LITURGY

SACRED PLACE: Sacred places are designed for divine worship; it equally can be used for burial of the faithful as prescribed by the liturgical books. This definition is seen in canon 1154. However, recent liturgical books substitute “consecration” for “dedication”. In early practice, the place and object of worship were consecrated for their need without any special rite.

THE CHURCH: Buildings of Christians worship differ from pagan and Jewish temples. The temple of Jerusalem sheltered the ark where God manifested himself. At the dedication of the temple by Solomon, the Lord showed his Glorious presence with the clouds which filled the temple. With the new covenant, temple was not made by human hands; the sacred humanity of Jesus became the temple of God. By the virtue of baptism, Christians are also the temple of the Holy Spirit.

The structures of stones or bricks which the Christians make are not temples but houses where the assembly gathers for prayer domus ecclesia. The Byzantine calls it Kyriakon, for the monks it is oratorium. However the modern church differentiates a church from an oratory, the difference is the intended community of each. The church is a building of divine worship which is accessible to the faithful, but the oratory is limited for a particular group. The intentions of the building determine its architecture; changes in the liturgy alter the plan of the church. However, styles of churches are not just for convenience but it is an expression of a spiritual conception that differs in accordance to country and period. It is then necessary that don’t belittle any of them.

The organization of the churches was so perfect that the assembly is properly differentiated into its constituent parts; the altar differentiates the faithful from the clergy and they are able to see and hear from any part of the church. The altar is a point of focus and it is the true center of the building. Other centers are the chair of the bishop and the ambo. The arrangement of the western church was maintained until the fourteenth century, when celebrants turn their back to the people during the proper of the Eucharist. The people were moved farther away, and for many reasons the altar was placed behind walls.

Houses of worship are decorated to provide a festive setting for the assembly; they equally served as a kind of prolongation of the liturgical signs with emphasis on the eschatological and heavenly aspects of the liturgy. Recent reforms in the liturgy urge a return to the traditional architecture of churches; it should be in a way that it conveys the image of the gathered assembly. The place of the faithful should allow for an active participation, but it is proper to separate the sanctuary from the faithful so that it can allow an effortless celebration of the liturgy. The sanctuary contains the altar and is the center of the church. However the church building should be in a way that the choir should be stationed in a way that its special functions would be made clear.

It is recommended that the tabernacle should be in the chapel of adoration or in a part of the church that is specially adorn. There should equally be a provision for a baptistery and a confessionary. Places and objects of worship should be beautiful. These objects must share in the pastoral concerns of the church and must express liturgical values in the language of its ages.

THE ALTAR: The altar is the most venerable spot of the church; the consecration of altars is the principle action in church dedication. The altar is taken as a dining table where the priest, representing Christ, does what Christ himself did on Holy Thursday. The altars before now were portable and movable until the mid-fourth century, but it was thought to be more fitting to make it fixed. However in Latin churches it is made of stone, so that is can depict well an altar and the Eucharist as a sacrifice; Christ is the victim, priest and altar, however, the faithful are spiritual altars on which sacrifices of holy life is offered to God.

The celebration of the Eucharist on a stone altar has a twofold symbolism: first is a theme of the stone as the rock from which Moses caused the water to flow, and the rock was Christ. And the theme of the stone altar initiated in genesis for offering of holocaust. Showing the material altar as the image of Christ, a dedication was done of which the altar is anointed with chrism. The body of the martyr is linked to the altar on which the Eucharistic sacrifice is done; this is typical of the builders of the Roman cemeterial basilicas of the fourth to sixth century. This connection may be a suggestion of the apocalypse (Rev 6:9). Conforming to this tradition and symbols, it is required that the altars of today’s church should be fixed and of a natural stone, and should be dedicated solemnly. The Roman tradition desires that a relic of a martyr or saint should be placed beneath the altar. There is to be but one altar which signifies that we have only one savior, but it is an advantage to have a chapel separate from the main body of the church. Contrary to the traditions of the Middle Ages the altar is to be separated from the walls of the church so that the priest can celebrate the Eucharist facing the people.

