Chapter XXXI

The Ceremonies of Holy Mass, and what they Signify

Before proceeding to explain the ceremonies of the Mass we must ask the reader to observe that it consists of three principal parts—the offertory, the consecration, and the communion. These three parts were instituted by Christ Himself. The offertory is the giving of thanks and blessing of the bread and wine, whereby both are consecrated to the service of God. This was done at the Last Supper, when Our Lord took bread and wine, gave thanks to His heavenly Father, and blessed them. The consecration consists in the repetition of the words which Christ spoke on that memorable occasion: “This is My body; this is My blood.” The consecration is the most important part of holy Mass, because by it Christ becomes present on our altars, and in it lies the essence of the sacrifice, as the reader will have seen from the earlier chapters of this book. The communion is the consumption of the sacred oblation. This was also done in the Last Supper, when Our Lord gave His flesh and blood to be eaten by the apostles under the form of bread and wine. All that precedes the offertory, the various psalms, prayers, and lections, was formerly called the Mass of the catechumens, because the catechumens, that is, those who were under instruction, but were not as yet baptized, might be present at it, while they had to withdraw before the Mass, properly so called, commenced with the offertory. This Mass of the catechumens may also be denominated as the prelude, or introduction to the Mass.

The Introduction to the Mass, or Mass of the Catechumens

Before the Mass the priest washes his hands, praying God meanwhile to grant him the grace to offer the holy sacrifice with clean hands and a pure heart. He then vests, repeating at the same time the prescribed prayers, takes the chalice with all that appertains to it, and goes to the altar accompanied by the acolytes, or servers. At the foot of the altar-steps he genuflects if the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in the tabernacle, or if not merely bows his head, before ascending the steps to the altar. After placing the chalice, covered with the veil, upon the corporal, which is spread upon the altar, he opens the missal, finds the places, and returns to the middle of the altar. Thence he goes down to the foot of the altar, again bows down, makes the sign of the cross, and recites with the clerk or server the psalm Judica me. This psalm expresses the feelings which ought to animate both priest and people at the moment of commencing this highest act of worship.

Then the priest, bowing down, says the Confteor, or general confession, and the clerk does the same afterwards, in the name of all present. Both strike their breasts, with the contrite publican, as an outward manifestation of the compunction of their hearts. The priest, standing upright, gives the absolution, and prays God to grant to the people the remission of their sins in the Misereatur and Indulgentiam. He stands upright after bending down in a lowly posture, to signify that both priest and people are lifted up and comforted by the knowledge that they have received forgiveness of sin.

After the Confiteor and the succeeding versicles are ended the priest goes up to the altar and kisses it as a sign of respect for Christ, Who will come down to be the victim, and also to mark the bond of charity which unites us to the saints, whose relics rest beneath the altar-stone. If it is a High Mass, the altar is incensed as a token of profound reverence towards God. Let this remind us that our prayers ought to ascend to heaven as the clouds of incense rise in the air. The officiating priest is also incensed, out of respect for his sacred office, and also to show that his virtues, like the fragrant incense, ought to edify all the community.

The priest then goes to the missal, and, making the sign of the cross, reads the Introit, or entrance of the Mass. This is generally a verse taken from some part of Holy Scripture, with the first verse of one of the psalms, having some connection with the season of *he ecclesiastical year or the festival of the day. It closes with the ascription of praise to the Most Holy Trinity: “Glory be to the Father,” etc.

With a sense of complete dependence upon God, and the need both he and all the people have of the divine assistance, the priest says alternately with the server the Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison, repeating each three times to the three Persons of the Holy Trinity. The words Kyrie eleison are Greek, and mean, Lord, have mercy upon us.

This calling for grace and mercy is followed by the Gloria in excelsis, an expression of thankfulness and joy at our redemption, which finds its renewal in every Mass. The beginning of this hymn of praise was sung by the angels at the birth of Christ; the remainder is an ascription of praise to God and an expression of our gratitude to Him. The Gloria, being a hymn of joy, is omitted in Masses for the dead and on the Sundays of Advent and

Lent, besides any other days on which joy is unsuitable.

