Traditional Ambrosian Rite
Encyclopedia
- This article is about the form of the Ambrosian Rite used before the Vatican-II; for an explanation of the history and of the current form of this Rite, see Ambrosian RiteAmbrosian RiteAmbrosian Rite, also called the Milanese Rite, is a Catholic liturgical Western Rite. The rite is named after Saint Ambrose, a bishop of Milan in the fourth century...
.
Traditional Ambrosian Rite is the form of the Ambrosian Rite
Ambrosian Rite
Ambrosian Rite, also called the Milanese Rite, is a Catholic liturgical Western Rite. The rite is named after Saint Ambrose, a bishop of Milan in the fourth century...
used before the changes that followed the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
and the Liturgical Movement
Liturgical Movement
The Liturgical Movement began as a movement of scholarship for the reform of worship within the Roman Catholic Church. It has grown over the last century and a half and has affected many other Christian Churches, including the Church of England and other Churches of the Anglican Communion, and some...
.
The Ambrosian Rite
Ambrosian Rite
Ambrosian Rite, also called the Milanese Rite, is a Catholic liturgical Western Rite. The rite is named after Saint Ambrose, a bishop of Milan in the fourth century...
is a Latin Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
liturgical Western Rite
Catholic Liturgical Rites
The Catholic Church celebrates a number of different Liturgical Rites, a term that refers to a particular form of liturgy.They are not to be confused with the Rites in the sense of sui iuris particular Churches, of which there are 22 Eastern and one Western....
used in the area of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
.
Nowadays the Traditional Ambrosian Rite is mainly used on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation in the church of San Rocco al Gentilino in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, using the Ambrosian Missal
Missal
A missal is a liturgical book containing all instructions and texts necessary for the celebration of Mass throughout the year.-History:Before the compilation of such books, several books were used when celebrating Mass...
of 1954, as permitted by Cardinal Archbishop of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
Carlo Maria Martini
Carlo Maria Martini
Carlo Maria Martini, SJ is an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Milan from 1980 to 2002, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1983.-Early life and education:...
on 31 July 1985. Another celebration on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation was authorized from 18 October 2008 onward in the town of Legnano
Legnano
Legnano is an Italian town and comune with 59.147 inhabitants in the province of Milan, about from Milan.It's crossed by the river Olona, and it's the 13th town for inhabitants in Lombardy....
. The Traditional Ambrosian Rite Mass may be said according to the Motu Proprio "Summorum Pontificum" thus any permissions allowing the above mentioned Masses should be considered obsolete for such permissions from the bishop are no longer required.
The liturgical year
The liturgical yearLiturgical year
The liturgical year, also known as the church year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in Christian churches which determines when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be observed, and which portions of Scripture are to be read. Distinct liturgical colours may appear in...
of the Ambrosian Rite begins, as elsewhere in the West, with the First Sunday of Advent
Advent
Advent is a season observed in many Western Christian churches, a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. It is the beginning of the Western liturgical year and commences on Advent Sunday, called Levavi...
, but that Sunday, as in the Mozarabic Rite
Mozarabic Rite
The Mozarabic, Visigothic, or Hispanic Rite is a form of Catholic worship within the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, and in the Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church . Its beginning dates to the 7th century, and is localized in the Iberian Peninsula...
, is a fortnight earlier than in the Roman, so that there are six Sundays in Advent, and the key-day of the beginning of Advent is not St. Andrew's Day
St. Andrew's Day
St Andrew's Day is the feast day of Saint Andrew. It is celebrated on 30 November.Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, and St Andrew's Day is Scotland's official national day...
(30 November) but St. Martin's Day
St. Martin's Day
St. Martin's Day, also known as the Feast of St. Martin, Martinstag or Martinmas, the Feast of St Martin of Tours or Martin le Miséricordieux, is a time for feasting celebrations. This is the time when autumn wheat seeding is completed. Historically, hiring fairs were held where farm laborers...
(11 November), which begins the Sanctorale.
The rule of this key also differs. The Roman is: "Adventus Domini celebratur semper die Dominico, qui propinquior est festo S. Andreæ Apostoli", which gives a range from 27 November to 3 December. The Ambrosian is: "Adventus Domini inchoatur Dominica proxima post Festum S. Martini", that is to say, from 12 November to 18 November. If, as in 1906, St. Martin's Day falls on a Sunday, the Octave is the first Sunday of Advent; whereas in the Roman Rite if St. Andrew's Day falls on a Sunday, that day itself is Advent Sunday. The Feriæ of Advent continue until the Feriæ de Exceptato begin. These days, which some say must have been originally de Expectato, a quite unnecessary supposition, and on which the ordinary sequence of the Psalter is interrupted and certain proper psalms and antiphons are said, occur according to the following rule: "Officium in Adventu proprium quod de Exceptato dicitur semper celebratur in hac hebd. VI Adv. nisi dies Nativitatis Domini inciderit in fer. III, vel IV; tunc de Exceptato fit in hebd. V Adv. "So that there must be two and there may be seven of these days. Christmas Eve is not exactly counted as one of them, though, if it falls on a weekday, it has the proper psalms and antiphons of that Feria de Exceptato. If it falls on a Sunday, as in 1905, that is not one of the six Sundays of Advent, the last of which is the Sunday before, but the antiphons of the sixth Sunday are used. On the sixth Sunday of Advent the Annunciation (de Incarnatione D. N. J. C.) is celebrated, for, since no fixed festivals are kept during Lent or Easter Week, it cannot be properly celebrated on 25 March, though it is found there in the Calendar and has an Office in the Breviary. On this Sunday there are two Masses, una de Adventu et altera de Incarnatione. This day may be compared with the Mozarabic feast of the Annunciation
Annunciation
The Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
on 18 December, which is the Roman Expectatio Partus B. M. V.
Christmas Day has three Masses, in Nocte Sanctâ, in Aurorâ, and in Die, as in the Roman Rite, and the festivals which follow Christmas are included in the De Tempore, though there is a slight discrepancy between the Missal and Breviary, the former putting the lesser feasts of January which come before the Epiphany
Epiphany (Christian)
Epiphany, or Theophany, meaning "vision of God",...
in the Sanctorale, and the latter including all days up to the Octave of the Epiphany in the Temporale, except 9 January (The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste
Forty Martyrs of Sebaste
The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste or the Holy Forty were a group of Roman soldiers in the Legio XII Fulminata whose martyrdom in 320 for the Christian faith is recounted in traditional martyrologies.They were killed near Sebaste, in Lesser Armenia, victims of the persecutions of Licinius,...
). The day after the Epiphany is the "Christophoria" (the Return from Egypt). The Sundays after the Epiphany vary, of course, in number, six being, as in the Roman Rite, the maximum. The second is the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
The Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus is celebrated by a number of Christian denominations, on varying dates.The feast has been celebrated in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints, at least at local levels, since the end of the fifteenth century...
. Then follow Septuagesima
Septuagesima
Septuagesima is the name for the ninth Sunday before Easter, the third before Ash Wednesday. The term is sometimes applied also to the period that begins on this day and ends on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins. This period is also known as the pre-Lenten season or...
, Sexagesima
Sexagesima
Sexagesima , or, in full, Sexagesima Sunday, is the name for the second Sunday before Ash Wednesday in the Gregorian Rite liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church, and also in that of some Protestant denominations, particularly those with Anglican and Lutheran origins.The name "Sexagesima"...
, and Quinquagesima
Quinquagesima
Quinquagesima is the name used in the Western Church for the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. It was also called Quinquagesima Sunday, Quinquagesimae, Estomihi, or Shrove Sunday...
Sundays, on which, though Gloria in Excelsis and Hallelujah are used, the vestments are violet.
