Guide to Catholic Mass

OVERVIEW

The Mass begins with the entrance chant/song. The celebrant and other ministers enter in procession and reverence the altar with a bow and/or a kiss. The altar is a symbol of Christ at the heart of the assembly and so deserves this special reverence. All make the Sign of the Cross and the celebrant extends a greeting to the gathered people in words taken from Scripture.

ACTIONS

All stand up

Priest: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 
People: Amen.

Priest: The Lord be with you
People: And with your spirit.

Or
Priest: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
People: And with your spirit.

Or:
Priest: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
People: And with your spirit.

OVERVIEW

The Penitential Act follows the greeting. At the very beginning of the Mass, the faithful recall their sins and place their trust in God's abiding mercy. The Penitential Act includes the Kyrie Eleison, a Greek phrase meaning, "Lord, have mercy." This litany recalls God's merciful actions throughout history. On Sundays, especially in Easter Time, in place of the customary Penitential Act, from time to time the blessing and sprinkling of water to recall Baptism may take place.

ACTIONS

PENITENTIAL ACT

A:

All: I confess to almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, 

(strike our breast during the next line)

through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all of the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

B
All: Have mercy on us, O Lord.
For we have sinned against you.

Show us, O Lord, your mercy. And grant us your salvation.

C
Priest: You were sent to heal the contrite of heart:
Lord have mercy.

People: Lord have mercy.

Priest: You came to call sinners:
Christ, have mercy.

People: Christ, have mercy.

Priest: You are seated at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us: Lord, have mercy,
People: Lord, have mercy.

Priest: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.

People: Amen.

OVERVIEW

On Sundays, solemnities, and feasts, the Gloria follows the Penitential Act. The Gloriabegins by echoing the proclamation of the angels at the birth of Christ: "Glory to God in the highest!" In this ancient hymn, the gathered assembly joins the heavenly choirs in offering praise and adoration to the Father and Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

ACTIONS

Sing or say:

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of good will.
We praise you,
we bless you,
we adore you,
we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory.
Lord God, heavenly King,
O God, almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world,
receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.

The Introductory Rites conclude with an opening prayer, called the Collect. The celebrant invites the gathered assembly to pray and, after a brief silence, proclaims the prayer of the day. The Collect gathers the prayers of all into one and disposes all to hear the Word of God in the context of the celebration.

Most of the Liturgy of the Word is made up of readings from Scripture. On Sundays and solemnities, there are three Scripture readings.

During most of the year, the first reading is from the Old Testament and the second reading is from one of the New Testament letters. During Easter Time, the first reading is taken from the Acts of the Apostles which tells the story of the Church in its earliest days. The last reading is always taken from one of the four Gospels.

In the Liturgy of the Word, the Church feeds the people of God from the table of his Word (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 51).

The Scriptures are the word of God, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In the Scriptures, God speaks to us, leading us along the path to salvation.

Find Daily Readings from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website

Learn more on understanding the Bible

During most of the year, the first reading is from the Old Testament. During Easter Time, the first reading is taken from the Acts of the Apostles which tells the story of the Church in its earliest days.

The Responsorial Psalm is sung between the readings. The psalm helps us to meditate on the word of God.

OVERVIEW

The second reading is from one of the New Testament letters.

ACTION

OVERVIEW

The high point of the Liturgy of the Word is the reading of the Gospel. Because the Gospels tell of the life, ministry, and preaching of Christ, it receives several special signs of honor and reverence. The gathered assembly stands to hear the Gospel and it is introduced by an acclamation of praise. Apart from Lent, that acclamation is "Alleluia," derived from a Hebrew phrase meaning "Praise the Lord!" A deacon (or, if no deacon is present, a priest) reads the Gospel.

ACTIONS

Priest or Deacon: The Lord be with you.

People: And with your spirit.

Priest or Deacon: A reading from the holy Gospel according to ...

People: Glory to you, O Lord.

OVERVIEW

After the Scripture readings, the celebrant preaches the homily. In the homily, the preacher focuses on the Scripture texts or some other texts from the liturgy, drawing from them lessons that may help us to live better lives, more faithful to Christ's call to grow in holiness.

ACTIONS

OVERVIEW

In many Masses, the Profession of Faith then follows the homily, either the Nicene or Apostles' Creed. The Nicene Creed is a statement of faith dating from the fourth century, while the Apostles' Creed is the ancient baptismal creed of the Church in Rome. If baptismal promises are renewed, from a formula based on the Apostles' Creed, this takes the place of the Creed.

ACTION

NICENE CREED

All: I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and became man (bow)
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man,
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

~ or

THE APOSTLES CREED

I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, (bow)
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.

OVERVIEW

The Liturgy of the Word concludes with the Universal Prayer, also called the Prayer of the Faithful. The gathered assembly intercedes with God on behalf of the Church, the world, and themselves, entrusting their needs to the faithful and loving God.

ACTION

The people, for their part, stand and give expression to their prayer either by an invocation said in common "Lord Hear our Prayer or similar" after each intention or by praying in silence.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist 

OVERVIEW

The Liturgy of the Eucharist begins with the preparation of the gifts and the altar. As the ministers prepare the altar, representatives of the people bring forward the bread and wine that will become the Body and Blood of Christ. The celebrant blesses and praises God for these gifts and places them on the altar, the place of the Eucharistic sacrifice. In addition to the bread and wine, monetary gifts for the support of the Church and the care of the poor may be brought forward.

The Prayer over the Offerings concludes this preparation and disposes all for the Eucharistic Prayer.

ACTION

Said out loud or silently by the Priest

Priest: Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you:
fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life.

People: Blessed be God for ever.

Priest: Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the wine we offer you:
fruit of the vine and work of human hands, it will become our spiritual drink.

People: Blessed be God for ever.

The Eucharistic Prayer is the heart of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. In this prayer, the celebrant acts in the person of Christ as head of his body, the Church. He gathers not only the bread and the wine, but the substance of our lives and joins them to Christ's perfect sacrifice, offering them to the Father.