Having a Requiem Mass for a Deceased Pontiff

As a follow up to my recent article on the Traditional Funeral Rites for the Supreme Pontiffs, I wish to expound upon the concept of having a Requiem Mass for a deceased pontiff. While many of us may be unfamiliar with this concept, it is certainly one that has historical significance. For example, when Venerable Pope Pius XII died in 1958, not only were prayers offered in the context of the Sacred Liturgy in Rome at his funeral, but also around the world as countless parishes, cathedrals, monasteries, et cetera celebrated Requiem Masses for the repose of his soul.

Images from the Requiem Mass for Venerable Pope Pius XII:

Requiem mass for Pope Pius XII, St. Patrick's Cathedral (New York)

Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower (5R), Mrs. Henry R. Luce (4R), John Foster Dulles (3R) and John A. McCone (2R) during pontifical requiem mass for Pope Pius XII in Washington, D.C.

Yet, when Pope John Paul II died in 2005 few - if any - places in the Catholic world celebrated Solemn Requiem Masses for the repose of his soul. When Pope Paul VI changed the Papal Funeral Rite, it removed nearly all elements of the ceremony (see the Traditional Funeral Rite). Red vestments replaced the black vestments of mourning - a reminder to pray for the repose of the Pope's soul, not a time shout for a pre-mature canonization. Gone in the Novus Ordo is the absolution at the catafalque, which is used in place of the actual body.

Here is an excerpt from the New York Times dated February 18, 1939 illustrating such Requiem Masses for Pope Pius XI:

ABOARD THE S.S. REX, AT SEA, Feb. 17.--In the main hall of the Rex at 10:30 this morning, as the liner was off the cloud-shrouded coast of Spain in the Mediterranean, Mgr. Cassani, the chaplain, sang a high mass of requiem for the soul of Pope Pius XI.

Sancta Missa has on their website a video of a Requiem High Mass with Absolution over the Catafalque. The page includes the changes from the typical Tridentine (Traditional) Latin Mass with the specific prayers common to a Requiem High Mass. If you want to celebrate a Solemn High Mass for the soul of a deceased in the context of the Traditional Latin Mass then this page is highly useful.

In one example of the resurgence of this practice, Fr. Finigan said a Solemn High Mass for the 850th anniversary of the death of Pope Adrian IV. Let us pray for a resurgence so that the dead may be loosed from their time in purgatory through our prayers and most particularly, the prayers of the Church in the Sacred Liturgy.

Image Source: Flickr account of Lawrence OP; Catholic Requiem Mass celebrated in Dorchester Abbey

Suggestions for 2010:

6 February - 270 years from the Death of Clement XII
21 February - 280 years from Death of Benedict XIII (Dominican)
27 September - 310 years from Death of Innocent XII
27 September - 420 years from Death of Urban VII

With plenty of time to construct a catafalque and familiar yourself with the rubrics of the Requiem Mass, encourage your pastors to have a Solemn Requiem Mass for the repose of their souls. In one example, Pope Benedict XIII was a Dominican, and it would be extremely appropriate for Dominicans to remember his soul at a Solemn Requiem Mass on February 21, 2010 (the 280th anniversary of his death).

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Fr. Thomas J. Euteneuer: Mr. Robert Schindler, Sr. Has Died

Today the pro-life movement mourns the loss of Mr. Robert Schindler, Sr., the father of Terri Schindler-Schiavo, whose fight for life captured the heart of the pro-life community in 2005. Mr. Schindler is being buried in Philadelphia today without the fanfare or accolades that are due a real champion who fought one of the most insidious evils of modern society - the legalized murder of the innocent. His funeral will not be televised on all the cable news networks, no cardinals will attend it, and the President of the United States will not deliver the eulogy - thank God. Mr. Schindler, however, is promised a better send-off than that. God Himself will him speak to him words spoken to all the suffering righteous: "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master."

It is hard not to notice the contrast between the funerals of Senator Edward Kennedy and Bob Schindler. The secular, brash and privileged "Lion of the Senate" had everything that the world had to offer, including comprehensive political protection from his Waterloo; the Chappaquiddick incident in 1969. He walked away from that one scot-free, and the country ever after that conveniently pretended it didn't happen because no one would want to tarnish the image of a famous political family. Americans find it just too messy to honestly address casual killing. Ted Kennedy went on to continue his murderous rampage in his political career through his contemptible advocacy of legalized killing through abortion and the farcical defense of Roe by vetoing potential Supreme Court judges who might have rectified that terrible injustice in our country. Among the many sins he will have to account for before the Throne of Grace, his criminally buffoonish and cowardly causing of Mary Jo Kopechne's death and its subsequent cover-up were perhaps the least. Ted Kennedy had a lot of innocent blood on his hands as he went to his judgment, as do all people who advocate or stand aside in silence at the destruction of the innocents.

