The Ordinary: Office, Gloria, and Creed

Then shall the priest raise himself, and kiss the altar in the midst, and sign himself on his face, saying thus:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Then shall the deacon place incense in the censer, and say first to the priest:

And the priest shall say:

Then the deacon, handing the thurible to the priest, shall kiss his hand, and the priest himself shall cense the midst of the Altar and either side¹ of the Altar, first on the right hand, then on the left hand, and in the meanwhile in the midst.

Then shall the priest himself be censed by the deacon, and afterwards the priest shall kiss the Text,² brought to him by the subdeacon.

These things having been thus done, with deacon and subdeacon on the right side of the Altar, the priest shall proceed with the Office of the mass as far as the Collect, or as far as Gloria in Excelsis, when it is said.

After the Office and the Psalm, the Office is to be repeated; after which Glory be to the Father, etc., and As it was, etc., are said. Then the Office is to be repeated a third time. And this is to be observed throughout the whole year, on Sundays, and on the feasts of saints, and on Octaves, and within [Octaves] when the quire is ruled, and at all masses of saint Mary; except from Passion Sunday and after, until Maundy Thursday, that is to say, at the Mass of the season only; for then the Office is to be recommenced directly after the Psalm which is said after the Office, without Glory be to the Father, etc., after the repetition of the Office.

The principal ruler of the quire ought to ask for the Office of

¹ Cornu. ² Textus, that is, the Book of the Gospels.

the mass from the precentor, and then intimate it to his companion, and afterwards they shall begin it together. In the same way the Kyrie, the Sequence, the Offertory, the Sanctus, the Agnus, and the Communion should be asked for, intimated, and begun.

This done, and the Office of the Mass having been commenced, when Glory be to the Father, etc., is begun at the conclusion of the Office, then the ministers should approach the Altar in order: first, the candlebearers walking two and two, then the thurifers, after them the subdeacon, then the deacon, after him the priest. The deacon and subdeacon are to be vested in chasubles, that is to say, daily throughout Advent, and from Septuagesima till Maundy Thursday, when the mass of the season is said, except on vigils and on Ember days, but they are not to hold their hands in the same way as the priest. The other ministers, that is to say, the candlebearers, the thurifers, and the acolytes, are to be vested in albs with amices.

At all other times of the year, when the mass of the season is said, and on feasts of saints throughout the whole year, the deacon and subdeacon shall use dalmatics and tunicles, except on vigils and Ember days, and on the vigils of Easter, Whitsunday, and Christmas Day, if it fall on a Sunday, and except at the Ember fast which is celebrated in Whitsun-week; then they should be vested in dalmatics and tunicles. On Good Friday and on Rogation days, at the mass of the fast, and at the procession, and at Sunday masses, and at the masses of the saints which are said in chapter, then they should use albs with amices.

In Easter-tide,¹ whatever the mass may be, except on the Invention of the holy Cross, the ministers of the altar should use white vestments at Mass, as likewise on the feasts of the Annunciation of the blessed Mary, and of her Conception, and on both feasts of St. Michael; and on the feast of St. John the

¹ Warren notes the probable duration of Tempus Paschale in his index. He also calls the omission of directions for Christmas Day curious and unexplained, and refers to evidence in his Essays on Ceremonial.

Apostle in Christmas week, and throughout the octaves, and on the octaves of the Assumption and the Nativity of blessed Mary, and in commemoration of her throughout the whole year, and throughout octaves, and on the octave of the Dedication of a church.

But they are to use red vestments on all Sundays throughout the year, outside Easter-tide, when the Mass is of the Sunday, and on Ash Wednesday, and on Maundy Thursday, and on both feasts of the holy Cross, and on all feasts of martyrs, apostles, and evangelists outside Easter-tide.

On all feasts of one or many confessors they are to use vestments of a yellow colour.

This being done, the priest and his ministers shall betake themselves to the seats prepared for them until Gloria in excelsis, which is always to be begun in the midst of the Altar, whenever it is said.

Here follow varieties of intonations for the four opening words of Gloria in excelsis Deo, viz.:¹

Three; for all Sundays in the year when Gloria in excelsis is said, one of them to be always selected by the precentor.

Two; for all feasts which are greater doubles.

Two; for all other double feasts.

One; for both feasts of St. Michael, and for the feast of St. Dunstan.

Two; for all feasts and on octaves when the Invitatory is sung by three persons.

Two; for all other simple feasts, whether of three or of nine lessons, when the quire is ruled.

Two; for all feasts of three lessons, and on octaves when the quire is not ruled.

One; in commemoration of blessed Mary throughout the whole year, when “Gloria in excelsis” is said.

Except when the service of saint Mary occurs for the last time before Advent, and before Septuagesima, and on the octaves of

¹ Warren omits the music for these openings, which is printed in the original text, and notes that the translated text is slightly altered in consequence.

the Assumption and the Nativity of blessed Mary; for then the following chant is said both by the quire, and by the Priest and his ministers at the altar, together with its farsings, that is to say, in the quire: it is also said, with its prose,¹ in the daily masses in the chapel of blessed Mary on every Saturday.

At all other masses, when Gloria in excelsis is to be said, it is said without the prose. After it has been commenced, the priest should turn himself to the right side of the altar, the ministers also following with him, the deacon on his right, and the subdeacon on his left, and they should repeat the same in a low tone. On double feasts, when Gloria in excelsis ought to be said, the principal rulers of the quire should ask for it from the precentor, and enjoin it to the priest.

