How To Set Up Your Home For Mass

[Stone]

Taken from The Recusant - #61 Lent 2024 [slightly adapted]:

How To Set Up Your Home For Mass

So you’re about to have your first visit from a priest of the Resistance. Mass is scheduled to take place and you’re hosting. What do you need to do to prepare? Here is a an idea of what you may wish to do. These are just some thoughts, nothing comprehensive, but it ought to give you some ideas. Not everything will be possible, but at the same time it is our duty to make things as dignified and worthy as possible for Our Lord when He visits.

1. The Altar

Most of us don’t have an altar, or even an altar stone, readily to hand, so you’ll want to start off with a table. The priest will usually have a Greek corporal with him (you may want to check, however), which contains the relics of martyrs and which allows him to say Mass on a table which is not otherwise an altar. That’s fine, but we owe it to Our Blessed Lord to make the setting for his holy Mass as dignified as possible - anything beyond our capabilities He will surely understand, this is about seeing what is possible and making improvements as and when we are able.

a. Shape: ideally you want a rectangular table, avoid a circular one if at all possible. Ideally you want eight feet in length (from left to right as you look at it) but six feet or even five will do just fine. I have seen smaller altars than that used, it can be done, it just isn’t ideal. As for the depth, you can judge it by eye if you stand at the altar in the centre, where the priest will stand during most of the Mass and try to imagine the priest unfolding the corporal on the altar top. An unfolded corporal might take up sixteen inches or slightly less, meaning you’ll want roughly that in depth: ten inches is a bit cramped, more than twenty-six inches is too much.

b. Height: in an ideal world your table-soon-to-be-altar would be exactly forty inches high and certainly you wouldn’t want it much higher than that - most tables and desks are nowhere near that high. If yours isn’t, don’t worry too much: any attempt to make it higher will be appreciated by the priest who won’t have to bend so low during Mass. Thirty-eight or even thirty-six inches will usually work well. Waist height or slightly above is what you’re aiming for. Without a tape measure, you can judge it like this: stand in front and without bending down, see if you can place your hands on it. If you can’t, or if you can only place your fingers on it but not the flat of your palm without bending forwards, then it’s too low. If possible, take into account how tall the priest is, because if he’s quite short, then you’ll get away with the altar being a bit lower, but if he’s 6’3, then you really won’t!

Some men who are hobby craftsmen and carpenters may wish to have a go at building a wooden frame to precise dimensions. For those so inclined, a copy of St Charles Borromeo’s book on how to build churches, Instructiones Fabricae et Supellectilis Ecclesiasticae may come in useful. It was published in 1577 and, I gather, was in use right up to Vatican II. It will be out there somewhere on the internet, though you may have to track it down and buy it. (If you do, please drop us a line and let us know!)

For the rest of us lesser mortals who haven’t the time, the patience, the tools, the skills or the real estate, you might want to find something to place under the table legs to raise its height a little. Anything that is stable: four bricks (or four piles of bricks, two or even three high, to achieve the right height!), four plastic stools, four books, very thick volumes of the same thickness, in the past we even used an ingenious contraption made out of drainpipes with a thick bolt inserted through it near the bottom. Whatever works. Once you think you’ve achieved what you’re after, test it out to see how stable it is. It shouldn’t be too wobbly or liable to collapse - and if for some reason you can’t fully avoid that, then at the very least warn the priest, but while you still have the opportunity you should try to find a solution.

c. Covering & Decoration: a white sheet is something indispensable. A linen table cloth is far preferable to a bedsheet. There are supposed to be three altar cloths, so if you are going to have Mass regularly you should try to acquire these and (of course, as with everything) once they been used for Mass, if possible they should be set aside and not used for anything else. The white cloth should hang down on each side, either to the floor or to just above the floor. If the front of the table is also covered, this will hide the fact that it is a table and hide the books or bricks (or drainpipes!) under the legs. If you can find something of the right liturgical colour, something precious-looking (gold?) or what have you, to go under the cloths and hang down in front, like an altar frontal or antependium, so much the better. But failing that, a white sheet will do. Just bear in mind that if it is a single, thin sheet, it may end up looking a bit see-through depending on the lighting. In the long run it may be worth looking at a high-street fabric shop for something which looks nice enough to be used on the altar, damask for instance. Are there any Indian shops where you live? Why not take a look.

