Immaculate Conception: TLM rubrics maintains Sunday Marian Mass

There seems to be confusion on the feast of the Immaculate Conception this year, as December 8 falls on a Sunday. Although the novus ordo transfers the Marian feast day to December 9 this year, with conservative dioceses emphasizing the obligation to hear Mass both Sunday and Monday, it is worth noting the rubric governing the traditional Latin Mass:

"Sunday I class takes precedence over all feasts in occurrence. The feast of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, however, takes precedence over the Sunday in Advent on which it falls."

Chapter 3, #15 of the rubrics

In Defense of Preserving Readings in Latin

In light of Pope Francis’s frivolous and offensive remark about how doing the readings at Mass in Latin would be “like laughing at the Word of God,” it seemed opportune to republish here at Rorate an article first published eight years ago in The Latin Mass magazine (Summer 2013), with slight revisions. Although my thinking on all of these points has developed and deepened, it has done so in precisely the same direction. Those who, moreover, think that Francis’s July 16 motu proprio requires replacing Latin readings with vernacular ones should read two articles that argue the contrary, here and here.—PAK

In Defense of Preserving Readings in Latin

Peter A. Kwasniewski

Immaculate Conception, Sunday

The feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is this Sunday, 8 December 2019.  Of course, the feast is observed on the actual feast day using the 1962 missal, unlike the novus ordo (which transfers the day to Monday with no obligation to attend, even in the U.S. -- patronal feast day be darned).

When this feast last occurred on a Sunday -- in 2013 -- we wrote about it here.  The two important points to make are: 1) there is zero wiggle room to transfer the feast from Sunday to Monday using the 1962 missal; and 2) a commemoration must be made for the Second Sunday of Advent, even at High Masses.

On the first point, both the Immaculate Conception and the 2nd Sunday of Advent are first class feasts on the 1962 calendar.  As NLM has noted, this was not always the case.  The 2nd Sunday of Advent was second class until 1955 reforms promoted it to first class.  The rubrics of 1960, which govern the 1962 missal, explicitly broke the first class tie between the Immaculate Conception and the Second Sunday of Advent:  

Dominica I classis, in occurrentia, festis quibuslibet præfertur. Festum tamen Immaculatæ Conceptionis B. Mariæ Virg. præfertur occurrenti dominicæ Adventus.

Sunday I class takes precedence over all feasts in occurrence.  The feast of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, however, takes precedence over the Sunday of Advent on which it falls.

What time can Midnight Mass begin? Updated with PCED guidance.

Last year we addressed the question "What time can Midnight Mass begin?," which is usually a novus ordo concern, but can sometimes find its way into traditional Latin Mass parishes.

The answer, using the 1962 calendar and its rubrics/liturgical law, is of course no earlier than Midnight.  The liturgical law specifying the calendar day timeline for the use of traditional Latin Mass propers is found in the very beginning of the rubrics governing the 1962 liturgy, under part one ("General Rubrics"), chapter two, number four:

4. Dies liturgicus est dies sanctificatus actionibus liturgicis, praesertim Sacrificio eucharistico et publica Ecclesiae prece, id est Officio divino; et decurrit a media nocte ad mediam noctem.

4. The liturgical day is the day sanctified by the liturgical rites, especially the eucharistic Sacrifice and the public prayer of the Church, that is the divine Office; it runs from midnight to midnight.

The rubrics go on to explain more solemn days have an Office that starts the evening before.  But it is very clear the rubric is talking about the Divine Office -- that is, First Vespers -- not the celebration of Mass.

More recently, the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" (PCED) was asked by a priest about anticipating the Mass propers (that is, using the propers of a day of precept that has not yet started).  Rorate covered the answer here.  The priest used an example of a Saturday evening traditional Latin Mass, asking if it was licit to use Sunday's Mass propers, to which the Vatican responded "the Mass formulary used should be that permitted on a Saturday."

