The Order of the Mass

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The Order of the Mass

• Introductory Rites

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The Order of the Mass

• The Mass has four primary parts
• The Introductory Rites
• The Liturgy of the Word
• The Liturgy of the Eucharist
• The Concluding Rites
• "Liturgy" is the participation
• of the people of God in the work of God.

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Introductory Rites

• Coming together, assembling, is at the heart of
  our Sunday worship. Parishioners are warmly
  welcomed by Greeters and assisted by Ushers as
  they enter the Serra Center before Mass.
• They then dip their fingers in the holy water of
  the baptismal font and make the sign of the
  cross. This ritual is a reminder of our Baptism
  We were baptized with water and signed with the
  cross. It is Baptism that brings us to Church.
• The Introductory Rites bring people into a state
  of prayer and humility focusing on Christs
  grace.

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Introductory Rites

• Entrance Procession
• The entrance song begins and the procession leads
  with the Altar Server leader, (the Cross
  followed by the Altar Servers designated as
  Candles, and Fourth. The Lector follows with
  the Book of Gospels, and lastly the priest. In
  certain Masses, the use of incense may be
  included, too.
• The Cross that is carried in by the Altar Servers
  must be present at or near the altar during the
  Mass. The cross depicts the sacrifice of the
  cross made present in the Mass.

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Introductory Rites

• At the end of the Entrance procession
• Upon reaching the altar, the Altar Servers,
  Lector, and Celebrant will make the reverential
  bow in front of the altar. The cross is placed
  behind the Altar and the Altar Servers move to
  their seats, waiting to sit until all are
  together. The priest then goes on to the altar
  and kisses it in reverence.
• The entire procession is a means of focusing and
  calling the people to prayer. Everyone has a
  sense of being gathered before the altar to begin
  the celebration.

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Introductory Rites

• Greeting
• The Presider leads the people in the sign of
  the cross and then the Greeting. The priest and
  the faithful make the sign of the cross and the
  priest greets the faithful, usually with the
  traditional, "The Lord be with you."

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Introductory Rites

• The Penitential Rite
• During the penitential rite, we reflect on our
  sins and ask God to forgive us. The most common
  invocation is, "Lord have mercy, Christ have
  mercy, Lord have mercy.
• Sometimes you might hear the same ancient prayer
  in the original Greek, Kyrie Eleison, Christe
  Eleison, Kyrie Eleison.

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Introductory Rites

• The Gloria
• Gloria in Excelsis is Latin and means, "Glory in
  the Highest." This is an ancient Christian hymn
  of thanks and praise. The Gloria has been a
  part of the Mass since about the sixth century!
  Because of the joyful nature of the Gloria, it
  is skipped in more somber occasions, such as the
  Advent or Lent. During those seasons, the Mass
  takes on a simpler and more penitent character.

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Introductory Rites

• The Opening Prayer
• The Opening Prayer is the last part of the
  Introductory Rites. At the close of this first
  part of the Mass the priest will ask us to join
  our minds in prayer, and after a few moments of
  silence he will collect our intentions into one
  prayer to which we all respond Amen. Amen is a
  Hebrew word for So be it.

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Introductory Rites

• After the Introductory Rites, the Mass continues
  with the Liturgy of the Word.

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• These slides were created as a training tool for
• Mission San Luis Rey Parish Altar Servers.
• Research for these slides was derived primarily
  from
• A Walk Through the Mass by Thomas Richstatter,
  OFM
• featured on www.americancatholic.org and
• The Order of the Mass by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.,
  
• featured on www.catholic-resources.org
• Information was organized and presented by Laura
  Chun.
• Content was reviewed by Fr. Alvin Cachola, OFM