Bulletins

August 25, 2013

Download the Bulletin as a PDF

The sight was amazing. At the conclusion of the 7:30 p.m. Mass on the Solemnity of the Assumption this past August 15, the only thing that moved were hearts and voices. Not a soul left the Church after the final blessing while we all chanted the Salve Regina. Several positive comments on it lead me to explain a little bit more about the conclusion of Holy Mass.

First of all, to the surprise of many, the Catholic Mass does not traditionally have a "Closing Hymn". In fact nothing in the instructions for Mass even mention the possibility of it. The last part of the Mass that gets described in our big red book, called the "Missal", as the priest venerating "the altar with a kiss". So while a final song is not forbidden it does seem that the Sacred Liturgy might have something else in mind, namely prayer and especially prayers of thanksgiving.

From 1884 to 1965 there were prayers for the Church that Popes asked the faithful to include right after Mass, prayers which included the Salve Regina. The Liturgy of the Hours also concludes the day with a prayer to Our Lord's Mother. There are several that correspond to different seasons of the liturgical year. The most familiar, our current anthem of sorts, goes along with the Holy Rosary and is a fitting prayer both tender and courageous as we turn from prayer and reengage the fallen world.

Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiÊ,
vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
ad te clamamus exsules filii HevÊ,
ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos
misericordes oculos ad nos converte;
et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
to thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
thine eyes of mercy toward us;
and after this our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God,
that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ!

Fr. Christopher J. Pollard
[email protected]