THE ORDER OF MASS
The Introductory Rites
The Introductory Rites help the faithful come together
as one, establish communion and prepare themselves properly to listen to the
Word of God and to celebrate the Eucharist worthily.
All stand. The Priest approaches the altar with the ministers
and venerates it while the Entrance Song is sung
Sign of the Cross
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
Then the Priest greets the people:
Either: 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.
The Priest, or a Deacon, or another minister, may very briefly
introduce the faithful to the Mass of the day.
Penitential Act
The Priest invites the faithful to the Penitential Act.
Brethren (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 one of the following Penitential Acts:
All say:
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,
And, striking their breast, they say:
through my fault,
through my fault,
through my most grievous
fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
The Priest says:
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
The people reply:
For we have sinned against you.
The Priest:
Show us, O Lord, your mercy.
The people:
And grant us your salvation.
The Priest or another minister says invocations naming the gracious
works of the Lord to which he invites the people to respond, as in the example
below:
You were sent to heal the contrite of heart:
Lord, have mercy. Or: Kyrie,
eleison.
The people reply:
Lord, have mercy. Or: Kyrie, eleison.
The Priest:
You came to call sinners:
Christ, have mercy. Or: Christe,
eleison.
The people:
Christ, have mercy. Or: Christe,
eleison.
The Priest:
You are seated at the right hand of the Father to intercede
for us:
Lord, have mercy. Or: Kyrie,
eleison.
The people:
Lord, have mercy. Or: Kyrie, eleison.
The absolution by the Priest follows:
May almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins,
and
bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
The Kyrie
The Kyrie, eleison (Lord, have mercy) invocations may follow:
V. Lord, have mercy.
R. Lord, have mercy.
V. Christ, have mercy.
R. Christ, have mercy.
V. Lord, have mercy.
R. Lord, have mercy.
| Or:
| V. Kyrie, eleison.
R. Kyrie, eleison.
V. Christe, eleison.
R. Christe, eleison.
V. Kyrie, eleison.
R. Kyrie, eleison.
|
The Gloria
When indicated this hymn is either sung or said.
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 Collect
The Priest says:
Let us pray.
And all pray in silence with the Priest for a while. Then the
Priest says the Collect prayer, at the end of which the people acclaim:
Amen.
The Liturgy of the Word
By hearing the word proclaimed in worship, the faithful
again enter into the unending dialogue between God and the covenant people,
a dialogue sealed in the sharing of the Eucharistic food and drink. The proclamation
of the word is thus integral to the Mass and at its very centre. It is appropriate
to have a brief time of quiet after the readings for those present to take the
word of God to heart and begin to prepare a prayerful response to what they
have heard.
All sit
First Reading
To indicate the end of these readings, the reader acclaims:
The word of the Lord.
All reply:
Thanks be to God.
Psalm
After the First Reading the psalmist or cantor sings or says
the Psalm, with the people making the response.
Second Reading
On Sundays and certain other days there is a second reading.
It concludes with the same responsory as above.
Gospel
The assembly stands to sing the Gospel Acclamation to welcome
the Gospel. They remain standing in honour of the Gospel reading, the high point
of the Liturgy of the Word. At the ambo the Deacon, or the Priest says:
The Lord be with you.
The people reply:
And with your spirit.
The Deacon, or the Priest:
A reading from the holy Gospel according to N.
He makes the Sign of the Cross on the book and, together with
the people, on his forehead, lips, and breast. At the same time the people acclaim:
Glory to you, O Lord.
At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:
The Gospel of the Lord.
All reply:
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
After the proclamation of the Gospel the congregation is seated.
The Homily
At the end of the Homily it is appropriate for there to be a
brief silence for recollection. The congregation then stands.
The Creed
On Sundays and Solemnities, the Profession of Faith or Creed
will follow. During Lent and Easter Time, especially, the Apostles’ Creed
may be used.
The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed
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,
At the words that follow, up to and including ‘and
became man’, all 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.
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and
earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
At the words that follow,
up to and including ‘the Virgin Mary’, all 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.
The Prayer of the Faithful (Bidding Prayers)
After each intention there is a pause while the faithful pray.
The minister says:
Lord, in your mercy.
All reply:
Hear our prayer.
The Priest concludes the Prayer with a collect. When the Liturgy
of the Word has been completed, the people sit.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
For Catholics, the Eucharist is the source and summit of
the whole Christian life. It is the vital centre of all that the Church is and
does, because at its heart is the real presence of the crucified, risen and
glorified Lord, continuing and making available his saving work among us.