            The present discipline of the church is more flexible, it no more requires that a portable altar maybe of stone and instead of dedication, it can be simply blessed. Besides, outside a church or an oratory, the celebrant can use an ordinary table, but it must be suitable with a cloth and corporal. The altar is given due respect and this is shown by the celebrant’s kissing of the altar.

THE BAPTISTERY: This is a building exclusively laid out for baptisteries, it dates back as early as the third century and they are decorated typical to the biblical Christian initiation. The baptistery needs to be separate from the building used for worship. There was one baptistery in each city because the rite of baptism was reserved to the bishop.

            The baptistery follows a centralized plan, inspired by the hall for baths. When the practice of immersion was no longer used, baptisteries were reduced in size and were portable enough to be placed inside the parish church. It was then referred to as baptismal font. However the baptistery is where the baptismal font has been placed, a place worthy for Christians to be reborn in the Holy Spirit.

CEMETERY: Christians does not have cemeteries of their own from the beginning, but it is easy to differentiate the presence of Christian in the ancient burial grounds. As at the beginning of the third century the Roman community had its own cemeteries. A cemetery was a place where the bodies of all the brothers and sisters waited for resurrection are buried. Irrespective of the problem of the modern urban growth, the church insists on having a cemetery of its own, but where this is not possible, each individual grave is blessed at the time of funeral.

THE SACRED VESSELS: The sacred vessels especially the chalice and paten hold a place of honour. The cup is mentioned in the four accounts of the last supper. It was a biblical sign of the passion of Christ and the exercise of God’s justice. At the last supper, the cup was a single one out of which all the guests are to drink according to the rituals of the Passover meal. It later became the symbol of ecclesial unity. The first chalices were of glass, but by the time of St Augustine they were made of precious metals; this was the rule except in times of persecution and penury. In our days, it is enough that they are made of hard materials that are noble, but there is preference to materials that are not breakable or which can absorb liquid. Other vessels like paten, ciborium, pyx, monstrance etc. that are used as receptacles for the Eucharistic bread can be made of other material as long as they are suitable for sacred use.

The medieval legislation required that the chalice and paten maybe consecrated by the bishop with an anointing of sacred chrism. The pontifical of 1977 replaced the consecration with a simple blessing which any priest may give but must be marked with a certain solemnity which must be done during the mass.

CROSSES AND ICONS: A cross in modern practice is place on or near the altar so that it can be seen by the assembly. From the ancient traditions of the church, images of our Lord and Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints maybe legitimately venerated by the faithful. However, in the Latin liturgy only a blessing of them is provided. Among the Byzantines, icons are required in the place of worship and certain liturgical acts must be performed before them. This differs from the west by reasons of artistic choices that they embody and the spiritual attitude of the faithful towards them. Hieratic postures and gestures keep those contemplating and venerating these objects from being distracted.

BELLS: In the early centuries, primitive means were used to summon the faithful for the liturgy. The use of bells spread towards the end of the fifth or beginning of the sixth century. The bell was used to urge the faithful to unite for prayer with the liturgy celebrated and also to stimulate the faithful of moments of private prayers like Ave Maria or Angelus.

The eight century Gelasian sacramentaries were the first to include the ordo. The rite was a consecration, since it requires holy charism. The rite includes the washing of the bell and anointing. The prayers said shows that the bell is more than a means of bringing the faithful for worship; it was looked upon as a sacramental to which the prayer of the church gave the power to dispel demons and bad weather. The 1984 reform reduced the inauguration of the bell to a solemn blessing.

THE DEDICATION OF CHURCHES: The dedication of a church is a feast for the faithful who will gather there for Eucharistic celebration. The dedication of the Christian first basilicas was occasions of great joy. Glory was given through prayer and thanksgiving to God. The dedication of churches is rooted in popular tradition; there were dedications of memorial stones (Gen 28:18), altar (Num 7:10-11), and houses (Deut 20:5), and a successive dedication of the temple by Solomon in the Old Testament. These broad biblical background are always drawn to enrich the symbolism of dedication in the churches of the Middle Ages.