After the Gloria, or when it is omitted immediately after the Kyriey the priest kisses the altar, and, turning to the people, says: “Dominus vobiscum” (“The Lord be with you”); and the server answers for the people: u Et cum spiritu tuo “(”And with thy spirit. These words express the wish of the priest for the faithful who are present that the Lord may be with them and help them to pray in spirit and in truth. For we need a special grace in order to pray aright. The people reciprocate the wish of the priest: May the Lord assist thee in thy prayer, and in offering the holy sacrifice. This versicle and response is repeated several times in the course of the Mass, to signify the intimate connection that exists between the priest and the people, and as a mutual support and encouragement to perseverance and fervor in prayer.

The priest then returns to the book, and after bowing his head in the direction of the crucifix invites the congregation to unite with him in his supplications, saying: “Orcmus” (u Let us pray “). The prayers which follow are called collects, or collective prayers, because all the interests and needs of the Church and of those of her children who are present are summed up by the priest and laid before God. They conclude with the usual termination,” Through Jesus Christ Our Lord,“on account of the promise given to us that the Father will grant all that we ask in the name of His Son. At the end the people respond:” Amen, so be it.“

At the “Dominus vobiscum” and “Oremus” the priest extends his hands, raises them, and again folds them, to indicate that it is from above that he looks for the fulfilment of his petition. Folding the hands is a mark of humility, which acknowledges that we can do nothing in our own strength, that we put all our trust in the Lord. While reading the collects the priest stretches out his hands in memory of the Saviour Who, with arms extended upon the cross, interceded for the whole human race.

The collects being ended, the priest reads the lesson, a passage taken from the Old or New Testament. If from the latter, it is never a part of the Gospels, but of the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles, or the Apocalypse. As for the most part these lections are taken from the epistles of the apostles, they are called the Epistle, the Latin word epistola meaning a letter. The epistle appointed to be read in the Mass always has reference to the ecclesiastical season or the festival of the day, and is intended to awaken in us sentiments in accordance with the season or the saint commemorated on the day. At the end the clerk gives thanks in the name of the people for the instruction thus received, saying: “Deogratias” (“Thanks be to God

Then follow some sentences of Scripture, called the Gradual, from the Latin gradus9 a step, because they replace a psalm which used to be sung by the choir on the steps of the altar while the book was moved to the gospel side, and the deacon prepared to read the Gospel. During Paschal time the joyous Alleluia (“Praise the Lord”) is substituted; while in Lent the Tractus, a long psalm, is solemnly chanted, without any pause being made. In the Mass for Easter Day, and Whit Sunday, and throughout the octave of both of these feasts, as well as on the festival of Corpus Christi, a hymn, or Sequence, follows, so called because it follows upon, or is to a certain extent a continuation of, the Gradual. In the Mass for the feast of the Seven Dolors of Our Lady the Stabat Mater is read as a sequence, and in Masses for the dead the Dies ira.

The Gospel is of far more importance and dignity than the Epistle, for it contains the word of God, proceeding, not from human lips, but communicated to us by the only-begotten Son of God Himself. Accordingly from the earliest times the reading of the Gospel was attended with solemn ceremonies. Before reading it the priest stands for a few moments bowing down before the altar, reciting the Munda cor meum, wherein he begs God to cleanse his heart and his lips, that he may be worthy to proclaim those heavenly words. At High Mass this prayer is said by the deacon, kneeling before the altar; at its conclusion, taking the book, he kneels before the priest, asking and receiving his blessing. In order to read the Gospel the priest passes to the right side of the altar to represent the transition from the Old Law to the teaching of Christ. At solemn High Mass the deacon, whose office it is to read the Gospel, looks towards the north. According to St. Gregory the Great, the north is emblematic of the heathen world plunged in darkness; and it is to signify that the light of Christian doctrine and the example of Jesus Christ are to dispel that darkness that the deacon turns his face to the north whilst chanting the Gospel. The lighted candles held on each side of the missal have the same meaning, while the incensing of the book shows the respect we owe to the word of God. The reading or singing of the Gospel begins with the salutation: “Dominus vobiscum” etc., and the words: “Sequcntia sancti evangelii secundum Matthceum ”; that is to say, “What follows is taken from the holy Gospel of St. Matthew” (or whichever evangelist it may be). The acolytes answer: “Gloria tibi% Domine” (“Glory be to Thee, O Lord”), and both priest and people make the sign of the cross upon their forehead, mouth, and breast to signify that they pray God to enlighten their understanding, and open their hearts to receive His sacred teaching, and make them ever ready to profess it with their lips. The priest (or deacon) previously makes the sign of the cross on the book, in the place of the Gospel he is about to read, to signify that it is the word of Jesus crucified, from whence proceed salvation and benediction. The people stand while the Gospel is read, to denote their reverence for God’s Word, and their readiness to do whatsoever is commanded by it.

