The General Roman Calendar of 1954 (Part One)

Text and Pictures taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
unless otherwise accredited


The following is a list of the Feast Days of the General Roman Calendar, as it was in 1954. It is, thus, basically that established by Pope Pius X (1903–1914), but it also incorporates changes that were made by Pope Pius XI (1922–1939), such as the institution of the Feast of Christ the King, while not including those made in 1955 by Pope Pius XII (1939–1958).

The changes, that the last-mentioned Pope made, are indicated in the General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII. They included the institution of two Feasts in May: St. Joseph the Workman was added on May 1 as a Double of the First-Class, requiring the transfer of Saints Philip and James to May 11, and involving also the suppression of the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, which for just over a century had been celebrated on the second Wednesday after the Octave of Easter; the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen, was added on May 31 as a Double of the Second-Class, transferring Saint Angela Merici, but not the Commemoration of Saint Petronilla, to June 1. A total of fifteen Octaves - all those except Easter, Pentecost, and Christmas - were also suppressed in the reform of 1955.

Pope John XXIII (1958 - 1963) made a revision of the General Roman Calendar with the motu proprio, Rubricarum instructum, in 1960.

Five years later, Pope John XXIII made a further revision with the motu proprio Rubricarum instructum of July 23, 1960. This revision, the General Roman Calendar of 1962, was incorporated in the Roman Missal of 1962, which was issued as implementation of this motu proprio. The 1962 Calendar is thus the Calendar approved by Pope Benedict XVI with his July 7, 2007 document Summorum Pontificum for use as an Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

The General Roman Calendar was again revised in 1969, in connection with the revision of the Roman Missal, and later. For its current state, see Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints.

For most of the celebrations here listed, the Mass is found in the Roman Missal of the time in the section called the "Proper of the Saints", but for those occurring from 24 December to 13 January it is found in the "Proper of the Season", as these days do not move with respect to the seasons of the Church year. The Offices of these feasts are likewise arranged in the Breviary.

Rank of Feast Days

The ranking of Feast Days, that had grown from an original division between Doubles and Simples, and that by the time of the Tridentine Calendar included Semi-Doubles, with Pope Clement VIII adding, in 1604 to the distinction between First- and Second-Class Doubles, the new rank of Greater Double, was still in use in the 1954 Calendar, and would continue until the following year,1955, when Pope Pius XII abolished the rank of Semi-Double.

The rank of Feast Days determines which Mass is to be said when two Feast Days coincide (or "occur") on the one day, as well as when a Feast Day falls on Sundays or certain other privileged days. Feast Days were classified as Simple, Semi-Double, or Double, with Feast Days of the Double Rite further divided into Double of the First Class, Double of the Second Class, Greater Double or Major Double, and Double, in order of descending rank. On Ferias and many Feast Days of Simple rank, the Celebrant was permitted to substitute a Mass of his own choice, such as a Votive Mass, or a Mass for the Dead.

Pope Clement VIII (1592 - 1605) added a new rank 

of Greater Double in 1604 

What the original meaning of the term "Double" may have been is not entirely certain. Some think that the greater festivals were thus styled because the antiphons before and after the psalms were "doubled", i.e. twice repeated entire on these days. 

Others, with more probability, point to the fact that, before the 9th-Century in certain places, for example at Rome, it was customary on the greater Feast Days to recite two sets of Matins, the one of the Feria or week-day, the other of the Festival. Hence, such days were known as "Doubles".

The Catholic Encyclopedia of the early years of the 20th-Century shows the incremental crowding of the Calendar (which had increased further by 1954) in the following table based on the official revisions of the Roman Breviary in 1568, 1602, 1631, 1882 and on the situation in 1907.

