The Portland daily press., 1884-04-15
A WEEK OF DEVOTION.
EnA Description of the Ceremonies Dur
sng Holy Week at the Roman Catholic
Cathedral and their symbolic Character.


Especially written for the Press)
Holy Week just ended is one in which the Re-
man Catholic church commentaries Christ's
death, burial and resurrection, and is spoken
OF by ancient writers as "the Great. the Holy
week." The observance of Holy Week, such
| as takes place in our Catholic churches now-a-
days, is mentioned by Irsn@as towards the
end OF the second century; whilst Eusebius
and others evidently believed that the custom
OF Keeping Holy Week dated from apostolic
times. Heretofore in Eastern countries this
week was distinguished from the rest of Lent
by the extreme strictness of the FAST some
keeping an absolute fast the whole week; 9th.
ers for one, two, three, or four days; but in
the Latin church the strictness of fasting did
not exceed perhaps by much the sew Gritty of the
ordinary Lenten fast
Palm Sunday on which the church celebrates
Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem is not
considered as forming a part of Holy Week,
this being regarded as beginning with Monday.
The name of "Palm Sunday" is very ancient
&c occurs in the Life of Euthymius' who died
In the year 472, and is spoken of as great
day by Isidore of Seville. Accordingly ON
that day, palms, or olive.branches werelblessed
and distributed to the faithful. The Bishop
and assisting clergy with the school children
in white, walked in procession through the
aisles of the church, whilst the hymn, "Gloria,
laus, ct honor" was sung in accord with an
cient rites and practices, for we find, according
to Merati, that it was the custom of the faith
full as early as the 4th century to go inI pre-.
csssion singing hymns and carrying palms.
The "Tenebre" which is name given to tn @
Mathis and Lauds of the following day, were
sung in the Cathedral ON the evenings of We'd
nssdsy, Thursday and Friday. by the bishop
and clergy. The "Gloria Patri," at the end Of
the Psalms, the hymns, &C., &C., as may have
been noticed, were omitted in sign of sorrow.
The lessons of the first nocturn taken from the
Lamentations of Jeremias were sung by the
Rev. Fathers Sicsrd and Dallaire of Lewiston,
Finnegan, of Claremont,N. H., DeCelles, Sac.
carappa; buddy. Great Falls. N. H.. and IL.
ons Manchester At the hes-s-.-~. -,
.4.....- ssa1Vou candles were placed on TIL
angular candelsbrum, and at the end OF each
usalm, one was put out, I'LL only single can
dle was left lighted at the top of the triangle.
--ssns Cne singing of the Benedictus the can
dies on the High Altar were extinguished,
and at the Antiphon after the Benedictus the
single candle left lighted was hidden at the
Epistles sides of the altar, and was brought
out again at the end of the office. This extinc-
ton of candles, whence the nar.ae -"teneby7e"
or darkness, figures the growing darkness of
the time when Christ, the light of the world
was taken. The last candle which was hidden
not extinguished, signifed that death could
not in reality obtain dominion over Christ,
though it appeared to do 80. The cIapping OF
the hands which terminated the Office of each
night, was meant to symbolic the confusion
consequent on Christ's death.
On Holy Thursday mass was celebrated in
the cathedral by the Right Rev. Bishop, with
the Very Rev j. Barry, V. g., as the assistant
priest, the Rev. Father McSweeny of Bangor,
Me-, and P. Hewey, of Manchester, N. H., as
ieacons of honor, whilst the Rev. Fathers
| O'Callaghan, Portsmouth, and j. M. sHarring-
ton acted respectively as deacon and sub-dea-
con of mass. In the sanctuary were twelve
assisting priests, who were present at the con-
secration of the Holy Oils, which took place at
that mass, while three sub-deacons took charge
of the oil before and after its conservation.
The bishop and priests bresthed three times
upon the oil of the Catechumens and the
l NuIihuS ucduiuk Ny bHhb hCblUn budb IH6 pow
or of the Holy Ghost was about to descend on
the oils, and after the conservation was COM
pleted they saluted the oils with the words,
Gave sanctum Oleum" cave sanctum
Cbrisma," Hail holy oil. Hail holy Chrism.
