A devotion familiar to all Franciscans which has survived the test of the last three decades is the Transitus.

By Daniel Grigassy, O.F.M.

Reprinted from The Cord 43, no. 10
(October 1993): pages 261-274.
(With permission)

The "Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy" (1963) encouraged popular devotions among Catholics and recognized their special status proper to local churches. Popular devotions are to flow from the Eucharist and lead back to it "since, in fact, the liturgy, by its very nature far surpasses any of them." [Elizabeth Hoffman, ed., The Liturgy Documents: A Parish Resource (Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 3d ed., 1991), 12, n. 13.] Prior to the promulgation of the liturgy constitution, devotions with a particularly Franciscan flavor comprised the ordinary fare of common prayer and observance for followers of Francis: praying the fourteen Stations of the Cross and the seven joyful mysteries of the Franciscan Crown; reading the Rule at Friday's midday meal; singing the "Tota Pulchra" on Saturday evenings; reciting the "Adoramus Te" before and after common prayers; praying cross-prayers with arms extended in the form of a cross, to name only a few.

A devotion familiar to all Franciscans which has survived the test of the last three decades is the Transitus. Each year on the third evening of October, we ritually remember the passing of Francis of Assisi from this life into God. In fact, the Transitus has become a significant and even a necessary annual event. To ritually revisit the story of Francis' passing is vital; without it something significant is missing. It specifies the living memory of Francis; it intensifies our commitment to follow Christ in the way of the poor man of Assisi. Since this rite of intensification has become an annual expectation for most friars, sisters, and seculars, a consideration of its origins and meanings seems worthwhile and timely. It is surprising that no historical study of the Transitus has been undertaken in the past three decades when so much ritual flux has been the order of the day. Questions begin to emerge when Franciscans with a living memory of the pre-conciliar era think critically about the Transitus. Who fills the roles of the various ministries in the rite? Who presides? Does it matter who presides? What does the presider wear? Does it matter what the presider wears? What do Franciscans in the assembly wear? Does it matter what they wear? Who reads the narrative text? Who cantors? What is the role of the assembly? What texts, sung or spoken, are included or not included in the rite? When is the rite celebrated? Where is the rite celebrated? How is the rite enacted? What are the gestures and postures taken by the ministry, by the assembly? What are the primary ritual objects? How do they interact with one another? Why do we even bother to enact the rite each year? In the asking of such questions, very telling meanings and values come to the fore which are tacitly operative in the rite. Non-verbals often yield more significant data in ritual analysis than the verbal elements. Ritual texts are important, but rituals are more than texts. Only within the lived context of the people who enact the rite do the ritual texts take on meanings which spill over the texts and into others forms of ritual expression. At times the non-verbals disclose more meanings than the verbals. In other words, the rite may say more than we wish to tell!

Perhaps the time has come to open the question of the Transitus as a significant (or insignificant) ritual moment for Franciscans. A rigorous ritual analysis of pre- and post-conciliar ritual samples would yield fascinating insights into a variety of Franciscan meanings functioning within the rite and expressed in its enactment. However, such an analysis would take us far afield. These initial steps in thematizing the Transitus as an object of ritual studies are best limited to the origins of the rite, its structure, and its core components. A sampling of rites from a variety of available sources which recall elements operative in pre-conciliar are exposed here in this first part of the article. The second part in a forthcoming number of the Cord will consider ritual samples drawn from the last three decades which show the expansion, retraction, and stabilization of the rite's form and shape. Its ritual structures remain supple and pliable, resisting fixed forms, though recently, recurring patterns have contributed to stabilizing the rite. Commentary gathered through systematic interviews with participants generate questions which will conclude the piece.

These first steps in ritual exposition and analysis will help to open up discussion, either in the pages of this journal, in house chapters, or in informal conversations among Franciscan men and women. The present author encourages readers to enter into this study by saving liturgical aids published by your communities, by chronicling details of the rite, and even by videotaping the Transitus since ritual is not only written text but enacted text. The meanings and intentions which this uniquely Franciscan rite carries and annually fortifies for those who gather to remember the passing of their founder suggest important elements which need to be folded into the continuing reacclamation of Franciscan identity in this age of confusion and conflict, of refounding and reformation.

