About the Mass

What is the Mass? A Sacrifice As part of a Covenant, Jesus provided a new understanding of our relationship with God. A Celebration Of the Word of God through reading the Old Testament, Letters in the New Testament and the Gospels. A Meal Bread and Wine becoming Jesus’ body and blood that nourishes our mind, body and souls. A Sacrament The Eucharist is celebrated every day in our Church. The Mass also has a penitential and baptism components.

Parts of the Mass Entrance Procession & Gathering Song As the priest and other ministers enter in procession, we stand and sing a gathering song. Greeting We make the Sign of the Cross. The priest welcomes us. He says, “The Lord be with you”. We answer, “And also with you.” Penitential Rite We think about our sinfulness. We ask for God’s forgiveness and the prayers of the community.

Parts of the Mass Gloria We sing this hymn of praise to God. First Reading The lector reads a story or a lesson from the Old Testament. Responsorial Psalm We sing the responses to a psalm from the Bible. Second Reading The lector reads from one of the letters in the New Testament, the Acts of the Apostles, or the Book of Revelation.

Parts of the Mass Gospel Acclamation We praise God’s word by singing “Alleluia” or another acclamation as the priest or deacon gets ready to read the Gospel. Gospel We stand in reverence while the priest or deacon reads the Gospel for that day. Homily The priest or deacon explains the meaning of the Gospel and the other readings. Profession of Faith We recite the Nicene Creed to proclaim our belief in what the Church teaches.

Parts of the Mass General Intercessions We pray for the Church, the pope and bishops, our country, peace in our world, for the needs of all God’s people, and for the needs of the members of our parish community. Preparation of the Altar and Gifts We bring our gifts of bread and wine as the table is prepared. We may also give gifts for the poor. Eucharistic Prayer The priest begins with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving. We sing, “Holy, holy, holy...” The priest recalls with us the story of the Last Supper using Jesus’ own words, “This is my Body” and “This is my Blood”. Then we proclaim the mystery of faith, “Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.” At the end of the prayer, we say, “Amen”.

Parts of the Mass The Lord’s Prayer We pray together the prayer that Jesus taught us, the Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father. Sign of Peace We share a sign of peace and friendship with those around us. Breaking of the Bread We sing the Lamb of God Prayer as the priest or deacon and eucharistic ministers prepare the bread and wine to become Jesus’ Body and Blood for communion.

Parts of the Mass Communion We receive the Body and Blood of Christ. We say, “Amen.” Blessing We make the Sign of the Cross as the priest blesses us. Dismissal The priest or deacon tells us to go in peace to serve God and others. We sing a song of thanks and praise.