THE ANCIENT RITUAL OF DEDICATION: The ancient ritual of dedication of a church consisted the celebration of the Eucharist, followed by the deposition of relics of martyrs beneath the altar. It is possible that in the first part of the fourth century, dedication comprised only of Eucharistic celebration which includes an extensive liturgy of the word, the singing of psalms and a number of homilies by the bishops present. When the placing of relics beneath the altar spread, it was seen for a long time as felicitous addition and not an obligation. The celebration of the Eucharis is enough to dedicate a church; no other rite can replace it.

The church recognized the connection between the sacrifice of Christ and that of his witnesses, the martyrs. The Apocalypse made this clear (Rev 6:9). The placement of relics is a simple ritual expression that shows the awareness of what martyrdom means. This practice started as early as the middle of the fourth century. The rite of the deposition of relics is one of the most popular in the liturgy of dedication. In cases where a pagan temple was to be consecrated for the worship of God, it was first sprinkle with water and exorcised.

THE CELEBRATION OF THE RITE OF DEDICATION IN THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES

The liturgy of dedication been marked with great reserve, underwent extensive development. From the twelfth century, Rome incorporated the new elements into its original tradition. The celebration of dedication is the most elaborate rite in the western liturgy. In Gaul, the deposition of relics was preceded by a consecration of the altar, it is a rite filled with biblical symbolism and reminiscence. Just as Christians become God’s temple by baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist, it is fitting that the altar was washed with water and anointed  with holy chrism before being decked out for the celebration of the Lord’s Last Supper. There are equally symbolisms from the dedication of the old law (Gen 23:18; Exod 29:12; 40: 27; Lev 8:10-11) and the evocation of the heavenly liturgy (Rev 8:4; 21:14). The earliest ritual of the Gaul, the bishop begins by blessing a mixture of water and wine with which he sprinkles the building and altar respectively. He then says a prayer of blessing over the altar and anoints it and the walls with chrism five times, and finally he blesses the sacred linens and vessels. When the candles are lit after the altar had been adorned, the relic is brought in by a procession of the faithful and is placed beneath the altar. The bishop then celebrates mass.

The Frankish ordo XLI from the middle of the eight century included several other rites like the bishop knocking on the door before entering, tracing the alphabet on the floor, adding salt and ash to the mixture of water and wine, multiple sprinkles and anointings, and a continual circling of the altar with an incense by a priest, accompanied by a continuous psalmody.

Some practices like anointing of the altar are attested at the Byzantine in the sixth century. The celebration of the dedication took two days. During the first day, the patriarch purifies the altar with baptismal water and consecrates it with myron (holy chrism), he then spreads a cloth and incenses the altar, and the whole of the sanctuary, while a bishop anoints all the columns in the church with chrism. The prayer of dedication concludes all the rites which were performed only in the presence of the clergy. On the second day the people are gathered to participate in the vigil near the relics of the martyrs and in their festive translation. The patriarch then places the relics in their tomb and celebrates the Eucharist over them.

The Roman ordo of dedication still conforms to the local tradition but it is already influenced by both the Frankish and Eastern. For dedication, the bishop goes to a church were the relics has been placed and sings a first litany, he then puts the relic on a paten and hands it over to a priest, and then they proceeds to the church that is to be consecrated. The bishop enters the building alone with the exception of few ministers. There he blesses the water, pours the chrism into it and make the cement with which the tomb for the relics would be sealed. After this, he baptizes the altar with the blessed water and goes back outside, where a second litany would be chanted. The procession then enters the church with the accompaniment of a third litany. The bishop places the relic on the altar, anoints the corners of the tomb with chrism and then puts the relic into it along with three fragments of the Eucharistic body of Christ and three grains of incense. After sealing it, he anoints the top and the four corners of the altar table with chrism. He finally spreads a cloth on the altar and sprinkles the entire church using a hyssop. In the completion of these rites, the mass begins.

MAGNIFICENCE OF THE DEDICATION FROM THE ELEVENTH TO THE TWENTIETH CENTURY: Ordo XLII represented a fusion of the Roman and Frankish tradition. Ensuing centuries brought the development of each rite and the multiplication of purificatory sprinklings, anointings and incensations, as well as accompanying antiphons and psalms. The dedication then became the lengthiest rite of the Roman liturgy; the pontificate of the twelfth century which remained till the twentieth century required no less than half day to perform the full rite.

