E SACRIFICE OF THE MASS

168 THE CANON AND CONSECRATION.
kisses the thurible and the celebrant s hand and incenses
him thrice. Then the deacon incenses the clergy in
choir. Next he incenses the subdeacon twice and is
himself incensed by the thurifer twice. The celebrant
remaining at the Epistle side of the altar washes his
hands and says the Psalm Lavabo as in Low Mass. He
next says the Prayer of Oblation, the Ovate Fratres, and
the Secret prayers as at Low Mass.
THE PREFACE IN SOLEMN HIGH MASS.
The Preface is invested by the Church with great
dignity, its words of unspeakable majesty are wedded to
a chant which, as some writers have thought, was taken
by the Apostles from the music in the Temple. There
seems no difficulty whatever in adopting the opinion, or
at least in saying that there may be a strong family
resemblance between the chant of the Preface and
certain music in vogue in the Temple during the
Apostles lifetime.
THE CANON AND CONSECRATION IN
HIGH MASS.
The Preface over, the deacon takes his place at the
left of the celebrant, in discharge of his official work of
assisting the celebrant at High Mass.
The acolytes come in from the sacristy, kneel with
lighted torches before the altar, and when the priest
places his hands over the chalice at the words Hanc
igitur oblationem, the deacon genuflects, moves round
to the right of the priest, and goes on both knees. At