The Offertory
During the Offertory Song the faithful usually express their
participation by making an offering, bringing forward bread and wine for the
celebration of the Eucharist and perhaps other gifts to relieve the needs of
the Church and of the poor.
When he has received the bread and wine for the celebration,
the Priest offers prayer of blessing quietly at the altar. Sometimes these prayers
are said aloud. If the priest says the prayers aloud the assembly’s acclamation
each time is
Blessed be God for ever.
The Priest completes additional personal preparatory rites,
and the people rise as he says:
Pray, brethren (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.
Then the Priest says the Prayer over the Offerings, at the end
of which the people acclaim:
Amen.
THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
The Eucharistic Prayer, the centre and summit of the entire
celebration is a memorial proclamation of praise and thanksgiving for God’s
work of salvation, a proclamation in which the Body and Blood of Christ are
made present by the power of the Holy Spirit and the people are joined to Christ
in offering his Sacrifice to the Father.
Extending his hands, the Priest says:
The Lord be with you.
The people reply:
And with your spirit.
The Priest, raising his hands, continues:
Lift up your hearts.
The people:
We lift them up to the Lord.
The Priest, with hands extended, adds:
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
The people:
It is right and just.
The Priest continues with the Preface.
It is truly right to give you thanks,
truly just to give you glory, Father most holy,
for you are the one God living and true,
existing before all ages and abiding for all eternity,
dwelling in unapproachable light;
yet you, who alone are good, the source of life,
have made all that is,
so that you might fill your creatures with blessings
and bring joy to many of them by the glory of your light.
And so, in your presence are countless hosts of Angels,
who serve you day and night
and, gazing upon the glory of your face,
glorify you without ceasing.
With them we, too, confess your name in exultation,
giving voice to every creature under heaven,
as we acclaim:
The Priest concludes the Preface with the people singing or
saying aloud:
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.
After the singing of the Sanctus the congregation kneels for
the remainder of the Eucharistic Prayer.
The Priest alone recites:
To you, therefore, most merciful Father,
we make humble prayer and petition
through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord:
that you accept
and bless ✠ these gifts, these offerings,
these holy and unblemished sacrifices,
which we offer you firstly
for your holy catholic Church.
Be pleased to grant her peace,
to guard, unite and govern her
throughout the whole world,
together with your servant N. our Pope
and N. our Bishop,
and all those who, holding to the truth,
hand on the catholic and apostolic faith.
Remember, Lord, your servants (N. and N.)
and all gathered here,
whose faith and devotion are known to you.
For them, we offer you this sacrifice of praise
or they offer it for themselves
and all who are dear to them:
for the redemption of their souls,
in hope of health and well-being,
and paying their homage to you,
the eternal God, living and true.
In communion with those whose memory we venerate,
especially the glorious ever-Virgin Mary,
Mother of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ,
and blessed Joseph, her Spouse,
your blessed Apostles and Martyrs,
Peter and Paul, Andrew,
(James, John,
Thomas, James, Philip,
Bartholomew, Matthew,
Simon and Jude;
Linus, Cletus, Clement, Sixtus,
Cornelius, Cyprian,
Lawrence, Chrysogonus,
John and Paul,
Cosmas and Damian)
and all your Saints;
we ask that through their merits and prayers,
in all things we may be defended
by your protecting help.
(Through Christ our Lord. Amen.)
Therefore, Lord, we pray:
graciously accept this oblation of our service,
that of your whole family;
order our days in your peace,
and command that we be delivered from eternal damnation
and counted among the flock of those you have chosen.
(Through Christ our Lord. Amen.)
Be pleased, O God, we pray,
to bless, acknowledge,
and approve this offering in every respect;
make it spiritual and acceptable,
so that it may become for us
the Body and Blood of your most beloved Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ.
On the day before he was to suffer,
he took bread in his holy and venerable hands,
and with eyes raised to heaven
to you, O God, his almighty Father,
giving you thanks, he said the blessing,
broke the bread
and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of you, and eat of it,
for this is my body,
which will be given up for you.
In a similar way, when supper was ended,
he took this precious chalice
in his holy and venerable hands,
and once more giving you thanks, he said the blessing
and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of you, and drink from it,
for this is the chalice of my Blood,
the Blood of the new and eternal covenant,
which will be poured out for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in memory of me.