There is no Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter...
, and Lent
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
begins liturgically on the first Sunday, the fast beginning on the Monday. Until the time of St. Charles Borromeo the liturgical Lent, with its use of litanies on Sundays instead of Gloria in Excelsis and the disuse of Hallelujah, began on the Monday. The title of the Sunday, both then and now, was and is Dominica in capite Quadragesimæ. The other Sundays of Lent are styled De Samaritanâ, De Abraham, De Cæco, De Lazaro, and of course, in Ramis Palmarum (or Dominica Olivarum). The names of the second to the fifth Sundays are in allusion to the subject of the Gospel of the day, not, as in the Roman Rite, to the Introit. (Cf. nomenclature of Greek Rite.) Passiontide
Passiontide
Passiontide is a name for the last two weeks of Lent, beginning on Passion Sunday and ending on Holy Saturday....
does not begin until Holy Week. The day before Palm Sunday is Sabbatum in Traditione Symboli. This, the Blessing of the Font, the extra Masses pro Baptizatis in Ecclesiâ Hyemali on Easter Eve and every day of Easter Week, and the name of the first Sunday after Easter in albis depositis, show even more of a lingering memory of the old Easter Baptisms than the similar survivals in the Roman Rite. Holy Week is Hebdomada Authentica. Holy Thursday, Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
, Easter Eve, and Easter Day are named as in the Roman Rite.
The five Sundays after Easter, Ascension, Pentecost
Pentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
, Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christian liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity...
, and Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi (feast)
Corpus Christi is a Latin Rite solemnity, now designated the solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ . It is also celebrated in some Anglican, Lutheran and Old Catholic Churches. Like Trinity Sunday and the Solemnity of Christ the King, it does not commemorate a particular event in...
follow, as in the Roman Rite, but the Triduum Litaniarum (Rogation Days
Rogation days
Rogation days are, in the calendar of the Western Church, four days traditionally set apart for solemn processions to invoke God's mercy. They are April 25, the Major Rogation, coinciding with St...
) comes on the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday after, instead of before, Ascension Day. The Sundays after Pentecost continue eo nomine until the Decollation of St. John (29 August). There may be as many as fifteen of them. Then follow either four or five Sundays post Decollationem S. Joannis Baptistæ, then three Sundays of October, the third of which is Dedicatio Ecclesiæ Majoris. The rest of the Sundays until Advent are post Dedicationem.
The Calendar of the Saints calls for little notice. There are many local saints, and several feasts which are given in the Roman Calendar in late February, March, and early April are given on other days, because of the rule against feasts in Lent. Only St. Joseph and the Annunciation come in the Lenten part of the Calendar, but the Masses of these are given on 12 December and the sixth Sunday of Advent respectively. The days are classified as follows:
- Solemnitates Domini
- First Class: the Annunciation, Christmas Day, Epiphany, Easter Day with its Monday and Tuesday, Ascension Day, Pentecost, with its Monday and Tuesday, Corpus Domini, the Dedication of the Cathedral or of the local church, Solemnitas Domini titularis propriæ Ecclesiæ.
- First class, secondary: the Feast of the Sacred HeartFeast of the Sacred HeartThe Feast of the Sacred Heart is a feast in the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. It falls 19 days after Pentecost, on a Friday. The earliest possible date is 29 May, as in 1818 and 2285...
. - Second class: the Visitation, Circumcision, PurificationPresentation of Jesus at the TempleThe Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, which falls on 2 February, celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus. In the Eastern Orthodox Church and some Eastern Catholic Churches, it is one of the twelve Great Feasts, and is sometimes called Hypapante...
, TransfigurationTransfiguration of JesusThe Transfiguration of Jesus is an event reported in the New Testament in which Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels describe it, and 2 Peter 1:16-18 refers to it....
, Invention of the Cross, Trinity Sunday. - Second class, secondary: the Name of Jesus, the Holy FamilyHoly FamilyThe Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph.The Feast of the Holy Family is a liturgical celebration in the Roman Catholic Church in honor of Jesus of Nazareth, his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and his foster father, Saint Joseph, as a family...
, the Exaltation of the Cross. The Octaves of Christmas, Epiphany, Easter Day, Pentecost and Corpus Domini also count as Solemnitates Domini.
- Sundays
- Solemnia B. M. V. et Sanctorum
- First class: the Immaculate ConceptionImmaculate ConceptionThe Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...
, AssumptionAssumption of MaryAccording to the belief of Christians of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and parts of the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglicanism, the Assumption of Mary was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life...
, Nativity of St. John the BaptistNativity of St. John the BaptistThe Nativity of St. John the Baptist is a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of John the Baptist, a prophet who foretold the coming of the Messiah in the person of Jesus and who baptized Jesus.-Significance:Christians have long interpreted the life of John the Baptist as a preparation for...
, St. Joseph, Saints Peter and Paul, All Saints, the Ordination of St. AmbroseAmbroseAurelius Ambrosius, better known in English as Saint Ambrose , was a bishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. He was one of the four original doctors of the Church.-Political career:Ambrose was born into a Roman Christian family between about...
, and the Patron of the local church. - Second class: other feasts of Our Lady, St. Michael and the Archangels, and the Guardian Angels, Decollation of St. John, Feasts of Apostles and Evangelists, St. Anne, St. Charles Borromeo, the Holy Innocents, St. JoachimJoachimSaint Joachim was the husband of Saint Anne and the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus in the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican traditions. The story of Joachim and Anne appears first in the apocryphal Gospel of James...
, St. Laurence, St. Martin, Saints Nazarius and CelsusNazarius and CelsusSaints Nazarius and Celsus were two martyrs of whom nothing is known except the discovery of their bodies by Saint Ambrose.According to Paulinus the Deacon's Vita Ambrosii, Ambrose, at some time within the last three years of his life, after the death of the Emperor Theodosius Saints Nazarius and...
, Saints Protasius and Gervasius, St. Stephen, St. Thomas of Canterbury. - Second class, secondary: the two Chairs of St. Peter, the Conversion of St. Paul.
- First class: the Immaculate Conception
- Solemnia Majora: St. Agatha, St. Agnes, St. Anthony, St. Apollinaris, St. Benedict, St. Dominic, the Translations of Saints Ambrose, Protasius, and Gervasius, St. Francis, St. Mary Magdalene, Sts. Nabor and Felix, St. Sebastian, St. Victor, St. Vincent.
- Alia Solemnia are days noted as such in the Calendar, and the days of saints whose bodies or important relics are preserved in any particular church become Solemnia for that church.
- Non-Solemnia Privilegiata
- Non-Solemnia Simplicia
Feasts are also grouped into four classes: First class of Solemnitates Domini and Solemnia; second class of the same; greater and ordinary Solemnia; non-Solemnia, divided into privilegiata and simplicia. Solemnia have two vespers
Vespers
Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...
