|
Text of the Mass 3:
Mass of the Catechumens |
|
1) - Introduction
2) - Preparations for the Mass
3) - Text I: Mass of the Catechumens
4) - Text II: Mass of the Faithful
|
|
THE MASS OF THE CATECHUMENS
On arrival at the altar, the priest and servers stand before the lowest
step. If the priest is wearing a biretta, he hands it to the server. If
the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in the tabernacle, the priest
genuflects, otherwise he makes a profound bow to the cruficix. The servers
always genuflect. If there's only one server - as is customary at a normal
Low Mass - he kneels on the opposite side to the Missal throughout the
Mass.
The priest then ascends the altar steps, traditionally with his right
foot first. This practice symbolises the battle between good and evil,
represented by right and left, dextra and sinistra. Many religions use the
same symbolism. Moslems, for example, adopt the same practice when
entering a mosque.
At the centre of the altar, the priest places the chalice on his left
(the Gospel side), removes the corporal from the burse and unfolds it in
the centre of the altar. The burse is also placed on the Gospel side, and
the veiled chalice positioned in the centre of the corporal. All the
movements and gestures in the Tridentine Mass are formalised in a
deliberate and precise manner. This has the great advantage of
standardising the liturgy, so it remains a forum for worshipping God
rather than an expression of the idiosyncrasies of any particular
celebrant.
The priest then turns and moves to the Epistle side, his hands joined.
The correct position for joined hands is at the level of the breast, palm
to palm, fingers straight and slightly pointing upwards, with the right
thumb over the left, in the form of a cross. The priest opens the Missal
at the Introit, then turns and walks back to the centre of the altar.
At the centre, he makes a medium bow to the crucifix then, turning by
the Epistle side with hands joined and eyes lowered, he descends to floor
level to begin Mass. Every time the priest turns during Mass - except at
the Orate fratres and the final blessing- he turns and returns the same
way, by the Epistle side.
Standing at the centre with hands joined, the priest genuflects on the
first step while the servers kneel below the step. The priest makes the
Sign of the Cross, saying aloud the In nomine Patris, with his left hand
flat under his breast and touching his forehead, breast, left and right
shoulders with his right fingertips.
The 1962 Missal permits the congregation to make the responses with the
server, though this practice is not the custom in some countries. But,
even in a dialogue Mass, the Amen at the end of the Sign of the Cross is
said only by the priest.
In the earliest days, the Mass opened with the Introit as a
processional psalm, and the prayers at the foot of the altar were the
priest's own private preparation for Mass. But for more than four
centuries, the Mass has begun with the 42nd Psalm as an expression of
reverent fear and confidence in God's mercy. (The psalm is not said during
Passiontide or in Masses for the Dead.) |
|
C. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
Introibo ad altare Dei. C. In the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. I will go in to the altar of God.
R. Ad Deum, qui laetificat juventutem
meam. R. To God, who gives joy to my youth.
C. Judica me, Deus, et discerne causam meam de gente non sancta:
ab homine iniquo et doloso erue me. C. Judge me, O God, and
distinguish my cause from an ungodly nation: deliver me from an unjust and
deceitful enemy.
R. Quia tu es, Deus, fortitudo mea: quare me repulisti, et
quare tristis incedo, dum affligit me inimicus? R. For
you are my strength, O God: why have you cast me off? Why do I go around
sadly while the enemy afflicts me?
C. Emitte lucem tuam, et veritatem tuam: ipsa me deduxerunt et
adduxerunt in montem sanctum tuum, et in tabernacula tua. C.
Send out Your light and Your truth; they have led me and brought me to
Your holy hill, into Your tabernacles.
R. Et introibo ad altare Dei: ad Deum qui laetificat
juventutem meam. R. And I will go in to the altar of God:
to God who gives joy to my youth.
C. Confitebor tibi in cithara, Deus, Deus meus: quare tristis es
anima mea, et quare conturbas me? C. I will praise you on the
harp, O God, my God. Why are you sad, my soul, and why do you trouble me?
R. Spera in Deo, quoniam adhuc confitebor illi: salutare
vultus mei, et Deus meus. R. Hope in God, for I will
continue to praise Him, my salvation and my God.
|
|
The
priest bows his head to the Cross for the Gloria Patri, at the end of the
psalm - and at any other time the prayer is said during Mass.
|
|
C.
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. C. Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
R. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper: et in saecula
saeculorum. Amen. R. As it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
C. Introibo ad altare Dei. C. I will go in to the
altar of God.
