Walkthrough of the Mass
A step-by-step guide through the Ordinary Form of the Mass, with the people's responses and a plain-language explanation of each part.
The Introductory Rites
The opening rites gather the assembly into one body and prepare us to hear God's word and celebrate the Eucharist worthily. They move us from the street into the mystery: we make the sign of the cross, acknowledge our sins, and praise God before turning to the readings.
Entrance and Sign of the Cross
As the priest and ministers enter, we sing the entrance chant. Reaching the altar, the priest venerates it and, with the whole assembly, begins by signing himself with the cross — marking the Mass, and ourselves, as belonging to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Greeting
And with your spirit.
The priest greets the people in the name of Christ — for example, The Lord be with you. The response And with your spirit is more than a hello: it acknowledges the Holy Spirit at work through the priest's ordination, and asks the Lord to be present to the whole gathering.
The Penitential Act
Before approaching holy things, we pause to acknowledge our sins and ask for God's mercy. In the Confiteor we confess together that we have sinned in thought and word, in what we have done and failed to do, and we beg the prayers of Our Lady, the angels and saints, and one another. At the words through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault, we strike our breast three times — an ancient gesture of sorrow and humility before God.
Lord, have mercy (Kyrie)
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
In the original Greek: Kýrie, eléison. Christe, eléison. Kýrie, eléison.
The Kyrie is one of the oldest prayers of the Church, a simple cry for mercy addressed to Christ the Lord. It flows naturally from the Penitential Act — having named our need, we call on the one who alone can heal it.
The Gloria
On Sundays (outside Advent and Lent) and feasts, the Church takes up the song of the angels at Bethlehem and pours out praise to the Father and to the Lamb. It is a hymn of pure adoration before we turn to listen to God's word.
The Collect
Amen.
The priest invites us to pray, and after a brief silence 'collects' the prayers of all into a single opening prayer proper to the day. Our Amen makes that prayer our own — it means 'so be it, let it be done.'
The Liturgy of the Word
God himself speaks to us through the Scriptures proclaimed here. We listen to the Old Testament, the Psalms, the apostles, and finally the Gospel of Christ, then respond with faith in the Creed and with prayers of intercession for the whole world.
The First Reading
Thanks be to God.
Usually drawn from the Old Testament, the first reading shows how God prepared his people for Christ. At its close the reader says, The word of the Lord, and we answer Thanks be to God — grateful that God has spoken to us.
The Responsorial Psalm
(Sing or say the repeated response to each verse of the psalm.)
We respond to God's word with God's own words, singing a psalm together. The psalm is the assembly's meditation on the reading, carrying the Scripture into prayer.
The Second Reading
Thanks be to God.
On Sundays and solemnities a second reading is proclaimed, usually from the letters of the apostles. Like the first, it ends with The word of the Lord and our grateful Thanks be to God.
The Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
We rise and greet Christ, about to speak to us in the Gospel, with the Alleluia (replaced by a different acclamation in Lent). Standing is itself a sign of respect for the Lord's own words.
The Gospel
At the announcement of the Gospel we answer Glory to you, O Lord, and with the thumb trace a small cross on our forehead, lips, and heart — asking that the Gospel be in our mind, on our lips, and in our heart. As you sign each, you may pray silently:
"May the word of God be in my mind, on my lips, and in my heart."
After the Gospel we respond Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
The proclamation of the Gospel is the high point of the Liturgy of the Word, for here Christ himself addresses his people — which is why we stand, and why only a deacon or priest may proclaim it. The triple sign of the cross is a small prayer in itself: that Christ's word would take hold of how we think, how we speak, and how we love.
The Homily
(Listen as the priest or deacon breaks open the word of God.)
The priest or deacon explains the Scriptures and applies them to our lives, so that the word just heard may bear fruit. The homily is part of the liturgy itself, not an interruption of it.
The Profession of Faith (Creed)
Having heard God's word, we respond by professing our faith. At Sunday Mass and on solemnities we proclaim the Nicene Creed, the Church's fuller profession of belief in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the Apostles' Creed may also be used, especially in Masses with children.