The Origins of the Rite. The Transitus was not an early memorial ritual enacted by first, second, or third generation Franciscans but a phenomenon emerging much later. Attempts to answer questions of the rite's origin have met with limited success and successful frustrations. More than thirty sources have been assembled for the first part of this study. They include breviaries, sacramentaries, ceremonials, rituals, devotional prayer manuals, and histories of Franciscan devotion. [This author knows well that these sources do not exhaust all possibilities and is eager to gather additional sources, not only from the pre-conciliar years, but also from our own post-conciliar era. Write: Holy Name College, 1650 St. Camillus Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20903-2559.] Only four references specify an approximate time and place of origins; however, none offers data to justify their claims. All the sources examined attest to the same origins in France and Flanders at the beginning of the eighteenth century and not before the end of the seventeenth century. The earliest testimony is from the 1926 Officium ac Missa de Festo S.P.N. Francisci. [Eliseus Bruning, O.F.M., ed. (Paris, Tournai, Rome: Typis Societatis S. Joannis Evangelistae, Desclee & Socii, 1926), 138.] The Cantuale Romano-Seraphicum of 1951 [Editio Tertia, aucta ac necnon adaptata a Eliseo Bruning, O.F.M. (Paris, Tournai, Rome, 1951), 389.] repeats those dates and origins. In a more recent work, Liturgia di S. Francesco d'Assisi of 1963, [Testi latini liturgici; versione di Fausta Casolini, T.O.F. (Santuario della Verna, Arezzo: Edizioni "La Verna," 1963), xiv.] the same time and place of origin are noted. Twenty years later in 1983, the English-speaking Conference of the Order of Friars Minor approved Franciscans at Prayer [(Pulaski, WI: Committee for Franciscan Liturgical Research, 1983).] for use in North America. The same dates are cited without data to justify the claim. [Ibid., 257.] Correspondence by mail with the late Fr. Ignatius C. Brady of the Collegio S. Bonaventura in Grottaferrata and with Fr. Octavian Schmucki of the Istituto Storico Cappucini in Rome [Both letters, one from Fr. Ignatius (17 February 1980) and the other from Fr. Octavian (26 February 1980), remain in the possession of the present author.] sought to establish the earliest claim of the 1926 Officium ac Missa on secure historical data, yet the exchange yielded no further insights into origin and dating. Since no direct access to the basis for the claim is readily available, the only choice is to proceed with the presupposition that the Transitus began at the start of the eighteenth century or perhaps at the end of the seventeenth century. Sheer curiosity led to an investigation of available office books, ceremonials, sacramentaries, and books of popular devotion with dates prior to the late seventeenth century, but none of these included a Transitus ritual or anything that remotely resembled one. Since eighteenth century ritual books were almost impossible to find in accessible libraries, [The following libraries were consulted: Holy Name College, Franciscan House of Studies, Silver Spring, Maryland; Mullen Library, The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.; the Franciscan Institute at St. Bonaventure University, St. Bonaventure, New York; the Franciscan Monastery, Mount St. Sepulchre, Washington, D.C.; St. Anthony-on-the-Hudson, Rensselaer, New York.] most of the pre-conciliar rituals reviewed as a basis for this study are composed in Latin and situated within the limits of Western Europe and North America within the mid- nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries. Post-conciliar rituals were collected over a period of twenty years. The majority, though not all, are English rituals from the United States; some are French, German, Italian, and Spanish. The majority, though not all, are from the eastern section of the United States; some are from the midwest and western regions. To expose and comment on all pre- and post-conciliar rituals would demand extensive appendices which are impossible to provide within the limits of these pages. Worthwhile for our purposes will be a summary of consistent elements and patterns in a sampling of rites and some commentary on possible reasons for apparent shifts, expansions, retractions, and stabilizations of ritual form and structure.

Pre-Conciliar Rites: Their Structure and Core Components.The earliest Franciscan liturgical books available for this inquiry date from the eighteenth century, three from the early part and one from the latter. Two editions of the Officia Proprio Sanctorum of Innocent XII, one of 1722, [Trium Ordinum S.P.N. Francisci, A Ss. D.N. Innocentio Papa XII; ex Typographia Plantiviana, 1722.] the other of 1724, [Ibid., 1724.] include the text for the Office of the Solemnity of St. Francis, [See Analecta Franciscana X (1941): 375-388.] but no reference is made to the Transitus as such. In the same way, the same Innocent XII's Hora Diurnae Propriae Sanctorum of 1723, [Trium Ordinum S.P.N. Francisci, A Ss. D.N. Innocentio Papa XII; ex Typographia Plantiviana, 1723.] reflects no familiarity with the Transitus. The latter Officia Sanctorum of 1786 [Ex ducali Campidonensi Typographeo, per Aloysium Galler, 1786.] does not include a Transitus ceremony. The only explicit reference to the Transitus to be found appears after a leap of a hundred and one years.

A small devotional book of 1887 by the Irish Franciscan Fr. Jarlath Prendergast, O.S.F., entitled The Cord of St. Francis with Indulgences and Devotions [(Dublin: James Duffy and Co., 12th ed., 1887), 69.] shows the bare bones of what came to be the commonly used ritual. [Unless mentioned explicitly, it may be presumed that musical notation is not given in the rite sampled.] This work simply includes a listing of the antiphon, "O sanctissima anima"/"O Most Holy Soul," [O sanctissima anima, in cujus transitu coeli cives occurrunt, Angelorum chorus exultat, et gloriosa Trinitas invitat, dicens: Mane nobiscum in aeternum./O most holy soul, at your departure the heavenly host comes to meet you, the angelic choir rejoices and the glorious Trinity welcomes you, saying: remain with us forever.] Psalm 142, "Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi"/"With a loud voice I cry to the Lord," [While some of the early rites cite Psalm 141 and not Psalm 142, the text provided is always the "Voce mea." For the sake of simplifying references, this study employs more current used enumeration of the "Voce mea" as Psalm 142 even when the original text cites Psalm 141.] and a hymn, "Salve, sancte Pater" [Salve, sancte Pater, patriae lux, forma Minorum, virtutis, speculum, rectivia, regula morum, carnis ab exilio duc nos ad regna polorum. V. Franciscus pauper et humilis, coelum dives ingreditur. R. Hymnis coelestibus honoratur./Hail, holy Father, the light of your country, model of your minors, mirror of virtue, way of uprightness, rule of conduct; from this exile in which our flesh holds us, lead us to the kingdom of heaven. V. Francis, poor and humble, enters heaven as a rich man. R. He is honored with the hymns of the blessed.] It is interesting to note that the hymn is included, at least in part, in the appendix of E. Chavin De Malan's work, Histoire de Saint Francois d'Assise of 1869 [(Paris: Bray et Retaux, Successeurs, 1869), 455.] as the Magnificat antiphon for second Vespers on the Solemnity of Francis. The same text is cited in the Analecta Franciscana as part of the "Antiphonae ad Benedictus et Magnificat infra Octavam et pro Commemoratione S. Francisci" [Analecta Franciscana X (1941): 387-388.] and is attributed to Thomas Capuano Cardinal S. Sabina, a contemporary of St. Francis. [Ibid., 387. See also S.J.P. Van Dijk and J. Hazelden Walker, The Origins of the Modern Roman Liturgy: The Liturgy of the Papal Court and the Franciscan Order in the Thirteenth Century (London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 1960), 382.] This first part of the antiphon works its way into the Transitus found in Prendergast's 1887 collection. Together with the second nocturn for Matins on the Solemnity of St. Francis [See De Malan, Histoire, Lectio VI, 452.] which tells of the death of the saint and which refers explicitly to "Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi," we begin to catch a glimpse of the Transitus, at least in seminal form.

