What is the Secret Prayer?

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valient_Lucy

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I’ve heard that in the Traditional Latin Mass the priest says the Secret Prayer. What does that mean?
 
As I remember, it is simply a prayer that is said quietly by the priest, not loudly enough for the congregation to hear. But it is not really secret, as it is printed in any missal that you can buy…👋
 
The Secret (Secreta, sc. oratio secreta) is the prayer said in a low voice by the celebrant at the end of the offertory in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Liturgy. It is said in a low voice merely because at the same time the choir sings the same secreta prayer the priest is praying silently, and it has inherited the special name of Secret as being the only prayer said in that way at the beginning.

The same is as per the prayers at the foot of the altar- they are said silently because the schola is chanting the Introit at that time.

Ken
 
It is called The Prayer Over the Gifts in the Ordinary Form of the Mass.
 
kleary said:
The Secret (Secreta, sc. oratio secreta) is the prayer said in a low voice by the celebrant at the end of the offertory in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Liturgy. It is said in a low voice merely because at the same time the choir sings the same secreta prayer the priest is praying silently, and it has inherited the special name of Secret as being the only prayer said in that way at the beginning.
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No, that is the Offertory antiphon.

The Secreta belongs to the prayers that are said by the priest alone, and the choir, or anyone else, should not be singing or reciting it.

As the previous poster indicated, in the NO it is titled the Super oblata, or in the English sacramentary, the Prayer over the Gifts
 
That’s one of those unfortunate linguistic circumstances. “Secret” in Latin mainly means “separate”. So the Priest is saying in essence “may THIS bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ”, as opposed to the bread and wine that may be present in a cupboard in the sacristy, or anywhere else.

Way down on the list of possible translations is the English word “secret” (something hidden). It makes sense, sort of. If you had a number of close friends, but only one of them knew some hidden fact (a secret) about you, that friend would be in a separate category from the rest, and you might feel differently about them. Or if you had a hidden stash of money behind a picture at home, you’d look at that picture a little differently than the others in your house.
 
valient_Lucy said:
I’ve heard that in the Traditional Latin Mass the priest says the Secret Prayer. What does that mean?
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The Secret is a prayer the Priest says (silently, hence the name) at the end of the Offertory, just before the Preface and the Sanctus.

At first, it was the only prayer during the whole Offertory, before the Offertory prayers of the consecration of the Host and the Wine were added into the Mass (this happened only around the 14th century in Rome). It was said in a low voice since around this time the Choir is singing the Offertory Verse; thus, it was originally the only prayer in the Mass said in a low voice; the Canon only coming to be recited silently around the 6th-7th century.

At the Ordinary Form (Pauline Mass), the Secret is still in the same place it always occupied; however, as the prayer is no longer said secretly, the name of the prayer was changed to ‘Oratio super Oblata’ (Prayer over the Gifts).
 
It is the single best test of whether an antagonistic poster is merely posing as a Catholic. They will say “I was an altar boy before Vatican II, I even know the Secret Prayers!”.

Bingo. Poser.
 
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