Advent Customary: The Liturgical Year

Liturgical Customary of the Church of the Advent, Boston

PDF version: corpus.pdf

The Liturgical Customary of the Church of the Advent, Boston
Corpus Christi

PREPARATION
On credence - usual mass set-up, second Host on paten, custodial with luna and small veil.
On table below credence - Monstrance and veil.
Behind reredos - chair with cope for procession.
Candle-lighters for acolytes in wall hook by SD's chair.
On stool at MC1's chair - card with order for Benediction, humeral veil and carillon, and intercessions folder as usual.
On top step to either side of altar - Benediction lights.
The Anglican Missal is used, marked at the Feast of Corpus Christi (Preface of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus). Note that the Post-Communion Thanksgiving differs. A Prayer Book, instead of the Missal, can be used at this point.
Lectionary for Various Occasions 5 - Of the Holy Eucharist. The lessons are Deuteronomy 8:2-3, I Corinthians 11:23-29.
Gospel Book with brass cover. Insert for the Gospel book - John 6:47-58
Copes and stoles for choir clergy. There are usually visiting clergy for this service; negotiate seating with choir director beforehand.
Crucifer wears green tunicle.
A second MC (MC2) is assigned to marshal the Procession together with the Sexton: the Sexton directing traffic in the street, the second MC overseeing the pace and the integrity of the Procession.
The upper tier of office lights and the great candelabra are lighted, and the Crystal Cross is carried in procession.
Ushers should have tapers ready at the back of the church to relight candles when the procession returns indoors.
SMs, MCs and TH's may wish to wear kneepads.

THE MASS
The rites follow custom except:
At the entrance, TH2 (without thurible) follows verger in procession. Altar party lines up as usual at the foot of the altar steps except that TH1 (with thurible) stands to the right of MC1 at foot of altar steps and TH2 stands in thurifer's usual place to left of SD. MC2 stands to Gospel-side A's left.
For the first part of the Mass, TH2 sits with TTTT. MC2 sits to SD's left at the sedilia.
Cel wears chasuble at entrance, and SMs wear maniples.
Choir clergy wear copes at entrance, and remove them after the Collect but keep them at their seats.
After the epistle reading, servers remain seated for the gradual chant. SD moves book and returns to the sedilia. ALL stand on MC1's cue for Alleluia verse. At the beginning of the Sequence hymn, MC1 cues TH to enter. TH genuflects at center and goes to sedilia for laying on, then goes to stand to the left of SD's chair. D goes to altar to retrieve gospel book, receives Cel's blessing, and stands back against D's chair. Gospel party then lines up at foot of altar steps in the following order - A1, TH, SD, D, MC1, and A2. Gospel procession then follows custom.
At the consecration, Cel consecrates both Hosts.
At the Agnus Dei, the acolytes bring the custodial and small veil to the altar with the chalices and the Deacon places the Benediction Host into it for safekeeping, covers It with the small veil, and places It at the rear of the corporal.
During Communion, AA's retrieve cope from behind reredos and place it at sedilia. They take candle-lighters from wall hook.
MC1 places Benediction lights on the altar, and the acolytes light them (go up from the side, light candle-lighters from innermost office lights, light inner to outer, return by the side).
At the end of Communion, TTTT exit to smoke sacristy and wait for MC1's cue to re-enter with their torches. Choir clergy return to their stalls and put on copes before they sit or kneel.
At the ablutions, MC1 brings veiled monstrance to altar; vessels are cleansed as usual. All follows according to custom except that Cel moves throne from retable to altar and prepares monstrance, placing luna in monstrance and setting it on throne facing the people. SD veils chalice as usual, but leaves the corporal unfolded on the altar and places the burse flat on the altar.
After post-communion prayer, SMs come off Epistle horn (remembering to sidestep so as not to turn their backs to the Host), and help Cel to change into cope. SMs remove maniples. MC1 removes missal and stand from the altar.

THE EXPOSITION
MC1 cues TH1+2 to enter followed by TTTT who stand in front of the two outermost pairs of medallions. Th's carry thuribles in their left hands. Simultaneously, AA go out to meet thurifers as at gospel lineup, and Th's, AA, and TTTT genuflect on MC1's cue. As TH's go to Cel for laying on, AA go below rail and stand in front of the innermost pair of medallions. TH's go to Cel to have thuribles loaded but not blessed. Thuribles are now carried in the right hand.
MC1 picks up humeral veil, carillon, and Benediction card.
Altar party lines up on pavement –MC2 TH1 SD Cel D MC1 TH2 . ALL kneel on MC1's cue. MC1 places card, carillon and humeral veil on step.
Th on Cel's left hands off thurible to Cel. ALL (except AA's and TTTT's) make a profound bow on MC1's cue towards end of first verse of O Saving Victim. Cel censes Host with either three doubles or three triples (All praise and thanks to thee ascend) and ALL make another profound bow. D and SD hold edges of cope and humeral veil as Cel censes the Sacrament.

