VATICAN II AND THE MASS
Part One
SACROSANCTUM
CONCILIUM
CONSTITUTION
ON THE SACRED LITURGY
Solemnly
Promulgated by His Holiness Pope Paul VI
INTRODUCTION
1. This sacred Council has several
aims in view: it desires to impart an ever increasing vigor to the Christian
life of the faithful; to adapt more suitably to the needs of our own times
those institutions which are subject to change; to foster whatever can
promote union among all who believe in Christ; to strengthen whatever can help
to call the whole of mankind into the household of the Church. The Council therefore sees
particularly cogent reasons for undertaking the reform and promotion of the
liturgy.
2. For the liturgy, "through which the work
of our redemption is accomplished," (1) most of all in the divine
sacrifice of the eucharist, is the outstanding means
whereby the faithful may express in their lives, and manifest to others, the
mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church. It is of the essence
of the Church that she be both human and divine, visible and yet invisibly
equipped, eager to act and yet intent on contemplation, present in this world
and yet not at home in it; and she is all these things in such wise that in her
the human is directed and subordinated to the divine, the visible likewise to
the invisible, action to contemplation, and this present world to that city yet
to come, which we seek (2). While the liturgy daily builds up those who are
within into a holy temple of the Lord, into a dwelling place for God in the
Spirit (3), to the mature measure of the fullness of Christ (4), at the same
time it marvelously strengthens their power to preach Christ, and thus shows
forth the Church to those who are outside as a sign lifted up among the nations
(5) under which the scattered children of God may be gathered together (6),
until there is one sheepfold and one shepherd (7).
3.
Wherefore the sacred Council judges that the following principles concerning
the promotion and reform of the liturgy should be called to mind, and that practical norms should be established.
Among these principles and norms there
are some of which can and should be applied both to the Roman rite and also to
all the other rites. The practical norms which follow, however, should be taken
as applying only to the Roman rite, except for those which, in the very
nature of things, affect other rites as well.
4. Lastly, in faithful obedience to tradition, the sacred Council declares that
holy
Chapter
I
General Principles for the Restoration and
Promotion of Sacred Liturgy
1. The Nature of the Sacred Liturgy and Its
Importance in the Church's Life
5. God
who "wills that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the
truth" (1 Tim. 2:4), "who in many and various ways spoke in times
past to the fathers by the prophets" (Heb. 1:1), when the fullness of time
had come sent His Son, the Word made flesh, anointed by the Holy Spirit, to
preach the the gospel to the poor, to heal the
contrite of heart (8), to be a "bodily and spiritual medicine" (9),
the Mediator between God and man (10). For His humanity, united with the person
of the Word, was the instrument of our salvation. Therefore in Christ "the
perfect achievement of our reconciliation came forth, and the fullness of
divine worship was given to us" (11).
The
wonderful works of God among the people of the Old Testament were but a prelude
to the work of Christ the Lord in redeeming mankind and giving perfect glory to
God. He achieved His task principally by the paschal mystery of His blessed
passions resurrection from the dead, and the glorious ascension, whereby
"dying, he destroyed our death and, rising, he restored our life"
(12). For it was from the side of Christ as He slept the sleep of death upon
the cross that there came forth "the wondrous sacrament of the whole
Church" (13).
6. Just
as Christ was sent by the Father, so also He sent the apostles, filled with the
Holy Spirit. This He did that, by preaching the gospel to every creature (14),
they might proclaim that the Son of God, by His death and resurrection, had
freed us from the power of Satan (15) and from death, and brought us into the
7. To
accomplish so great a work, Christ is always present in His Church, especially
in her liturgical celebrations. He is present in the
sacrifice of the Mass, not only in the person of His minister, "the same
now offering, through the ministry of priests, who formerly offered himself on
the cross" (20), but especially under the eucharistic
species. By His power He is present in the sacraments, so that when
a man baptizes it is really Christ Himself who baptizes (21). He is present in His word,
since it is He Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the
Church. He is present, lastly, when the Church prays and sings, for
He promised: "Where
two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of
them" (Matt.
Christ
indeed always associates the Church with Himself in this great work wherein God
is perfectly glorified and men are sanctified. The Church is His beloved Bride
who calls to her Lord, and through Him offers worship to the Eternal Father.
Rightly,
then, the liturgy
is considered as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ. In
the liturgy the sanctification of the man is signified by signs perceptible to
the senses, and is effected in a way which corresponds with each of these
signs; in the liturgy the whole public worship is performed by the Mystical
Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head and His members.
From
this it follows that every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the priest and of His
Body which is the Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others; no
other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the
same degree.
