A Quick Look at Some Liturgical Privileges of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies

by Fr. William Rock, FSSP

From A.D. 1816 to A.D. 1861, the island of Sicily and the southern part of the Italian peninsula comprised the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.  The origin of this uniquely and confusingly named kingdom, as it contained only one Sicily, goes back to A.D. 1130 when the Norman Roger II was recognized as the King of the Kingdom of Sicily, which included the island and the southern part of the peninsula.  Through the twists and turns of history, the Kingdom of Sicily was divided into two, with both parts still being called the Kingdom of Sicily.  So, there were, at this point, two Kingdoms of Sicily, one of which contained Sicily (with its capital at Palermo) and the other which was comprised of the peninsular lands (with its capital at Naples and which did not contain any Sicily).  When the two Kingdoms of Sicily were reunited in A.D. 1816, instead of the united kingdom simply being called the Kingdom of Sicily, it was dubbed the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.  In any case, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies had, like other kingdoms, certain liturgical privileges granted to it.¹

The privileges which will be considered in this article are found in a Missal published in Naples, the capital of the Kingdom, in A.D. 1860 with additions approved by the Holy See.  The first photograph above shows the inside title page of this Missal.

This second image shows two sets of orations, one set in each column, approved for use in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (Pro Regno Utriusque Siciliæ).  These prayers would be added following the Collect (opening prayer), the Secret (prayer over the offerings), and Postcommunion (closing prayer) of the Mass being celebrated, according to the rubrics.

The prayers in the lefthand column are labeled as “for the King.”  The note indicates that these were approved by Pope Pius IX (reigned from June 16, 1846 to February 7, 1878), who had a very strong relationship with the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.  The text of the prayer is the same as the general prayer for the King found in the Roman Missal (Pro Rege) with additional wording to include the Queen and the royal family as well (indicated in italics).  A translation of the prayers are as follows:

Collect: We beseech Thee, Almighty God, that Thy servant N. our King, who by Thy mercy has taken up the government of the kingdom, and N. our Queen with the royal family, may gain from Thee the increase of all virtues, so that, being fittingly adorned thereby, they may be able both to avoid the monstrosities of sin and, as those enjoying favor, reach Thee Who art the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  Through Our Lord…

Secret: We beseech Thee, O Lord, sanctify these offered gifts that they may become the Body and Blood of thine Only-begotten Son for us, and, by Thy bounty, in every way help our King, our Queen, and the royal family to obtain salvation of body and soul, and to carry out the office enjoined upon them.  Through the same Our Lord…

Postcommunion: May this saving oblation, O Lord, protect Thy servant N. our King, N. our Queen, and the royal family, from all adversity, so that they may obtain both the tranquility of the Church’s peace and, after the course of this life, reach an eternal inheritance.  Through Our Lord…

The righthand column contains prayers “for obtaining a happy delivery of the Queen,” to be said during her pregnancies.  There are no corresponding prayers in the standard Roman Missal.  The prayers read as follows:

Collect: Defend, we beseech Thee O Lord, Blessed Mary the ever Virgin interceding, from all adversity Thine handmaid N. our Queen: and grant, that her desired offspring, which Thou willed to be conceived in her womb, may be happily born and grow for the sake of the increase of religion and public safety.  Through Our Lord…

Secret: Receive, we beseech Thee almighty God, the oblation of our devotion and through the virtue of this Sacrament, protect Thine handmaid N. our Queen and the fruit which she carries in her womb from all adversities.  Through Our Lord…

Postcommunion: Favorably pour forth Thy blessing, O Lord, upon Thine handmaid N. our Queen: so that, together with her offspring, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she may be well in both mind and body; and, furnishing fitting service to Thee, she may always find the favors of Thy propitiation.  Through Our Lord…  

This last image shows the beginning of the Roman Canon.  The part indicated by the green circle shows that the name of the king was added to the text so that it reads:

….Thy servant our Pope N., and our Bishop N., and our King N.,  and all orthodox believers and professors of the Catholic and Apostolic Faith.

While this addition mentioning the Christian sovereign in the Canon was the practice in the Middle Ages, the clause was removed in the Missal issued by Pope St. Pius V.  Its use, by apostolic concession, was later granted to the Austro-Hungarian Empire (as the successor state of the Holy Roman Empire, although the verbiage was different in the Austrian and Hungarian territories),² and also, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

I hope, dear reader, that you enjoyed this quick look at some liturgical privileges of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and that it serves to show that, even when the Latin Mass was the norm in the Church, this did not mean that it was celebrated uniformly everywhere.  There has always been a healthy liturgical diversity in the Church, liturgical diversity without ecclesiastical division and ecclesiastical unity without liturgical uniformity.

Fr. William Rock, FSSP was ordained in the fall of 2019 and is currently assigned to St. Stanislaus Parish in Nashua, NH.

In support of the causes of Blessed Maria Cristina, Queen, and Servant of God Francesco II, King 

1. Thanks are owed to Mr. Brendan Young, SMOCG, Executive Director of the American Delegation of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George for providing the photographs of the Missal.
2. Old Catholic Encyclopedia, s.v. “Canon of the Mass.”