The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-11-11
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Ing WIN the occasion. Inc urSC OF
these Masses is for All Souls Day. On
that day the saying of this Mass is
obligatory even ''praesente cadavere, /"
| l. e., on the occasion of a funeral,
and no priest can say the Mass for
any other intention than the relief of
the suffering souls in general. He
may and should in his private me-
mento make particular mention of his
friends and those for whom special
remembrance has been requested,
but the application of the fruits of the
Mass must be for all the Holy Souls,
suffering in Purgatory.
The second Mass is for the day of
the death or burial, the third, seventh
and thirtieth days after the interment.
The Christian name of the deceased
is specifically mentioned in the col
lect, secreta and post communion.
The third Mass is for the anniversary,
and the fourth and last for ordinary
occasions The last Mass differs from
the others in that it has three pray
ers and the same number of secretas
and post-communions. The first pray
er said by the priest in this Mass
is that for the person or persons for
whom the Holy Sacrifice is offered
up This is taken from collection of
prayers which the Church has placed
in the Missal for that purpose. If it
be for the dead mother or father of
the celebrant there is also special
prayer. The prayer for woman diff
fers from that for a man, and this
again differs from that offered up for
deceased friends and benefactors.
The Introit for all four Masses is the
same The translation is as follows:
Eternal rest give to them, o Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon
them A hymn, o God, hecometh
Thee in Sion and vow shall be paid
to Thee in Jerusalem. o Lord, hear
my prayer; all flesh shall come to
Thee"
The Epistle of the Mass for All
Souls Day is taken from first CORN
thians, Capter XIV: Brethren, be-
hold 1 tell you a mystery; we shall
indeed rise again, but we shall not
all be changed, etc., etc. After the
Epistle comes the Gradual and the
Tract, which read as follows:
Gradual-Eternal rest give to them
o Lord, and let perpetual light shine
upon them. V.-The just shall be in
everlasting remembrance; he shall
not fear the evil hearing.
Tract.-Loose, o Lord, the souls OF
the faithful departed from every bond
of sim V.-Helped by thy grace may
they be counted worthy to escape
from the avenging judgment. V.-And
evermore in joy. to look upon that
1 light which is Thyself.
At the conclusion Of the Tract the
priest recites the Dies Irae":
"Lo the day of wrath that day
Shall the world in ashes lay,
David thus and Sibyl say"
The appropriateness of this hymn
appeals to the celebrant in the touch
ing verse:
"Ah! sweet Jesus, mindful be
That Thou earnest on earth for me
Cast me not this day from Thee
The Epistles and Gospels of all
these Masses, as might be expected
are taken from those parts of the Old
and New Testaments which bear in
a special manner upon the resurrec
tion of the dead. And wonderful pas
sages these are when read carefully
and wonderfully consoling to those
who are paying the last sad rites tc
their beloved dead. The secreta and
post of these Masses are
worthy in themselves of special
chapter The dominant thought Of
all the prayers, tracts, graduals, epis
ties, gospels, ETC., is contained in the
Saviour's own words (St. John xi)
81 am the resurrection and the life:
he that believeth in Me even though
he be dead shall live; and he that
liveth and believeth in Me shall not
die forever"