The Priest alone recites:
You are indeed Holy, O Lord,
the fount of all holiness.
Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray,
by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall,
so that they may become for us
the Body and ✠ Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
At the time he was betrayed
and entered willingly into his Passion,
he took bread and, giving thanks, broke it,
and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of you, and eat of it,
for this is my body,
which will be given up for you.
In a similar way, when supper was ended,
he took the chalice
and, once more giving thanks,
he gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of you, and drink from it,
for this is the chalice of my Blood,
the Blood of the new and eternal covenant,
which will be poured out for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in memory of me.
The Priest alone says:
You are indeed Holy, O Lord,
and all you have created
rightly gives you praise,
for through your Son our Lord Jesus Christ,
by the power and working of the Holy Spirit,
you give life to all things and make them holy,
and you never cease to gather a people to yourself,
so that from the rising of the sun to its setting
a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name.
Therefore, O Lord, we humbly implore you:
by the same Spirit graciously make holy
these gifts we have brought to you for consecration,
that they may become the Body and ✠
Blood
of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ,
at whose command we celebrate these mysteries.
For on the night he was betrayed
he himself took bread,
and, giving you thanks, he said the blessing,
broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of you, and eat of it,
for this is my body,
which will be given up for you.
In a similar way, when supper was ended,
he took the chalice,
and, giving you thanks, he said the blessing,
and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of you, and drink from it,
for this is the chalice of my Blood,
the Blood of the new and eternal covenant,
which will be poured out for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in memory of me.
The Priest alone says:
We give you praise, Father most holy,
for you are great
and you have fashioned all your works
in wisdom and in love.
You formed man in your own image
and entrusted the whole world to his care,
so that in serving you alone, the Creator,
he might have dominion over all creatures.
And when through disobedience he had lost your friendship,
you did not abandon him to the domain of death.
For you came in mercy to the aid of all,
so that those who seek might find you.
Time and again you offered them covenants
and through the prophets
taught them to look forward to salvation.
And you so loved the world, Father most holy,
that in the fullness of time
you sent your Only Begotten Son to be our Saviour.
Made incarnate by the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary,
he shared our human nature
in all things but sin.
To the poor he proclaimed the good news of salvation,
to prisoners, freedom,
and to the sorrowful of heart, joy.
To accomplish your plan,
he gave himself up to death,
and, rising from the dead,
he destroyed death and restored life.
And that we might live no longer for ourselves
but for him who died and rose again for us,
he sent the Holy Spirit from you, Father,
as the first fruits for those who believe,
so that, bringing to perfection his work in the world,
he might sanctify creation to the full.
Therefore, O Lord, we pray:
may this same Holy Spirit
graciously sanctify these offerings,
that they may become
the Body and ✠ Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
for the celebration of this great mystery,
which he himself left us
as an eternal covenant.
For when the hour had come
for him to be glorified by you, Father most holy,
having loved his own who were in the world,
he loved them to the end:
and while they were at supper,
he took bread, blessed and broke it,
and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of you, and eat of it,
for this is my body,
which will be given up for you.
In a similar way,
taking the chalice filled with the fruit of the vine,
he gave thanks,
and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of you, and drink from it,
for this is the chalice of my Blood,
the Blood of the new and eternal covenant,
which will be poured out for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in memory of me.
After the words of Consecration the priest says:
The mystery of faith.
The people continue, acclaiming:
Either:We proclaim your Death, O Lord,
and profess your Resurrection
until you come again.
Or:When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup,
we proclaim your
Death, O Lord,
until you come again.
Or:Save us, Saviour of the world,
for by your Cross and Resurrection
you have set us free.
Then the Priest alone continues:
Therefore, O Lord,
as we celebrate the memorial of the blessed Passion,
the Resurrection from the dead,
and the glorious Ascension into heaven
of Christ, your Son, our Lord,
we, your servants and your holy people,
offer to your glorious majesty
from the gifts that you have given us,
this pure victim,
this holy victim,
this spotless victim,
the holy Bread of eternal life
and the Chalice of everlasting salvation.
Be pleased to look upon these offerings
with a serene and kindly countenance,
and to accept them,
as once you were pleased to accept
the gifts of your servant Abel the just,
the sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith,
and the offering of your high priest Melchizedek,
a holy sacrifice, a spotless victim.
In humble prayer we ask you, almighty God:
command that these gifts be borne
by the hands of your holy Angel
to your altar on high
in the sight of your divine majesty,
so that all of us, who through this participation at the altar
receive the most holy Body and Blood of your Son,
may be filled with every grace and heavenly blessing.