Whenever you think you’ve finished arranging this part, always take one last opportunity to double check that it isn’t crooked before you start putting things onto the altar.

What needs to be placed on the altar? The first and most obvious thing is a crucifix. You can have a hanging-on-the-wall type of crucifix, (make sure it hangs above the centre of your altar) but more common is to have a stand-up crucifix placed on the altar. In that case, the danger is that it is not tall enough and can barely be seen. As a rule of thumb, any stand-up crucifix will need to be raised higher, what you’re aiming for ideally is the top of the priest’s head or slightly higher, but if it’s not that high in the first instance, don’t worry too much. But do try to find something for it to stand on, to raise it up a bit higher. As with altar legs, there are a number of solutions: an old biscuit tin, a Tupperware box, a solid block of wood or even a pile of books are some examples I’ve seen used at Resistance Masses, all of which worked and whose presence can be disguised by the altar cards.

The two candles and their candlesticks (for low Mass) can be placed on the altar at the extreme left and right, either side of the crucifix and will be useful as something to prop the altar cards against. Nice brass candlesticks, ideally, with proper candles in them, do try to avoid those awful tea lights. Two vases of flowers can also be placed on the altar during most of the year (flowers aren’t allowed if it’s Lent or Advent, with the exception of Laetare Sunday and Gaudete Sunday). Try to use two matching vases to keep things symmetrical, brass is preferable but glass will do pro tem. A church antiques shop or certain internet websites (etsy or ebay, for instance) will have brass vases for sale fairly cheaply - if they are old they may benefit from a thorough application of brasso. If you have them and there is enough space, then two statues of saints can go somewhere in between, one on either side. Again, in the interests of symmetry, you want your two statues to be of roughly the same height. All those three things, candles, vases and statues, will look even better if they, like the crucifix, are raised up slightly. To do that you will need something to serve as a gradine, the “step” on the back of the altar. Because these need to be long and flat and fairly stable it is difficult to know what to use, and it may be that you’ll have to do without. I have seen these made by placing two fairly thick planks of wood, one either side of the crucifix. Upturned window box flower pots might work, but you’d want to cover them with some sort of fabric to disguise them and check that they don’t wobble a lot. An identical pair of drawers removed from a cabinet and upturned is another thing I have seen. Or just do
without for the meantime.

An example of an altar from the early days of the Resistance. This was a chest of drawers, minus the drawers. No gradines yet, and only a white cloth to cover the front, but it works well enough. Statues either side but not on the altar.

On the topic of altar cards, the now defunct website resistere.org used to carry pdf files of the altar cards which could be printed and laminated. They can still be found using the internet archive (archive.org) here. If you can stick the print-out onto a card backing before laminating, the effect is even better. Another option is to put them in picture frames (A4 for the centre card, and A5 for the two smaller ones, for instance). A high street picture shop will do this for a small fee, or you can do it yourself. The priest will usually have his own altar cards in his Mass kit anyway, but the more things you have of your own, the better. The priest’s travel altar cards will likely be small and light to save space like everything else in his travel Mass kit, whereas your ones, if they are only every going to be kept at home and don’t need to be packed for travel, can afford to be bigger and nicer-looking.

2. Location and Surroundings: obviously your table-turned-altar should be against the wall, this isn’t the Novus Ordo! Stand and face the altar from roughly where you think people assisting at Mass will find themselves. What can you see that might be a distraction? Pictures on the walls which aren’t holy pictures, family photos and so on, can be taken down temporarily and put safely out of the way somewhere. Bookcases can be covered with a cloth, a blanket or similar. If you are unfortunate enough to have a television, you can throw it in the bin; but if, for whatever unhappy reason, you really feel you can’t do that just yet, then at least cover it too. If there are windows in front or to the side, then closed curtains means less chance of distraction. If a telephone is located in the room or in the hall just outside, or if it rings especially loud, consider taking it off the hook just before Mass begins. One other thing to check is that there is enough light: it may not be obvious to you, but the priest will have to read the text from the missal without having to strain his eyes. If the light is a little dim, do you have a lamp which can be placed somewhere nearby should he want it?

