Papa Marcelli

To-day, at Lauds (according to the Dominican Breviary) there is a memorial of St Marcellus I, Pope and Martyr (reigned May 308 to 309); and of course this brings to mind the even shorter reign of Pope Marcellus II (9th April to 1st May 1555); and in turn Palestrina's famous Missa Papæ Marcelli, composed to honour his memory, whose polyphonic magnificence, according to legend, averted the danger that the Council of Trent might prohibit polyphony and all other figured music for Church use – a charming parable but not exactly true (the polyphonic preces composed by de Kerle, and sung daily for success of the Council during its sessions, were if anything more directly influential in this).  My aunt once attended a performance of it in Scotland, which very amusingly ended with a trumpet flourish, and cries of Viva Papa Marcelle!

For those who delight in such, I append the first of Jacobus de Kerle's Preces speciales (texts selected by Pedro de Soto, O.P.):

PRIMVM RESPONSORIVM PRO CONCILIO

R. Suscipiant, Domine, montes Ecclesiæ tuæ, pastores et doctores nostri, pacem populo tuo et colles isti justitiam: * Salvos fac eos filios pauperum Apostolorum tuorum † et humilia calumniatorum hæreticum: ‡ ut unanimes uno ore honorificemus te, Deum et Patrem Domini nostri Jesu Christi.

V. Illustra faciem tuam, Domine, super servos tuos; accende corda eorum in ædificationem corporis tui. * Salvos fac eos filios pauperum Apostolorum tuorum.

V. Da illis non quærere, quæ sua sunt, sed quæ Jesu Christi Filii tui; præcinge eos virtute ad bellum adversus Satanam, † et humilia calumniatorum hæreticum.

V. Aufer ab eis, Domine, elationem omnem, presumptionem et sapientiam carnis, contentiones et æmulationes, dissensiones et invidias; da illis protectionem salutis tuæ, ‡ ut unanimes uno ore honorificemus te, Deum et Patrem Domini nostri Jesu Christi.

V. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.

R. Suscipiant, Domine, montes Ecclesiæ tuæ, pastores et doctores nostri, pacem populo tuo et colles isti justitiam: * Salvos fac eos filios pauperum Apostolorum tuorum † et humilia calumniatorum hæreticum: ‡ ut unanimes uno ore honorificemus te, Deum et Patrem Domini nostri Jesu Christi.

Preces

Kyrie, eleison.  Christe, eleison.  Kyrie, eleison.

Pater noster… (secreto usque ad)

V. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem.

R. Sed libera nos a malo.

V. Salvos fac servos tuos.

R. Deus meus, sperantes in te.

V. Redde eis lætitiam salutaris tui.

R. Spiritu principali confirma eos.

V. Nihil proficiat inimicus in eis.

R. Et filius iniquitatis non apponat nocere eis.

V. In nomine tuo salva eos.

R. Et in virtute tua tuere eos.

V. Dominus vobiscum.

R. Et cum spiritu tuo.

Oremus.

Orationes.

Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, cujus virtute universa fundantur, qui facis mirabilia magna solus, prætende super famulos tuos Patres Concilii spiritum gratiæ salutaris, et ut in veritate te quærant, in sanctitate inveniant, et nobis, quibus præsunt, verbo et exemplo prosint, perpetuum eis rorem tuæ benedictionis infunde.

Ecclesiæ, Domine, preces placatus admitte, ut destructis adversitatibus et erroribus universis, secura tibi serviat libertate.  Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus, per omnia sæcula sæculorum.  R.  Amen.

Irreverence Inseparable from Impiety

I long ago read, and have ever since remembered, that "irreverence can never be separated from impiety": so far as I recalled, Trent said so somewhere in regards to the sacred liturgy.

Well, thanks to the relevant quotation having just featured in a posting at The Anglo-Catholic blog, I have finally sourced it, and moreover have found the Latin original, in the Decretum de observandis et evitandis in celebratione missæ [Decree about things to be observed and things to be avoided in the celebration of Mass], which the Council of Trent passed on the l7th September 1562:

“The local ordinaries shall be zealously concerned and be bound to prohibit and abolish all those things which either covetousness, which is a serving of idols, or irreverence, which can scarcely be separated from ungodliness, or superstition, a false imitation of true piety, have introduced."

...ut ordinarii locorum episcopi ea omnia prohibere atque e medio tollere sedulo curent ac teneantur quae vel avaritia idolorum servitus vel irreverentia quae ab impietate vix seiuncta esse potest vel superstitio verae pietatis falsa imitatrix induxit.

There it appears: "irreverence, which can scarcely be separated from impiety" – irreverentia quæ ab impietate vix sejuncta esse potest – or, "irreverence, which from impiety is scarcely able to be separated". I have remembered this almost right, but "scarcely" is more accurate than "never".

Irreverence is scarce separable from impiety.