APOLOGIA IN THE MASS. - Under this name, in the ancient liturgy, certain prayers were designated that the priest recited to implore forgiveness for his own sins. They were also called: Confessio, Accusatio, Indulgentia; often: Excusatio ante altare, Confessio sancta peccatorum, Oratio de conscientiae reatu ante altare; more often: A. sacerdotis. Very beautiful examples of them are found in the various ancient sacramentaries and missals. They had no fixed place, but were chiefly at the Introit during the singing of the psalm, and at the Offertory, while the priest was waiting for the singing to end. Their composition goes back mainly to the 9th and 11th centuries. In today's liturgy the Confiteor at the beginning of the Mass has remained, as a remnant of these apologiae.

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: E. Martène, De antiquis Ecclesiae ritibus, I, cap. 4, art. 11, Antwerp 1773; F. E. Warren, The Liturgy and Ritual of the Celtic Church, Oxford 1881, p. 230; F. Cabrol, s. v. in DACL, I, coll. 2591-2601.

Silverio Mattei

@incollection{ec1_apologia_nella_messa, author = {Mattei, Silverio}, title = {Apologia Nella Messa}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {I}, pages = {1669}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1948}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/apologia-nella-messa} }

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Apologia in the Mass

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