Pope	Date	Doubles, I Class	Doubles, II Class	Greater Doubles	Doubles	Semidoubles	Total
Pius V	1568	19	17	0	53	60	149
Clement VIII	1602	19	18	16	43	68	164
Urban VIII	1631	19	18	16	45	78	176
Leo XIII	1882	21	18	24	128	74	275
-	1907	23	27	25	133	72	280

In 1907, when, in accordance with the rules in force since the time of Pope Pius V, Feast Days of any form of Double, if impeded by "occurrence" (falling on the same day) with a Feast Day of higher class, were transferred to another day, this classification of Feast Days was of great practical importance for deciding which Feast Day to celebrate on any particular day. Pope Pius X simplified matters considerably in his 1911 reform of the Roman Breviary.

In the case of occurrence, the lower-ranking Feast Day could become a Commemoration within the celebration of the higher-ranking one. Further re-touches were made by Pope Pius XII in 1955, Pope John XXIII in 1962, and Pope Paul VI in 1969.


SUNDAYS

Sundays were divided into Greater and Lesser Sundays, with the Greater Sundays being further divided into two classes. The Greater Sundays of the First Class were the First Sunday of Advent, the four Sundays of Lent, Passion Sunday, Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday, Low Sunday, and Pentecost. No Feast Day whatsoever could be celebrated on these days, although they admitted Commemorations except on Easter and Pentecost.

Greater Sundays of the Second-Class permitted the celebration of Doubles of the First-Class only, and consisted of the other three Sundays in Advent and the three pre-Lenten Sundays. All other Sundays (Second to Fifth after Easter and the Sundays after Epiphany and Pentecost, except for those which might occur during an Octave, which followed the rules for the Octave), were Lesser Sundays or Sundays per annum ("through the year"), and only the celebration of Doubles of the First- or Second-Class, or a Feast of The Lord, took precedence over them. 

The Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity was a special case, due to the fixed date of Christmas and the high rank of the Feast Days following it. If December 29, 30, or 31 were a Sunday, the Mass assigned to it was celebrated on that day; otherwise, it was celebrated on December 30.

Pope Saint Pius X (1903 - 1914).

Instituted reforms in 1911

Before the reform of Pope St Pius X in 1911, ordinary Doubles took precedence over most of the Semi-Double Sundays, resulting in many of the Sunday Masses rarely being said. While retaining the Semi-Double rite for Sundays, the reform permitted only the most important Feast Days, Doubles of the First- or Second-Class, to be celebrated on Sunday.

When a Feast of the rank of Double of the First- or Second-Class fell on a Sunday, the Mass would be that of the Feast, with a Commemoration of the occurring Sunday; the Gospel of the omitted Sunday Mass would be read at the end of Mass, instead of the usual Gospel "In principio erat Verbum" of Saint John. 

Arms of Papa San Pio X (Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto) 1903 - 1914

(Taken from: http://www.araldicavaticana.com/)

When a Feast of a rank lower than that occurred with a Sunday, the Feast would be Commemorated in the Sunday Mass by including a Commemoration of the Feast, and its Gospel would be read at the end of Mass, provided it was a "proper" Gospel, i.e. one not taken from the Common.

Following the reform of Pope Pius X, only three Feasts were assigned to a Sunday: the Feast Days of the Holy Name, the Holy Family, and the Most Holy Trinity. A fourth, Christ the King, was added in 1925.


FERIAS

Ferias also were classified into three categories:

Greater Privileged Ferias: Ash Wednesday and Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week.
No Feast Day could be celebrated on these days.

Greater Non-Privileged Ferias: The Ferias of Advent, Lent, and Passion Week, Rogation Monday, and the Ember Days.
Any Feast Day, except a Simple, could occur on these days, with a Commemoration of the Feria.

All other Ferias:
Any Feast Day of whatever rank could be celebrated without any Commemoration of the Feria.


EMBER DAYS

Ember Days are four separate sets of three days within the same week — specifically, the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday — roughly equi-distant in the circuit of the year, that were formerly set aside for fasting and prayer.

These days set apart for special prayer and fasting were considered especially suitable for the Ordination of Clergy.