At the end of the Gospel the server gives thanks on behalf of the people for the heavenly doctrine, saying: “Zaus tibi, Christe” (“Praise be to Thee, O Christ”). The priest then kisses the book out of reverence for the sacred words he has been reading, and to show that they are to us a message of grace and mercy. This is also indicated by the words he says: “May our sins be blotted out by the words of the Gospel.” From the earliest times it has been customary on Sundays and festivals at this point to read the Gospel for the day from the altar, or to deliver an instruction from the pulpit, the sermon of our own time. At the close of this instruction the catechumens, in the first centuries of Christianity, used to leave the church. The introduction to the Mass ends with the reading of the Gospel

With the reciting of the Credo, or Nicene Creed, we pass to the Mass properly so called. This confession of faith is the fruit of the Gospel that has been proclaimed. The cardinal clause of the Creed is that which expresses the incarnation of the Son of God(“Et incarnatus estat which the priest and all the people bend the knee. The Credo is said on all Sundays, the festivals of Our Lord and His blessed Mother, the feasts of apostles and doctors of the Church, and on many other days, besides the octaves of feasts. As this profession of faith follows upon the teaching we have received, so it prepares us for the celebration of the holy mysteries, for without a deep and lively faith we can neither appreciate them nor profit by them.

First Part of Holy Mass: The Offertory

After the Credo the priest turns to the people and says: “The Lord be with you,” and with the words, “Let us pray,” he incites them to follow the prayers attentively, and unite in the sacrificial act which is about to commence. The verse, called the offertory, that he reads is taken from Holy Scripture, and is appropriate to the day or season. The priest then uncovers the chalice, and, placing the host upon the paten, offers it up, praying God graciously to accept this immaculate ho6t for the present needs and eternal salvation of all the faithful. The elevation of the bread signifies the complete surrender we make of it and of ourselves into the hands of God. The priest raises his eyes to heaven to show that the oblation is made to God; he drops them again in token of his own unworthiness. Then, making the sign of the cross with the paten, in memory of the sacrifice of the cross, about to be renewed in the Mass, he places the host upon the corporal, and, going to the epistle side of the altar, pours wine and water into the chalice. He blesses the water before it is mixed with the wine, praying that by the mystery of this water and wine we may be made partakers of His divinity, Jesus Christ, Who became partaker of our humanity. The wine is not blessed, because it represents Christ, the Eternal Son of the Father, the source of all benediction. The water represents our human nature, which stands in great need of blessing. The mixture of the wine and water is said by theologians to represent the union of the divine and human nature in Our Lord. Returning to the middle of the altar, the priest offers up the chalice, and, lifting up his eyes, he entreats the Father of heaven of His clemency to accept that chalice of salvation for the salvation of the whole world. He then makes the sign of the cross over the corporal with the chalice, places it upon the corporal, and covers it with the pall.

The reason why the priest designates the oblation as “this immaculate host” and “the chalice of salvation” is because it is destined to be changed into the body and blood of Christ. This offering of the oblation must be distinguished from the offering of the holy sacrifice itself; for this does not indeed consist in an oblation of bread and wine, but of the body and blood of Christ, and it cannot take place until the consecration.

Bowing down over the altar, the priest humbly prays God to accept the offering; he then blesses the elements, and invokes the Holy Ghost to descend and sanctify them. At High Mass the elements, the altar, and the celebrant are all incensed. The reader may see in the cloud of incense veiling the altar an emblem of the divine majesty, for the Lord is soon to come down from above, as He did once of old on the occasion of the dedication of the temple at Jerusalem, filling the whole house with a visible cloud. By this He manifested His approval of the place chosen for the offering of prayer and holocausts.

