SERVING AT MISSA CANTATA (The Mc at the Missa Cantata)

The Mc at Missa Cantata

It is the duty of the Mc to know what everyone else must do during the Mass and to direct them where direction is necessary.

Before Mass assist the Celebrant to vest and organise the procession to the altar. The order of the procession is as below:

Thurifer with thurible

2 acolytes with candles

2, 4 or 6 torchbearers without their torch candles (1)

Any other servers

Mc

Celebrant

When it is time to begin, indicate to the Celebrant and the servers that they should bow to the sacristy crucifix and follow the Thurifer to the altar. Walk immediately in front of the Celebrant and with your right hand offer him holy water (if there is a stoup at the sacristy door).

Preparatory Prayers

When you arrive before the altar genuflect with the Celebrant (2), take his biretta and put it on the sedilia (3). Kneel on Celebrant's right on the floor and make the responses to the Preparatory Prayers.

Incensing of altar

After the Preparatory Prayers, all stand. Go up to the altar with Celebrant and Thurifer. At the centre, take the incense boat from the Thurifer and offer it, open, to the Celebrant saying: Benedicite, Pater Reverende when the Celebrant has put on incense and blessed it, return the boat to the Thurifer, take the thurible from him and hand it to the Celebrant (3). Hold the chasuble (4) and accompany the Celebrant while he censes the altar. During the censing of the altar ensure that an Acolyte, or the Thurifer (5) takes the Missal from altar until the Celebrant has censed where it stands. After the altar has been censed, receive the thurible from the Celebrant and cense him at the Epistle side of the altar with 3 double swings. Return the thurible to the Thurifer to take away.

Introit to Gloria

Stand at the Missal and point the place of the Introit for the Celebrant. Recite Kyrie eleison with him and at end of said Gloria in excelsis Deo lead the Celebrant to sedilia to sit, lift the back of his chasuble and lay it over the back of the seat. Give him his biretta and stand at the sedilia facing downthe church. At Iesu Christe, suscipe deprecationem nostram and again at Iesu Christe, bow to the Celebrant to indicate that he should remove his biretta, then turn towards the altar and bow; after the words have been sung, turn back to the Celebrant and bow to him again to indicate that he should put on his biretta again. Take the biretta after final Iesu Christe and lead the the Celebrant to the altar at the centre, genuflect with him and go to your place beside the Missal.

Collect to Alleluia/Tract

Stand at the Missal and point the places for all the Celebrant has to read and turn the pages for him (6).

Gospel

After the reading of the Alleluia or Tract, when the Celebrant returns to the centre of the altar, join him and the Thurifer there. Hold the incense boat for him saying: Benedicite, Pater Reverende when he puts incense into the thurible.

After the Celebrant has blessed the incense, return the boat to the Thurifer, take the Missal and change it to Gospel side; carry it down to the floor of the sanctuary in the centre where the Thurifer and Acolytes should be waiting. Genuflect with them and go up to the Gospel side of altar and place the Missal on it diagonally. Take the thurible and stand by the Missal. After Sequentia...etc, hand the thurible to the Celebrant. When he has censed the Missal, return the thurible to the Thurifer. Turn the page of the Missal if required during the singing of the Gospel. Answer Laus tibi Christe at end and go back with the other servers to the front of the altar. Genuflect and join the Celebrant.

Sermon

If there is to be a sermon, lead the Celebrant to the place where the sermon is to preached. Sit for the sermon.

Credo

Stand at the foot of altar steps either at the front or at the Epistle side during the said Credo. When the Celebrant has finished reciting it, lead him to the sedilia to sit. Lift the back of the chasuble and lay it over the back of the seat, give him his biretta, and stand at the sedilia facing down the church. At Et incarnatus est, bow to the Celebrant to indicate he should remove his biretta, and turn towards the altar and kneel while the words are sung, afterwards, stand turn back to the Celebrant and bow to him again to indicate that he should resume his biretta. At the words simul adoratur bow to the Celebrant for him to remove his biretta and yourself bow towards the altar, bow to the Celebrant again after. At Et expecto, etc take the Celebrant's biretta and lead him to the altar. If there is no Credo, all proceeds as below.

Offertory

Go to the top step on the Epistle side to supervise the Acolytes while they give the celebrant wine and water. When the Celebrant goes to centre, go with the Thurifer to stand by him. Hold the incense boat for him saying: Benedicite, Pater Reverende when he puts incense into the thurible.

Hold the chasuble and accompany the Celebrant while he censes first the oblation, then the crucifix, then the altar. During the censing of the altar, ensure that an Acolyte, or the Thurifer takes the Missal from the altar until the Celebrant has censed where it stands (5). After the altar has been censed, cense the Celebrant at Epistle side with 3 double swings. Return the thurible to the Thurifer and ensure that one of the Acolytes (or both of them) wash the Celebrant's fingers.

Meanwhile go to stand on the footpace by the Missal and face the Thurifer who will cense you (1 doubleswing).

Secret to Consecration

Stand at the Missal, turn the pages and point the places for the Celebrant. Answer Suscipiat Dominus, etc. Whenever the chalice is uncovered genuflect with the Celebrant.