The Ember Days are known in Latin as quatuor tempora (the "four seasons"), or jejunia quatuor temporum ("fasts of the four seasons"). They occur in the weeks between the third and fourth Sundays of Advent, between the first and second Sundays of Lent, between Pentecost and Trinity Sunday, and beginning the first Wednesday after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14), which is between the Liturgical third and fourth Sundays of September.


ROGATION DAYS

Rogation Days are, in the Calendar of the Western Church, four days traditionally set apart for Solemn Processions to invoke God's mercy. They are April 25, the Major Rogation (or Greater Litanies), coinciding with Saint Mark's Day (but transferred to the following Tuesday if they fell on Easter); and the three days preceding Ascension Thursday, the Minor Rogations (or Lesser Litanies). These are indicated below in the main body of the Calendar and in the Movable Feasts section.


PART TWO FOLLOWS

Lenten Station at Saint Mary Major

Non-Italic Text taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal for Easter Sunday
Pictures and Italic text taken from Wikipedia (the free encyclopaedia) (unless otherwise accredited)
Station at Saint Mary Major
Plenary Indulgence
Double of the First Class with Privileged Octave of the First Order
White Vestments

Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major
Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore (Italian)
Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris (Latin)
(From Wikimedia Commons. Photo taken by LPLT, November 2008)

As at Christmas, the Station is made at Saint Mary Major, on this greatest Feast of the whole year. The Church never separates Jesus and Mary, and today, in one and the same triumph, she honours the Mother and the Son. Before all else, the Risen Christ offers the homage of His gratitude to His Father in Heaven (Introit). 

In her turn, the Church gives thanks to God, inasmuch as, by the victory of His Son, He has re-opened the way to Heaven, and implores Him to assist us that we may attain this, our final goal (Collect). For this, Saint Paul tells us, just as the Jews eat the Paschal Lamb with the unleavened bread, so we must feast on the Lamb of God, with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (Epistle and Communion), that is free from the leaven of sin.

Santa Maria Maggiore

by M. Ohlmüller (dated 1883)

Watercolours

(From Wikimedia Commons)

In the Gospel and the Offertory, we read of the coming of the holy women to the sepulchre to embalm Our Lord. They find an empty tomb, but an angel proclaims to them the great mystery of the Resurrection. Let us joyfully keep this day on which Our Lord has restored life to us in His own rising from the dead (Easter Preface), and affirm with the Church that "the Lord is risen indeed", and, like Him, make our Easter a passing to an entirely new way of life.

Every Parish Priest celebrates Mass for the people of his Parish.

(From The Church of England Newspaper

at http://religiousintelligence.org/churchnewspaper/)

Lenten Station at Basilica of Saint John Lateran

Non-Italic Text taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal
for Holy Saturday
Pictures and Italic text taken from Wikipedia (the free encyclopaedia) (unless otherwise accredited)
Station at Saint John Lateran
Indulgence of 30 years and 30 Quarantines
Double of the First Class
Violet Vestments and White Vestments

Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran
(From Wikimedia Commons.
Photo taken, September 2005, by Stefan Bauer,
http://www.ferras.at)

The Station is at Saint John Lateran, the mother Church of the Christian world, and it is here that the Church celebrated the First Mass of Easter and that, formerly, she received into her bosom the many Catechumens, who were baptised on this day. First dedicated to our Blessed Saviour, this Basilica was subsequently consecrated to Saint John the Baptist, with the Baptistry attached.

In former times, the Church held no special Service on this morning. Apart from any gathering for the Station, a meeting was held in the course of the afternoon for the Seventh, and last, Scrutiny, which almost immediately preceded the Baptism. [It was at this gathering that the Rite of Exorcism took place, and the Rite of Ephpheta, which recalls the miracles worked by Jesus when He cured the deaf and dumb, and the Renunciation of Satan, pronounced by the Catechumen after being anointed with the Oil of Catechumens. He then recited the Symbol, a proceeding known as "the Rendering of the Symbol". We discover these Rites, again, in the present ceremonies of Baptism following those that took place at the Third Scrutiny.]

