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:

es Liturgy of Liturgy of the Co

Rit n clu
the Word Eucharist d
r i ng ing
th e Rit
Ga e

1 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.
•Gospel: The stories about Jesus’ life, death and
resurrection that are part of the New Testament.
 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.
 Priest accepting the gifts of
1. TAKEN the community that are
brought forth

2. BLESSED

3. BROKEN

4. GIVEN
 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.
 Priest accepting the gifts of
1. TAKEN the community that are
brought forth

The consecration of the

2. BLESSED 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…)
 Priest accepting the gifts of
1. TAKEN the community that are
brought forth

The consecration of the

2. BLESSED bread and wine during the
Eucharistic Prayer

The breaking of the bread by

3. BROKEN 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
 Priest accepting the gifts of
1. TAKEN the community that are
brought forth

The consecration of the

2. BLESSED bread and wine during the
Eucharistic Prayer

The breaking of the bread by

3. BROKEN 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.