Explore this page to learn more about why we say what we say and do what we do at Mass.
Understanding the Mass will help us participate more fully and appreciate the prayers and traditions.
Each week we will be adding new content, so keep checking back to learn more!

Preparing for Mass

Preparing for Mass is an important step! Preparing for Mass helps us focus better and enter more deeply into the prayers.

  1. Look up the readings prior to Mass at www.usccb.org. Read them, reflect on them and pray with them. This can be done at any point during the week leading up to Mass.

  2. Fast an hour before Communion.  This means that we should stop eating and drinking 20-30 minutes before Mass begins (Canon Law 919).

  3. Try to arrive a few minutes early to quiet your heart and mind and pray. Thank God, surrender your struggles, and share your petitions for the Mass in prayer.

The Baptismal Font 

  • Long ago baptisms took place outside, usually in a river.  When Christian persecution began it wasn’t safe to baptize outside, so Christians began celebrating baptisms inside.

  • Most baptismal fonts have 8 sides because Jesus rose from the dead on the 8th day according to the Jewish calendar.

  • It is tradition to bless yourself with holy water when entering a church as a reminder of your baptism.

  • “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4

Genuflecting

The act of genuflecting on one knee comes from court etiquette and was done while in the presence of a medieval king or noble. It was a sign of respect as well as a pledge of service.

Christians adopted this custom over time, and it became fully integrated into the liturgy of the Roman Rite by the 16th century. The left knee was always used to give reverence to a king, so Christians began genuflecting in church to God on the right knee.

We genuflect towards the tabernacle as a sign of reverence, acknowledging that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. The only day we do not genuflect is on Good Friday, when the tabernacle is empty.

The Sign of the Cross

St. Basil in the fourth century said that we learned the sign from the time of the apostles and that it was administered in baptisms. Some scholars interpret St. Paul's saying that he bears the marks of Christ on his body, in Galatians 6:17, as his referring to the sign of the cross.
 

The Sign of the Cross is a prayer that reminds us of several things:

1. That we are always in the presence of God (invoking the Trinity)

2. Our Baptism

3. That Jesus died on the cross for our salvation

*The sign of the cross is also a sign of discipleship and a defense against the devil.
 

How to make the sign of the cross:
Using your right hand touch your forehead and say, “In the name of the Father;” touch your chest or abdomen and say, “And of the Son;” touch your left then right shoulder and say, “And of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

The Main Aisle

The main aisle of the Church represents our journey to heaven. The steps going up to the altar represent a journey upward (to Heaven), just as people encountered God on a mountain throughout Scripture. At Mass we encounter God in the priest, in the Word, in the Eucharist, and in each other.

The procession at the beginning of Mass represents the fact that we are a pilgrim Church on a journey to Heaven, our true home. In the entrance procession the priest is lead by the crucifix, which faces away from him towards the altar signifying that we don’t always see Jesus but we know he is there, leading us back to the Father.

During the offertory procession, people process gifts up to the priest as a symbol of offering back to God what He has blessed us with.

During the Communion procession we come up the main aisle to receive a foretaste of Heaven in the Eucharist.

During the Recessional (end of Mass), The crucifix faces the people, representing Christ leading us out to proclaim the Good News that we just heard in the Gospel.

The Altar

Every altar in a Catholic Church is consecrated. The Bishop consecrates the altar in a special Mass, first blessing it with Holy Water, then anointing the altar with Chrism oil, then incensing it. The smoke from the incense symbolizes our prayers rising to heaven.

Next, a white cloth is put on top of the altar, which symbolises a new creation, just as an infant wears white at baptism and becomes a new creation in Christ. Then the altar is surrounded with candles, which symbolise that Jesus is the light of the world, and lastly the Bishop celebrates the Eucharist on the altar, which is now considered a permanent symbol of the presence of Christ. Regardless of what liturgical season we are in the white cloth always remains on the top of the altar.

Just as we genuflect towards the tabernacle to acknowledge Christ’s presence, we should bow to the altar, the place of sacrifice and symbol of Christ.

The only items that should be placed on the altar are a crucifix, candles, missal, and vessels for the Eucharistic celebration.

Liturgical Colors

GREEN: Worn during Ordinary Time; symbolises hope.
RED: Worn at Pentecost, Feasts of the Holy Spirit, Apostles and martyrs; symbolizes the blood the Christ shed for us and that martyrs shed for Christ.
GOLD/WHITE: Worn on Feasts of our Lord Jesus Christ, Mary and saints who were not martyred; symbolises glory, joy, innocence, and purity of soul.
ROSE: Third Sunday of Advent and the Fourth Sunday of Lent; symbolises joy and love.
PURPLE: Advent and Lent; symbolises humility and penitence.

Priest Vestments

As the priest prepares to celebrate Mass, the first vestment he puts on is called an alb. The alb reminds us of the new and immaculate clothing that every Christian has received through Baptism. The alb is a symbol of the sanctifying grace received in the first sacrament and is also considered to be a symbol of the purity of heart that is necessary to enter into the joy of the eternal vision of God in heaven. It symbolizes the garment in which Christ was clothed by Herod and the purity of the soul with which the Sacrifice of the Mass should be offered. As the priest puts the alb on he prays, ”Make me white O Lord and cleanse my heart that, made white by the Blood of the Lamb, I may be able to serve Thee.”


