Some features of the Ambrosian Rite distinguish it from the
Roman Rite liturgy.
Mass The main differences in the
Mass are: • The cross with the crucifix is always facing the celebrant while processing (in the Roman Rite it faces the crowd). • During
solemnities, the initial procession stops at the footsteps of the Sanctuary and so-called
XII Kyrie are sung twelve times. Then an Ambrosian antiphon called
Psallenda (different for each feast) is sung twice, with
Gloria Patri-Sicut erat in between. During the
Gloria Patri verse, all the
acolytes bow to the cross, while during the
Sicut erat verse all bow to the celebrant. Only at this time, they enter the Sanctuary and the Mass begins. • The principal celebrant blesses all the readers, not only the deacon. The reader asks for the blessing saying to the priest: "Bless me, father". Then, while tracing the
sign of the cross, the main celebrant tells the reader: "Read in the name of the Lord". • During the Mass, four prayers are said: Prayer over the people (
oratio super populum), Prayer over the altar shroud (
oratio super sindonem), Prayer over the Gifts (
oratio super oblatam) and Prayer after the communion (
oratio post communionem). In traditional Ambrosian Rite the celebrant always faces the altar in front of the missal when he said "
Dominus vobiscum". • The initial antiphon is called
Ingressa and has not the form of the roman Introitus (i.e. antiphon, psalm, Gloria, antiphon). The only example of
Ingressa equal to roman
Introitus is "
Requiem aeternam" during the
Mass of the Dead. • The Gospel is followed by an
antiphon called
Post Evangelium (absent in the
Roman Rite). • The
Rite of Peace comes before the
Presentation of the Gifts. During the presentation of the Gifts, no "
Orate, fratres" (pray brothers and sisters) is said as it happens in the Roman rite. • The
Creed follows the
Preparation of the Gifts, before the
Prayer over the Gifts. • There are some differences between the First
Eucharistic Prayer of the Ambrosian Missal and the
Roman Canon, the first in the
Roman Missal; but its Eucharistic Prayers II, III, and IV are the same as in the
Roman Rite. In addition, the Ambrosian Rite has two proper Eucharistic Prayers, used mainly on
Easter and
Holy Thursday. In traditional Ambrosian Rite, the celebrant washed his hands right before the Consecration, no
Lavabo inter innocentes was said. • The priest breaks the
Host and places a piece in the main
chalice before the
Lord's Prayer, while an
antiphon (the
Confractorium) is sung or recited. • The
Agnus Dei is not said (in the traditional Ambrosian rite
Agnus Dei was said or sung only at the
Mass for the Dead). • Before the final blessing, the people say
Kyrie, eleison ("Lord, have mercy") three times (in the traditional Ambrosian Rite
Kyrie, eleison were repeated always three times after each "
Dominus vobiscum" which was not followed by a prayer and at the end of
Gloria in excelsis Deo). • At the end of the Mass, instead of saying "The Mass is ended, go in peace" (
Ite, missa est) the priest says simply "Go in peace" ("
Procedamus cum pace"), to which the people respond "In the name of Christ" ("
In nomine Christi"). • The Ambrosian Rite has its own
cycle of readings at Mass. • Many of the prayers said by the
priest during Mass are peculiar to the Ambrosian Rite.
Prefaces are all proper for each feast (there are no common prefaces).