8. In the
earthly liturgy we take part in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is
celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem toward which we journey as pilgrims,
where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, a minister of the holies and
of the true tabernacle (22); we sing a hymn to the Lord's glory with all the
warriors of the heavenly army; venerating the memory of the saints, we hope for
some part and fellowship with them; we eagerly await the Saviour,
Our Lord Jesus Christ, until He, our life, shall appear and we too will appear
with Him in glory (23).
9. The
sacred liturgy does not exhaust the entire activity of the Church. Before men
can come to the liturgy they must be called to faith and to conversion:
"How then are they to call upon him in whom they have not yet believed?
But how are they to believe him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear if no one preaches? And how are men to preach unless they be sent?" (
Therefore
the Church announces the good tidings of salvation to those who do not believe,
so that all men may know the true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, and
may be converted from their ways, doing penance (24). To believers also the
Church must ever preach faith and penance, she must prepare them for the
sacraments, teach them to observe all that Christ has commanded (25), and
invite them to all the works of charity, piety, and the apostolate. For all
these works make it clear that Christ's faithful, though not of this world, are
to be the light of the world and to glorify the Father before men.
10.
Nevertheless the liturgy
is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time
it is the font from which all her power flows. For the aim and object of apostolic works
is that all who are made sons of God by faith and baptism should come together
to praise God in the midst of His Church, to take part in the sacrifice, and to
eat the Lord's supper.
The liturgy in its turn moves the
faithful, filled with "the paschal sacraments," to be "one in
holiness"
(26); it prays that "they may hold fast in their lives to what they have
grasped by their faith" (27); the renewal in the eucharist
of the covenant between the Lord and man draws the faithful into the compelling
love of Christ and sets them on fire. From the liturgy, therefore, and especially from
the eucharist, as from a font, grace is poured forth
upon us; and the sanctification of men in Christ and the
glorification of God, to which all other activities of the Church are directed
as toward their end, is achieved in the most efficacious possible way.
11. But in order that the liturgy may be able to produce its full effects, it
is necessary that the faithful come to it with proper dispositions, that their minds should be attuned to
their voices, and that they should cooperate with divine grace lest they
receive it in vain (28). Pastors of souls must therefore realize that, when the liturgy is
celebrated, something more is required than the mere observation of the laws
governing valid and licit celebration; it is their duty also to ensure that the
faithful take part fully aware of what they are doing, actively
engaged in the rite, and enriched by its effects.
12. The
spiritual life, however, is not limited solely to participation in the liturgy.
The Christian is indeed called to pray with his brethren, but he must also
enter into his chamber to pray to the Father, in secret (29); yet more,
according to the teaching of the Apostle, he should pray without ceasing (30).
We learn from the same Apostle that we must always bear about in our body the
dying of Jesus, so that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our
bodily frame (31). This is why we ask the Lord in the sacrifice of the Mass
that, "receiving the offering of the spiritual victim," he may
fashion us for himself "as an eternal gift" (32).
13.
Popular devotions of the Christian people are to be highly commended, provided
they accord with the laws and norms of the Church, above all when they are
ordered by the Apostolic See. Devotions proper to individual Churches also have
a special dignity if they are undertaken by mandate of the bishops according to
customs or books lawfully approved. But
these devotions should be so drawn up that they harmonize with the liturgical
seasons, accord with the sacred liturgy, are in some fashion derived from it,
and lead the people to it, since, in fact, the liturgy by its very nature far
surpasses any of them.
2. The Promotion of Liturgical Instruction and
Active Participation
14.
In the restoration and promotion of the
sacred liturgy, this full and active participation by all the people is the aim
to be considered before all else; for it is the primary and indispensable source from
which the faithful are to derive the true Christian spirit; and therefore
pastors of souls must zealously strive to achieve it, by means of the necessary
instruction, in all their pastoral work.
Yet
it would be futile to entertain any hopes of realizing this unless the pastors
themselves, in the first place, become thoroughly imbued with the spirit and
power of the liturgy, and undertake to give instruction about it. A prime need, therefore,
is that attention be directed, first of all, to the liturgical instruction of
the clergy. Wherefore the sacred Council has decided to enact as
follows:
15. Professors who
are appointed to teach liturgy in seminaries, religious houses of study, and
theological faculties must be properly trained for their work in institutes which
specialize in this subject.
16. The study of sacred liturgy is to be
ranked among the compulsory and major courses in seminaries and
religions houses of studies; in theological faculties it is to rank among the
principal courses. It is to be taught under its theological, historical,
spiritual, pastoral, and juridical aspects. Moreover, other professors, while
striving to expound the mystery of Christ and the history of salvation from the
angle proper to each of their own subjects, must nevertheless do so in a way
which will clearly bring out the connection between their subjects and the
liturgy, as also the unity which underlies all priestly training. This consideration
is especially important for professors of dogmatic, spiritual, and pastoral
theology and for those of holy scripture.