, non-Solemnia only one, the first. The privilegiata have certain propria and the simplicia only the communia. The general principle of occurrences is that common to the whole Western Church. If two festivals fall on the same day, the lesser is either transferred, merely commemorated, or omitted. But the Ambrosian Rite differs materially from the Roman in the rank given to Sunday, which is only superseded by a Solemnitas Domini, and not always then, for if the Name of Jesus or the Purification falls on Septuagesima, Sexagesima, or Quinquagesima Sunday, it is transferred, though the distribution and procession of candles takes place on the Sunday on which the Purification actually falls. If a Solemne Sanctorum or a privileged non-Solemne falls on a Sunday, a Solemnitas Domini, the Friday or Saturday of the fourth or fifth week of Advent, a Feria de Exceptato, within an Octave of a great Feast, a Feria Litaniarum, or a Feria of Lent, the whole office is of the Sunday, Solemnitas Domini, etc., and the Solemne or non-Solemne privilegiatum is transferred, in most cases to the next clear day, but in the case of Solemnia of the first or second class to the next Feria, quocumque festo etiam solemni impedita. A simple non-Solemne is never transferred, but it is omitted altogether if a Solemne of the first class falls on the same day, and in other cases of occurrences it is commemorated, though of course it supersedes an ordinary Feria. The concurrences of the first Vespers of one feast with the second of another are arranged on much the same principle, the chief peculiarity being that if a Solemne Sanctorum falls on a Monday its first Vespers is kept not on the Sunday, but on the preceding Saturday, except in Advent, when this rule applies only to Solemnia of the first and second class, and other Solemnia are only commemorated at Sunday Vespers. The liturgical colours of the Ambrosian Rite are very similar to those of the Roman, the most important differences being that (except when some greater day occurs) red is used on the Sundays and Feriæ after Pentecost and the Decollation of St. John until the Eve of the Dedication (third Sunday in October), on Corpus Christi and its Octave, and during Holy Week, except on Good Friday, as well as on the days on which it is used in the Roman Rite, and that (with similar exceptions) green is only used from the Octave of the Epiphany to the eve of Septuagesima, from Low Sunday to the Friday before Pentecost, after the Dedication to Advent, and on feasts of abbots.
The distribution of the Psalter
The Ambrosian distribution of the Psalter is partly fortnightly and partly weekly. Psalms i to cviii are divided into ten decuriœ, one of which, in its numerical order, divided into three NocturnsNocturns
Nocturns are divisions of Matins, the night office of the Christian Liturgy of the Hours. A nocturn consists of psalms with antiphons followed by three lessons, which are taken either from scripture or from the writings of the Church Fathers. The office of Matins is composed of one to three nocturns...
, is recited at Matins
Matins
Matins is the early morning or night prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. The term is also used in some Protestant denominations to describe morning services.The name "Matins" originally referred to the morning office also...
on the Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays of each fortnight, each Nocturn being said under one antiphon. At the Matins of Sunday and Solemnitates Domini and on Feriœ in Easter and Whitsun weeks and the octave of Corpus Christi, there are no psalms, but three Old Testament canticles, Isaias xxvi, De nocte vigilatâ; the Canticle of Anna (I K. ii), Confirmatum est; and the Canticle of Jonas (ii), Clamavi ad Dominum, or of Habacuc (iii), Domine audivi. And on Saturdays the Canticle of Moses (Exod. xv), Cantemus Domino, and half of Psalm cxviii take the place of Decuriœ at the three Nocturns.
At Vespers, Psalms cix to cxlvii, except cxvii, cxviii, and cxxxiii, which are used elsewhere, and cxlii, which is only used in the Office of the Dead and as Psalmus Directus at Lauds on Fridays, aro divided between the whole seven days of each week in their numerical sequence, and in the same manner as in the Roman Rite.
Psalm cxviii, besides being used on Saturdays, is distributed among the four lesser Hours exactly as in the Roman Rite; Psalm l is said at Lauds every day except Sunday, when the Benedicite, and Saturday, when Psalm cxvii, takes its place, and with the Preces
Preces
Preces are, in liturgical worship, short petitions that are said or sung as versicle and response by the officiant and congregation respectively...
(when these are used) at Prime and Terce throughout the year and at None during Lent, while at the Preces of Sext Psalm liii is said, and at those of None Psalm lxxxv, except during Lent. Psalm liii precedes Beati immaculati at Prime, and Psalms iv, xxx, 1-6, xc and cxxxiii are said daily, as in the Roman Rite, at Compline.
At Lauds a single Psalm, known as Psalmus Directus, differing with the day of the week, is also said.
TABLE OF DECURIÆ
| Table of Decuriæ | Nocturn I | Nocturn II | Nocturn III | Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decuriœ 1 | Ps i-viii | Ps ix-xii | Ps xiii-xvi | 1st week, Monday |
| Decuriœ 2 | Ps xvii-xx | Ps xxi-xxv | Ps xxvi-xxx | 1st week, Tuesday |
| Decuriœ 3 | Ps xxxi-xxxiii | Ps xxxiv-xxxvi | Ps xxxvii-xl | 1st week, Wednesday |
| Decuriœ 4 | Ps xli-xliii | Ps xliv-xlvi | Ps xlvii-l | 1st week, Thursday |
| Decuriœ 5 | Ps li-liv | Ps lv-lvii | Ps lviii-lx | 1st week, Friday |
| Decuriœ 6 | Ps lxi-lxiv | Ps lxv-lxvii | Ps lxviii-lxx | 2nd week, Monday |
| Decuriœ 7 | Ps lxxi-lxxv | Ps lxxvi-lxxvii | Ps lxxviii-lxxx | 2nd week, Tuesday |
| Decuriœ 8 | Ps lxxxi-lxxxiv | Ps lxxxv-lxxxvii | Ps lxxxviii-xc | 2nd week, Wednesday |
| Decuriœ 9 | Ps xci-xciii | Ps xciv-xcvi | Ps xcvii-c | 2nd week, Thursday |
| Decuriœ 10 | Ps ci-ciii | Ps civ-cv | Ps cvi-cviii | 2nd week, Friday |
During Lent Psalm xc is said as Psalmus Directus at Vespers, except on Sundays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and the "Four Verses of a Psalm" at Lauds on Saturdays are alternately from the twelfth and first parts of Ps. cxviii, and on the six Sundays the "Four Verses" are from lxix, lxii, ci, lxii, lxii, lviii. During Lent also the Vesper "Four Verses" are different for every day, except that there are none on Friday, and those on the first four Saturdays are from Ps. xci. In Holy Week the Psalms at the Nocturns and at Vespers are all proper, and there are also proper Psalms during the period from the first Feria de Exceptato until the Circumcision; and on the Annunciation (sixth Sunday of Advent), Epiphany, Christophoria, Name of Jesus, Ascension, Corpus Christi, the Dedication and many Solemnia Sanctorum, and on many other saints' days the Decuriœ are superseded by Psalms of the Common of Saints.
Other details of the Divine Office
Antiphonœ, similar in construction to those in the Roman Rite are: in Psalmis et canticis, used as in the Roman Rite; in Choro, said after the Lucernarium on Sundays, at the second Vespers of Solemnia, or on other saints' days, at first Vespers, but not on Feriœ, except Saturdays in Advent; ad Crucem, said on Solemnitates Domini, on Sundays, except in Lent, and on Solemnia. Responsoria are constructed as in the Roman Rite, and are: Post hymnum, said after the hymn at Matins; Inter lectiones at Matins; cum Infantibus or cum Pueris after the hymn at the first Vespers of Solemnia; in Choro, said at Vespers on Sundays, at the second Vespers of Solemnia, and at the first of Non-Solemnia, after the hymn; in Baptisterio, at Lauds and Vespers of some Solemnitates after the first Psallenda, on Feriœ after the twelve Kyries, at Vespers after the prayer which follows Magnificat; Diaconalia or Quadragesimalia, on Wednesdays in Lent and on Good Friday; ad Cornu Altaris, at Lauds before the Psalmus Directus on Christmas Day, the Epiphany, and Easter Eve; Gradualia, said after the hymn at Lauds on Feriœ in Lent. Lucernaria are Responsoria which begin Vespers. Psallendœ are single verses, often from the Psalms, said after the twelve Kyries and the second prayer at Lauds, and after the prayers at Vespers. They are variable according to the day, and are followed by either one or two fixed Complenda or Completoria, which are also single verses. Psalmi Directi are said at Lauds and sometimes at Vespers. They are sung together by both choirs, not antiphonally. Psalmi Quatuor Versus is the name given to four verses of a psalm said at Vespers and Lauds on weekdays, after one of the Collects. Among the Hymns, besides those by St. Ambrose, or commonly attributed to him, many are included by other authors, such as Prudentius, Venantius Fortunatus, St. Gregory, St. Thomas Aquinas, and many whose authorship is unknown. A considerable number of well-known hymns (e. g. "Ave Maris Stella", "A Solis Ortus CardineA solis ortus cardine
A solis ortus cardine is a Latin poem by Coelius Sedulius , narrating Christ's life from His birth to His resurrection. Its 23 verses each begin with a consecutive letter of the alphabet, making the poem an Abecedarius...
