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BEFORE AND AFTER
A comparison between the interior layout of Catholic churches now and fifty years ago indicates some of the principal differences between the mass of 1970 and the mass of 1570.
A church of today
On entering, the first feature you notice is the altar, usually at the opposite, Eastern end of the church to the main entrance. It is a long, rectangular stylised table made of stone, standing alone in the sanctuary (altar-space), sometimes you will find on closer inspection that it is still up against the wall at the far end of the church, in which case a second, usually smaller, communion table takes its place. That usually means that the altar table was not moved because it would have damaged it or spoilt the aesthetic balance of the sanctuary, although such considerations failed to prevent many beautiful stone altars being disposed of and perspectives distorted by the resulting realignment of the altar.
In the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council, many churches were 'reordered': the altar was brought forward from the end wall to accommodate the celebrant standing behind it, facing the congregation; sometimes the tabernacle was moved to a side altar; communion rails were removed as the faithful no longer knelt to receive the sacrament. It became fashionable for a time for the church to be simple, rather bare in fact, and many parishes disposed of objects associated with popular Catholic devotions, such as statues.
The layout of the sanctuary (altar space) reflects the new understanding of the role of the priest and of lay ministry as laid down in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (see Chapter 5). To one side is the priest’s chair from which he opens the mass and to which he retires when the Readers are at the ambo (lectern) or the choir is singing. There is a microphone next to the chair at which he stands to greet the people at the start of mass; saying with them the ‘I confess’ or other penitential prayer and then pronouncing the words of absolution (forgiveness of sins). The first two Readings are read by lay Readers from the ambo on the opposite side of the sanctuary. In modern and reordered churches, pulpits are rare and the priest usually preaches from the ambo, after reading the gospel there. He is later at his place to open and close the Bidding Prayers, which are led by one of the Readers from the ambo. This is the end of the first half of the mass, the Liturgy of the Word.
Apart from bowing to it and kissing it before going to his place for the opening prayers, the priest does not approach the altar until the start of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the second half of the mass, which he conducts from behind it, facing the people throughout. Like the rest of the mass, it is entirely in the vernacular (local language) and every word can be heard. The hosts (stylised bread) and chalice (containing wine) are brought to the altar by members of the congregation in procession, and given to the priest, who places them on the altar table for consecration and distribution. At the Communion, the celebrant, usually with at least one lay minister, comes down from the altar to the edge of the sanctuary, each with a ciborium (a container in precious metal) containing consecrated hosts. In the meantime, members of the congregation wishing to take Holy Communion (and it is usually nearly everybody) form two parallel lines, starting from the sanctuary, down the middle aisle of the church. On reaching the front, they receive the host in their cupped hands from either the priest or the lay minister before placing it in their mouths while returning to their bench by a side aisle. On special occasions Communion is available to the laity in both kinds,[1] in which case communicants go first to whoever is distributing the hosts, and then take the chalice from the hands of the other minister or priest, drink from it, then return to their place. After Communion the priest retires once more to his seat for a period of quiet reflection before the final blessing and dismissal pronounced either from his place or from the centre of the altar
Time Travel: fifty years ago
Imagine yourself able to go back to the eve of the Council in 1962 and walking into a parish church of the time, perhaps the same one just described. What you see would tell you much about the mass as it was celebrated fifty years ago, and comparing it with the church of today will give you a sense of how it changed. If you belong to the majority who know only the ‘new mass’, trying to visualise the interior of a church as it was before the reform will also help you to put yourself in the place of a parishioner of the time. You will then be better able to emphasise with those who experienced the changes.
You would almost certainly be struck first by how different the sanctuary and altar look. They are separated from the rest of the church by the communion rail, a low stone or wooden structure with a small gate in the centre, which is closed by a server shortly before Communion is distributed and at which the faithful kneel to receive the host directly in their mouth, without touching it. (It was always only the host, there was no provision for lay people to receive Communion under both kinds in those days.) A closed-off sanctuary reminded everyone that this was sacred space, and that nobody apart from the celebrant and the (exclusively male) servers were allowed to set foot on it. Women were separately forbidden to enter it. Only priests were permitted to distribute Holy Communion.
