The Traditional Latin Mass - Part X - The Roman Canon - Part V
The Memento of the Dead, “Nobis quoque peccatoribus,” the Doxology, and the Completion of the Canon’s Sacrificial Offering
I. The Canon Nears Completion — Christ the Victim Is Present, Offered, and Awaiting the Communion of His People
After the prayers Unde et memores, Supra quae, and Supplices te rogamus, the Church has:
made present the Sacrifice,
offered it to the Father,
united it to the heavenly liturgy, and
called upon the angels to bear it aloft.
But the Canon is not yet complete until the Church prays:
For the dead
For herself as a community of sinners
Through a final doxology of praise to the Trinity
These final prayers seal the Sacrifice.
II. The “Memento etiam, Domine” — The Prayer for the Dead
The priest now pauses to pray in silence for the faithful departed.
The prayer begins:
“Remember also, O Lord, Thy servants and handmaids who have gone before us with the sign of faith and sleep the sleep of peace.”
A. Why Pray for the Dead During the Sacrifice?
Because the Mass is the most effective intercession for souls in Purgatory.
The Church has always taught that the departed benefit from the Sacrifice:
Maccabees speaks of prayers for the dead (2 Macc. 12:46).
St. Augustine offered Mass for his mother, St. Monica, at her request.[1]
St. Cyril of Jerusalem taught that the Eucharistic Sacrifice “greatly helps the souls for whom it is offered.”[2]
This moment expresses the communion of saints:
Church Militant (us)
Church Suffering (the departed)
Church Triumphant (listed earlier in the Canon)
B. “Place of Refreshment, Light, and Peace”
The priest continues:
“To these, and to all who rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, and peace.”
The Fathers describe Purgatory using these same three images:
refreshment (relief from pain),
light (removal of ignorance and sin’s darkness),
peace (union with God approaching completion).
This petition stands on Christ’s promise:
“The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God.” (John 5:25)
And that voice is heard most powerfully in the Mass.
III. “Nobis quoque peccatoribus” — The Priest Confesses His Own Sinfulness
This prayer is unique.
Unlike most of the Canon, it is spoken audibly, allowing the faithful to hear the priest refer to himself as a sinner:
“Nobis quoque peccatoribus famulis tuis…”
“To us also, Thy sinful servants…”
The priest strikes his breast once, acknowledging his unworthiness.
A. Why Out Loud?
This audible humility serves three purposes:
It affirms that the priest is not above the faithful—he too needs the fruits of the Sacrifice.
It teaches that the Sacrifice is applied personally to the celebrant.
It echoes St. Paul’s confession:
“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the chief.” (1 Tim. 1:15)
St. Gregory the Great comments:
“The priest speaks aloud to show he stands with the people, not above them.”[3]
B. Prayer for Final Perseverance
The priest continues:
“…da propitius… partem aliquam et societatem…”
“…deign to grant some part and fellowship with Thy holy Apostles and Martyrs…”
He names:
John the Baptist
Stephen
Matthias
Barnabas
Ignatius
Alexander
Marcellinus
Peter
Felicitas
Perpetua
Agatha
Lucy
Agnes
Cecilia
Anastasia
These are saints universally honored in Rome by the 5th century—their inclusion affirms the unity of the Roman Church through apostolic witness and martyrdom.
IV. The Priest Extends His Hands Over the Gifts One Final Time
As he concludes Nobis quoque, the priest gestures in a circular motion over the Body and Blood of Christ. This gesture symbolizes:
Seal of the Sacrifice
Completion of the offering
Christ’s once-for-all death now made present in time
Aquinas explains that this gesture “collects the fruits of the Sacrifice for the Church.”[4]
V. The Final Doxology: The Sacrifice Is Offered to the Trinity
The priest lifts the Host and the Chalice together and says:
“Per ipsum, et cum ipso, et in ipso…”
“Through Him, and with Him, and in Him…”
This is the theological climax of the entire Canon.
A. Through Him
Because Christ alone is the mediator.
B. With Him
Because the Church offers herself united to Christ.
C. In Him
Because all worship of the Father is done in Christ, who is the eternal High Priest.
St. Paul teaches:
“In Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)
And:
“Through Him we have access to the Father.” (Eph. 2:18)
D. Unity with the Holy Ghost
The prayer concludes:
“…in the unity of the Holy Ghost…”
This echoes Christ’s High Priestly Prayer (John 17) and reveals that every Mass is a Trinitarian event:
Christ offers
The Spirit empowers
The Father receives
E. The Final “Amen” — The Great Response of the Faithful
The faithful respond with a solemn “Amen”—
not a casual affirmation, but the seal of participation in the Sacrifice.
This “Amen” is the most important spoken word of the laity in the entire Canon.
St. Jerome called it:
“The cry that shakes heaven.”[5]
This Amen concludes the Roman Canon.
VI. Summary of the Mystery in Article X
By the end of this section:
The Church has interceded for the dead, applying the fruits of Christ’s Sacrifice.
The priest has publicly confessed his unworthiness, uniting himself with the faithful.
The Communion of Saints has been invoked, linking the Church Militant to those who came before.
The Sacrifice has been sealed and raised to God through the doxology.
The faithful have assented by the Great Amen, completing the Canon.
The Mass now moves to the Pater Noster, the Fraction Rite, the Communion, and the Dismissal.
These final movements will complete Articles XI and XII.
ENDNOTES
[1] St. Augustine, Confessions, IX.
[2] St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, 23.
[3] St. Gregory the Great, Homilies on Ezekiel, II.
[4] St. Thomas Aquinas, ST III, q. 83, a. 4.
[5] St. Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah, ch. 6.