The Mass as said in Rome stands in continuity with the original proto-liturgy of all the ancient Christian Churches of the Mediterranean Roman world. It was originally in Greek & far less ornamented than we have now, but the essential core of the Roman Mass still stands as it was in the earliest days. To quote Fortescue:
“Our Mass goes back, without essential change, to the age when it first developed out of the oldest liturgy of all. It is still redolent of that liturgy, of the days when Caesar ruled the world and thought he he could stamp out the faith of Christ, when our fathers met together before dawn and sang a hymn to Christ as to a God… In spite of unsolved problems, in spite of later changes, there is not in Christendom another rite so venerable as ours.”
That said, let’s concede that the Roman Mass emerges as a unique liturgy with the change of language from Greek to Latin in the 3rd century.
While various bishops made additions to the corpus of prayer & ritual along the way, it was truly Pope St. Gregory I (d.604) that set the Mass – & especially the Canon – in the order in which we have it now. He added (or confirmed) the Kyrie & the Pater Noster. He moved the Hanc Igitur to its current location. It is also from around the time of Gregory that have our earliest liturgical books. The Gelasian Sacramentary is one such book, likely from the VIIIth century. Gregory’s biographer says, “We collected the sacramentary of [Pope St.] Gelasius (d.496) in one book, leaving out much, changing little.”
Now, another point must be noted: the Roman Mass was only used in Rome & in the areas under its immediate jurisdiction. There was at this time a great variety & freedom in Christian worship that no one called into question. Inevitably, however, the other ancient centers of Christianity, Alexandria & Antioch, exerted juridical & theological influence on other local churches. The Alexandrine & Antiochene liturgies, & their offspring, came to dominate in the East.
In the West, the Roman Mass was used around Rome itself; but from North Africa to the British Isles, & from the Iberian Peninsula to Gaul, there were used variations of what is now called the Gallican rite, a Latin language liturgy that had more in common with the early eastern liturgies than with the Roman Mass. Speculation has it that St. Ireneaus brought the Antiochene rite from Syria to Gaul in the mid-100’s. However it arrived, it spread throughout the West & became the dominant liturgy in lands outside of Rome. Over time, the Gallican rite became more Romanized; likewise, elements of the Gallican rite found their way into the Roman Mass, so that by the time we have liturgical books, it is difficult to tell who influenced who on what points.
So, what would it have been like to attend a Mass with the bishop in the days of Pope St. Gregory the Great? Let’s see what Fortescue proposes…
All things having been prepared by the clergy & acolytes, the bishop would arrive in the sacristy with his attendant priests & deacons. To prepare to offer the Holy Mysteries, the bishop would say something like the Confiteor. Prayers of this type are common across all rites & very ancient. It was inserted into the liturgy itself only in the XIth century. All preparations complete, the entrance procession would begin.
With the cantor’s incipit resounding through the rafter beams of the cathedral, the choir would sing the Introit & the altar party would process forth in order of rank from least to greatest, with the exception of the sub-deacon leading the procession as thurifer. At this time, incense was mainly used for processions, both to honor the dignitary in the procession & to sanctify the route of the procession. Torch-bearers, acolytes carrying various accoutrements, sub-deacons, deacons, priests, sometimes even soldiers or princes would join the procession.
The procession was long & slow, necessitating the chanting of a complete Psalm. A particular verse, often the 1st, was selected to be the refrain after each Psalm verse – this became our Introit antiphon. This antiphonal method is believed to be an Antiochene custom introduced in the West by St. Ambrose). Today, the antiphon is emphasized & the Psalm is reduced to a single verse followed by a Gloria Patri (a Roman custom for concluding a Psalm dating at least from the mid-400’s), though the singing of a larger swath of the Psalm is still an option. Further, the antiphon is no longer necessarily from the Psalm, but another verse of Scripture or even a whole-composed verse for the occasion (e.g., 31 May, The Queenship of Mary: “Let us rejoice & make a festive day in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary…").