Only six years after Prendergast suggests his three-part ritual, the French Friars Minor of the Province of St. Louis incorporate these three elements and amplify the ceremonial aspect of the rite by setting out precise directives on how the ritual is to be done. In the Formulaire de Pri�res C�r�monies of 1893, [(Tournai, imprimerie liturgique de S. Jean l'Evangel; Desclee, Lefebvre & Cie, Editeurs Pontificaux, 1893).] rubrics or stage directions are offered to facilitate the movement of the rite. No specific date or time is assigned to the celebration. The opening statement in the Formulaire directs the community to gather at the chapel of St. Francis. When all the participants arrive, the chanters then intone the antiphon, "O sanctissima anima." Chant notation is provided for the antiphon as well as for Psalm 142. The italicized rubric prior to the psalm text contains an embellishment: "After the antiphon, Psalm 142, the 'Voce Mea,' is sung during which the organ plays..., but the last verse and the Gloria Patri must always be sung." ["Apr�s l'antienne on chante le ps. 141 (sic), Voce mea, pendant lequel on peut toucher l'orgue..., mais le dernier verset et le Gloria Patri doivent toujours etre chant�s." Ibid, 94.] The last verse represents the actual moment of Francis' passing; special attention is given to it in the rite: Educ de custodia animam meam/ad confitendum nomini tuo:/me exspectant justi,/donec retribuas mihi.//Bring my soul out of prison/that I may praise your name./The just wait for me/ until you reward me.] The singing of this final verse of the psalm and the Gloria Patri is followed by addition: five Our Fathers, Hail Marys, and Glorys are recited together while kneeling and with arms outstreched in the form of a cross. ["On r�cite ensuite � genoux cinq Pater, Ave, Gloria Patri, les bras en croix." Ibid.] "Cross prayers" enter into the rite as an appropriate posture to recall the symbol of the cross out of which Francis lived his entire life. All are then directed to stand and sing the hymn, "Salve, sancte Pater." Although present in Prendergast's Transitus but remaining unspecified, the verse and refrain at the end of the antiphon (Franciscus pauper et humilis...Hymnis coelestibus...) are directed to be sung in this French ritual by an unspecified "Officiant" or presider. Whereas the Irish version ends here, the French edition adds an oration: O God, on this day you granted the reward of blessed eternity to our blessed Father Francis; mercifully grant that we who celebrate with tender devotion the memory of his death may have the joy of sharing in his blessed reward. Through Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord.... [Oremus. Deus, qui hodierna die animae Beati Patris nostri Francisci aeternae beatitudinis praemia contulisti: concede propitius, ut qui ejus migrationis memoriam piis affectibus celebramus, ad ejusdem beatitudinis praemia feliciter pervenire mereamur. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Formulaire, 95.] All respond to this prayer with an "Amen." The presider then says "Dominus vobiscum" to which all respond "Et cum spiritu tuo." Similar to the closing of Vespers, the chanters sing "Benedicamus Domino" to which all respond "Deo gratias." The final rubric reads: "Then the presider blesses the people with the relic and venerates it, the organ plays and all the bells ring." ["Pendant que l'Officiant b�nit le peuple avec la Relique et la fait v�n�rer, on touche l'Orgue et on sonne toutes les cloches." Ibid.] The relic of St. Francis emerges here as an important object in the rite. The blessing of the people with the relic points to the public character of the rite; the blessing was not only for the friars, but for all who gathered from the local church. A note of festivity at the end of the ritual shows itself in the playing of the organ and the ringing of the bells. [The precise meaning of the phrase, "...et on sonne toutes les cloches," may be questioned. Was it a somber tolling of the tower bell as at a funeral or a festive ringing of all the tower bells? "On tinte toutes les cloches" means a tolling of bells and "On tinte la cloche" refers to a single bell tolling. The phrase, "On sonne toutes les cloches," implies that "all the bells ring" festively.]

The next testimony to the Transitus is found in the 1895 edition of the Rituale Romano-Seraphicum [Aloysius de Parma, O.F.M., ed. (Rome: ex Tipogr. "Mater Amabilis," 1895.] recommended for the use of all Franciscans throughout the world. The simplicity of the 1893 French rite begins to disappear while complexity of ceremonial builds in the 1895 Roman rite. The clear-cut and well-defined ceremony is framed by the relic of the saint and embellished reverences toward it. The first directive of this Roman ritual stylizes the progression of events which serves to fix the rite into a defined pattern. ["Die 4 Octobris circa occasum solis, qua hora S.P.N. Franciscus evolavit in coelum, vel immediate post Vesperas, convenient Fratres ad Sacellum vel altare ipsius S. Patris, ibique (Postquam ejus Relinquia exposita ac duplici doctu a Sacerdote parato ac stante thurificata fuerit) majori, qua fieri potest, devotione et solemnitate stantes ante ejus aram incipient ab hac Antiphona." Ibid., 27.] The familiar "O sanctissima anima" is then said or sung, though neither is specified. After the antiphon, Psalm 142 finds its place. The psalm's last verse recalling the saint's moment of death is highlighted with instructions for organ accompaniment. ["Ultimus versus: Educ de custodia, cani debet, etiamsi pulsentur organa, quia Seraphicus Pater, dictis his verbis, expiravit." Ibid, 28.] After the Gloria Patri, all kneel to recite "five Paters, Aves, and Gloria Patris," but there is no specification for extending the arms. [The absence of a rubric for extending the arms does not necessarily mean it was not done; it is simply not specified in the directives. Local custom surely determined this practice or its abandonment.] All stand for the antiphon, "Salve, sancte Pater." After the antiphon and before the versicle and response, all kneel "except the Celebrant" who is later specified as the Superior. Proceeding in the same way as the 1893 French rite, the oration is prayed. Then the ceremony closes with the "Benedicamus Domino" and its response, "Deo gratias." The final directive reflects three significant items: the beginning of a distinction of roles within the ritual, the continued inclusion of non-Franciscans, and the festive character of the celebration. ["Post haec Superior, vel Sacerdos pluviali indutus, benedicit populo cum Reliquia S.P.N. Francisci, et interim pulsantur organa et campanae." Rituale, 29. The same question posed in n. 000 may arise here. "Sonare campana" intends the tolling of a bell whereas "pulsare campanae" clearly means the loud sounding of bells, especially when placed together with the organ within a passive verbal form: "...pulsantur organa et campanae."]

