The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-04-12
The Ceremonies Of Holy Week

since yesterday is desolate. The pas
sion of Our Lord according to ST. John
| is chanted. Then with solemn cere-
monial a large crucifx is unveiled, and,
the dying Saviour receives the homage
Of those for whom He suffered
These rites concluded, the celebrant
and his assistants proceed to the altar
where the Blessed Sacrament has been
enshrined since Thursday morning.
and carry the Eucharistic Lord back
to the principal altar The Mass of
the Presanctified--so called because
the large host consumed by the priest
is that consecrated and reserved the
day befOre-is then celebrated The
ceremonies are not very different from
those Of the Canon of the Mass, ex-
cept, OF course, that the great prayers
of Conservation and Institution are en-
tirely omitted.
Holy Saturday.
The morning offices of Holy Satur-
day are beautiful and elaborate. ORR
ginally they were celebrated the night
before Easter, as the blessing of the
new fire, and paschal candle, as we'll
as the several Iiturgical references to
night, all remind us. The cere-
monies are OF great antiquity, al
though some features date back only
to the early Middle Ages. The Bap-
tlsmal font is solemnly blessed on
Holy Saturday, and again, seven weeks
later, on the eve CT Pentecost. In the
early Church it was the custom to
0aptize the catechumens on the Easter
vigil. The Mass is of a joyful char
acter, and gives a foretaste of the
glory OF the Resurrection. White
Vestments are worn, and the Gloria
is sung. When the choir takes up the
song of the Angels, after it's first
words have been intoned by the priest.
the bells are rung, and the organs
peal is heard. The purple covering of
the statues is removed-the crucifxes
have been uncovered since Yesterday
and the Resurrection hailed as some
thing already accomplished. Thus the
Mass of Holy Saturday is in reality
an anticipation of Easter In the
early times the day had no Mass of
It's oWn-it shared with Good Friday
the "aliturgical character.
The Vespers of Holy Saturday are
incorporated with the Mass itself.
They are very brief, and are sung
after the Communion Here again we
are reminded of the fact that the
Offices of Holy Saturday were former.
ly celebrated in the night With the
blessing Of the baptismal font and the
administration of the Sacrament t.
the catechumenS, with the other bless
Ings and the chanting of the Prophe-
cleS-lessOns from the Book of Gene
SIS which still remain part of Holy
saturdays service-there was no time
| to devote to the regular evening
psalmody. Hence the brevity of the
Nespers Of the Easter vigil 1t is note
worthy that the Church, in her newly
revised code of Canon Law, has de-
creed that the Lenten fast cease at
noon Of Holy Saturday, and this, of
course, by way of recognition that the
Easter festivities are anticipated on
the morning of Holy Saturday.
| 1t is needless to say that the Church
exhOrts her children to be present at
all these great functions of the Holy
| Week. Touchingly and impressively
they commemorate the fulfilIment of
| the promise made by Almighty God
to our first parents after their fall.
The ceremonies Of this week are
among the oldest used by the Church.
They take US back to the time when
the Christians, with joyful hearts, first
emerged from their underground hid
ing places, to rear aloft on proud ba-
siiiCas the emblem of redemption.
But more than all, these days take us
back to that barren hilltop near the
Holy City, wherein was consummated
! the Great Sacrifice that made us once
more children of God and heirs of
heaven.