17. In seminaries and houses of
religious, clerics shall be given a liturgical formation in their spiritual
life. For this they will need proper direction, so that they may be able to
understand the sacred rites and take part in them wholeheartedly;
and they will also need personally to celebrate the sacred mysteries, as well
as popular devotions which are imbued with the spirit of the liturgy. In
addition they must learn how to observe the liturgical laws, so that life in
seminaries and houses of religious may be thoroughly influenced by the spirit
of the liturgy.
18. Priests, both secular and
religious, who are already working in the Lord's vineyard are to be helped by
every suitable means to understand ever more fully what it is that they are
doing when they
perform sacred rites; they are to be aided to live the liturgical life and to
share it with the faithful entrusted to their care.
19. With zeal and patience,
pastors of souls must promote the liturgical instruction of the faithful, and
also their active participation in the liturgy both internally and externally,
taking into account their age and condition, their way of life, and standard of
religious culture. By so doing, pastors will be fulfilling one of the chief
duties of a faithful dispenser of the mysteries of God; and in this matter they
must lead their flock not only in word but also by example.
20.
Transmissions of the sacred rites by radio and television shall be done with
discretion and dignity, under the leadership and direction of a suitable person
appointed for this office by the bishops. This is especially important when the
service to be broadcast is the
21. In order that the Christian people may more
certainly derive an abundance of graces from the sacred liturgy, holy
In
this restoration, both texts and rites should be drawn up so that they express
more clearly the holy things which they signify; the Christian people, so far
as possible, should be enabled to understand them with ease and to take part in
them fully, actively, and as befits a community.
Wherefore the sacred Council establishes the
following general norms:
3. The Reform of the Sacred Liturgy
A) General Norms
22. 1. Regulation of the sacred
liturgy depends solely on the authority of the Church, that
is, on the Apostolic See and, as laws may determine, on the bishop.
2. In virtue of power conceded by the
law, the regulation of the liturgy within certain defined limits belongs also
to various kinds of competent territorial bodies of bishops legitimately
established.
3. Therefore no other person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or
change anything in
the liturgy on his own authority.
23. That sound tradition may
be retained, and yet the way remain open to legitimate progress, careful
investigation is always to be made into each part of the liturgy which is to be
revised. This investigation should be theological, historical, and pastoral.
Also the general laws governing the structure and meaning of the liturgy must
be studied in conjunction with the experience derived from recent liturgical
reforms and from the indults conceded to various places. Finally, there must be no
innovations unless the good of the Church genuinely and certainly requires them;
and care must be taken that any new forms adopted should in some way grow
organically from forms already existing.
As
far as possible, notable differences between the rites used in adjacent regions
must be carefully avoided.
24. Sacred scripture is of the
greatest importance in the celebration of the liturgy. For it is from scripture that
lessons are read and explained in the homily, and psalms are sung; the prayers,
collects, and liturgical songs are scriptural in their inspiration and their
force, and it is from the scriptures that actions and signs derive
their meaning. Thus to achieve the restoration, progress, and adaptation
of the sacred liturgy, it is essential to promote that warm and living love for
scripture to which the venerable tradition of both eastern and western rites
gives testimony.
25. The liturgical books are to be
revised as soon as possible; experts are to be employed on the task, and
bishops are to be consulted, from various parts of the world.
B) Norms Drawn From the Hierarchic and Communal Nature of the Liturgy
26.
Liturgical services are not private functions, but are celebrations of the
Church, which is the "sacrament of unity," namely, the holy people
united and ordered under their bishops (33)
Therefore
liturgical services pertain to the whole body of the Church; they manifest it
and have effects upon it; but they concern the individual members of the Church
in different ways, according to their differing rank, office, and actual
participation.
27. It is to be stressed that
whenever rites, according to their specific nature, make provision for communal
celebration involving the presence and
active participation of the faithful, this way of celebrating them is to be
preferred, so far as possible, to a
celebration that is individual and quasi-private. This applies with especial force to the
celebration of Mass and
the administration of the sacraments, even though every Mass has of itself a public and social nature.
28. In
liturgical celebrations each person, minister or layman, who has an office to
perform, should do all of, but only, those parts which pertain to his office by
the nature of the rite and the principles of liturgy.
29.
Servers, lectors, commentators, and members of the choir also exercise a
genuine liturgical function. They ought, therefore, to discharge their office
with the sincere piety and decorum demanded by so exalted a ministry and
rightly expected of them by God's people.
Consequently they must all be deeply imbued with the spirit of the
liturgy, each in his own measure, and they must be
trained to perform their functions in a correct and orderly manner.
30. To
promote active participation, the people should be encouraged to take part by
means of acclamations, responses, psalmody, antiphons, and songs, as well as by
actions, gestures, and bodily attitudes. And at the proper times all should observe a reverent silence.
31. The
revision of the liturgical books must carefully attend to the provision of
rubrics also for the people's parts.
32. The
liturgy makes distinctions between persons according to their liturgical
function and sacred Orders, and there are liturgical laws providing for due
honors to be given to civil authorities. Apart from these instances, no special honors are to
be paid in the liturgy to any private persons or classes of persons,
whether in the ceremonies or by external display.
C) Norms Based Upon the Didactic and Pastoral Nature of the Liturgy
33.
Although the sacred
liturgy is above all things the worship of the divine Majesty, it likewise contains
much instruction for the faithful (34). For in the liturgy God speaks to His
people and Christ is still proclaiming His gospel. And the people reply to God both by song and prayer.
Moreover, the prayers addressed to God
by the priest who presides over the assembly in the person of Christ are said
in the name of the entire holy people and of all present. And the visible signs
used by the liturgy to signify invisible divine things have been chosen by
Christ or the Church.
Thus not only when things are read "which were written for our
instruction" (Rom. 15:4), but also when the Church prays or sings or acts,
the faith of those taking part is nourished and their minds are raised to God,
so that they may offer Him their rational service and more abundantly receive
His grace. Wherefore, in the revision of
the liturgy, the following general norms should be observed:
34. The rites should be
distinguished by a noble simplicity; they should be short, clear, and
unencumbered by useless repetitions; they should be within the people's powers
of comprehension, and normally should not require much explanation.
35. That the intimate
connection between words and rites may be apparent in the liturgy:
1) In sacred celebrations there is to be more
reading from holy scripture, and it is to be more
varied and suitable.
2) Because the sermon is part of the
liturgical service, the best place for it is to be indicated even in the
rubrics, as far as the nature of the rite will allow; the ministry of preaching
is to be
fulfilled with exactitude and fidelity. The sermon, moreover, should
draw its content mainly from scriptural and liturgical sources, and its
character should be that of a proclamation of God's wonderful works in the
history of salvation, the mystery of Christ, ever made present and active
within us, especially in the celebration of the liturgy.
3) Instruction which is more explicitly
liturgical should also be given in a variety of ways; if necessary, short
directives to be spoken by the priest or proper minister should be provided
within the rites themselves. But they should occur only at the more suitable
moments, and be in prescribed or similar words.
4) Bible services should be encouraged, especially on the
vigils of the more solemn feasts, on some weekdays in Advent and Lent, and on
Sundays and feast days. They are particularly to be commended in places where
no priest is available; when this is so, a deacon or some other person
authorized by the bishop should preside over the celebration.
36. 1. Particular law remaining in force, the use
of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites.
2. But since the use of the mother tongue, whether in the Mass, the
administration of the sacraments, or other parts of the liturgy, frequently may
be of great advantage to the people, the limits of its employment may be
extended. This will apply in the first place to the readings and directives,
and to some of the prayers and chants, according to the regulations on this
matter to be laid down separately in subsequent chapters.
3. These norms being observed, it is for the competent
territorial ecclesiastical authority mentioned in Art. 22, 2,to decide whether,
and to what extent, the vernacular language is to be used; their decrees are to
be approved, that is, confirmed, by the Apostolic See. And, whenever
it seems to be called for, this authority is to consult with bishops of
neighboring regions which have the same language.
4. Translations from the Latin text
into the mother tongue intended for use in the liturgy must be approved by the
competent territorial ecclesiastical authority mentioned above.
D) Norms for Adapting the Liturgy to the Culture and Traditions of
Peoples
37. Even in the liturgy, the Church has no
wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not implicate the faith
or the good of the whole community; rather does she respect and foster the
genius and talents of the various races and peoples. Anything in these peoples'
way of life which is not indissolubly bound up with superstition and error she
studies with sympathy and, if possible, preserves intact. Sometimes in fact she
admits such things into the liturgy itself so long as they harmonize with its
true and authentic spirit.
38. Provisions
shall also be made, when revising the liturgical books, for legitimate
variations and adaptations to different groups, regions, and peoples,
especially in mission lands, provided that the substantial unity of the Roman rite is preserved;
and this should be borne in mind when drawing up the rites and devising
rubrics.
39. Within the limits
set by the typical editions of the liturgical books, it shall be for the
competent territorial ecclesiastical authority mentioned in Art. 22, 2, to
specify adaptations, especially
in the case of the administration of the sacraments, the sacramentals,
processions, liturgical language, sacred music, and the arts, but according to
the fundamental norms laid down in this Constitution.
40. In
some places and circumstances, however, an even more radical adaptation of the
liturgy is needed, and this entails greater difficulties.
Wherefore:
1) The competent territorial ecclesiastical authority mentioned in Art.
22, 2, must, in this matter, carefully and prudently consider which elements
from the traditions and culture of individual peoples might appropriately be
admitted into divine worship. Adaptations which are judged to be
useful or necessary should when be submitted to the Apostolic See, by whose
consent they may be introduced.
