ROMAN MISSAL OF THE 18th CENTURY

The Missal is beautifully bound with silver clasps and silver medallions and corners. It dates from 1773 but is the Missal of Saint Pius V, the Pope who, through the Council of Trent in the XVIth century, reformed the Catholic Church, which was adrift and under attack from the Protestants. The Missal imposed the same texts throughout the Church.

On the title page, Popes sign with the humble phrase “servus servorum Dei”, i.e. the servant of God’s servants, in stark contrast to the titles that some clerics in today’s church arrogate to themselves.