The Parts of the Mass

Preparation for the Liturgy  Dip our fingers in a font containing Holy Water which is to first remind us of our baptism and secondly to bring us into a house of worship  Kneel upon the right leg before sitting  Make the sign of the cross to remember Jesus’ crucifixion

The Introductory Rite  The congregation stands  The entrance hymn is sung  The ministers enter the sanctuary  Priests and deacon kiss the altar  Priest makes the sign of the cross

The Introductory Rite  The priest greets us all: The Lord be with you.  We respond: And also with you.  The priest will say a few words of welcome

The Introductory Rite  After the greeting the priest invites us to make the Penitential Act.  The priest says: Lord, we have sinned against you: Lord have mercy.  We respond: Lord have mercy

The Introductory Rite  The Gloria  The Gloria is sung. As we sing it our hearts are filled with praise for God.  We do not sing the Gloria in Advent or Lent

The Introductory Rite  The Opening Prayer is led by the priest.  He invites us to reflect for a short time when he says: Let us pray  After the silent reflection he prays the opening prayer from the Sacramentary  We respond by saying: Amen

The Liturgy of the Word  At the end of the Opening Prayer we sit and prepare to hear the Word of the Lord  On Sundays we listen to 3 readings and a psalm  On weekdays we listen to 2 readings and a psalm  The readings are in a book called the Lectionary

The Liturgy of the Word  The First Reading is usually taken from the Old testament  During Easter it is taken from the Acts of the Apostles  When the reading is finished the Lector says: The Word of the Lord  We respond: Thanks be to God

The Liturgy of the Word  The Responsorial Psalms are holy songs form the Bible  They can be spoken or sung  the Lector or Cantor say or sing the verses of the psalm  We say or sing the response.

The Liturgy of the Word  The Gospel is a special reading that is read by the priest or deacon  Alleluia is sung before the gospel is read  The gospel is the climax (the high point) of the liturgy of the word  The community stands which allows Christ to be present to the people

The Liturgy of the Word  The deacon or priest say: The Lord be with you.  We respond: And also with you.  The deacon or priest say: A reading form the Gospel according to ______  We respond: Glory to you Lord  We make the sign of the cross on our foreheads, mouth and hearts

The Liturgy of the Word  After the Gospel reading the priest or deacon says: The Gospel of the Lord  We respond: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

The Liturgy of the Word  The Homily follows the Gospel reading  In the homily the priest or deacon helps us understand the meanings of the Bible readings and the lessons they can teach us for our lives

The Liturgy of the Word  On Sundays we pray the Profession of Faith (Nicean Creed) after the Homily  The Prayers of the Faithful follow the Homily on weekdays.  We ask God to watch over four areas:  The Church  Local, national and world leaders  Anyone who is in need, such as the hungry, the sick, the homeless  Our own community and family

The Liturgy of the Eucharist  We begin with the Preparation of the Altar and the Gifts  As the gifts are brought forward we may sing  People bring the bread and wine forward with the peoples offerings

The Liturgy of the Eucharist  When the priest has received the gifts, he prepares them  The priest recites prayers over the bread and wine.  The priest adds water to the wine  The priest washes his hands.  The congregation stands

The Liturgy of the Eucharist  The priest leads us as we ask God to accept our gifts.  The priest says: Pray, my brothers and sisters, that our sacrifice may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.  We respond: May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good, and the good of all his Church.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist  The priest prayers over the gifts and we say: Amen  The Eucharistic Pray is the great prayer of the Mass  During this prayer we give thanks to God for creating the world, for making us, and for watching over us.  We thank God for sending us Christ who showed us how to live.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist  The Dialogue:  Priest: The Lord be with you.  We respond: And also with you.  Priest: Lift up you hearts.  We respond: We lift them up to the Lord  Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.  We respond: It is right to give Him thanks and praise

The Liturgy of the Eucharist  The priest continues to pray and praise God.  All together we respond with the Holy, Holy, Holy (Sanctus)  After the Holy, Holy we kneel  The next part of the Liturgy of the Eucharist is the most important and significant  The bread and wine is turned into the body and blood of Jesus.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist  The Great Amen  The Eucharistic Prayer ends with the great act of praise  Priest: Through Him, with Him, in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor are yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever;  We sing the Great Amen

The Liturgy of the Eucharist  The Lord’s Prayer  We pray the prayer that Jesus himself taught us.  After the Lord’s Prayer, the priest says: Deliver us Lord, from every evil, and grant us peace in our day. In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Sign of Peace  The priest says: Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles: I leave you peace, my peace I give you. Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom where you live for ever and ever.  We say: Amen

The Sign of Peace  The priest says: The peace of the Lord be with you always.  We say: And also with you.  The priest or deacon says: Let us offer each other the sign of peace

The Breaking of the Bread  Also called the Fraction  Sharing in one loaf was a symbol of unity to early Christians  The priest breaks the consecrated bread and pours the consecrated wine  We sing or say the Lamb of God recognizing Jesus as the Lamb of God and that the bread we share is indeed the same Christ.

 Priest holds up the host and cup, inviting the community to come forward and receive  The priest says: This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his supper  We respond: Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed Holy Communion

 The prayer begins with the priest saying: Let us pray  We respond: Amen Prayer After Communion

 After the announcements the priest gives a blessing  The priest says: The Lord be with you.  We respond: And also with you  The priest says: May almighty God bless you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit  We say: Amen The Concluding Rite

 The deacon or priest says: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.  We respond: Thanks be to God  The priest, deacon and altar servers process down the aisle.  The congregation does not leave until the closing song is over. The Dismissal