At night, was held the Watch, or Solemn Vigil of Easter, towards the end of which, before daybreak, the Catechumens plunged in the water of the Baptistry and were, so to speak, buried with Jesus; and at the very hour at which Christ rose triumphantly from the sepulchre, they were born to the Life of Grace.

Later, the great ceremonies were anticipated, being held first in the evening, and, subsequently, in the morning of Holy Saturday. They reveal a sudden change from sorrow to joy, and disclose certain anomalies which this notice helps to explain.

Palazzo Laterano
(From Wikimedia Commons.
Photo taken, February 2005, by Maus-Trauden

THE BLESSING OF THE NEW FIRE

The Church, blessing as she does all elements of which she makes use for Divine Worship, made a practice of blessing, every evening, the new fire that was to provide the light for the Office of Vespers. The Liturgy of Holy Saturday maintains this custom. She also blesses the five grains of incense, which are to be fixed in the Paschal Candle, the offering of which to God will thenceforward be accepted as a sweet savour.

At a convenient hour, the altars are covered with linen cloths, but the candles are not lighted until the beginning of Mass. Meanwhile, fire is struck from a flint outside the Church and the coals are kindled. At the end of None, the Priest, vested in Amice, Alb, Girldle and Stole, to which he adds, if possible, a Violet Cope, accompanied by his Ministers with Processional Cross, Holy Water and Incense, goes outside the Church door, and blesses the new fire.

THE BLESSING OF THE PASCHAL CANDLE

The Celebrant goes up to the Epistle side of the altar, and the Deacon, giving the Reed to an Acolyte, takes the book and asks a blessing of the Priest.

The Deacon then goes to the Lectern, puts down the book and incenses it. At his right-hand stand the Sub-Deacon, with the Cross, and the Thurifer; at his left, the two Acolytes, one holding the Reed and the other the vessel containing the five blessed grains of incense to be set in the Paschal Candle.

Cloisters of Saint John Lateran

(From Wikimedia Commons. Photo taken, May 2005, by Briséis)

All rise and stand, as at the Gospel, and the Deacon sings the Exsultet, in which the Church expounds the beautiful symbolic meaning of the Paschal Candle. He sings of the night of happy memory, which witnessed the escape of the children of Israel from Egypt, conducted by a pillar of fire illumined with the splendour of Christ. When the Exsultet has been sung, the Deacon fixes the five blessed grains of incense in the Paschal Candle in the form of a Cross.

THE PROPHECIES

After the blessing of the Paschal Candle, the Deacon lays aside his White Dalmatic and puts on a Violet Stole and Maniple. He then goes to the Celebrant, who, after laying aside his Cope, puts on a Violet Maniple and Chasuble. The Prophecies are then chanted without any introduction, while the Priest, standing on the Epistle side of the altar, reads them in a low voice.

The reading of the Twelve Prophecies served the object, formerly, of a final initiation of the Catechumens.

More Cloisters of Saint John Lateran

(From Wikimedia Commons. Photo taken, October 2005, by Ern)

THE BLESSING OF THE FONT

At the end of the reading of the Prophecies, if there is a Baptismal Font in the Church, the Priest, who is about to bless it, puts on a Violet Cope and, preceded by the Processional Cross, the Candelabra and the lighted Blessed Candle, goes to the Font with his Ministers and the Clergy, while the Tract is sung.

In earlier times, the Clergy at this point went to the Baptistry of the Lateran, where the Sovereign Pontiff blessed, by virtue of the Cross, the water that was to be used for the Baptism. The Paschal Candle, which he dipped three times into it, recalled to mind the incident of the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, whereby He sanctified the water and imparted to it the power of regeneration. The Catechumens were then questioned for the last time on the Creed, were Baptised and then Confirmed, and the white garments, in which they were then clothed, became the mystical robe which entitled them to sit at the Holy Table and make their First Communion.

