An old friend of mine, Fr Albert Marcello, a priest of the diocese of Providence, Rhode Island (my native place), recently shared with me these pictures of a Missal printed by the Alfred Mame publishing house in 1963 for use in France. They show two very beautiful special prefaces, one of the Blessed Sacrament, and the other for the feast of the Saint or Saints who founded a local Church. These are different from the Parisian versions which continued to be used in France even after the Neo-Gallican Missals were replaced by the Roman Missal of St Pius V, and were approved for general use in March of 2020. (See these two articles from that year, part 5 and part 6 of a series.) I here give the Latin texts and my own translations, followed by pictures of first the solemn tone, then the ferial tone (for votive Masses), and then the late 19th century “more solemn” tone, the general disappearance of which is one of the very few good things which the post-Conciliar reform did for Gregorian chant. Many thanks to Fr Marcello for sharing these with us.
Praefatio de Sanctissimo Sacramento VD: Per Christum Dóminum nostrum, verum aeternumque Pontíficem, et solum sine peccáti mácula Sacerdótem. Qui in novíssima coena formam sacrificii perennis instítuens, hostiam se tibi primus óbtulit, et primus dócuit offerri. Cujus carne pro nobis immoláta dum páscimur, roborámur, et fuso sánguine dum potámur, ablúimur. Et ídeo...
The Preface of the Most Holy Sacrament Truly it is worthy: through Christ, Our Lord, the true and eternal Pontiff, and only Priest without the stain of sin. Who at the Last Supper, when He established the form of the everlasting sacrifice, first offered Himself to Thee as a victim, and first taught that how it was to be offered. By whose flesh, sacrificed for us, we are strengthened as we are fed, and by whose blood poured forth we are washed as we are given to drink it. And therefore...
Praefatio de S. Fundatore VD: Qui nos secundum misericordiam tuam magnam, de ténebris ad lucem vocáre dignátus es, et de potestáte Sátanae ereptos, in filios adoptiónis assúmere. Tua enim, Dómine, misericordia, tua gratia, verbum fídei in nobis Mártyris tui
N. (Mártyrum tuórum
N. et
N. vel Sancti tui
N.) labóre seminátum est, et sánguine (méritis) fecundátum. Nunc ergo, Pater sancte, confirma hoc quod operátus es in nobis, et gregem istum, quem Filio tuo donasti, conserva tuae virtutis auxilio; ut santificátum in veritáte, perfectum in unitáte, consummáre dignéris in gloria. Per eundem Christum, Dóminum nostrum. Per quem majestátem tuam laudant Angeli...
Preface of a Holy Founder Truly it is worthy: Who according to Thy great mercy, deigned to call us from darkness unto light, and having rescued us from the power of Satan, receive us as the sons of adoption. For by Thy mercy, o Lord, and by Thy grace, the word of faith was sown among us by the labor of Thy Martyr(s) or Saint N. (and N.), and made fruitful by his (their) blood (or merits). Therefore, Holy Father, do Thou now confirm that which Thou hast wrought among us, and by the help of Thy might, preserve this flock which Thou hast given to Thy Son, so that, being sanctified in truth, and made perfect in unity, Thou may deign to bring it to the fullness of glory. Through the same Christ, our Lord, through Whom the Angels praise Thy majesty...