(Through Christ our Lord. Amen.)
Commemoration of the Dead
Remember also, Lord, your servants N.
and N.,
who have gone before us with the sign of faith
and rest in the sleep of peace.
Grant them, O Lord, we pray,
and all who sleep in Christ,
a place of refreshment, light and peace.
(Through Christ our Lord. Amen.)
To us, also, your servants, who, though sinners,
hope in your abundant mercies,
graciously grant some share
and fellowship with your holy Apostles and Martyrs:
with John the Baptist, Stephen,
Matthias, Barnabas,
(Ignatius, Alexander,
Marcellinus, Peter,
Felicity, Perpetua,
Agatha, Lucy,
Agnes, Cecilia, Anastasia)
and all your Saints;
admit us, we beseech you,
into their company,
not weighing our merits,
but granting us your pardon,
through Christ our Lord.
Through whom
you continue to make all these good things, O Lord;
you sanctify them, fill them with life,
bless them, and bestow them upon us.
Then the Priest alone continues:
Therefore, as we celebrate
the memorial of his Death and Resurrection,
we offer you, Lord,
the Bread of life and the Chalice of salvation,
giving thanks that you have held us worthy
to be in your presence and minister to you.
Humbly we pray
that, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ,
we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.
Remember, Lord, your Church,
spread throughout the world,
and bring her to the fullness of charity,
together with N. our Pope and N.
our Bishop
and all the clergy.
In Masses for the Dead, the following may be added:
Remember your servant N.,
whom you have called (today)
from this world to yourself.
Grant that he (she)
who was united with your Son in a death like his,
may also be one with him in his Resurrection.
Remember also our brothers and sisters
who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection,
and all who have died in your mercy:
welcome them into the light of your face.
Have mercy on us all, we pray,
that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
with the blessed Apostles,
and all the Saints who have pleased you throughout the ages,
we may merit to be coheirs to eternal life,
and may praise and glorify you
through your Son, Jesus Christ.
Then the Priest alone continues:
Therefore, O Lord, as we celebrate the memorial
of the saving Passion of your Son,
his wondrous Resurrection
and Ascension into heaven,
and as we look forward to his second coming,
we offer you in thanksgiving
this holy and living sacrifice.
Look, we pray, upon the oblation of your Church
and, recognizing the sacrificial Victim by whose death
you willed to reconcile us to yourself,
grant that we, who are nourished
by the Body and Blood of your Son
and filled with his Holy Spirit,
may become one body, one spirit in Christ.
May he make of us
an eternal offering to you,
so that we may obtain an inheritance with your elect,
especially with the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
with your blessed Apostles and glorious Martyrs
(with Saint N.:
the Saint of the day or Patron Saint)
and with all the Saints,
on whose constant intercession in your presence
we rely for unfailing help.
May this Sacrifice of our reconciliation,
we pray, O Lord,
advance the peace and salvation of all the world.
Be pleased to confirm in faith and charity
your pilgrim Church on earth,
with your servant N. our Pope
and N. our Bishop,
the Order of Bishops, all the clergy,
and the entire people you have gained for your own.
Listen graciously to the prayers of this family,
whom you have summoned before you:
in your compassion, O merciful Father,
gather to yourself all your children
scattered throughout the world.
To our departed brothers and
sisters
and to all who were pleasing to you
at their passing from this life,
give kind admittance to your kingdom.
There we hope to enjoy for ever the fullness of your glory
through Christ our Lord,
through whom you bestow on the world all that is good.
When this Eucharistic Prayer is used in Masses for the Dead, the following may be said instead:
Remember your servant N.
whom you have called (today)
from this world to yourself.
Grant that he (she)
who was united with your Son in a death like his,
may also be one with him in his Resurrection,
when from the earth
he will raise up in the flesh those who have died,
and transform our lowly body
after the pattern of his own glorious body.
To our departed brothers and sisters, too,
and to all who were pleasing to you
at their passing from this life,
give kind admittance to your kingdom.
There we hope to enjoy for ever the fullness of your glory,
when you will wipe away every tear from our eyes.
For seeing you, our God, as you are,
we shall be like you for all the ages
and praise you without end,
through Christ our Lord,
through whom you bestow on the world all that is good.