Liturgical year The main differences in the
liturgical year are: •
Advent and
Lent have both six weeks (Roman Advent has four weeks). On the sixth Sunday of Advent the
solemnity of the Divine Maternity of the Virgin Mary is celebrated (white vestments). •
Lent starts with the first Sunday (four days later than in the Roman Rite), no
Ash Wednesday is celebrated and
Carnival continues until "Fat Saturday" ("sabato grasso" in
Italian), corresponding to
Shrove Tuesday (called "
Mardi Gras", i.e. "Fat Tuesday", in
French) in areas where the
Roman Rite is used. Before
St. Charles Borromeo, the First Sunday of Lent called "the Sunday head of Lent" (
Dominica in capite Quadragesimae) was a solemn feast celebrated with white vestments and
Gloria in excelsis Deo and
Alleluja were sung. In particular this hallelujatic verse was the longest of the whole Ambrosian chant repertoire and now survived as a
Cantus (the equivalent of the roman
Tractus). The Alleluja were sung until the second vespers, when a solemn antiphon commonly called the farewell to Alleluja was sung ("
Quadraginta dies et noctes aperti sunt caeli, et omnes animae habentes spiritum vitae ingressae sunt in arca, et clausa est, hallelujah" – For forty days and nights the heavens were open and all souls having the spirit of life entered into the ark, and it closed, alleluja). After the Borromeo's liturgical reform, First Sunday of Lent is celebrated with violet vestments and neither Gloria in excelsis nor Alleluja are sung. Being absent the Ash Wednesday, fasting and abstinence is postponed onto the first Friday of Lent. In replacement of
Gloria in excelsis, a litany is sung according to two distinct formulas for odd and even Sundays, "
Divinae pacis" and "
Dicamus omnes" respectively. Also Sundays of Lent are different and take the name from the Gospel's reading: • First Sunday –
in capite Quadragesimae (
temptations in the desert), • Second Sunday –
de Samaritana, • Third Sunday –
de Abraham, • Fourth Sunday –
de Caeco, • Fifth Sunday –
de Lazaro. • On Fridays in Lent, Mass is not celebrated and, with a few exceptions,
Communion is not distributed. In substitution of the Mass, the prayer of
Via Crucis takes place. •
Liturgical colours throughout the year are different from the Roman Rite. For example, in the Ambrosian Rite red is the eucharistic colour and the standard colour of
vestments from
Pentecost to the third Sunday of October (solemnity of the Dedication of the
Cathedral), rather than the green used in the Roman Rite. No violet is used in Ambrosian rite during Advent and Lent, but a brown-nuance called "morello" (i.e. blackberry colour, similar to prune). Black vestments are used during the ordinary days of Lent (
feriae). Rose vestments are absent, being absent the
Laetare and
Gaudete Sundays. Green is used for the whole period after the
Epiphany and during the liturgical period between the Dedication of the Cathedral and Advent. During Easter, white vestments are used on the
Holy Saturday, on Sunday of
Resurrection and for the whole week
in albis. Afterwards, starting from the first Sunday after Easter called
in albis depositis, white vestments are set down literally and green vestments are used. After the
liturgical reform of 1969, all Easter Sundays are celebrated with white vestments as in the Roman Rite. • The Holy Week is called the Authentic Week (
in Authentica) and starts with the Palm Sundays. Red vestments are used for all celebrations, also for
Maundy Thursday. The
Good Friday celebration remembers the
Passion and Death of the Lord on the cross with the readings from the
Old and
New Testament, followed by the worship of the cross. • After the Sunday of
Ascension, three days of penance called
Minor Rogations from Monday to Wednesday (called
litaniae triduane meaning three days of rogations) prepare for the solemnity of Pentecost, following the words of Jesus "
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast" (Mt 9,14-15). Before the
Liturgical reform of 1969, this was the moment in which ashes were sprinkled to worshippers. After 1969, to maintain the distinction with Roman Rite ashes are sprinkled on the first Monday of Lent – i.e. the day after the First Sunday of Lent.
Other Other differences are that: • The
Liturgy of the Hours (also known as the Divine Office or Breviary) is different in structure and in various features. • The liturgical rites of
Holy Week are quite different. • The rite of
funerals is different. •
Baptism of infants is done by triple immersion of the head. • The
thurible has no top cover, is lighter and is swung in anti-clockwise before the censing of a person or object, then three times in clockwise (
ductus) and in front (
tractus), thus to shape the sign of a cross. • Ambrosian
deacons wear the
stole over the
dalmatic and not under it. • The Ambrosian
cassock, buttoned with only five buttons below the neck, is held with a
fascia at the waist, and is worn with a round white collar. •
Ambrosian chant is distinct from
Gregorian chant. • Some senior priests (notably
provosts and certain
canons) are entitled to wear
vestments commonly associated with bishops, including the
mitre. • A liturgical privilege of the Archbishop of Milan is to sing Vespers wearing the chasuble in place of the cope. • The liturgical burning of the
faro (a large cotton sphere suspended in the air, inside the church) on feasts of
martyrs to remind the offer of their lifes to God. ==Early manuscripts==