Pontifical of Archbishop Chichele: the Order for Purifying a Woman (English) (the pontifical of Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury 1414–1443 (Trinity College, Cambridge))

The Bishop at the Church Door

The Order for purifying a woman.

First let the bishop vest himself as for a double feast in the place prepared for him, and having put on the cope with the mitre and taken the pastoral staff, let him go to the door of the church, holy water and two candle-bearers going before him; and as he goes with his ministers let him say the psalms following:

The Psalms at the Door

I have lifted up mine eyes [Levavi oculos meos] (Psalm 121). To thee have I lifted up mine eyes [Ad te levavi oculos meos] (Psalm 123), with Glory be to the Father.

[Psalm 121 (Vulgate 120), supplied in full:] I have lifted up mine eyes unto the mountains: from whence help shall come to me.

My help is from the Lord: who made heaven and earth.

May he not suffer thy foot to be moved: neither let him slumber that keepeth thee.

Behold, he shall neither slumber nor sleep: that keepeth Israel.

The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy protection upon thy right hand.

The sun shall not burn thee by day: nor the moon by night.

The Lord keepeth thee from all evil: may the Lord keep thy soul.

May the Lord keep thy coming in and thy going out: from henceforth now and for ever.

Glory be to the Father. As it was.

[Psalm 123 (Vulgate 122), supplied in full:] To thee have I lifted up mine eyes: who dwellest in heaven.

Behold, as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters: as the eyes of the handmaid are on the hands of her mistress, so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until he have mercy on us.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us: for we are greatly filled with contempt.

For our soul is greatly filled: we are a reproach to the rich, and contempt to the proud.

Glory be to the Father. As it was.

The Lesser Litany and Suffrages

And let him add: Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Our Father. And lead us not.

Be unto her, O Lord, a tower of strength: from the face of the enemy.

Save, O Lord, thy handmaid: my God, who putteth her trust in thee.

Send her help from the holy place: and defend her out of Sion.

O Lord, hear. And let my cry.

The Lord be with you. Let us pray.

The Collect

Almighty, everlasting God, who hast delivered this woman from the peril of childbirth: make her to be devout to thee in thy service; that, having faithfully finished her temporal course, and resting continually under the wings of thy mercy, she may obtain everlasting quiet. Through Christ.

The Entry into the Church

Then let him sprinkle her with holy water, saying: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

This done, the bishop, taking the woman by the right hand in his hand, shall bring her into the church, saying thus:

Enter into the temple of the living God, and pray to the Son of the Virgin Mary, who hath given thee the fruitfulness of bearing offspring, that he grant thee life eternal, and that thou mayest live for ever and ever. Amen.

At the Altar

Then let the bishop with his ministers go before the woman thus brought in, as far as the altar, where Mass is to be solemnly celebrated; and as he goes let him say with his ministers these psalms: May God have mercy on us [Deus misereatur] (Psalm 67). Blessed are all they that fear the Lord [Beati omnes qui timent Dominum] (Psalm 128), with Glory be to the Father.

[Psalm 67 (Vulgate 66), supplied in full:] May God have mercy on us, and bless us: may he cause the light of his countenance to shine upon us, and may he have mercy on us.

That we may know thy way upon earth: thy salvation in all nations.

Let the people confess to thee, O God: let all the people give praise to thee.

Let the nations be glad and rejoice: for thou judgest the people with justice, and directest the nations upon earth.

Let the people, O God, confess to thee: let all the people give praise to thee.

The earth hath yielded her fruit: may God, our God, bless us.

May God bless us: and all the ends of the earth fear him.

Glory be to the Father. As it was.

[Psalm 128 (Vulgate 127), supplied in full:] Blessed are all they that fear the Lord: that walk in his ways.

For thou shalt eat the labours of thy hands: blessed art thou, and it shall be well with thee.

Thy wife as a fruitful vine: on the sides of thy house.

Thy children as olive plants: round about thy table.

Behold, thus shall the man be blessed: that feareth the Lord.

May the Lord bless thee out of Sion: and mayest thou see the good things of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.

And mayest thou see thy children's children: peace upon Israel.

Glory be to the Father. As it was.

And let him add: Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Our Father. And lead us not. But deliver us. Save. My God. Send her. And out of Sion. Be unto her. From the face. O Lord, hear. And let my cry. The Lord be with you. And with thy spirit.

Let us pray. Almighty, everlasting God, we humbly beseech thy majesty, that as thine only-begotten Son was presented in the temple in the substance of our flesh, so thou wouldest mercifully cause this woman, purified after childbirth, to be presented to thee, death being overcome. Through Christ.

The Blessed Bread and the Rubric on Purification

Then let the bishop proceed in the Mass. When it is said, let him bless bread in this manner: Bless ye. Answer. The Lord.

Bless, O Lord, this creature of bread, as thou didst bless the five loaves in the wilderness, that all who taste of it may receive health both of body and of soul. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Then going to the woman let him give her the bread, and having given his blessing, let all depart in peace.

Note that women after the birth of offspring, whenever they will enter the church to give thanks, may be purified, and are not therefore burdened with any weight of sin: nor is entry into the churches to be denied them, lest their punishment seem to be turned into a fault. If nevertheless out of reverence they wish to abstain for a while, we do not think their devotion is to be disapproved.