Next>

Intro		THE TRADITIONAL LATIN MASS									Altar Setup
Contents		Pg 1	Pg 2	Pg 3	Pg 4	Pg 5	Pg 6	Pg 7	Pg 8		Furnishings
Legend		Pg 9	Pg 10	Pg 11	Pg 12	Pg 13	Pg 14	Pg 15	Pg 16		Vestments

THE LAVABO

Lava is Latin for for wash or bathe. In the early days of the church the priest would clean his hands after being brought gifts of oil, food and other goods. In the past it has been symbolic of Pilate washing his hands of Jesus' blood.

The priest then begins to recite Psalm 26 with "I shall wash" while the server pours water from a cruet over his fingers. He then prays the Gloria Patria and moves to the center of the altar and recites the seventh offertory prayer, in which he asks the Holy Trinity to accept our sacrifice in commemoration of our Lord's passion and resurrection and in remembrance of our Blessed Virgin Mother and the saints.

•Going to the Epistle side, the priest washes his fingers and says:                         

P:  Lavabo inter innocentes       		P:  I will wash my hands among 

manus meas:  et circumdabo        	the innocent,  and will 

altare tuum Domine.  Ut audiam    	compass Thine altar,  O Lord.  

vocem laudis:  et enarrem         		That I may hear the voice of 

universa mirabilia tua.           		praise,  and tell of all Thy 

Domine dilexi decorem domus       	wondrous works.  I have loved,  

tuae,  et locum habitationis      		O Lord, the beauty of Thy 

gloriae tuae.  Ne perdas cum      		house,  and the place where 

impiis Deus animam meam:  et      	Thy glory dwelleth.  Take not 

cum viris sanguinum vitam         		away my soul,  O God,  with 

meam.  In quorum manibus          	the wicked;  nor my life with 

iniquitates sunt:  dextera        		men of blood.  In whose hands 

eorum repleta est muneribus.      	are iniquities:  their right 

Ego autem in innocentia mea       	hand is filled with gifts.  

ingressus sum:  redime me,  et    	But as for me,  I have walked 

miserere mei.  Pes meus stetit    	in my innocence;  redeem me,  

in directo:  in ecclesiis         		and have mercy on me.  My foot 

benedicam te Domine.  Gloria,     	hath stood in the right way;  

etc.                              		in the churches I will bless 

                                  		Thee,  O Lord.  

                                  		Glory be to 

                                  		the Father, and to the Son,  

                                  		and to the Holy Ghost.  As it 

                                  		was in the beginning,  is now,  

                                  		and ever shall be;  world 

                                  		without end. Amen.

•The priest returns to the middle of the altar and bowing slightly,  says:                  

P:  Suscipe sancta Trinitas       		P:  Recieve,  O holy Trinity,  

hanc oblationem,  quam tibi       		this oblation offered up by us 

offerimus ob memoriam            		 to Thee in memory of the 

passionis resurrectionis et       		passion, resurrection,  and 

ascensionis Jesu Christi          		ascension of Our Lord Jesus 

Domini nostri:  et in honorem     		Christ,  and in honor of 

 beatae Mariae semper virginis,   	blessed Mary,  ever a virgin,  

et beati Joannis Baptistae,       		of blessed John the Baptist,  

et sanctorum Apostolorum Petri    	of the holy apostles Peter and 

et Pauli,  et istorum,  et        		Paul,  of these,  and of all 

omnium Sanctorum:  ut illis       		the saints,  that it may be 

proficiat ad honorem,  nobis      		available to their honor and 

autem ad salutem:  et illi pro    		to our salvation;  and may 

nobis intercedere dignentur in    		they whose memory we celebrate 

coelis,  quorum memoriam          	on earth vouchsafe to 

agimus in terris.  Per eumdem     	intercede for us in heaven.  

Christum Dominum nostrum.         	Through the same Christ our 

Amen.                             		Lord.  Amen.

THE ORATE FRATRES                 

•The priest kisses the altar and turning to the people, says:                             

P:  Orate,  fratres,  ut meum     		P: Brethren,  pray that my 

ac vestrum sacrificium            		sacrifice and yours may be 

acceptabile fiat apud Deum        		well pleasing to God the 

Patrem omnipotentem.              		Father almighty.