Four years later in the Belgian Province of St. Joseph, the Friars Minor set out a ritual for the memorial of the passing of Francis in their Usuale of 1899. [Usuale Fratrum Minorum, Provinciae Sancti Joseph in Belgio (Mechlin: e Typographia Provinciae, 1899), 101-103.] Even more detail is offered here in the directives for the celebration. Although no chant notation is provided for the antiphon, psalm, or hymn, there is an increase in the number of directives which points to continuing growth in the ritualization of the Transitus. One only has to look at the progression from the 1887 Irish rite to this 1899 Belgian rite to see the proliferation of detailed instructions and heightened ritualization. It is significant that the verb "celebrate" shows itself here for the first time. [Ibid., 101.] Modifying adverbs confirm that the ritual was celebrated "festively and solemnly." All candles on the altar are lit; the organ is playing. The "Superior" carries the relic of St. Francis in a procession with a vested deacon and subdeacon preceded by two acolytes, readers, and cantors. The ministry proceeds to the altar where the relic is enthroned. The "Sacerdos/Priest" then incenses the relic "ac duplici ductu." Detailed directions are given locating the standing positions of thurifers, cantors, and readers. Then the "O sanctissima anima" is intoned. [Ibid., 102, n. 201.] Next, Psalm 142 is sung "in the fifth tone," a further specification in this ritual. No embellishment of the "Educ de custodia" is mentioned although an organ interlude is suggested to enhance the solemnity of the text. ["Ad majorem solemnitatem inter quemlibet versum fit interludium organi." Ibid., n. 202.] After the psalm's conclusion with the Gloria Patri, all are directed to extend their arms and quietly pray five Paters, Aves, and Gloria Patris. When the "superior" is ready, the organ gives the tone to the cantors and readers for the intonation of the "Salve, sancte Pater." Then all kneel except the "celebrans" who sings the verse, "Franciscus pauper et humilis..." All respond with "Hymnis coelestibus..." after which the celebrant sings the oration. Then the cantors and the readers, not the celebrant or superior, sing the "Benedicamus Domino" to which all respond "Deo gratias." No musical notation is provided for those parts, so familiarity with their melodies may be presumed.

What is striking about this entire Belgian rite is the complexification of ceremonial and heighted ritualization. The ritual was certainly on its way to becoming a solemnized devotional practice for Franciscans and for the people who regularly prayed with them. Consider the following instruction: "After this, the Superior, or a priest wearing a white cope, blesses the people with the relic of our Holy Father Saint Francis, and meanwhile the organ plays and the bells ring from the intonation of the first antiphon until the Benedicamus Domino inclusively." ["Post haec Superior, vel Sacerdos pluviali indutus, benedicit populo cum reliquia S.P.N. Francisci, et interim pulsantur organa: campana autem pulsatur ab intonatione primae antiphonae usque ad Benedicamus Domino inclusive." Ibid., 103, n. 204.] The question of presidency emerges here. Was it the Superior, the coped priest, or the coped priest-Superior who presided? Whether this was an issue at all is difficult to determine from the text. This directive also explicitly cites that the tower bells ring throughout most of the rite from the first antiphon, that is, "O sanctissima anima," to the final "Benedicamus Domino." The next directive clearly suggests that the Transitus was not an intramural devotion but open to all in the local church. It also clearly notes a definite ordering of the assembly wherein the friars were first to venerate the relic while the faithful followed. ["Tandem more solito a primo assistente osculanda praebetur sacra reliquia, primo omnibus paratis, deinde aliis Religiosis et tandem Christi fidelibus; et omnes in silentio discedunt." Ibid., n. 205.] The ritual action of kissing the relic and a silent recessional without organ or bells is evident here. A final directive notes for the first time that Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament follows the rite, thus associating the commemoration of the saint's death with Eucharistic devotion. ["In conventibus, ubi concio et laudes fiunt tardiori hora, transitus recoli potest immediate post concionem, exposito prius aut detecto SSmo Sacramento. In fine cantatur more solito Tantum ergo et datur sub silentio benedictio cum SSmo Sacramento. Notandum quod in hoc casu omittitur exposito reliquiae S.P.N. Francisci; reposito vero SSmo, communitati ac populo veneranda exhibetur." Ibid., n. 206.]