Bob Schindler, in contrast, was not endowed with the privileges of wealth and social status, nor the political machine that could protect his back side in times of trouble. His family was ravaged by aggressive euthanasia activist lawyers who decided that his daughter was just not worthy of life because she was brain-damaged. He had to fight the son-in-law from hell who, despite a father's unconditional offer to care for his own daughter, rammed the euthanasia agenda home viciously, even triumphantly. Bob had to endure the agony of three separate court-ordered starvations of his daughter, the third of which took her life in a brutal act of gloating evil that many compared to the Passion of Christ. Bob was the faithful father standing at the foot of the Cross and his vigils took place without the companionship of any cardinal or bishop there to rally the saints in defense of his daughter. His greatest sorrow was indeed that the very leadership of his Church, like the apostles in the Garden of Gethsemane, should have abandoned his family in their hour of need. Indeed, his local bishop somehow found more pressing needs in Asia and was AWOL in defense of Terri the week she was murdered. But despite the failings of the men who are given earthly powers to guide the Church, God never abandons his children. Bob was always in the company of the very best, sent from Heaven, and it is our firm belief that the angels are welcoming him home today as he meets the glory of God and at long last, is reunited with the daughter he loves so much.

No one deserves the kind of treatment meted out to him and his family, but Bob did not take it sitting down. He stood up and fought long and hard for what was right and showed us how to persevere in all our bitter battles. His heroism was humble and virtuous; despite opposition from all sides, despite being abandoned by churchmen, despite the slander his family endured, he held himself up and never faltered. He never "ran from the scene" as Kennedy did at Chappaquiddick; he stood his ground and faced the battle and then he did not let the story end there. If there was anyone whose suffering gave him a right to bitterly blame others and withdraw from the rest of the world's problems, it was Bob Schindler. But he did not go that route. He was too much of a man of faith for that. Rather, he and his family set up the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation to assist all others who have are increasingly thrust into that same fight and need someone who has "been there" to stand against the powerful perpetrators of crimes against humanity who sit in our political culture arrogating to themselves the power of life and death, a power that has not been given to them.

Since Terri's Fight in 2005 I have had the supreme privilege of standing next to Bob and the Schindler family on the front lines in the battle against the culture of death and its champions; but I know a real champion when I see one. Bob Schindler certainly paid a martyr's price for his fidelity to the enduring values of faith and family and was a hero in every sense of the word. I will miss him! Indeed, we all will miss him, but we know that his spirit lives on in all those who patiently suffer injustice and in those who fight for life against the lions who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Sincerely,


Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer,
President, Human Life International

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Traditional Mass: Sunday, September 6 in the Diocese Ventimiglia-San Remo, Italy

SANTUARIO della MADONNA della COSTA
(Madonna della Costa)
SAN REMO
(Diocese Ventimiglia-San Remo)

. .

Sunday, September 6, 2009
XIV after Pentecost
18:00

. .

TRIDENTINE MASS CANTATA
"Missa de angelis"
application of the Motu Proprio
Summorum Pontificum

celebrated by the Rector

Monsignor Vittorio Mallets
Canon Penitentiary
dell'Insigne Collegiate Basilica of St. Siro

Source: Messainlatino.it

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St. Joan Antidea Thouret

Joan Antidea lived from 1765 to 1828. At the age of 22, St. Joan joined the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul in Paris but during the French Revolution she was in exile in Switzerland and Germany. Returning to France in 1797, she founded a new religious congregation: Sisters of Charity supported by Letizia Ramolino, Napoleon's mother.

Pope Pius VII approved her religious congregation in 1819 and gave canonical privileges to her convents.

Below is a photo from her canonization proclaimed by Pope Pius XI in 1934.

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First Thursday of the Month: Plenary Indulgence Available

For the faithful, a plenary indulgence can be obtained on the opening and closing days of the Year for Priests, on the 150th anniversary of the death of St. Jean-Marie Vianney, on the first Thursday of the month, or on any other day established by the ordinaries of particular places for the good of the faithful.

To obtain the indulgence the faithful must attend Mass in an oratory or Church and offer prayers to "Jesus Christ, supreme and eternal Priest, for the priests of the Church, or perform any good work to sanctify and mould them to his heart."
The conditions for the faithful for earning a plenary indulgence are to have gone to confession and prayed for the intentions of the Pope.

