Pope Pius XII and the Reform of Holy Week

With the Triduum almost upon us once again Rorate Caeli have just republished the translation of Fr. Stefano Carusi's work on the reform of Holy Week under Pope Pius XII which they first published five years ago. With agreatly expanded readership they felt compelled to bring it back and share with new readers. This translation is the work of Fr. Charles W. Johnson, a U.S. military chaplain.

Fr Carusi's lengthy but detailed article can be read at The Reform of Holy Week in the Years 1951-1956

Whether you see the changes as reform or deform, as necessary or unnecessary, this is an important contribution to understanding them and how they came about.

Celebrating the Triduum in Oxford

As last year - for which see Observing the Triduum - I spent most of the Triduum serving at SS Gregory and Augustine here in Oxford - they were short of servers so I went there rather than to the Oratory from Thursday to Saturday. However I did also manage to get to Tenebrae at Blackfriars on Maundy Thursday and Holy Saturday - my post from last year about its observance can be read at Tenebrae at Blackfriars, and I attended the Stations of the Cross at The Oratory on the evening of Good Friday.

On Maundy Thursday I was acting as second thurifer for the procession to the altar of Repose, helped with the stripping of the altar and stayed for the watch until Compline. On Good Friday, suitably armed with a purificator, I assisted with the Veneration of the Cross and then was back on Holy Saturday to help get the church ready for the Vigil. Here I was again thurifer, avoided getting burned fishing the charcoals out of the new fire, and read two of the prophetic readings. I was rather touched when the Deacon, my friend Daniel Lloyd from the Ordinariate, and like me an old Pusey House man, said how right it felt to be serving together again after, as we worked it out nine years since we kept the Triduum with other Puseyites at Ascot Priory. Daniel was there to sing the Exsultet and act as Deacon of the Mass - the last opportunity he will have to exercise his diaconal ministry in the former capacity before his priestly ordination on April 21st.

I have been promised photographs of the altars and statues as vested for the occasion at SS Gregory and Augustine - that of Our Lady looked particularly fine with a cope, lace veil and crown, and will post them when I receive them.

On Easter Day I was back for the Solemn Mass at the Oxford Oratory in the morning. As is the tradition at the Oratory this ended with the choir singing the Hallelujah Chorus - and confirming for one the sense that indeed the Kingdom of this world has become the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ.

After a trip out with the Oratory Sacristan into the Oxfordshire countryside for lunch at Bladon and tea at Lower Heyford I was back at the Oratory for Solemn Vespers sung by the Fathers and choir and finally Benediction to close the liturgical day.

All in all a good observance of the Triduum and of Easter Day, and, coming at the end of a Lent which was, I think, spiritually profitable and yielded insights I had not expected on Ash Wednesday, I do have a sense of spiritual rebirth. The thing now is to hang on to it...

Observing the Triduum

I observed the Triduum largely at St Gregory and St Augustine Oxford, athough I did attend, as regular readers will recall, Tenebrae at Blackfriars on Thursday and Saturday, and also Stations of the Cross at the Oratory on Good Friday evening.

Along with other friends I was asked to assist with the serving due to illness and the absence of other regulars at SS Gregory and Augustine. I was happy to do so, both to help the parish and as it was the first occasion since I became a Catholic that I would have the privilege of serving the Triduum.

Not only was it a privilege, but an enjoyable one. Admittedly not everyone's idea of enjoyment is the same, but for me Christmas and Easter would not be the same at church without being called upon to clean brass and silver in preparation, and there was quite a bit of that to do on Maundy Thursday and Holy Saturday. More importantly it was enjoyable because the parish community was welcoming, appreciating help from friends, and because it was a properly serious celebration of the sacramental life of the Churchat this season.

On Sunday morning I was back at the Oratory for the 11am Solemn Mass, which was as splendid as ever, and rounded off, as is our custom, with the choir' s performance of the Hallelujah Chorus. In the evening they were back to sing for Solemn Vespers. This was performed with three coped Oratorians and followed by Benediction. A visually splendid way to celebrate, but which went beyond the merely aesthetic, but articulated something of the great truths of Easter.

Easter Liturgy photographs

A friend has forwarded to me these splendid photographs of the pre-1955 Easter Liturgy as celebrated pontifically this year at St Gertrude the Great, West Chester, Ohio.
They are a very fine set, covering the whole Triduum, and repay looking at.