", "Jesu Redemptor Omnium," "Iste Confessor") are not in the Ambrosian Hymnal, but there are many there which are not in the Roman, and those that are common to both generally appear as they were before the revisions of Urban VIII, though some have variants of their own. Capitula are short lessons of Scripture used as in the Roman Rite. At the Lesser Hours and Compline Capitula taken from the Epistles are called Epistolellœ.
Construction of the Divine Office
(The constantly occurring Dominus vobiscumDominus Vobiscum
Dominus vobiscum, a Latin phrase meaning "The Lord be with you", is an ancient salutation and blessing traditionally used by the clergy in the Roman Catholic Mass, as well as in the liturgies of other Western Christian denominations.-Usage:...
, etc., has been omitted in this analysis.)
- MatinsMatinsMatins is the early morning or night prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. The term is also used in some Protestant denominations to describe morning services.The name "Matins" originally referred to the morning office also...
: Pater nosterLord's PrayerThe Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
; Ave MariaHail MaryThe Angelic Salutation, Hail Mary, or Ave Maria is a traditional biblical Catholic prayer asking for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Hail Mary is used within the Catholic Church, and it forms the basis of the Rosary...
; Deus in adjutorium; Gloria Patri; Hallelujah or Laus tibi. (The Ambrosians transliterate Hallelujah from Hebrew, not from Greek. They also write caelum not coelum and seculum not saeculum.) Hymn; Responsorium; canticle, Benedictus es (Dan. iii); Kyrie eleison, thrice Psalms or Canticles of the three Nocturns; Lessons, with Responsoria and Benedictions — usually three Lessons, Sundays, homilies; weekdays from the Bible; saints' days, Bible and life of saint. On Christmas Day and Epiphany nine lessons; on Good Friday, six; on Easter Eve, none. On Sundays and festivals, except in Lent and Advent, Te Deum follows. - LaudsLaudsLauds is a divine office that takes place in the early morning hours and is one of the two major hours in the Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, it forms part of the Office of Matins...
: Introduction as at Matins; canticle, Benedictus, Attende cœlum or Clamavi; Kyrie, thrice; Antiphona ad Crucem, repeated five or seven times, not said on Feriœ; Oratio secreta i; canticle, Cantemus Domino (Ex. xv); Kyrie, thrice; Oratio secreta ii; canticle, Benedicite, Confitemini Domino (Ps. cxvii), or Miserere (Ps. l); Kyrie, thrice; Oratio i; psalms, Laudate (Pss. cxlviii-cl, cxvi); Capitulum; Kyrie, thrice. Psalmus Directus; hymn (on weekdays in Lent, Graduale); Kyrie, twelve times. On Sundays and festivals, Psallenda and Completorium; on Feriœ, Responsorium in Baptisterio; Kyrie, thrice; Oratio ii. On Sundays and Solemnitates Domini, Psallenda ii and Completorium ii; on weekdays Psalmi iv, versus and Completorium; Kyrie, thrice; Oratio iii; commemorations, if any; concluding versicles and responses. - Little HoursLittle HoursThe Little Hours are the fixed daytime hours of prayer in the Divine Office of Christians, in both Western Christianity and the Eastern Orthodox Church. These Hours are called 'little' due to their shorter and simpler structure compared to the Night Hours...
(PrimePrime (liturgy)Prime, or the First Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the traditional Divine Office , said at the first hour of daylight , between the morning Hour of Lauds and the 9 a.m. Hour of Terce. It is part of the Christian liturgies of Eastern Christianity, but in the Latin Rite it was suppressed by the...
, TerceTerceTerce, or Third Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the Christian liturgies. It consists mainly of psalms and is said at 9 a.m. Its name comes from Latin and refers to the third hour of the day after dawn....
, SextSextSext, or Sixth Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies. It consists mainly of psalms and is said at noon...
, NoneNone (liturgy)None , or the Ninth Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies. It consists mainly of psalms and is said around 3 p.m...
): Introduction as at Matins. Hymn; psalms; Epistolella; Responsorium Breve (at Prime, Quicunque vult); Capitulum; Preces (when said); at Prime, three Orationes, at other Hours, one; Kyrie, thrice; Benedicamus Domino, etc. (at Prime in choir the Martyrology, followed by Exultabunt Sancti etc., and a prayer); Fidelium animœ etc. - VespersVespersVespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...
: Introduction as at Matins. On Sundays and Feriœ: Lucernarium; (on Sundays, Antiphona in choro); hymn; Responsorium in choro; five psalms; Kyrie, thrice; Oratio i; Magnificat; Oratio ii; on Sundays, Psallenda i, and two Completoria; on Feriœ, Responsorium in Baptisterio; Kyrie, thrice; Oratio iii; on Sundays, Psallenda ii, and two Completoria; on Feriœ, Psalmi iv versus; Kyrie, thrice; Oratio iv; commemorations, if any. On saints' days; Lucernarium; at second vespers Antiphona in choro; hymn; Responsorium in choro or cum infantibus; psalm; Kyrie, thrice; Oratio i; Psalm; Oratio ii; MagnificatMagnificatThe Magnificat — also known as the Song of Mary or the Canticle of Mary — is a canticle frequently sung liturgically in Christian church services. It is one of the eight most ancient Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn...
; Kyrie, thrice; Oratio iii; Psallenda and two Completoria; Kyrie, thrice; Oratio iv; commemorations. Concluding versicles and responses. - ComplineComplineCompline is the final church service of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours. The English word Compline is derived from the Latin completorium, as Compline is the completion of the working day. The word was first used in this sense about the beginning of the 6th century by St...
: Introduction, with addition of Converte nos, etc.; hymn (Te Lucis); Psalms iv, xxx, 1-7, xc, cxxxii, cxxxiii, cxvi; Epistolella; Responsorium; Nunc Dimittis; Capitulum; Kyrie, thrice; Preces (when said); Oratio i, Oratio ii; concluding versicles and responses; Antiphon of Our Lady; Confiteor. There are antiphons to all psalms, except those of Compline, and to all canticles. During Lent, except on Saturdays and Sundays, there are two lessons (from Genesis and Proverbs) after Terce; and on Wednesdays and Fridays of Lent and on Feriœ de Exceptato litanies are said then.
The Mass
The Ambrosian Mass in its present form is best shown by an analysis pointing out the differences from the Tridentine MassTridentine Mass
The Tridentine Mass is the form of the Roman Rite Mass contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal that were published from 1570 to 1962. It was the most widely celebrated Mass liturgy in the world until the introduction of the Mass of Paul VI in December 1969...
. As a great part of it agrees word for word with the Roman, it will only be necessary to indicate the agreements, without giving the passages in full. There are a certain number of ceremonial differences, the most noticeable of which are:
- When the deacon and sub-deacon are not occupied, they take up positions at the north and south ends of the altar facing each other.
- The Prophecy, EpistleEpistleAn epistle is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as part of the scribal-school writing curriculum. The letters in the New Testament from Apostles to Christians...
