The Mass in the West

Discusses those portions of the liturgy which have not yet been presented in this series but which are essential to an understanding of Western rites. Gives a full account of the Ambrosian rite because of its importance as an example of a Roman liturgy which has shown marked stability and which retains features which are essentially Gallic. A substantial discussion of the now-defunct Mazarabic rite is also included in order to present the pattern of the liturgy in the section of Europe north of the Alps and in Spain before the imposition of the Roman rite by Charlemagne. This volume also discusses the Lyons and Braga liturgies; however, they are treated more briefly due to their similarity to the Roman rite. In an enlightening chapter on the monastic orders, the author compares the Carthusian, Cistercian, Premonstratensian and Carmelite rites. Three appendices have been added to complete the discussion of the Western liturgy: these deal with the neo-Gallican rites, the Sarum rites, and the Roman-Slavonic liturgy.