Preface
[Read Part One here.] The reforms introduced in 1955 by Pope Pius XII brought significant changes to the Holy Week liturgies. These alterations have been a topic of extensive discussion among traditional Catholics, and those interested in thorough resources should consult Pre1955HolyWeek.com.
In Part One we looked at Palm Sunday through Holy Thursday. This article centers on Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Those interested may read (and download) the prayers, readings, and ceremonies of these liturgies in booklet form: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, and Easter Vigil.
Note: For those interested in the topic, I also recommend the videos “Strategy to Recover Tradition” [Stage 1 and Stage 2] and the series on “Preparation for Easter” [Passiontide, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday] by Fr. James Mawdsley, who strongly advocates for the full restoration of the pre-1955 liturgy.
Good Friday
Changes from Pre-1955 to 1962:
- Solemn Intercessions: The number and content of the intercessions were revised, with notable alterations to the prayer for the Jews.[1] (Note, those interested in learning more about this subject are advised to consult the videos of Father James Mawdsleys’ videos on the subject, such as one on the ‘endless changes to the Good Friday prayer.’)
- Veneration of the Cross. The pre-1955 liturgy calls for a removal of the shoes and a triple genuflection before kneeling to kiss the cross. While the 1962 rite calls for this from the clergy, I have never seen the faithful asked to remove their shoes or make a triple genuflection as they process forward (in an orderly and synchronized manner as the liturgy requires). However, I have witnessed this beautiful rite among those communities that have retained the pre-1955 rite over the years.[2]
- The Return of the Blessed Sacrament from the Altar of Repose Is Downplayed: In the pre-1955 rubrics, the Blessed Sacrament is returned via a procession of equal solemnity to that of Holy Thursday (when It is brought to the Altar of Repose). The celebrant brings It back whilst the Vexilla Regis (“The Banners of the King”) is sung. In the 1955 alterations, the importance of the Eucharistic procession is downplayed[3] (along with references to Mass). The Vexilla Regis is suppressed.
- The Our Father Is Recited Together with the Faithful: It is well known in the traditional Mass that the priest prays the Our Father by himself on our behalf, and the symbolism of that is well documented by liturgists. With the changes in 1955, the Our Father on Good Friday is prayed by the priest and the people together, again showing the beginning of the blurring of lines of distinction between clergy and laity.
- The traditional Mass of the Presanctified, which included the reception of the previously consecrated Host by the priest alone, was replaced with a ‘Communion service’ for both clergy and laity. In this new innovation, just as the priest consumes a host which was consecrated during the Holy Thursday Mass (and brought in procession to the Altar of Repose immediately following the Mass), so too the faithful receive previously consecrated Hosts.
- Liturgical Colors: The use of black vestments, symbolizing mourning, was altered. First, violet was allowed for parts of the service (1955), which paved the way for that penitential color to be replaced by red.[4] Thus suffering and martyrdom are emphasized over and against Our Lord’s actual death. No longer was this seen as the funeral service for Our Lord. If black was not to be used at Christ’s death and burial, then it is logical that it should not be used for any Christian. Today, black is never used as a liturgical color outside of the traditional rite. Consequently, Catholics pray less for their dead (since Vatican II, white is the preferred color at funerals) and think less about the ultimate reality of the Four Last Things.[5]
The pre-1955 Good Friday liturgy fostered a profound sense of mourning and contemplation of Christ’s Passion. The Mass of the Presanctified, with its unique structure, highlighted the sacrificial nature of the day. The detailed solemn intercessions and the dramatic unveiling of the Cross facilitated deep communal prayer and veneration. The use of only black vestments alone reinforced the somber atmosphere.
While it may be argued that the reforms to the Good Friday liturgy from the pre-1955 to the 1955 ‘experimental phase’ to the 1962 adjustments were not excessive or dramatic, it seems clear – in hindsight – that they served as a ‘trial balloon’ for far more destructive changes. Today, the continual stream of so-called ‘reforms’ have clearly reduced the intensity of mourning the death of the Son of God.
Holy Saturday
Changes from Pre-1955 to 1962:
- Vigil Timing: Traditionally held in the morning, the Easter Vigil was moved to the night to emphasize the transition from darkness to light. As com notes: “The reform changed the Vigil from one wrong time to another. The Vigil starts with a fire lighting ceremony; this is done when the sun is going down, not when it has been down for several hours.”
- Blessing of the Paschal Candle: Since 1955 the blessing (and lighting) of the pascal candle takes place entirely outside, in front of the church, after which it is carried in procession to the sanctuary (to be placed in its stand).
- The Tricereo: Prior to 1955, only part of the ceremony took place outside. The fire and the grains of incense were blessed outside the church and the fire was then passed to a taper carried by an acolyte. The tricereo (a triple candlestick), which represents the Holy Trinity, is carried in procession by the deacon into the church (the subdeacon leads with the cross). Thrice the deacon pauses. Each time he lights one wick on the tricereo, genuflects, and sings aloud “Lumen Christi!” The faithful respond “Deo gratias” matching his tone, which gets higher with each successive genuflection. The paschal candle is then blessed (inside the sanctuary, on its stand on the Gospel side) and lit from the tricereo.[6]
- Old Testament Readings: The number of readings was reduced from twelve to four, significantly shortening the Vigil service. This was so drastic that even the 1969 Missal restored some but altered their arrangement.
- Baptismal Liturgy: The renewal of baptismal promises was introduced in the 1955 Missal. Previously the baptismal water was blessed at the font in the Baptistry. Catechumens were received at the entrance of the church, baptized, and then they entered the nave. With 1955, there was the introduction of placing the baptismal water in a basin in the middle of the sanctuary, with the celebrant facing the people throughout the blessing.
