearts and offered You the fragrance of goodness. Lord our God, Sustainer of all things, do not remove Your authority from us. We ask this through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
(Deacon) Let us pray together the prayer taught us by our Saviour:
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours, now and forever.

and Blood of the Redeemer of the world. Standing in adoration, let us come before the Face of the Saviour of the world.
(Deacon) Adore and worship the Lord in fear. (Bowing)
In Your presence, O Lord, we adore and praise You. (Bowing)

PENITENTIAL PRAYER OF ST. BASIL
Lord our God, Who takes away the sins of the world, accept the repentance of these Your children and shine the light of eternal life over them. Forgive them their sins, I humbly plead with You, for You are merciful and most kind, slow to anger and rich in mercy and You love all mankind. If we have sinned against You, Lord, in our thoughts, words, or deeds, forgive us. Be gracious to us, for You are compassionate and a lover of mankind. O Lord, set us free, absolve + all Your people, including me, + Your sinful servant. Remember always, Lord, our pope, Abuna N, and our Bishop, Abuna N., preserve them in peace. Remember, O Lord, all archbishops and bishops, priests and deacons, readers and singers, nuns and monks, widows, orphans, men and women, the elderly and the children, and all Your Christian faithful here present in Your holy Church. Strengthen them in the faith of Christ.
At this moment, the priest will mention those who have died recently
Remember, O Lord, all who have fallen asleep in the true faith. May eternal light shine on them and place their souls in the bosom of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Free us from all evil and grant us, O Lord, wisdom and steadfastness of heart, knowledge and discernment so that we may always avoid and flee from the works of Satan. Help us, O Lord, to do Your will and what pleases You at all times. Write our names in the Book of Life in Your Kingdom of Heaven together with those of all Your saints and martyrs. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, through Him, with Him and with the Holy Spirit, glory and dominion are Yours, now and forever.

(Deacon) Be attentive to our Lord, present on the altar.
These holy mysteries are for those who believe in them.
God the Father is Holy, the Son is Holy, the Holy Spirit is Holy.
The Lord be with you.
And with your Spirit.

ELEVATION
The priest then elevates the Sacred Host on the paten and says 12 times, with the people repeating after him:
EGZEO MAHARANNA CHRISTOS
(Lord Christ, have mercy on us.)

PRAYER OVER PENITENTS
(Deacon) You, who are in penitence, humbly bow your heads.
The people bow their heads in prayer:
O Most Gracious God, look down upon those who are penitent. Have pity on them according to Your great mercy, and take away all their sins. Shelter them and protect them from all evil, and grant them peace in their souls. Once You have made them whole again, reunite them in the communion of the Holy Church. This we ask through the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ Who lives for ever and ever. Amen.

(Deacon) Be attentive and place yourself in God's presence.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Peace be with you,
And with your spirit.

PROFESSION OF FAITH IN THE EUCHARIST
This (pointing) is truly the most holy Body and Blood of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, which is given for the fullness of life, the salvation of mankind, and the forgiveness of sins of those who receive Him with faith.
Amen.

This (pointing) is truly the most precious Body and Blood of Emmanuel, our God.
Amen.

I truly believe and give witness, even to my last breath, that this (pointing) is the Body and the Blood of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ. He took His Body from our Lady, the holy and immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God, thereby uniting His humanity with His Divinity without any confusion or change, and without division or separation. He indeed was a good witness to the Truth in the days of Pontius Pilate, and He offered Himself on the Cross for our sake and for the life of all.
Amen.

I truly believe and confess that His Divinity has never been separated from His Humanity, not for an hour, not even for the twinkling of an eye. He offered His Body on the Cross for our sake: for the fullness of life, the salvation of mankind and the forgiveness of the sins of those who receive Him with faith.
Amen.

I truly believe, and profess that this (pointing) is indeed the Body and the Blood of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him all praise and adoration is due, together with His most gracious heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit, the Giver of Life, now and for ever.
Amen.

Then the priest takes a small piece of the Sacred Host in his hand, dips It into the Precious Blood, and makes the Sign of the Cross with It on the Body, and over the Blood, silently saying:
Blessed be our Lord God, the Father, Sustainer of the whole universe; blessed be His only begotten Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; and blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Comforter and Purifier of us all.

