Oblationaries of Saint Ambrose (OBLAZIONARI DI SANT'AMBROGIO)

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

OBLAZIONARI DI SANT'AMBROGIO. - Thus are also called the 10 men and 10 women, elderly and secular, who made up the «Schola S. Ambrosii veglonum (vecchioni) et veglonissarum (vecchione)», mentioned in the 12th century by Beroldo

Article illustration — (phot. Tourte-Petitin Levallois) OBLATI E OBLATE - Portrait of Fr. Emmanuel d'Alzon (1810-80), founder of the Oblates of the Assumption. OBLAZIONARI DI S. AMBROGIO - OBLAZIONI

« Ordo vetulorum et vetularum », existing at the cathedral of Milan to offer the matter of the Holy Sacrifice on behalf of the people.

The oldest man and the oldest woman of the « schola » held the title of prior and prioress. In turn, at solemn Masses, two vecchioni and two vecchione, escorted by their respective brothers and sisters of the confraternity, offered to the celebrant—the former at the foot of the altar, the latter at the doors of the choir—three hosts and white wine for the Holy Sacrifice. Today the offering is made, on feast days, only by the vecchioni. The vecchione no longer exist at present.

BIBI. Beroldo sive Eccl. Amb. Mediol. Kalendarium et Ordines saec. XII, ed. M. Magistretti, Milano 1894, p. 52; Caeremoniale Ambrosianum nuper... Federici card. Borromaei... editum, ivi 1619, pp. 244-51; Moroni, XLVIII, pp. 210-11; L. Duchesne, Origines du culte chrétien, 5th ed., Parigi 1909, p. 207; J. A. Jungmann, Missarum sollemnia, II, Vienna 1948, p. 27. A. Pietro Frutaz