John Hobson Matthews

The Mass and Its Folklore John Hobson Matthews

There are many good and popular English books on the Mass. Some of them treat the subject after the manner of a Rationale, explaining the significance of the prayers and ceremonies of the Eucharistic rite; others are historical and antiquarian, and elucidate the origin and evolution of the ceremonial - while of devotional books there is no end. This book, however, is a treatise on the folklore and minor antiquities of the Mass; by which are meant the various aspects and the numerous details of the Holy Sacrifice which have so impressed the minds of Catholics in the past as to leave permanent traces in the popular traditions and speech. The aim of this book is to stimulate love for the ancient Mass by showing how it was valued by our ancestors in ages of faith, and what our predecessors in the penal times willingly suffered for its sake.