PRAYER BEFORE COMMUNION
The priest shall then say this prayer quietly:
Lord, our God, behold the body of Your Son, the Sacrifice that pleases You. Your only-begotten Son died for my sake, so, through Him, forgive all my sins. Here is the immaculate blood of Your Messiah, which was shed for me on Calvary. Behold this precious blood speaks, cries out in my behalf. Let it be for the remission of my sins, and for its sake accept my petition, for Your beloved Son was pierced for my sake with a spear and the nails and suffered to fulfill Your will. After I was saved, the devil returned and wounded me with his darts. Grant me Your forgiveness, Lord, for the adversary is more powerful and he has killed me with the guilt of my sins. Defend me from that insolent foe that never stops battling me to deviate me from salvation. Lord, You are my King, my God and my Redeemer, heal for me, Your servant, the wounds of my soul and my body.

Meanwhile, all Communicants shall say:
O my Lord Jesus Christ, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. I have made You angry by doing wrong things. You created me in Your own image and likeness but I have wounded my body and soul by disobeying Your commandment of love, and have sinned against You. For the sake of Your life-giving death on the Cross and Your resurrection on the third day, wash me clean trom all my sins. In Your mercy and love, forgive my wrongdoing, heal me, and bring life everlasting to my soul and body, When I receive You in the Holy Eucharist, be my life and salvation. O Life of the World, I ask this through the intercession of Our Lady, the holy Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, the angels, and all the saints, Amen.


COMMUNION
While receiving the Holy Communion, the priest shall say to himself:
O Lord Jesus Christ, may this mystery be for the purification of my body and soul rather than for my condemnation. This is truly the precious body and blood of Emmanuel our God, that came down from the heaven. O Lord, You who have become man for our salvation, fill my mouth with praise, my heart with joy, my soul with gladness because I have partaken of this Divine Mystery.

(Deacon) Let us pray for each other and for all those who have asked for our prayers. Let us beg God for peace; and, for the love of Jesus Christ, let us give Him all praise and glory.
Lord, reward those whom You have called and sanctified by sharing with them the merits of this Holy Sacrifice; strengthen them with Your love and protect them with Your almighty power. Grant this through Jesus Christ, in Whom You are glorified.

While the communicants receive Holy Communion, the following prayer is recited:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Ineffable triune God, grant that I may partake of this life-giving Body and Blood without condemnation, and live only for You, always doing Your will. Grant, O Lord, that I may bear fruit that is pleasing to You and eventually appear before Your Glory. With confidence I call You Abba, Father. O Lord, may Your Kingdom come to fruition in me, and may Your Name be forever blessed. You are almighty, glorious, worthy of honour and praise for ever and ever, Amen.

When the priest gives the Holy Communion, he shall say:
This is the precious Body and Blood of Emmanuel our God.
Then the Communicant shall say: Amen, Amen.

Ge'ez 3

PRAYER OF THE VEIL
While covering the chalice and the bread with the veil, the Priest says the Prayer of Wrappings
I am covering this blessed paten with the veil, creating the likeness of the tomb in which You stayed three days and three nights. Make my hands like those of Joseph and Nicodemus, who wrapped Your body and gained comfort, peace, and honour from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

(Deacon) This is the law of our fathers, the holy apostles: Let no one hold any ill-will in his heart, nor the desire for revenge, neither any hatred or jealousy towards his neighbour or towards anyone.
Adore and worship the Lord with fear. (Bowing)
In Your presence, O Lord, we adore and praise You. (Bowing)

On Sundays and Feast Days:
Let us adore the Holy Trinity... 3 times, bowing his head.
The Father, the Son and Holy Spirit, in three Persons, one God...3 times bowing their heads.
Peace be with You.
O Holy Church, dwelling of the Divinity.
Intercede for us,
Virgin Mary, Mother of God.

On Ordinary days only:
O Mary, You are...
... the Golden Censer, that bore the Glowing Charcoal. Blessed is the person who receives Him from the sanctuary, the One Who forgives sin and blots out faults. He is God's Word, Your Son, O Mary, Who offered Himself to His Father as incense and an acceptable sacrifice. We adore You, O Christ, together with Your gracious heavenIy Father and with the Holy Spirit, the Giver of Life.

READING OF THE EPISTLE
(SIT)
If my memory serves me rightly, there is no lectionary as such; the celebrant chooses, according to whatever he feels appropriate, a passage from a rather restricted selection of passages, all from St Paul.
(Deacon) From the Letter of St. Paul to ... May his blessing be with all of us, for ever and ever.
Amen.