What time can Midnight Mass begin?

As we mentioned previously, 24 December is the Vigil of Christmas, which takes precedence over the Fourth Sunday of Advent.  Thus, the Fourth Sunday of Advent is not commemorated this year using the 1962 missal.

The following day is, of course, the feast of the Nativity of our Lord, the first day of Christmas, on 25 December. A popular question in novus ordo circles is: What time does Midnight Mass begin? The novus ordo is not our concern, but if the question is about the traditional Latin Mass, the answer is clear: no earlier than midnight on 25 December. There is no permission to use the next calendar day's propers for the traditional Latin Mass on the evening before a Sunday or holy day, even at 11 p.m.

The liturgical law specifying the calendar day timeline for the use of TLM propers is found in the very beginning of the rubrics governing the 1962 liturgy, under part one, chapter two, number four:

4. Dies liturgicus est dies sanctificatus actionibus liturgicis, praesertim Sacrificio eucharistico et publica Ecclesiae prece, id est Officio divino; et decurrit a media nocte ad mediam noctem.

Traditional lay acolyte installed in New Jersey

Last April we shared a response from the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei (PCED) on who may serve as a "straw" subdeacon at a traditional Latin Solemn High Mass. In addition to previous PCED clarifications that any seminarian permitted to wear the cassock and collar (the post-1970s equivalent of tonsure) may do so, the letter stated "the function of Subdeacon can be legitimately assumed by an acolyte suitably instituted by a Bishop, but with the particular appropriate ritual differences."

Therefore, a man who has been ordained a priest, or deacon or, in the case of traditional societies, a subdeacon, may serve as subdeacon. A seminarian permitted the Roman collar, or an instituted lay acolyte, may serve as a straw subdeacon. The latter category requires the straw subdeacon to not wear the maniple; not pour the water into the chalice at the offertory, letting the deacon do so; not touch the chalice infra actionem, nor cover it with the pall, nor uncover it; and after the communion the straw subdeacon does not purify the chalice, as the celebrant must purify it, after which the straw subdeacon covers it with the veil and burse and carries it to the side table.

As we originally stated, it is a rare thing for a bishop to institute a lay acolyte who is not a seminarian. The Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, ran an article in its newspaper on the institution of a man from Mater Ecclesiae parish to the ministry of acolyte:

On Feb. 18, Bishop Dennis Sullivan called John Rotondi, a 36-year old married father of five, to the Ministry of the Acolyte at Mater Ecclesiae in Berlin, allowing him to assist the priest and deacon during the solemn high traditional Latin Mass.

On "liturgical blue" for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception

At the end of last year the Filipino Traditionalist Catholic blog Dei praesidio fultus published a comprehensive article on the use of blue -- or, rather, cerulean -- vestments for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception:

Liturgical blue

The article defends the existence of the privilege while meticulously noting the restrictions placed upon it to prevent its indiscriminate dissemination. The privilege was not automatically given to every portion of the former Spanish empire, but had to be specifically petitioned by a Hispanophone diocese, ecclesiastical province or national hierarchy from the Holy See and granted by the Sacred Congregation of Rites. 

The Traditional Latin Mass and the active participation of the laity

by John R. T. Lamont

A standard criticism of the traditional Latin mass is that it leaves little or no place for the active participation of the laity. The Novus Ordo promulgated by Paul VI is held up as being far better suited to such participation; this is presented as a reason for preferring the new ritual to the earlier, and for revising the old ritual to bring it closer to the new one – if not for suppressing the old ritual altogether. I will argue that this is not only false, but the opposite of the truth; and that the greater scope for lay participation in the traditional Latin mass arises from the fact that its design aims at achieving the purpose of a liturgy, while the design of the Novus Ordo is not suited to this purpose.