THE LITANY OF THE SAINTS

As the Priest and his Ministers return to the altar, after the Blessing of the Font, two Cantors begin to sing the Litany of the Saints.

At the invocation, Peccatores, te rogamus, audi nos, the Priest and his Ministers go into the Sacristy, where they vest in White Vestments for the Solemn Celebration of Mass. Meanwhile, the candles are lighted on the altar.

Interior of Saint John Lateran

(From Wikimedia Commons. Photo taken, September 2010, by Tango7174)

MASS AND VESPERS

During the singing of the Litany, the Neophytes re-entered the Church, and the Mass was begun, which inaugurated the Solemn Services of Easter (Secret). This celebrates the glory of the Risen Christ (Gospel), and that of the Souls who, through Baptism, have entered on a new life, a pledge of their future resurrection (Epistle, Collect, Hanc igutur). Hence, the joyful Alleluia that is sung, the pealing of the organ and the ringing of the bells.

The Vespers, which follow the Communion, remind us of the holy women who were the first to realise the great mystery of the Resurrection.

Let us show our gratitude to God for the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Holy Eucharist, which have made it possible for us to pass with Jesus from the death of sin to the life of Grace.

The Pope's Chair, San Giovanni in Laterano

(From Wikimedia Commons. Photo taken, October 2005, by Ern)

At the end of the Litany, the Cantors sing the Solemn Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison, each invocation being repeated thrice. Meanwhile, the Priest, attended by his Ministers, all in White Vestments, goes to the altar, recites the Judica me, adding the Gloria Patri, and makes the confession in the usual way. Then, ascending the steps, he kisses the altar, incenses it and, as soon as the Choir have finished the Kyrie eleison, he intones the Gloria in excelsis Deo; the organ is played and the bells are rung.

During the Mass, the Agnus Dei is omitted and, instead of a Communion Antiphon, the Choir sings Vespers. During Vespers, the Chapter, Hymn and Verse are omitted.

During the Magnificat, the altar is incensed, as at Solemn Vespers.

Statue of Saint James the Less, at Saint John Lateran

(From Wikimedia Commons. Photo taken, April 2011, by Karelj)

At the dismissal, at the end of Mass, the Deacon, turning towards the people, says: "Ite Missa est, alleluia, alleluia". This double alleluia is added to the Ite Missa est until Easter Saturday, inclusive.

The Mass ends, as usual, with the Placeat, the Blessing, and the Last Gospel.

PASCHALTIDE

Paschaltide, extending from Easter Sunday to Saturday after Pentecost, commemorates the Three Glorious Mysteries of the Resurrection of Our Lord (celebrated during forty days), of His Ascension (during ten days) and of the Descent of The Holy Ghost (during the Octave of Pentecost.

Therfore, the Doctrinal, Historical and Liturgical Notes for Paschaltide, in the Saint Andrew Daily Missal, will be given in Three Parts, respectively, before each one of Three Feasts of Easter, Ascension Day and Pentecost.

Lenten Station at Basilica of Holy Cross in Jerusalem

Non-Italic Text taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal
for Good Friday
Pictures and Italic text taken from Wikipedia (the free encyclopaedia) (unless otherwise accredited)
Station at Holy Cross in Jerusalem
Indulgence of 30 years and 30 Quarantines
Double of the First Class 

Black Vestments 

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Rome). 

One of the masterpieces of the "barochetto romano", 

by Pietro Passalacqua and Domenico Gregorini, from 1743.

(Taken from Wikimedia Commons. 

Photo taken, February 2006, by Anthony M. from Rome, Italy.)

The Station is at the Basilica which in Rome represents Jerusalem, whose name it bears. It is consecrated to Our Redeemer's Passion and contains earth from Calvary, some important fragments of the True Cross, and one of the nails used in the Crucifixion of Our Lord.

On this day, the anniversary of Our Saviour's death, the Church gives her Temples an appearance of desolation, and clothes her Ministers in the garb of mourning.