3. Besides the Altar: you will want to have a credence table, where the cruets (water and wine) will be. This ought normally to be to the right of the altar (the epistle side) and it can be a lot smaller and lower-to-the-ground than the altar. Even a coffee table or bedside cabinet will work. Cover it in a white cloth, if you have one. On it will be the cruets, bowl and finger towel, the bell, the communion plate and anything else.

You should also think about where the priest will vest before and after Mass. If there really is nowhere obvious, or the accommodation is cramped, then he can always vest and unvest at the altar. But if there is a table in another room, then that could serve as a sacristy. Often this will also double-up as the confessional, for which you will need two chairs and a crucifix. For whoever is going to serve Mass, you should try to acquire your own cassock and cotta. If it’s your first time, then you can be forgiven for serving in smart lay clothes, but if you know that this is going to be the first of several such occasions, then you should start looking. Finding them isn’t too difficult, finding them cheaply may be another question, and may vary by country and region. You can always ask the priest if he knows somewhere, or someone.

4. Other Things Which Will Be Appreciated, but aren’t essential. Presumably the priest is going to preach. A music stand makes a decent pulpit, if you have one. If not, don’t worry. On a Sunday, he will want to read the Epistle and Gospel in English right before the sermon - do you have a layman’s missal to hand to him at that moment, for him to read from? If others are visiting you for Mass do you have holy water to offer them? If you don’t, think about finding a large container and asking the priest to make you some holy water to last until the next visit. You can never have too much holy water! Are you going to sing a hymn before or after Mass, or both? Picking something everyone knows is the easy option, but it may be an idea to print out the words for people, if you are able. Cushions will be greatly appreciated by those with bad knees, especially on a hard wooden or stone floor.

In the Long Run, you will want to acquire a full set of everything if you are going to have regular visits from a priest. That way he won’t need to worry, you will always have a spare, and you may one day end up welcoming a priest who doesn’t have a travel Mass kit at all.

A list of what ought to be found in a Mass kit will be attached here. You won’t always be able to acquire everything in one go, but if you keep an eye out you will find that it can be built up bit-by-bit as the months go by. With vestments, for instance, most of us won’t be able to afford a full set of every colour, so I would start by getting a cheap, reversible purple/ white set of travel vestments as your first purchase, and maybe a green/red reversible set as your second. After a few years you might find yourself looking at those rose vestments for Gaudete or Laetare Sundays, just in case! And *cough* if the ladies step up to the mark, we ought eventually to be at the stage where we no longer need to purchase what can be made by our own skill and craft... But of course that is easier said than done, and in the meantime needs must and every little helps.

The most important thing is that you see Mass not just as an opportunity for you to benefit yourself (although it is that), but also as an opportunity to give something to Our Lord by way of service and self-sacrifice, in whatever way you are able, to contribute to making His worship that little bit more dignified and worthy. I am convinced that one of the reasons the English and Irish seem to prefer Low Mass is that we feel self-conscious singing, as though everyone were looking at us. Even the mortification of forcing oneself to sing the hymn at the end in a loud, clear voice when they really don’t want to, can be a significant sacrifice for some people.

If you are not hosting the Mass but only attending it, and you have something which you think might help improve things (some nice fabric, for instance, or a pair of statues roughly the same size), speak to the person hosting the priest and offer to bring them. Just remember, if the answer is yes, try not to turn up at the last minute or after Mass has begun!


Serving and Singing

If you are a young man and you don’t yet know how to serve Mass, you should try to learn. Even if you think that you are not needed to serve right now, there is always going to be at least one occasion in your life where you will be the only person able to serve and the priest (and Our Lord Himself) will be grateful. There are books to teach you (“How to Serve Low Mass and Benediction” by Angelus Press has been a staple for many over the years) or better still, get someone to show you. If you are already the server, offer to teach the other men how to serve. Two servers at Mass, one who knows what he is doing and the other who is a beginner, is possibly the best way to learn: books can be a great help, but there is no substitute for monkey-see-monkey-do, as they say. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone, and don’t be overcome by thoughts of how unworthy you are either. We’re all unworthy, including the priest, but we are also obliged to put ourselves at Our Lord’s service as far as possible.