THE PROCESSION
At conclusion of hymn, MC1 hands humeral veil to D, who places it on Cel with SD's help. MC1 cues SMs to stand, ascend steps to footpace and double genuflect. SD remains kneeling while Cel and D rise. D removes monstrance from altar and hands it to Cel (Door to the monstrance should be facing Cel). D assists Cel to pick up monstrance who holds it with the humeral veil.
Cel turns to face congregation. SD rises. MC1 cues ALL to stand, genuflect, and turn to face across. CR takes up cross and comes to east end of choir as at the conclusion of mass.
AA go to meet CR, followed by MC2.
CR turns as AA reach him/her and begins procession, pausing briefly at the crossing to allow the choir to catch up. The order of the Procession is: ACrA, MC2, Choir, Verger, choir clergy, (Musician), TT, TT, MC1, TH's, and SMs.
MC2 is responsible for maintaining pace of the procession by cuing A CR A to slow down or speed up as needed.
TH's walk side by side holding thuribles in their outer hands. SMs walk to either side of Cel as per usual for a procession, but instead of holding the cope, they support Cel's arms.
Procession moves down the aisle and exits through the main doors and immediately turns left, down Brimmer Street to Mt. Vernon, turning left again toward Charles Street. At Charles Street, the Procession crosses to the opposite side of Mt. Vernon Street and proceeds back toward Brimmer Street. At Brimmer Street, the Procession crosses the street again and goes up Brimmer Street and back in the West door and up the center aisle.
Procession returns to the chancel, CR goes to stall and puts up cross and ALL take their pre-procession places, AA and TTTT in front of the medallions as before. MC1 cues ALL to kneel as SMs reach the foot of the altar steps.
SMs go directly to altar, D takes monstrance from Cel and places monstrance on corporal. SMs double genuflect on the footpace and "crab down" to the pavement, where they kneel.

THE BENEDICTION
Tantum ergo begins. ALL make a profound bow during the first two lines of the Benediction hymn, kneeling upright after the words "this great Sacrament revere". At the end of the first verse, Cel takes thurible from left. ALL bow for the words "Glory let us give and blessing to the Father and the Son," after which Cel censes Host. D and SD hold edges of cope and humeral veil as Cel censes. ALL make another profound bow.
At the conclusion of the hymn, Cel stands and chants versicle with Alleluias, ALL responding. Cel chants collect (note special tone for collect).
SMs rise go together to footpace and double genuflect. SD remains kneeling while D and Cel rise. D assists Cel to take up monstrance, and then D joins SD in kneeling on footpace while Cel blesses people. MC1 rings carillon three times – one long ring as Cel turns to face people, one long ring as Cel makes the sign of the cross, and one long ring as Cel turns back to the altar. Both TH's cense with three doubles (as at the elevation during the canon) while Cel gives the benediction. D, SD, and choir clergy make the sign of the cross as they are blessed with the Host.
SMs rise, Cel hands monstrance to D who places monstrance back on corporal.
SMs double genuflect, and then crab down to pavement. D and SD assist Cel to remove humeral veil, and hand it to MC1 who hands Cel card with Divine Praises. Cel begins the Divine Praises, the people repeating each phrase after Cel.
During the singing of Psalm 117, D rises, goes to footpace, double genuflects, removes luna from monstrance, places veiled monstrance facing north, returns Benediction Host in veiled custodial to Sacrament house (by Gospel side), genuflects before Sacrament house, and then returns to line-up by going around behind servers and Cel. MC1 rings carillon once as D closes Sacrament House door.
After Psalm 117 is completed, MC1 cues ALL to stand, genuflect, and then turn and depart the long way as usual. (AA's go to meet CR, TH's exit to smoke sacristy to avoid setting off fire alarm in hallway.) MC1 leaves folded humeral veil, carillon, and benediction card on step.
After the final prayer in the baptistery, SD proceeds up Lady Chapel aisle as usual, but before retrieving chalice goes to center, genuflects, ascends altar steps and proceeds to fold corporal and place it in the burse. SD takes burse directly to credence, places it on top of veiled chalice and exits to smoke sacristy as usual, genuflecting again at center.
Servers extinguish candles, beginning with the benediction lights. After the benediction lights are extinguished, they and the monstrance are removed from the altar. The dust cover is spread and the rest of the candles extinguished. All other vessels are cleared as usual. Remember to remove the veil, carillon, and card from the steps before any servers go to extinguish candles.