Schola-Sainte-Cécile during the Traditional Latin Mass for the
Feast of St Cecilia, in the Parish Church of St-Eugène-St-Cécile, Paris (2014) - from their website

'Active participation' in magisterial teaching

The first step in addressing this question is to determine what is meant by 'active participation' in the magisterial documents of the Church that call for such participation on the part of the laity.

The first use of the phrase 'active participation' as a desideratum for lay involvement in the liturgy was in the Italian version of St. Pius X's motu proprio Tra le Sollicitudini in 1903; it did not appear in the official Latin text.

What's a commemoration?

In addition to priestly societies such as the Institute of Christ the King, the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, the Institute of the Good Shepherd and numerous other groups of priests who offer (exclusively) the traditional Latin Mass and sacraments using the 1962 books, a growing number of diocesan and religious priests have learned and offered the TLM on a part-time basis, serving countless souls. They have often learned how to offer the traditional Latin Mass on one's own initiative (motu proprio), either by spending time with another priest who already celebrates the TLM, or by visiting an FSSP seminary, or even via videos and books during spare time.

All Souls' Day and its Monday rubrics Updated (PCED letter)

The feast of Christ the King was of course celebrated this past Sunday, 26 October, using the 1962 calendar for the traditional Latin Mass, moved to November at the novus ordo liturgy.  This coming Sunday, 2 November, will be another example of stark contrasts in calendars, colors and logic, when the novus ordo commemorates All Souls' Day on Sunday, while the 1962 calendar for the traditional Latin Mass retains the long-standing custom of separating feasting and mourning.

According to the Codex Rubricarum, as promulgated by the motu proprio "Rubricarum Instructum" (1960), under Part One, "General Rubrics", All Souls' Day may not be celebrated on a Sunday.  Therefore, if 2 November falls on a Sunday, such as this year, All Souls' Day is transferred to Monday 3 November.  Here are three references to that transfer:

Attempting serious Communion at an unserious liturgy

Premières communiantes [First Communicants]
Musée de la civilisation, Québec

As the Church recently observed one of the ten universal holy days of the liturgical year, the subject of Holy Communion has naturally come up in different arenas for discussion following the feast of Corpus Christi.  One such blogger, Deacon Gregory Kandra of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, wrote a piece that offered guidance to communicants who attend the novus ordo liturgy.

In doing so, he inadvertently exposed some of the absurdities of trying to improve decorum and seriousness with the distribution of communion at a liturgy that seriously lacks seriousness.

For instance, Deacon Kandra wrote:

"The Eucharist remains the greatest gift, the 'source and summit' of our faith, and we shouldn't approach Holy Communion like we are standing in line at the DMV."

The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), for the benefit of our foreign readers, is, in the United States, the state-level government department responsible for the registration of motor vehicles and that administers procedures for driver licensing. It is important to note that DMV-looking lines only happen to be at locations that predominantly feature communion-in-the-hand (which Deacon Kandra seems to claim as more historically Catholic than receiving on the tongue).  And why not?  If the end-game is to approach a lady who will place a host in your palm while the communicant stands, then the casual approach is naturally going to become the norm. 

It took 20 seconds to find this photo from Deacon Kandra's own diocese.  

Compare the above Brooklyn parish to the Institute of Christ the King's mission in Gabon. Which one is more conducive to belief in the Real Presence?

In addition to the parish level, take, for instance, mass Masses. Communion was never intended to be distributed to thousands of people at Mass, even following the reforms and preachings of Pope Saint Pius X.

When Francis Cardinal Spellman, archbishop of New York, offered a traditional Latin Solemn High Pontifical Mass at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx in 1957, he alone received communion.  The 50,000 others did not receive.

