The Celtic Rite: A Brief History

Of the rites and liturgies I will cover in this series, the least is known of the Celtic rite. There is little concrete evidence for the nature of the rite. The term "Celtic Rite" includes the liturgy of Britain, Ireland, Brittany, and monasteries and churches founded by British and Irish missionaries.

There is no liturgical evidence of the Celtic Rite prior to the fifth century, and while there is no defined end of its existence, it is known that the church in Britain and Ireland accepted the Anglo-Roman Rite at the Synod of Cashel in 1172, thereby indicating that the Celtic rite had certainly disappeared by this date.

The British church was certainly in existence as an organized entity in the fourth century, as is evidenced by the presence of its bishops at the Council of Arles in 314 and Rimini Court in 359. In the early years, it appears that the British church was closely linked to the Church of Gaul.

The earliest evidence we have seems to define the Celtic Rite as a variant of the Roman Rite; however, there are also noticeable differences. The clearest difference, as many people may know, was the date of Easter. Prior to 457, the British and Roman Churches agreed on the dating of Easter; however, the British church did not accept and incorporate changes made by the Roman church to the church calendar until the seventh century. There are also notable differences in the monastic tonsure of the Roman and Celtic churches, and in baptismal practices.

The few manuscripts extant today that describe the service of the Mass reveal a Mass derived from many sources, including the Gallican and Roman rites. The Mass begins with the Confession of sins, goes on to include a litany of the saints and a number of prayers. The chalice of wine was prepared prior to the introit into the church, as was common practice in both the East and West. Prayers, canticles and gospel readings followed the introit. There are, in the prayers and canticles that make up the service, numerous differences between the Celtic rite and both the Gallican and Roman rites.

For more information, please see http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03493a.h... and http://www.cushnieent.force9.co.uk/backg...

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