It is following the enquiry of a priest that I give more details of how I celebrate Low Mass according to the Use of Sarum. The rubrics are generally clear and easy to follow, but there are some points where it is difficult to know what to do. In those cases, I have followed what the Dominican Rite does. A popular misconception of the Use of Sarum is that it is extremely complex, which is to some extent true for the full High Mass with rulers and the whole crew. Low Mass is actually simpler than the “extraordinary” Roman rite and very similar to the austere Dominican rite.

For comparison, after having studied this article, see this Dominican Rite Online Tutorial. There are videos that show you how to do it, and some of my explanations will come to life in comparison with the Dominican Rite. I do not have the equipment to make a digital video of a Sarum Mass and follow the methodology of the Dominican tutorial, but I have the idea in the case of someone being prepared to lend me a digital video camera.

I diverge in two minor details from Sarum practice as it seems to have been in the early sixteenth century. I use the purificator as in the Roman rite instead of laying the chalice on its side on the paten after the Ablutions, and I use a modern pall instead of a folded corporal to cover the chalice.

In this explanation, I give the text of the Mass in English (it isn’t the best translation I have), and I assume knowledge and practical experience of the celebration of the pre-1963 Roman rite. Please send comments, especially if you find I am wrong and need correction.

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Put on the vestments whilst saying the Veni Creator or Creator Spirit, come. etc. After putting on the vestments, and whilst still in the sacristy, say:

V. Send forth thy Spirit.  R. And thou wilt renew the face of the earth.  Let us pray.

Almighty God, unto whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily praise thee. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

Say the antiphon I will go to the altar and the psalm  Judge me, O God. etc. on the way to the altar, or standing outside the sanctuary of the church. Then repeat  the antiphon. I will go to the altar of God, to God who makes glad my youth.

Then go up to the altar, spread the corporal put the chalice to the left, unveil, take off the host on the paten, put the purificator to the right side of the corporal. Have the servant bring the wine and water cruets, and say the following whilst blessing the water and before pouring it into the chalice with wine.

From this be blessing + for from his side came forth blood and water. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Re-veil the chalice leaving the purificator on the altar. Give a nod to the altar cross, go down to the foot of the altar, make a profound bow and say:

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Pater Noster up to … who trespass against us. , Ave Maria.

[I’m not sure when the interpolation of the Ave Maria originated. Many of the pre-Reformation liturgies “farced”, put bits of text into the Kyrie, the Gloria and even the Sanctus and Benedictus on feasts of Our Lady. I interpret it like this – a “farced” Pater noster. Of course, the Ave Maria is without the second section Sancta Maria Mater Dei, ora… The Et ne nos inducas is not said twice. That’s how I do it. On the other hand, the Ave Maria can be omitted to allow the Pater noster to be said straight.]

Then say in a moderate voice:

V. And lead us not into temptation. R. But deliver us from evil.

V. Confess ye to the Lord, for he is good. R. Because his mercy is for ever.

Bowing:

I confess to God, to blessed Mary, to all the saints and to you: because I have sinned too much by thought, word, and deed by my fault: I pray, holy Mary, all the saints of God, and you to pray for me.

R. The Almighty God have mercy upon you, and pardon all your sins, deliver you from all evil, preserve and confirm you in good, and lead you to everlasting life. Priest. Amen.

R. I confess, &c.,

V. The Almighty God have mercy upon you, and pardon all your sins, deliver you from all evil, preserve and confirm you in good, and lead you to everlasting life. R. Amen.

V. Absolution and remission of all your sins, space for true repentance, amendment of life, grace, and the consolation of the Holy Spirit, the Almighty and merciful God grant to you. R. Amen.

V. with the sign of the cross Our help is in the name of the Lord. R. Who made heaven and earth.

V. bowing your head Blessed be the name of the Lord. R. From this time, now, and for ever.

Let us pray.

Go up to the altar and kiss it during the following prayer:

Take away from us, O Lord, all our iniquities, that we may be worthy to enter into the holy of holies with pure minds. Through Christ our Lord.

Whilst still at the centre of the altar, make the sign of the cross whilst saying:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Go to the missal  on the Epistle corner of the altar and say the Office (introit). Then say the Kyrie eleison in the same place (as at Roman High Mass). If the Gloria is sung, go to the centre of the altar to intone it, and then go back to the missal to say the rest. Nod your head as in the Roman rite and make the sign of the cross at the end.

Glory be to God on high. And in earth peace, good will towards men. We praise thee. We bless thee. We worship thee. We glorify thee. We give thanks to thee for thy great glory. O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. O Lord, the only-begotten Son Jesu Christ; O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Thou that takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us. For thou only art holy, thou only art the Lord. Thou only, O Jesu Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Turn to the people but without kissing the altar or moving from the Epistle corner. Turn by your left.

