The Irish standard., 1907-12-21

letters of gold. And from this came
it's name. Traces Of this Mass may
be still witnessed here and there
through Germany, but at the church Of
st. Gudule i'll Brussels the regular
Mass is celebrated every year. OH the
twenty-third of December, with thou
sands assisting at it.
The Private Mass has been con-
founded with the Low Mass. Strictly
speaking, the former is Mass at
which only the priest himself commu
nicates, and it receives it's name from
the fact that no concourse OF peo-
pie assist at it, and that it is cele-
brated in some private oratory or
chapel to which all have not access.
The Council of Trent was of the
opinion that no Mass is private, in the
Catholic sense Of the word, for all are
offered by a public minister of the
Church, not for himself alone. but for
all who are of the Faith. The first
daring attack made upon Masses of
this kind was by Luther. who de-
clared that the devil had revealed to
him in conversation that such Masses
were idolatrous: the decision Of the
Council Of Trent in favor of the Mass
put an end to all cavil on the subject.
The Solitary Mass said by the priest
alone, without the attendance Of peo-
pie or even Of a server, was once very
common in the monasteries and religious
communities, and is still practised to
a great extent in missionary countries.
grave necessity, for theologians con-
slider it serious offense to celebrate
without a server. In the time of Pope
Leo III. the Council of Mayence pro-
hibited the celebration without wit
nesses, and this prohibition was -e-
peated by the Council Of Nantes. At
the present day the Church rules that
whenever necessity compels a priest
to celebrate alone he must recite the
responses himself, and must not omit,
add or change anything, to suit the
circumstances of the occasion.
As every day in the year has q Mass
more or less peculiar to ITSELF When
ever this order is broken in upon the
Mass introduced is called "Votive''
from the fact that 1t is celebrated to
satisfy either the pious wishes of the
priest himself, or some member of his
congregation. Masses of this kind are
subject to various restrictions. A suf
flcient reason, however, would be if
either the person asking such Mass
or the person offering it had a special
devotion to a particular saint or mys-
terry.
When neither the conservation nor
consumption of either element takes
place the Mass is said to be a Dry
Mass. The word nautical" was ap'
piled to it in ancient times, from the
fact Of it's being confined principally
to voyages on sea where the rolling
of the vessel would create a very
great difficulty in celebrating ordinary
Mass. In saying Mass of this kind all
the sacred vessels were allowed, but
as no conservation took place the use
of chalicc was forbidden. The usual
blessing was impaired at the end, and
in some places the services OF deacon
and sub deacon were employed, Gene
brard. Benedictine monk, who died
towards the close of the sixteenth cen
tury, testifies that he himself was
present at a Solemn Dry Mass, cele,
brated at Turin, one evening, for the
repose of the soul of certain noble.
man who had just died. These Masses
We're often said for the special gratif.
cation Of the sick. for prisoners, ant
for scattering people, but such Masses
have long passed. into disuse
Midnight Masses were very frequent
during the days of persecution, wher
the Christians were forbidden to as.
, semblc anywhere in day time. Their.
We're certain festivals also in latel
times. for which Midnight Mass wa.
prescribed, but now the privilege ii
attached to Christmas only, upor
which night Mass is yet celebrated l,
many places. In the Eastern Church
Midnight Mass has never been mucl
in vogue. One Of the most gorgeou,
displays Of ritual is to be witnessed i,
Russia at the Midnight Mass of Easter
At twelve O'Clock all the bells Of tn,
Kremlin begin to toll. and all tn
other bells In Moscow immediateli
answer, whereupon every. inhabitan
awakes and repairs to. church to hea:
Of the risen Saviour. Every windo7
has a light, and a torch burns at th
corner Of every street; the. whole cit.
is in q blaze; the great tower Of IT,