The Bishop puts salt into the water, in the form of a cross, saying at the same time: Commixtio salis, et aqua Let there be made a minpariter fiat. In nomine Pa+gling of salt and water equally. tris, et Filii, et Spiritus + sancti. Ry. Amen. V. Dominus vobiscum. Deus invictæ virtutis auctor, et insuperabilis imperii rex, ac semper magnificus triumphator, qui adversæ dominationis vires reprimis, qui inimici rugientis sævitiam superas, qui hostiles nequitias potenter expugnas, te, Domine, trementes, et supplices deprecamur, ac petimus, ut hanc creaturam salis, et aquæ dignanter aspicias, benignus illustres, pietatis tuæ rore sanctifices: ut ubicumque fuerit aspersa, per invocationem sancti tui nominis, omnis infestatio immundi spiritus abigatur, terrorque venenosi serpentis procul pellatur, et præsentia sancti Spiritus nobis misericordiam tuam poscentibus, ubique adesse dignetur. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate ejusdem Spiritus sancti Deus, per omnia sæcula sæculorum. Ry. Amen. In the name of the Father, . The Lord be with you. Ry. And with thy spirit. Let us pray. God, the author of unconquered strength, and king of insuperable majesty, ever gloriously triumphing, who dost crush the power of all adverse domination, and subdue the cruelty of the roaring enemy, who dost mightily vanquish hostile wickedness, thee, O Lord, trembling and suppliantly, we beseech and ask that thou mayest vouchsafe to look upon this creature of salt and water, benignly to shine upon it, and to sanctify it with the dew of thy goodness: that wherever it shall be sprinkled, by the invocation of thy holy name, all the molestation of the unclean spirit may be removed, and the terror of the venomous serpent may be driven far away, and the presence of the Holy Spirit may vouchsafe every where to be present to us, beseeching thy mercy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Ry. Amen. Then the Bishop puts on his mitre, and the choir chants the following Antiphon and Psalm. In the mean time, whilst they are being chanted, the Bishop, wearing his mitre, sprinkles the place where the cross has been placed with the water which has been blessed by him. Ant. Signum salutis pone, Domine Jesu Christe, in loco isto, et non permittas introire angelum percutientem. Ps. Quam dilecta tabernacula tua, Domine virtutum. Ant. O Lord Jesus Christ, place the sign of salvation in this place, and suffer not the destroying angel to enter in. Ps. How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts. Psalm lxxxiii. Quam dilecta tabernacula tua, Domine virtutum: concupiscit et deficit anima mea in atria Domini. Cor meum et caro mea: exultaverunt in Deum vivum. Etenim passer invenit sibi domum: et turtur nidum sibi, ubi ponat pullos suos. Altaria tua, Domine virtutum : Rex meus, et Deus meus. Beati qui habitant in domo tua, Domine: in sæcula sæculorum laudabunt te. Beatus vir cujus est auxilium abs te ascensiones in corde suo disposuit in valle lacrymarum, in loco quem po suit. Etenim benedictionem dabit legislator, ibunt de virtute in virtutem videbitur Deus deorum in Sion. Domine Deus virtutum ex audi orationem meam : auribus percipe, Deus Jacob. Protector noster aspice Deus: et respice in faciem Christi tui. Quia melior est dies una in atriis tuis super millia. Elegi abjectus esse in domo 1 How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts: my soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. 2 My heart and my flesh : have rejoiced in the living God. 3 For the sparrow hath found her a house: and the turtle a nest for herself, where she may lay her young 4 Even thy altars, O Lord of hosts: my King and my God. 5 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house, O Lord: they shall praise thee for ever and ever. 6 Blessed is the man whose help is from thee: in his heart he hath disposed to ascend by steps, in the vale of tears, in the place that he hath fixed. 7 For the lawgiver shall give a blessing, they shall go from virtue to virtue: the God of gods shall be seen in Sion. 8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. 9 Behold, O God, our protector: and look upon the face of thine Anointed. 10 For one day in thy courts: is better than a thousand. 11 I have chosen rather to Dei mei: magis quam habitare in tabernaculis peccatorum. Quia misericordiam et veritatem diligit Deus: gratiam et gloriam dabit Dominus. Non privabit bonis eos qui ambulant in innocentia: Domine virtutum beatus homo qui sperat in te. Gloria Patri. Sicut erat, &c. be an abject in the house of my God: than to dwell in the tabernacles of sinners. 12 For God loveth mercy and truth: the Lord will give grace and glory. 