Source: Zenit

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Vatican Highlights Pope Pius XII's Peace Efforts

At this time we can not forget to remember the tremendous efforts of His Holiness Pope Pius XII made toward saving the lives of Jewish refugees. He unhesitatingly condemned Nazism.

On May 10, 1937, Pope Pius XI released the encyclical Mit Brennender Sorge (Germany for "With deep anxiety"). Unlike nearly all encyclicals, which are written in Latin, this encyclical was written in German. It was addressed to the German bishops and was read in all parish churches of Germany. Pope Pius XI said that his Papal Secretary of State, Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli, who later became Pope Pius XII, was the individual that should be credited for the encyclical's creation. Furthermore, Jewish Rabbi Pinchas Lapide stated that Pope Pius XI "had good reason to make Pacelli the architect of his anti-Nazi policy. Of the forty-four speeches which the Nuncio Pacelli had made on German soil between 1917 and 1929, at least forty contained attacks on Nazism or condemnations of Hitler’s doctrines. . . . Pacelli, who never met the Führer, called it ‘neo-Paganism.’"

During the Holocaust, most of Rome's 8,000 Jews hid in the Vatican. Pope Pius XII saved thousands of Jewish lives. He used numerous networks in Rome to hide the Jewish people, and he even used the assets of the Vatican to ransom Jews from the Nazis. The Chief Rabbi of Rome converted to Catholicism after the war! According to Pinchas E. Lapide in his book, Three Popes and the Jews, Pope Pius XII saved 860,000 Jews from Nazi death camps (214).

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The Rite of Extreme Unction

The Rite of Extreme Unction (1962):

{The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy says that, "in addition to the separate rites for anointing of the sick and for Viaticum a continuous rite will be prepared according to which the sick person is anointed after he has made his confession and before he receives Viaticum." And now--just before we go to press--the new "Instruction" of September 26, 1964, gives the rules for a continuous rite (see Rules for Administering Anointing of the Sick). Then at his discretion and depending on circumstances he may add prayers from the part dealing with the care of the sick, the apostolic blessing in the hour of death, and prayers for the dying. Although rubric no. 1 below does not require them, certainly it is proper to include among the appurtenances on the table a crucifix, two lighted candles, etc.}

1. As he is about to confer the sacrament of anointing of the sick the priest should see to it, if at all possible, that the following preparations are made. There should be in the sick-room a table covered with a white cloth; and on it a container with cotton or similar material made into six separate pellets for wiping the parts anointed, a small piece Of bread for cleansing the priest's fingers, and a bowl for washing his hands; a wax candle to be ignited later to give light to the priest as he performs the anointings In fine, it shall be his concern that everything is as clean and orderly as possible for the administration of this sacrament.

2. Then the clerics or servers are summoned, or at least one cleric to carry the cross (one without a staff, not the processional cross), holy water and aspersory, and the Ritual. The priest himself reverently takes the vessel containing the oil of the sick (encased in a silk cover of purple color), and bears it carefully so that it will not spill. If the journey is long or is to be made on horseback (sic!), or if there is any danger whatever of spilling the holy oil, the vessel enclosed in the sack or burse as already stated should be suspended from the neck so that it can be carried more easily and securely. No bells are rung in the course of the journey.

Introductory Prayers

The three introductory prayers that follow are very much the same as those ordinarily used for a priest's visit to the home of a sick person. They are preceded by the peace-greeting, the sacramental of sprinkling with holy water, which commonly is a reminder of baptism and an occasion for renewing the baptismal promises, confession if the person wishes to confess, and a little sermon in which the priest offers some consoling thoughts along with a summary of the nature and effects of the sacrament of the sick (see the introduction). If time permits the priest may choose to read one of the psalms and one or the other gospel passages taken from the rite of visitation and care of the sick.

3. Arriving at the place where the sick person is confined, the priest on entering the room says:

P: God's peace be in this home.

All: And in all who live here.

4. The priest places the holy oil on the table, and then vests in surplice and stole. Next he presents a crucifix to be devoutly kissed by the sick person. After that he sprinkles holy water in the form of a cross on the patient, the room, and the bystanders, saying:

Purify me with hyssop, Lord, and I shall be clean of sin. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Have mercy on me, God, in your great kindness. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

All: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

P: Purify me with hyssop, Lord, and I shall be clean of sin. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

If the patient wishes to go to confession, he hears his confession and absolves him. Then he speaks words of consolation to him and if time permits briefly explains the power and efficacy of this sacrament. When advisable he adds words of encouragement and directs the patient's thoughts to hope of everlasting life.