Like the rest of the mass, all the Readings were in Latin, and said or sung by the celebrant at the altar, the epistle or first reading on the right-hand side as the congregation saw it, the gospel on the left. The book was normally on a small wooden stand, so it could be easily transferred from one side to the other. Most people followed the readings in their bilingual missals. They were also read in the vernacular from the pulpit by the celebrant, immediately before delivering his sermon or, in the case of the dialogue mass, still a relatively recent innovation in the early 1960s, by a lay Reader who stayed in the body of the church
Having taken in the Communion rail, your gaze is inevitably drawn to the imposing altar[2] on the far (Eastern) wall, usually surrounded by decoration in wood or set in the same stone as the altar table. The altar dominates all eye lines in the church, raised as it is at the top of two sets of steps. The mass starts with the priest and servers at the foot of those steps, on the same level as the congregation as they recite the Confiteor. Like the congregation, they face ahead, asking forgiveness for their sins before mounting the steps to the altar for the rest of the mass. Apart from occasionally turning towards the congregation to ask them to endorse a prayer, the priest faces forward throughout, addressing God on behalf of the people. Except in a dialogue mass, in which the congregation responds, the Latin responses are made by altar server(s).
In the centre of the altar is the tabernacle, a lockable gold-lined box decorated in the same seasonal liturgical colours as the priest’s vestments and in which hosts for Holy Communion are kept. A red light burns on the sanctuary wall, testifying to the Real Presence, and at most times of the day there will normally be one or two people silently praying before the altar. The church is open all day to facilitate such visits. You would notice how reverent people are, particularly towards the altar. If they have to speak, it is in a whisper.
To the right the only furniture in the sanctuary consists of three seats to one side, for the celebrant, deacon and sub- deacon who sit here at high (sung) mass while the choir is singing the Gloria or Credo. The priest, having intoned the opening phrase, leaves the rest to the choir after reciting the whole prayer in a relatively muted voice while the choir is singing, before retiring to his seat until the choir has finished. On one of the steps, to the side, you can see a set of bells, used most notably at the consecration, when a server rings them to ensure the congregation does not miss this most holy of moments. On hearing the bells, the kneeling faithful bow their heads, looking up briefly when the bells are rung again to worship the raised host, then the chalice (this is known as the elevation). Throughout, the celebrant and the host are clearly visible because of the raised altar.
Built on to a pillar to the left of the altar and accessed from the sanctuary by several steps is an imposing pulpit [3] from which the priest preaches, reads out notices, and repeats the epistle and gospel but in the vernacular (except in the recently introduced dialogue mass[4], where a lay reader reads the vernacular versions from the body of the church). Between the pulpit and the sacristy door, set back into the wall is a small side-altar dedicated to Our Lady, as every Catholic referred to Mary. Side-altars came into their own on 2 November, All Souls Day, when priests were permitted to say three masses for the ‘faithful departed’ at the request of their families. Since a parish of the time normally had at least two priests, and often more, the availability of two side-altars meant that mass could be celebrated more or less continuously, with staggered starts. As long as the celebrants and servers kept their voices down, the overlapping Low (that is, said rather than sung) Masses did not interfere with those being celebrated on adjacent altars.
Next to the side altar, but just in the body of the church, there is a large statue of Mary with several candles burning in front of it. The candles can be obtained from a metal box under the statue. There is a slot in one side of it to enable a contribution to be made to their cost. Lit by individuals before or after mass, or who come into church during the day to pray, the candles symbolise prayers ascending to heaven with the support of Mary. In a similar position to the right of the high altar is another side-altar, this one devoted to St Joseph, together with his statue and a few candles in front of it. You also notice a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the left-hand corner at the back of the church, next to the gated baptistery. Lots of candles burn before the statue with its open arms, and reassuring, compassionately smiling face, the visible heart surrounded by flames of love. Pope Pius X had added an invocation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to the prayers said at the end of mass, but most liturgical scholars were suspicious of any sort of devotions and found the statues sentimental.[5]
Along the wall on one side of the church there are three doors, each with a discreet light above it and a priest’s nameplate on the door. These are the confessionals. On Saturday evenings, as the time for confessions approaches, the benches by those doors are full with silent, kneeling parishioners. Once confessions start, they move quietly along the benches, each one’s turn eventually signalled by the green light above the door. Afterwards, most go off to find a quiet corner to say their penance, some do so in front of the altar, others before one of the statues. You did not see a confessional in the contemporary church. If there was one, it was not apparent, although the parish newsletter does contain a notice that confessions are available immediately before mass or by appointment.
In the choir gallery at the opposite end to the altar, you can see the organ, used at high mass typically at 11 am every Sunday, when the choir and congregation sing the prayers such as the Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and the Agnus Dei. Hymns are not usually sung. Otherwise, the standard mass was the low mass, said by a priest accompanied by one or two servers.
NOTES
1] Surprisingly the reform did not restore the chalice to the laity as the norm (See CSL 54).
[2] The church had hesitated to use the term 'altar' because of its association with pagan cults. However, the emergence of a theology of sacrifice made it acceptable.
