We have received from various quarters several questions connected with
the ceremony of marriage. We propose in this number of the _Record_ to
answer some of them.
We shall treat in the first place of the Mass. The questions forwarded to
us may be reduced to the two following:
1. When and on what days can the Missa pro sponso et sponsa be said, and
on what days is it forbidden by the Rubrics?
2. In either Mass are any commemorations to be made, and when and how are
they to be made?
In reply to these questions, we beg to bring under the notice of our
readers the following decrees of the Sacred Congregation of Rites.
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4266. In celebratione Nuptiarum quae fit extra diem Dominicum vel alium
diem festum de praecepto seu in quo occurrat duplex primae vel secundae
classis etiamsi fiat officium et Missa de Festo duplici per annum sive
majori sive minori dicendam esse Missam pro sponso et sponsa in fine
Missalis post alias Missas votivas specialiter assignatam: in diebus vero
Dominicis aliisque diebus festis de praecepto ac duplicibus primae et
secundae classis dicendam esse Missam de Festo cum commemoratione Missae
pro sponso et sponsa. Atque ita decrevit et servari mandavit. Die 20
Decembris 1783. Factaque deinde per me Secretarium de praedictis
Sanctissimo Domino Nostro Pio PP. VI. relatione Sanctitas sua praefatum
Sac. Cong. generale Decretum confirmavit, et ubique exequutioni dandum
esse praecepit. Die 7 Januarii 1784
4394. Verumtamen cum interea nonnulla excitata fuerint dubia circa
rubricam in haccelebranda Missa servandam, et Parochorum sensus sit varius
quippe quia aliqui eidem Missae Hymnum Angelicum adjiciendum censent cum
vers. Ite, Missa est in fine, alii vero etiam Symbolum Nicenum legendum
putant, ea freti ratione quod haec Missa ceu solemnis et pro re gravi
haberi debeat: ideo ad amputandas controversias et dubitationes utque ab
omnibus unus idemque conveniens ritus servetur: sacra Rituum Congregatio,
me subscripto secretario referente, re mature discussa, declaravit atque
decrevit quod firma remanente dispositione praefati Decreti quoad
designationem dierum in quibus Missa votiva pro sponso et sponsa celebrari
potest, eamdem esse votivam privatam, proindeque semper legendam sine
Hymno Angelico et symbolo Nicaeno cum tribus orationibus, prima videlicet
ejusdem Missae votivae propria ut habetur in fine Missalis secunda et
tertia diei currentis ut in Rubric. Tit. vii. num. 3, de
Commemorationibus, Benedicamus Domino in fine, et ultimo Evangelio S.
Johannis. Et ita decrevit die 28 Februarii 1818.
4437. Cum per Decretum Generale S. hujus Congregationis die 20 Decembris
1783 dies designentur, quibus Missa pro sponso et sponsa etiam diebus
excludentibus duplicia per annum, ideoque etiam infra octavam Epiphaniae,
in vigilia Pentecostes, et infra octavam privilegiatam sanctissimi
Corporis Christi: alii vero putant his etiam diebus eamdem Missam vetitam;
idcirco idem Parochus petiit declarari.
5. An hujusmodi Missa dici possit diebus duplicia excludentibus ut supra
notatis?
6. An Commemoratio Missae pro sponso et sponsa dicenda prout ex dicto
decreto in Missis de duplici primae vel secundae classis dici debeat sub
unica conclusione cum oratione Festi vel sub altera conclusione?
7. An talis Commemoratio pariter dici debeat vel sub altera conclusione
prout solet de aliis commemorationibus occurrentibus in diebus Dominicis
et Festis de praecepto?
8. Quo loco, quando aliae occurrunt commemorationes ut in proximo quaesito
commemoratio Missae pro sponso et sponsa dicenda sit sub secunda
conclusione, an scilicet ultimo loco?
Et S. Rituum Congregatio exquisita sententia alterius ex Apostolicarum
Caeremoniarum Magistris scripto exarata, typisque evulgata ad relationem
Eminentissimi et Reverendissimi D. Card. Cavalchini Ponentis, respondendum
censuit ut infra, videlicet.
Ad 5. Negative quoad octavam Epiphaniae, vigiliam Pentecostes, et octavam
privilegiatam Sanctissimi Corporis Christi, quatenus privilegium concessum
sit ad instar octavae Epiphaniae.
Ad. 6. Negative ad primam partem, affirmative ad secundam.
Ad. 7. Ut in antecedenti.
Ad. 8. Faciendam primo loco post alias de praecepto.
Atque ita respondit die 20 Aprilis 1822.
From these decrees the following conclusions may clearly be established:
1. On all Sundays and holidays of obligation, and feasts of first and
second class, the Mass of the day is to be said with the commemoration of
the Mass pro sponso et sponsa. This appears clear from the decree 4266
quoted above.
2. This commemoration is to be made sub altera conclusione, and not sub
unica conclusione cum oratione Festi.
3. If there are other commemorations to be made in the Mass of the day,
they are to be said before the commemoration of the Mass pro sponso et
sponsa. This appears from the answer given by the Sacred Congregation of
Rites to the question 8 in the Decree No. 4437, and Gardellini, in a note
on this same question, says: “Imo si occurrant plures commemorationes ut
accidit potissimum dum celebranda est Missa de Dominica, illa Nuptiarum
primum dumtaxat locum obtinere poterit post alias a rubrica praeceptas et
sic reliquas praestare, siquae sint a superiore imperatae”.
4. The decree 4394 makes it clear that on all the ordinary doubles
throughout the year, the Missa pro sponso et sponsa may be celebrated; and
it declares, moreover, that it is a votive private Mass, and, as such, to
be said sine Gloria et Credo, with the second and third prayers of the day
occurring, and to conclude with the Benedicamus Domino and the Gospel of
St. John. This decree, clear as it may appear, gave rise to another
question about privileged octaves which exclude doubles, which was
afterwards proposed to the Sacred Congregation of Rites, and to which an
answer was given on the 20th April, 1822, in the Decree 4437, already
quoted, question 5.
Gardellini, in a valuable note, explains the matter fully, and we quote
his words on the subject:—
“Hisce decretis compositae quaestiones omnes videbantur: secus tamen
accidit, nam nova excitata sunt dubia. Quippe nonnulli sunt, qui opinantur
Missam hanc dici posse etiam diebus qui excludunt duplicia per annum,
praesertim vero infra octavam Epiphaniae, in vigilia Pentecostes et infra
octavam privilegiatam sanctissimi Corporis Christi. In hac autem opinione
versantur quia in primo illo Decreto dies isti expressim et nominatim non
excipiuntur. Ast hi errant quam maxime. Non enim declaratione indigebat
id, quod sub generali prohibitione, utpote a Rubricis jam vetitum
continebatur. Jubet Decretum, ne Missa nuptiarum celebretur in duplicibus
primae vel secundae classis sed vult ut in hujusmodi occursu solam
obtineant commemorationem: ergo includit in regula etiam dies, in quibus
per easdem Rubricas fieri nequit Festum duplex secundae classis vel
occurrens vel translatum si in octava Epiphaniae duplicia isthaec non
admittuntur, potiori jure nec Missa votiva privata non obstante Indultu
admitti poterit, utpote quae in occursu hujusmodi duplicium celebranda non
est”.
We must refer our readers to this very instructive note of Gardellini,
which we regret we cannot insert here in full, owing to its great length.
Indeed it is not necessary to do so, inasmuch as the answer given to the
question 5 in the Decree 4437, already quoted, puts an end to further
discussion, and settles the question definitively.
There are other questions connected with the ceremony of marriage, but we
must reserve them for another occasion.