5. Next he says:

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord. All: Who made heaven and earth. P: The Lord be with you. All: May He also be with you.

The plural form used in the next prayer is by no means the majestic plural but a relic of the days when a number of priests assisted. Now it can refer to those who assist the priest.

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus Christ, as we, in all humility, enter this home, let there enter with us abiding happiness and God's choicest blessings. Let serene joy pervade this home and charity abound here and health never fail. Let no evil spirits approach this place but drive them far away. Let your angels of peace take over and put down all wicked strife. Teach us, O Lord, to recognize the grandeur of your holy name. Sanctify our humble visit and bless what we are about to do; you who are holy, you who are kind, you who abide with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever.

All: Amen.

Let us pray and beseech our Lord Jesus Christ to bless this dwelling more and more and all who live in it. May He give them an able guardian angel. May He prompt them to serve Him and to ponder the wonders of His law. May He ward off all diabolical powers from them, deliver them from all fear and anxiety, and keep them in good health in this dwelling; He who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.

All: Amen.

Let us pray.

Hear us, holy Lord Father, almighty everlasting God, and in your goodness send your holy angel from heaven to watch over and protect all who live in this home, to be with them and give them comfort and encouragement; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

6. If time does not permit, all or part of the foregoing prayers may be omitted. Next comes as usual the general confession of sins (Confiteor), after which the priest says:

May almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you your sins, and lead you to everlasting life.

All: Amen.

P: May the almighty and merciful Lord grant you pardon, absolution, and remission of your sins.

All: Amen.

Invocation of the Trinity and Anointings

Rubric no. 7 directs the bystanders to recite the penitential psalms and Litany of the Saints while the priest is performing the anointings. This was well advised in former days when the prayers and forms were said in Latin. In our present practice it is surely preferable to have the people listen to the stately official prayers and make the responses as indicated.

7. Before the priest begins to anoint the sick person he invites all present to pray for him. And if circumstances are favorable and those present are able to do so they should recite the seven penitential psalms and Litany of the Saints or other prayers while the priest administers the sacrament. First the priest extends his right hand over the head of the sick person, saying:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; may any power the devil has over you be destroyed by the laying-on of our hands and by calling on the glorious and blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, her illustrious spouse, St. Joseph, and all holy angels, archangels, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and all the saints.

All: Amen.

8. Next he dips his thumb in the holy oil, and anoints the sick person in the form of a cross on all bodily members indicated below, pronouncing in each instance the respective form as follows:*
* In the case of bodily members which are double, the right organ is anointed at the place indicated in the form by the, and the left organ before the remaining words are completed.--Trans.

Anointing the Eyes (on the eyelids)

By this holy anointing and by His most tender mercy may the Lord forgive you all the evil you have done through the power of sight.

All: Amen.

9. After every anointing the assistant, provided he is in holy orders, otherwise the priest himself, wipes the part anointed with a fresh pellet of cotton or similar material. These pellets are deposited in a clean receptacle and later taken to church where they are burned and the ashes thrown into the sacrarium.

Anointing the Ears (on the lobes)

By this holy anointing and by His most tender mercy may the Lord forgive you all the evil you have done through the power of hearing.

All: Amen.

Anointing the Nose (on each nostril)

By this holy anointing and by His most tender mercy may the Lord forgive you all the evil you have done through the sense of smell.

All: Amen.

Anointing the Mouth (on closed lips)

By this holy anointing and by His most tender mercy may the Lord forgive you all the evil you have done through the sense of taste and the power of speech.

All: Amen.

Anointing the Hands (on the palms)

By this holy anointing and by His most tender mercy may the Lord forgive you all the evil you have done through the sense of touch.

All: Amen.

10. Note as said above that priests are anointed on the back of the hands, not on the palms.

Anointing the Feet (either on the instep or sole)

By this holy anointing and by His most tender mercy may the Lord forgive you all the evil you have done through the ability to walk.

All: Amen.

11. The anointing of feet, as has been said, may be omitted for any good reason.

12. When the priest has finished the anointings he rubs his thumb with particles of bread, then washes his hands and wipes them with a towel. The water used for this purpose together with the bread is later thrown into the sacrarium, or for lack of such, into another decent receptacle. Afterward the priest says:

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Our Father (the rest inaudibly until:)

P: And lead us not into temptation. All: But deliver us from evil.

P: Save your servant.

All: Who trusts in you, my God.

P: Lord, send him (her) aid from your holy place.

All: And watch over him (her) from Sion.

P: Let him (her) find in you, Lord, a fortified tower.

All: In the face of the enemy.

