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SUMMARY OF THE RUBRICS.

I. The Mass consists of several portions, some of which are always the same, and some of which vary on several occasions.

II. That part which does not vary is called "the ordinary of the mass," and may be found in its proper place, after the office of holy Saturday, that is the Saturday next before Easter Sunday.

III. That part which varies, consists of the Introit, Collects, Epistle, with its accompaniments, Gospel, Offertory, Secrets, Preface, Communion and Post Communion, and they may be found in their proper place as described below.

1. The prefaces are all found together between that part of the Ordinary of the Mass which immediately precedes the Secrets, and the Canon, and each preface has its proper title, by which it may be easily known.

IV. The Church celebrates her offices either according to the time of the year, or for the festival of some Saint; or for some particular occasion.

V. The year begins with the first Sunday of Advent, after Advent is the festival of Christmas, on the eighth day after which is the Circumcision, next is the Epiphany, after which the Sundays are numbered, first, second, &c., to Septuagesima Sunday; then the Sundays of Sexagesi ma, and Quinquagesima, the Wednesday next after which is Ash Wednesday the first day in Lent, in which there are proper masses for every day; the fifth Sunday of Lent, is called Passion Sunday, the next Palm Sunday

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the week of which is called the greater week; this is followed by Easter Sunday and the Easter week; the next Sunday is called Low Sunday, which is the first after Easter. Between Easter and the Ascension are five Sundays, which after Low Sunday are numbered the second, third, &c., after Easter. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesafter the fifth of these are called Rogation days. Thursday is the feast of the Ascension; ten days after which is Pentecost or Whit Sunday, with its week; the next Sunday is Trinity Sunday, which is of course the first after Pentecost; the Thursday following, which is the festival of the most holy Eucharist, commonly called Corpus Christi. From this the Sundays are numbered, Second, third, &c., after Pentecost to advent, which commences the next year.

VI. The festivals of the saints begin with the vigil or eve of St. Andrew the Apostle, which is the 29th of November, and proceed regularly through the days of the month, until the round of the entire year is made, unto the 28th of the same month.

VII. The offices for particular occasions are celebrated, for the dedication of a church, for choosing a Pope, on the anniversary of the bishop's consecration, for the dead, &c. VIII. On every day in the year, except Good Friday, Mass can be celebrated.

IX. The particular portions of the liturgy are to be found by knowing what office is celebrated on that particular day.

X. Sometimes the festival of a saint occurs on the same day when some office according to the time of the year should be celebrated.

XI. To regulate this, the offices of the time and of the festivals have been classified.

XII. The classes are doubles of the 1st and of the 2d class: greater doubles, plain doubles, semi-doubles, and simples; and their precedence when they concur, is regulated by the class to which each belongs.

XIII. The Mass is generally celebrated of that which holds the highest rank.

XIV. The Missal is regulated according to the order of paragraphs, V. VI. and VII. II. and III.

The variable parts of the Masses according to the time of the year, from Advent to Easter are found placed first; then the ordinary of the Mass, with the prefaces, as marked in clause I.; then the variable parts of the Mass, from Easter to Advent. After this the variable parts of

the Mass on the several festivals of the saints which have proper variable parts, in their order from the vigil of St. Andrew, uninterruptedly throughout the year, with the exception of those days from the 25th of December to the 1st of January, which variable parts for festivals are found in their proper places between Christmas and Epiphany, in the part of the Mass of the time; then the proper Masses for particular occasions, are placed after the common of saints.

XV. The variable parts of the Mass for the festivals of the saints, are either proper or common.

XVI. The proper for saints, is that variable part which has been specially compiled, and appointed for the parti cular Masses, on the festivals of those individuals, and is said only on their special festivals, and is always found under the day of the month when that feast is celebrated. XVII. The common of saints, is that variable part which is said on the different festivals of various saints of the same description, or class.

XVIII. The saints whose festivals are celebrated, are divided into classes, according to their various situations, or works or sufferings. Apostles, martyrs, confessors who were bishops, confessors who were not bishops, virgins, holy women, &c.

