THE PARTS OF THE MASS

From the General Instruction of the Roman Missal

The Mass is made up of two parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
There are also certain rites that open and conclude the celebration.

THE INTRODUCTORY RITES

The rites preceding the Liturgy of the Word, namely the Entrance, Greeting, Act of
Penitence, Kyrie, Gloria, and Collect, have the character of a beginning, introduction, and
preparation. Their purpose is to ensure that the faithful who come together as one establish
communion and dispose themselves to listen properly to God's word and to celebrate the
Eucharist worthily.

The Entrance

After the people have gathered, the Entrance chant begins as the priest enters with the
deacon and ministers. The purpose of this chant is to open the celebration, foster the unity
of those who have been gathered, introduce their thoughts to the mystery of the liturgical
season or festivity, and accompany the procession of the priest and ministers.

The Greeting

When they reach the sanctuary, the priest, the deacon, and the ministers reverence the
altar with a profound bow. As an expression of veneration, moreover, the priest and deacon
then kiss the altar itself; as the occasion suggests, the priest also incenses the cross and
the altar. When the Entrance chant is concluded, the priest stands at the chair and, together
with the whole gathering, makes the Sign of the Cross. Then he signifies the presence of the
Lord to the community gathered there by means of the Greeting. By this Greeting and the
people's response, the mystery of the Church gathered together is made manifest.

The Act of Penitence

Then the priest invites those present to take part in the Act of Penitence, which, after a brief
pause for silence, the entire community carries out through a formula of general confession.
The rite concludes with the priest's absolution, which, however, lacks the efficacy of the
Sacrament of Penance.

The Kyrie Eleison

After the Act of Penitence, the Kyrie is always begun, unless it has already been included as
part of the Act of Penitence.

The Gloria

The Gloria is a very ancient and venerable hymn in which the Church, gathered together in
the Holy Spirit, glorifies and entreats God the Father and the Lamb.

The Collect
Next the priest invites the people to pray. All, together with the priest, observe a brief
silence so that they may be conscious of the fact that they are in God's presence and may
formulate their petitions mentally. Then the priest says the prayer which is customarily
known as the Collect and through which the character of the celebration is expressed.

THE LITURGY OF THE WORD

The main part of the Liturgy of the Word is made up of the readings from Sacred Scripture
together with the chants occurring between them. The Homily, Profession of Faith, and
Prayer of the Faithful, however, develop and conclude this part of the Mass.

The Biblical Readings

In the readings, the table of God's word is prepared for the faithful, and the riches of the
Bible are opened to them. The reading of the Gospel is the high point of the Liturgy of the
Word. The Liturgy itself teaches that great reverence is to be shown to it by setting it off
from the other readings with special marks of honor: whether the minister appointed to
proclaim it prepares himself by a blessing or prayer; or the faithful, standing as they listen
to it being read, through their acclamations acknowledge and confess Christ present and
speaking to them; or the very marks of reverence are given to the Book of the Gospels.

After the first reading comes the responsorial Psalm, which is an integral part of the Liturgy
of the Word and holds great liturgical and pastoral importance, because it fosters meditation
on the word of God. After the reading that immediately precedes the Gospel, the Alleluia or
another chant indicated by the rubrics is sung, as required by the liturgical season. An
acclamation of this kind constitutes a rite or act in itself, by which the assembly of the
faithful welcomes and greets the Lord who is about to speak to them in the Gospel and
professes their faith by means of the chant.

The Homily

The homily is part of the Liturgy and is strongly recommended, for it is necessary for the
nurturing of the Christian life. It should be an exposition of some aspect of the readings
from Sacred Scripture or of another text from the Ordinary or from the Proper of the Mass
of the day and should take into account both the mystery being celebrated and the
particular needs of the listeners. (There is to be a homily on Sundays and holy days of
obligation at all Masses that are celebrated with the participation of a congregation; it may
not be omitted without a serious reason. It is recommended on other days, especially on the
weekdays of Advent, Lent, and the Easter Season, as well as on other festive days and
occasions when the people come to church in greater numbers.)

The Profession of Faith

The purpose of the Symbolum or Profession of Faith, or Creed, is that the whole gathered
people may respond to the word of God proclaimed in the readings taken from Sacred
Scripture and explained in the homily and that they may also call to mind and confess the
great mysteries of the faith by reciting the rule of faith in a formula approved for liturgical
use, before these mysteries are celebrated in the Eucharist.

The Prayer of the Faithful

In the Prayer of the Faithful, the people respond in a certain way to the word of God which
they have welcomed in faith and, exercising the office of their baptismal priesthood, offer
prayers to God for the salvation of all.

THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

At the Last Supper Christ instituted the Paschal Sacrifice and banquet by which the Sacrifice
of the Cross is continuously made present in the Church whenever the priest, representing
Christ the Lord, carries out what the Lord himself did and handed over to his disciples to be
done in his memory. For Christ took the bread and the chalice and gave thanks; he broke
the bread and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take, eat, and drink: this is my Body; this is
the cup of my Blood. Do this in memory of me." Accordingly, the Church has arranged the
entire celebration of the Liturgy of the Eucharist in parts corresponding to precisely these
words and actions of Christ:

1. At the Preparation of the Gifts, the bread and the wine with water are brought to the
altar, the same elements that Christ took into his hands.

2. In the Eucharistic Prayer, thanks is given to God for the whole work of salvation, and the
offerings become the Body and Blood of Christ.

3. Through the Fraction and through Communion, the faithful, though they are many,
receive from the one bread the Lord's Body and from the one chalice the Lord's Blood in the
same way the Apostles received them from Christ's own hands.

The Preparation of the Gifts

At the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist the gifts, which will become Christ's Body
and Blood, are brought to the altar. First, the altar, the Lord's table, which is the center of
the whole Liturgy of the Eucharist, is prepared by placing on it the corporal, purificator,
Missal, and chalice (unless the chalice is prepared at the credence table). The offerings are
then brought forward. It is praiseworthy for the bread and wine to be presented by the
faithful. They are then accepted at an appropriate place by the priest or the deacon and
carried to the altar. Even though the faithful no longer bring from their own possessions the
bread and wine intended for the liturgy as in the past, nevertheless the rite of carrying up
the offerings still retains its force and its spiritual significance.

Once the offerings have been placed on the altar and the accompanying rites completed,
the invitation to pray with the priest and the prayer over the offerings conclude the
preparation of the gifts and prepare for the Eucharistic Prayer.

The Eucharistic Prayer

Now the center and summit of the entire celebration begins: namely, the Eucharistic Prayer,
that is, the prayer of thanksgiving and sanctification. The Eucharistic Prayer demands that
all listen to it with reverence and in silence.

The chief elements making up the Eucharistic Prayer may be distinguished in this way:
a. Thanksgiving (expressed especially in the Preface): In which the priest, in the name of
the entire holy people, glorifies God the Father and gives thanks for the whole work of
salvation or for some special aspect of it that corresponds to the day, festivity, or season.

b. Acclamation: In which the whole congregation, joining with the heavenly powers, sings
the Sanctus. This acclamation, which is part of the Eucharistic Prayer itself, is sung or said
by all the people with the priest.

c. Epiclesis: In which, by means of particular invocations, the Church implores the power of
the Holy Spirit that the gifts offered by human hands be consecrated, that is, become
Christ's Body and Blood, and that the spotless Victim to be received in Communion be for
the salvation of those who will partake of it.

d. Institution narrative and consecration: In which, by means of words and actions of Christ,
the Sacrifice is carried out which Christ himself instituted at the Last Supper, when he
offered his Body and Blood under the species of bread and wine, gave them to his Apostles
to eat and drink, and left them the command to perpetuate this same mystery.

e. Anamnesis: In which the Church, fulfilling the command that she received from Christ the
Lord through the Apostles, keeps the memorial of Christ, recalling especially his blessed
Passion, glorious Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.

f. Offering: By which, in this very memorial, the Church—and in particular the Church here
and now gathered—offers in the Holy Spirit the spotless Victim to the Father. The Church's
intention, however, is that the faithful not only offer this spotless Victim but also learn to
offer themselves, and so day by day to be consummated, through Christ the Mediator, into
unity with God and with each other, so that at last God may be all in all.

g. Intercessions: By which expression is given to the fact that the Eucharist is celebrated in
communion with the entire Church, of heaven as well as of earth, and that the offering is
made for her and for all her members, living and dead, who have been called to participate
in the redemption and the salvation purchased by Christ's Body and Blood.

h. Final doxology: By which the glorification of God is expressed and is confirmed and
concluded by the people's acclamation, Amen.

The Communion Rite

Since the Eucharistic Celebration is the Paschal Banquet, it is desirable that in keeping with
the Lord's command, his Body and Blood should be received by the faithful who are properly
disposed as spiritual food. This is the sense of the fraction and the other preparatory rites
by which the faithful are led directly to Communion.

The Lord's Prayer

In the Lord's Prayer a petition is made for daily food, which for Christians means
preeminently the eucharistic bread, and also for purification from sin, so that what is holy
may, in fact, be given to those who are holy.

The Rite of Peace

The Rite of Peace follows, by which the Church asks for peace and unity for herself and for
the whole human family, and the faithful express to each other their ecclesial communion
and mutual charity before communicating in the Sacrament.

The Fraction

The priest breaks the Eucharistic Bread, assisted, if the case calls for it, by the deacon or a
concelebrant. Christ's gesture of breaking bread at the Last Supper, which gave the entire
Eucharistic Action its name in apostolic times, signifies that the many faithful are made one
body (1 Cor 10:17) by receiving Communion from the one Bread of Life which is Christ, who
died and rose for the salvation of the world.

Communion

The priest prepares himself by a prayer, said quietly, that he may fruitfully receive Christ's
Body and Blood. The faithful do the same, praying silently. The priest next shows the
faithful the Eucharistic Bread, holding it above the paten or above the chalice, and invites
them to the banquet of Christ. Along with the faithful, he then makes an act of humility
using the prescribed words taken from the Gospels.

It is most desirable that the faithful, just as the priest himself is bound to do, receive the
Lord's Body from hosts consecrated at the same Mass and that, in the instances when it is
permitted, they partake of the chalice, so that even by means of the signs Communion will
stand out more clearly as a participation in the sacrifice actually being celebrated.

While the priest is receiving the Sacrament, the Communion chant is begun. Its purpose is
to express the communicants' union in spirit by means of the unity of their voices, to show
joy of heart, and to highlight more clearly the "communitarian" nature of the procession to
receive Communion.

When the distribution of Communion is finished, as circumstances suggest, the priest and
faithful spend some time praying privately. If desired, a psalm or other canticle of praise or
a hymn may also be sung by the entire congregation.

To bring to completion the prayer of the People of God, and also to conclude the entire
Communion Rite, the priest says the Prayer after Communion, in which he prays for the
fruits of the mystery just celebrated.

THE CONCLUDING RITES

The concluding rites consist of

a. Brief announcements, if they are necessary;

b. The priest's greeting and blessing, which on certain days and occasions is enriched and
expressed in the prayer over the People or another more solemn formula;

c. The dismissal of the people by the deacon or the priest, so that each may go out to do
good wo d. The kissing of the altar by the priest and the deacon, followed by a profound
bow to the altar by the priest, the deacon, and the other ministers rks, praising and blessing
God;