R. Ad Deum, qui laetificat juventutem meam. R.
To God, who gives joy to my youth.
|
|
At
the Adjutorium nostrum, the priest makes the Sign of the Cross.
|
|
C. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. C. Our
help is in the name of the Lord.
R. Qui fecit coelum et terram. R. Who made
heaven and earth.
|
|
In a
humble confession of his sins before God and the people, the priest bows
profoundly with his hands joined and begins the Confiteor. This
prayer recalls the confession of the Jewish priests of the Old Law before
they offered sacrifice. At the mea culpa, the priest places his
left hand below his breast and strikes his breast three times with the
extended and joined fingers of his right hand.
|
|
C. Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, beatae Mariae semper Virgini,
beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Joanni Baptistae, sanctis apostolis Petro
et Paulo, omnibus sanctis, et vobis, fratres: quia peccavi nimis
cogitatione, verbo, et opere: mea culpa, mea
culpa, mea maxima culpa. Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Virginem, beatum
Michaelum Archangelum, beatum Joannem Baptistam, sanctos apostolos Petrum
et Paulum, omnes sanctos, et vos, fratres, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum
nostrum.
C. I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever virgin, to
blessed Michael the archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy
apostles Peter and Paul, to all the saints and to you, brethren, that I
have sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed (strikes breast three
times): through my fault, through my fault, through my own most grievous
fault. Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the
archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, all
the saints and you, brethren, to pray for me to the Lord our God. |
|
The
priest remains bowing for the server's Misereatur, then, after
replying Amen, he stands erect, his hands joined, while the server
recites the Confiteor.
|
|
R. Misereatur tui omnipotens Deus et, dimissis peccatis
tuis, perducat te ad vitam aeternam. R. May Almighty God
have mercy on you, forgive you your sins and bring you to everlasting
life. Amen.
C. Amen. C. Amen
R. Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, beatae Mariae semper Virgini,
beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Joanni Baptistae, sanctis apostolis Petro
et Paulo, omnibus sanctis, et tibi, Pater: quia peccavi nimis cogitatione,
verbo, et opere: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea
maxima culpa. Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Virginem, beatum Michaelum
Archangelum, beatum Joannem Baptistam, sanctos apostolos Petrum et Paulum,
omnes sanctos, et te, Pater, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum.
R. I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever virgin, to
blessed Michael the archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy
apostles Peter and Paul, to all the saints and to you, Father, that I have
sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed (strike breast three times):
through my fault, through my fault, through my own most grievous fault.
Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the
archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, all
the saints and you, Father, to pray for me to the Lord our God.
|
|
At
the end of the prayer, the priest recites the Misereatur, then says the Indulgentiam,
while making the Sign of the Cross.
|
|
C. Misereatur vestri omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis
vestris, perducat vos ad vitam aeternam. C. May almighty God
have mercy on you, forgive you your sins and bring you to everlasting
life.
R. Amen. R. Amen
C. Indulgentiam, absolutionem, et remissionem peccatorum
nostrorum tribuat nobis omnipotens et misericors Dominus. C. May
the almighty and merciful Lord grant us pardon, absolution and remission
of our sins.
R. Amen. R. Amen.
|
|
Bowing moderately, he continues with the Deus tu conversus.
At the end of the verses, he stands upright, extends his hands to the
width of his shoulders without raising them and rejoins them, at the same
time saying Oremus. At this point, the servers stand and kneel
again on the first step. |
|
C. Deus, tu conversus vivificabis nos. C. O God,
You will turn and give us life.
R. Et plebs tua laetabitur in te. R. And
Your people will rejoice in You.
C. Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordiam tuam. C. Show
us Your mercy, O Lord.
R. Et salutare tuum da nobis. R. And give us
Your salvation.
C. Domine, exaudi orationem meam. C. Lord, hear my
prayer.
R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat. R. And let my cry come
to You.
C. Dominus vobiscum. C. The Lord be with you.
R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with your
spirit.
C. Oremus. C. Let us pray.
|
|
The
first silent prayer of the Mass, the Aufer a nobis, is said as the
priest - with joined hands - ascends the steps, the right foot first. The
prayer of petition dates back to a seventh century sacramentary and
recalls the sacrifices of the Old Law when the Jewish High Priest entered
the Holy of Holies.
|
|
C. Aufer a nobis, quaesumus, Domine, iniquitates nostras: ut
ad sancta sanctorum puris mereamur mentibus introire. Per Christum Dominum
nostrum. Amen.
