Additional Prayer in the Canon of the Mass from the 1025 Subiaco Missal

 The 1025 Subiaco Missal is an interesting and important liturgical manuscript, as it provides a testimony of the liturgical practices of one of the centres of Benedictine Monasticism.  It is also known at Vat. Lat. 4770, and can be found in digitized form; here will look at the form the Canon of the Mass had at Subiaco.

After the "Supplices Te rogamus Omnipotens Deus"  prayer, is the following text  (a clearer version is printed here):

"Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, dignare suscipere hanc oblationem et hunc sacrificum, quas ego peccator presumo offero in memoriam incarnationisque nativitatis, resurrectionis, ascensionis, in honore beate et gloriose semper virginis Dei genitricis Marie sanctorumque omnium archangelorum, patriarcharum, prophetarum, apostolorum, martyrum, et confessorum, et virginum, et omnium sanctorum tuorum et eus ad quorum honore in isto altario reliquie habentur et cuius hodie festa celebrantur et pro me misero preccatore et pro omnes meos parentes et pro omnibus benefactoribus meis, ut et ipsi pro nobis omnibus dignentur intercedere in celis, cuius memoria facimus in terris. Per Christum Dominum nostrum."

The following is my brief translation of this text:

"Almighty Eternal God, do Thou deign to receive this Oblation and this Sacrifice, which I, a sinner, presume to offer in  Commemoration of the Incarnation, Nativity, Resurrection, and Ascension, and in honour of the Blessed and Glorious Ever-Virgin Birthgiver of God Mary, and of All the Saints, and of all the Archangels, Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, Virgins, and all Thy Saints, and those to whose honour in this Altar have Relics and those whose feasts are celebrated today and on behalf of me, a miserable sinner, and for all mine ancestors, and for all my benefactors, that they may be deigned worth to intercede for us all in the heavens, whose memorial we make upon the Earth.  Through Christ Our Lord."

The text itself is more reminiscent, in my view, of the various "Suscipe, Sancta Trinitas" prayers said by the Priest at the Offertory.  In other ancient Missals and Sacramentaries, such as that of Robert of Jumieges, we often see another text after the "Supplices Te" text, such as "Memento mei queso".

In this sense, the Canon of the Mass, for a large number of medieval usages, existed as a basic standard; those, local usages could be found that had additional text inserted in certain places.