When Pope Paul VI, on October 4, 1965, offered a Mass for Peace at Yankee Stadium using the "1965 missal" (the 1962 missal, with the many alterations ordered by Inter Oecumenici, as a supposed application of Vatican II), here is what one diocesan newspaper reported:

Another kind of "Reform of the Reform"?A homily by ersatz-priest Madam Marie-Josèphe Lachat

The novus ordo mass below is not at all unusual - quite the contrary, it is an average (or even above average) "well celebrated" mass of Paul VI, in its prevalent format around the world. What is slightly more unusual (though far from surprising) is that the homily, immediately following the reading of the Gospel,* is preached by what is, in all but name, a vested female ersatz-priest, Madame Marie-Josèphe Lachat, "Pastoral Assistant," with "use of an episcopal mandate for preaching" ["au bénéfice d'un mandat épiscopal pour la prédication"]

The "homily" ["homélie"] (that is what it is called) begins soon after 23:40 -- the entire ceremony is in French, naturally.

The official information is provided by the French-language public broadcaster Swiss Radio Television (RTS):

Mass at the Church of Saint Peter at Porrentruy (Jura Canton)

Presidency: canon Jacques Oeuvray. [*note: in the Proclamation of the Gospel, just to show how "très cool" he is, the deacon does not say, "the Gospel (Évangile) according to...", but "the Good News (la bonne nouvelle) according to..."] Preaching: Marie-Josèphe Lachat, pastoral assistant. [Sunday, May 18, 2014]

Not that the bishop, who gave her the "mandate for preaching," is unaware of it. Just a couple of weeks later, in a confirmation ceremony, there was Madame Lachat one more time, vested with her alb next to all local priests and deacons.

_______________________________

Is this a rupture with the entire Tradition of the Church? Yes. Is it disobedience to all norms regarding preaching in a liturgical setting? Yes. Will anything be done about this? Of course not : in the name of "progress", all norms, of divine or human institution, Tradition, and traditions can be violated. Whoever does not see the beauty in all of it is simply a "reactionary" who "does not accept Vatican II" -- even if the conciliar documents say absolutely nothing that would ever allow for this anti-Catholic practice. And that, "reaction", is what should be punished and restricted, even if it only means wanting to worship as the Church always worshiped. 

[Tip: Riposte catholique]

Mass for the Election of a Pope

Among the votive Masses found in the missal are those, as described by Father Fortescue, as "ordered by the pope or the ordinary for certain grave occasions (pro re gravi)."  This includes the Votive Mass for the Election of a Pope.

This Mass may only be offered during the time of sede vacante.  It is said or sung in red vestments.  A strict reading of the rubrics -- #366-368 -- implies the local ordinary must give permission.  (Several bishops have already given such permission.  In fact, a Solemn High traditional Latin Votive Mass for the Election of a Pope will be offered tomorrow in Westminster Cathedral.)

Classified a Votive Mass II, a Gloria is said or sung during a Votive Mass for the Election of a Pope, even in Lent.  There is no Credo on weekdays.  Although a Votive Mass II is permitted on Sundays of the second (but not first) class, that opportunity will not come up until 14 April, so the Sunday issue is probably moot.  (The Sundays between now and then are each first class Masses.)  The Mass may not be offered on Saint Joseph's Day, also a first class feast on 19 March, nor can it be offered between 24 March and 8 April, which are all first class days.

Organ and flowers are permitted, even during Lent, during this pro re gravi votive Mass.  A commemoration of the respective Lenten feria, however, must be made at all such votive Masses (therefore, a second collect, secret and postcommunion using the Lenten propers of the day).

The following are the propers for use in this votive Mass during weekdays in Lent.

PRO ELIGENDO SUMMO PONTIFICE

Introitum (1 Reg. 2, 35)

Suscitabo mihi sacerdotem fidelem, qui iuxta cor meum et animam meam faciet: et aedificabo ei domum fidelem, et ambulabit coram Christo meo cunctis diebus.  (Ps. 131, 1) Memento, Domine, David: et omnis mansuetudinis eius. Gloria Patri...

