Missal

Missal
John William Waterhouse · Public domain · source
Name	Missal
Author	Various
Country	Various
Language	Latin and vernaculars
Subject	Liturgy, Sacramentary, Mass
Genre	Religious text
Pub date	Antiquity–present

Missal A missal is a liturgical book that contains texts and rubrics necessary for the celebration of the Mass in Western Christian rites. Originating in late antiquity and medieval Europe, it evolved through contributions from figures such as Pope Gregory I, Saint Benedict of Nursia, Charlemagne, and councils like the Council of Trent. Missals have been produced and adapted by institutions including the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, and national churches such as the Church of England and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

History

The development of the missal traces through Roman liturgical practice, influences from the Ambrosian Rite, the Gallican Rite, and reforms under rulers like Charlemagne that aimed to standardize rites across the Carolingian Empire. Manuscript evidence appears in collections used by monasteries following the Rule of Saint Benedict and in cathedral chapters associated with sees such as Rome, Canterbury, and Chartres. Scholarly work by historians such as Dom Jean Mabillon and E. A. Lowe has catalogued medieval sacramentaries, sacramentaria, and graduals, while metrics of change are discussed in studies referencing the Gregorian Sacramentary and the aftermath of the Council of Trent which influenced the Roman Missal promulgated by Pope Pius V. Movements including the Oxford Movement and liturgical scholars like Dom Guéranger and Anscar Chupungco shaped 19th–20th century reception. Twentieth-century reforms under Pope Pius XII and especially Pope Paul VI produced the 1970 edition used by the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council. Other landmarks include the 1549 and 1552 Book of Common Prayer editions associated with Thomas Cranmer and the Lutheran Service Book history tied to reformers like Martin Luther.

Types and Forms

Missals appear in multiple forms: the medieval sacramentary used by bishops and priests, the parish missal for congregational use, the altar missal for celebrants, and study-critical editions for scholars. Variants include the Roman Missal (extraordinary and ordinary forms), the Tridentine Mass books associated with Pope Pius V, the Book of Common Prayer tradition in the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary and Lutheran service books, and vernacular missals produced for national churches like the French Missel or the German Messbuch. Specialized types include the pontifical for bishops incorporating rites like confirmations and ordinations tied to offices such as the Roman Pontifical, and the moralisations like the Missale Romanum editions with commentary by figures such as Cardinal Newman and liturgical scholars like Joseph Jungmann.

Structure and Contents

Typical missal structure organizes texts into sections: the Ordinary of the Mass (collects, prefaces, Eucharistic Prayer), the Proper of Seasons with feasts like Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, the Proper of Saints including commemorations of Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Saint Augustine of Hippo, and local patrons, and appendices with votive masses and ritual formularies. Many include musical notation referencing sources such as the Gregorian chant tradition, chant collections like the Graduale Romanum, and polyphonic settings from composers like Palestrina, Josquin des Prez, and Guillaume Dufay. Rubrics and incipits align with canonical books like the Psalter and lectionaries following St. Jerome’s Vulgate tradition or modern translations derived from Second Vatican Council directives. Critical editions cite manuscripts housed in institutions such as the Vatican Library, the British Library, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Usage in Liturgical Rites

Missals guide celebrations across rites: the Roman Rite uses the Roman Missal for daily and solemn Masses, the Ambrosian Rite retains distinct missal forms in Milan, and localized rites like the Sarum Rite influenced medieval English practice pre-Reformation at cathedrals such as Salisbury. Anglican use derives from the Book of Common Prayer and contemporary liturgical resources published by bodies such as the Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church (United States). Lutheran liturgical life references the historic Formula Missae and modern hymnals from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Ordination, marriage, funeral, and votive masses use specific formularies, while liturgical calendars integrate universal feasts like All Saints' Day and national commemorations such as St. Patrick's Day in Ireland.

Artistry and Physical Production

Manuscript missals display illumination, binding, and script reflecting workshops in centers like Paris, Ghent, Milan, and Rome. Artists and scribes including anonymous monastic ateliers, urban workshops commissioned by patrons such as Charles V or Isabella I of Castile, and Renaissance illuminators produced miniatures, historiated initials, and gold leaf. Printed missals evolved after the invention of movable type by Johannes Gutenberg and typographers like Aldus Manutius; printers such as Gutenberg Press and Plantin Press disseminated editions across Europe, with woodcuts and engravings by artists in the circle of Albrecht Dürer and Hans Holbein the Younger. Conservation involves curators at institutions like the British Museum and techniques developed in conservation labs at the Louvre and university collections including Harvard University.

Modern Revisions and Translations

Contemporary missal revisions respond to liturgical scholarship and pastoral needs; post-conciliar shifts led to vernacular translations authorized by bodies such as the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and national episcopal conferences like the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. English-language translations include versions by ICEL and locally produced texts approved by bishops in countries like Australia and Canada. Ecumenical dialogues involving the World Council of Churches and scholars from institutions like Vatican II commissions have influenced common liturgical resources, while digital editions and software from publishers such as Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press provide searchable texts for clergy and laity. Ongoing debates involve fidelity to source texts, translation philosophy exemplified by proponents such as Dom Alcuin Reid and critics like Anthony Gording, and the role of inculturation in editions for regions including Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

Category:Liturgy