While we are at the Introit, two other points should be noted: 1) The variable Mass parts we call “the propers” are (wonderfully) unique to the Roman rite & are already found in all their variety in the oldest liturgical books (IVth c.). The Eastern rites, by comparison, do not have different propers for every Sunday & every occasion as we do; their liturgy is quite fixed, other than the lessons & a few alternative texts for solemnities. Specifically regarding the Introit, the Easterns do not have an entrance procession. 2) We have no record of who originally assigned the different propers to their place on the calendar, & why they chose what they did. Occasionally the connection is obvious, but many times not.
When the procession had reached the steps of the altar, the bishop with his ministers pause for prayer, make the sign of the cross, then ascend the steps. There was no Asperges rite at this time. Neither were there formal, fixed prayers at the foot of the altar; priests would offer their own private prayers to prepare for Mass. Psalm 43[42] seems to have arrived here quite early, as well as, perhaps, another confession of sin. However, the written records indicate a tremendous variety of formulae used around the local churches at this point in the Mass. The prayers at the foot of the altar were only formalized in the Missal of Pope St. Pius V. Having arrived at the altar, the bishop kisses it & the Book of the Gospels laid thereupon, then the clergy offer one another the embrace of peace. The bishop now blesses the incense that he adds to the incensor, which is then likely hung up nearby the altar, rather than being swung around as we have it now (Fortescue mentions the possibility of the bishop himself being incensed, too). The entrance chant is brought to completion & the Kyrie is intoned.
It is natural to assume that the Kyrie is the last remaining bit of the original Greek liturgy, but it is not. It came to Rome in the VIth century. Even in the East, it is only seems to be as old as the IVth century. The words themselves go back to the beginning of Christianity, but in the liturgy they were used to introduce a litany of petitions. In this regard, the Kyrie is not penitential, but rather implores God in his mercy to answer the petitions. The Kyrie originated in Syria & occurs with many variations in nearly all Eastern liturgies, where it is sung by the deacon along with the petitions. The “Christe eleison” is uniquely Roman. The litany form, as used in Rome, still occurs in the Litany of the Saints. However, by Gregory’s time, the petitions seem to have been dropped, perhaps displaced by the addition of the Gloria.
A side note: In the Middle Ages, the Kyrie - & other parts of Mass – were commonly “farced,” meaning additional texts called tropes were worked into each Kyrie verse & fitted to the chant melodies. For example:
Orbis factor, rex aeternae, eleison; Kyrie eleison.
Pietas fons immense, eleison; Kyrie eleison.
Noxas omnes nostra pelle, eleison; Kyrie eleison.
Although the tropes were eliminated from the Tridentine Mass, the various chant ordinaries are still identified by those names (e.g., Mass XI, Orbis Factor). The New Mass brought the tropes back as Penitential Rite Option C. When you hear the deacon pray, “You came to heal the contrite of heart, Lord have mercy,” you are hearing a version of the tropes.
The Kyrie (& possibly its litany) having been sung, the Gloria is now intoned. It is a translation of a very old Greek devotional hymn. Pope St. Telesphorus introduced it into the Roman Mass at the Christmas Vigil in the second century. St. Hillary of Poitiers altered it into our current form in the mid-300’s. Pope St. Symmachus (d.514) placed the Gloria after the Kyrie for all Sundays & martyrs’ feast days for Masses said by a bishop. By the XIIIth century, priests, too, were allowed to say it at every Sunday Mass, except those during Advent & Septuagesima/Lent.
To conclude the introductory rites of the liturgy before the lessons, the bishop kisses the altar, turns to greet the people (“Dominus vobiscum”), & then prays the Collect on their behalf. These prayers have a complicated history derived from peoples’ processions to the Station churches of Rome. Their history is also unclear as to who composed them & when, but they (along with the Secrets, Post-Communions, & final prayers over the people) are fully developed in the Leonine Sacramentary (IVth c.). Fortescue questions if the Good Friday form of the Collects, with the deacon instructing the people “Flectamus genua… Levate” at each oration, is the original form.