The Lord be with you. R.   And with thy spirit.

Say the Collects, Epistle, Gradual and Alleluia or Tract and the Sequence as in the Roman rite.

The prayer for the Gospel is (make the sign of the cross):

The Lord be in thy heart and in thy mouth to read the holy Gospel of God. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Say the Gospel as in the Roman rite, but there is nothing to say at the end and no response. Bend down to kiss the book as it rests on the missal stand.

The Creed, when said, is as in the Roman rite. Keep bowing until On the third day…

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, And of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-be­gotten Son of God. Begotten of his Father before all worlds. God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God. Begotten, not made, Being of one substance with the Father: By whom all things were made. Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven. {Here genuflect) And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary: And was made man. And was crucified also for us: under Pontius Pilate, he suffered and was buried. And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven : And sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead : Whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost the Lord, and giver of Life : Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son. Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified: Who spake by the Prophets. And I believe one Holy Catholick and Apostolick Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins. And I look for the Resurrection of the dead. And the life of the world to come. Amen.

The altar is not kissed at the Dominus vobiscum, but make a nod to the cross and turn by your right. The Lord be with you &c. Turn back the same way and unveil the chalice. Lift off the pall but leave the paten with the host on the chalice, and lift chalice and paten to breast level, and say:

Receive, O Holy Trinity, this oblation, which I, an unworthy sinner, offer in honour of thee, of the blessed Virgin and all the saints, for my sins and offences, and for the salvation of the living, and the rest of all the faithful dead. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Let this new sacrifice be acceptable to the omnipotent God.

Make the sign of the cross over the corporal with the chalice and then place it in its usual place. Lift off the paten, put the host in its place on the corporal, and slide half of the paten under the right side of the corporal, the right half over the purificator.

Go to the right side of the altar, and wash your hands, saying:

Cleanse me, O Lord, from all iniquity of my body and soul, that clean I may be able to fulfil the holy work of the Lord.

Standing before the altar with inclined head and body, with joined hands, and say:

With a humble spirit and con­trite souls, let us now enter thy presence, O Lord : and so offer our sacrifice to thee, that it may this day be precious in thy sight, O Lord our God.

Kiss the altar, stand upright and bless the oblata, saying: In the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. Then turn to the people, and with a loud voice say:

Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and likewise yours may be acceptable to our Lord God. R. May the grace of the Holy Spirit illuminate thy heart and thy lips, and the Lord accept worthily this sacrifice of praise from thy hands for our sins and offences.

Then say the secrets. Unlike in the Roman rite, say Let us pray. The preface is said as in the Roman rite.

The Canon is said as in the Roman rite with the following differences:

You don’t extend your hands over the oblata at the Hanc igitur, but you keep your hands extended. If you know this prayer by heart, say it whilst looking at the host. Otherwise, take a glance at the host when beginning the prayer.

I have “tweaked” things a little at the consecration, namely I make a profound bow or a genuflection before and after the consecration of the host and the chalice like in the Roman rite. Idem for the elevations.

After the consecration, during the Unde et memores, stretch your arms out in the form of a cross until offer unto thy excellent Majesty, &c. For the Supplices te rogamus, cross your arms instead of placing your hands on the altar.

The Per ipsum is quite different: uncover the chalice and make a profound bow or genuflection, make a big sign of the cross with the host over the chalice, a small cross within the lip of the chalice, a third small cross further down, fourth cross tibi Deo omnipotenti like the first cross, and the fifth cross in front of the chalice. Then do not elevate host and chalice, but place the host on the corporal and make a profound bow at omnis honor et gloria. Cover the chalice and make a profound bow or genuflection.

After saying the Lord’s Prayer as in the Roman rite, the next difference is during the Libera nos.

Deliver us, we beseech thee, O Lord, from all evils, past, present, and future: and by the intercession of the blessed and glorious ever Virgin Mary, mother of God, and of thy holy Apostles Peter, and Paul, and Andrew, and all saints.

Kiss the paten, place it to your left eye, then to the right. Afterwards make the cross with the paten above your head, and then slide it under the host while saying the following part of the prayer:

Graciously grant peace in our days: that assisted with the help of thy mercy, we may be always free from sin, and secure from all disturbance.

Uncover the chalice, make a profound bow or genuflection and break the host into three parts, but do not put the left part back on the paten. Put it in front of the right part a little diagonally so that a part of the right half shows. Holding both halves in your left hand, break off the third part with your right hand. Doing this, say:

Through the same our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son; (the second breaking:,) Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the holy Spirit, God.