The Proprium Sanctorum [(Rome, Tournai, Paris: Typis Societatis S. Joannis Evangelistae; Desclee, Lefebvre & Soc., 1903).] contains a commemoration of the death of Francis which includes all the familiar elements, although with minimal directives. Before the text of the opening antiphon, "O sanctissima anima," and the chant notation provided for it, a brief instruction is given. ["Die 4 Octob (sic), circa occasum solis, qua hora S.P.N. Franciscus evolavit in coelum, vel immediate post Vesperas, convenient fratres ad sacellum ipsius S. Patris, et ibi majori, qua fieri potest, devotione et solemnitate, stantes ante ejus aram incipient." Ibid., 309. The musical notation for the "O sanctissima anima" differs from the other chant notation offered in the Formulaire de Prieres et Ceremonies of the French Province of St. Louis. Compare Proprium Sanctorum, 309, with Formulaire, 93- 94.] The "O sanctissima anima" is followed immediately by the text of Psalm 142 without instruction preceding the text and without musical notation. The suggestion for organ accompaniment and the directive for singing the "Educ de custodia" has vanished. After the psalm text, the italics simply read: "After the Gloria Patri...all kneel and recite five Paters, Aves, and Gloria Patris, and then the 'Salve, sancte Pater' is sung." [Proprium Sanctorum, 310.] The text of the oration is followed by the "Benedicamus Domino." The closing comment once again reflects the vested celebrant's role, the inclusion of the people in the ceremony, the simple blessing with, but not the kissing of, the relic, and the sounding of the organ and bells. [Ibid.]

Only five years after the Proprium Sanctorum, the Caeremoniale Romano-Seraphicum of 1908 [(Quaracchi: Collegio S. Bonaventurae, Ad Claras Aquas, 1908).] includes not even an allusion to the Transitus. However, it does find its way into the Rituale Romano-Seraphicum of 1910. [(Quaracchi: Collegio S. Bonaventurae, Ad Claras Aquas, 1910), 180-181.] Like the earlier Rituale of 1895, [See n. 000 above.] chant notation is not suggested for the antiphons, psalm, hymn, or responses. Unlike the Rituale of 1895, parenthetical instructions regarding incensations and positions of ministry are fully incorporated into the directives. The presider changes from a "Sacerdos" to a "Celebrans" throughout, and the cantors intone the antiphon. [Rituale Romano-Seraphicum (1910), 180.] A simple instruction is given for the singing of Psalm 142. Accenting the psalm's last verse is once again encouraged and, after the Gloria Patri, the "O sanctissima anima" antiphon is repeated. Then all kneel to recite five Paters, Aves, and Gloria Patris. Whether these were said aloud or silently, as cross prayers or not, cannot be determined from the instruction. [Ibid., 181.] Next all stand and the cantors begin the hymn, "Salve, sancte Pater." Then all kneel and two cantors sing: V. "Franciscus pauper et humilis..." R. "Hymnis coelestibus..." Whether one cantor sang the verse and the other responded, or both sang the verse and the assembly responded, cannot be known from the text. The "Celebrant" stands and prays the oration and closes with the "Benedicamus Domino." The final comment testifies to the celebrant's incensation of the relic and his blessing of the people with it. The friars are the first to kiss the relic; the people follow. Finally, more explicitly than ever, the statement appears: "...meanwhile the organ and the bells sound festively." ["...sonantibus interim festive organis et campanis." Ibid.]

The exact text of the 1910 Rituale is contained in the Manuale Precum, [Provinciae Ss. Nominis Jesu (Americae Septentrionalis, 1915), 120-123.] a devotional prayer book compiled in 1915 for the North American Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. One suspects that other provinces throughout the English-speaking world and beyond must have been using the same rite. The same text appears in the 1915 Capuchin Rituale Romano-Seraphicum [Venantius a Lisle-en-Rigault, ed. (Rome: Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis, 1915), 67-69] while the rubrics are significantly amplified to include minute detail of word, movement, and gesture. A formula for individual blessings with the relic is also provided. ["Per intercessionem S.P.N. Francisci Confessoris liberet te Deus ab omni malo. Amen." Ibid., 69.]

Essentially similar and consistent with the texts contained in both the Rituale of 1895 and of 1910 but with some significant additions, the Cantuale Romano-Seraphicum of 1922 [(Paris, Tournai, Rome: Typis Societatis S. Joannis Evangelistae; Desclee & Socii, 1922), 172-175.] includes those elements which by this time have come to be regarded as essential to the ritual: the "O sanctissima anima," Psalm 142, the five Paters, Aves, and Glorias, the "Salve, sancte Pater," the oration, the closing "Benedicamus Domino," the incensation of the relic, and the blessing with it. The chant notation for the "O sanctissima anima" and the "Salve, sancte Pater" are significantly different from other texts which include musical notation. [Compare ibid., 173-175 with Formulaire, 93-94, and Proprium Sanctorum, 305, 309-310.] Psalm 142 offers the same psalm tone here as in previous rituals while the notation for the "Benedicamus Domino" and its response is extremely florid. An extraordinary and significant addition in the 1922 Cantuale is its recommendation to sing an unspecified song in the vernacular to accompany the religious and laity's veneration of the relic. Meanwhile, the organ and bells are to sound festively. [Cantuale (1922), 175.]

A small devotional prayer book for members of the Third Order of St. Francis entitled The Tertiaries Companion [Vincent Schrempp, O.F.M., ed., The Tertiaries Companion: A Prayer Book for the Members of the Third Order Secular of St. Francis of Assisi (St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co., 8th ed., 1923.)] was published in 1923 and included no reference to the Transitus. In 1926, the work of an American Franciscan historian, Fr. Francis Borgia Steck, O.F.M., was published as Glories of the Franciscan Order. [(Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1926).] It included a brief history of the Order, devotions popularized by the Order, and the Order's contribution to culture, society, mission countries, and education. In its second chapter, "The Order and Catholic Devotions," the Transitus is absent. [Ibid., 18-24. Devotions considered in this chapter are to the Eucharist, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Name of Jesus, the Stations of the Cross, the Blessed Virgin, and St. Joseph.] Thus, in the year of the septcentenary of Francis' death, a ritual recalling his passing was not considered significant enough to be included in such a collection. The annual devotion was not on a par with other daily, weekly, or monthly devotions.