P: Let the enemy have no power over him (her).

All: And the son of iniquity be powerless to harm him (her).

P: Lord, heed my prayer.

All: And let my cry be heard by you.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

Lord God, who spoke through your apostle James, "Is anyone of you sick? He should call in the priests of the Church, and have them pray over him, while they anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. That prayer, said with faith, will save the sick person, and the Lord will restore him to health. If he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him." We beg you, our Redeemer, to cure by the grace of the Holy Spirit this sick man's (woman's) infirmity. Heal his (her) wounds, and forgive his (her) sins. Rid him (her) of all pain of body and mind. Restore him (her), in your mercy, to full health of body and soul, so that having recovered by your goodness, he (she) may take up his (her) former duties. We ask this of you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.

All: Amen.

Let us pray.

We entreat you, Lord, to look with favor on your servant, N., who is weak and failing, and refresh the life you have created. Chastened by suffering, may he (she) know that he (she) has been saved by your healing; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Let us pray.

Holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, in pouring out the grace of your blessing on the bodies of the sick, you show your loving care for your creatures. And so now as we call on your holy name, come and free your servant from his (her) illness and restore him (her) to health; reach out your hand and raise him (her) up; strengthen him (her) by your might; protect him (her) by your power; and give him (her) back in all desired well-being to your holy Church; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

13. Lastly, if the patient's condition allows, the priest may add a few well-chosen words, inspiring him to resist the temptations of the devil, and if death comes to expire peacefully in the Lord.

14. He should leave some holy water for the use of the sick person and also a crucifix, unless he has one, so that he may often gaze on it and devoutly kiss it and embrace it.

15. He should likewise instruct the family or the nurse to notify the pastor immediately if the sick person gets worse or approaches the last agony, so that the priest may be present to assist the dying and commend his soul to God. But if death is imminent the priest should say the prayers for the commendation of a departing soul before he leaves the house.

16. All that pertains to the care and visitation of the sick, the prayers for the dying, the commendation of a departing soul, and the burial rites are found below in their proper place.

For the above in Latin, please see Sancta Missa

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Exclusive Video Interview with Bishop Williamson

The author of the blog True Restoration has created an exclusive video interview with His Excellency Bishop Williamson. If you are interested in the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), I would recommend watching this interview on the blog. He offers quite an insight commentary in regards to the issue of priests who defect from the Society.

As stated by the author:

While these videos are not available for download, you may purchase them from True Restoration Press on DVD for $10. These discs will play either in your DVD player (if your player will play WMV files) or on your computer. You may do so either by remitting $10 ($15 for international orders) via Paypal to truerestoration at gmail.com or mail a check/money order to 6707 W. 91st Street; Overland Park, KS 66212; USA. In either case you should specify your mailing address.

This interview was done to commemorate the publication of (and help launch) the final two volumes of his four-volume Letters from the Rector of St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary.

WATCH THE INTERVIEW

If you do intend to purchase a copy of this interview, please state that you were referred by the blog "A Catholic Life."

Image Source:

Confirmation 1991
St. Jude Roman Catholic Church
Eddystone, PA
Photograph: Jim

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Traditional Mass in the Chapel of Son Serra de Marina, Mallorca (Spain)

From Renaissance Sacred:

Sunday, August 30th, in the chapel of Son Serra de Marina, Mallorca (Spain) in front of hundreds of faithful service and assisted by two acolytes, a young diocesan priest, Father Jaime Mercant Simó, celebrated the first mass in the extraordinary form that had ever celebrated in Mallorca since the conciliar reform. Supported the function a choir of ten singers, who together with the devotion of the participants reported again the majestic forms of the venerable Roman liturgy in this beautiful Spanish town.

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Tridentine Mass Begins at Five Wounds Portuguese National Church

Another Traditional Latin Mass location is being added in the Diocese of San Jose, California. The new Mass schedule has been announced in this week's (August 30, 2009) bulletin of the Five Wounds Portuguese National Church.

Place:
Five Wounds Portuguese National Church
1375 East Santa Clara Street
San Jose, California 95116

Time:
Every Sunday at 9:15 a.m. starting September 6, 2009

Celebrant:
Reverend Father Jean-Marie Moreau, Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest
Rector, Oratory of Our Mother of Perpetual Help
1298 Homestead Road
Santa Clara, CA 95050

According to Bay Area Catholic, "After spending 14 years in Africa, Canon Moreau went to Greenbay, Wisconsin where he spent several more years before being transferred to St. Margaret Mary Church in Oakland, California."

Source: Angelqueen Poster
Image Source: Bay Area Catholic

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