After the reading:
(Deacon) May the blessing of the Father, the love of the Son and the fruit of the Holy Spirit which descended upon the apostles in the holy upper room of Sion, be multiplied and come down upon us in a like manner.
O Saint Paul, good preacher and healer of the sick, you received a crown of reward; intercede and pray for us that the Lord may save our souls according to His infinite kindness and mercy, for His holy Name's sake.

O Lord, our God, You revealed to Your holy apostles the mystery of the glorious Gospel of the Messiah. You gave them great and im-measurable riches from Your grace. You sent them to preach the abundance of Your grace and mercy to all the ends of the world. We too, Lord our God, pray and beseech that You make us worthy of their inheritance and portion that we may walk in their ways and follow in their footsteps. Allow us always to imitate their love and perseverance. Allow us, through our godly worship, to participate in their labour. Protect Your holy Church which You have founded for their sake. Bless + (blesses himself) the sheep of Your flock +(blesses the people). Also, multiply this vine + (blesses the offerings on the altar) which You have planted with Your right hand. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit now and forever.
Holy, holy, holy are You, God the Father, Who sustains all things. Holy, holy, holy are You, the only Son, Word of the Living God. Holy, holy, holy, are You, Holy Spirit, Who knows all things. 

During Easter Time: The people STAND and say Three times:
Christ is risen from the dead; He has died and trampled Death under foot; and, for those in the tomb, He has granted life and eternal rest.
In Ordinary Time: TRISAGION (thrice holy)
O Holy Triune God, have mercy on us. O Holy Triune God, spare us. O Holy Triune God, have compassion on us. And the people repeat:
O Holy Triune God, have mercy on us. O Holy Triune God, spare us. O Holy Triune God, have compassion on us.

Rejoice, Rejoice, Rejoice, O Virgin Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with You,
Blessed are You among women.
And blessed is the Fruit of Your Womb.
Pray and intercede for us with Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ,
That He may forgive us our sins.
All glory and honour to the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, at all times, both now and forever. Amen.

GOSPEL PREPARATION
(Deacon) Stand for prayer!
ALL STAND
Lord, have mercy on us.
Peace be with all of you.
And also with your Spirit.

Lord Jesus Christ, Our God, You said to Your holy disciples and apostles: But blessed are Your eyes, for they see, and Your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell You, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it. Through the intercession of Your saints, Lord, make us worthy of hearing and practicing the words of Your Holy Gospel.

(Deacon) Pray on account of the Holy Gospel.
Make us worthy to listen to Your Good News.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
(Deacon) O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to You Hide not Your Face from me in the day of my distress.
O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to You Hide not Your Face from me in the day of my distress.
Listen to the Holy Gospel, Alleluia. The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.

The Priest now blesses to the north, south, east and west.

A reading from the Holy Gospel, the Word of the Son of God, according to...
Glory to You, O Christ, my Lord and my God, now and forever.

After the reading, the Priest says: Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass, said the Lord.
We truly believe in the Father, and we truly believe in the Son, and we truly believe in the Holy Spirit, one God in three persons.

PREANAPHORA
We beseech You, O God, Sustainer of all and the Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We invoke and seek Your clemency, O Lover of mankind. Remember, O Lord, the peace of Your Holy, One, Apostolic and Catholic Church. Bless all the people and all Your flock +(Blesses the people).

(Deacon) Pray for the peace of the Church on earth.
Kyrie eleison.
And again we beseech You, O God, to remember our congregation and bless it. +(Blesses the people)

(Deacon) Pray for this Church and the unity of this congregation.
Lord bless our unity and keep us in Your peace.

CREED
(Deacon) In the wisdom of God, let all of us profess our faith:
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen

The priest washes his hands, saying:
O my Lord and my God, Creator of the universal order, Giver of peace and love, uproot from me all that is evil.

GLORIA
Great and eternal God, You created man and found Your work was excellent. By the coming of Your living Son, our Lord, God, and Saviour Jesus Christ, You destroyed death, the result of sin, which entered into the world through the envy of Satan. You filled all the earth with Your peace, for which the hosts of angels praise You, singing:
Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to those on whom his favour rests.

THE KISS OF PEACE
O Lord, in Your kindness, fill our hearts with Your peace, wash away all our sins and impurities. Take away all envy and ill-will, all wrongdoing and all bad thoughts that bring death. Make us worthy to greet each other in holiness.
(Deacon) Pray for perfect peace and love and offer each other a sign of peace.
O Christ our God, make us worthy to greet one another in holiness.

All make a sign of peace, by bowing to each other.