, and Gospel are read, in Milan Cathedral, from the great ambonPulpitPulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
on the north side of the choir, and the procession thereto is accompanied with some state. - The offering of bread and wine by the men and women of the Scuola di S. Ambrogio.
- The filing past and kissing the north corner of the altar at the Offertory.
- The silent LavaboLavaboA lavabo is a device used to provide water for the washing of hands. It consists normally of a ewer or container of some kind to pour water, and a bowl to catch the water as it falls off the hands. In ecclesiastical usage it refers to both the basin in which the priest washes his hands and the...
just before the Consecration. - The absence of bell-ringing at the Elevation.
In the rubrics of the Missal there are certain survivals of ancient usage which could only have applied to the city of Milan itself, and may be compared with the "stations" affixed to certain Masses in the Roman Missal of to-day. The Ambrosian Rite supposes the existence of two cathedrals, the Basilica Major or Ecclesia Æstiva 'summer church', and the Basilica Minor or Ecclesia Hiemalis 'winter church'. Lejay, following Giulini, calls the Ecclesia Major (St. Mary's) the winter church, and St. Thecla the summer church (Cabrol, Dictionnaire d'archéologie chrétienne, col. 1382 sqq.), but Ecclesia Hiematis and Ecclesia Major in the "Bergamo Missal", and Ecclesia Hiemalis and Ad Sanctam Mariam, in all missals, are evidently contrasted with one another. Also the will of Berengarius I, founding St. Rafaele (quoted by Giulini, I, 416) speaks of the latter being near the summer church, which it is, if the summer church is St. Mary's. There is also assumed to be a detached baptistery and a Chapel of the Cross, though mentions of these are found chiefly in the Breviary, and in earlier times the church of St. Laurence was the starting point of the Palm Sunday ceremonies. The greater, or summer, church, under the patronage of Our Lady, is now the Cathedral; the lesser, or winter, church, which stood at the opposite end of the Piazza del Duomo, and was destroyed in 1543, was under the patronage of St. Thecla. As late as the time of Beroldus (twelfth century) the changes from one to the other were made at Easter and at the Dedication of the Great Church (third Sunday in October), and even now the rubric continues to order two Masses on certain great days, one in each church, and on Easter Eve and through Easter week one Mass is ordered daily pro baptizatis in Ecclesia Hiemali, and another, according to the Bergamo book, in Ecclesia Majori. The modern books say, in omni ecclesiâ. There were two baptisteries, both near the greater church.
Analysis of the Ambrosian Mass
The ConfiteorConfiteor
The Confiteor is one of the prayers that can be said during the Penitential Rite at the beginning of Mass of the Roman Rite in the Catholic Church. It is also said in the Lutheran Church at the beginning of their Divine Service...
.
V. In nomine Patris, etc. R. Amen.
V. Introibo ad Altare Dei. R. Ad Deum qui etc.
V. Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus.
R. Quoniam in sæculum misericordia ejus. Confiteor, etc., Misereatur, etc., Indulgentiam etc., as in the Roman Rite, differing only in adding the name of St. Ambrose to the Confiteor.
V. Adjutorium nostrum etc. R. Qui fecit etc.
V. Sit nomen Domini benedictum.
R. Ex hoc nunc et usque in seculum. (Secreto) Rogo to, altissime Deus Sabaoth, Pater sancte, ut pro peccatis meis possim intercedere et astantibus veniam peccatorum promereri ac pacificas singulorum hostias immolare.
Oramus te, Domine etc., as in the Roman Rite. The "Ingressa", which answers to the Roman Introit
Introit
The Introit is part of the opening of the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist for many Christian denominations. In its most complete version, it consists of an antiphon, psalm verse and Gloria Patri that is spoken or sung at the beginning of the celebration...
. Except in the Mass for the Departed, when, even in the 1475 Missal, it is exactly the Roman Introit, it consists of a single passage, generally of Scripture, without Psalm, "Gloria Patri", or repetition.
V. Dominus vobiscum etc.
Gloria in Excelsis — On the Sundays in Lent two litanies are said alternately instead. These litanies strongly resemble the Great Synapte of the Greek Rite and, like that, are said by the deacon. One has the response "Domine Miserere", and the other "Kyrie eleison". A very similar Litany in the Stowe Missal (f 16, b) is called "Deprecatio Sancti Martini pro populo".
Kyrie eleison (thrice).
V. Dominus vobiscum etc.
Oratio super Populum, "vel plures Orationes". The Collect
Collect
In Christian liturgy, a collect is both a liturgical action and a short, general prayer. In the Middle Ages, the prayer was referred to in Latin as collectio, but in the more ancient sources, as oratio. In English, and in this usage, "collect" is pronounced with the stress on the first syllable...
or Collects for the day.
V. Dominus vobiscum etc.
The Prophetical Lesson, when there is one, which is generally on Sundays, "Solemnitates Domini" and "Solemnia", preceded by a benediction; "Prophetica (or Apostolica) Lectio sit nobis salutis eruditio". According to the letters of Paul and Gebehard of Ratisbon, "Gesta Sanctorum" sometimes took the place of the Old Testament Lesson. Passages from Acts
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles , usually referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; Acts outlines the history of the Apostolic Age...
and the Book of Revelation
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
are still used.
Psalmellus and Versus.
The Epistle
Epistle
An epistle is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as part of the scribal-school writing curriculum. The letters in the New Testament from Apostles to Christians...
, preceded by the Benediction, "Apostolica doctrina repleat nos gratiâ divinâ".
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Halleluyah, and the Latin form Alleluia are transliterations of the Hebrew word meaning "Praise Yah". The last syllable is from the first two letters of the name of God, YHWH, written JHVH in Latin). Hallelujah is found primarily in the book of Psalms...
. Versus. Hallelujah. On "solemnitates Domini" the first Hallelujah is doubled. In Lent, on the Litany days, the "Feriæ de Exceptato" and Vigils, the Cantus, answering to the Roman Tractus, takes the place of the Hallelujahs and Versus. On some "Solemnitates Domini" there is an "Antiphona ante Evangelium" also. There are no Sequences in the Ambrosian Rite. The Psalmellus and Versus of the Epistle and the Versus between Hallelujahs of the Gospel together make up exactly the form of a Roman Gradual, and they often agree with those of the Roman Missal.
The Gospel, preceded by "Munda cor meum", etc., as in the Roman Rite, with the addition of "In nomine Patris, etc." at the end of "Dominus sit in corde meo", before, instead of after which the Gospel is given out. The Gospel is followed by "Laus tibi Christe", and "Per evangelica dicta deleantur nostra delicta".
V. Dominus vobiscum, etc.
Kyrie eleison (thrice).
Antiphona post Evangelium.
Deacon: "Pacem habete". R. "Ad te Domine" (cf. the response Soi Kyrie in the Little Synapte and elsewhere in the Constantinopolitan Rite. In early Manuscripts the form here is: "Pacem habete. V. Corrigite vos ad orationem". R. "Ad te Domine". Lejay considers that the kiss of peace once came at this point.
V. Dominus vobiscum, etc.
Oratio super sindonem. (This prayer may have dropped out of the Roman Rite and may account for the "Oremus
Oremus
Oremus is the invitation to pray, said before short prayers in the Roman Catholic Mass and the Lutheran Divine Service, as well as other Western liturgies....
" with no prayer to follow at this point.)
The Offertory
Offertory
The Offertory is the portion of a Eucharistic service when bread and wine are brought to the altar. The offertory exists in many liturgical Christian denominations, though the Eucharistic theology varies among celebrations conducted by these denominations....
.
After the prayer, the Priest receives the paten with the Host and offers it, saying, "Suscipe, clementissime Pater hunc Panem sanctum ut fiat Unigeniti tui Corpus, in nomine Patris, etc." Laying the Host on the corporal he pours into the chalice wine, saying: "De latere Christi exivit sanguis", and water, saying: "Et aqua pariter, in nomine, &c." Then he offers the chalice, saying: "Suscipe clementissime Pater, hunc Calicem, vinum aqua mistum ut fiat Unigeniti tui Sanguis, in nomine, etc." At this point, in Milan Cathedral, the Chapter clergy all file past the north corner of the altar, each kissing the corner as he passes. Then follow two prayers of offering, addressed respectively to the Father and to the Trinity, agreeing in meaning with the "Suscipe Sancte Pater" and "Suscipe Sancta Trinitas" of the Roman Rite, but differing altogether in language. On Sundays and feasts of Our Lord and their vigils, there is a third prayer, nearly agreeing in wording with "Suscipe, Sancta Trinitas". Then extending his hands over the oblation, he says: "Et suscipe Sancta Trinitas hanc oblationem pro emundatione mea; ut mundes et purges me ab universis peccatorum maculis, quatenus tibi digne ministrare merear, Deus et clementissime Domine".
He blesses the Oblata, continuing: "Benedictio Dei Omnipotentis Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti copiosa de cælis descendat super hanc nostram oblationem et accepta tibi sit haec oblatio, Domino sancte, Pater omnipotens, æterne Deus, misericordissime rerum Conditor".
[In the eleventh-century Manuscript in the Chapter Library at Milan (in the list of Sacramentaries given above), the "Dominus vobiscum" after the Creed is followed by a prayer: "Adesto Domine supplicationibus nostris et his muneribus præsentiam tuæ majestatis intersere ut quod nostro servitio geritur te potius operante firmetur per omnia, etc.", and there are no other Offertory prayers. At a solemn Mass the blessing of the Incense
Incense
Incense is composed of aromatic biotic materials, which release fragrant smoke when burned. The term "incense" refers to the substance itself, rather than to the odor that it produces. It is used in religious ceremonies, ritual purification, aromatherapy, meditation, for creating a mood, and for...
, and censing of the altar follow. The words are exactly those of the Roman Rite until the delivery of the thurible to the deacon, when instead of "Ascendat in nobis" the priest says: "Ecce odor Sanctorum Dei: tanquam odor agri pleni, quem Deus benedixit".
Then follows the "Offertorium". In the cathedral of Milan there is an interesting ceremony at the Offertory, probably a survival of the early practice of offerings "in kind" by the congregation. Ten old men (known as the Vecchioni) and ten old women, who are supported by the Chapter, wear a special costume and belong to what is called the "Scuola di S. Ambrogio", bring offerings of bread and wine to the choir steps and deliver them to the clergy. There is a detailed account of this ceremony in Beroldus (Ed. Magistretti, 1894, 52). The institution is mentioned in a charter of Bishop Anspert in the ninth century. Wickham Legg (Ecclesiological Essays, 53) says that these offerings are not now used at the Mass then being said, but at some later one. He gives photographs of the old men and women and a full description of the ceremony.
The Creed
Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed is the creed or profession of faith that is most widely used in Christian liturgy. It is called Nicene because, in its original form, it was adopted in the city of Nicaea by the first ecumenical council, which met there in the year 325.The Nicene Creed has been normative to the...
, preceded by "Dominus vobiscum ", etc. It is here entitled "Symbolum Constantinopolitanum", and differs not at all from that in the Roman Mass.
V. Dominus vobiscum, etc.
Oratio super oblata.
The Preface
Preface
A preface is an introduction to a book or other literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a foreword and precedes an author's preface...
. The "Sursum corda" etc. is exactly as in the Roman Rite, though the plain chant is altogether different. The Preface itself has the word "quia" after "vere", but otherwise begins as in the Roman Rite, as far as "Æterne Deus". After that comes a marked difference, for instead of only ten variations, there are proper Prefaces for all days that have proper offices, as well as commons of all classes, and in the final clauses, which vary, as in the Roman, according to the ending of the inserted Proper, there are verbal differences.
The Sanctus
Sanctus
The Sanctus is a hymn from Christian liturgy, forming part of the Order of Mass. In Western Christianity, the Sanctus is sung as the final words of the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer, the prayer of consecration of the bread and wine...
, exactly as in the Roman Rite.
The Canon
Canon of the Mass
Canon of the Mass is the name given in the Roman Missal, from the first typical edition of Pope Pius V in 1570 to that of Pope John XXIII in 1962, to the part of the Mass of the Roman Rite that begins after the Sanctus with the words Te igitur...
.
"Te igitur" exactly as in the Roman Canon. In the printed Missals, even before the Borromean revision, there is a variation which comes after "hæc sancta sacrificia illibata", in the Mass of Easter Eve. In the Bergamo Missal it follows immediately after the "Sanctus", without the "Te igitur" clause. It is: "Vere Sanctus, vere benedictus D. N. J. C. Filius tuus qui cum Dominus esset Majestatis, descendens de cælo formam servi, qui prius perierat, suscepit, et sponte pati dignatus est; ut eum quem ipse fecerat de morte liberaret. Unde et hoc paschale sacrificium tibi offerimus pro his quos ex aqua et Spiritu Sancto regenerare dignatus es dans eis remissionem omnium peccatorum, ut invenires eos in Christo Jesu Domino nostro. Pro quibus tibi, Domine supplices fundimus preces ut nomina eorum pariterque famuli tui Papæ nostri N. et Pontificis nostri N. scripta habeas in Libro Viventium. Per eundem, etc." This is in the form of a Post Sanctus of the Mozarabic Rite, though it does not agree exactly with any particular Post Sanctus.
"Memento Domine" is the same as in the Roman.
"Communicantes" and "Hanc igitur" are variable on certain days, as in the Roman Rite, but the list of saints differs, Linus
Pope Linus
Pope Saint Linus was, according to several early sources, Bishop of the diocese of Rome after Saint Peter. This makes Linus the second Pope. According to other early sources Pope Clement I was the Pope after Peter...
and Cletus
Pope Anacletus
Pope Saint Anacletus , also called Pope Cletus, was the third Roman Pope Pope Saint Anacletus (very rarely written as Anencletus), also called Pope Cletus, was the third Roman Pope Pope Saint Anacletus (very rarely written as Anencletus), also called Pope Cletus, was the third Roman Pope (after St....
being omitted and Hippolytus
Saint Hippolytus
Saint Hippolytus is usually understood to mean Hippolytus of Rome, a Roman priest celebrated in a common feast with Pope Pontian on 13 August as having both won the martyr's crown after being exiled to Sardinia after a period in which the priest had opposed the pope.Most, if not all, of what appear...
, Vincent, Apollinaris, Vitalis
Vitalis
Vitalis may refer to:* Saint Vitalis* Vitalis of Farfa, abbot circa 889...
, Nazarius and Celsus
Nazarius and Celsus
Saints Nazarius and Celsus were two martyrs of whom nothing is known except the discovery of their bodies by Saint Ambrose.According to Paulinus the Deacon's Vita Ambrosii, Ambrose, at some time within the last three years of his life, after the death of the Emperor Theodosius Saints Nazarius and...
, Protasius and Gervasius, Victor, Nabor, Felix, and Calimerius
Calimerius
Calimerius was an early bishop of Milan. He is honoured as a Saint in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches and his feast day is on July 31.-Life:...
being added. In the earlier editions there were the following additional names: Maternus
Maternus
Maternus, also known as Maternus II or St. Maternus, was the first known bishop of Cologne, Germany, c. 285-315. He founded a church on the site of a Roman temple which later became Cologne Cathedral.-Legend:...
