DEAD
657
DEAD
is not forbidden to offer the Mass in private for the
repose of the soul of any one who, judging by probable
evitience, may be presumed to have died in faith and
urace, provided, at least, he does not say the special
requiem Mass with the special prayer in which the
deceased is named, since this would give the offering
a public and official character. This prohibition does
not extend to catechumens who have died without
being able to receive baptism (see, v. g., Lehmkuhl,
"Theol. Moralis", II, n. 175 sq.). For other cases in
which the Church refuses her public offices for the
dead, the reader is referred to the article Burial,
Christian. (See also Mass; Indulgence; Pur-
gatory.)
III. Practice in the British and Irish Churches. — The belief of our forefathers in the efficacy of prayers for the dead is most strikingly shown by the liturgy and ritual, in particular by the collects at Mass and by the burial service. See, for instance, the prayers in the Bobbio Missal, the Durham Ritual, Leofric's ,M issal, the Salisbury Rite, the Stowe Missal, etc. But ii should also be noted that this belief was clearly fonnulated, and that it was expressed by the people at large in numerous practices and customs. Thus, Venerable Bede declares that "some who for their iTHxl works have been preordained to the lot of the ' ioct, but who, because of some bad deeds stained with \\ liich they went forth out of the body, are after death ■;rized upon by the flames of the purgatorial fire, to be •■^I'vcrely chastised, and either are being cleansed until the day of judgment from the filth of their vices by this long trial, or, being set free from punishment by tlm prayers, the alms-deeds, the fasts, the tears of faithful friends, they enter, undoubtedly before that tune, into the rest of the blessed" (Homily xlix, ed. .Mart^ne, Thes. Anecd., p. 326).
The Council of Calcuth (816) ordained that at a bishop's death the bell of every parish church should call the people together to sing thirty Psalms for the <m\\ of the departed (Wilkins, Concilia, 1, 171). In the Missal of Leofric (d. 1072) are found special prayers \ aiying according to the condition and sex of the de- parted. Archbishop Theodore (d. 690), in the peni- t'litial ascribed to him, and St. Dunstan (d. 988), in Ins "Concordia", explain at length the eommemora- iicm of the departed on the third, seventh, and thir- tieth day after death. The month's mind {numeth's nninde) in that age signified constant prayer for the dead person during the whole month following his decease. In every church was kept a "Book of Life", IT register of those to be prayed for, and it was read at the Offertory of the Mass. " This catalogue was also known as the " bead-roll " and the prayers as "bidding the beads". The "death-bill" was a list of the dead uliich was sent around at stated times from one monastery to another as a reminder of the agreement t ' ' pray for the departed fellow-members. These rolls « ere sometimes richly illustrated, and in pa.ssing from one religious house to another they were filled in with \ irses in honour of the deceased. The laity also were united in the fellow.ship of prayer for the dead through t he guilds, which were organized in every parish. These -sociations enjoined upon their members various du- ^ in behalf of the departed, such as taking part in ■ burial services, offering the Mass-penny, and giving -Istance to the alms-folks, who were summoned at 1' ast twice a day to bid their beads at church for the <!• parted fellows of the guild. Among other good wDrks for the dead may be mentioned: the "soul- sliot", a donation of money to the church at which the funeral service took place, the "doles", i. e. alms distributed to the poor, the sick, and the aged for the lieiiefit of a friend's soul; the founding of chantries . I . V.) for the support of one or more priests who were I" offer Ma.ss daily for the founder's .soul; and the " certain", a smaller endowment which secured for the donor's special benefit the recitation of the prayers IV.-42
usually said by the priest for all the faithful departed.
The universities were often the recipients of benefac-
tions, e. g. to their libraries, the terms of which in-
cluded prayers for the donor's soul ; and these obliga-
tions are set down in the university statutes. These
various forms of charity were practised not only by
the common jjeople but also, and on a very generous
scale, by the nobility and royalty. Besides the be-
quests they made, they often provided in their will
for granting freedom to a certain number of bondmen,
and left lands to the Church on condition that the
anniversary of their death should be kept by fasting,
prayer, and the celebration of Masses. For a more
complete accoimt see Lingard, "History and Antiq-
uities of the .\nglo-Saxon Church", ch. ix; and
Rock, "The Church of Our Fathers" (London, 1852),
II, III.
Strange as it must seem to any one acquainted with the history of Ireland, various attempts have been made to prove that in the early Irish Church the prac- tice of praying for the dead was unknown. Notable among these is LTssher's "Discourse of the Religion ancientlv professed by the Irish and British" (1631; Vol. IV'of "Complete Works", Dublin, 1864). Cf. Killen, "The Ecclesiastical History of Ireland" (Lon- don, 1875), I; and Cathcart, "The Ancient British and Irish Churches "(London, 1894). The weakness of Ussher's argument has been shown by several Catholic writers, e. g. Lanigan, "Ecclesiastical His- tory of Ireland" (Dublin, 1829), II, 330 sq., and Brennan, "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland" (Dublin, 1864), appendix. More careful study has convinced competent non-Catholic writers also that "to pray for the dead was a recognized custom in the ancient Celtic as in every other portion of the primitive Church" (Warren, The Liturgy and Ritual of the Celtic Church, Oxford, 1881). This statement is borne out by various documents. The Synod of St. Patrick ("Synodus alia S. Patricii"in Wilkins, "Con- cilia") declares, ch. vii: "Hear the Apostle saying: 'there is a .sin unto death; I do not say that for it any one do pray'. And the Lord: 'Do not give the holy to dogs'. For he who did not deserve to receive the Sacrifice during his life, how can it help him after his death?" The reference to the custom of offering Mass for the departed is nhvious; the synod discrimi- nates between those wlio had observed, and those who had neglected, the laws of the Church concerning the reception of the Eucharist.
Still more explicit is the declaration found in the ancient collection of canons known as the " Hibemen- sis" (seventh or eighth century): "Now the Church offers to the Lord in many ways; firstly, for herself, secondly for the Commemoration of Jesus Christ who says, 'Do this for a comtnemoration of me', and thirdly, for the souls of the departed" (Bk. II, eh. ix; Wa.sser.schleben, "Die irische Kanonensammlung", 2nd ed., Leipzig, 1885). In the fifteenth book of the "Hibernensis", entitled "On Care for the Dead", there is a first chapter "On the four ways in which the living assist the dead". Quoting from Origen, it is said that " the souls of the departed are released in four ways: by the oblations of priests or bishops to God, by the prayers of Saints, by the alms of Christians, by the fiisting of friends". There follow eight chapters entitled: (2) On those for whom we should offer; (3) On sacrificing for the dead; (4) On prayer for the dead ; (5) On fasting for the dead ; (6) On almsgiving for the dead; (7) On the value of a redeemed soul; (8) On not seeking remi.ssion after death when it has not been sought for in life; (9) On the care of those who have been snatched away by sudden death (Wasserschleben, op. cit.). Each of these chapters cites passages from the Fathers — Augustine, Gregory, Jerome — thus .showing that the Irish maintained the belief and practice of the Early Church. That prayers were to be offered Qiil.V for those who died in the Faith