XIX. After the proper Masses of the saints, and before the Masses for particular occasions are placed the variable parts of Masses for the common of saints, under the following several heads for their proper classes, viz.: 1. For the vigil of an apostle. 2. Of a martyr bishop, another of the same. 3. Of a martyr not bishop, another of the same. 4. Of martyrs within the Paschal time. 5. Of many martyrs in the Paschal time. 6. Of many martyrs without the Paschal time, two others of the same. 7. Of a confessor bishop, another of the same. 8. Of doctors. 9. Of a confessor not bishop, another of the same. 10. Of abbots. 11. Of virgins martyrs, another of the same. 12. Of many virgins martyrs. 13. Of a virgin only, another of the same. 14. Of holy women, not virgins but martyrs. 15. Of a holy woman, neither martyr nor virgin.

XX. After the Masses for particular occasions are seve ral Collects, Secrets and Post-communions, for special pur poses. which will be known by looking to their titles.

2. When the office is known, if it be of the time, ivob tor it in its proper place, according to the time of the yea. as in paragraph V. and you will find its variable parts,

these, together with the Ordinary of the Mass, will give you the entire liturgy of the Mass of the day.

3. If the Mass be of a saint, look for the day of the month in its place, according to paragraph VI.; if there be a proper Mass, you will find there its variable parts; if there be not a proper Mass, you will find a reference to the Mass in the Common of saints, as in paragraph XIX. where those variable parts will be had.-Look for that common Mass, and by combining its variable parts with the ordinary, the liturgy will be found.

4. Sometimes part of the variable portion is taken from the proper, as in the day of the month, and from the common as described in paragraph XIX.; then the three parts must be combined by reading all that is found in the proper under the day of the month, and the remainder of the variable part from the common Mass, and combining them with the ordinary of the Mass.

5. Sometimes a Commemoration is made; that is, the Collect, Secret and Post-communion of one festival, of a lesser denomination, are said after those of the Mass of the day, they are to be found as you would look for the variable part of the Mass of the festival to which they belong, under the day of the month if they be proper, or, if not, in the common Mass to which that place refers. If the Commemoration be of a Sunday, or any other day, the Mass of which is found in that part regu lated according to the time, the Collect, Secret or Postcommunion, will be found in the proper place according to time.

6. When a final Mass is to be celebrated, which happens on a day which has no proper Mass assigned therefore, either by the day of the month or by the proper of time, the Mass of the preceding Sunday is said, without the Gloria in excelsis or the Creed.

XXI. The moveable feasts are all those comprehended in the enumeration of paragraph V. with the exception of Christmas, the Circumcision and Epiphany. They are called moveable, because they are not on fixed day, of the month, but move from day to day, as does the festival of Easter, on which they depend, and which is regula ted by the phases of the moon; being celebrated on the first Sunday which follows the fourteenth day after the first new moon immediately after the vernal equinox.

7. A Table of those moveable feasts, for a number of years is given to assist the person using this Missal.

XXII. There are six Sundays marked after Epiphany before Septuagesima Sunday, sometimes Easter happening very early, only three or four of those Sundays intervene, the others are then omitted, and the office of Septuagesima taken up on its proper day.

XXIII. There are twenty-four Sundays marked between Pentecost and Advent; when Easter is early, Pentecost is early of course, and a greater number of Sundays than twenty-four intervene before Advent. The office is regulated by taking up the Masses, &c. of the Sundays omitted after Epiphany that year, after the 23d Sunday following Pentecost, and celebrating them in their succession, leaving however the Mass of the 24th Sunday after Pentecost to be invariably celebrated on the Sunday next before the first Sunday of Advent.

XXIV. The first Sunday of Advent is always that which is nearest to the feast of St. Andrew the apostle, viz.: that which happens on or between the 27th of November and the 3d of December,-which is the reason for commencing the festivals of the saints, with the Vigil of St. Andrew, that as the Missal begins with the first Sun day of Advent, which commences the ecclesiastical year, both its parts, of the Time, and of the Saints, might co.. respond.

8. But in the Calendar the enumeration of festivals be gins with the 1st of January, for the convenience of the reader.

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