, Eustorgius
Eustorgius I
Eustorgius I was Archbishop of Milan from 343 to about 349. He is honoured as a Saint in the Catholic Church and his feast day is September 18.-Life:...
, Dionysius, Ambrose
Ambrose
Aurelius Ambrosius, better known in English as Saint Ambrose , was a bishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. He was one of the four original doctors of the Church.-Political career:Ambrose was born into a Roman Christian family between about...
, Simplitian, Martin, Eusebius, Hilary
Hilary
Hilary or Hillary may refer to:* Hilary or Hillary, a given name and surname -People:* Hilary of Aquileia, 3rd century bishop and martyr* Hilary of Poitiers, 4th century bishop and Church Father...
, Julius
Julius
The gens Julia was one of the most ancient patrician families at Ancient Rome. Members of the gens attained the highest dignities of the state in the earliest times of the Republic. The first of the family to obtain the consulship was Gaius Julius Iulus in 489 BC...
, and Benedict
Benedict
Benedict is a masculine given name. It comes from the Latin benedictus, meaning "blessed".Benedict most commonly refers to Saint Benedict of Nursia, the founder of the Order of Saint Benedict and thereby of Western Monasticism...
.
"Quam oblationem quam pietati tuæ offerimus tu Deus in omnibus quæsumus, etc.", the rest as in the Roman Canon. At this point the Priest washes his hand, "nihil dicens".
The next clauses, reciting the Institution, differ verbally.
"Qui pridie quam pro nostra omniumque salute pateretur (cf. the Maundy Thursday Mass of the Roman Rite) accipiens Panem, elevavit oculis ad cælos ad te Deum Patrem suum omnipotentem, tibi gratias agens benedixit, fregit, deditque Discipulis suis, dicens ad eos: Accipite et manducate ex hoc omnes: Hoc est enim Corpus meum. Simili modo, postquam cœnatum est, accipiens Calicem, elevavit oculos ad cælos, ad te Deum Patrem suum omnipotentem: item tibi gratias agens, benedixit, tradiditque Discipulis suis, dicens ad eos: Accipite et bibite ex eo omnes: Hic est enim Calix, &c. (as in the Roman Canon). Mandans quoque et dicens ad eos: Hæc quotiescunque feceritis in meam commemorationem facietis: Mortem meam prædicabitis, Resurrectionem meam annuntiabitis, Adventum meum sperabitis donec iterum de cælis veniam ad vos." It may be noted that this long ending, commemorating the Death, Resurrection and Second Coming, is nearly identical with that in the "Canon Dominicus Sancti Gilasi" in the Stowe Missal and has resemblances to the forms in several of the West Syrian (Jacobite) anaphoræ. "Unde et memores" differs only in reading "gloriosissimæ" instead of "gloriosæ Ascensionis"
"Supra quæ propitio" inserts "tuo" after "vultu" and reads "justi pueri tui Abel".
"Supplices te rogamus" reads "tremendæ" instead of "divinæ Majestatis."
"Memento etiam Domine" exactly agrees with the Roman Rite.
"Nobis quoque, minimis, et peccatoribus famulis tuis de multitudine misericordiæ tuæ," continuing as in the Roman Rite, except for the list of saints, which adds a second Joannes, substitutes Andreas for Matthias, omits Ignatius and Alexander, and adds Euphemia, Justina, Sabina, Thecla, Pelagia, and Catharine (the Manuscripts and 1475 lists omit Catharine), varying the order a little. The ending also differs, "benedicis et nobis famulis tuis largiter præstas ad augmentum fidei et remissionem peccatorum nostrorum: Et est tibi Deo Patri omnipotenti ex+ipso et per+ipsum et in+ipso omnis honor virtus laus et gloria, impe+rium, perpe+tuitas et po+testas in unitate spiritus sancti per infinita secula seculorum. Amen." The Fraction and Commixture occur at this point, instead of after the "Pater Noster" as in the Roman Rite since St. Gregory the Great. The priest breaks the Host over the chalice, saying: Corpus tuum frangitur, Christe, Calix benedicitur"; then laying one part on the paten, he breaks a particle from the other, saying: "Sanguis tuus sit nobis semper ad vitam et ad salvandas animas, Deus noster". Then he puts the particle into the chalice, saying: "Commixtio consecrati Corporis et Sanguinis D. N. J. C. nobis edentibus et sumentibus proficiat ad vitam et gaudium sempiternum". Then follows the "Confractorium", an anthem varying according to the day.
The Pater noster
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
, introduced by the same clause as in the Roman Rite, except on Maundy Thursday and Easter Day, when different forms are used. The Embolism differs somewhat: "Libera nos . . . et intercedente pro nobis Beata Maria Genitrice Dei ac Domini nostri Jesu Christi et Sanctis Apostolis tuis Petro et Paulo atque Andrea et Beato Ambrosio Confessore tuo atque Pontifice una cum omnibus Sanctis tuis . . . ab omni perturbatione securi. Præsta per eum, cum quo beatus vivis et regnas Deus in unitate Spiritus Sancti per omnia secula "seculorum. Amen.
The Pax
Holy kiss
The kiss of peace is a traditional Christian greeting dating to early Christianity.The practice still remains a part of the worship in traditional churches, including the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Orthodox churches, Oriental Orthodox churches and some liturgical...
. The priest says: "Pax et communicatio D. N. J. C. sit semper vobiscum. R. Et cum spiritu tuo". The deacon: "Offerte vobis pacem. R. Deo gratias". The prayer, "Domine Jesu Christe qui dixisti, etc.", which differs from the Roman in reading "pacificare, custodire et regere digneris propitius". Then the "Pax" is given: "V. Pax tecum. R. Et cum spiritu tuo," as in the Roman Rite. In Masses for the Dead the "Offerte vobis pacem ", the prayer, and the giving of the "Pax" are omitted, and the "Agnus Dei", differing from the Roman form "pro defunctis" only in adding "et locum indulgentiæ cum Sanctis tuis in gloria" at the end, is said. The "Agnus Dei" does not occur in other Masses.
The Communion
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
. The preliminary prayers are: "Domine Sancte Pater omnipotens, æterne Deus da mihi hoc Corpus Jesu Christi Filii tui Domini mei ita sumere: ut non sit mihi ad judicium sed ad remissionem omnium peccatorum meorum. Qui tecum vivit, etc.," and "Domine Jesu Christe Fili Dei vivi", which only differs from the Roman in reading "obedire" for "inhærere". Then follows "Domine non sum dignus", as in the Roman Rite, after which comes "Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quæ retribuit mihi? Panem cælestem accipiam et nomen Domini invocabo. Corpus D. N. J. C. custodiat animam meam ad vitam æternam. Amen. Quid retribuam, etc.," exactly as in the Roman Rite. Then, at receiving the Chalice, "Præsta, quæso, Domine, ut perceptio Corporis et Sanguinis D. N. J. C. ad vitam nos perducat æternam", after which "Quod ore sumpsimus, Domine, pura mente Capiamus ut de Corpore et Sanguine D. N. J. C. fiat nobis remedium sempiternum". At the Ablution: "Confirma hoc, Deus, quod operatus es in nobis et dona Ecclesiæ tuæ perpetuam tranquillitatem et pacem".
The "Transitorium" (the Ambrosian equivalent of the Roman "Communio") and the "Oratio Post Communionem" follow.
V. Dominus vobiscum, etc.
Kyrie eleison (thrice).
V. Benedicat et exaudiat nos Deus. R. Amen.
V. Procedamus cum pace. R. In nomine Christi.
V. Benedicamus Domino. R. Deo Gratias.
Then follow "Placeat tibi" (slightly varied), the Blessing and the Last Gospel as in the Roman Rite.
