How Christ Said the First Mass: The Lord's Last Supper, The Rites and Ceremonies, the Ritual and Liturgy, the Forms of Divine Worship Christ Observed, When He Changed the Passover Into the Mass

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Excerpt:

Worldly people look with wonder at the Mass, and Often say: What is the meaning of this form of divine worship? Where did these ceremonies come from? Why are candles lighted during daytime? Why do the priests wear such peculiar robes? Why don't they say the service in a language the people can understand?

The Catholic sometimes says to himself: The Mass came from the Last Supper. But did Christ or the apostles say Mass as priest or bishop of our time? Did Christ that night follow any form of worship? If he did, where is it found? From ancient days the Church used the Ordinary of the Mass, but we do not know its origin.

Many questions rise in people's minds to which they find no answer. A common opinion holds that Christ said the First Mass at the Last Supper according to a short form of blessing and prayer, then consecrated the bread and wine, gave the apostles Communion, and preached the sermon John's Gospel gives. When the apostles said Mass, they recited some Psalms, read the Scriptures, preached a sermon, consecrated the bread and wine, recited the Lord's Prayer and then gave Communion. In the apostolic age the saints added other prayers and ceremonies. Afterwards Popes and councils still more developed the rites, composed new prayers, and that during the Middle Ages the Mass grew and expanded into the elaborate Liturgy and Ceremonial of our day.

But these opinions are wrong. From the beginning the Mass was said according to a long Liturgy and with ceremonies differing little from those of our time. No substantial addition was made after the apostolic age what the early Popes did was of minor importance—revisions and corrections. Little addition was made to the Ordinary of the Mass handed down from the days of Peter, founder of our Latin Liturgy.

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mentioned here

regarding summissa voce in the Canon, p. 387, quoted here:

The synagogue service was sung in a loud tone, while the table Seder was recited in a lower voice. The synagogue worship brought the Passover to the end of what we call the Preface of the Mass. During this first part of the Mass, the celebrant sings in a loud tone, while he recites the Canon in a low voice. Why is this? Some writers say the Canon is thus said in a low voice because of the persecutions of the Roman empire, and that then they said Mass in secret places and in a low voice lest enemies might hear them.

But enemies would have heard the first part of the Mass which was always sung from the beginning when possible. The Orientals, not disturbed by Roman persecutions, sang the Mass from apostolic days, and therefore this does not seem a valid reason why the Canon is recited in a low tone. This Canon, found only in the Latin Liturgy, the Mass St. Peter established at Rome, is the most sacred part of the Mass, and corresponds to the sacred Seder of the Passover the Jews said at the table in a lower voice. St. Peter, leader of the apostolic band therefore established the Latin Liturgy with its Canon more according to the Jewish Passover Rite than the other apostles, who established Liturgies of the Mass indifferent languages.