Earlier this summer, we shared photos and video of a solemn Mass in the traditional Rite of Lyon celebrated on the feast of the city’s patron, St Irenaeus, at the FSSP’s church there. On September 6th, the solemn Mass was once again celebrated, this time for the feast of the church’s patron, St Just, a 4th century bishop of Lyon. Our thanks to the FSSP Apostolate in Lyon for permission to reproduce some photos of the Mass from their Facebook page, and our congratulations to Fr Brice Messonier, who has worked patiently for many years to restore the regular use of the Lyonaise Mass, to his confreres Frs Hubert Lion and Côme Rabany, and all the church’s servers. This Mass was also a farewell for Fr Messonier, who is now taking up the leadership of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, the FSSP church in Rome, and we wish him all the best in his new assignment.
The cross-bearer and thurifer wear a garment something like a stole called an “orfrois de tunique – the orphrey of a tunicle”, since it looks like the decorative bands of a tunicle, which in the Middle Ages was very often worn by acolytes on solemn feasts. The two acolytes who carry the candles wear full albs with the cincture, as was generally done in the Middle Ages.
The subdeacon does not usually stay with the priest and deacon as he does in Roman Mass; his “default” position, so to speak, for the Mass of the Catechumens is in the first choir-stall on the Epistle side.
As in the Dominican Mass, there is no incensation of the altar at the beginning of the Mass, so the priest goes straight to the reading of the Introit.
The acolytes leave their candles in front of the altar before the Gloria.
During the Gloria, the clergy and servers kneel at “Suscipe deprecationem nostram.”
Tradition will always be for the young!
The subdeacon sings the Epistle from his place in the choir.
The deacon and thurifer bring the Missal to the celebrant for the reading of the Epistle, Gradual etc.
The subdeacon and thurifer then bring the Missal to the altar...
while the deacon prepares for the singing of the Gospel.
Note that in the Gospel procession, the subdeacon carries a cushion for the Gospel book, and goes ahead of the thurifer.
Extra candles lit in the choir at the Sanctus; here we also see how the acolytes keep their hands crossed over their chest when they aren’t doing something else.
As in almost all medieval Uses, the priest stretches his hands out in the form of a Cross immediately after the Consecration.
The corporal is much larger than a typical Roman one, and made in such a way that it can be pulled up and over the chalice, where the Roman Rite makes a separate piece of the pall.