Then the Priest alone continues:
Therefore, O Lord,
as we now celebrate the memorial of our redemption,
we remember Christ’s Death
and his descent to the realm of the dead,
we proclaim his Resurrection
and his Ascension to your right hand,
and, as we await his coming in glory,
we offer you his Body and Blood,
the sacrifice acceptable to you
which brings salvation to the whole world.
Look, O Lord, upon the Sacrifice
which you yourself have provided for your Church,
and grant in your loving kindness
to all who partake of this one Bread and one Chalice
that, gathered into one body by the Holy Spirit,
they may truly become a living sacrifice in Christ
to the praise of your glory.
Therefore, Lord, remember now
all for whom we offer this sacrifice:
especially your servant N. our
Pope,
N. our Bishop, and the whole Order
of Bishops,
all the clergy,
those who take part in this offering,
those gathered here before you,
your entire people,
and all who seek you with a sincere heart.
Remember also
those who have died in the peace of your Christ
and all the dead,
whose faith you alone have known.
To all of us, your children,
grant, O merciful Father,
that we may enter into a heavenly inheritance
with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
and with your Apostles and Saints in your kingdom.
There, with the whole of creation,
freed from the corruption of sin and death,
may we glorify you through Christ our Lord,
through whom you bestow on the world all that is good.
At the conclusion of the Eucharistic Prayer the Priest takes the chalice
and the paten with the host and, raising both, he alone says:
Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God, almighty Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honour is yours,
for ever and
ever.
Amen.
The Communion Rite
The eating and drinking together of the Lord’s Body
and Blood in a Paschal meal is the culmination of the Eucharist. The themes
underlying these rites are the mutual love and reconciliation that are both
the condition and the fruit of worthy communion and the unity of the many in
the One.
The Lord’s Prayer
The congregation stands and the Priest says:
At the Saviour’s command
and formed by divine teaching,
we dare to say:
Together with the people, he continues:
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 trespass against
us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
The Priest alone continues, saying:
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 Saviour, Jesus Christ.
The people conclude the prayer, acclaiming:
For the kingdom,
the power and the glory are yours
now and for
ever.
Then the Priest alone says aloud:
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 adds:
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
The people reply:
And with your spirit.
The Deacon, or the Priest, adds:
Let us offer each other the sign of peace.
And all offer one another the customary sign of peace: a handclasp
or handshake, which is an expression of peace, communion, and charity.
Breaking of the Bread
During the breaking of the host the following is sung or said:
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.
After the Lamb of God, the people kneel.
Invitation to Communion
After his private prayers of preparation the Priest genuflects,
takes the host and, holding it slightly raised above the paten or above the
chalice 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.
And together with the people he adds once:
Lord, I am not worthy
that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
Communion
After the priest has reverently consumed the Body and Blood
of Christ the communicants come forward in reverent procession, and make a preparatory
act of reverence by bowing their head in honour of Christ’s presence in
the Sacrament. They receive Holy Communion standing. The Priest says:
The Body (Blood)
of Christ.
The communicant replies:
Amen.
When Communion is ministered under both kinds the minister of
the Chalice raises it slightly and shows it to each of the communicants, saying:
The Blood of Christ.
The communicant replies:
Amen.
After the distribution of Communion, if appropriate, a sacred
silence may be observed for a while, or a psalm or other canticle of praise
or a hymn may be sung.
Prayer after Communion
Then, the Priest says:
Let us pray.
All stand and pray in silence. Then the Priest says the Prayer
after Communion, at the end of which the people acclaim:
Amen.
The Concluding Rites
The brief Concluding Rite sends the people forth to put
into effect in their daily lives the Mystery of Christ’s Death and Resurrection
and the unity in Christ which they have celebrated. Their mission is to witness
to Christ in the world and to bring the Gospel to the poor.
Any brief announcements to the people follow here. Then the
dismissal takes place. Sometimes this takes a more elaborate form than that
given below.
Blessing
The Priest 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, and the Son, ✠
and the Holy Spirit.
The people reply:
Amen.
Dismissal
Then the Deacon, or the Priest himself, says:
Either: Go forth, the Mass is
ended.
Or: Go and announce the Gospel
of the Lord.
Or: Go in peace, glorifying the
Lord by your life.
Or: Go in peace.
The people reply:
Thanks be to God.
English translation © 2011 International Committee on English
in the Liturgy, Inc.
Concordat cum originali: Jane Porter, Department for Christian
Life and Worship, Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
Imprimatur: Peter Smith, Archbishop of Southwark, 30 August 2011.
Permission granted for distribution in the dioceses of Scotland.
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