The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-04-02
PASSION. Or HOLY WEEK


The week in which the Church comn,or,oro+,s
Chrlsts passion and death is varioslv spoken If bt
me ancient writers the Great Week. Holv Wool,
me Week OF the Holy Passion, the Penal Week
oe week OF forgiveness. Many and varied are The
sentiments that move the Church during the wear.
10" she Is engaged IN suppiicating Gods mercy.
now in singing His praises again she discovers ro
linn her necessities. But in lioy Week She can
only beWan the sorrows and death of her spouse.
Her ceremonies are devoid of pomp. her affairs ii
vested of ornaments.
The ceremonies Of this season are peculiar. dis
1met and significant different from those of ether
festivals, symbollzlng forth for us the sorrows of
the Church and the sufferings of our Relee1ner
The lenebrae.-Ihis Is the name given 10 the
fmatins and lauds which are usually sung ON The
afternoons or evenings of Wednesdays Thursday,
and Friday in Holy Week at the beginning of the
office fifteen lighted candles are placed on TRAN
gnar eandelabrum, and at the end of each psalm
one put out till only single candle is left light
ed at the top of the triangle. During the singing
OF the Benedictus the candies on the high altar are
eNngushed while IN the anfiphon after the Bene-
dcus the single candle left aligllt IS hidden at the
EDiste corner of the altar 10 be brought out again
at the end of the Office This extinction figures
The growing darkness of the time when Christ the
Light of the World, was taken
Holy Ihursday.-On this day one Mass only can
he SAID IN the same church. and that Mass must be
public one The Mass Is celebrated in white vest
lN1ully commemorated. bat ut the same time there
ere certain Signs Of the mourning proper of the
Holy Week The bells, which ring at the Gloria
do nor sound again till tire Gloria in the Mass of
Holy Saturday, and the Church returns TO her.an-
cent use Of sulnmoning the faithful or arousing
Their attention by a wooden clappcr. Nor Is the
embrace Of peace given. The celcbrant ccnsecrates
an additional host, which IS placed in chalicc and
borne in procession after the Mass to place pre-
pared for it. In ancient times this procession oc-
cured daily for there was no tabernacle over the
altar for reserving the particles which remained
over after the communion of the faithful.
Since the seventh century the holy oils, formerly
c'u~ecrated at any time, have been blessed by The
bishop in the Mass of this day Twelve priests end
deacons assist as witnesses of the ceremony.
The bishops and priests breathe three times upon
The OIL of the catechumens and the chrlsm, meaning
y this action that the power of the Holy Spirit IS
about to descend the oils; and after the conse-
Grafton Is complete they salute the oils with the
words: Hail. holy oil: hail, holy clTism
Good Friday.-On this day the Church common
crates The Passion of Christ that 1t IS the most
sad and solemn of all the days in Holy Week. The
officiating clergy appear in black vestments, and
PROSTATE themselves before the altar. which still
remains stripped. Nor are the candles lighted
After a short pause. the altar Is covered with white
cloths. and passages Of the Old Testament, fol
lowed by the history of the Passion from st. john
arc read Next the 1hurch prays solemnly for all
conditions of men, for all the members OF the her
arclr for the pro r;ty of the Christian people,
for catechumens, aeretIe- Jews and pagans.
We have now 40 epe4t, of the most striking and
singular feature o. The Good Friday ritual. The
Latin church contens herself with abstaining from
the Celebration of Ma on Good Friday, the day on
which Christ was offered as bleeding victim for
our sins. This Mass Of the Presanctifed on Good
Friday is mentioned by Pope Innocent | in his let
1er 70 Decentius. The Blessed Sacrament Is borne
in procession from the chapel where it was placed
The day before. while the choir sings the hymn
y ezlla Regis" The priest places the Host on the
altar, the candles of which now lighted. The
Blessed Sacrament is elevated and adored while
The wooden clapper Is sounded; 1t is divided into
Hree parts, one of which is put into ehalice con
tanning wine and r,ter. Finally the priest receives
ME- portions of the Host which remain on the paten,
and then takes the wine with the third portion of
the Host According TO a Roman Ordo written
about the year 500 and quoted by Thomassin, the
ceremony ended with the silent communion of the
.aithful but the present discipline of the Church
orbids communion to be given Good Friday
Except in the case of sickness.