The prayers completed, the priest & people prepare for the lessons.
Image at top: Detail of the Gelasian Sacramentary (VIIIth c.)
“Our Mass goes back, without essential change, to the age when it first developed out of the oldest liturgy of all. It is still redolent of that liturgy, of the days when Caesar ruled the world and thought he he could stamp out the faith of Christ, when our fathers met together before dawn and sang a hymn to Christ as to a God… In spite of unsolved problems, in spite of later changes, there is not in Christendom another rite so venerable as ours.”
That said, let’s concede that the Roman Mass emerges as a unique liturgy with the change of language from Greek to Latin in the 3rd century.
While various bishops made additions to the corpus of prayer & ritual along the way, it was truly Pope St. Gregory I (d.604) that set the Mass – & especially the Canon – in the order in which we have it now. He added (or confirmed) the Kyrie & the Pater Noster. He moved the Hanc Igitur to its current location. It is also from around the time of Gregory that have our earliest liturgical books. The Gelasian Sacramentary is one such book, likely from the VIIIth century. Gregory’s biographer says, “We collected the sacramentary of [Pope St.] Gelasius (d.496) in one book, leaving out much, changing little.”
Now, another point must be noted: the Roman Mass was only used in Rome & in the areas under its immediate jurisdiction. There was at this time a great variety & freedom in Christian worship that no one called into question. Inevitably, however, the other ancient centers of Christianity, Alexandria & Antioch, exerted juridical & theological influence on other local churches. The Alexandrine & Antiochene liturgies, & their offspring, came to dominate in the East.
In the West, the Roman Mass was used around Rome itself; but from North Africa to the British Isles, & from the Iberian Peninsula to Gaul, there were used variations of what is now called the Gallican rite, a Latin language liturgy that had more in common with the early eastern liturgies than with the Roman Mass. Speculation has it that St. Ireneaus brought the Antiochene rite from Syria to Gaul in the mid-100’s. However it arrived, it spread throughout the West & became the dominant liturgy in lands outside of Rome. Over time, the Gallican rite became more Romanized; likewise, elements of the Gallican rite found their way into the Roman Mass, so that by the time we have liturgical books, it is difficult to tell who influenced who on what points.
So, what would it have been like to attend a Mass with the bishop in the days of Pope St. Gregory the Great? Let’s see what Fortescue proposes…
All things having been prepared by the clergy & acolytes, the bishop would arrive in the sacristy with his attendant priests & deacons. To prepare to offer the Holy Mysteries, the bishop would say something like the Confiteor. Prayers of this type are common across all rites & very ancient. It was inserted into the liturgy itself only in the XIth century. All preparations complete, the entrance procession would begin.
With the cantor’s incipit resounding through the rafter beams of the cathedral, the choir would sing the Introit & the altar party would process forth in order of rank from least to greatest, with the exception of the sub-deacon leading the procession as thurifer. At this time, incense was mainly used for processions, both to honor the dignitary in the procession & to sanctify the route of the procession. Torch-bearers, acolytes carrying various accoutrements, sub-deacons, deacons, priests, sometimes even soldiers or princes would join the procession.
The procession was long & slow, necessitating the chanting of a complete Psalm. A particular verse, often the 1st, was selected to be the refrain after each Psalm verse – this became our Introit antiphon. This antiphonal method is believed to be an Antiochene custom introduced in the West by St. Ambrose). Today, the antiphon is emphasized & the Psalm is reduced to a single verse followed by a Gloria Patri (a Roman custom for concluding a Psalm dating at least from the mid-400’s), though the singing of a larger swath of the Psalm is still an option. Further, the antiphon is no longer necessarily from the Psalm, but another verse of Scripture or even a whole-composed verse for the occasion (e.g., 31 May, The Queenship of Mary: “Let us rejoice & make a festive day in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary…").