[3] Pulpits became a feature of churches from the fourteenth century in connection with the activity of the preaching orders. Seating for the congregation followed, typically from the fifteenth century
BIBLIIOGAPHY
BIERITZ K-H ‘Liturgik’ Berlin 2004
MARTIN P ‘Le theatre divin. Une histoire de la messe XVI-XX siecles’ CNRS Editions Paris 2010
METZGER M ‘History of the Liturgy. The Major Stages' (translated by Madeleine M Beaumont) Liturgical Press Collegeville, Minnesota 1997 (originally published in French 1994)
2 Gesture and posture in the mass of 1570
The example of the Offertory (see Chapter 5)
● While saying the prayer Suscipe, sancte Pater (‘Accept, holy Father’).
● ... the priest takes the host, the bread which is to be consecrated, on a paten (a metal plate) and raises it heavenwards in offering;
● he makes the sign of the cross with the paten, and ...
● takes the chalice containing the wine to be consecrated and, on being handed a cruet of water by a server, he adds a small amount of water to the wine, a custom now interpreted allegorically as indicated by the prayer.
● Then in the beautiful prayer (fortunately largely retained in the new mass) Deus qui humanae substantiae, he prays that, just as Jesus took on human nature, we may be able to share in his divine nature;
● he then raises the chalice in offering, saying the prayer Offerimus tibi, Domine (We offer you, Lord);
● after which he makes the Sign of the Cross over the chalice, covers it and joins his hands on the altar,
● and, bowing slightly, once more matching his posture to the words, he says the prayer In spiritu humilitatis, humbly requesting that the sacrifice he is offering may be acceptable to God.
● Looking up to heaven, he extends his arms, then joins his hands, making the Sign of the Cross over both host and chalice on the altar before him, while calling upon the Holy Spirit to bless the sacrifice: Veni, Sanctificator’. (Come, Sanctifier).
Gesture and posture[7]
The missal of 1570 had laid down in detail what was to be done at every point of the mass. Gestures and variations in posture, such as making the sign of the cross, blessing, stretching the arms out wide, folding the hands together, bowing, genuflecting and kneeling down, all reinforce the words of the mass in solemn choreography.[7] We can take the Offertory as an example,[7] paying attention to the priest’s gestures and their meaning:
●While saying the prayer Suscipe, sancte Pater (‘Accept, holy Father’).
●... the priest takes the host, the bread which is to be consecrated, on a paten (a metal plate) and raises it heavenwards in offering;
●he makes the sign of the cross with the paten, and ...
●takes the chalice containing the wine to be consecrated and, on being handed a cruet of water by a server, he adds a small amount of water to the wine, a custom now interpreted allegorically as indicated by the prayer.
●Then in the beautiful prayer (fortunately largely retained in the new mass) Deus qui humanae substantiae, he prays that, just as Jesus took on human nature, we may be able to share in his divine nature;
●he then raises the chalice in offering, saying the prayer Offerimus tibi, Domine (We offer you, Lord);
●after which he makes the Sign of the Cross over the chalice, covers it and joins his hands on the altar,
●and, bowing slightly, once more matching his posture to the words, he says the prayer In spiritu humilitatis, humbly requesting that the sacrifice he is offering may be acceptable to God.
●Looking up to heaven, he extends his arms, then joins his hands, making the Sign of the Cross over both host and chalice on the altar before him, while calling upon the Holy Spirit to bless the sacrifice: Veni, Sanctificator’. (Come, Sanctifier).
TRADITION AND CHANGE
We tend to think of tradition as something static, but its primary meaning is the exact opposite: the Latin verb ‘tradere’ means ‘to hand on’, so the noun ‘traditio’ refers to the action or process of handing something on, as well as, by extension, whatever is being handed on. This dynamic meaning is always present, at least in the background, whenever the word ‘tradition’ is used by the church. Applied to the mass, the term reminds us that we receive it from our predecessors in the faith and have the responsibility of passing it on to the next generation. If it is to continue as a functioning, living tradition, it must adapt, and those who reject on principle any possibility of liturgical change are setting their face against the practice of the church throughout most of its history. Pius V's unchanging Roman Missal was itself the product of centuries of development.
To safeguard continuity any changes should 'grow organically from forms already existing' (CSL 23). This metaphor of organic change implies natural development, balancing the dangers of inflexible refusal to adapt against the risk of reckless innovation. Traditionalists and liturgical reformers were equally influenced, although in opposite ways, by the long time the text and rubrics of the mass had remained the same. Reformers felt they needed to go beyond organic development to compensate for what they saw as a backlog of necessary changes, which in turn made traditionalists even more resistant.
Much of the hope invested in liturgical reform disappeared in recrimination and factionalism, as ‘traditionalist' and ‘progressive’ seemed determined to outdo each other in refusing to accept the authority of the Council when it suited them.