THE  MASS  OF  THE  CATECHUMENS

The first part of today's Liturgy recalls the gatherings that took place in the Synagogues on the Sabbath Day. The first Christian communities, composed as they were of convert Jews, took these assemblies as their model, at the same time subjecting them to necessary modifications, especially by early associating them with the Liturgy of the Eucharistic Sacrifice.

 

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Rome) Painting by Corrado Giaquinto, from 1744, 

"The Virgin presents St Helena and Constantine to the Trinity".

(Taken from Wikimedia Commons. 

Photo taken, February 2006, by Anthony M. from Rome, Italy.)

It is in the Mass of the Catechumens that these are told that the mercies of God are soon to descend on the Christian people, just as chastisement will fall on the faithless nations, Ephraim and Juda; for at the very moment when the multitude of the children of Israel will be offering the Paschal Lamb (Second Lesson), the Jews will be putting to death the Lamb of God on the Cross. This death is described for us in the story of Our Lord's Passion according to Saint John.

None having been said in Choir, the Celebrant and the Sacred Ministers, in Black Vestments and without lights or incense, come before the altar, where they prostrate themselves and pray for some moments. Meanwhile, the Acolytes spread a single altarcloth upon the altar. The Celebrant and the Ministers, having finished praying, go up the steps to the altar, which the Celebrant kisses, as usual, in the middle, afterwards going to the Epistle side. After this, a Reader, in the place where the Epistle is read, begins the First Lesson in the Tone of the Prophesies.

Pope Urban VIII (1623 - 1644)

A large piece of the Cross was taken from 

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme to St. Peter's Basilica 

on the instructions of Pope Urban VIII in 1629.

THE  PASSION OF OUR LORD ACCORDING TO SAINT JOHN

The drama of The Passion is universal and in one sense will end only with the world itself, for all men, by their sins, have taken a share in the death of Christ. Jesus was bound to triumph through those very atoning sufferings, by which He became the Victim of every passion which shall agitate the human race until the end of the world.

For He has atoned for the pride of those who share the hatred of truth, which turned the Jews into murderers: the avarice of those who are possessed by the demon of greed, which drove Judas to sell his master; the lust of all who indulge in sensual delights, like Herod, who mocked Jesus and sent Him back to Pilate; the cruelty of those who love to cause suffering, like the soldiers who struck Our Lord and insulted Him; and the cowardice of all who leave the path of duty, like the Apostles, who forsook Him, to whom they owed everything.

Our Lord's Passion is the whole of humanity, hurling itself upon its Divine Healer, and yet cured by Him; yet, also, it is the anointed of God, the King of Martyrs, who, in face of all the generations who persecute Him, and before the whole world, offers to His Father a supreme token of submission, that of blood itself.

 The arms of Pope Urban VIII

(Taken from Wikimedia Commons. The Author is Odejea, 2008.)

Armoiries du pape Urbain VIII : d'azur à trois abeilles d'or posées 2 et 1. Source du blasonnement : http://www.araldicavaticana.com/purbano08.htm

Christ on the Cross ! What a model of death to all our sins, of resistance to every temptation, of warfare against all evildoers, and of the testimony which we in our turn ought to render to God, even, if necessary, at the cost of our very life.

THE  SOLEMN  PRAYERS

In the second part of today's Liturgy, we have a relic of Prayers which were also a feature of the primitive gatherings previously mentioned. Of these Prayers, the only trace existing in the Roman Mass is the Oremus, said before the Offertory.

These Liturgical Prayers show us that the effects of Our Lord's death extend to all necessities of the Church and of the human race. They even foresee the conversion of the deicide race, who will one day recognise that Jesus is the Messias.

 

 

Pope Gregory I (590 A.D. - 604 A.D.)

Ordered the construction of the Basilica's Museum

THE  ADORATION  OF  THE  CROSS

This ceremony owes its origin to a custom which prevailed at Jerusalem in the 4th-Century, of venerating, on this day, the wood of the True Cross. Meanwhile, the Improperia, or tender reproaches of Christ to His people, to whom He had done nothing but good, were sung in Greek, which language was still partly in use in the Mass of every day.

