The Catholic Mass An overview Adabted from the slide share created by MahimaSLS De Alwis, in 2013

Vocabulary to know Priest: An ordained minister in the Catholic Church who has the authority to oversee the celebration of certain sacraments (including the Eucharist) Rite: A religious ritual Congregation: A group of people who are assembled for religious worship Liturgy: The official ritual worship of the Church

Parts of the Mass There are 4 parts of the Mass. The Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist are the main parts of Mass and are framed by the Gathering Rites and Concluding Rites.

The GATHERING Rites Entrance Procession: The priest enters the Church from the back. The Congregation stands and remains standing throughout the gathering rites. Upon arriving at the altar the priest will reverence the altar (bow) and then continue to the altar and then the priest kisses the altar Greeting (the priest says a few words) Penitential Rite We say the Confiteor (“I confess to Almighty God…”) And we say the Kyrie (“Lord, have mercy”) For the words to the Penitential Act click the image above

The GATHERING Rites After the Gloria (which is a hymn of praise to God) the Priest leads the congregation in an Opening Prayer by saying, “Let us pray…” This is followed by a brief period of silence, followed by an Opening Prayer recited by the Priest (this prayer is different at every Mass). After the Opening Prayer, everybody sits. The Opening Prayer leads us directly into the first MAJOR part of the Mass…the Liturgy of the Word. For the words to the Gloria click the picture above

Vocabulary used in Liturgy of the Word Old Testament: Also called the Hebrew Scriptures. The stories of the Jewish people (remember, Jesus was Jewish, and so these stories are very important for Christians as well). Psalms: Poetic prayers that are part of the Old Testament. New Testament: The Christian Scriptures, including stories about Jesus’ life, the letters of St. Paul, etc. Gospel: The stories about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection that are part of the New Testament. Homily: The priest speaks after the Gospel reading, it is an opportunity to explain church teaching and shows people how God’s word is being fulfilled in their midst, how it calls them to growth and conversion and how it prepares them to celebrate the Eucharist. Lector: A lay-person who does a number of the readings during the Mass

Liturgy of the Word During a typical Sunday Mass there are 3 readings. The first reading comes from the Old Testament. Reflects the continuity between Israel and Jesus, who came to fulfill the promises made by God to Israel. Following the first reading, there is a Responsorial Psalm, typically set to music.

Liturgy of the Word The second reading is from the New Testament. Usually from one of the epistles (letters) in the New Testament. Response to both the first and second readings: “Thanks be to God” After the second reading, we STAND and sing the Gospel Acclamation It heralds (or welcomes) the Gospel reading, which comes next.

The Gospel Acclamation “Alleluia” means “Praise the Lord!” If the Alleluia is sung a verse from the Bible will accompany it. During the the gospel acclamation, the Priest raises the Gospel. This introduces the most important part of the Liturgy of the Word. During Lent, we never say “Alleluia,” because it is an exclamation of praise to the Risen Lord. ALLELUIA LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE BEFORE ALL, THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER ALLELUIA

The Gospel Reading The following is said right before the priest reads the Gospel PRIEST: “The Lord be with you” ALL RESPOND: “And also with you.” PRIEST: “A reading from the Holy Gospel according to…” ALL RESPOND: (While making the sign of the cross on your forehead, lips and heart) “Glory to you, Oh Lord” After the priest reads the Gospel he says, “The Word of the Lord’ and all Respond, “Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ” The Priest will then give a homily Through the tradition of marking ourselves three times with the sign of the cross, we are asking the Lord to bless our minds and our hearts that they will be open to hear the Gospel, so we might proclaim through our lips the good news of Jesus to all the world. Gospel means "good news."

Profession of Faith Following the homily and a short time to reflect quietly on what Father has said, the Priest then stands, and all stand as well, to recite the Creed. Catholics, as do all Christians, recite together this formulation of our Faith. For the words to the Apostles creed click the image to the left

Prayers of the Faithful Following the Apostles Creed the priest invites the people to pray. A Lector will come up and read specific intentions, after each intention the Lector will say, “Let us pray to the Lord.” All the people will then respond, “Lord, hear our prayer.” This is repeated after each prayer petition.

