SACRISTAN
322
SACRISTY
O what a wondrous thing!
Lowly and poor are fed,
Banqueting on their Lord and King. The fehcitous Anghcan translator the Rev. Dr. J. M. Neale, used iambic metre:
He ordered in this wise Our Holy Offering,
To be the Sacrifice Which Priests alone should bring;
For whom is meet and fit That they should eat of it,
And in their turn to others give. This fifth stanza is interesting for its ow sake, as it calls attention to the plan of the Eucharistic sacrifice. Dr. Neale's translation does not follow strictly the rh3'mic scheme, which is better observed in a transla- tion given in "Sursum Corda" (1908, p. 6). Ship- ley ("Annus Sanctus", London, 1874, p. 192), gives Wallace's translation, the first stanza of which illus- trates another metric form:
"Sing of that solemn eve
When, as true hearts believe,
Christ gave the lamb and the paschal bread
Unto the chosen band
Met for the high command
God had of old on the fathers laid." Caswall (Lyra Catholica, 1849) gave a condensed translation:
"Let us with hearts renewed,
Our grateful homage pay;
And welcome with triumphant songs
This ever blessed day." In his "Hymns and Poems" (1873) it appears re- vised as:
"Let old things pass away;
Let all be fresh and bright;
And welcome we with hearts renewed
This feast of new delight." The revision (which also includes the change of "night" into "eve", and changes in the third and fourth lines of the sixth stanza) appears in the "Lyra" of 1884, in Shipley's "Annus Sanctus", and in the Marquess of Bute's translation of the Roman Breviary; the revision is interesting as illus- trating Caswall's zeal for literal betterment of the translation. Wagner ("Origine et developpement du chant liturgique", translation of Bour, Tournai, 1904, p. 169) speaks of the gradual substitution of rhythm for metre in the hymns, and refers to the "Sacris solemniis" as illustrative of "the two con- ceptions of verse . . . where the old verse and the rhythmic disposition of syllables meet peaceably together. Rhyme, also, was gradually introduced; this same hymn offers very instructive examples of it. It is a device of punctuation for the ear. Birkle ("Vatican Chant", translation of Lemaistre, New York, 1904, p. 103) says: "The first three lines have three accents ear;h — a weak accent upon the second and seventh syllable and the chief accent upon th(! tenth. The first half of the line concludes with the sixth syllable, which must be noticeable in the chant- ing. In the last verse the chief accent must be placed urx>n the sixth syllable" (but in the illustration he pl'diCA-ii an accent also upon the third syllable).
OjriHult PiMONT, Leu hymnes du hreviaire ronuiin, 11 (Paris, 18H4). 177-S8, for ti;xt and extensive comment; Hymruirium SarUhurieniie (I»nrJon, 18.51), 119, for Utxt. variant rea/JinK«, and very simpleplainwinK. The text and the two official plainsong melo<lieM are Kiven in the Vniicnn (Irtuhuilf (Ad proceHHionem CorpurU ChrUti). Cf. also Julian, hirl. of Hymnolooy (2nd ed., I>jndon, 1907); Hknry in Sumum Corda (1908), 0, transla- tion and comment; Dreveh, AruiUrMi hymnicn, XVI (I>eipziK), p. 38 (In dKHiaUume urbin OraruUre), TTt (De Anyrlo Cuntode), 103 (De S. Duma), for fifteenth-sixtcenth-oentury imitations of the hymn. Kee alMO bibhograpby to Sanctorum Meritis.
H. T. Henry.
Sacristan, an officer who is charged with the care of the Hacri.sty, the (;}iurch, and their contents. In ancient times many duties of the sacristan were
performed by the doorkeepers {ostiarii), later by the
mansiotiarii and the treasurers. The Decretals of
Gregory IX (lib. I, tit. xxvi, "De officio sacristie")
speak of the sacristan as if he had an honourable
office attached to a certain benefice, and say that his
duty was to care for the sacred vessels, vestments,
lights, etc. Nowadays the sacristan is elected or
appointed. The " Ca;remoniale episcoporum" pre-
scribes that in cathedral and collegiate churches the
sacristan should be a priest, and describes his duties
in regard to the sacristy, the Blessed Eucharist, the
baptismal font, the holy oils, the sacred relics, the
decoration of the church for the different seasons and
feasts, the preparation of what is necessary for the
various ceremonies, the pregustation in pontifical
Mass, the ringing of the church bells, the preservation
of order in the church, and the distribution of Ma.sses;
and finally it suggests that one or two canons be ap-
pointed each year to supervise the work of the
sacristan and his assistants.
The under-sacristan (cuslos) is also mentioned in the Decretals (lib. I, tit. xxvii, "De officio custodis"). He was the assistant of the sacristan, was subject to the archdeacon, and discharged duties very similar to those of the sacristan. Now the office is hardly ever attached to a benefice, but is usually a salaried position. The Council of Trent desired that, ac- cording to the old canons, clerics should hold such offices; but in most churches, on account of the dif- ficulty or impossibility of obtaining clerics, laymen perform many of the duties of the sacristan and under-sacristan.
Cceremoniale episcoporum, I (Ratisbon, 1902), vi.
J. F. GOGGIN.
Altar Societies. — There are altar societies in con- nexion with most parish churches. The duties of members vary according to circumstances, in some instances including those which ordinarily fall within the sacristan's province, such as the vestmi^nts and altar vessels, making ready for the priest's Mass, and BO on, but as a general thing they consist of the pay- ment of yearly dues into a fund for the maintenance and repair of the acces.sories used in the ceremonies of the Church and usually also of a certain amount of labor for this purpose. Altar societies differ from tabernacle societies in that their work is for the bene- fit of the church to which they are attached. (See Tabernacle Societies).
The Sodality of St. John Berchmans, known as the Pious Association of Servers of Mass and Sacristans, was founded by Vincent Basile, S.J., missionary Apostolic among the southern Slavs, for lay acolytes, choir boys, sacristans, and all who have any duty to perform in the services of the Church. Its object is to induce all its members to perform their duties piously and in a manner befitting the ceremonies in which they participate, for the glory of Goil and the edification of the faithful. The rules compiled bj'^ Father Basile bind the members to ab.solute silence in church, devout giMiuflexion when passing before the Bhwsed Sacrament, and the clear pronunciation of the words of the liturgical prayers. This same cir- cumspection is expected to characterize their conduct even in the sacristy, and they are required to attend a monthly meeting and to receive Holy Communion at least once a month. The director .should be either the pastor or a priest appointed by him. Although it is not a confraternity properly so-called, this sodal- ity was approved by Pope Pius IX, 21 Sept., 1SG.5, and indulgences were accorded to its members, sub- ject to the usual conditions.
Blanche M. Kelly.
Sacristy (I^. ma-nstia, vestry), a room in the church or attached thereto, where the v(!stments, church furnishings and the like, sacred ves.'wls, and other treasures are kept, and where the clergy meet