The cincture is a long, rope-like cord with tassled or knotted ends that the priest ties around his waist. The color may be white, or the color of the liturgical season. When putting on the cincture, the priest says the following prayer, "Gird me, O Lord, with the girdle of purity and quench in me the fire of concupiscence, that virtue of continence and chastity may remain in me.”


The stole is a sign of spiritual authority and a sign that the priest is operating in the person of Christ. The priest kisses the stole before he puts it on as a sign of honor and prays, “Lord restore the stole of immortality, which I lost through the collusion of our first parents and unworthy as I am to approach thy sacred mysteries, may I yet gain eternal joy.” A Deacon wears a stole across his body, whereas the priest wears it around his neck.

The chasuble is the final vestment that the priest puts on to celebrate Mass. It is representative of the charity that a priest is called to live. The chasuble has open sleeves whereas a deacon’s vestment has defined sleeves and is called a dalmatic. As the priest puts the chasuble on he prays: “O Lord who has said, “My yoke is sweet and my burden light, grant that I may so carry it as to merit thy grace.”

Sacred Vessels

The ciborium and chalice are sacred vessels that are used to hold the precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus.

Sacred vessels are to be made from precious metal like silver or gold . If they are made from metal that rusts or from a metal less precious than gold, then ordinarily they should be gilded on the inside” (General Instruction for the Roman Missal, 328). 

The Greeting

Each language has its own way of greeting to begin a conversation. We begin Mass with a greeting because the Mass is a conversation. God speaks to us in His Word and we respond. However, the greeting at the beginning of Mass is ritualized. It is not left to the priest simply to begin by saying “hello” or “good morning”. The priest can choose from 3 greetings: 

#1: ”The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you" (2 Cor 13:13). This greeting comes from St. Paul's second letter to the Church of Corinth (2 Cor 13:13). It invokes the power of the Trinity and invites us into the mystery of what we are about to experience.

#2: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” This greeting can be found in eight of St. Paul’s letters.

#3: “The Lord be with you.” This greeting is typically used for daily Mass and reminds us of the God’s promise; that He is always with us.


The Penitential Rite

An ancient document called the Didache (c.60) noted that the “people came together on the Lord’s Day and gave thanks, after first confessing their sins.”  For many centuries, the Mass had no penitential rite. 

The Confiteor was part of the private prayers said by the priest and the ministers at the foot of the altar. After Vatican II, a brief penitential rite was added that had its source in both Scripture (Matthew 5:23-25) and tradition. (cf. The Mystery of Faith by Lawrence Johnson, page 13)

The Rite begins with an invitation by the priest to recall our sins and a pause for silent reflection. Next, we either pray the Confiteor Prayer (I confess….) or Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy. If free from mortal sin, this Rite prepares us to receive Communion worthily.                                                                           

It is the first of three times that we ask for forgiveness within the Mass.


The Gloria

The Gloria is sung during Mass on Sundays after the Penitential Rite.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will,” (Luke 2:14) is an ancient hymn of praise, echoing the song of the angels at Bethlehem proclaiming Jesus’ birth.  Having asked for God’s forgiveness, now we praise Him for His goodness.

The Gloria is omitted during Advent as a reminder we are waiting for Jesus to come, so we hold off doing anything joyful until His birth; and it is also omitted during Lent because we are suffering with Christ for our sins until the joy of His resurrection.

The Collect

The collect is the last part of the Introductory Rite of the Mass. It “collects” all the prayers of those present. This is when you silently share with God your intention for the Mass.

The collect invites people to pray in silence for a moment, and then offers a prayer to God that is drawn from the readings or feast of the day, or the purpose for which the Mass is being offered.

Ambo

“Ambo” in Greek means elevated or raise area. The Ambo is used for proclaiming the Word of God. There are many Scripture passages where people go up a mountain to meet God. At Mass we meet God in the Word with is proclaimed from an elevated area.

Gospel Acclamation

The Gospel Acclamation begins with Alleluia first sung by the cantor/choir, repeated by everyone, a verse from scripture sung by the cantor/choir and a final Alleluia sung by all. The scripture verse is foretelling of the Gospel that will be read. It clues us in to the theme and points out God’s goodness in the upcoming Gospel.

Alleluia is Hebrew for “Praise Yahweh or “Praise the Lord.” As we sing we join the heavenly worship of the choir of angels.

We do not sing Alleluia during Lent so that we can focus on our sins and repent. Refraining from singing and saying Alleluia during Lent also helps us appreciate the meaning of the word. When we sing it for the first time in forty days on Easter Sunday as we rejoice in the Resurrection, it means so much more.

The Gospel and the Homily

During the reading of the Gospel, we stand in attentive reverence to the Word of God. We believe that Christ "is present in His Word, since it is He Himself who speaks when the holy Scriptures are read in the church" (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, #7)

During the opening procession at Mass, the Book of the Gospels is held high as a sign of reverence. When the Gospel is complete the priest or Deacon will kiss the Book of the Gospels because Jesus is present in His Word.

In the homily, the priest follows the example of Christ on the road to Emmaus, explaining and interpreting the Scriptures. This interpretation can be theological, moral, biblical, or catechetical. It may also prepare us for or point us toward what is about to follow: the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The homily takes the Word of Christ and helps relate it to our lives. The Word of God must be broken open so it can be received and understood by all.

https://holyfamilyshorewood.org/the-mass-explained