Vocabulary to know for Liturgy of the Eucharist Altar: The place of sacrifice, as well as the table from which Christians are fed. It is the central focus of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Paten: A small plate, usually made out of silver or gold, used to hold Body of Christ (the consecrated bread). Chalice: A standing cup, usually made out of silver or gold, used to hold the Blood of Christ (the consecrated wine).

Liturgy of the Eucharist The second major part of the Mass. The Liturgy of the Word focuses on Scripture, but the Liturgy of the Eucharist focuses on the altar.

Liturgy of the Eucharist This act echoes offerings of early church, when people would bring the bread and wine (and other stuff) they made in preparation for the Lord’s Supper. The gifts of bread and wine are placed at the back of the church before the service. Preparation of the Altar & Presentation of Gifts Collection basket is passed around; sign of support for the ministry of the church. In procession, people bring the gifts (bread and wine) forward to the priest. This is called the offertory procession.

Liturgy of the Eucharist Preparation of the Gifts Priest pours the wine into the chalice, and adds a few drops of water, symbolizing the union of the humanity and divinity of Christ. When he receives the gifts, the priest recites prayers based on those used during the Jewish Passover meal. The priest lifts the paten of bread above the altar. PRIEST: “Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, through your goodness…” The priest does the same thing with the chalice of wine.

Liturgy of the Eucharist Eucharistic Prayer After washing his hands the priest invites the community to prepare for the Eucharist with him. The Preface Dialogue (“…Lift up your hearts…”) The Sanctus (Holy, holy, holy) The community prays the prayer to Christ from the Book of Revelation The priest then chooses one of several Eucharistic Prayers to recount the story of the Last Supper

The Consecration During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the priest is acting in persona Christi (as the person of Christ). At the moment of the consecration, the priest is Jesus. The priest takes the paten and says, “This is my body…” Then he elevates the host for the congregation to see, and genuflects in front of the altar. He takes the chalice and says, “This is the cup of My Blood” Liturgy of the Eucharist

Eucharist as the presence of God When the bread and wine are consecrated by the priest, they are transformed into Jesus’ body and blood. Therefore, this is THE MOST SACRED part of the Mass. This transformation is called Transubstantiation. The Eucharist is the most personal encounter with God. Liturgy of the Eucharist

After the Consecration The community recites together the Memorial Acclamation (Also called the Mystery of Faith) Prayers for the entire Church, now joined together as one through the Eucharist, are spoken by the priest. The Eucharistic Prayer ends with a Doxology (“Through him, with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever”) All people respond with Amen (This is usually sung and is sometimes called the ‘Great Amen’) Liturgy of the Eucharist For the complete Mystery of Faith click on the link to the left

Communion Rite The Communion Rite opens in the model of Jesus with the Lord’s Prayer. While holding hands, we either sing or recite the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father…”). The Lord’s Prayer is followed by the Sign of Peace. Sign of peace was once used to resolve conflicts with a neighbor before receiving the Eucharist Liturgy of the Eucharist For the complete words to the Lord’s Prayer, which includes where the priest stops and what we say after, click on the image above. Priest: “Peace be with you!” All: “And with your Spirit!”

Breaking of the Bread The priest prepares the Eucharist for the Communion procession. When the Priests breaks the Body of Christ the People pray, "Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us." This recalls for us the Passover sacrifice of a lamb to save the life of God’s people The Priest holds up consecrated bread and wine to the congregation, who publicly declares its unworthiness to receive it. All recite: “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you but only say the word, and I shall be healed." Liturgy of the Eucharist

The Communion Procession The congregation proceeds to the priest of a Eucharistic Minister to receive Eucharist. Priest or Extraordinary Minister: “The Body of Christ” RESPONSE: “Amen” Saying “Amen” is another way of saying “Yes, I believe that this is truly the Body of Christ.” Those not receiving Eucharist, cross their arms in front of their chest as a sign that they want to receive a blessing. After receiving Holy Communion, we go back to the pew, kneel (or sit) and pray silently for a few minutes, or sing the Communion song Liturgy of the Eucharist

Concluding Rite and Dismissal After a closing prayer, the priest blesses and dismisses the people The name “Mass” comes from the Latin Ite, missa est (roughly translated as “Go, you are sent forth”), the priest’s final words “Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord and one another” The Community united by Eucharist is called to be a community OUTSIDE of the Mass.