The offertory concluded, the priest goes to the epistle side of the altar, where he washes his fingers while he recites the twenty-fifth Psalm. This is to remind both priest and people of the cleanness and purity of soul and body with which we ought to appear before the Lord. Returning to the middle of the altar, and bowing down, with joined hands in all humility he entreats the Most Holy Trinity to vouchsafe graciously to receive this oblation. Then, kissing the altar, he turns to the people, and with the words: “Orate fratres” (“Brethren, pray,” etc.), invites them to join with him in imploring the same grace.

Turning again to the altar, the priest begins the Secreta^ or secret prayers, so called because they are said in 9 low voice. These prayers are different every day, and correspond in number and arrangement to the collects. The concluding words: “Per omnia sczcula saculorum” (“World without end”), are said audibly, and are the beginning of the Preface.

The Prafatio, or preface, forms the introduction to the second part of the Mass, the consecration. After the Dominus vobiscum, to which the usual answer is given, the priest solemnly uplifts his hands to denote the elevation of his heart, saying: “Sursum corda” (“Lift up your hearts”), to which the people reply: “We have lifted them up to the Lord.” With these words he calls upon all who are present to unite with him in giving thanks to the Father Almighty, the Eternal God, to the glory of Christ Our Lord. And since the praise of mortal lips is only too weak and imperfect, he expresses the desire that their voices may be permitted to join in the triumphant song of the angelic choirs, and with them he exclaims in holy exultation: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth: heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest/1

Second Part of Holy Mass: The Consecration

The prayers from the Sanctus to the Pater noster are called the canon of the Mass. This word means a fixed rule, the prayers being the same for every day in the year, whereas a large portion of the prayers and ceremonies in the other parts of the Mass vary according to the different ecclesiastical seasons, the festival of the day, or other circumstances. The prayers of the canon are read in a low voice, to indicate to the congregation the vast solemnity of this tremendous mystery. The words of consecration form the central point of the canon.

When the priest begins the canon, he raises his eyes and his hands to heaven. This is in imitation of Our Lord, Who, before performing His miracles, looked up to heaven. He then drops them again, kisses the altar, and recites the prayers with extended hands, like Moses when interceding for the people.

As in the offertory prayers, so in the prayers immediately preceding the consecration, we remark the twofold supplication, that God would mercifully accept the oblation, and would vouchsafe to grant us peace and salvation. This general petition is followed by more special ones, that for the sake of this unspotted victim He would protect and bless the holy Catholic Church, the Pope, the bishops, as also all orthodox believers. Furthermore, some persons are mentioned by name, whom God is entreated to remember in mercy; those who offer this sacrifice, or for whom it is offered, with their families and friends.

After thus praying for the members of the Church militant here upon earth the priest honors the memory of the blessed in heaven, the Church triumphant, beseeching God that by their merits and prayers we may be defended by the help of His protection. Foremost among the saints whose names are introduced here he mentions the ever-blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the same Lord Jesus Christ Who is directly to appear as our victim upon the altar.

Under the Old Dispensation it was customary for the officiating priest, before immolating the sacrificial victims, to lay his hands upon the head of each, beseeching the Most High to grant forgiveness of sin, and to bestow upon him what was salutary and needful for soul and body. In imitation of this ancient ceremony the priest of the New Testament extends his hands over the oblation, before the mystic immolation of the victim of atonement, the Lamb of God, in his own name and that of the people, and prays that God, reconciled with him and with the congregation, would grant them peace in this life, deliver them from eternal damnation, and number them in the flock of His elect.

The scene now changes to the cenacle in Jerusalem, where Jesus on the night before He suffered instituted and celebrated the holy sacrifice of the Mass, and the priest, His representative, reenacts what He did then. After the transubstantiation of the bread into the sacred body, of the wine into the precious blood, of Christ the priest kneels and adores the sacred elements; then he elevates them, holding them on high to the veneration of the faithful. The bell is rung as a signal that the solemn moment has come, that Christ, God and Man, to Whom be glory and worship in all eternity, is actually present upon the altar. All present kneel, and, bending low in humble adoration, strike their breasts saying in their hearts: “Jesus, to Thee I live, to Thee I hope to die; in life and in death I am Thine.”