While we are at the Introit, two other points should be noted: 1) The variable Mass parts we call “the propers” are (wonderfully) unique to the Roman rite & are already found in all their variety in the oldest liturgical books (IVth c.). The Eastern rites, by comparison, do not have different propers for every Sunday & every occasion as we do; their liturgy is quite fixed, other than the lessons & a few alternative texts for solemnities. Specifically regarding the Introit, the Easterns do not have an entrance procession. 2) We have no record of who originally assigned the different propers to their place on the calendar, & why they chose what they did. Occasionally the connection is obvious, but many times not.
When the procession had reached the steps of the altar, the bishop with his ministers pause for prayer, make the sign of the cross, then ascend the steps. There was no Asperges rite at this time. Neither were there formal, fixed prayers at the foot of the altar; priests would offer their own private prayers to prepare for Mass. Psalm 43[42] seems to have arrived here quite early, as well as, perhaps, another confession of sin. However, the written records indicate a tremendous variety of formulae used around the local churches at this point in the Mass. The prayers at the foot of the altar were only formalized in the Missal of Pope St. Pius V. Having arrived at the altar, the bishop kisses it & the Book of the Gospels laid thereupon, then the clergy offer one another the embrace of peace. The bishop now blesses the incense that he adds to the incensor, which is then likely hung up nearby the altar, rather than being swung around as we have it now (Fortescue mentions the possibility of the bishop himself being incensed, too). The entrance chant is brought to completion & the Kyrie is intoned.
It is natural to assume that the Kyrie is the last remaining bit of the original Greek liturgy, but it is not. It came to Rome in the VIth century. Even in the East, it is only seems to be as old as the IVth century. The words themselves go back to the beginning of Christianity, but in the liturgy they were used to introduce a litany of petitions. In this regard, the Kyrie is not penitential, but rather implores God in his mercy to answer the petitions. The Kyrie originated in Syria & occurs with many variations in nearly all Eastern liturgies, where it is sung by the deacon along with the petitions. The “Christe eleison” is uniquely Roman. The litany form, as used in Rome, still occurs in the Litany of the Saints. However, by Gregory’s time, the petitions seem to have been dropped, perhaps displaced by the addition of the Gloria.
A side note: In the Middle Ages, the Kyrie - & other parts of Mass – were commonly “farced,” meaning additional texts called tropes were worked into each Kyrie verse & fitted to the chant melodies. For example:
Orbis factor, rex aeternae, eleison; Kyrie eleison.
Pietas fons immense, eleison; Kyrie eleison.
Noxas omnes nostra pelle, eleison; Kyrie eleison.
Although the tropes were eliminated from the Tridentine Mass, the various chant ordinaries are still identified by those names (e.g., Mass XI, Orbis Factor). The New Mass brought the tropes back as Penitential Rite Option C. When you hear the deacon pray, “You came to heal the contrite of heart, Lord have mercy,” you are hearing a version of the tropes.
The Kyrie (& possibly its litany) having been sung, the Gloria is now intoned. It is a translation of a very old Greek devotional hymn. Pope St. Telesphorus introduced it into the Roman Mass at the Christmas Vigil in the second century. St. Hillary of Poitiers altered it into our current form in the mid-300’s. Pope St. Symmachus (d.514) placed the Gloria after the Kyrie for all Sundays & martyrs’ feast days for Masses said by a bishop. By the XIIIth century, priests, too, were allowed to say it at every Sunday Mass, except those during Advent & Septuagesima/Lent.
To conclude the introductory rites of the liturgy before the lessons, the bishop kisses the altar, turns to greet the people (“Dominus vobiscum”), & then prays the Collect on their behalf. These prayers have a complicated history derived from peoples’ processions to the Station churches of Rome. Their history is also unclear as to who composed them & when, but they (along with the Secrets, Post-Communions, & final prayers over the people) are fully developed in the Leonine Sacramentary (IVth c.). Fortescue questions if the Good Friday form of the Collects, with the deacon instructing the people “Flectamus genua… Levate” at each oration, is the original form.
The prayers completed, the priest & people prepare for the lessons.
Image at top: Detail of the Gelasian Sacramentary (VIIIth c.)