In his commentary on the Caeremoniale Episcoporum, Msgr. Gromier, when explaining the significance of individual ceremonies, relies to a large extent on the papal ceremonial, which served as one of the primary sources for the post-Tridentine liturgical manual intended for bishops, chapters, and monasteries. We present here the most significant passages from Msgr. Gromier’s work in which he describes, discusses, or explicates papal ceremonies, or uses them to clarify various pontifical and prelatial rites and customs.
This selection is certainly not exhaustive. Gromier’s work should be read in its entirety, as understanding his arguments often requires familiarity with other parts of the text. Frequently, individual passages must be placed within a broader context, considering the entire page rather than just a single cited paragraph, or even examining the full explanation of a given section of the episcopal ceremonial. Our aim here is to demonstrate the profound significance that the papal ceremonial holds for pontifical practices, a point that should not escape the reader of Gromier’s commentary.
The French text is based on a PDF version of the commentary sourced from the Internet Archive (OCR quality), while the English translations, generated with the aid of an AI translator, should be considered preliminary and may therefore contain errors or inaccuracies. This entire compilation is likewise a work-in-progress. Its purpose is to provide the Polish reader with at least a basic introduction to the work of Monsignor Gromier and the papal traditions that directly shaped the pontifical liturgy from the 16th to the 20th century. PLEASE NOTE: The excerpts were compiled using artificial intelligence, which did not always accurately read or interpret handwritten notes; this has resulted in certain omissions or inaccuracies. We intend to continue refining the table of excerpts, as circumstances allow, to bring it to a satisfactory standard.
All the references listed here are based on private notes taken while reading Msgr. Gromier’s commentary on the Caeremoniale Episcoporum, a text kindly made available by Fr. Roch Perrel (then rector of the IBP seminary in Courtalain, now a priest of the FSSP) long before any scans were accessible online. We are sharing these notes in case anyone else might wish to consult the commentary by this Vatican altarista for themselves.