In the Officium ac Missa de Festo S.P.N. Francisci of 1926, [See n. 000. Recall that this work set out the original hypothesis on the origins of the ritual.] a Transitus ceremony is set out with little instruction. By this time the chant notation offered throughout the rite would have been familiar since it is the same as that contained in the Proprium Sanctorum of 1903. [See n. 000.] The instructional details regarding positions, incensations, and ordering of the assembly have vanished. [Officium ac Missa, 99.] Without introduction or directions, the rite presents a familiar psalm tone for Psalm 142. The antiphon is repeated and then all kneel to pray the five Paters, Aves, and Glorias. No directive regarding cross prayers is given. All stand and sing the hymn, "Salve, sancte Pater" and kneel to sing the versical and response. The text of the oration, which more often than not has been provided, is not given here, although familiarity with it seems presupposed. Before the "Benedicamus Domino," the italics simply read "Intoned after the oration." [Ibid., 101.] There follows no reference to relic, people, organ, or bells. Perhaps there was either a silent exit or the final ritual action was left to local custom and discretion.

Another small devotional prayer book compiled in 1926 for the Dutch Province, Promptuarium Seraphicum, [Isidore Trienekens, O.F.M., Editio quarta (Quaracchi: Collegio S. Bonaventurae, Ad Claras Aquas, 1926), 142-145.] reflects a verbatim copy of the Rituale Romano-Seraphicum of 1910. The same appears in its 1936 edition [Isidore Trienekens, O.F.M., ed., Editio quinta (Quaracchi: Collegio S. Bonaventurae, Ad Claras Aquas, 1936), 158-160.] and its 1948 edition. [Isidore Trienekens, O.F.M., ed., Editio sexta (Harlem: Sumptibus Johannis H. Gottmer, 1948), 144-146.] The more complex directives appear in the earlier edition while the later two razor down the rubrics to terse phrases. [Both the 1926 and the 1936 editions testify to the rite occurring on the evening of the fourth of October. The earlier rite concludes with a directive concerning the incensation of the relic and its veneration by the friars and then by the people while the organ and bells sound festively. Compare Promptuarium Seraphicum (1926), 142-145 with Promptuarium Seraphicum (1936), 158-160. The 1948 edition makes no mention of the precise time of the celebration which suggests a variety of practices becoming customary.] The Caeremoniale Romano-Seraphicum of 1927 [Editio altera (Quaracchi: Collegioi S. Bonaventurae, Ad Claras Aquas, 1927).] includes no reference to the Transitus.

Of great significance is the Spanish prayer book, "Vamos tras �l...", published in 1929. [P. Juan R. De Legisima, "Vamos tras el..."; Devocionario de piedad franciscana, breve y completo, a la vez, dedicado particularmente a los hijos de la V. O. T. (Barcelona: Biblioteca Franciscana; Jose Vilamala, 2d ed., 1929), 117-119.] It contains a simple Transitus, not in Latin but only in the vernacular. Three familiar elements make up the rite. The antiphon, "Oh, alma sant�ree;sima," is followed simply by the versicle, "Francisco, pobre y humilde, entra rico en el cielo," and the response, "Con celestiales himnos es honrado," without the entire text of the hymn, "Salve, sancte Pater." The familiar oration concludes the ritual. These three components are prefaced with a suggestion to include other prayers and litanies which are found within the same devotional book. This points to the fluidity and unfixed character of the rite in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking countries which used this prayer book.

The Manuale Chori or Manual of Prayers of the Capuchin Province of St. Joseph in the United States [(New York and Cincinnati: Typis Frederick Pustet Co., 1933).] includes "In Transitu S.P.N. Francisci (die 4 Octobris)" which is a copy of the rite from the Rituale Romano-Seraphicum of 1910 with embellished Latin directives and a brief English introduction which specifies the logistics of the rite. [Ibid., 57-59.] A curious addition concludes that introduction: "After the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament the relic is offered to the Friars and the faithful for veneration." [Ibid., 57.] This practice of Benediction is reminiscent of the 1899 Belgian rite. However, it appears as only a suggestion in the Belgian rite [See n. 000 above.] whereas it is clearly a directive and even presupposed in this 1933 North American rite.

The 1934 edition of the Manuale Precum [(Americae Septentrionalis, 1934).] for the North American Holy Name Province of Friars Minor contains the same ritual as its 1915 edition which was a reproduction of the rite in the 1910 Rituale. Likewise, the 1953 edition of the same prayer book for the North American St. John the Baptist Province of Friars Minor replicates that rite. [(Americae Septentrionalis, 1953).] Another Tertiary's prayer book of 1941, Blessed Saint Francis: A Distinctive Tertiary Prayer Book, [Lucian Gallagher, O.F.M., ed. (Boston: Pine Press, 1941), 235-238.] includes essentially the 1910 Rituale with an English translation. Unlike the early Tertiary's devotional book of 1923 [See n. 000 above.] which did not contain the Transitus, the 1941 prayer book values the ritual as part of the Secular Franciscans' spirituality. The 1942 publication of the Franciscan Supplement to the Daily Missal by St. Anthony Guild Press [(Paterson, NJ: St. Anthony Guild Press, 1942).] shows no sign of the Transitus. However, it includes proper prayers for the Mass on October 3 to commemorate "The Transference of the Body of St. Clare." [Ibid., 251-252.] The Missale Romano-Seraphicum of the same year [Pro Tribus Ordinibus Sancti P. N. Francisci; approbatum auctoritate Pii Pp. X et Rmi P. Leonardi M. Bello, O.F.M. (Paterson, NJ: Societatis Sancti Antonii, 1942).] makes no mention of the Transitus. The unique contribution of this missal is the Vigil Mass for October 3 with proper prayer in honor of St. Francis. It is curious that none of its elements resemble the Transitus or make allusions to the saint's passing.