2) To ensure that adaptations may be made with all the
circumspection which they demand, the Apostolic See will grant power to this same
territorial ecclesiastical authority to permit and to direct, as the case
requires, the necessary preliminary experiments over a determined period of
time among certain groups suited for the purpose.
3) Because liturgical laws often involve special
difficulties with respect to adaptation, particularly in mission lands, men who
are experts in these matters must be employed to formulate them.
4. Promotion of Liturgical Life in Diocese and
Parish
41. The bishop is to be
considered as the high priest of his flock, from whom the life in Christ of his
faithful is in some way derived and dependent.
Therefore
all should
hold in great esteem the liturgical life of the diocese centered around the
bishop, especially in his cathedral church; they must be convinced
that the pre-eminent manifestation of the Church consists in the full active
participation of all God's holy people in these liturgical celebrations,
especially in the same eucharist, in a single prayer,
at one altar, at which there presides the bishop surrounded by his college
of priests and by his ministers (35).
42. But
because it is impossible for the bishop always and everywhere to preside over
the whole flock in his Church, he cannot do other than establish lesser
groupings of the faithful. Among these the parishes, set up locally under a
pastor who takes the place of the bishop, are the most important: for in some
manner they represent the visible Church constituted throughout the world.
And
therefore the liturgical life of the parish and its relationship to the bishop
must be fostered theoretically and practically among the faithful and clergy; efforts
also must be made to encourage a sense of community within the parish, above
all in the common celebration of the Sunday Mass.
5. The Promotion of Pastoral-Liturgical Action
43. Zeal
for the promotion and restoration of the liturgy is rightly held to be a sign
of the providential dispositions of God in our time, as a movement of the Holy Spirit in His Church.
It is today a distinguishing mark of the Church's life, indeed of the whole
tenor of contemporary religious thought and action.
So that
this pastoral-liturgical action may become even more vigorous in the Church,
the sacred Council decrees:
44. It is
desirable that the competent territorial ecclesiastical authority mentioned in
Art. 22, 2, set up a liturgical commission, to be assisted by experts in liturgical science, sacred music,
art and pastoral practice. So far as possible the commission should be
aided by some kind of Institute for Pastoral Liturgy, consisting of persons who
are eminent in these matters, and including laymen as circumstances suggest.
Under the direction of the above-mentioned territorial ecclesiastical authority
the commission is to regulate pastoral-liturgical action throughout the
territory, and to promote studies and necessary experiments whenever there is
question of adaptations to be proposed to the Apostolic See.
45. For
the same reason every
diocese is to have a commission on the sacred liturgy under the direction of
the bishop, for promoting the liturgical apostolate. Sometimes it may be expedient that several
dioceses should form between them one single commission which will be able to
promote the liturgy by common consultation.
46.
Besides the commission on the sacred liturgy, every diocese, as far as
possible, should have commissions for sacred music and sacred art. These three commissions must work in closest
collaboration; indeed it will often be best to fuse the three of them into one
single commission.
CHAPTER II
THE MOST SACRED MYSTERY OF THE EUCHARIST
47. At
the Last Supper, on the night when He was betrayed, our Saviour
instituted the eucharistic
sacrifice of His Body and Blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the
sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until He should come again, and
so to entrust to His beloved spouse, the Church, a memorial of His death and
resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity (36), a
paschal banquet in which Christ is eaten, the mind is filled with grace, and a
pledge of future glory is given to us (37).
48. The Church, therefore,
earnestly desires that Christ's faithful, when present at this mystery of
faith, should not be there as strangers or silent spectators; on the contrary,
through a good understanding of the rites and prayers they should take part in
the sacred action conscious of what they are doing, with devotion and full
collaboration. They
should be instructed by God's word and be nourished at the table of the Lord's
body; they should give thanks to God; by offering the Immaculate Victim, not
only through the hands of the priest, but also with him, they should learn also
to offer themselves; through Christ the Mediator (38), they should be drawn day
by day into ever more perfect union with God and with each other, so that
finally God may be all in all.
49. For
this reason the sacred Council, having in mind those Masses which are
celebrated with the assistance of the faithful, especially on Sundays and
feasts of obligation, has made the following decrees in order that the
sacrifice of the Mass, even in the ritual forms of its celebration, may become
pastorally efficacious to the fullest
degree.
50. The rite of the Mass is to be revised in such a way that the
intrinsic nature and purpose of its several parts, as also the connection
between them, may be more clearly manifested, and that devout and active participation
by the faithful may be more easily achieved.
For this purpose the rites are to be simplified, due care being taken to
preserve their substance; elements which, with the passage of time, came to be
duplicated, or were added with but little advantage, are now to be discarded; other elements which have suffered injury through accidents of history
are now to be restored to the vigor which they had in the days of the holy
Fathers, as may seem useful or necessary.