The same applies to singing. Why are there so many low Masses and so comparatively few sung Masses? If you have a singing voice and can sing in tune, and if you are familiar with the Traditional Mass and know your way around a layman’s missal, you can start by looking up in your missal the Introit for your next Mass. A youtube search for the first three words in Latin will usually bring up several Gregorian chant videos with both music and text on the screen, which you can have a go at singing along to whilst trying your best to read the music. I understand why relatively few people ever do this: it isn’t easy and if you have never done it before it will take time to rehearse it again and again until you feel you’re getting it, but just remember that your efforts are for Our Lord Himself and just think of what He has already done for you. As a first-timer you can be forgiven if you only manage to sing the Introit this way and have to resort to singing a single tone for the other propers (the Gradual, the Alleluia or Tract, the Offertory and the Communion). A sung Mass done this way is still more worthy for Our Lord than a low Mass, especially on Sundays and feast days and many a Traditionalist layman who today can confidently sing Gregorian chant at sung Mass started out this way. Somebody has to do it and if Our Lord doesn’t want that person to be you, ask yourself why He hasn’t arranged for someone else to be doing it already? For the ordinary, use Kyrie 8 (the Missa de Angelis) which everyone seems to know, until you feel more confident.

One thing which you will find invaluable for singing at Mass is a Liber Usualis, a big fat book like a giant missal which contains all the chant you could ever possibly need. Any Catholic press which sells Traditional Missals will usually also sell these. To get you started though, or if your budget is tight, the website resistere.org (now defunct, but you can access it via the internet archive at archive.org here) has a free, downloadable pdf of the 1962 Liber.

To return one last time to the chapel and its furnishings, let us finish by saying that there will be ways of making even more worthy for Mass, even if the room is permanently left as a chapel and you think you have the altar ideally set up. An altar rail enclosing the sanctuary, a raised platform under the altar extending out into a step on which the priest will stand, a baldacchino or similar above the altar with an image of the Holy Ghost… and many other small improvements. Perhaps one day you will reach that stage, but in the meantime any small steps we can make will be appreciated by Our Lord and will help increase the devotion of all who assist at that Mass.


Liturgical Fabric:

(for altar frontals, vestment making, etc.)

https://www.ecclesiasticalsewing.com/products/lichfield
https://www.wattsandco.com/collections/l...al-fabrics
https://www.etsy.com/uk/market/liturgical_brocade
https://www.catholicliturgicals.com/inde...me=Fabrics
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TopFabrics?...t-shopname


Altar Cards:
https://web.archive.org/web/20140713112546/
http://www.resistere.org/resources.html


Priest’s Vesting Prayers:
https://web.archive.org/web/201410090151...TIONES.pdf


Vestments:
https://www.catholicliturgicals.com/ (“Catholic Liurgicals” - Indian)
https://vestment.co.uk/contact-eng.html (“Ackermann Vestments” - Polish)

What a Mass Kit Should Contain:

Larger Altar Crucifix
Smaller (confessional) Crucifix
3 X White Altar Cloths
Altar Covering(s) / large sheets
Small White Cloth (credence)
Altar Missal
Missal Stand / Small Cushion
2 X Cruets
Bowl
Finger Towel
Bell
Communion Plate
Altar Cards
2 X Candles
2 X Candlesticks
Matches/lighter
Altar Wine
Large Hosts, Small Hosts
www.TheRecusant.com
Depending - ask your priest:
Patten
Chalice
Greek Corporal
Not necessary, but can be useful:
Square Box/Tin, Gradines
Statues/Holy Images
Copies of music/hymns
Printed: Prayers After Low Mass
Vases
Collection bag
Safety Pins, strong tape
Collapsible table
4 X Stools to raise the table
Chamois leather