The Sacred Vessels - Part 1

Chapter 8

This is a continuation from Chapter 7, Church Linens, Part 2.

Bear in mind that this was composed in 1939, well before the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and some rubrics and requirements may have been modified...Other changes will be noted accordingly. Nevertheless, some may find the history fascinating.
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VIII - The Sacred Vessels, Part 1

In the Acts of the Apostles, the sacrifice of the Mass is called "the breaking of bread," a name which strongly emphasizes its dual character of sacrifice and banquet. The sacred vessels used in the celebration of the Mass imply by their very names that the banquet feature is an integral part of the sacrifice. The word, chalice, comes from the Latin "calix," a cup; "patena," a flat dish, rendered into English becomes paten; and "cibus," meaning food, is the root of the word, ciborium.

THE CHALICE AND PATEN: The chalice is the cup used in the Mass to contain the precious blood of Christ, while the paten is the dish upon which is placed the Bread of Life--Christ's holy body. These two vessels are associated together both in the liturgy and in the rubrics. The paten is, so to speak, the 6ther half of the chalice. So necessary are they in their joint office that during the Middle Ages they were frequently referred to as a "pair of chalice."

Many mystical meanings are attached to these two sacred vessels, the most beautiful and appropriate being suggested by the formula of their consecration in which the Church prays that these two vessels, "by the grace of the Holy Ghost, may become a new sepulchre for the body and blood of the Lord."

THE HOLY GRAIL: Since the Mass is a liturgical re-presentation of the Last Supper, the chalice is a descendant of the cup which our Lord gave to His apostles with the words:

"Drink ye all of this. For this in My blood of the New Testament which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins" (Matthew XXVI, 27~28).

We have no reliable information in regard to the cup which was used at the Last Supper, but under the name of the "Holy Grail" it became the subject of many romantic legends which came into existence during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The most famous modern versions are Tennyson's "Holy Grail" in the "Idylls of the King" and Wagner's music-drama "Parsifal."

"The Quest of the Holy Grail" murals by Abbey in the Boston Public Library express in form and color the intellectual and spiritual qualities of these legends which have become a part of European folk literature. The Church has, however, ignored the Grail legends from an historical standpoint, considering them merely as poetic conceptions, because their sources are at variance with the truth.

EARLY CHRISTIAN CHALICES: The cup which Christ used at the Last Supper was very likely, the ordinary drinking goblet of the time. The little evidence available would seem to indicate that it was made of glass.

From descriptions of chalices used in the first centuries of the Church we know that they were made of wood, ivory, clay, and of such semi-precious stones as rock-crystal, agate, and jasper.

But, prompted by respect for the Blessed Sacrament, the tendency to use precious metals seems to have developed at an early period. Records show that during the third century gold and silver chalices ornamented with precious stones were used in some churches.

MINISTERIAL CHALICES: It was customary as late as the ninth century for the laity to receive Holy Communion under the species or appearances of both bread and wine. The chalices which were used for the Communion of the people were of considerable size and were usually fitted with two handles which afforded a greater protection against accidents. The chalice was carried by deacons and each person received the precious blood through a pipe or a reed of gold or silver. These chalices were called "ministerial chalices."

One of the rarest survivals of this early type of chalice is the "Chalice of Ardagh," so called from the place in Ireland where it was accidentally discovered in 1868.

It is considered to be one of the finest pieces of metal work ever executed in any period of the world's history. This chalice has two handles, is seven inches high and nine and a half inches in diameter. It is made of silver alloyed with copper, but gold and other metals have been used in its ornamentation. An inscription in ancient Celtic characters giving the names of the twelve apostles, would seem to fix the date of the chalice at about the ninth century. The cathedral in San Diego, California, has a ciborium which is a beautiful copy of the Ardagh chalice.

THE CHALICE AND THE PRIEST: The chalice is especially identified with the priesthood. The chalice which stands on a priest's casket during his obsequies is a reminder of the times when a metal or wax chalice was buried with him. In some instances the chalice itself was interred with the body.

No item of altar furnishings was put to a baser use during the period of the Reformation than the altar vessels. King Edward VI coolly decreed in 1551 that in as much as he had "neede presently of a Masse of Mooney" all the churches and shrines in England should be despoiled of the sacred vessels that they might be "emploied unto His Highness use."