Oratio

Supplici, Domine, humilitate deposcimus: ut sacrosanctae Romanae Ecclesiae concedat Pontificem ilium tua immensa pietas; qui et pio in nos studio semper tibi placitus, et tuo populo pro salubri regimine sit assidue ad gloriam tui nominis reverendus. Per Dominum nostrum...

And so it begins

Letter of the Dean of the College of Cardinals to the Lord Cardinals providing official notice of the existence of a vacant Roman See, and calling them to the first General Congregation of the College, on Monday, March 4, 2013, at 9:30 AM, in the Paul VI  Hall (at the smaller hall of the Synod of Bishops).

Plus: from our friends at Romanitas Press, what is the priest supposed to say in the Te igitur during the interregnum - including in the case of those priests whose diocesan sees are also vacant.

[Image source: Messa in latino.]

The "Vatican Ordo for the Extraordinary Form"

From Summorum Pontificum Observatus (original in French):

The Ecclesia Dei Commission has just had an Ordo divini offici recitandi sacrique peragendi published by the Libreria Editrice Vaticana, whose elaboration was directed by Monsignor Pozzo, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission.

This Ordo, composed entirely in Latin, includes, as all documents of this type, the indication of the Divine Office to be chanted or recited and of the Mass to be celebrated on each day of the year.

... 

This Ordo starts on the First Sunday of Advent 2011.* The calendar of the feasts of the Temporal and of the Sanctoral rigorously follows the one in use in 1962 (for example, and contrary to the usage in several traditional places of worship, it forbids the use the organ on the Sundays in Advent, with reference to the Instruction De Musica Sacra, of September 3, 1958). It is obviously a Roman Ordo, that does not indicate the "national" feasts ... . On the other hand, it mentions the possibility of the use of the preface of Advent that existed in 1962 in all Dioceses in France, but not [included] in the Roman Missal.... 

The [Vatican Ordo]** solves the mixed [liturgical-disciplinary] question of the double Communion that may happen on the night and on the day of Christmas and Easter, authorizing it, according to the prescriptions of 1964 (this double communion is, in any event, practiced without any problem in all Traditional chapels).*** Yet in a "rigorist" sense it also solves the question of the Friday abstinence, by following not the legislation in place in 1962 (abstinence on all Fridays, except those that coincide with Feasts of obligation). It follows the discipline of the new Code of Canon Law in its "rigorous" interpretation (abstinence on all Fridays, except those that coincidewith "one of the days marked as solemnity", that is, the feasts of I Class, such as Friday in the Easter Octave). Taking these exceptions into consideration, on all Fridays the [Vatican Ordo] indicates (in bold, so that it cannot be ignored by anyone): Abstinentia.****

...

For which, paradoxically, the [Vatican Ordo] is more rigorous and closer to the traditional discipline than... the Ordo used by the Society of Saint Pius X and edited by the Monastery of Saint-François du Trévoux, which makes mention of the obligation of abstinence only on Fridays in Lent .

Rorate notes:

* Kind of late, they should be releasing the 2012-2013 Ordo - actually they should not only release it, those responsible must stop with this nonsense and always also make available the whole Ordo online, as the monks of Le Barroux and the priests of the Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney have already been doing in the past few years (see our sidebar). It is a public service and a work of charity. For those who are interested, it can be bought at Pax Book.

** The original post says "Pozzo Ordo" - a name which displays a servility with which we are sure the Pontifical Commission would not agree.

*** Not at all; double communion on Christmas and Easter is still avoided in numerous places.


**** Naturally, Canons 1251 and 1253 are still in full force. 

Palm Sunday and Good Friday -- singing the Passion

A common question at traditional Latin Mass parishes and chapels this time of year is: Who is allowed to chant the Passion?

The answer: Three deacons, or priests vested as deacons.

There are no exceptions to this rule outside of the schola being permitted to chant the full crowd's parts. We are talking about the Gospel of the Mass. The Passion of Saint Matthew is the Gospel for Palm Sunday. The Passion of Saint Mark is the Gospel for Tuesday in Holy Week. The Passion of Saint Luke is the Gospel for Wednesday in Holy Week. The Passion of Saint John is the Gospel on Good Friday.

