The Ceremonies of the Holy-Week at Rome

by Charles Michael Baggs

Service of Easter-eve.

I remarked in the last chapter, that anciently mass was not said either on good-friday, or holy-saturday, and I quoted Pope Innocent I, who assigns as a reason the example of the Apostles, who spent those days in mourning for their Master. It was formerly customary to celebrate mass on the night of Easter-eve or holy Saturday. Hence when Tertullian, the oldest Latin Christian writer, endeavoured to dissuade his wife from ever marrying a pagan, in case of his own death, among other arguments he used the following; "Who will tranquilly wait for you, when you are spending the night at the paschal solemnities?" S. Jerome also (in cap. 25 Matt.) says, that according to apostolic tradition, the people did not leave the church on Easter-eve before midnight. This custom continued for many ages; but Hugh of S. Victor in the twelfth century says, that in his time, in order to avoid weakness arising from long fasting, the hour anciently observed was anticipated. The service, which is now performed before noon on holy Saturday, was formerly assigned to the night of Easter-eve: and this anticipation accounts for the occasional mention of night, which it contains, as well as for the early celebration of Christ's resurrection.

Ceremonies of holy saturday.

The ceremonies of holy saturday-morning may be arranged under three heads: 1st. the blessing of the fire and of the paschal candle: 2nd. the preparation for, and ceremonies of, baptism: 3rd. the litany and mass. All three allude, as we shall see, to the resurrection of Christ, which is the great object of our devotion on this day. In Rome two sanctuaries are the great centres of attraction in the morning, viz. S. John Lateran's on account of the baptism of adults, and the Sixtine chapel, where the service is always beautiful, and particularly on this day. We shall first give an account of the ceremonies observed in the latter, and shall then describe the additional interesting rites of S. John Lateran's.

Sixtine chapel: 1. Blessing of fire and incense.

1. As the missal prescribes, the altar is covered at a convenient hour, and the candles of the altar are not lighted till the beginning of the mass. A light, from which the charcoal for the incense is enkindled, is struck from a flint in the sacristy; where also M. Sagrista privately blesses water. The cardinals enter the Sixtine chapel vested in their purple cappe: the maces are reversed, as on friday. Meantime in the sacristy the Card. Celebrant wearing a purple cope and mitre, and assisted by the sacred ministers, blesses (as usually with holy water and incense) the fire and the five grains of incense, which are to be fixed in the paschal candle[¹¹¹].

Procession: Paschal candle.

The Cardinal afterwards changes his cope for a chasuble, which is purple as well as that of the subdeacon; but the deacon, as he is going to bless the Paschal candle[¹¹²], wears a white dalmatic. They then enter the Sixtine chapel; where, having put incense into the thurible, the Cardinal remains: but the deacon, the subdeacon who carries the cross, and the other ministers go to the Pauline chapel, whence a procession returns in the following order. After two mace bearers comes an acolythe with the five grains of incense, and another with the thurible; then the subdeacon carrying the cross; and the deacon with a reed, at the top of which are 3 candles united together. At his left hand is a Master of ceremonies with a small candle lighted from the blessed fire, and he is followed by two other acolythes. When the deacon arrives near the door of the cancellata, one of the three candles is lighted, and all genuflect, except the subdeacon: the deacon then sings, Lumen Christi, the light of Christ, and the choir answers, Thanks be to God. The other two candles are lighted in turn, as the Deacon approaches nearer to the altar; singing the same words each time, but gradually in a higher tone. He then gives the reed to an acolythe; and before he sings the exultet or blessing of the Paschal candle, he receives the benediction of the Card. Celebrant, who once more puts incense into the thurible.

Deacon sings the Exultet: