The Introductory Rites

Sign of the Cross

The mass begins when the priest enters and approaches the altar; everyone stands and sings the entrance song.

All make the Sign of the Cross as the priest says:

✠ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

The people reply:

Amen.

Greeting

The Priest greets the congregation by saying something like:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Or: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Or: The Lord be with you.

The people reply:

And with your spirit.

Penitential Act

The priest says:

Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

A brief pause for silence follows, and then the priest and congregation say one of the following Penitential Acts together (select from the list):

Absolution by the priest follows:

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

The people reply:

Amen.

The Gloria

The Collect

The collect is a prayer to gather (collect) the congregation's attention from the Introductory Rites to the Liturgy.

The priest says:

The people reply:

Amen.

The Liturgy of the Word

This important section of mass allows the congregation to hear the Word of the Lord through scripture, through the sermon, and through a shared statement of belief.

Everyone sits as the reader comes to the podium.

First Reading

The reader acclaims:

The word of the Lord.

The people reply:

Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

The Responsorial Psalm can be said or sung. The reader or cantor recites the first line and the people repeat it; the reader or cantor will then recite the verses alone and the people will respond with the refrain of the first line (noted with the crossed R symbol) after each verse.

Second Reading

The reader acclaims:

The word of the Lord.

The people reply:

Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation

Everyone stands to sing the Acclamation to welcome the Gospel, taken from the books of the Bible in which Christ is featured directly rather than merely prophesied or spoken about.

Gospel Reading

The priest begins by saying:

The Lord be with you.

The people reply:

And with your spirit.

✠ All make the Sign of the Cross and the people say:

Glory to you, O Lord.

The priest reads:

After reading the passage, the priest says:

The Gospel of the Lord.

The people reply:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

The congregation sits.

The Homily

The priest gives his sermon, at the end of which there may be a brief silence for contemplation.

The Creed

The congregation stands to say one of the following creeds together (select from the list):

The Prayer of the Faithful

A reader comes to the podium to offer the Prayers of the Faithful, expressing spiritual desires for the congregation, community, and wider world.

After each intention, the reader says:

We pray to the Lord.

The people respond:

Lord, hear our prayer.

The Collect

The priest concludes with a Collect prayer to move attention from the Liturgy of the Word to the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

All sit.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist

This section of mass includes the offeratory and the preparation and sacrament of holy communion.

The Offeratory

A song may be sung, either by a choir or the congregation, while donations are collected from the congregation and while the priest begins to prepare the bread and wine for communion.

He may do so quietly, but if, in his preparation, the priest says prayers aloud, the people reply: Blessed be God forever.

When his preparation is complete, the people rise and the priest says:

Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.

The people reply:

May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church.

The priest says the Prayer Over the Offerings, and the people reply:

Amen.

The Eucharistic Prayer

The Eucharistic prayer is an expression of praise and gratitude leading to the sacrament of communion. The middle invokes the Holy Spirit to consecrate the bread and wine and, after a memorial of the Last Supper and the mystery of faith, to consecrate us as believers. It ends with pleas for intercession and with continued praise.

The parts the prayer vary depending on the season or feast day—the preface, in particular, has more than 150 versions, some required for the day and many left to the discretion of the priest to select. The most likely options are included in dropdown lists, but if the priest uses a preface or section that isn't listed, simply listen until you can follow along again.

Preface Dialogue

The priest intones:

The Lord be with you.

The people reply:

And with your spirit.

The priest says:

Lift up your hearts.

The people reply:

We lift them up to the Lord.

The priest says:

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

The people reply:

It is right and just.

Preface

The priest says the preface, either a required preface or one of several he can choose based on the liturgical season; if there are several options, select from the list to follow along.

If the preface used isn't listed, just listen to the praise being given.

Sanctus

All sing or say the following (if sung, some phrases may be repeated to match the tune):

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Hosts.
Heaven and Earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

Communicantes or Thanksgiving

The priest continues using one of the four standard Eucharistic prayers (select from the list below):

Offering / Calling on the Holy Spirit

The priest continues:

Narrative

The priest continues:

The Mystery of Faith

The priest says:

The mystery of faith.

The people reply (spoken or sung):

When we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim your death, O Lord, until you come again.

Or: We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your resurrection until you come again.

Or: Save us, Savior of the world, for by your cross and resurrection you have set us free.

Remembering

The priest says:

Calling on the Holy Spirit

The priest continues:

Intercessions

The priest continues:

Doxology (Praise)

To conclude the Eucharistic prayer, the priest raises the chalice and host and intones:

Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever.

The people say or sing (repeated to the music, if sung):

Amen.

The Communion Rite

This section of mass emphasizes mutual love and reconciliation culminating in the taking of communion, the transubstantiated blood and body of Christ, by baptized members.

The Lord's Prayer and Peace

The priest says:

At the Savior's command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:

All say:

Our Father, who art in heaven
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trepass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

The priest alone continues:

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days,
that, by the help of your mercy,
we may be always free from sin
and safe from all distress,
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

All say:

For the kingdom,
the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever.

The priest alone says:

Lord Jesus Christ,
who said to your apostles:
Peace I leave you, my peace I give you,
look not on our sins,
but on the faith of your Church,
and graciously grant her peace and unity
in accordance with your will
who live and reign for ever and ever.

The people reply:

Amen.

The priest says:

The peace of the Lord be with you always.

The people reply:

And with your spirit.

The priest says:

Let us offer each other the sign of peace.

All offer each other the sign of peace: a wave, a peace sign with two fingers—even a smile with eye contact to fellow congregants around you will suffice in a post-pandemic world (in the past, people used to shake hands).

Breaking of the Bread

During the breaking of the bread, the congregation says or sings:

Lamb of God,
you take away the sins of the world;
have mercy on us.

Lamb of God,
you take away the sins of the world;
have mercy on us.

Lamb of God,
you take away the sins of the world;
grant us peace.

Invitation to Communion

After his private prayers of preparation, the priest raises the host (communion wafer) and says aloud:

Behold the Lamb of God,
behold him who takes away the sins of the world.
Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.

All reply:

Lord, I am not worthy
that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

Communion

The priest first takes communion, then the congregants line up reverently to partake. Note that only baptized Catholics should receive communion; if you are not Catholic, you can use the time for personal prayer or quiet reflection.

To those taking communion, the priest says:

The body (or blood) of Christ.

The communicant replies:

Amen.

When communion is done and set aside, the congregation sits.

Prayer After Communion

A moment of sacred silence, or perhaps a hymn, follows the distribution of communion.

The priest then says:

Let us pray.

All stand and say a brief, silent personal prayer, after which the priest says:

The people reply:

Amen.

The Concluding Rites

This final section directs the people to take the lessons and unity of the mass into their daily lives and their interactions with the world.

The priest first presents any parish business or announcements he may have.

Blessing

The priest then says:

The Lord be with you.

The people reply:

And with your spirit.

The priest blesses the people, saying:

May almighty God bless you,
✠ the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The people reply:

Amen.

Dismissal

The priest says something like:

Go forth, the mass is ended.

Or: Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.

The people reply:

Thanks be to God.

The mass may be concluded with an exit hymn.