Slain without shedding of blood, Christ now lies upon the altar in a state of mystic death. With profound humility and heartfelt fervor the priest beseeches Almighty God to look propitiously upon this sacred oblation, and, accepting it, to grant to the living heavenly benediction and grace, and also to all that rest in Christ a place of refreshment, light, and peace. Here, striking his breast, the priest breaks the solemn stillness by saying: “Nobis quoque peccatoribus” (“And to us sinners”), continuing again in a low voice: “to Thy servants, hoping in the multitude of Thy mercies vouchsafe to grant part and fellowship with Thy holy apostles and martyrs.”

This prayer closes with the words: “Through Christ Our Lord,” and is connected with what follows by this ascription of blessing, honor, and glory: “By Whom, O Lord, Thou dost always create, quicken, sanctify, bless, and give us all these good things. Through Him, and with Him, and in Him, is to Thee, God the Father Almighty, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, all ho.-or and glory. Amen.” While this is said, the sacred host is held over the chalice, and both are slightly elevated, that the act of veneration may accompany the spoken ascription of praise. Here the canon ends, and the third part of the Mass commences.

Third Part of Holy Mass: The Communion

As the preface forms the introduction to the canon, so with the Pater noster we enter upon the third part of the Mass, the communion. Christ has made the sacrifice of Himself for us by the consecration: we can now call God our Father, we may proffer our petitions ta Him with filial confidence, we are entitled to partake of celestial food at the communion. In the petition of the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread,” we express our longing for the bread of angels, given to us in holy communion.

Raising his voice, with hands uplifted, the priest recites the Pater noster, inviting all who are present to take part in his supplications. At its close, the Amen having been said, in a low voice he beseeches God the Father to deliver him and all who pray with him from all evils, past, present, and future, through the intercession of the saints, and to grant peace in their days. He makes the sign of the cross with the paten, and places the sacred host upon it; then, kneeling down, he adores the host, and in remembrance Christ, Who broke bread at the Last Supper, he breaks it, and puts a particle into the chalice. As the separation of the two species is significant of Our Lord’s death, so the reunion of His body and blood is intended to remind us of His resurrection.

Hitherto the prayers said by the priest have been addressed to God the Father; he now calls upon Christ our Redeemer, saying three times the Agnus Dei: “Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.M At the third time of repetition the words:” Grant us peace,“are substituted as the conclusion. The next prayer is one for peace. At High Mass the kiss of peace is here exchanged between the celebrant and those amongst the clergy who may be assisting at the altar. In early times, when the men and women occupied separate places in the church, and all who were present took part in the communion, it was customary for all the congregation to exchange this salutation. Only those who observe mutual charity and kindness are worthy to receive the God of peace. Then the priest, bending low, his eyes reverently fixed upon the sacred host, prepares by fervent prayer to receive the Adorable Sacrament. Taking the host in his hand, he says three times, devoutly and humbly, the words of the centurion: *’ Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under nay roof; say but the word, and my soul shall be healed.” He then reverently consumes the sacred body and blood of the Lord, thus uniting himself intimately with Him in that close intercourse which is the meaning of the word “communion.” Any of the congregation who desire to communicate then approach to receive the adorable body of Our Lord, and thus participate in the holy sacrifice.

After the communion the priest takes the ablutions of the chalice, a little wine and water being poured over the fingers which have touched the sacred host, and which he holds over the chalice; meanwhile he recites prayers relating to the reception of the Blessed Sacrament He then goes to the book, which has been moved to the left side of the altar, and reads a versicle of Holy Scripture called the communion; this now replaces the canticle which was formerly sung during the communion of the people. Turning to the people, he repeats the salutation, “Dominus vobiscum” and proceeds to read the concluding prayers.

These concluding prayers are called the Post-communion, because they come after the communion. In them the priest and the people return thanks for their participation in the holy mysteries, and pray that God would preserve in them the fruit of this sublime oblation, of this celestial food. The post-communions generally recall the leading idea of the festival of the day or of the season; they correspond in number to the collects and seer eta. Before beginning them the priest says: “Let us pray”; and he reads them with extended hands.

