There is a general principle that says that if a reasonable number of the Faithful are unable to attend Mass on a given feast, the Mass for that feast can also be celebrated on the following Sunday. This provision is referred to as an external solemnity. You will recall that we did this for the Feast of the Ascension.
Universally, there are three feasts which may always be solemnized in this way, simply at the discretion of the priest. They are:
- The Feast of the Holy Rosary
- The Feast of the Sacred Heart
- Saints Peter and Paul
In 1885, an Apostolic Indult was granted to the Catholic hierarchy of the United States allowing the Mass and Procession for the Feast of Corpus Christi to be held on the Sunday following the Feast. Corpus Christi, always on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, was last week. Thus, on this Sunday, we had the Mass and procession of Corpus Christi in lieu of the Mass of the Second Sunday after Pentecost.
There is something else that we had to consider. This was the first Sunday of the month, normally on which the men of the Holy Name Society have special observances in honor of the Holy Name.
There’s more! It is also now June, month of the Sacred Heart.
We started as the men of the Holy Name entered with the clergy in procession, singing the hymn Hail True Victim, rather a standard in the repertoire for the Blessed Sacrament.
We are no longer in Paschaltide, and so we did the Asperges, followed by Cibavit, the Introit of the Feast.
We’ve covered in the past how there is a correlation between the color of the priest’s vestments and the Kyriale. Father wore gold today. But gold is really a substitute for the liturgical color of white, and white is for solemn feasts. Mass II (two) is dubbed For Solemn Feasts and so it will happen often enough that when Father wears white (or Gold) we will sing Mass II.
There is no liturgical relationship between the Kyriale (Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei) and the Credo. Today, we rather arbitrarily selected Credo IV.
Given that we are no longer in Paschaltide, we sang a Gradual followed by an Alleluia. And, today was once again one of only five masses at which a Sequence is sung. These are the five:
- Pentecost Veni Sancte Spiritus
- Corpus Christi Lauda Sion
- Our Lady of Sorrows Stabat Mater
- Easter Victimae Paschali Laudes
- Requiem Dies Irae
Today’s extraordinarily beautiful Sequence was composed by the great Doctor of the Holy Eucharist, Saint Thomas Aquinas. In 1264, he and Saint Bonaventure were challenged by Pope Urban IV to compete in writing the propers for the newly-instituted Feast of Corpus Christi. When Bonaventure heard what Thomas had written, he simply tore up his own work, folded his hand, and conceded the victory to Saint Thomas.
Of course, at the Offertory, we again sang the Marian hymn in time of pestilence, Stella Coeli Extirpavit. The Offertory Antiphon was very brief, so we managed to also fit in Jesu Dulcis Memoria. This is the vespers hymn for the Feast of the Holy Name, and it’s fitting to use that on the first Sunday of the Month when the men honor the Holy Name.
For the Communion, we sang the very brief Ave Verum, and followed that with the great classic for this month of the Sacred Heart, Cor Arca.
Given the procession to immediately follow Mass, rather than sing Ite Miss Est, Father sang Benedicamus Domino. There was no last Gospel, and because the Blessed Sacrament had been exposed on the altar, we omitted our customary Holy Name Pledge and Holy Name Anthem. We sang O Salutaris Hostia, also written by Saint Thomas, as Father incensed the Blessed Sacrament. And then, as is customary, as the procession commenced, we sang the first four verses of the Pange Lingua, also written by Saint Thomas Aquinas!
During the procession, we sang a portion of the Litany of the Sacred Heart, wrapping it up as we approached the outdoor altar. We then resumed the Pange Lingua, singing the two verses that customarily precede Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament, and that are often sung as a separate hymn, the Tantum Ergo.
There is a very special provision for what took place next. After the Tantum Ergo, the following versicle and response are sung:
℣ Panem de caelo praestitisti eis.
℟ Omne delectamentum in se habentem.
During Paschaltide, these are each succeeded by the word alleluia. Extraordinarily, that is also done on this special feast of the Holy Eucharist.
Returning to the Church, we sang To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King, and Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above, to honor the respective Kingship and Queenship of Our Lord and Our Lady.
As the Benediction ceremony resumed inside the Church, we sang the prayer for the Pope, Oremus pro Pontifice. And in preparation for the second Benediction, we again sang the Tantum Ergo, but according to a different melody. We then again sang the versicle and response, once again with the alleluias.
We concluded with Adoremus in Aeternum, another great classic in honor of the Blessed Sacrament and a fitting end for the beautiful External Solemnity of Corpus Christi.
Grace Notes is a newsletter sent to the Faithful of Saint Anthony of Padua each week to explain the rationale behind the music that had been sung at Mass the previous Sunday.