The Catholic Mass
Mass is Based On Jesus’ Last
Supper
IMPORTANT
VOCABULARY!
•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 two main parts of the Mass:
The Liturgy of the Word
The part of the Mass when we read
Scripture
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
The part of the Mass when we receive
the body and blood of Christ.
Parts of the Mass
These two main parts are framed by two other
rites:
The Gathering Rites
The Concluding Rite
Parts of the Mass
•
Which means that there are 4 parts altogether:
1
Liturgy of
the Word
Liturgy of the
Eucharist
2
3
4
The GATHERING Rites
Entrance Procession: The priest enters the Church from
the back, reverencing the altar (everyone bows; the
priest kisses the altar). The Congregation stands and
remains standing throughout the gathering rites.
Greeting (the priest says a few words)
Penitential Rite
Sometimes we say the Confiteor (“I confess to
Almighty God…”)
We always say the Kyrie (“Lord, have mercy”)
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.
IMPORTANT
VOCABULARY!
•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.
The stories about Jesus’ life, death and
resurrection that are part of the New Testament.
•Gospel:
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
“Alleluia!” It heralds (or welcomes) the Gospel
reading, which comes next.
Alleluia!
“Alleluia” means “Praise the Lord!”
During the Alleluia, 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.
The Gospel Reading
PRIEST: “The Lord be with you”
RESPONSE: “And also with you.”
PRIEST: “A reading from the Holy Gospel according to…”
RESPONSE: (While making the sign of the cross on your
forehead, lips and heart) “Glory to you, Oh Lord”
READING by the PRIEST
PRIEST: “The Gospel of the Lord”
RESPONSE: “Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ”
Profession of Faith
Following the Homily, the congregation stands
and recites the Nicene Creed.
“We believe in one God…”
The Nicene Creed summarizes everything that
the Church has taught for the past 2,000 years.
General Intercessions
From the chair, the priest invites the people to
pray.
LECTOR: “…let us pray to the Lord.”
RESPONSE: “Lord, hear our prayer.”
Repeated after each prayer petition.
IMPORTANT
VOCABULARY!
•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.
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.
Preparation of the Altar
The gifts of bread and wine are placed at the back
of the church before the service.
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.
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.
1. TAKEN
2. BLESSED
3. BROKEN
4. GIVEN
Priest accepting the gifts of the
community that are brought forth
IMPORTANT
VOCABULARY!
•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).
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.
Eucharistic Prayer
After washing his hands the priest invites the
community to prepare for the Eucharist with him.
o
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”
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.
1. TAKEN
Priest accepting the gifts of the
community that are brought forth
2. BLESSED
The consecration of the bread
and wine during the Eucharistic
Prayer
3. BROKEN
4. GIVEN
After the Consecration
The community recites together the Memorial
Acclamation (“Christ has died…” is the most common)
Prayers for the entire Church, now joined together as
one through the Eucharist, are spoken.
The Eucharistic Prayer ends with a Doxology
(“Through him, with him, in him…)
Community responds with a Great Amen (“I believe!”)
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
Breaking of the Bread
The priest breaks the bread and prepares the
Eucharist for the Communion procession.
Congregation recites the Agnus Dei or “Lamb of
God,” recalling the Passover sacrifice of a lamb
to save the life of God’s people
Priest holds up consecrated bread and wine to
the congregation, who publically declares its
unworthiness to receive it (“Lord, I am not
worthy…)
1. TAKEN
Priest accepting the gifts of the
community that are brought forth
2. BLESSED
The consecration of the bread
and wine during the Eucharistic
Prayer
3. BROKEN
The breaking of the bread by the
priest, following the sign of peace
4. GIVEN
The Communion Procession
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.”
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
1. TAKEN
Priest accepting the gifts of the
community that are brought forth
2. BLESSED
The consecration of the bread
and wine during the Eucharistic
Prayer
3. BROKEN
The breaking of the bread by the
priest, following the sign of peace
4. GIVEN
The Communion Procession
Who May Receive
Communion?
Who should not receive Communion?
Non-Catholics
Catholics who have not fasted prior to
Communion
Catholics who haven’t made their First
Confession and First Communion.
Bread and Wine
Bread and Wine are the two species of Eucharist
Usually everyone takes the bread
The wine is optional
Wine was once reserved for those celebrating and
helping
Wine is sometimes not offered for practical reasons
Some parishes allow you to dip host in wine
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.