Hold the two halves in the left hand, and the third piece in your right hand over the top of the chalice, and say with a clear voice: World without end. Amen.

Make three crosses within the chalice with the third part of the host, saying: The peace of the Lord be always with you. R. And with thy spirit. Do not drop the third part into the chalice at this point. Say the Agnus Dei.

Then sign with the cross and drop the third part of the host into the chalice, saying:

Be this holy commixture of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ to me and to all receiving it, salvation of mind and body; and a salutary preparation for the meriting and embracing of eternal life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Then place the two halves of the host on the paten, bow and say:

O Lord, holy Father, Almighty and eternal, grant to me that I may so worthily receive this holy body and blood of thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ, that I may merit to receive through this the remission of all my sins, and to be filled with thy Holy Spirit, and to have thy peace. Because thou art God alone, and there is none other beside thee, whose glorious kingdom shall remain for ever. Amen.

Kiss the corporal on the right side, and the top of the chalice. Cover the chalice, make a profound bow or genuflection and say the prayers before Communion, holding the host in both hands over the paten:

O God the Father, the Fountain and Origin of all goodness, thou, who, moved by compassion for us, didst will thine only begotten Son to descend to the low places of the world, and to take our flesh, whom I unworthy hold here in my hands:

Bow to the host, saying:

I adore thee, I glorify thee, I praise thee, with the complete intention of the heart: and pray that thou mayest not forsake thy servants, but pardon our sins: that with pure heart and chaste body we may deserve to serve thee: who art alone the living God, and the true. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who, according to the will of the Father, the Holy Ghost cooperating, through thy death, hast given life to the world, deliver me, I beseech thee, by this most holy body and this thy blood from all my iniquities, and from all evils: and make me so always to obey all thy commandments, and never permit me to be separated from thee for ever. Who livest and reignest God, with God the Father, and the same holy Spirit: through all eternity. Amen.

Let not the sacrament of thy body and blood, O Lord Jesus, which, although unworthy, I presume to receive, be to me for judgment and condemnation, but may it avail, through thy mercy, for the salvation of my body and soul. Amen.

Make a profound bow or genuflection and then say: Hail eternally, O most holy flesh of Christ: to me before all things, and above all things, the greatest sweetness. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ be to the a sinner, the way and the life. in the name of the Father, and of’ the Son, anti of the Holy Ghost.

Receive the body, first having made the sign of the cross with the body itself before your mouth. After having made a profound bow or genuflection, scrape up any crumbs of the host from the corporal with the paten. Then say to the blood, with great devotion:

Hail for eternity, celestial beverage, to me before all things, and above all things, the greatest sweetness. The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ be to me, a sinner, a never-failing remedy to eternal life. Amen. In the name of the Father, &c.

Receive the blood, bow and say with devotion the following prayer:

I render thanks to thee, O Lord, holy Father, almighty eternal God: who hast refreshed me from the most sacred body and blood of thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ: And I beseech that this sacrament of our salvation, which, unworthy sinner as I am, I have received, may not come to me to judgement nor to condemnation for my deserts, but to the perfecting of body and soul to eternal life. Amen.

Do the Ablutions as in the Roman rite, except that you wash your thumbs and fingers with wine and water saying: Let this communion. O Lord, purge us from crime and make us to be partakers of the heavenly remedy.

Dry the chalice with the purificator and then put the purificator on the chalice followed by the paten, the pall and the chalice veil.

Then say:

Let us adore the sign of the cross, by which we have received the sacrament of salvation.

Move the missal back to the Epistle corner. Wash your hands as during the offertory but saying nothing. Return to the right side of the altar and say the communion verse. Turn to the people, staying at the Epistle corner and say:

The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit. Let us pray.

Then say the post-communion(s), and again turn to the people, and say:

The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit.

If the Gloria is said, say Ite Missa est. Turn by your right back to the altar and go to the middle. If the Gloria is not said, turn by your right back to the altar and go to the middle and say Benedicamus Domino.

R. Deo gratias. The Mass of the Dead has its own formula.

After this, kiss the altar, bow and say the Placeat:

Let this performance of my homage be pleasing to thee, O holy Trinity, and grant that the sacrifice which I unworthy have presented before the eyes of thy Majesty, may be acceptable to thee, and a propitiation through thy mercy to me, and to all of those for whom I have offered it. Who livest and reignest God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Then stand upright, make the sign of the cross and say:

In the name of the Father, &c.

Go to the foot of the altar, make a profound bow and say the Prologue of St John: In the beginning [John 1:1-14] on the way back to the sacristy and in the sacristy before taking off your vestments.