Indian Mass is a partially vernacularized variation of the traditional Roman Catholic Mass, used in the American Indian missions of Canada and the United States. The priest's portion of the Mass was kept in Latin, but the chants assigned to the

schola Scholae ( el, Σχολαί) is a Latin word, literally meaning "schools" (from the singular ''schola'', ''school'' or ''group'') that was used in the late Roman Empire to signify a unit of Imperial Guards. The unit survived in the Byzantine Empire ...

were sung in the vernacular. The Indian Masses date to the mid-17th century, and permission for them was apparently granted by an indult by Rome, although record of the indult itself has not been found. Nonetheless, these partially vernacularized Masses flourished in the missions with episcopal approval for several hundred years until the time of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

Structure of the Indian mass

The Indian Mass differed from the

Tridentine Mass The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass or Traditional Rite, is the liturgy of Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church that appears in typical editions of the Roman Missal published from 1570 to 1962. Celebrated almo ...

in its use of vernacular language ordinaries and

propers The proper (Latin: ''proprium'') is a part of the Christian liturgy that varies according to the date, either representing an observance within the liturgical year, or of a particular saint or significant event. The term is used in contrast to the ...

. The ordinaries were straightforward translations of the Mass texts. However, the propers often differed significantly from their Roman counterparts. Typically, a handful of

Introit The Introit (from Latin: ''introitus'', "entrance") is part of the opening of the liturgy, liturgical celebration of the Eucharist for many Christian denominations. In its most complete version, it consists of an antiphon, Psalms, psalm verse and ' ...

s rotated duty throughout the liturgical year.

Gradual The gradual ( la, graduale or ) is a chant or hymn in the Mass, the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, and among some other Christians. It gets its name from the Latin (meaning "step") because it was once chanted ...

s sometimes occur, though hymns are often sung in their place. The Offertory and Communion verses are almost always dropped in favor of vernacular hymns.Salvucci, Claudio R. 2008. ''The Roman Rite in the Algonquian and Iroquoian Missions.'' Merchantville, NJ:Evolution Publishing.

References

Catholic liturgical rites {{RC-stub

Structure of the Indian mass

See also

References