VATICAN CITY, APRIL 30, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Here is a Vatican note that reveals the details of the beatification Mass for Pope John Paul II, which will take place Sunday in Rome.
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Beginning at 9:00am, there will be a period of preparation for the Eucharistic celebration accompanied by the Choir of the Diocese of Rome conducted by Msgr. Marco Frisina. Texts in different languages will be read by members of the Postulation who have worked on the process of John Paul II’s beatification these past years. As the beatification falls on the Second Sunday of Easter, or Divine Mercy Sunday, the Divine Mercy Devotion will be recited in different languages during this time. The image of Divine Mercy, carried from the church of Santo Spirito in Sassia, will be present in front of the Basilica until the beginning of Mass.
The celebration has the typical characteristics of beatification ceremonies. Thus, the rite occurs during Holy Mass, immediately after the Introductory Rites and the Penitential Act. Cardinal Agostino Vallini, His Holiness’s Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome, will ask that the beatification of Servant of God John Paul II proceed. He will then read some biographical notes on the Servant of God.
Immediately afterward the Holy Father will pronounce the formula of beatification. Then the relics of the newly Blessed will be placed on the altar while his image is unveiled from the central loggia of the Vatican Basilica. At the end of the rite, Cardinal Vallini will thank the Holy Father and, together with the postulator, will approach the Pope for the sign of peace. Holy Mass then continues with the sung Gloria.
At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, the Holy Father, together with the concelebrating cardinals, will go inside the Basilica for an act of veneration before the body of the newly Blessed. After that the present authorities and the bishops will venerate the body and then the other faithful present will also be able to offer their veneration.
A Few Details
— The cardinals, along with Msgr. Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki, John Paul II’s second personal secretary from 1995 until 2005, will concelebrate with the Holy Father.
— The entrance procession will start from the Bronze Door and pass through the central aisle of St. Peter’s Square.
— The chalice that will be used by the Holy Father is the one John Paul II regularly used during the last years of his pontificate.
— The chasuble and the miter that will be worn by the Holy Father were made during the pontificate of John Paul II and were often used by him.
— The image on the tapestry hung from the basilica’s central loggia, which will be unveiled at the moment of beatification, comes from a photograph of John Paul II taken in 1995.
— The relic that will be exhibited for the veneration of the faithful is a small ampoule of blood placed in a precious reliquary expressly prepared by the Office for Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff for the occasion (see notice from the Press Office). The relic will be brought to the altar by some of the youth of the Diocese of Rome, by Sr. Tobiana of the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus who served in the papal apartments throughout John Paul II’s pontificate, and by the sister who was miraculously cured by the new Blessed, Sr. Marie Simon-Pierre of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of Catholic Maternity, along with youth from her diocese.
— The floral decorations in the square are a gift from the region of Puglia and the Coop Project 2000 Society, Polifor of Ravenna, Italy, the Association of Nurseries of Pistoia, and Interflora Italia.
— The music is performed by the Pontifical Musical Chorus of the Sistine Chapel accompanied by the Orchestra of the Santa Cecila Conservatory and the Choir of the Diocese of Rome.
— The liturgical service is provided by the seminarians of the Major Roman Seminary. The deacons are this year’s candidates for the priesthood for the Diocese of Rome.