The pre-1955 Holy Saturday liturgy emphasized the long anticipation of Christ’s Resurrection, beginning in the darkness of early morning and culminating in the first signs of Easter joy. The twelve Old Testament readings provided a comprehensive reflection on salvation history, preparing the faithful for the Resurrection. Their reduction weakened this catechetical aspect.
The reforms also removed many elements that symbolized the gradual emergence of light from darkness, altering the profound experience of awaiting the Resurrection. The changes ultimately lessened the sense of spiritual preparation and the unique character of Holy Saturday as a day of expectant waiting. And around this same time significant changes were made to the immemorial fast of Holy Saturday.
Conclusion
The pre-1955 Holy Week rites were profoundly rich in symbolism, theology, and spiritual preparation for Easter. The 1955 reforms, while intended to simplify the liturgy and encourage participation, resulted in the loss of numerous ancient and theologically significant elements. These changes disrupted the organic development of the Roman Rite and, in many cases, altered the spiritual experience of Holy Week.
Traditional Catholics who seek to maintain the fullness of the Church’s liturgical patrimony continue to advocate for the preservation and restoration of these older, more profound rites. Their rationale is that these changes were: 1) dangerous to the practice of the Faith,[7] as evident by what happened in the following years; 2) a temporary ‘experiment’ and never meant to be made permanent; and 3) inevitably used as a stepping stone for the Novus Ordo by those who forced them into law.
This Holy Week, we encourage you to delve much deeper into the pre-1955 Holy Week liturgies by reading the propers and understanding what we have lost.
ENDNOTES:
[1] The devastating effect of this change cannot be underestimated. This one change alone is sufficient to warrant many Catholics to insist upon a return to the pre-1955 liturgy as indispensable for the recovery, restoration, and flourishing of the Catholic Faith.
[2] It is truly moving to see the Cross ‘on which hung our Salvation’ venerated in a solemn, orderly, and reverent procession by all the faithful. This is not difficult. We recall that God commanded Moses to remove his footwear before approaching the burning bush on Mount Horeb. Small crosses (made out of masking tape, for example) can mark the spots where the faithful genuflect. Then the laity processes in an orderly fashion, similar to Holy Communion, with the three pairs closest to the cross genuflecting at the same time. The profound impact this has on young children is powerful and can instill in them a reverence for the Cross which is never lost.
[3] On Holy Thursday the procession represents Our Lord going to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray and to accept the chalice of suffering that is His Father’s will. On Good Friday, the return can be seen as His triumphant entry into the Limbo of the Fathers to release all the souls held imprisoned by the prince of this world and who have been patiently awaiting the Messiah for centuries. Hence, we should honor it with great ceremony. A triumphant hymn hailing Our Lord as King is eminently appropriate. Yet today these aspects of our Faith (He descended into hell) are seen as an embarrassment and limbo is treated as a medieval superstition. Undoubtedly, the window for these errors was opened through these crucial liturgical changes.
[4] In the 1955 changes, violet was allowed for the Communion service on Good Friday. Perhaps the logic was that Holy Communion was unseemly with black vestments and the focus on Our Lord’s death. Later liturgical innovations, under the false guise of ‘simplicity’ sought to do away with all those liturgical moments when the priest switches vestment colors. (Such changes are of great theological import and draw the faithful’s attention to contemplate the mysteries being presented.) The color black was largely rejected in the new post-Vatican II rite and purple did not seem appropriate for the entire Good Friday liturgy, so red was chosen instead by ‘default’ and not on profound theological grounds.
[5] Each one of us will die. This is certain and inevitable. Death is the most important moment of our lives for it determines our eternal destiny. For this reason, Catholics should always pray for a holy death. All the spiritual writers and saints insist on our need to meditate upon our death and judgment. We must prepare for it well and reject the heresy that ‘most people are basically good and therefore go to Heaven.’
[6] There is a beautiful symbolism here. As each wick is lit there is gradually more light in the church and the cross processes steadily towards the sanctuary. This represents the time of the Old Testament, during which God was gradually and slowly revealing Himself to man, as well as the mystery of the Death and Resurrection of the Messiah. The light (grace!) steadily grows stronger. Finally, since the Paschal Candle represents Jesus Christ, it is from the Divine Will of all Three Divine Persons (which the tricereo symbolizes) that the Eternal Son became Incarnate and took on human nature. Thus we see the greatest mysteries of our Faith dramatically and powerfully represented in this liturgical act: The Blessed Trinity, the Incarnation, and the Crucifixion and Resurrection.
[7] Once significant changes are allowed in the most sacred and solemn liturgies of the year, then it logically follows that changes are acceptable to any part of the ancient and sacred liturgy. Even if the first changes are minor and maintain reverence, ‘the window is opened’ to more extensive, radical, theologically deficient and even irreverent changes. Once a process of accepting changes is allowed, then it never ends. A series of continuous innovations can then be made to the liturgy.
These changes leave Catholics adrift, unsure of their Faith, and disconnects us from our ancestors and even from one generation to the next. Even worse, since our worship is shaped by the Faith, then if the liturgy is changed, a corresponding alteration overcomes the true doctrine which Christ bequeathed to us through His Apostles under the guidance of the Holy Ghost. Finally, God is perfect and eternal, hence immutable. The sacred liturgy must reflect these divine qualities. Yet if the liturgy can readily be altered, it implies – even subconsciously – that God Himself is not perfect or immutable, and God Himself undergoes a kind of evolutionary process.
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