from THE CEREMONIES OF THE ROMAN RITE DESCRIBED By Adrian Fortescue London, Burns & Oates Ltd, 1917 PART I: GENERAL PRINCIPLES CONCERNING CEREMONIES Chapter V: The Choir and Assistants at Ceremonies §3. Ecclesiastical Rank Ceremonies are sometimes modified according to the rank of the person who performs them or assists at them. It is therefore important to understand such rank, as far as it affects our subject. Most cases are so obvious as to require no special notice. The celebrant at Mass, vespers, compline, Benediction, and all such functions must be ordained priest. The deacon and subdeacon must have received those orders. The one exception to this is that a clerk, at least tonsured, may, in case of necessity, perform part of the office of subdeacon at High Mass and other functions. For this it is required that there be a grave reason, and that he omit certain duties performed only by a subdeacon. No one may act as deacon unless he has received that order. The rubrics suppose that the servers and even the members of the choir be clerks. The acolytes and thurifer should be ordained acolyte, the others should be in minor orders, or at least be tonsured. According to the Caerimoniale episcoporum, the Master of Ceremonies should be a priest, or at least in holy But orders. this rule is rarely observed. It is now recognized that laymen may serve at Mass or any function, and may form the choir. Above the rank of the simple CANONS priest are in chapter. This means, when they are present, in a body, in the church of which they are canons; or at another church at which, for some reason, the whole chapter assists. A canon may now wear his robes and special insignia throughout the diocese to which his chapter belongs, even when the chapter is not present, but not elsewhere.” A PRELATE (praelatus) is, in the first case, a bishop. But not all bishops receive the same honours at every ceremony they may attend. There is, for instance, considerable difference between a bishop where he has jurisdiction inary (as the Ord in his own diocese), and an auxiliary or a foreign bishop visiting a place. The liturgical books frequently GREATER speak of PRELATES (maiores praelati, maiores praesules). Under this term the following persons tood are unders : Cardinals everywhere out of Rome, and in their titular churches at Rome, Patriarchs and Archbishops throughout their Patriarchate or Province, Ordinary bishops in their own diocese, Papal Legates in the territory of their legacy. Below these in rank come bishops who have no jurisdiction in the place where the function occurs. INFERIOR PRELATES Below bishops are 1 the so-­‐called (praelati inferiores). The first case of these is ABBOTS that of . A decree of the S. Congregation of Rites, in 1659, lays down rules as to the use of pontifical vestments, and other distinctions, by inferior prelates. Many of these rules are now abrogated by the later legislation of Pius X, in regard to prelates of the Roman court; but the rules of 1659 still obtain in the case of abbots. The chief are these. Abbots may use pontifical ceremonies and vestments in the churches of their order (where they have jurisdiction) only, and only on greater feasts. These feasts are days of obligation, the day of 2 the local patron Saint, of the founder of their order, the title and dedication of the church. On these days they may celebrate according to the rite of a bishop, with the following exceptions: They may not have a seventh candle on the altar. They may not have a fixed throne at the side. They must use a chair, to be removed afterwards. Over this chair they may have a canopy, not of cloth of gold or other precious material, but of simpler stuff than the altar frontal. The chair may be covered with silk of the colour of the day; it may be raised two steps only above the floor of the sanctuary. They may not be accompanied by the body of monks or canons, as a bishop is, on coming to the church or on going away. At High Mass they are assisted by the deacon and subdeacon of the Mass, by two other deacons in dalmatics, by an assistant priest in a cope. Six other monks or canons may attend, two in copes, in chasubles, two in tunicles; but these may not sit in the choir stalls; they must have seats, benches without a back, covered with green cloth, which are taken away afterwards. 