The present form from the "Pax" onward dated from the revision of St. Charles Borromeo, and appears for the first time in print in 1594. In 1475, 1560, etc., the form was as follows:
V. Pax et communicatio D. N. J. C. sit semper vobiscum.
R. Et cum spiritu tuo.
V. Offerte nobis pacem. R. Deo gratias. Pax in cælo, pax in terra, pax in omni populo pax sacerdotibus ecclesiarum Dei. Pax Christi et Ecclesiæ maneat semper vobiscum.
Then the Priest gives the "Pax" to the server, saying "Habete vinculum pacis et caritatis ut apti sitis sacrosanctis mysteriis Dei. R. Amen. Domine Sancte Pater etc.", as at present. The second prayer, "Domine Jesu Christe, etc.", was not used. (In the early Manuscripts the giving of the "Pax" ends with "Offerte nobis pacem, etc.")
Quid retribuam, etc. Panem cælestem, etc.
Domine, non sum dignus, etc.
Corpus D. N. J. C. profitiat mihi sumenti et omnibus pro quibus illud obtuli ad vitam et gaudium sempiternum. Amen. (This form is found also in the Chur Missal of 1589.)
Præsta, quæeso, Domine, ut perceptio corporis et sanguinis D. N. J. C. quem pro nobis dignatus est fundere ab omni nos peccati maculâ purget et ad vitam perducat æternam. Per eundem, etc.
Quid retribuam, etc. Calicem salutaris, etc.
Domine non sum dignus, etc.
Corpus et Sanguis D. N. J. C. propitius sit mihi sumenti et omnibus pro quibus illud obtuli ad vitam et gaudiam sempiternam. Per eundem, etc.
Deo gratias. Deo Gratias.
Accepta Christi munera sumamus Dei gratia, non ad judicium sed ad salvandas animas, Deus noster. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Gloria Patri, etc. Sicut erat, etc. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.
Quod ore sumpsimus, etc., as at present.
Confirma hoc, Deus, etc., as at present.
Placeat tibi, etc.
The eleventh-century Manuscript (No. 1-d in list above), quoted in the Solesmes edition of the Bergamo book, does not contain any more at the "Pax" and "Communion" than "Pax et Communicatio, etc." "Offerte vobis pacem." "Oratio post communionem." "Dominus vobiscum, etc." "Quad ore sumpsimus, etc."
The Occasional Services
Of the services in the Ritual and Pontifical there is not much to say. The ceremonies of BaptismBaptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
differ in their order from those of the Roman Rite. The Ambrosian order is: renunciation; ephphatha; sufflation; unction; exorcism and second sufflation; signing with the Cross; delivery of the salt; introduction into the church; Creed and Lord's Prayer; declaration of faith; Baptism, for which the rubric is: Ter occiput mergit in aqua in crucis formam (and, as Legg points out, the Ambrosians boast that their baptism is always by immersion); litany; anointing with chrism; delivery of white robe and candle; dismissal. A great part of the wording is exactly the same as the Roman.
The order of the Unction of the Sick
Anointing of the Sick (Catholic Church)
Anointing of the Sick is a sacrament of the Catholic Church that is administered to Catholics who because of sickness or old age are in danger of death, even if the danger is not proximate...
shows the progress of Roman influence in modern times. The service at present used differs very little except at one point from that given by Magistretti (Mon. Vet., II, 79, 94, 147) from early Manuscripts, and from the form in the undated printed Ritual of the late fifteenth century, but the difference at that point is no less than the introduction of the Roman manner and words of anointing. The old Ambrosian Rite was to anoint the sick person on the breast, the hands, and the feet, with the words: "Ungo te oleo sanctificato, more militis unctus et preparatus ad luctam aerias possis catervas. Operare creatura olei, in nomine+Dei Patris omnipotentis+et Filii+et Spiritus Sancti, ut non lateat spiritus immundus nec in membris nec in medullis nec in ulla compagine membrorum hujus hominis [vel mulieris] sed operetur in eo virtus Christi Filii Altissimi qui cum æterno Patri... . Amen." Then, "Quidquid peccasti per cogitationem cordis [per operationem manuum vel per ingressum pedum] parcat tibi Deus. Amen." The fifteenth-century printed Ritual varies the first anointing. Instead of "Quidquid peccasti", it reads, "Per istam unctionem et cristi sacratissimam passionem si quid peccasti, etc.", the other two being as in the older books. The Ungo te, etc., is repeated with each. A somewhat similar form, but shorter, with the anointing of the five senses and reading Ungimus for Ungo, is given in Harl. Manuscript 2990, an early fifteenth-century North Italian fragment, and in the Venetian printed pre-Tridontine Rituals, a form very like the last (but reading Ungo) with the same anointings as in the Roman Rite, is given as the rite of the Patriarchate of Venice. This form, or something very like it, with the seven anointings is found in the Asti Ritual described by Gastoué. In the modern Ambrosian Ritual the Roman seven anointings and the form, Per istam unctionem, etc., are taken over bodily and the Ungo te has disappeared.
The differences in the Order of Matrimony are very slight, and the other contents of the Ritual call for no special remark. In the ninth-century Pontifical published by Magistretti the consecration of a church includes the solemn entry, the writing of the ABCturium, with the cambutta (that Gaelic word, cam bata, crooked staff, which is commonly used in Gallican books), the blessing and mixture of salt, water, ashes, and wine, the sprinkling and anointing of the church and the altar, the blessing of various utensils, and at the end the deposition of the relics. The order given by Mercati from an eleventh-century Manuscript at Lucca differs from the ninth-century form in that there is a circumambulation and sprinkling, with the signing of the cross on the door, the writing of an alphabet per parietem and the making of three crosses on each wall with chrism, before the entry, and there is no deposition of relics. There are also considerable differences of wording. The ordinations in the ninth-century Manuscript are of the same mixed Roman and Gallican type, but are less developed than those of the modern Roman Pontifical.
See also
- Ambrosian RiteAmbrosian RiteAmbrosian Rite, also called the Milanese Rite, is a Catholic liturgical Western Rite. The rite is named after Saint Ambrose, a bishop of Milan in the fourth century...
- Ambrosian chantAmbrosian chantAmbrosian chant is the liturgical plainchant repertory of the Ambrosian rite of the Roman Catholic Church, related to but distinct from Gregorian chant. It is primarily associated with the Archdiocese of Milan, and named after St. Ambrose much as Gregorian chant is named after Gregory the Great...
- AmbrosiansAmbrosiansAmbrosians is a term that might be applied either to members of one of the religious brotherhoods which at various times since the 14th century have sprung up in and around Milan or, exceptionally to a 16th century sect of Anabaptists.-Orders:...
- St. Ambrose
- Catholic Liturgical RitesCatholic Liturgical RitesThe Catholic Church celebrates a number of different Liturgical Rites, a term that refers to a particular form of liturgy.They are not to be confused with the Rites in the sense of sui iuris particular Churches, of which there are 22 Eastern and one Western....
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of MilanRoman Catholic Archdiocese of MilanThe Archdiocese of Milan is a metropolitan see of the Catholic Church in Italy. It has long maintained its own rite: the Ambrosian rite. It is led by the Archbishop of Milan who serves as metropolitan to the dioceses of Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Crema, Cremona, Lodi, Mantova, Pavia, and Vigevano.The...
Sources and external links
- Catholic Encyclopedia article
- The Ordinary of the pre-conciliar Ambrosian Mass in English
- Ordinary of the pre-conciliar Ambrosian Mass in Latin
- Breviarium Ambrosianum
- http://www.archive.org/details/ambrosianliturgy00cathuoft