This Saturday, the 29th of June, as some of you may know, a Pontifical High Mass will be held at the Chapel of Versailles.

As we approach this event, some of you may be asking what exactly a Pontifical High Mass is, how it's different from a regular service, and what the significance and meaning of such an occasion is.

Nothing would make me happier to answer these questions in order to share my own knowledge of this ancient Mass in order to allow you to further appreciate the symbolism and meaning of each of the ceremonies and rituals.

To briefly state, a Pontifical High Mass is the full ceremonial form of Mass, sung mostly instead of spoken, in Latin, celebrated by a Bishop.

This form of mass is therefore highly elaborate, and features many symbols that some of you may connect with royalty. A Pontifical High Mass is also accompanied by sacred music, which features choral compositions and even instrumental music which can be anything from an organ to an entire orchestra.

For example, when the Bishop first processes down the aisle of the church, he is wearing the cappa magna, or great cape, which features a train which stretches back 7 meters! A wonderful photo show this:

The Bishop then kneels in front of the high altar to pray silently. He then stands and proceeds to the throne where he is vested. Due to the many vestments the Bishop wears, vesting can take up to 30 minutes!

Once this is complete the Bishop proceeds once again to the altar as usual and begins the prayers at the foot of the altar.

Much of these elaborate ceremonies are deep in symbolism as they trace back to the early church back in the early middle ages. The Bishop, entering the church in great splendor sheds his earthly garments for vestments that represent his authority as a Bishop.

Much of this seems to tie in greatly to the ceremonies held at the Court of Versailles. The King, anointed to rule by God himself, was a Christian Prince, first and foremost, and many of the ceremonies at court are held in this tradition. Furthermore, Mass itself at court was a daily ritual. The King, Queen, and all courtiers would attend every day to take Holy Communion, in an atmosphere dictated by sharp etiquette. The role of the Church as the center of all court activities was very much a reality for all courtiers at Versailles.

I would highly recommend to anyone interested watching some of the Pontifical High Mass celebrated by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone:

And of course, feel free to leave any questions or comments below. I look forward to hearing from you and seeing all of you at our first Pontifical High Mass at Versailles!

updated by @louis-xvi: 06 Oct 2016 06:20:46AM