3 Abbots may not wear the precious mitre, without a special indult of the Holy See. Under their mitre they wear a black skull-­‐cap. They carry their crozier only in their own church, not in public processions. As regulars, they wear no rochet, unless it is part of the habit of their order. They may take the vestments from the altar only when they are about to celebrate pontifically. They may bless the people in the pontifical form, making the sign of the cross three times, only when they celebrate Mass, vespers or matins pontifically. In the presence of a bishop they are not to give blessings without special indult. If a bishop is present he is to eat have his s on the gospel side; it is to be raised by one step higher than that of the abbot on the epistle side. Canons of the cathedral sit around the bishop, monks or canons of the abbot’s chapter around his seat. The bishop puts incense into sses the thurible and ble it; he 1 An abbot is the head of a monastery of monks or of a congregation of regular canons. The following religious orders have abbots: Canons of the Lateran (Augustinian Canons), Premonstratensian Canons, Canons of the Immaculate Conception, Benedictines of all congregations, Cistercians. All monks of Eastern rites have Archimandrites or Hegumenoi, who are equivalent to Western abbots. An abbot ius “null (scil. dioeceseos)” is one who is in no bishop’s diocese, having himself quasi-­‐ episcopal jurisdiction. 2 No inferior prelates may pontificate at funerals. 3 They use the simple mitre and the one of cloth gold. kisses the gospel book after the gospel; he blesses the people at end of Mass. The abbot may not bless the preachers before the sermon. When an abbot says Low Mass he is to do exactly as does any other priest of his order. He will vest in the sacristy, will not wear a pectoral cross, will not use a silver vessel and basin sh to wa his hands. He will have one server only; two candles will be lit on the altar. But further rights, for instance, the use of a purple skull-­‐cap, are granted by the Holy See to the abbots of greater exempt monasteries. Besides abbots there are other “inferior prelates,” namely, real 4 or titular officials of the Papal court. These are the priests commonly called “Monsignori.” ‘ A decree, ‘‘motu proprio,” of Pope Pius X defines exactly who these are and establishes their rights. I. First among these are PROTONOTARIES APOSTOLIC (protonotarii apostolici). These are divided into four classes: There I. are seven Protonotaries de numero participantium,” 5 who form a college, still representing the old Notaries of the Apostolic See. Now they have duties connection chiefly in with the cause of canonization and beatification 6 of Saints. Their ceremonial privileges are that they may celebrate pontifically out of Rome, but only having asked and obtained the permission of the Pax Ordinary. vobis They may not, Domin however, use crozier, throne us or vobiscum cappa magna; nor may they Sit have nomen a Domini seventh Adiutoriu candle m on the altar, nor an assistance nostrum of several deacons. They do not say , as a bishop does, instead of ) nor may they sing the verses Benedicat and vos , before blessing. They do not bless with the triple sign of the cross. Wearing the mitre, they bless, singing the usual form for priests, , unless the Ordinary or greater prelate be present. In this case, according to the general, rule (p. 159), he gives the blessing at the end of Mass. Coming to the church to celebrate they wear the mantellettum, and over it a pectoral cross (which otherwise they may not wear). They are not to be received at the door of the church as a bishop is. Their pectoral cross (worn only when they have the mantellettum) is to be of gold with one gem; it hangs from a cord of ruddy violet (color rubinus) mixed with gold thread. They use a cloth of gold mitre and the simple mitre. Under this they may have a black skull-­‐ cap. They use the scotula, Canon episcopalis, and silver vessel and dish to wash the hands. At an ordinary Low Mass they have no special privilege, except the use of the scotula. They have precedence over abbots. All who attend Mass said by one of 4 The title “Monsignore" is as not given such. Certain offices of the Papal court, often granted as honorary offices to priests living away from Rome, involve that their holder be called “Monsignor.” This general title is used for dignitaries of various ranks, as will be seen from the description above. Like the stars, one Monsignore differeth, and very considerably, from another Monsignore in glory. 5 Originally they were the Pope’s legal advisers, who drew up documents, settled questions of Canon Law according to the “usus forensis,” and so on. 6 This means always the “usus pontificalium,” namely with the same ceremonies and vestments as a bishop, save where an exception is made.