According to Sancta Missa:

Q. On Palm Sunday and Good Friday, during the singing of the Passion Gospel, are laymen permitted to sing the role of the Synogaga or Chronista?

A. The Rites of Holy Week by Fr Frederick McManus, published in 1956 by the St Anthony Guild Press, Paterson, NJ, states that, the "Passion is divided into 3 parts: the narration (C for Chronista), the words of Christ (+), and the words of the crowd or of anyone else (S for Synogoga)...The choir (even of lay persons) may take the part of the crowd; the 3rd deacon then sings only the words of individuals (i.e. Pilate, Peter, etc)." (page 69).

McManus states that "the restored order of Holy Week does not provide for the case in which 3 deacons are not available to chant the Passion. It would seem that then the deacon of the Mass should read or chant the Passion in a clear voice, since the entire Passion now constitutes the Gospel of the Mass."In the Ritus Simplex the priest singing the Liturgy (i.e. Missa Cantata), has the option of just reading the Passion Gospel on Palm Sunday and on Good Friday instead of singing it. If he chooses to sing it, he must sing all three roles, but if a choir is available they could sing the parts of the crowd (Synagoga) that are not the voices of individuals (i.e. Peter, etc)

Summary: help your local clergy learn the chanted parts of the Passion, starting with the two most often sung (Matthew and John).

Musica Sacra has each part here, here and here:

In the meantime, laymen chanting the Passion on Palm Sunday or Good Friday is as illicit as laymen chanting the Gospel at Mass any other day of the year.

First Vespers of the First Sunday in Advent

The very first canonical hour of the new liturgical year is a wonderful moment ... to begin praying the Office, the Roman Breviary (or the traditional Breviaries of different orders and uses of the Latin Church).

Do you have a Breviarium Romanum published between 1912 and 1960, but are not sure of how to use it according to the 1960 rubrics? The Variationes, published together with the 1960 Codex Rubricarum, make your life quite easy: we make them available to you in  a printable version of the original Latin text (provided by Mr. Laszlo Kiss, R.I.P.). The changes are available in English from page 118 of the excellent translation and commentary by Fr. Patrick Murphy, made public by the FSSP Sydney Latin Mass Community. And do not forget this particular source: Divinum Officium, which may be of great help.

Divino Afflatu centennial - III The Centenary of Divino Afflatu and St. Pius X’s Breviary Reforms: A Personal Appreciation

All Saints' Day, the first day in November, marks the first centennial of the Apostolic Constitution "Divino Afflatu", signed by Pope Saint Pius X in 1911. This remarkable document enacted, among other measures, the order of the psalter used in the recitation of the Divine Office in the Traditional, Ancient, or Extraordinary Use of the Roman Rite - the Breviarium Romanum, according to the rubrics of 1960, which may be used as the normative Office by all those in the clerical state in the Latin Church (Summorum Pontificum, Art. 9, § 3) and, naturally, by all lay faithful who wish to do so (and are, indeed, encouraged to do so - Sacrosanctum Concilium, 100).

Fr. Anthony Cekada, regardless of our natural and strong disagreements with him in a matter of rock-solid and foundational relevance, is one of the most knowledgeable living analysts of the liturgical developments of the Latin Church in the last few centuries. His most famous publication, Work of Human Hands: A Theological Critique of the Mass of Paul VI (Philothea Press - also now with a related YouTube channel), has received compliments from different places (from Msgr. A. Wadsworth, ICEL General Secretary, who remarked that it is "full of interesting and credible analysis... an important contribution... scholarly ...I encourage others to read it," to Dr. Alcuin Reid, who, in a review published by The New Liturgical Movement, wrote that “Father Cekada’s great service is to flag the big question that we have not widely, as yet, been prepared to face…," that is, “if the Missal of Paul VI is indeed in substantial discontinuity with the preceding liturgical and theological tradition, this is a serious flaw requiring correction.”)