Be it noted that all clerks are bound to stand at Mass, except when the Epistle is read, and the Gradual, and Alleluya, or Tract is sung. But on double feasts they are bound to stand while Alleluya is sung by the quire. Boys are always to be standing at Mass while the quire is singing. The rulers of the quire, when there are only two of them, should

¹ “Prose.” Warren observes that the word evidently refers here to the farsings.

follow in all points the regulations as to clerks of the second grade, at Vespers, Matins, and at Mass; except that they are always bound to stand while the quire is singing Alleluya; and at the commencement of chants at Mass they should turn to the Altar. On double feasts all rulers of the quire should follow the above directions in all points.

It is also to be noted that all clerks, turning to the Altar, are bound to stand while Gloria in excelsis is begun at Mass until the quire commence singing; and, in the course of the same hymn, at the words, We worship thee, and at the words, Receive our prayer, and at the end of the same hymn, when the words occur, Jesu Christ, with the Holy Ghost, in the glory of God [the Father], as far as the Epistle or Lesson.

When the Gradual, Alleluya, or Sequence, or Tract, has been said privately by the priest and his ministers, the subdeacon shall receive the bread and wine and water with the chalice, and shall prepare them for the administration of the Eucharist, a blessing of the water having first been demanded from the Priest in this form, Bless, the priest to answer thus:

In the meanwhile the priest will be seated in his own seat.

At the end of the Gradual, or Tract, or Alleluya, or Sequence, the quire shall bow¹ towards the Altar before they turn towards the reader of the Gospel; and at Glory be to thee, O Lord, the reader of the Gospel shall always turn to the Altar, and, likewise, all the clerks shall sign themselves with the sign of the cross. This sign is to be made publicly thrice during Mass, namely, at the Gloria in excelsis, when the words, In the glory of God the Father, Amen, are said; and at Glory be to thee, O Lord; and after the Sanctus, when the words, Blessed is he that cometh, are said.² The quire is to bow towards the altar at the beginning of I believe in one, etc., until the quire

¹ Se inclinet. ² Warren notes that the 1526 punctuation is defective here.

sing; and again thrice: firstly, while this clause is said, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary; secondly, at the words, and was made man; thirdly, at the words, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; and at the end [of the Creed] at the words, and the life of the world to come. Amen. From this point until the Offertory is begun, and after the Offertory until the whole office of the mass is finished, the quire should adopt the above gesture¹ on every feast throughout the year. But Gloria in excelsis is not said through the whole of Advent, whatever the mass may be, nor from Septuagesima up to the vigil of Easter.

This done, and having made the sign of the cross upon his face, the priest shall turn to the people and, slightly elevating his arms and joining his hands, shall say thus:

And the quire shall respond,

in the same tone. And the priest shall turn again to the Altar, and shall say thus:

As often as The Lord be with you is said at Mass, it is always said with the same intonation, and likewise, Let us pray; except in the case of Prefaces, and in the Nuptial Mass, when the blessing is given over the bridegroom and bride, before the Peace of the Lord. Then a different intonation is provided for it, as well as for the concluding phrase of the Collect.

If any Memory is to be introduced the priest shall again say, Let us pray, as above. And when there are several Collects to be said, then all those which follow the first are said with one termination, and under one Let us pray, provided that the number of Collects is never to exceed seven, according to the use of the Church of Sarum.

¹ The gesture is inclining or bowing to the Altar. ² Warren does not reproduce the musical intonations for the Salutation, the Creed, or the Prefaces.

While the priest is standing for the office of the Mass, the deacon shall always stand directly behind him on the next step, and the subdeacon, in the same way, on the second step, directly behind the deacon. As often as the priest turns to the people, the deacon shall turn in a similar direction. The subdeacon in the meantime shall genuflect, and occupy himself in handling the priest's chasuble. If a bishop be celebrant all the deacons shall stand on the deacon's step, the principal deacon occupying the middle position among them. The subdeacons are to be ranged in the same way on their step, and all the rest of the deacons and of the subdeacons are to imitate the gestures of the principal deacon and the principal subdeacon; except that the principal subdeacon is to attend alone upon the priest¹ when he turns to the people.

It is to be observed that whatever is said by the priest before the Epistle is to be said at the right-hand side of the altar, except the commencement of Gloria in excelsis. The same rule is to be observed after the reception of the sacrament. Everything else is to be done in the midst of the Altar, unless perchance there should be no deacon present. In that case the Gospel should be read at the left-hand side of the Altar. After the Introit² of the Mass one of the candlebearers shall bring the bread, and the wine, and the water, which are arranged for the administration of the Eucharist, another [candlebearer] shall carry a basin with water and a towel.

The quire may be entered up to the end of the first Collect.

The rest of the service as far as the Creed is said in accordance with the directions laid down for the first Sunday in Advent.

Nicene Creed.

¹ Warren reads “Sacerdoti,” but judges that it should apparently be “episcopo.” ² Introitus. In almost every other case the word used is Officium.

Father, by whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven,

Here the quire shall incline while they say,

And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary,

The quire shall again incline while they say:

And was made man.

The quire shall incline a third time while they say:

The quire shall incline at the end, while they say:

And the life of the world to come. Amen.

After the commencement of the Creed, the ministers having returned from the pulpit to the altar, the deacon shall present the book of the Gospel to the priest to kiss; or, otherwise, receiving the Text from the hand of the subdeacon, he shall present it to the priest, on his right hand, to kiss; the acolyte then waiting on the subdeacon, and the subdeacon on the deacon himself.

Afterwards there shall follow, The Lord be with you, and, Let us pray. Then shall be said the Offertory.

After the Offertory the deacon shall present the chalice with the paten and the sacrifice, to the priest, kissing his hand each time. And the priest receiving the chalice from him, shall carefully place it in its proper place in the midst of the altar, and with an inclination shall raise it slightly with both hands, offering the sacrifice to the Lord, and saying this Prayer.