In 1943 the Piccolo Cerimoniale Romano-Serafico II [(Vicenza: Commissariato del Terz'ordine Francescano, Convento S. Lucia, 1943), 263.] simply refers to a part of the Transitus under the heading "Alla benedizione colle Reliquie" without further specification of the rite itself. An aside in smaller print than the comment on the blessing with the relic testifies to the time of celebration (on the evening of the third of October), the place where it takes place (at the shrine or chapel of St. Francis), and the singing of Psalm 142. It is here, for the first time, that mention is made of individual candles carried by each of the friars. [Ibid.] Whether candles were carried by other participants is not mentioned; it may be presumed that only the friars held them.

The Tertiary Ritual for Special Occasions [(St. Louis, MO: The Third Order of St. Francis in the United States, 1943)] was compiled for congregational use in 1943. The rite is comprised of the same elements as the Rituale Romano-Seraphicum of 1910: the antiphon, Psalm 142, the five Paters, Aves, and Glorias, the hymn with versicle and response, the closing oration and dismissal. The Latin text of each element is accompanied by an English translation. The rite begins and ends with the incensation of the relic and the blessing of the people with it. After the initial incensation, the directives specify that "all rise, holding lighted tapers" which are then extinguished after the final verse of Psalm 142. It is clear that the friars where not the only ones who carried tapers. Whether the veneration of the relic is done corporately or individually is not clear. The italicized text simply reads: "The celebrant again incenses the sacred relic and blesses the faithful with it." [Ibid., 20-27.]

The Capuchin Caeremoniale Romano-Seraphicum of 1944 [Donatus a Welle, ed. (Rome: Apud Curiam Generalem O.F.M., Cap., Via Boncompagni, 71, 1944).] witnesses to a highly liturgized rite with extensive specified detail regarding vesture, movement, and procedure. No musical notation is offered. The "Sacerdos" with the ministers make the proper reverence upon entry, and then all kneel. The text of the "O sanctissima anima" and Psalm 142 are given. The final verse of the psalm, "Educ de custodia," appears in capital letters to heighten that moment when Francis experienced his transitus. After the psalm's Gloria Patri, the antiphon is repeated. All kneel and recite five Paters, Aves, and Glorias. No mention is made of the arms' position during these prayers. All then stand and sing the "Salve, sancte Pater" after which all kneel once again while two cantors sing the versicle and response followed by the celebrant's oration. [Ibid., 528, n. 2756.]

The closing rite in this 1944 Capuchin Caeremoniale is of special significance. Although the ritual was open to all in the local church, the ordering of the assembly is clearly specified, that is, during the veneration of the relic, the friars go to the altar and the faithful go to the communion rail or to the chapel or side altar. During the veneration the priest makes an intercessory prayer in prescribed words over each person, [Ibid., 529, n. 2758.] the same formula as the 1915 Capuchin Rituale. [See n. 000.] When all have venerated the saint's relic, the priest, carrying the relic of the saint, returns to the sacristy with the ministers. [Ibid., n. 2759.] The third edition of the Cantuale Romano-Seraphicum of 1951 [Editio Tertia; aucta ac necnon adaptata a Eliseo Bruning, O.F.M., (Paris, Tournai, Rome: Desclee & Socii, 1951), 324-326.] follows the main lines of the ritual with familiar chant tones and possible alternations for all sung parts of the Transitus: the "O sanctissima anima," Psalm 142, the "Salve, sancte Pater," and the concluding versicles and responses. The few directives, though considerably simplified, are consistent with the previous rituals . No mention of the relic is made other than its incensation at the beginning of the ceremony.

Though not as detailed as the 1944 Capuchin Caeremoniale, the Franciscan Rituale Romano-Seraphicum of 1955 [Editio Tertia (Rome: Schola Typographica "Pax et Bonum," 1955), 233-236.] offers some specifics in its rather lengthy introductory and concluding remarks. Regarding the time of the ceremony itself, an explicit distinction is made for the first time between the Vigil of the Solemnity and the Solemnity itself. [Ibid., 233.] The friars are then instructed to gather at the shrine or altar of St. Francis with candles lit. [Ibid.] Recall the aside in the Piccolo Cerimoniale Romano-Serafica of 1943 regarding the friars carrying lit candles. That directive finds its way into this 1955 Rituale. The friars are to come together "candelos ardentes gestantes." The "celebrans" dressed in a white cope imposes incense in the thurible and blesses it in the customary way. After a profound bow of the head, he then incenses the relic of Francis "duplici ductu cum duplici ictu." All stand around Francis' altar and the cantors begin the antiphon, "O sanctissima anima," followed immediately by the intonation of Psalm 142. [Ibid.]

After the Gloria Patri, the antiphon is repeated and the candles extinguished. Five Paters, Aves, and Glorias are then recited. The standing assembly sings the "Salve, sancte Pater." All kneel while two cantors sing the versicle and response. Then the celebrant stands to sing the oration. After the cantors chant the closing versicles and response, the celebrant again imposes incense and blesses it, makes a profound bow, stands, incenses the relic "duplici ductu cum duplici ictu" and blesses the people with it. The friars and then the people venerate it with a kiss.

