Requiem

The Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known formally (in Latin) as the Missa pro defunctis or Missa defunctorum, is a liturgical service of the Roman Catholic Church and its Eastern Rite. It is sometimes observed by other denominations of Christianity in other forms such as the Church of England and Eastern Orthodoxy.

The Roman Catholic service

This use of the word requiem comes from the opening words of the Introit: Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. (Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, and may everlasting light shine upon them.) The requiem mass differs from the ordinary mass in omitting certain joyful passages such as the Gloria, Credo, and Alleluia, and by the addition the sequence Dies Iræ.

Related Topics:
Introit - Dies Iræ

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The regular texts of the musical portions to be found in the Roman Catholic liturgy, laid down at the Tridentine Council, are the following:

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• Introit:

::Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Te decet hymnus Deus, in Sion, et tibi reddetur votum in Ierusalem. Exaudi orationem meam; ad te omnis caro veniet.

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:::("Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, and may everlasting light shine upon them. A hymn becometh thee, O God, in Zion, and unto thee a vow shall be repaid in Jerusalem. Hear my prayer; unto thee all flesh shall come.")

Related Topics:
Zion - Jerusalem

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• Kyrie eleison, as the Kyrie the Ordinary of the Mass:

::Kyrie eleison; Christe eleison; Kyrie eleison (Κυριε ελεησον; Χριστε ελεησον; Κυριε ελεησον).

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:::This is Greek for "Lord have mercy on us; Christ, have mercy on us; Lord, have mercy on us." Traditionally each utterance is sung three times.

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• Gradual:

::Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine; In memoria æterna erit iustus ab auditione mala non timebit.

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:::("Grant them eternal rest, O Lord. He shall be justified in everlasting memory, and shall not fear evil reports.")

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• Tract:

::Absolve Domine animas omnium fidelium defunctorum ab omno vinculo delictorum et gratia tua illis succurente mereantur evadere iudicium ultionis, et lucis æterne beatitudine perfrui.

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:::("Forgive, O Lord, the souls of all the faithful departed from all the chains of their sins and may they deserve to avoid the judgment of revenge by your fostering grace, and enjoy the blessedness of everlasting light.")

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• Sequence: Dies iræ, dies illa (See Dies Iræ for full text)
• Offertory:

::Domine, Iesu Christe, Rex gloriæ, libera animas omnium fidelium defunctorum de poenis inferni et de profundo lacu. Libera eas de ore leonis, ne absorbeat eas tartarus, ne cadant in obscurum; sed signifer sanctus Michael repræsentet eas in lucem sanctam, quam olim Abrahæ promisisti et semini eius.

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:::("Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory, free the souls of all the faithful departed from infernal punishment and the deep pit. Free them from the mouth of the lion; do not let Tartarus swallow them, nor let them fall into darkness; but may the sign-bearer, St Michael, lead them into the holy light which you promised to Abraham and his seed.")

Related Topics:
Tartarus - Sign-bearer - Michael

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::Hostias et preces tibi, Domine, laudis offerimus; tu suscipe pro animabus illis, quarum hodie memoriam facimus. Fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam. Quam olim Abrahæ promisisti et semini eius.

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:::("O Lord, we offer you sacrifices and prayers in praise; accept them on behalf of the souls whom we remember today. Make them pass over from death to life, as you promised Abraham and his seed.")

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• Sanctus, as the Sanctus prayer in the Ordinary of the Mass:

::Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Domine Deus Sabaoth; pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua.

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:::("Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts; Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory").

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::Hosanna in excelsis.

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:::("Hosanna in the highest").

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::Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.

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:::("Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord").

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::Hosanna in excelsis. (reprise)

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• Agnus Dei, text as the Agnus Dei in the Ordinary of the Mass, but with the petitions miserere nobis changed to dona eis requiem, and dona nobis pacem to dona eis requiem sempiternam:

::Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem,

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::Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem,

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::Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem sempiternam.

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:::("Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, grant them rest, ... grant them rest eternal.").

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• Communion:

::Lux æterna luceat eis, Domine, cum sanctis tuis in æternum, quia pius es. Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine; et lux perpetua luceat eis.

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:::("May everlasting light shine upon them, O Lord, with thy saints in eternity, for thou art merciful. Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, and may everlasting light shine upon them.")

Related Topics:
Saint - Eternity

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As with penitential seasons for the regular mass, the Gloria (from the Ordinary) and Alleluia (from the Proper) are omitted in the Requiem as well, as these are viewed as being overly joyful texts (the Alleluia being replaced by the Tract). Likewise, the Credo (sometimes omitted from the Ordinary of the Mass) is not used in the Requiem. The Dies irae has been rendered optional in the Requiem since the Second Vatican Council.

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