When the Prayers are finished, the Celebrant takes off the Chasuble and he unveils the Cross, singing the words: "Ecce lignum Crucis" - Behold the wood of the Cross. Thence begins the Adoration of the Cross by the Celebrant, Ministers and the people, during which the Choir sing "The Reproaches".

THE  MASS  OF  THE  PRE-SANCTIFIED 

Good Friday, being the anniversary of Our Lord's death, there stands out before the whole world, the blood-stained throne of the Cross from which the God-Man reigns. The Church does not celebrate the Holy Mass, which is the memorial of that of the Cross; she contents herself with consuming the sacred species previously consecrated; which, in the Greek Rite, is the daily practice during Lent, except on Saturdays and Sundays. From this comes the name "Mass of the Pre-Sanctified", since the offerings are sanctified (consecrated) previously.

VESPERS

There follows Vespers, which are the same as for Vespers on Maundy Thursday. 

The apse of the Church includes frescoes, telling the Legends of the True Cross, attributed to Melozzo, to Antoniazzo Romano and Marco Palmezzano. The Museum of the Basilica houses a mosaic icon from the 14th-Century: According to the legend, Pope Gregory I had it made after a vision of Christ. Notable also is the tomb of Cardinal Francisco de los Ángeles Quiñones, by Jacopo Sansovino (1536).

Lenten Station at Basilica of Saint John Lateran

Non-Italic Text taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal
for Maundy Thursday
Pictures and Italic text taken from Wikipedia (the free encyclopaedia) (unless otherwise accredited)
Station at Saint John Lateran
Plenary Indulgence
Double of the First Class 

White Vestments at Mass 

Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome

(From Wikimedia Commons

Photo taken, September 2005, by Stefan Bauer,  

http://www.ferras.at )

The Station was formerly held at Saint John Lateran, which was originally called the Basilica of Saint Saviour.

The Liturgy of Maundy Thursday is full of memories of the Redemption. It formerly provided for the celebration of three Masses: The first Mass for the reconciliation of public penitents; The second Mass for the consecration of the Holy Oils; The third Mass for a special commemoration of the institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper. This last Mass is the only one that has been preserved, and, at it, the Bishop, attended by twelve Priests, seven Deacons and seven Sub-Deacons, blesses the Holy Oils in his Cathedral Church.

Side Chapel in Saint John Lateran

(From Wikimedia Commons. 

Photo taken by Maros M r a z (Maros), October 2008)

The Reconciliation of Public Penitents

Sinners, who had undergone a course of penance, were granted on this day “the abundant remission of their sins”, “which were washed away in the blood of Jesus”. Dying with Christ, they were “cleansed of all their sins, and clad in the nuptial robe they were admitted once more to the banquet of the Most Holy Supper”.

The Blessing of the Holy Oils

This blessing took place with a view to the baptism and confirmation of the Catechumens during Easter night. The Bishop exorcised the oil, praying God “to instil into it the power of the Holy Ghost”, so that “the Divine Gifts might descend on those who were about to be anointed”.

Before the prayer, Per quem haec omnia, there used to be a form of blessing of the good things of the Earth, with mention of their different kinds (fruits, milk, honey, oil, etc), of which we still find examples in the Leonine Sacramentary. Of this form, there remains nothing in the Canon of the Mass, except the conclusion, which, on Holy Thursday, retains its natural meaning, since it immediately follows the blessing of the Holy Oils.

 

Side Chapel in Saint John Lateran

(Taken from Wikimedia Commons. 

Photo taken, 2005-07-06, by Eugenia & Julian

and originally posted to Flickr  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eugeniayjulian/24171978/

The Oil of the Sick, which is the matter of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, is the first to be blessed, before the Pater. Formerly, this used also to be blessed on other days.