The mass was celebrated in white vestments,
| because the institution of the Blessed Eu-
charist was ioyfully commemorated, but at the
same time there were certain signs of mourn.
| ing proper to the holy week. The bells which
rung at the Gloria, did not sound again till the
| Gloria in the mass of Holy Saturday, and the
ancient usare OF summOning the faithful, Or
| arousiBg their attention by wooden clspper,
was practiced. Nor was the kiss of peace Civ
en- at the mass. The celebrant consecrsted an
/ and after mass was borne in procession to TIE
repository prepared for it in the chapel attach
| ed to the cathedral.
| Among the clergymeu who formed the pro-
| cession was noticed the Right Rev. d. M. Brad
| ley, bishop elect of Manchester, N. H., escort
| ed by two ether priests one on either side as
| guard of honor. The "Pange lingua" was
| sung during the procession of the Blessed Sac
rament to its altar Of repose, which was bril-
| lianty Lighted and superbly decorated with
| choicest flowers. The medieval writer's connect
| the procession with the Blessed Sacrament on
| Holy Thursday with our Lords journey to the
| Mount of Olives after the last supper. On
| that day also the other affairs of the church
| were stripped Of their coverings to remind the
| Christians OF the way in which their Master was
\ stripped OF His garments In some places
| after the stripping of the affairs the preate OF
the church, assisted by deacon and sub-dea-
con, washes the feet of twelve poor men, called
"Mandatum," from the words of the first
| antiphon sung during the CEREMONY anda-
| tum Nouvm," "a new commandment !
| give unto you, that you love one another,
hence our English word, MauDday Thursday
| On Good Friday the church commentaries
the Passion of Christ, SO that it is the most
sad and solemn Of all the days in Holy Week
| At the Cathedral the officiating clergymen APP
| peared in black vestmepts. Mass in the prop
| er sense of the word was not celebrated, but
| for it was substituted the mass of the Presanc
| tilted, in which the celebrant received as COM
mnnion the sacred host consecrated on Holy
Thursday, which was borne In procession
| from the chapel where it was placed the day
before, while the choir sung the "Vexills
| Regis
Before the removal of the blessed sacrament
from its repository to the high altar OF the ca
thedral, the officiating clergy, with the bishop,
| Frustrated themselves before the altar in the
| cathedral, which still remained stripped. Pas
ssges OF the old testament were read, while
| the Passion from st. John was sung by Frs
| Finnegan, Deceles and Sicard. Prayers
were solemnly recited for all conditions OF
| men, Tor all members of the hierarchy, for the
prosperity OF Cnrlstian people. Ter catecDumens,
heretics, Jews and Pagans. Before each pray
| or he officiating ministers genuRected except
| befo re that for the Jews, the genUhection 10
| this cose was omitted in detestation of the
| feigned obeisance with which the Jews Knocked
| our Savior. When the prayers were ended,
| the cross, which up to that time was covered
| with black, was exposed to view, beforejwhich
| the ministers at the altar Frustrated them
| selves, kissed il; the same was done by those
| present the cross may be regarded as an i'm
| age IN two ways first in itself, as a piece of
| wood, aud as such, no reverence is given to it;
| or second, as representing something else, and
| In this way we may give to the cross relative
| ly-that is to the cross as carrying our mind to
| Christ-the same honor which We give to
| Christ absolutely. Hence when the sacred
ministers Frustrated themselves before it on
Good Friday, they Frustrated themselves not
| to the cross as piece of wood, but to it as
| bearing Christ the Savior and Redeemer of
men.
| During the prostration and kissing of the
cross the "Improperia" were sung, each one
being followed by the Trlsagion in Greek and
Latin. "Improperium" means reproach.
and these reproaches are addressed in dramatic
| form by Christ to the Jewish people. They
begin with the touching words, "My people
| What have done to tnee, wherein havs
| vexed Thee? answer me-" The Trisagion is