The Canon of the Mass

What is the Canon of the Mass?

The Canon is the very heart of the Mass, and the most solemn moment during the Mass.

The Canon is the series of prayers in the midst of the Mass during which the priest asks the Father to accept and "to bless, consecrate, approve, make worthy and acceptable in every way" the offering of bread and wine so that, by the Spirit, they may become the Body and Blood of Christ. This prayer is also known as the Anaphora or the Eucharistic Prayer.

The Canon begins with the Preface and concludes with the audible "...world without end" right before the Our Father.

Why is the Canon said quietly?

After the Preface, the rubrics direct that priest speak the words of the Canon so that he can "hear himself, but not be heard by others nearby." During these quiet prayers, bells signal significant moments e.g., during the Words of Our Lord, the invocation of the Holy Spirit, and the priest's communion.

The priest speaks the words quietly because the Canon is uniquely the priest's prayer, offered by the priest alone to God. So when the priest prays the Canon, he speaks not to the faithful, but approaches God with fear and trembling on behalf of both the faithful and the entire world. As such, this is the most solemn moment during the Mass; so solemn that the priest dare not raise his voice.

The quiet voice, therefore, denotes humility. It also increases our reverence at the most sacred moment of the Mass. Finally, by speaking his prayer quietly, the priest removes the Consecration from ordinary vulgar use, giving it the mystery it rightly deserves.

What do the faithful do during the Canon?

During a Low (spoken) Mass, the faithful will read the Canon silently with the priest in their missal or prayer book.

During a Sung or Solemn Mass, the Sanctus becomes a veil which enshrouds the priest in solemn praise while he humbly petitions God. If the Sanctus is chanted, then it usually ends in time for the elevation. If a Mass setting is performed, for example by Palestrina or Mozart, the Sanctus is purposefully composed to veil the entire Canon. Therefore, the Sanctus is sung up to and including the first "Hosanna in the highest." Then the Consecration takes place. Following this, the "Blessed is He" is sung and concludes with the second and final "Hosanna in the highest."

What is the historic precedence for saying the Canon quietly?

The current practice during the Canon recalls the sacrifice offered by the High Priest in the temple on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). On that day the priest entered the holy of holies. When he said the prayers he could not be heard because he was in a separate room, closed off from the others. But not hearing the priest did not prevent the people from praying--nor from knowing what he was saying on their behalf.

Is this practice unique to the Western Rite?

Saying the Canon quietly is not unique to the Western Rite. Commonly in the Eastern rite, the Anaphora is said quietly by the priest during the Angelic hymn or Sanctus. In the ancient tradition maintained in most Eastern rite churches, the royal doors are closed and the curtain is drawn shut to imitate the Yom Kippur ritual. In the Antiochian tradition, the doors remain open, but the priest says aloud only the words of Christ ("This is My body," etc), the Epiklesis, and other pertinent phrases.