Soviet Russia has made similar use of the golden altar vessels, but somehow Mass is still being celebrated by heroic priests who are willing, if need be, to sacrifice their lives that Mass might be offered in a Russia that has exiled God. Many of us are familiar with the story of the late Father Frederic Siedenburg, S. J., who was granted special permission by Pope Pius XI to celebrate Mass without vestments or chalice.

"While he was crossing the border he carried, concealed between the shirts in his valise, those pages of the missal which are used in the Mass of the Blessed Virgin and the Mass for the dead. No one paid any attention to the small bottle of wine, the thin wafers of bread, the small glass, and the folded sheets of linen that he carried in his suitcase. Each morning in his hotel Father Siedenburg placed on a table the linen, which enfolded the relic of a martyr, and the small glass, which he used as a chalice; and. . . offered the Mass which brought Christ down into Red Russia. Once again on the high seas, Father Siedenburg dropped the glass, which had been his little chalice, into the ocean. . . it would never be used for any lesser purpose." [1]

RUBRICAL REQUIREMENTS: The rubrics require that the chalice be made of gold or silver. In cases where the cost of such materials is prohibitive. the base and shaft of the chalice may be made of another metal, such as pewter or copper. The chalice, however, must have at least a cup of silver which has been plated with gold on the inside.

Before the chalice and paten can be used in celebrating Mass, they must be withdrawn from profane use by consecration. This rite is performed by a bishop with the oil of chrism.

These vessels lose their consecration when they have been profaned or broken, or when they have been exposed for sale. If the gold plating on the inner surface has worn off, the vessels do not lose their consecration, but there is a strict obligation to have them replated. The replating of sacred vessels should be entrusted only to those who have the bishop's approval.

The chalice and paten must always be handled reverently. They may be touched only by clerics and members of the laity in whose care they have been placed.

THE PATEN: The paten is a circular, slightly concave metal plate, five to seven inches in diameter. It is made of gold or silver, but if made of silver the upper surface must be plated with gold.

The element of bread is offered on the paten during the Offertory of the Mass. Later, after the recitation of the "Pater Noster," the celebrant blesses himself with it, kisses it reverently, and places upon it the consecrated Host.

Like the chalice, which receives the divine blood of our Lord, the paten is reserved for His sacred body. The formula used in the consecration of the paten refers to the vessel as blessed "for the administration of the Eucharist of Jesus Christ, that the body of our Lord may be broken upon it."

A Communion paten resembles a Mass paten, but it is usually provided with a handle by which it is held beneath the chin of the communicant.

MINISTERIAL PATENS: During the first centuries of the Church, flat open vessels were used to collect the offerings of bread made by the faithful for the sacrifice of the Mass. They were used again to distribute the consecrated fragments which were brought to the people by the subdeacons. Each person received a portion with his own hands. Silver dishes which were sometimes used for this purpose were called "ministerial patens."

In the earliest times, the patens, like the chalices, were made of glass, wood, copper, and silver. When the custom of giving Holy Communion to the laity from the deep "ministerial patens" declined, priests began to use a small paten at the altar to obviate the danger of scattering the particles after the breaking of the species.
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Questions

How did the early Christians refer to the Mass? What are the sources and meaning of the names for the sacred vessels.

What purpose do the chalice and paten serve? How was their joint office suggested in the Middle Ages? What does the consecration prayer suggest?

How is the chalice related to the cup used by our Lord at the Last Supper? What is the "Holy Grail"? Why has the Church ignored these legends?

What was the cup used by Christ at the Last Supper? Of what materials were the early chalices made? What change took place about the third century?

How did the laity formerly receive Holy Communion? What kind of a chalice was used? What is the "Chalice of Ardagh."

Of what is the chalice that is placed on a priest's casket a reminder? What use did King Edward VI make of the sacred vessels? How did Father Siedenburg celebrate Mass in Russia?

Of what materials must the chalice and paten be made? By what rite are these vessels withdrawn from profane use? How do they lose their consecration? Who may touch them?

What is the paten and of what materials is it made? How and where is it used in the Mass? How does the consecration prayer refer to it? What is a Communion paten?

How were patens used in the early ages of the Church? How were the "ministerial patens" related to the "ministerial chalices"? How and when did the present small paten come into use?

[1] Lord, I Saw the Soviet, Page 3.
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Adapted from Altar and Sanctuary, An Exposition of the Externals of the Mass
by Angela A. Glendenin (© 1939)
Published by the Catholic Action Committee
The Catholic Action Series of Discussion Club Textbooks