The Mass: A Study in the Roman Liturgy

This classic liturgical resource is organized as follows: 


Part I. The History of the Mass 

Chapter I. The Eucharist in the First Three Centuries 

§ 1. Liturgical Fragments in the New Testament 

§ 2. The Liturgy in the Apostolic Fathers 

§ 3. The Liturgy in the Second Century 

§ 4. The Fathers of the Third Century 

§ 5. Liturgical Uniformity in the first three Centuries 

§ 6. The Liturgy in the Early Church Orders 

§ 7. The Liturgy in Apostolic Constitutions VIII 

§ 8. Some Special Points 

§ 9. Influence of Jewish Ritual 


Chapter II. The Parent Rites and Their Descendants 

§ 1. The Development of the Parent Rites 

§ 2. The Antiochene Rite 

§ 3. Liturgies derived from Antioch 

§ 4. The Alexandrine Rite 

§ 5. The Gallican Rite 

§ 6. Table of Liturgies 


Chapter III. The Origin of the Roman Rite 

§ 1. State of the Question 

§ 2. Earliest liturgical books 

§ 3. Latin as the liturgical language 

§ 4. First traces of the Roman Mass 

§ 5. Conjectured reconstructions of the old Mass 

§ 6. Bunsen’s theory 

§ 7. Probst and Bickell 

§ 8. Dom Cagin 

§ 9. W. C. Bishop 

§ 10. Dr. Baumstark 

§ 11. Dr. Buchwald 

§ 12. Dr. Drews 

§ 13. Dom Cabrol 

§ 14. Concluding remarks 


Chapter IV. The Mass Since Gregory I 

§ 1. From Gregory to Adrian I (590-795) 

§ 2. The Spread of the Roman rite 

§ 3. Gallican Influence 

§ 4. Different Kinds of Mass. Low Mass 

§ 5. Mediaeval and Later Commentators 

§ 6. Mediaeval derived rites 

§ 7. The Reform of Pius V (1570) 

§ 8. Later revisions and modern times 


Part II. The Order of the Mass 

Chapter V. The Mass of the Catechumens to the Lessons 

§ 1. Arrangements of the Parts of the Mass 

§ 2. The Introit 

§ 3. The Celebrant’s Preparation 

§ 4. First Incensing of the altar 

§ 5. Kyrie eleison 

§ 6. Gloria in Excelsis 

§ 7. Collects 


Chapter VI. The Lessons 

§ 1. The Lessons 

§ 2. Epistle 

§ 3. Gradual, Alleluia, Tract and Sequence 

§ 4. Gospel 

§ 5. Homily and Creed 


Chapter VII. The Mass of the Faithful to the Eucharistic Prayer 

§ 1. The Prayers of the Faithful 

§ 2. The Offertory Act 

§ 3. Azyme bread 

§ 4. The Offertory Chant 

§ 5. Offertory Prayers 

§ 6. The Incensing and Washing of Hands 

§ 7. Secrets 


Chapter VIII. The Canon 

§ 1. The Preface. 

§ 2. Sanctus 

§ 3. Name, Extent and general Character of the Canon 

§ 4. Te igitur to the Words of Institution 

§ 5. The Elevation 

§ 6. To the end of the Canon 


Chapter IX. The Communion 

§ 1. The Lord’s Prayer 

§ 2. Fraction, Commixture, Fermentum 

§ 3. Kiss of Peace 

§ 4. The Communion Act 

§ 5. Communion under one kind 

§ 6. Communion Prayers 

§ 7. Agnus Dei and Communion Antiphon 


Chapter X. After the Communion 

§ 1. Postcommunion and Oratio super populum 

§ 2. Dismissal 

§ 3. After the Dismissal