S:  Suscipiat Dominus             		S: May the Lord receive this 

sacrificium de manibus tuis ad    	sacrifice at thy hands,  to 

laudem et gloriam nominis sui,    	the praise and glory of His 

ad utilitatem quoque nostram,     	name, to our own benefit,  and 

totiusque Ecclesiae suae          		to that of all His Holy 

sanctae.                          		Church.

THE SECRET PRAYER                 

•Then with hands extended, the priest says the Secret prayers.                          

THE PREFACE

Per ominia saecula saeculorum (forever and ever) begins the preface where we give  thanks and praise to God. It concludes with The Sanctus,  a prayer of union with the heavenly hosts and of adoration of the most "Holy, Holy, Holy" triune God.

Most often the Preface will be The Preface of the Most Holy Trinity (below) unless another is substituted, such as the Preface of the Nativity or the Preface of the Epiphany.

•The priest now says in a louder voice:                     

P:  Per omnia saecula             		P: World without end.

saeculorum.                       

S:  Amen.                         		S: Amen.

P:  Dominus vobiscum.             		P: The Lord be with you.

S:  Et cum spiritu tuo.           		S: And with thy spirit.

P:  Sursum corda.                 		P: Lift up your hearts.

S:  Habemus ad Dominum.           	S: We have them lifted up unto 

P:  Gratias agamus Domino Deo     	the Lord.

nostro.                           		P: Let us give thanks to the 

S:  Dignum et justum est.         		Lord our God.

                                  		S: It is meet and just.

                                  
P:  Vere dignum et justum est,    	P:  It is truly meet and just, 

aequum et salutare,  nos tibi     		right and profitable,  for us, 

semper,  et ubique gratias        		at all times,  and in all 

agere:  Domine sancte,  Pater     	places,  to give thanks to 

omnipotens,  aeterne Deus.        	Thee,  O Lord,  the holy One, 

Qui cum unigenito Filio tuo,      		the Father almighty,  the 

et Spiritu Sancto,  unus es       		everlasting God:  Who, 

Deus,  unus es Dominus:  non      	together with Thine 

in unius singularitate            		only-begotten Son and the Holy 

personae,  sed in unius           		Ghost,  art one God,  one 

Trinitate substantiae.  Quod      		Lord, not in the singleness of 

enim de tua gloria,  revelante    		one Person,  but in the 

te,  credimus,  hoc de Filio      		Trinity of one substance.  For 

tuo,  hoc de Spritu sancto,       		that which, according to Thy 

sine differentia discretionis     		revelation, we believe of Thy 

sentimus.  Ut in confessione      		glory,  the same we believe of 

verae,  sempiternaeque            		Thy Son, the same of the Holy 

Deitatis,  et in personis         		Ghost, without difference or 

proprietas,  et in essentia       		distinction;  so that in the 

unitas,  et in majestate          		confession of one true and 

adoretur aequalitas.  Quam        		eternal Godhead we adore 

laudant Angeli,  atque            		distinctness in persons, 

Archangeli,  Cherubim quoque      	oneness in essence,  and 

ac Seraphim:  qui non cessant     	equality in majesty:  Which 

 clamare quotidie,  una voce     	 	the angels praise,  and the 

dicentes:                         		archangels,  the cherubim also 

                                  		and the seraphim,  who cease 

                                  		not,  day by day crying out 

                                  		with one voice to repeat:

•The bell is now rung three times.                            

THE SANCTUS

P:  Sanctus,  Sanctus,            P:  Holy,  holy,  holy,  Lord

Sanctus,  Dominus Deus            God of hosts.  The heavens and

Sabaoth.  Pleni sunt coeli et    the earth are full of Thy

terra gloria tua.  Hosanna in     glory. Hosanna in the highest.

excelsis.  Benedictus qui         Blessed is He Who cometh in

venit in nomine Domini.           the name of the Lord.  Hosanna

Hosanna in excelsis.              in the highest