The Holy Chrism, which is the matter of the Sacrament of Confirmation, is the noblest of the Holy Oils, and the blessing of it takes place with greater pomp, after the clergy have communicated. It is used for the consecration of Bishops, in the rite of Baptism, in the consecration of Churches, altars and chalices, and in the baptism or blessing of bells.

The apse in Saint John Lateran

(From Wikimedia Commons. 

Photo taken, September 2005, by Stefan Bauer, http://www.ferras.at)

The third Holy Oil, which is blessed immediately after, is that of the Catechumens. It is used to anoint the breast and between the shoulders of the person to be baptised, for the blessing of baptismal fonts on Holy Saturday and on the Vigil of Pentecost, at the Ordination of Priests, at the consecration of altars, and for the coronation of Kings and Queens.

“Oil”, says Saint Augustine, “signifies something great.” Through the ages, and in many a land, it has always played a mystical and religious part. Soothing and restoring by its very nature, it symbolises the healing wrought by the Holy Ghost (Extreme Unction); a source of light, it denotes the graces of the Holy Ghost, which enlighten the heart; flowing and penetrating, it represents the infusion of the Holy Spirit into Souls (Baptism, Confirmation); softening in its effects, it shows forth the action of the Holy Ghost, who bends our rebellious wills and arms us against the enemies of our salvation.

The Holy Ghost is especially represented by the olive oil, according to the Blessings of Oil and of Palms, because the dove, a symbol of the Holy Ghost, carried an olive branch in her beak; because the Holy Ghost came down upon Christ, the Anointed One; and because the olive branches, cast by the Jews in Our Lord’s path, foreshadowed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which was to be given to the Apostles at Pentecost. The balm, which is added to the oil to make the sacred Chrism, signifies, by its sweet perfume, the good odour of all Christian virtues. Also, it preserves from corruption - another respect in which it is a symbol of supernatural grace that protects us from the contagion of sin (Catechism of the Council of Trent).

The nave of Saint John Lateran. At 400ft long, 

the Basilica ranks 15th among the largest Churches in the world.

(From Wikimedia Commons. Photo taken, September 2010, by Tango7174)

Mass for Maundy Thursday

The Church, which commemorates throughout the year in the Holy Eucharist all the mysteries of Our Lord’s life, today lays special stress on the institution of that Sacrament and of the Priesthood. This Mass carries out more, than any other, the command of Christ to His Priests to renew the Last Supper, during which He instituted His immortal presence among us at the very moment His death was being plotted. The Church, setting aside her mourning today, celebrates the Holy Sacrifice with joy. The Crucifix is covered with a white veil, her Ministers are vested in white, and the bells are rung at the Gloria in excelsis. They are not rung again until Holy Saturday.

Saint Paul tells us, in the Epistle, that the Mass is a “memorial of the death of Christ”. The Sacrifice of the Altar is necessary if we are to partake in the Victim of Calvary and share in His merits. And the Eucharist, which derives all its virtue from the Sacrifice of the Cross, makes it universal as regards time and space in a sense unknown so far. To love the Blessed Sacrament is “to glory in the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ” (Introit).

The Tomb of Pope Leo XIII in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran

(From Wikimedia Commons. Photo taken, May 2007, by Berthold Werner)

Christ takes on Himself to perform the ablutions prescribed by the Jews during the supper (Gospel), to show forth the purity and charity that God requires of those who desire to communicate for, as in the case of Juda (Collect), “whosover eats this bread unworthily is guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord” (Epistle).

After the Mass, the altar is stripped, in order to show that the Holy Sacrifice is interrupted and will not be offered again to God until Holy Saturday. The Priest, therefore, has consecrated two hosts, for, on Good Friday, the Church refrains from renewing on the altar the Sacrifice of Calvary.

On this Holy Thursday, when the Epistle and Gospel describe for us the details of the institution of the Priesthood and the Eucharistic Sacrifice, let us receive from the Priest’s hands that Holy Victim who offers Himself upon the altar, and in this holy manner fulfil our Easter duty.