51. The treasures of the bible
are to be opened up more lavishly, so that richer fare may be provided for the
faithful at the table of God's word. In this way a more representative portion
of the holy scriptures will be read to the people
in the course of a prescribed number of years.
52. By
means of the homily the mysteries of the faith and the guiding principles of
the Christian life are expounded from the sacred text, during the course of the
liturgical year; the homily, therefore, is to be highly esteemed as part of the
liturgy itself; in fact, at those Masses which are celebrated with the
assistance of the people on Sundays and feasts of obligation, it should not be
omitted except for a serious reason.
53.
Especially on Sundays and feasts of obligation there is to be restored, after
the Gospel and the homily, "the common prayer" or "the prayer of
the faithful." By this prayer, in which the people are to take part,
intercession will be made for holy Church, for the civil authorities, for those
oppressed by various needs, for all mankind, and for the salvation of the
entire world (39).
54. In
Masses which are celebrated with the people, a suitable place may be allotted to their mother tongue. This is to
apply in the first place to the readings and "the common prayer,"
but also, as local conditions may warrant, to those parts which pertain to the
people, according to the norm laid down in Art. 36 of this
Constitution.
Nevertheless steps should be taken so
that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those
parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them. And wherever a more extended use of the
mother tongue within the Mass appears desirable, the regulation laid down in
Art. 40 of this Constitution is to be observed.
55. That
more perfect form of participation in the Mass whereby the faithful, after the
priest's communion, receive the Lord's body from the same sacrifice,
is strongly commended.
The dogmatic principles which
were laid down by the Council of Trent remaining intact (40), communion under both kinds may be granted when
the bishops think fit, not only to clerics and religious, but also to the
laity, in cases to be determined by the Apostolic See, as, for instance, to the
newly ordained in the Mass of their sacred ordination, to the newly professed
in the Mass of their religious profession, and to the newly baptized in the
Mass which follows their baptism.
56. The
two parts which, in a certain sense, go to make up the Mass, namely, the
liturgy of the word and the eucharistic
liturgy, are so closely connected with each other that they form but one single
act of worship. Accordingly this sacred Synod strongly urges pastors of souls
that, when instructing the faithful, they insistently teach them to take their part
in the entire Mass, especially on Sundays and feasts of obligation.
57. 1. Concelebration,
whereby the unity of the priesthood is appropriately manifested, has remained
in use to this day in the Church both in the east and in the west. For this
reason it has seemed good to the Council to extend permission for concelebration to the following cases:
1. a) on the Thursday of the
Lord's Supper, not only at the Mass of the
Chrism, but also at the evening Mass.
b) at Masses during councils, bishops'
conferences, and synods;
c) at the Mass for the blessing of an abbot.
2. Also, with permission of the
ordinary, to whom it belongs to decide
whether concelebration is
opportune:
a) at conventual
Mass, and at the principle Mass in churches when the
needs of the
faithful do not require that all priests available should
celebrate
individually;
b) at
Masses celebrated at any kind of priests' meetings, whether th
priests be secular
clergy or religious.
3. The regulation, however, of the
discipline of con-celebration in the
diocese
pertains to the bishop.
4. Nevertheless, each priest shall
always retain his right to celebrate Mass
individually, though not at the same time in the same church
as a
concelebrated Mass, nor on Thursday of the
Lord's Supper.
58. A new rite for concelebration is to be drawn up and inserted into the
Pontifical and into the Roman Missal.
Chapter
III: Other Sacraments and Sacramentals
Chapter
IV: The Divine Office
Chapter
V: The Liturgical Year
Chapter
VI: Sacred Music
Chapter
VII: Sacred Art and Sacred Furnishings
Appendix
[Editorial note: This concludes the presentation of the unabridged
chapters of the
Part Two
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM
APOSTOLIC
CONSTITUTION
PROMULGATION
OF THE ROMAN MISSAL REVISED
BY
DECREE OF THE SECOND
PAUL,
BISHOP
Servant of the Servants of God
For an Everlasting Memorial
The Missale Romanum
was promulgated in 1570 by our predecessor St. Pius V, in execution of the
decree of the Council of Trent1. It has been recognized by all as one
of the many admirable results that the Council achieved for the benefit of the
entire
A deep
interest in fostering the liturgy has become widespread and strong among the
Christian people and our predecessor Pius XII has viewed this
both as a sign of God's caring will, regarding today's people and as a saving
movement of the Holy Spirit through his Church2. Since the beginning
of this liturgical renewal, it has become clear that the formularies of the
Roman Missal had to be revised and enriched. A beginning was made by Pius XII
in the restoration of the Easter Vigil and Holy Week services3; he
thus took the first step toward adapting the Roman Missal to the contemporary mentality.
