THE ORDER OF THE MASS - Saint Pius the Tenth

1 THE ORDER OF THE mass The first part of the mass is about getting to know everyone and welcoming everyone to God s house. It s called the INTRODUCTORY RITES. (Stand) Entrance Song We sing to celebrate that we are gathered together with Jesus Christ and one another. Greeting We make the sign of the cross as the Priest says: In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. We respond: Amen. The Priest welcomes everyone with these or other words: The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 We respond: And also with you. God forgives us for all the things we do bad, so together we pray: I confess to Almighty God and to you my brothers and sisters that I have sinned through my own fault in my thoughts and in my words in what I have done and what I have failed to do, and I ask the Blessed Mary, ever virgin, and all the angels and saints and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord, our God. GLORIA We praise God. We sing or say together: Glory to God in the highest and peace to His people on earth.

3 Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, We worship you, we give you thanks We praise you for Your glory. Lord, Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father Lord God, Lamb of God You take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. You are seated at the right hand of the Father. Receive our prayer. 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. 1 OPENING PRAYER: The Priest then says a short prayer.

4 We respond: Amen. (Sit) During this part of the mass , we listen to God s word from the Bible. The Bible readings tell us how much God loves and cares for us. FIRST READING We listen to a reading from the Old Testament. At the end of the reading, the lector or reader says: The word of the Lord We respond: Thanks be to God. After the first reading, a psalm is read or sung. We say or sing a response. SECOND READING We listen to a reading from the New Testament. At the end of the reading, the lector or reader says: The word of the Lord We respond: Thanks be to God (Stand) THE GOSPEL ACCLAMATION As we stand for the reading of the gospel, we join in singing Alleluia.

5 The Alleluia is a song of praise to God. During Lent, instead of the Alleluia, we say other words of praise, such as: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. GOSPEL In the gospel, we hear the good news of Jesus. Before proclaiming the gospel, the Deacon or Priest says: The Lord be with you 2We respond: And also with you. The Deacon or Priest says: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to _____ (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) We respond: Glory to you, Lord. As we say this, we bless ourselves three times by making a small cross on our foreheads, on our lips and on our heart.

6 By doing this, we are acknowledging that Christ is with us in our thoughts, in the words we speak, and in our hearts. At the end of the gospel, the Deacon or Priest says: The Gospel of the Lord We respond: Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ. (Sit) HOMILY We listen while the Priest or the Deacon helps us to understand the Bible readings. We call this part of the mass the homily. (Stand) THE PROFESSION OF FAITH In the Nicene Creed, we say what we believe as members of the Catholic Church. We believe in one God, the Father Almighty Maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.

7 We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God Eternally begotten of the Father God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all things are made For us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven. By the power of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the Virgin Mary and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate He suffered, died and was buried. On the third day, He rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures.

8 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. 3We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son, He is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

9 Amen. (Stand) PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL In this prayer, we pray for the Church and the leaders of the Church, for our Country s leaders and world leaders, for all those in need and for the salvation of the whole world. After each prayer, we respond with these or other words: Lord, hear our prayer LITURGY OF THE eucharist (Sit) THE PREPARATION OF THE GIFTS At the Offertory, our gifts of bread and wine are brought to the altar. Our gifts for the Church and the poor may also be brought forward at this time.

10 The Priest thanks God for the gift of bread. We pray: Blessed be God forever. The Priest then prays that our gifts, our sacrifice, will be acceptable to God, the Father. We respond: May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and glory of His name, for our good and for the good of all His Church. PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS The Priest asks God to accept our gifts. At the end of the prayer we respond: Amen. THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYER We join with the Priest to give thanks and praise to God.