Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed @churchofambrose from Instagram via phone call on April 11th, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
Tell me about your faith journey.
I was born and raised Catholic. During my teenage years I became lukewarm, I moved to university and during the initial years my faith struggled. Slowly, but surely the Lord called me back to the faith in a deeper way. I was fundamentally unhappy for a while before I found God again. I want people to experience it.
The Ambrosian Rite is largely unknown outside of Milan. It is a local church, there’s practically one diocese (Milan).
The Ambrosian Rite dates back to at least the 4th century with connections to St. Ambrose himself. What sparked your passion for preserving this ancient liturgical tradition through digitization?
I think the Ambrosian Rite is one of the most unique rites. It is very intrinsic in our culture. This rite starts from (most likely) the old Roman Rite. Bl. Cardinal Schuster (1880-1954) said that Saint Ambrose took the rite from Rome and slightly modified it. This is probably only partially true, however the Ambrosian Rite is the oldest Western Rite still alive today. Our Lent is the same Lent that Gregory the Great would have followed. It’s so interesting and cool that this rite is preserved. This is how Saints Augustine and Ambrose followed. It feels like I’m going back centuries; it’s very inspiring.
(For example during the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of Lent, instead of the “Gloria” we sing the “Divinae Pacis”. This chant is older than the edict of Milan (313 AD))
For readers unfamiliar with the Ambrosian Rite, what are the most distinctive elements that set it apart from the more familiar Roman Rite celebrated in most Catholic churches?
In general the thing that people notice the most is the thurible. In the Roman Rite there’s a cap on top of it. We don’t have a cap on it and it’s spun in a 360 degree motion. It is spun to form the shape of the cross.
(At the start of the Mass the altar is incensed. You can remove this and add the text at the bottom)
(Another particular difference, is the incensation of the Tabernacle which is done kneeling at the start of every High Mass.)
The other thing people notice is the chants. It’s very hard to explain, it’s just very different.
(The ambrosian chants were introduced by Saint Ambrose himself in the 4th century. For the first time in the Church’s history, non-psalmic hymns were included in liturgical celebrations. Ambrose, personally composed many hymns, including “Aeterne rerum conditor”, “Deus creator omnium”, “Iam surgit hora tertia”, and “Intende qui regis Israel”. The most famous hymn is obviously the “Te Deum”, which was composed together with Saint Augustine after Augustine’s baptism. I highly suggest the reader listen to the Ambrosian Version of the “Te Deum”.
Despite the modifications it underwent over the centuries, Ambrosian chant is considered the oldest surviving body of Western liturgical music.)
And the Offertory is done before the Credo (and it is much longer). We have lots of prefaces (one for each day) and some of them are very old and date back to St. Ambrose.
(there are other differences but these ones are the most noticed by first time visitors)
Your mission focuses on digitizing the Traditional Ambrosian Rite. What are the greatest challenges you’ve faced in translating manuscripts and liturgical books that are many centuries old into accessible digital formats?
The Ambrosian Rite was heavily attacked from its beginning. Most of the original manuscripts are gone. When it comes to more recent things, I have been looking for breviaries and missals. It is very difficult to find these items. There are subtle differences that are easy to miss. It is difficult to find where things originated from.
The Ambrosian liturgical calendar has some fascinating differences, including six Sundays of Advent rather than four. Which seasonal celebrations in the Ambrosian tradition do you find most spiritually enriching?
Our Ordinary Time is limited compared to the Roman Rite. It is only during a few weeks of the year, and differences in color. We have a different hue of purple (morello). During the Lenten period we use black during the weekdays because it’s also a penitential color not just for mourning. Saturday and Sundays are less penitential during Lent, so morello is used.
(Red is the Eucharistic color instead of the Roman Rite white, so the feast of the Corpus Domini (Corpus Christi in the Roman Rite) is in Red not white in the Ambrosian rite)
Who are saints particularly honored in the Ambrosian Rite?
Ambrose (of course being our Rite’s namesake).
Charles Borromeo is our second patron saint. He is the one who reformed the Archbishop of Milan. He had a huge role in the Council of Trent. In Milan he was the first one to create a seminary. He is also the patron saint of seminaries.
We care about our bishops and martyrs. In the Eucharist Prayer we ask for intercession for most of the archbishops and martyrs.
(I’ll send a picture of the Comunicantes with the Ambrosian Saints and Martyrs)
Looking to the future, how do you see traditional liturgical forms like the Ambrosian Rite contributing to the spiritual renewal of the Church in an increasingly digital age?
I’m noticing many young people are more interested in the traditional liturgies. The church where I attend is always full. You might find a seat if you go five minutes early, but not likely. There’s a huge emphasis on the parish. It’s kind of like the dynamic between the Traditional Latin Rite Mass and the Novus Ordo Mass (in the Roman Rite).
Where can my audience find more of your work?
On my Instagram page @churchofambrose.