The Prayer of the Faithful
Lord, hear our prayer.
Strengthened by God's word, we pray as a priestly people for the Church, the world, the suffering, and our local community. To each petition we answer Lord, hear our prayer, exercising the intercession that belongs to the baptized.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
Now the Church does what the Lord commanded at the Last Supper: Do this in memory of me. Bread and wine are offered, the great Eucharistic Prayer gives thanks and consecrates them into the Body and Blood of Christ, and the faithful are nourished in Holy Communion.
The Offertory
Blessed be God for ever.
Bread and wine — 'the work of human hands' — are brought to the altar, often with a collection for the Church and the poor. As the priest blesses God for these gifts, we answer Blessed be God for ever.
Pray, brethren
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 invites us to pray that our common sacrifice be acceptable to God. Our response makes clear that the sacrifice is offered through the priest by the whole Church, for God's glory and the good of all.
The Preface and Holy, Holy, Holy (Sanctus)
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.
The Eucharistic Prayer opens with the Preface, giving thanks for God's saving work. We join the song of the angels and saints in heaven — the Sanctus — confessing God thrice-holy as we stand at the threshold of the great mystery.
The Consecration
(Kneel and adore. The priest then sings or says: The mystery of faith. The people respond with one of the following acclamations:)
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.
Repeating the words and actions of Christ at the Last Supper, the priest consecrates the bread and wine, which become truly the Body and Blood of the Lord. This is the heart of the Mass. We adore in silence, then proclaim the mystery of faith in the Memorial Acclamation. The Roman Missal provides three approved acclamations, and any one of them may be used.
The Great Amen
Amen.
The Eucharistic Prayer ends with the priest giving all glory to the Father through, with, and in Christ. Our Amen — called the Great Amen — is our wholehearted assent to the entire prayer and sacrifice just offered.
The Lord's Prayer
Before receiving Communion we pray as Christ taught us, asking for our daily bread — which is also the Bread of Life — and for the forgiveness that prepares us to approach the altar.
The Sign of Peace
And with your spirit. (Peace be with you.)
Having asked forgiveness, we offer one another a sign of Christ's peace — a gesture of reconciliation and charity before we share in the one Bread.
Lamb of God (Agnus Dei)
As the priest breaks the host, we acclaim Christ the Lamb of God, sacrificed for our sins, and beg his mercy and peace — echoing John the Baptist's words at the Jordan.
Holy Communion
Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
(As you receive, the priest says The Body of Christ, and you answer:) Amen.
Invited to the Supper of the Lamb, we confess our unworthiness in the words of the centurion, then come forward to receive the Body and Blood of Christ, answering Amen — 'I believe' — as the Lord is placed within us. A time of silent thanksgiving follows.
To receive Communion, one must be in a state of grace. This means being free of any unconfessed mortal sin, with the soul alive in the sanctifying grace first given at Baptism and restored, after serious sin, in the Sacrament of Penance (Catechism 1385). Saint Paul warns:
"Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup."
— 1 Corinthians 11:27-28
Whoever is conscious of grave sin should therefore go to Confession before receiving. Venial sins do not bar us from Communion; the Eucharist itself wipes them away and strengthens us against sin.
Catholics also keep a one-hour fast from food and drink (except water and medicine) before receiving.
If you cannot receive, whether because you are not in a state of grace, have not kept the fast, or are not Catholic, you are still warmly welcome. Remain in the pew and make a spiritual communion, or, where your parish invites it, come forward with arms crossed over your chest to receive a blessing (customs vary, so follow local practice).
The Concluding Rites
Having been fed at the altar, we are blessed and sent out. The word 'Mass' itself comes from the sending — Ite, missa est — for the fruit of what we have received is to carry Christ into the world.
The Final Blessing
The priest blesses the people in the name of the Holy Trinity, and we sign ourselves once more with the cross — sealing the graces of the Mass as we prepare to depart.
The Dismissal
Thanks be to God.
The deacon or priest sends us forth — for example, Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life. Our Thanks be to God is both gratitude for the gift received and a commission to live it. The Mass has ended; now the mission begins.