The Second
Vatican Ecumenical Council, in the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium,
laid down the basis for the general revision of the Roman Missal: "Both
texts and rites should be drawn up so that they express more clearly the holy
things they signify"4; therefore, "the Order of Mass is to
be revised in such a way that the intrinsic nature and purpose of its several parts,
as also the connection between them, may be more clearly brought out, and
devout, active participation by the faithful more easily achieved.5"
The Council also
decreed that "the treasures of the Bible are to be opened up more lavishly,
so that a richer share in God's word may be provided for the faithful";6
and finally that "a new rite for concelebration
is to be drawn up and incorporated into the Roman Pontifical and Roman Missal.7"
No one should think,
however, that this revision of the Roman Missal has come out of nowhere.
The progress in liturgical studies during the last four centuries has certainly
prepared the way. Just after the Council of Trent, the study "of ancient
manuscripts in the
Since then, however, other ancient sources have been
discovered and published and liturgical formularies of the Eastern Church have
been studied. Accordingly many have had the desire for these doctrinal and
spiritual riches not to be stored away in the dark, but to be put into use for
the enlightenment of the mind of Christians and for the nurture of their
spirit.
Now,
however, our purpose is to set out, at least in broad terms, the new plan of
the Roman Missal. We therefore point out, first, that a General Instruction,
for use as a preface to the book, gives the new regulations for the celebration
of the eucharistic
sacrifice. These regulations cover the rites to be carried out and the functions
of each minister or participant as well as the furnishings and the places
needed for divine worship.
It must be
acknowledged that the chief
innovation in the reform concerns the eucharistic
prayer. Although the Roman Rite over the centuries allowed for a
multiplicity of different texts in the first part of the prayer (the preface),
the second part, called the Canon actionis, took on a fixed form
during the period of the fourth and fifth centuries. The Eastern liturgies, on the other
hand, allowed a degree of variety into the anaphoras
themselves. On this point, first of all, the eucharistic
prayer has been enriched with a great number of prefaces—drawn from the early tradition of the Roman Church
or recently composed—in order that the different facets of the mystery of
salvation will stand out more clearly and that there will be more and richer
themes of thanksgiving. But besides this, we have decided to add three new canons to the eucharistic prayer. Both for pastoral reasons,
however, and for the facilitation of concelebration,
we have ordered that the words of the Lord be identical in each form of the
canon. Thus in
each eucharistic prayer we wish those words to be as
follows: over the bread: Accipite et manducate ex hoc omnes:
Hoc est enim Corpus meum, quod pro vobis tradetur; over the chalice: Accipite et bibite
ex eo omnes: Hie est enim
calix Sanguinis mei novi et aetemi
testamenti, qui pro vobis
et pro multis effundetur in
remissionem peccatorum. Hoc facite in meam
commemorationem.
The words Mysterium fidei
have been removed from the context of Christ's own words and are spoken by the
priest as an introduction to the faithful's
acclamation.
In the Order
of Mass the rites have been "simplified, due care being taken to preserve
their substance."8 "Elements that, with the passage of
time, came to be duplicated or were added with but little
advantage"9 have been eliminated, especially in the rites for
the presentation of the bread and wine, the breaking of the bread,
and communion.
Also, "other elements that
have suffered injury through accident of history" are restored
"to the tradition of the Fathers,"10 for example, the
homily.11" the general intercessions or prayer of the
faithful,12 and the penitential
rite or act of reconciliation with God and the community at the
beginning of the Mass, which thus, as is right, regains its proper
importance.
According to the decree of the
Second Vatican Council, that "a more representative portion of the holy Scriptures
be read to the people over the course of a prescribed number of years,"13 the Sunday readings are arranged in a
cycle of three years. In addition, on Sundays and all the major feasts the
epistle and gospel are preceded by an Old Testament reading or, at Easter, by readings
from Acts. This is meant to provide a fuller exposition of the continuing
process of the mystery of salvation, as shown in the words of divine
revelation. These broadly selected
biblical readings, which set be-
fore the faithful on Sundays and holydays the
most important part of sacred Scripture, are complemented by other parts of the
Bible read on other days.
All this has been planned to
arouse among the faithful a greater hunger for the word of God.14 Under the guidance
of the Holy Spirit, this hunger will seem, so to speak, to impel the people of
the New Covenant toward the perfect unity of the Church. We are fully confident that under this
arrangement both priest and faithful will prepare their minds and hearts more
devoutly for the Lord's Supper and that, meditating on the Scriptures, they
will be nourished more each day by the words of the Lord. In accord with the
teachings of the Second Vatican Council, all will thus regard sacred Scripture
as the abiding source of spiritual life. the
foundation for Christian instruction, and the core of all theological study.