Once more he greets the people with: “Dominus vobiscum” and then from the middle of the altar he announces to them that the service is at an end, letting them depart with the words: “ftef missa est1’ (” Go, the Mass is ended “). Whenever the Gloria is omitted, as in Advent and in Lent,” Benedicamus Domino “(” Let us bless the Lord “), is substituted for”//*, missa est.u

The priest next gives his blessing to the people, and concludes the whole ceremony by reading from the gospel side of the altar the beginning of St. John’s Gospel As in the Credo so here, in reverence to the mystery of the incarnation, at the words: “And the Word was made flesh,” both priest and people kneel. At the end the congregation express their heartfelt gratitude for the benefit of the divine revelation and the mystery of redemption, which are expounded in the Gospel according to St. John, by the response: “Deo gratias” (“Thanks be to

The Ceremonial of Masses for the Dead

As the ceremonies of holy Mass are somewhat different in Masses for the dead, it will be well not to pass them by without mention.

At the foot of the altar the psalm Judica me is omitted, for it expresses the joy of those who go up to the house of the Lord, and the Church mourns because the souls of the departed for whom she prays are still detained in the cleansing fire, and cannot as yet ascend the holy mount to the tabernacle of God.

At the Introit the priest does not make the sign of the cross upon himself, but over the book, as if the soul of the departed was before him, and at the very outset he would bestow on him his benediction, and obtain for him eternal rest and perpetual light. The Gloria is omitted both here and later on in the Lavabo, since it is an expression of joy.

For the same reason the Gloria is not said, to denote our sorrow that the holy souls are not yet permitted to stand before the throne of the Lamb and unite their voices to the angels’ song of praise. Instead of the Gradual and joyous Alleluia, the Church prays in the Tractus that the departed may be released from the bonds of their sins and enjoy the bliss of eternal light. The Dies ira forms a solemn and sorrowful sequence; it appeals for pardon to the just Judge, and entreats mercy for the departed.

Before the Gospel the priest does not, as usual, say: “The Lord be in my heart and on my lips,” etc., nor in solemn requiem Masses does the deacon ask his blessing; the missal is not kissed after the Gospel has been read, nor are the words: “By the words of the Gospel,’* etc., said. The Credo is also omitted, everything that savors of a festival being excluded. The Church mourns on behalf of her departed children, for whom the holy sacrifice is celebrated, and who cannot enjoy the divine blessing in full, or receive the kiss of reconciliation which makes them forever at peace with God.

The water which is mingled with the wine in the chalice is not previously blessed, because the water represents the faithful, and the dead, for whom the oblation is offered, are no longer subject to the jurisdiction of the Church, but are answerable to divine justice alone.

The termination of the Agnus Dei is different: twice u Give them rest“is said, and lastly,” Give them eternal rest“The wish expressed in this prayer for the repose of our departed brethren is of a threefold nature: namely release from punishment, the entrance of the soul into glory, and, finally, the glorification of the body, which is necessary for the consummation of bliss. The prayer for peace and the kiss of peace are omitted, because the Church militant alone is in a state to need them.

Instead of “//?, missa est” at the conclusion of the Mass, “Requiescant in face ” (“May they rest in peace”), is said, and the server answers: “Amen.” The blessing is not given to the congregation, for all the benefit and benediction of the Mass is appropriated to the departed.

With this brief explanation of the ceremonies of holy Mass the present treatise will be concluded. The writer has but one request to make—and he makes it humbly and earnestly—that those into whose hands this book may come will read it deliberately and attentively. He ventures to hope that, by increasing in the hearts of those who read it devotion and love for holy Mass, it may induce them to assist more frequently and more reverently at the holy sacrifice.

An attentive perusal of this book will surely have convinced the reader that to hear Mass piously is indeed a good work, one which will merit for him an unspeakably great reward. And the Masses which the instructions and explanations contained in this book may perhaps have been instrumental in leading him to hear will afford him solace and support in the hour of death, and will augment the measure of his felicity to all eternity. Those, on the other hand, who have slighted holy Mass, who have heard it perfunctorily, or omitted it on the most frivolous pretext, will, when death comes, see how much they have lost through their negligence and carelessness; they will be sorry when it is too late, when they have to expiate their sin in another life.

May the all-merciful God, for the sake of His only-begotten Son, vouchsafe, by the power of the Holy Ghost, to enlighten the understanding, to strengthen the will, to touch the heart, of all who read these pages, so that they may ever assist at the holy sacrifice with heartfelt reverence and devotion. And the writer begs that he may not be wholly forgotten in their pious prayers.

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