At the Commemoration of the Living step back to the edge of the footpace to avoid overhearing the names of those the Celebrant mentions and step back to the Missal when the Celebrant continues with the prayer.

At Hanc igitur put incense into the thurible ready for the Elevation, or this may be done by one of the Acolytes (7).

Consecration to Communion

At Qui pridie kneel on the edge of the footpace a little to the Celebrant's left. Raise the chasuble during the Elevations (8). After the last genuflection return to your place by the Missal until Communion. At the Commemoration of the Dead step back as at the Commemoration of the Living.

Communion

Stand away from the altar when the Celebrant receives the Sacred Host and step forward to genuflect with him when he uncovers the chalice. Go away from the altar when the Celebrant takes up the chalice to receive thePrecious Blood and go to the credence to get the communion plate. The rubrics of the 1962 Missal state that Confiteor is not said at this point.

If you are to receive conmunion, go to kneel on the edge of the footpace and indicate to the other servers who wish to receive, with the exception of the torchbearers, that they should join you there.

When all the servers have received, take the communion plate from the last server and lead the Celebrant to any Torchbearers who wish to receive and hold the conmunion plate under the chin of each in turn as the Celebrant gives them communion. Then lead the Celebrant to the altar rails and assist at the communion of the people in the same way.

After the last communicant has received, give the communion plate to the Celebrant and precede him back to the altar. Kneel on the bottom step until the Blessed Sacrament has been placed in the tabernacle (9).

Ablutions to end of Mass

Go to the top step on the Epistle side to supervise the Acolytes at the Ablutions: they first pour wine, then wine and water. Go to the Gospel side and change the Missal to Epistle side. Find the place for the Communion Verse, stand at the Missal and point the places for the Celebrant.

After the Postcommunion, close the Missal and go to stand towards the Gospel side at the front while the Celebrant says Placeat. Kneel on the floor for the Blessing then go to stand at the Gospel end of the altar to hold the Last Gospel card for the Celebrant. Do not genuflect at Et Verbum when everyone else does. Answer Deo gratias at end of the Last Gospel and replace the altar card. Go to the sedilia to collect the Celebrant's biretta.

After Mass

If any prayer or hymn follows the Mass, take the Celebrant's maniple from him and hand him any book he will need to read from.

Finally, give a sign for all to genuflect (2), give the Celebrant his biretta and all process to the sacristy in the same order as at the start of Mass. In the sacristy, indicate to all that they should bow to the sacristy crucifix and bow to the Celebrant. Finally, assist the Celebrant to unvest.

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Notes for the Mc:

(1) Customarily the number of torchbearers depends on the rank of the celebration, i.e.: 2 for Ferias or Votive Masses, 4+ for Third Class Feasts and 6 for Second or First Class Feasts. There should not be more than 4 for Masses for the Dead. It is permissible to have 8 Torchbearers on the greatest of Feasts, e.g. Easter, Pentecost.

(2) If the Blessed Sacrament is not reserved at the altar where Mass is to be celebrated, genuflect when the Celebrant bows to the altar.

(3) It is not now generally the custom for the Mc to kiss the celebrant's hand and the biretta when he takes it, or the incense spoon and thurible when passing these to and from the Celebrant. The rubrics of the 1962 Missal require the Deacon at High Mass, but not the Mc at Missa Cantata to give some of the customary kisses (or solita oscula as they are called), but not all of them.

If you feel the need to introduce the kissing of these things at Mass, it is important that the action be carried out naturally and with dignity, and without an appearance of embarrassment on the part of the participants. The Celebrant should receive the mark of respect for his office with proper regard for the act, and the Mc should perform the solita oscula with due decorum. The kiss is no more than a brief touch of the lips to the hand or object being kissed. Always the thing being handed to the Celebrant is kissed first, then the Celebrant's hand. When receiving anything from him, first the hand is kissed, then the object being taken.

All kisses are omitted at Mass for the Dead.

(4) Hold the chasuble a little below the Celebrant's shoulder so as to lift it off his right arm. Release it once he has finished censing.

(5) Decide before hand who you wish to remove the Missal from the altar and inform the servers before Mass.

(6) If there is a Sequence (during the Octave of Easter, during the Octave of Pentecost, on the Feast of Corpus Christi, on the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, and at Requiem Masses), when the Celebrant has finished reading it, lead him direct to the sedilia, without genuflecting at the centre, to sit during the singing of it. Lead him back to the centre towards the end of the Sequence, genuflect with him and join him on the footpace to put in incense (there is no incense at this point at a Requiem Mass).

(7) Decide beforehand who is to put in the incense and inform the servers before Mass.

(8) Do not hold the chasuble all during the Consecration. As the Celebrant rises from the first genuflection take the weight of the vestment, it is not necessary to lift it high in the air. When the Celebrant lowers his arms release the chasuble. Do the same at the Elevation of the Chalice.

(9) If the Blessed Sacrament is reserved at another altar, precede the Celebrant to that altar and kneel there while he puts the ciborium into the tabernacle, then lead himback to the altar of the Mass.