We deeply thank him for accepting our invitation to put his vast liturgical knowledge to good use once again in writing this most thorough (and also very personal) account of the impact of the admirable work put in place by Saint Pius X one hundred years ago today and that is an intimate part of the life of every traditional priest, every single day, from Matins to Compline.

_______________________________________

The Centenary of Divino Afflatu

and St. Pius X’s Breviary Reforms:

A Personal Appreciation

by

Rev. Anthony Cekada

  

Divino Afflatu centennial - II: comparing the Psalter orders before and after St.Pius X

In this second commemorative post on the first centennial of Divino Afflatu, of Pope Saint Pius X, on the reform of liturgical rubrics and the alteration of the order of the Psalter in the Roman Breviary, we take a closer look at the latter.

The changes in the order of the psalter were, by far, the most noticeable consequence of Divino Afflatu. For the first time in centuries, the order of psalms of most hours was changed - and the holy Pope explained why:

Even at present the psalter should be recited in its entirety within the week were it not that owing to the changed condition of things such recitation is frequently hindered. ... More than once serious complaints have been made by prudent and pious men about this omission, on the ground that owing to it those in sacred orders have been deprived of so many admirable aids for praising the Lord and expressing the inmost feelings of the soul, and that it has left them without that desirable variety in praying so highly necessary for our weakness in supplicating worthily, attentively, and devoutly.

...

A most important historical document: the 1969 Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani (the original GIRM)

7. Cena dominica sive Missa est sacra synaxis seu congregatio populi Dei in unum convenientis, sacerdote praeside, ad memoriale Domini celebrandum. Quare de sanctae Ecclesiae locali congregatione eminenter valet promissio Christi: "Ubi sunt duo vel tres congregati in nomine meo, ibi sum in medio eorum" (Mt. 18, 20).

"7. The Lord's Supper, or Mass, is the sacred meeting or congregation of the people of God assembled, the priest presiding, to celebrate the memorial of the Lord. For this reason, Christ's promise applies eminently to such a local gathering of holy Church: 'Where two or three come together in my name, there am I in their midst' (Mt. 18:20)."

This is the original complete definition of the Mass according to the 1969 Novus Ordo Missae: they were arguably the most influential liturgical words written in the 20th century and signaled a watershed moment - in a sense, closing the book written since late antiquity and the chapter begun in Sessions XIII and XXII of the Council of Trent. 

Number 7 of the first edition of the Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani (the General Instruction of the Roman Missal - GIRM) is the end moment of the original liturgical movement. Its writers also thought they would have the final say in the history of the Traditional Mass - within a few months, the storm started by these words on the edge of acceptability would spark the Brief Critical Study of the New Order of the Mass, presented to the Pope and to the Catholic world under the auspices of Cardinals Ottaviani, first Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Bacci. 

The waves set by that text have not subsided. That famous number 7 and other highly problematic words of the original 1969 IGMR (in which Trent is not mentioned a single time) and Ordo Missae would be amended in 1970, 1975, and 2002. While much was vindicated by the swift and significant corrections of 1970 - and, ultimately, by the proclamation by Pope Benedict XVI that the traditional Roman Missal was "never abrogated -, can it be denied that the spirit of the 1969 IGMR lives on in the New Mass, or "Ordinary Form"?

While the texts of the 1970, 1975, and 2002 IGMR are widely available, it had been impossible up to now to find online the original source of the controversy. Thanks to the generous effort of a priestly source, RORATE can now present to our readers the original 1969 Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani. (Note: this is the entire IGMR, but only the first pages of the original complete publication of the 1969 Ordo Missae, promulgated on April 3, 1969, by the Apostolic Constitution Missale Romanum, of Pope Paul VI.)