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This Is the Mass

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Nihil Obstat - Joseph H. Brady, S.T.D. Censor Librorum
Imprimatur - Thomas A. Boland, S.T.D. Archbishop of Newark, January 14, 1958


Three world-famous figures have combined their talents to produce this beautiful book dedicated to a greater understanding of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Daniel-Rops, member of the French Academy and outstanding Catholic author, has written a text describing each step of the Mass, its history and its significance, and has added to this a series of beautiful prayers for the use of the reader in his or her own devotions.

Bishop Sheen, whose books, television and radio appearances and present work as National Director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith have made him one of America's best-known and best-loved Catholic figures, has posed for the photographs illustrating the celebration of the Mass and has prepared an introduction which is in itself a major contribution to the understanding of the Holy Sacrifice.

Karsh of Ottawa, great portrait photographer and artist of the camera, has photographed Bishop Sheen celebrating the Mass in his own lovely private chapel, with a frontispiece in full color and thirty magnificent black and white photographs.

And the work of all three has been combined and presented in a style and format which makes this book unquestionably the most beautiful ever produced on its subject. Handsomely designed by Ernst Reichl, carefully printed by a special process designed for faithful reproduction of the lights and shadows of the Karsh photographs, it is a triumph of book production.

The translation of Daniel-Rops' original French text is by Alastair Guinan, who has also supplied scholarly annotations especially helpful to those who wish to study the subject further.

When the original version of Daniel-Rops' book was published in France, His Holiness, Pope Pius XII, directed the present Archbishop Montini of Milan, then Vatican Assistant Secretary of State, to write to Daniel-Rops "to tell you that he is well pleased with the book in which you...communicate...the Christian spirit by explaining to your readers the meaning and significance of the various parts of the Mass...His Holiness trusts that your book will convey to its readers those insights which will help them to a fuller sharing in the Holy Sacrifice."

159 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1959

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About the author

Henri Daniel-Rops

391 books40 followers
Daniel-Rops (Henri Petiot's literary pseudonym) was born in Épinal in 1901 and died in Chambéry in 1965. He was professor of history and director of Ecclesiae magazine (Paris), and became world-famous mainly for works of historiography: (1943), Jesus in his time (1945), and the ten volumes of the History of the Church of Christ (1948 - 1965). He has also authored several essays, works of children's literature and historical novels, among which are Death, where is your victory? (1934) and The Sword of Fire (1938). He was a voter for the French Academy in 1955.

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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Profile Image for G.
Author 37 books208 followers
August 26, 2020
Ensayo sobre la simbología del Rito Tridentino o Romano Tradicional. El tono es de fuerte religiosidad. Sin embargo, todo el tiempo se nota el esfuerzo que hace el autor por frenar su ímpetu de historiador mezclado con esa tempestad narrativa mal llevada que se detecta en el sino del novelista. ¿Qué dirá de Rimbaud? Además de novelas y trabajos voluminosos de historia religiosa, Daniel Rops -Henri Petiot- escribió sobre Rimbaud. A conseguir ese raro libro.
Profile Image for Delmma Vazquez.
56 reviews2 followers
March 22, 2024
Currently in the RCIA program, to convert to Catholicism.
This book gives breaks down the components of the celebration of Mass.
Short, digestible, yet there is depth to the explanations.
Interspersed is poetry.
Historical context given to the various parts, and how they came to be incorporated into its current form.
I participated in the Rite of Acceptance in Peoria, where the Celebrant photographed in this Book, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen is entombed.
It has been a long strange trip exploring different faith traditions and belief systems after being born into a cult and fading out in my late teens.
I had a problem with patriarchal religion for a Long time.
My gentle, loving Mother-in-Law (yes they do exist) before she passed away encouraged me to look to Mary as a Mother Figure to heal trauma from my mother. I learned to do my Ave Marias in Latin.
To Jesus through Mary.
Having Special Needs children that will require full time attention for the rest of my days, recharging and decompression is imperatively necessary.
Lighting a candle, and kneeling with a rosary in a quiet Eucharistic Adoration, with incense filling the air just feels Right to me. Burdens melt away. Serenity envelops me at last.
Profile Image for Stephen Heiner.
Author 4 books123 followers
April 30, 2020
A book that is at once scholarly and devotional. My only quibble is that Daniel-Rops displays some sympathy for the modernist wing of the liturgical movement, in full bloom in 1958 when this was published, though I am sure that had he known where it would go, he would have reconsidered those sympathies.

The photos by Yousuf Karsh are also a beautiful addition to the text.

"It is by the shedding of blood in reparation that man has ever appeased supernatural power...without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin." (p. 121)
Profile Image for Susannah.
202 reviews1 follower
November 22, 2024
Beautiful classic that breaks down the important pieces of the Eucharistic Celebration. Illustrated with beautiful photos of the greats liks Fulton Sheen. Highly recommend it. Not sure if this title is still in print. I was blessed to find this book in the LA public library. If you're looking for a Eucharistic Revival in your home, you might try having this book (if you're in the area or if you have this title available in your local library) to refresh the majesty behind the Mass for your little ones. Hope they keep it on the shelf everywhere!
1,713 reviews20 followers
December 13, 2022
If I took a shot every time it misrepresented communism and made vague references to unsubstantiated historical claims, I would have to get my stomach pumped.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews