Side altars

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Pardon my ignorance, but could someone explain the history and purpose of side alters that are found in older Churches next to the high altar? I visited an old historic Church yesterday and it really had me wondering. Thanks!
 
Concelebration was not possible
All priests have to say Mass once a day
There are not enough Masses especially during weekdays

=

Side altars
 
ConstantineTG said:
Concelebration was not possible
All priests have to say Mass once a day
There are not enough Masses especially during weekdays

=

Side altars
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Aaaaaah…I gotcha. When it would’ve been more common to have multiple Priests at a Parish.
 
ConstantineTG, was concelebration suppressed sometime in history and revived at Vatican II, or was it something created by Vatican II? I’ve often wondered about that. 🙂
 
GloriousOrder said:
ConstantineTG, was concelebration suppressed sometime in history and revived at Vatican II, or was it something created by Vatican II? I’ve often wondered about that. 🙂
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Not sure. I’m thinking its more because of the nature of the Latin Rite altar, that is why it was not possible. 2 months ago I served at a Divine Liturgy that had our Bishop and 9 priests all around the Holy Table. Its easy to concelebrate with a free standing altar than one thats against a wall. So with a bishop and 9 priests, everyone gets what the want because the bishop was facing ad orientem while a couple of the priests were facing versus populum 😃
 
GloriousOrder said:
ConstantineTG, was concelebration suppressed sometime in history and revived at Vatican II, or was it something created by Vatican II? I’ve often wondered about that. 🙂
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It was actually revived, from what I understand, by Vatican II.
 
YoungTradCath said:
It was actually revived, from what I understand, by Vatican II.
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I think his question was, if concelebration was done in the Latin Rite prior to Vatican II. I myself am not sure, but I think some time in the past it was.
 
ConstantineTG said:
I think his question was, if concelebration was done in the Latin Rite prior to Vatican II. I myself am not sure, but I think some time in the past it was.
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The short answer to that would be no.

During Tridentine Episcopal Ordination masses, the two co-consecrators do recite the words of mass along with the principal consecrator, just as in Novus Ordo Episcopal Ordination masses. However, this is the only time anything close to concelebration would occur prior to Vatican II. Or, to be more correct, before His Holiness’s promulgation of the 1970 Missale (as this occurred after Vatican II).
 
They also serve the purpose of venerating Saints, as sometimes side altars are dedicated to such as Saint, like St Damien or St Thomas, who maybe patron of the Province/County/Country and then patron of the Town or Parish.
 
LoyalViews said:
They also serve the purpose of venerating Saints, as sometimes side altars are dedicated to such as Saint, like St Damien or St Thomas, who maybe patron of the Province/County/Country and then patron of the Town or Parish.
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This is true. The church I have attended the Tridentine mass at has four side altars. Two of these have full skeletal remains, dressed in vestments, of third century saints behind glass at the bottoms of the altars. The church is magnificent, And, that is just really cool.
 
YoungTradCath said:
The short answer to that would be no.

During Tridentine Episcopal Ordination masses, the two co-consecrators do recite the words of mass along with the principal consecrator, just as in Novus Ordo Episcopal Ordination masses. However, this is the only time anything close to concelebration would occur prior to Vatican II. Or, to be more correct, before His Holiness’s promulgation of the 1970 Missale (as this occurred after Vatican II).
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There is a long history of the Church prior to Trent which is part of the question. If it didn’t happen between Trent and Vatican II, then did it happen prior to Trent?
 
ConstantineTG said:
There is a long history of the Church prior to Trent which is part of the question. If it didn’t happen between Trent and Vatican II, then did it happen prior to Trent?
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Well I suppose I shall amend my statement. From Trent to 1970, concelebration was NOT a general practice, and there was no provision for it.

From 33 to 1570, I have no clue.
 
YoungTradCath said:
This is true. The church I have attended the Tridentine mass at has four side altars. Two of these have full skeletal remains, dressed in vestments, of third century saints behind glass at the bottoms of the altars. The church is magnificent, And, that is just really cool.
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Where is this? I am outside of Atlanta and would love to worship there.

-Tim-
 
At our parish, this past Christmas Eve, all the priests (after Midnight Mass concluded) went to the side altars and said the Shepherd’s Mass. I missed it!!! 😦 But I heard it was so wonderful to hear and see Mass being said simultaneously at all the altars in the Church.

So this year, we will stay a bit longer to make sure we don’t miss this once a year happening.

😉

~Liza
 
It is sad that the new code of Canon Law (Can: 902) prohibits Mass being said simutaniously and instead mandates concelebration sighs 😦 It would be lovely to see it more oftern.
 
YoungTradCath said:
This is true. The church I have attended the Tridentine mass at has four side altars. Two of these have full skeletal remains, dressed in vestments, of third century saints behind glass at the bottoms of the altars. The church is magnificent, And, that is just really cool.
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According to the web site for that church those “remains” are statues, NOT skeletons.
 
I think that the side altars are there so that priests could say private Masses… they still do this in the Latin Mass churches I think
 
lizaanne said:
At our parish, this past Christmas Eve, all the priests (after Midnight Mass concluded) went to the side altars and said the Shepherd’s Mass.
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Was it common prior to Vatican II for multiple Masses to be going on simultaneously? Was this just for a priests private Mass?
 
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