ABOUT THE MASS SERIES.
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Saying Mass:About the Mass Icon. |
PREPARATION FOR THE MASS
We have now attempted to prepare well
for our Sunday Mass, but without a priest (and preferably Altar Servers) there
is No Mass. So how does a priest prepare?
HOW PRIEST AND ALTAR SERVERS PREPARE
During the early days of the
persecuted Church an outer cloak and an under-tunic somewhat like today’s’ Mass
vestments were worn. This type of clothing is still used at Mass as a
aide memoire of those initial stages of the Church.
The priest does not wear his everyday
clothes, but vests (gets dressed) for Mass in vestments each with particular importance.
First he puts on the Amice (a scarf), followed by the Alb, which is a symbol of
purity and is a survival of the ancient tunic or undergarment from the
Greco-Roman world. The alb is the long white inner garment. The Alb
is held by a Cincture (a cord with tassels) followed by the Stole (a symbol of
the priesthood). The stole is a narrow or wide strip of cloth, usually the same
colour as the chasuble. It should be noted that deacons wear the stole
diagonally across the left shoulder, whilst priests wear it hanging around the
neck, with both ends hanging down the front. The manner of wearing the stole
identifies the role of office of priest and deacon.
Finally, he puts on the Chasuble,
which is the outer garment and is a circular coloured piece of cloth with a
hole cut in the centre for the head. The chasuble worn by the deacon is
square piece of cloth with a hole cut in the centre for the head. The
style of the chasuble identifies the role of office of priest and deacon.
The Chasuble’s colour depends on the
liturgical Feast or Season- Advent and Lent-Violet/Purple, Christmas and Easter
and Solemnities-White, Sundays in Ordinary Time-Green and Pentecost,
Confirmation and Special Feast days of Martyrs- Red.
The liturgical colours also have
meaning as follows:
·
Violet/purple means
preparation and penance.
·
Rose means rejoicing,
anticipation and joy.
·
White means new life, holiness
and resurrection.
·
Green means eternal hope and
spiritual growth.
·
Red means martyrdom, love and
kingship.
The following diagram is taken
from Called to Serve 1996) pg 13a.
Rose colour vestments (not pink) are
used in some parishes twice a year at the midpoint of both Advent and Lent.
Gaudete Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent in
the Christian calendar. It can fall on any date
from 11 December to 17 December.
The term Gaudete is broadly translated from Latin as Rejoice,
a word that appears in the entrance antiphon (introit)
of Masses held on this day: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say,
rejoice! The Lord is near. (Roman Catholic Rite Years A, B and C).
On Gaudete Sunday rose-coloured
vestments may be worn instead of violet,
which is prescribed for every day in the season of Advent. A rose-coloured
candle is included in the Advent wreath. During the otherwise penitential
season of Advent, the readings on the third Sunday emphasize the joyous
anticipation of the Lord's coming.
The Catholic Encyclopedia informs us
that Laetare Sunday so called from the incipit of
the Introit at
Mass, "Laetare Jerusalem" ("O be joyful, Jerusalem"), is a
name often used to denote the fourth Sunday of the season of Lent in the Christian liturgical calendar. This Sunday is also known
as Mothering Sunday, Refreshment Sunday, Mid-Lent Sunday (in
French mi-carême), and Rose Sunday, because the golden rose sent by
the popes to Catholic sovereigns, used to be blessed at this time.
ALTAR SERVERS
The altar Server’s white or cream Alb
is similar to the priest’s Alb, but sometimes has a cowl or collar. It is
usually fastened around the waist with a cincture, often in the liturgical
colour, to coincide with the colour of the Priest’s chasuble.
The altar Server’s role is important
and he/she needs some training to participate in this role. To our
younger parishioners who have already made their First Communion- Have you ever
thought about becoming an altar server? And to all
Parishioners, if you are interested in seeing the vestments more closely,
Father or one of the sacristans would be delighted to show them to you in the
Sacristy (room where the priest vests for Mass).
In the sacristy on the vesting table,
there is also an Ordo, which outlines what feast it is, what the readings are
and what is the proper liturgical colour of the day. A hymnal, if required, is
also found on the vesting table.
The Tabernacle and Lectern (the stand
where God’s Word is proclaimed) may have a cover and a banner respectively to
match the colour of the priest’s chasuble, indicating the Season or Feast.
In churches within an older architectural
era, such as Saint Patrick’s Cathedral Melbourne and St Dominic’s, the
lectern (ambo) is often designed as an Eagle, which according to the New
Catholic Dictionary’s ‘an emblem of Our Lord, who could gaze
undazzled upon the glory of God, the Father as an Eagle at the sun’.
Associated in art with
·
Saint Augustine of
Hippo as a symbol of inspiration;
·
Saint Cuthbert,
who was fed by an eagle;
·
Saint Florian, whose corpse was protected from abuse by an eagle;
·
Saint John of the
Cross as a symbol of inspiration;
·
Saint John the
Evangelist as a symbol of inspiration and the Holy Ghost;
·
Saint Juan Diego, whose birth name means "the eagle who speaks";
·
Saint Medard, who was sheltered from the weather by a hovering eagle;
·
Saint Ruggero of Canne, who was sheltered in his travels by an eagle;
·
Saint Servatus, who was sheltered from the sun by an eagle while he travelled
as a pilgrim; and Saint Wenceslaus.
In more modern designed churches, the
lectern may not an eagle. When St Patricks Cathedral Melbourne
was refurbished in 1997, there was a new marble altar. The previous altar which
was grey stone, came to another church in the diocese, where it was resized and
a lectern was crafted from the grey stone of the altar.
The Paschal Candle is lit from Easter
Vigil to Pentecost Sunday, is placed near the altar or lectern (ambo). The
Paschal Candle signifies the presence of the Risen Christ in our midst.
The flowers are also important part
of the liturgical décor. Appropriate choice of flowers and appropriate
liturgical colours (as far as possible), enhance the beauty of the sanctuary and liturgy.
During Advent and Lent, the seasons are penitential in character, so it is
appropriate that the sanctuary is not decorated with flowers. Some parishes
prefer to use greenery only during this time.
From a practical viewpoint, nowadays
it is often more difficult for parishes to maintain a flower roster team. Some
parishes successfully enhance their sanctuaries with excellent quality
artificial flowers, which are beautifully and creatively decorated by the
flower team. Other parishes have a standing order with a local florist, whilst
combining this with using some of the flowers remaining from the church
weddings and flowers provided by parishioners.
This concludes Section 3:
Preparation of the Mass. I hope that these posts have given you a greater
awareness and appreciation of the Preparation of the Mass.
Next week we will commence with
Section 4: Introductory Rite. We are now ready for Mass to begin.
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