13 He will not deprive of good things them that walk in innocence: O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that hopeth in thee. Glory be to the Father. As it was in the beginning, &c. The above Antiphon and Psalm being ended, the Bishop, standing towards the place sprinkled by him, his mitre being laid aside, says: Oremus. Domine Deus, qui licet cœlo et terra non capiaris, domum tamen dignaris habere in terris, ubi nomen tuum jugiter invocetur; locum hunc, quæsumus, beatæ Mariæ semper virginis, et beati [N. nominando Sanctum, vel Sanctam, in cujus honorem, ac nomen fundabitur Ecclesia] omniumque Sanctorum intercedentibus meritis, sereno pietatis tuæ intuitu visita, e per infusionem gratiæ tuæ ab omni inquinamento purifica, purificatumque conserva, et qui dilecti tui David devotionem, in filii sui Salomonis opere complevisti, in hoc opere desideria nostra perficere digneris, effugiantque omnes hine nequitiæ spiritales. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus sancti Deus, per omnia sæcula sæculorum. R. Amen. Let us pray. Lord God, who, although heaven and earth cannot contain thee, dost nevertheless vouchsafe to have a house in earth, where thy name may be continually invoked; visit, we beseech thee, this place, through the interceding merits of Blessed Mary ever Virgin, and of blessed N. [naming the Saint in whose honour and name the Church shall be founded], and of all Saints, with the serene watchfulness of thy goodness, and purify it, by the infusion of thy grace, from all pollution, and keep it purified; and as thou didst fulfil the devotion of thy well. beloved David, in the work of his son Solomon, so in this work vouchsafe to perfect our desires: and may all spiritual wickednesses be driven away from hence. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. R. Amen. After this, the Bishop standing, still without his mitre, blesses the first stone, saying: V. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. R. Qui fecit cœlum et ter ram. V. Sit nomen Domini benedictum. Ry. Ex hoc nunc, et usque in sæculum. V. Lapidem quem reprobaverunt ædificantes. R. Hic factus est in caput anguli. V. Tu es Petrus. R. Et super hanc petram ædificabo Ecclesiam meam. V. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui sancto. Ry. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper: et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. Oremus. Domine Jesu Christe, Fili Dei vivi, qui es verus omnipotens Deus, splendor et imago æterni Patris, et vita æterna, qui es lapis angularis, de monte sine manibus abscissus; et immutabile fundamentum; hunc lapidem collocandum in tuo nomine confirma: et tu, qui es principium et finis, in quo principio Deus Pater ab initio cuncta creavit, sis, quæsumus, principium, et incrementum, et consummatio ipsius operis, quod debet ad laudem et gloriam tui nominis inchoari. Qui cum Patre et Spiritu sancto vivis et regnas Deus, per omnia sæcula sæculorum. Ry. Amen. . Our help is in the name of the Lord. R. Who hath made heaven and earth. V. Blessed be the name of the Lord. R. From now henceforth, and for evermore. y. The stone which the builders rejected. Ry. The same is become the head of the corner. V. Thou art Peter. R. And upon this rock I will build my Church. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who art true God Almighty, the splendour and image of the Eternal Father, who art the corner-stone, cut out from the mountain without hands; and the unchangeable foundation; stablish this stone to be placed in thy name: and thou who art the beginning and the end, in which beginning God the Father created all things from the first; be thou, we beseech thee, the beginning, and the increase, and the finishing of the work itself, which is to be begun to the praise and glory of thy name. Who, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, livest and reignest, God, world without end. Ry. Amen. Oremus. Let us pray. Domine sancte, Pater omni Holy Lord, Father Almigh potens, æterne Deus, bene+ty, everlasting God, vouchsafe dicere dignare hunc lapidem in fundamentum Ecclesiæ, in honorem Sancti N. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium tuum; lapidem probatum, angularem, pretiosum, in fundamento fundatum, de quo dicit Apostolus, Petra autem erat Christus. Qui tecum et cum Spiritu sancto vivit et regnat Deus, per omnia sæcula sæculorum. Ry. Amen. to bless this stone for the foundation of a Church, in honour of Saint N. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son: a tried stone, a cornerstone, a precious stone, founded in the foundation, concerning which the Apostle saith, But the Rock was Christ. Who, with thee and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, God, world without end. Ry. Amen. Then he sprinkles the stone itself with holy water, and, taking a knife, he marks it in each part with the sign of the cross, saying: Afterwards, some carpet is placed upon the ground, and on it a fald-stool, on which the Bishop, having put on his mitre, kneels down. Then are said the "Litanies of the Saints." Which being ended, the Bishop, having laid aside his mitre, rises up, and standing towards the foundation-stone, says: Oremus. Actiones nostras, quæsumus, Let us pray. Prevent our actions, we be Domine, aspirando præveni, seech thee, O Lord, by the et adjuvando prosequere; ut favour, and further them by |