The popular 1961 Tertiary's Companion [Marion A. Habig, O.F.M., ed. (Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1961).] makes no mention of the Transitus. However, unlike the 1942 St. Anthony's Guild Franciscan Supplement [See n. 000.] which gives no hint of familiarity with the Transitus, the Franciscan Supplement to Dom Gasper Lefebvre's St. Andrew Daily Missal, both the 1958 and the 1961 editions, include the familiar ceremony of the Transitus with the Latin text and its English translation. [(Bruges: Liturgical Apostolate, 1958), 259-261 and (Bruges: Liturgical Publications, 1961), 242-244.] The introductory remarks move away from the usual functional and procedural directives and more toward an historical contextualization and didactic instruction which fulfills the primary purpose of informing the assembly of what is to come. The time for the ceremony is fixed on the evening of October 3; the Johannine gospel is mentioned in the opening remarks; the sacrificial character of Francis' death is alluded to; the singing of the "Voce mea" and the saint's expiration is retained as the climactic moment. [Ibid., 242.] The rite begins with the singing of Psalm 142; the "O sanctissima anima" follows only once after the psalm, unlike the previous practice of repeating it before and after the psalm. The five Paters, Aves, and Glorias are prayed while kneeling. This is followed with the singing of the "Salve, sancte Pater." Although the posture during the chanting of this antiphon is not made explicit, one presumes the assembly stood because the assembly is instructed to kneel before the antiphon's versicle and response which follows. The oration and the concluding versicles and responses close the ritual. The relic-action frames the rite and a sense of festivity returns. Closing instructions are put plainly and simply without ritual detail: "The celebrant now blesses the people with the relic which is afterwards venerated while the organ plays and the bells are rung." [Ibid., 244.] Concluding Remarks.

The earliest available Transitus rituals reflect one of two tendencies: the citing of texts ("O sanctissima anima," Psalm 142, and "Salve, sancte Pater") without rubrical instructions or the citing of these same texts with detailed rubrical instructions, or with rubrics which seem detailed but remain vague in significant areas such as designated ministerial roles, changing body postures, and the ordering of the assembly. The building up of local custom evidently complexified an originally simple ritual of psalm singing and relic veneration. Simplicity turned to pluriformity. It was only a matter of time before a need for uniformity arose to fix texts and rubrics so that all Franciscans might observe the same ritual word and action on the night before their founder's solemnity. Yet in the midst of this drive toward uniformity of expression, one must read through the vagueness of the rubrical instructions. Whether consciously or unconsciously, the early architects of the rite acknowledged consistent elements of the rite. They retained a familiar ritual structure. At the same time, they allowed freedom of interpretation and accommodation of local customs already in place.

To some readers, the exposition and analysis thus far may seem a painstaking and tedious exercise in delineating trivial ritual details. Nonetheless, important ritual patterns configure up to and including the era of the Second Vatican Council. The best way to address the issue of initial ritual development is to pose the question: What were the elements of the rite without which the Transitus would no longer be the Transitus? The data gathered from the sampling of available pre-conciliar rites helps us claim six consistent elements essential to the proper enactment of the rite: 1) the antiphon, "O sanctissima anima"; 2) Psalm 142, the "Voce mea"; 3) the hymn, "Salve, sancte Pater" with its versicle and response; 4) the closing oration; 5) the blessing with and the veneration of the relic of St. Francis; and 6) the presence of non-Franciscans. Only a few of these elements survive as essential in post-conciliar rites. The data also discloses that Franciscans tended to stabilize their ritual books, but in no way were intent on rigidifying ritual praxis. To cite a few examples: some rites testify to excessive rubrics while others give little if any instruction on the enactment of the rite; the use of candles is specified in some rites but not in others; Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is recommended and even presumed in some rites while not included in others. What is important for our study is to admit of clear variations in approach while acknowledging definite ritual patterns which developed and somewhat stabilized as the Church approached the threshold of the Second Vatican Council.

For many Franciscans of more mature years, the very mention of the "O sanctissima anima," the "Voce mea," and the "Salve, sancte Pater" trigger melodies and movements which evoke memories of what once constituted a significant part of Franciscan identity, that once-a-year-day when we sang those beautiful chants and honored that relic as a manifestation of the abiding personal presence of Francis of Assisi among us. The present author remembers the profound effect one ritual gesture had on him as a high-school boy in the minor seminary. Before venerating the relic, all the friars unfastened their sandle straps, approached the relic barefoot while genuflecting three times before kneeling to kiss it. This ritual movement does not show itself explicitly in any of the rituals reviewed here. Thus it serves as a good example of ways in which local custom often became the unwritten norm as well as the annual expectation for the proper celebration of the rite. One would not think of not doing it this way!

But, of course, time changes meanings. When meanings change, rituals shift to create forms carrying a new world of meaning for a new generation of Franciscans. Before part two of this article reaches the light of day in a future issue of the Cord, most of the readers of this first part will have already celebrated their own community's annual commemoration of the passing of Francis. If the reader has not yet celebrated the Transitus, or if its recent celebration is still fresh in the reader's mind and heart, entertain the following questions in your own thought and prayer as a way to prepare for the reading of this article's second part: 1) What were your expectations of the Transitus this year?; 2) What helped you pray? What left you uncomfortable, uneasy?; 3) What do you think the rite is trying to say about Franciscans? about St. Francis?; 4) How is it that people come together every year to do this?; and 5) Did you feel like an observer or a participant in the rite?

To close this first part of the essay, an insight from the cultural anthropologist, Joseph Campbell, may motivate and mobilize our study and move our concerns forward. He reviews the key qualities of the life of the hero by looking to the critical moment of the hero's departure: "The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure. Here the whole sense of the life is epitomized. Needless to say, the hero would be no hero if death held for him any terror; the first condition is reconciliation with the grave." [The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Princeton, NJ: University Press, 2d ed., 1968), 356.] The last act in the life of Francis tells of his final moments. Once reconciled with the grave, he embraces Sister Death and passes from life into Life. In the annual ritualization of his passing, his death story is retold. In the act of his dying, his entire life is summed up; its meaning for our Franciscan lives is intensified for another year of Christian living. His followers ritually revisit the story of the charismatic founder and specify its final moment. We intensify the memory of the ways his life initially inspired our own, however long ago. Once again we find new reasons to remain faithful to the same gospel task of conformity to Christ. Does our current use of the rite, however avant garde or traditional it may be, help us acknowledge these realities and accomplish these ends?

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