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Hoc in situ interretiali ordinantur responsiones, explanationes, et decreta ex « Notitiae » aliisque interdum fontibus (ut AAS) deprompta. Finis est praestare textum originalem, versionem anglicam, et exemplar PDF paginarum pertinentium ex « Notitiae » vel alio fonte. Praesens igitur inceptum opusculum « Ordo Missae locis correspondentibus illustratus » aliquatenus extendit. Est enim labor imperfectus quem, cum operae mihi est, suscipio. Denique Reverendo domino Danieli Gill, domino Radosław Gosiewski, et domino Abram Córdova y Muenzberg, qui nonnullas ex responsionibus transcripserunt, gratias refero, item etiam domino Ioanni Oliveire dominaeque Cristae Mootz, qui in linguam anglicam responsiones quasdam verteri adiuvaverunt. Exemplaria PDF exstant etiam textuum nondum transcriptorum. This website organizes responses, explanations, and decrees from Notitiae and sometimes from other sources (such as AAS. The goal is to provide the original text, an English translation, and a PDF scan of the relevant pages from Notitiae or other source. In some ways, the project is a further development of my Cross-Referenced Ordo Missae. This is an ongoing prject which I work on in my spare time. I am also grateful for the help of Rev. Daniel Gill, Mr. Radosław Gosiewski, and Mr. Abram Córdova y Muenzberg in transcribing some of these responses and also to Mr. Johan Oliveire and Miss Crista Mootz for helping to translate certain responses into English. PDFs are available even for texts that have not yet been transcribed.
Fac Patrem Dylanum Schrader certiorem si habes proposita vel corrigenda. Contact Father Dylan Schrader with suggestions and corrections.
N.B. In « Notitiae » 1 (1965) et 2 (1966), supra responsa, invenitur monitio: Solutio quae proponitur nullam induit vestem officialem. Solummodo habet valorem orientativum: solutiones enim ex officio publici iuris fient, si casus fert, a competenti Auctoritate in « Acta Apostolicae Sedis ». N.B. In Notitiae 1 (1965) and 2 (1966), this notice appears above the responses: The solution which is proposed takes on no official character. It has only an orientative force; solutions will be published officially, if the case warrants, by the competent Authority in « Acta Apostolicae Sedis ».

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TextUnofficial English TranslationCitationTagsPDF of the original document

3. Quando nullus fidelis habetur qui acclamationem post consecrationem peragere valeat, debetne sacerdos dicere « Mysterium fidei »?

Resp.: Negative. Verba Mysterium fidei, quae e contextu verborum Domini deducta sunt et post consecrationem posita, « ad fidelium acclamationem veluti aditum aperiunt » (Cf. Const. Missale Romanum). Quando autem peculiaribus in adiunctis nemo respondere valet, sacerdos illa verba omittit, sicut fit in Missa quae, ex gravi necessitate, celebratur sine ullo ministro, in qua salutationes et benedictio in fine Missae omittuntur (Inst. gen., n. 211).

Idem valet pro concelebratione sacerdotum in qua nullus fidelis praesens est.

3. When no member of the faithful is present who can make the acclamation after the consecration, should the priest say « The mystery of faith »?

Resp.: In the negative. The words The mystery of faith, which have been taken from the context of the words of the Lord and placed after the consecration, « serve as an introduction to the acclamation of the faithful » (Cf. Const. Missale Romanum). When, however, in particular circumstances no one is able to respond, the priest omits these words, as is done in a Mass which, out of grave necessity, is celebrated without any minister, in which the greetings and blessing at the end of Mass are omitted (Inst. gen., n. 211).

The same holds true for a concelebration of priests in which no member of the faithful is present.

Notitiae 5 (1969): 324–325, n. 3mysterium fidei, private massPDF of Notitiae 5 (1969): 324–325

De Diaconi Monitionibus

Inter monitiones, quae in celebratione Missae ad diaconum pertinent, ab aliquibus enumeratur etiam expressio « Mysterium fidei » post factam consecrationem panis et vini a sacerdote celebrante.

Ad rem quod attinet, animadverti debet quod sequitur. Re quidem vera, verba « Mysterium fidei » inveniuntur in omnibus manuscriptis Canonis romani a saeculo VII et deinceps. Attamen eorum origo omnino ignoratur. Unica indicatio biblica circa illam expressionem habetur in 1 Tim 3, 9 ubi « mysterium fidei » universam doctrinam christianam designat vel Dei propositum pro mundi salute (cf. Jungmann, Missarum sollemnia, II editio – Wien 1949, II pars, nn. 269 ss).

Iam tempore Consilii ad exsequendam Constitutionem de sacra Liturgia viri periti huiusmodi quaestionem examini subiecerant et ad hanc pervenerant conclusionem: expressio « Mysterium fidei » pronuntianda est a sacerdote, non vero a diacono. Omnibus bene perpensis, servanda est rubrica Missalis Romani, quae statuit « Deinde (sacerdos) dicit: "Mysterium fidei" » (Ordo Missae, n. 93).

Rubrica confirmata est in Caeremoniale Episcoporum, n. 155.

On the Instructions of the Deacon

Some count even the expression « Mysterium fidei » after the consecration of the bread and wine by the priest celebrant as one of the instructions which belong to the deacon in the celebration of Mass.

In this matter, we should pay attention to the following. Although the words « Mysterium fidei » are found in all manuscripts of the Roman Canon from the seventh century onward, their origin is entirely unknown. The only indication in the Bible of this expression is found in 1 Tim 3:9 where « mysterium fidei » refers to the whole of Christian doctrine or the plan of God for the salvation of the world (cf. Jungmann, Missarum sollemnia, II editio – Wien 1949, II pars, nn. 269 ss).

Already at the time of the Consilium to implement the Constitution on the sacred Liturgy, experts undertook an examination of this sort of question and arrived at the conclusion: the expression « Mysterium fidei » should be pronounced by the priest, not the deacon. After carefully weighing everything, the rubric of the Missale Romanum, should be followed which establishes « Then (the priest) says: "Mysterium fidei" » (Ordo Missae, n. 93).

The rubric is confirmed in the Caeremoniale Episcoporum, n. 155.

Notitiae 24 (1988): 152deacon, mysterium fideiPDF of Notitiae 24 (1988): 152