Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-03-02
TOPICS OF SUNDAY,
RIgET REV. BISHOP KAHN ON THE OkRE-
MONIES Of TIE MASS,
Also Those Used in the Administration Of the Sac
rsmsp,-Rey. c. N. Afford DiseOurses
Oh Divine Help IL
Trouble.

Having. in his first and second lee
tures. shown the necessity and the ad-
vantages of church ceremonies, BishOp
Kahn explained in his third lecture,
Yesterday afternoon, at the Cathedral
the chief ceremonies used by the Cath
olic Church i'm the celebration OF Mass
and in the administration OF the Sacra-
uents. the immense audience, who hlled
the cathedral. evidenced the wide
snread interest taken in the subject
Although these lectures do not direct
lv concern dogma, it is Impossible, Said
the Bishop, 10 understand the ceremo-
MES of the Mass without knowledge
of the belief OF Catholics regarding the
nature of the Sacrifice in the Offering
mn of which these ceremonies are EN-
ployed.
SACRIFICE OF THE NASS.
ST. Paul assures Us that we Christians
have an altar; if that be so, we must also
have 4 sacrifice and priesthood, since
these three things, altar, sacrifice,
priesthood, are correlative, and any one
of the three implies necessarily the
other two. The Christian sacrifice must
be superior to the sacrifices of the old
law-must be, in fact, the reality OF
which they were but the shadows. The
Jewish sacrifices typiied what the
Christian sacrifice contains-namely,
the Lamb of God inundated for the
glory of God and the Salvation OF souls.
Such is the belief OF the Catholic church
such, too, is the belief of all the Orien-
tai churches, without exception.
This belief has originated amongst the
Eastern As well as the Western chris
tians liturgy composed OF ceremonial
observances. all having reference To
the great act OF sacrilice-all intended
To fix the mind and heart OF the wor-
shipper on the Passion and Death Of
the Saviour, 50 Solemnly and iittingly
COMMUNICATED in the mass. After the
Conservation the same body that was
pierced on the cross; the same precious
blood shed on Calvary are present on
the altar: the same Divine Victim con-
tinues to immediate Himself, verifying
Malachy'S prophecy that from the rS-
ing of the sun TO the going down there
of there should be offered in every
place among the Gentiles TO the name
Of the Lord clean oblation.
SAcERpoTAL vESTMENTS.
Whilst each Of the sacerdotal vest
mentS worn by the celebrant at the altar
is meant to typify some particular vir-
tue of the prieStly oflice-y. Q, the Alb
purity, the chaSuble charity. &c.-each
of these yestmentS SymbOlizes some part
of the garments worn by our Lord at
the time Of His sacred passion, The
large white robe called the Alb repre-
SCENTS the white garment in which
Herod had Christ clothed TO sig
nifty that He was n fool; the outer
vestment called the chaSublc represents
the seamless robe OF the Savior Tor
which His eXecutionerS cast lots at the
foot of the cross. etc. The crucIlix
above the altar iittingly represents the
great sacrifice of Cavalry. In this
manner does the church keep the atten-
ton of her children fixed on the great
act in which the priest is engaged in
celebrating the holy mysteries. One
who has assisted at the public worship
of the Oriental ChriStianS-seen those
not in communion with the Latin
Church-cannot but be struck with the
resemblance between the veStmentS
worn by the Copts, the Syrians, the Ar
meniauS. etc, and the vestmentS worn
in the Roman Catholic Church,
CEREMONIES OF THE MASS.
The ceremonies of the Mass pre-
scribed in the Liturgy of the Western
Church were then explained by the
Bishop. OF these explanations we can
give but hrei synopsis.
FirSt-All the prayers and ceremonies
as far as the Canon OF the Mass are
preparatory-int Intended to excite proper
dispositions in the faithful present.
Selections are read from the Old Testa-
meLt and the EpiStleS; after which the
Gospel Is read and explained. The
bread and wine are offered with appro-
PIRATE prayers, and the faithful invited
to Join with the priest in the Holy
Sacrifice.
! Second-Then the celebrant begins
the Canon, which he reciteS in . low
voice. When he has pronounced the
solemn words of conservation, he holds
up the body and blood OF Christ to the
alteration of the faithful, and In sub
dued tone he continues the prayers Of
the Canon, saying aloud, however, or
Singing the Lords Prayer. The sacri-
flee proper continues as long as the
sacred species are present; that is, un-
Ill they have been consumed in the
communion of the priest.
Third-Thc succeeding prayers, ac-
companied by appropriate ceremonies,
which were briefly commented on, are
in the nature Of thanksgiving. When
the priest has given his blessing he
conclpdeS by reading aloHd the fourteen
lirSt verses OF the first chapter Of the
Gospel OF st, John,