The Roman-German pontifical of mid-tenth century has two ceremonials for dedication: the first combines Ordo XLI and Ordo XLII, the second ritual expands the preceding by adding a number of texts. At the place where the relics of the martyrs rests, the people gathers and sings the first litany, the bishop blesses water with salt. Then there would be a procession with the relics to the church to be dedicated. When the door is opened, the second litany would be sung. The bishop enters and blesses water with salt, ash and wine, with this he traces the sign of the cross at the center and corner of the altar. After the bishop’s ritual inside the church, he goes out and joins the faithful who are remaining outside with the relics. Then they proceed together into the church and the bishop, covered from the faithful, performs the rites of placing the relics on the altar.

            The Roman pontifical of 1595 reproduced the pontifical of the bishop of Mende at the end of the thirteenth century and the final adjustments to the Roman liturgy of dedication is attributed to the bishop of Mende. The celebration begins where the relics is stored, the bishop goes in procession and performs threefold purification. The veni Creator is sung and the bishop performs the rite of taking possession of the church. In completing this rite, the bishop and the clergy returns to the place where the relics is kept, there the people joins in procession to the church where the bishop deposits the relic, does the incensation and anointing of the altar and walls. When the altar is clothed, the celebration of the mass begins.

The simplification of the Ordo was long desired before Pope Pius XII introduced it because the congregation does not have leisure for lengthy liturgical celebration. The new Ordo was promulgated in 1961 by Pope John XXIII. The simplified Ordo still emphasizes the importance of the mass.

THE NEW ROMAN RITE OF DEDICATION: The Ordo promulgated by Pope Paul VI implements certain principles. The first aim was to give the Eucharistic celebration a leading role. It is the most important and a necessary rite. For this reason, the rite of incense, and lighting of the altar is placed between the Liturgy of the word. The translation of the relics is restored to full dignity.

Church dedication requires a full participation of the entire Christian community that is to gather there every Sunday from then on. It is preferable to be celebrated on the Lord’s Day. The bishop, in the company of the priests who are in charge of the community, presides over the celebration. The celebration starts with a procession which may include the translation of the relics from outside the church. At the door of the church, the craftsmen make a symbolic transfer of the relics to the bishop who in turn entrusts it to the priest in charge and to the faithful. Then all enters the church to sing psalm 24. The bishop takes his place at the presidential chair and blesses the water and sprinkles the people, the walls and the altar with it while the baptismal song is sung. The Gloria in excelsis and collect ends the introductory rite.

When the bishop says “May the Word of God always be heard in this place” and hands over the lectionary to the reader, the reader proclaims the first reading which always tells of the first liturgy of the word that Ezra celebrated in Jerusalem after the return from exile. For the second reading and Gospel, choices can be made from a large number of periscopes.

After the homily and profession of faith, the litany of the saints are sung, then the bishop places the relics in the tomb and a mason seals the aperture. The antiphon is sung with psalm 15, the bishop then says the prayer of dedication. This prayer is a doublet of the Eucharistic preface. In the Eucharistic preface, it still reads, “With hearts full of joy we consecrate to your glory this work of our hands, this house of prayer”.

When the prayer of dedication ends, the bishop pours sacred chrism at the center and four corners of the altar. He can equally use the oil to anoint the entire surface as a sign of superabundance saying, “we now anoint this altar and this building.  May God in his power make them holy, visible signs of the mystery of Christ and his church.” He then anoints the walls twelve or four times while psalm 84 is sung, at his wish, a priest can assist him in this rite. The incensing of the altar and the church follows. While the bishop incenses the altar, priests go around the church incensing the people and the building. Finally the altar is clothed and the candle lit.

Rites are meant to prepare the altar to become the Lord’s Table. The celebration of the Eucharist replaces signs with the reality of the sacraments. After sharing the Eucharist by the assembly, a chapel may be inaugurated for the reservation of the Eucharist. The Ordo for dedication includes a rite for the dedication of a church already in general use for sacred celebrations.