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| D.Concluding rites |
| Ite, missa est |
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Ite, missa est (English:"Go, it is the dismissal") are the concludingLatin words addressed to the people in theMass of theRoman Rite in theCatholic Church, as well as in theDivine Service of theLutheran Church. Until the reforms of 1962, at Masses without theGloria,Benedicamus Domino was said instead.
The response of the people (or, in theTridentine Mass, of the servers atLow Mass, the choir atSolemn Mass) to either of the above isDeo gratias ("thanks be to God").
In the 19th century, it was common to explain the phrase elliptically, withmissa the feminine participle ofmittere, as inIte, missa est [congregatio] "Go, it [viz., the assembly] is dismissed".[1]However, according toFortescue (1910), the wordmissa as used in this phrase is not the feminine participle (Classical Latinmissa), but rather aLate Latin form of what would bemissio in classical Latin, meaning "dismissal", for a translation of "Go, the dismissal is made".[2]
Chupungco (1999) noted that "some persons have attempted" to "sublimate" the straightforward meaning of the phrase into an interpretation ofmissio "dismissal" as "mission" (as in, "go and be a missionary"), but judges this interpretation as "without foundation".[3]
The connection between the meaning "dismissal" and the 'deeper' meaning of "mission" was also discussed byBenedict XVI (without making an etymological claim) inSacramentum caritatis (2007): "In antiquity,missa simply meant 'dismissal'. In Christian usage, however, it gradually took on a deeper meaning. The word 'dismissal' has come to imply a 'mission'. These few words succinctly express the missionary nature of the Church".[4]
Historically, there have been other explanations of the nounmissa, i. e. as not derived from the formulaite, missa est. Medieval authors took the phrase to contain the nounmissa "mass". ThusGuillaume Durand (13th century) suggests that the meaning is either ellipticmissa est [finita] "the mass is finished", or thatest should be takenabsolutely, as meaning "the mass exists, is now accomplished fact".[5] But, in fact, the ecclesiastical Latin nounmissa "mass" is itself derived from themissa in this liturgical formula.
Also,Du Cange (1678) reports "various opinions on the origin" of the nounmissa "mass".[6] Fortescue (1910) cites more "fanciful" etymological explanations, notably a latinization of Hebrewmatsâh (מַצָּה) "unleavened bread; oblation", a derivation favoured in the 16th century byReuchlin andLuther.[7]
It is one of the oldest formulae of the Roman Rite, recorded inOrdo I (6th or 7th century).[8] but if the nounmissa "mass" is to be taken as a derivation from this formula, it must predate the 6th century and may date to as early as the 3rd,missa being a re-adoption into written Latin of the spokenLate Latin formissio.[9]
After the twelfth century, accretions began to be added to the Mass after the "Ite, missa est", changing it from a dismissal to a mere formula without relation to actuality. But only in the sixteenth century, with the establishment of theTridentine Mass (Missal ofPope Pius V), were these accretions officially accepted as part of the Mass.
In this revision of theRoman Missal, the ”Ite, missa est” was followed by a silent private prayer by the priest, then by the blessing, and finally by the reading of what was called theLast Gospel (usuallyJohn 1:1–14, but since, until the reform ofPope Pius X,saints' feasts came to supplant most Sunday Masses, the Last Gospel on such Sundays was that of the Sunday Mass).
With the reform ofPope Paul VI "Ite, missa est" returned to its function as a dismissal formula. It is omitted if another liturgical function follows immediately and the people are not to leave (e.g.,Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament).
"Ite missa est", not being variable like the Scripture readings and theCollect, is part of theOrder of Mass and has always been printed in that part of the Roman Missal. Being sung by an individual (ideally the deacon), not by a choir, it cannot be part of a polyphonicmusical setting of the Mass. Only the "Deo gratias" response could be set polyphonically but again, because of its brevity, it rarely was, except in some early settings such asMachaut'sMesse de Nostre Dame.
From theEaster Vigil until the Second Sunday of Easter, and onPentecost Sunday, "alleluia, alleluia" is appended to both the dismissal and its response.[10]
In 2008 alternative dismissal formulas were approved for Mass of the Roman Rite:[11]
In each case the response called for by the Roman Missal continues to be "Deo gratias" (Thanks be to God).
The dismissal formulas in otherLatin liturgical rites are:
