Liturgical Questions.
We have received from various quarters several questions connected with the ceremony of marriage. We propose in this number of the Record to answer some of them.
We shall treat in the first place of the Mass. The questions forwarded to us may be reduced to the two following:
1. When and on what days can the Missa pro sponso et sponsa be said, and on what days is it forbidden by the Rubrics?
2. In either Mass are any commemorations to be made, and when and how are they to be made?
In reply to these questions, we beg to bring under the notice of our readers the following decrees of the Sacred Congregation of Rites.
4266. In celebratione Nuptiarum quae fit extra diem Dominicum vel alium diem festum de praecepto seu in quo occurrat duplex primae vel secundae classis etiamsi fiat officium et Missa de Festo duplici per annum sive majori sive minori dicendam esse Missam pro sponso et sponsa in fine Missalis post alias Missas votivas specialiter assignatam: in diebus vero Dominicis aliisque diebus festis de praecepto ac duplicibus primae et secundae classis dicendam esse Missam de Festo cum commemoratione Missae pro sponso et sponsa. Atque ita decrevit et servari mandavit. Die 20 Decembris 1783. Factaque deinde per me Secretarium de praedictis Sanctissimo Domino Nostro Pio PP. VI. relatione Sanctitas sua praefatum Sac. Cong. generale Decretum confirmavit, et ubique exequutioni dandum esse praecepit. Die 7 Januarii 1784
4394. Verumtamen cum interea nonnulla excitata fuerint dubia circa rubricam in haccelebranda Missa servandam, et Parochorum sensus sit varius quippe quia aliqui eidem Missae Hymnum Angelicum adjiciendum censent cum vers. Ite, Missa est in fine, alii vero etiam Symbolum Nicenum legendum putant, ea freti ratione quod haec Missa ceu solemnis et pro re gravi haberi debeat: ideo ad amputandas controversias et dubitationes utque ab omnibus unus idemque conveniens ritus servetur: sacra Rituum Congregatio, me subscripto secretario referente, re mature discussa, declaravit atque decrevit quod firma remanente dispositione praefati Decreti quoad designationem dierum in quibus Missa votiva pro sponso et sponsa celebrari potest, eamdem esse votivam privatam, proindeque semper legendam sine Hymno Angelico [pg 383] et symbolo Nicaeno cum tribus orationibus, prima videlicet ejusdem Missae votivae propria ut habetur in fine Missalis secunda et tertia diei currentis ut in Rubric. Tit. vii. num. 3, de Commemorationibus, Benedicamus Domino in fine, et ultimo Evangelio S. Johannis. Et ita decrevit die 28 Februarii 1818.
4437. Cum per Decretum Generale S. hujus Congregationis die 20 Decembris 1783 dies designentur, quibus Missa pro sponso et sponsa etiam diebus excludentibus duplicia per annum, ideoque etiam infra octavam Epiphaniae, in vigilia Pentecostes, et infra octavam privilegiatam sanctissimi Corporis Christi: alii vero putant his etiam diebus eamdem Missam vetitam; idcirco idem Parochus petiit declarari.
5. An hujusmodi Missa dici possit diebus duplicia excludentibus ut supra notatis?
6. An Commemoratio Missae pro sponso et sponsa dicenda prout ex dicto decreto in Missis de duplici primae vel secundae classis dici debeat sub unica conclusione cum oratione Festi vel sub altera conclusione?
7. An talis Commemoratio pariter dici debeat vel sub altera conclusione prout solet de aliis commemorationibus occurrentibus in diebus Dominicis et Festis de praecepto?
8. Quo loco, quando aliae occurrunt commemorationes ut in proximo quaesito commemoratio Missae pro sponso et sponsa dicenda sit sub secunda conclusione, an scilicet ultimo loco?
Et S. Rituum Congregatio exquisita sententia alterius ex Apostolicarum Caeremoniarum Magistris scripto exarata, typisque evulgata ad relationem Eminentissimi et Reverendissimi D. Card. Cavalchini Ponentis, respondendum censuit ut infra, videlicet.
Ad 5. Negative quoad octavam Epiphaniae, vigiliam Pentecostes, et octavam privilegiatam Sanctissimi Corporis Christi, quatenus privilegium concessum sit ad instar octavae Epiphaniae.
Ad. 6. Negative ad primam partem, affirmative ad secundam.
Ad. 7. Ut in antecedenti.
Ad. 8. Faciendam primo loco post alias de praecepto.
Atque ita respondit die 20 Aprilis 1822.
From these decrees the following conclusions may clearly be established:
1. On all Sundays and holidays of obligation, and feasts of first and second class, the Mass of the day is to be said with the commemoration of the Mass pro sponso et sponsa. This appears clear from the decree 4266 quoted above.
2. This commemoration is to be made sub altera conclusione, and not sub unica conclusione cum oratione Festi.
3. If there are other commemorations to be made in the Mass of the day, they are to be said before the commemoration of the Mass pro sponso et sponsa. This appears from the answer given [pg 384] by the Sacred Congregation of Rites to the question 8 in the Decree No. 4437, and Gardellini, in a note on this same question, says: “Imo si occurrant plures commemorationes ut accidit potissimum dum celebranda est Missa de Dominica, illa Nuptiarum primum dumtaxat locum obtinere poterit post alias a rubrica praeceptas et sic reliquas praestare, siquae sint a superiore imperatae”.
4. The decree 4394 makes it clear that on all the ordinary doubles throughout the year, the Missa pro sponso et sponsa may be celebrated; and it declares, moreover, that it is a votive private Mass, and, as such, to be said sine Gloria et Credo, with the second and third prayers of the day occurring, and to conclude with the Benedicamus Domino and the Gospel of St. John. This decree, clear as it may appear, gave rise to another question about privileged octaves which exclude doubles, which was afterwards proposed to the Sacred Congregation of Rites, and to which an answer was given on the 20th April, 1822, in the Decree 4437, already quoted, question 5.
Gardellini, in a valuable note, explains the matter fully, and we quote his words on the subject:—
“Hisce decretis compositae quaestiones omnes videbantur: secus tamen accidit, nam nova excitata sunt dubia. Quippe nonnulli sunt, qui opinantur Missam hanc dici posse etiam diebus qui excludunt duplicia per annum, praesertim vero infra octavam Epiphaniae, in vigilia Pentecostes et infra octavam privilegiatam sanctissimi Corporis Christi. In hac autem opinione versantur quia in primo illo Decreto dies isti expressim et nominatim non excipiuntur. Ast hi errant quam maxime. Non enim declaratione indigebat id, quod sub generali prohibitione, utpote a Rubricis jam vetitum continebatur. Jubet Decretum, ne Missa nuptiarum celebretur in duplicibus primae vel secundae classis sed vult ut in hujusmodi occursu solam obtineant commemorationem: ergo includit in regula etiam dies, in quibus per easdem Rubricas fieri nequit Festum duplex secundae classis vel occurrens vel translatum si in octava Epiphaniae duplicia isthaec non admittuntur, potiori jure nec Missa votiva privata non obstante Indultu admitti poterit, utpote quae in occursu hujusmodi duplicium celebranda non est”.
We must refer our readers to this very instructive note of Gardellini, which we regret we cannot insert here in full, owing to its great length. Indeed it is not necessary to do so, inasmuch as the answer given to the question 5 in the Decree 4437, already quoted, puts an end to further discussion, and settles the question definitively.
There are other questions connected with the ceremony of marriage, but we must reserve them for another occasion.