This reform
of the Roman Missal, in addition to the three changes already mentioned (the eucharistic prayer, the Order of Mass, and the readings),
has also corrected and considerably modified other of its components: the
Proper of Seasons, the Proper of Saints, the Common of Saints, ritual Masses,
and votive Masses. In all of these changes, particular care has been taken with
the prayers. Their number has been increased, so that the new forms might
better correspond to new needs, and the text of older prayers has been restored
on the basis of the ancient sources. As a result, each
weekday of the principal liturgical seasons. Advent, Christmas, Lent,
and Easter, now has its own, distinct prayer.
The text of
the Graduate Romanum has not been changed as far as
the music is concerned. In the interest of their being more readily understood,
however, the responsorial psalm (which
After what
we have presented concerning the new Roman Missal, we wish in conclusion to
insist on one point in particular and to make it have its effect. When he
promulgated the editio princeps
of the Roman Missal, our predecessor St. Pius V offered it to the people of Christ
as the instrument of liturgical unity and the expression of a pure and reverent
worship in the Church. Even though, in
virtue of the decree of the Second Vatican Council, we have accepted into the
new Roman Missal lawful variations and adaptations,15 our own expectation
in no way differs from that of our predecessor.
It is that the faithful will receive the new Missal as a help toward
witnessing and strengthening their unity with one another; that through the new
Missal one and the same prayer in a great diversity of languages will ascend,
more fragrant than any incense, to our heavenly Father, through our High
Priest, Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit.
The
effective date for what we have prescribed in this Constitution shall be the
First Sunday of Advent of this year, 30 November. We decree that these laws and
prescriptions be firm and effective now and in the future, notwithstanding, to
the extent necessary, the apostolic constitutions and ordinances issued by our
predecessors and other prescriptions, even those deserving particular mention
and amendment.
Given at
Paul
Pp. VI
________________
1 See
apostolic const. Quo primum,
2 See Pius
XII, Discourse to the participants in the First International Congress of
Pastoral Liturgy at
3 See Sacred
Congregation of Rites: general decree Domini'coe Resurrectionis,
nostrae mysteria,
4 Second
art. 21: AAS 56
(1964) 106.
5 Ibid., art. 50.
6 Ibid., art. 51.
7 Ibid., art. 58.
8 SC, art. 50..
9 Ibid., art. 50.
10 Ibid., art. 50..
11 See SC, art. 52.
12
see ibid., art. 53
13 SC.art.51.
14
See Amos 8:11
15
See SC, art. 38-40
CONGREGATION
FOR DIVINE WORSHIP
Prot.
n. 166/70
DECREE
The Order
of Mass has been established and the texts for the Roman Missal have been approved by
Pope Paul VI in the Apostolic Constitution Missale Romanum,
As to use
of the new Missal, the Latin edition may be put into use as soon as it is
published, with the necessary adjustments of saints' days until the revised
calendar is put into definitive effect. As to vernacular editions, the conferences of bishops are given the
responsibility for their preparation and for setting the effective date for
their use, after due confirmation by the Apostolic See.
All things to the contrary notwithstanding.
From the
Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship, 26 March
1970, Holy Thursday.
┼ Benno Cardinal Gut
Prefect
┼ Annibale Bugnini
Secretary
CONGREGATION
FOR DIVINE WORSHIP
DECREE
Prot.
n. 1970/74
THE SECOND EDITIO TYPICA
Since the Roman Missal
must be reprinted, variations and additions have been included in order that
this new edition might be in accord with the documents published after the
appearance of the first edition in 1970.
In the
General Instruction, the marginal numbers are unchanged, but a description of
the liturgical functions of acolyte and reader is inserted in place of the
paragraphs that formerly dealt with the subdeacon
(nos. 142-152).
There is
another change of some importance in the section of the Roman Missal that
contains the ritual Masses and the Masses for various needs and occasions. Certain
formularies have been completed by supplying entrance and communion antiphons.
Texts not found in the
first edition have also been added, namely, among the ritual Masses,
texts for the Mass of Dedication of a Church and an Altar and for the Mass of
Reconciliation; among votive Masses, texts for Masses of Mary, Mother of the Church
and of the Most Holy Name of Mary.
Some other, less important
changes have been introduced in headings and rubrics so that they
may better correspond to the words or expressions occurring in the new
liturgical books.
Pope Paul VI
has approved this second edition of the Roman Missal by his authority and the
Congregation for Divine Worship now issues it and declares it to be the editio typico.
It will be
the responsibility of the conferences of bishops to introduce into the
respective vernacular editions the changes contained in this second edition of
the Roman Missal.
All things to the contrary
notwithstanding.
From the Sacred Congregation for
Divine Worship,
┼ James Robert Cardinal Knox
Prefect
┼Annibale Bugnini
Titular Archbishop of Diocletiana
Secretary