C. Lord, we pray you to take away our wickedness from us, so
that we may worthily enter into the Holy of Holies with pure minds,
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
|
|
Bowing moderately, the priest rests his joined hands on the edge of
the altar, the tips of his little fingers against the front of the edge as
he says silently the Oramus te Domine. Recalling the saints whose
relics are in the altar, he places his hands flat on the altar outside the
corporal, and kisses it in the middle.
|
|
C. Oramus te, Domine, per merita sanctorum tuorum, quorum
reliquae hic sunt, et omnium sanctorum: ut indulgere digneris omnia
peccata mea. Amen.
C. We beseech You, Lord, by the merits of Your saints whose
relics are here, and of all the saints, to deign to forgive me all my
sins. Amen.
|
|
Continuing the prayer, the priest then moves directly to the
Epistle side where, facing the altar, he makes the Sign of the Cross and
begins, in an audible voice, the Proper of the Day by reciting the Introit
with his hands joined. This Sign of the Cross marked the opening of the
liturgy at the time of St Patrick. The Introit was formerly a psalm sung
as the priest entered the church - hence the word introit. At the
Gloria Patri, the priest turns slightly and bows towards the
crucifix. He does not cross himself when repeating the antiphon.
After the Introit, the priest returns to the centre of the altar. With
joined hands and without bowing to the crucifix, he immediately begins the
Kyrie, the only surviving Greek prayer in the Mass, taken from a
fourth century Byzantine rite.
|
|
C. Kyrie eleison. C. Lord, have mercy.
R. Kyrie eleison. R. Lord, have mercy.
C. Kyrie eleison. C. Lord, have mercy.
R. Christe eleison. R. Christ have
mercy.
C. Christe eleison. C. Christ have mercy.
R. Christe eleison. R. Christ have
mercy.
C. Kyrie eleison. C. Lord, have mercy.
R. Kyrie eleison. R. Lord, have mercy.
C. Kyrie eleison. C. Lord, have mercy.
|
|
As
soon as the Kyrie is finished, the priest starts the Gloria, the
canticle of praise to the Trinity, attributed to Pope Telesphorus 130 years
after Christ. (The Gloria is omitted when the vestments are black or
violet and during certain votive Masses.) As the priest begins the prayer,
he separates his hands horizontally and raises them to shoulder level
before rejoining them and bowing his head at the word Deo. Standing erect,
with hands joined, he continues to the end, reading from the centre altar
card if necessary. He bows to the crucifix at the words adoramus te,
gratias agimus, Jesu Christe, suscipe deprecationem and Jesu Christe
again. At the words cum Sancto Spiritu he makes the Sign of the
Cross. After the Amen, without rejoining his hands, he places
his hands outside the corporal and kisses the centre of the altar.
|
|
C. Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonae
voluntatis. Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te,
gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam: Domine Deus, Rex
coelestis, Deus Pater omnipotens. Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe:
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris: Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere
nobis; qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram; qui sedes
ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis. Quoniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus
Dominus, tu solus Altissimus: Jesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu: in gloria
Dei Patris. Amen.
C. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to men of
goodwill. We praise You, we bless You, we adore You, we glorify You, we
give You thanks for Your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, almighty
God and 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 Lord, You alone are Most High: Jesus
Christ, with the Holy Ghost in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
|
|
Rejoining his hands and turning by the Epistle side with downcast
eyes, the priest greets the people with the Dominus vobiscum, while
extending his hands to the width of his shoulders horizontally, rejoining
them and turning back by the Epistle side.
|
|
C. Dominus vobiscum C. The Lord be with you.
R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with your
spirit.
|
|
From
the centre of the altar, the priest moves to the Missal. Facing the altar, he says
Oremus, bowing his head to the Cross, extending his hands to
shoulder height and width, rejoining them and extending them again. During
the reading of the ancient Collects, the priest bows his head to the Cross
at the Holy Name and bows his head to the Missal at the name of Mary, the
Saint of the day or the Pope. At the end of the prayer, on the words per
Dominum or in unitate, the priest rejoins his hands for the
Amen.
After the Collects comes the first lesson, the Epistle. The priest
places the palms of his hands on the Missal during the reading - though he
may pick up the book if he wishes. He may give a sign to the server that
the reading is over by raising his left hand or laying it on the altar
momentarily.
The response Deo gratias was originally a sign from the
presiding Bishop that the reading had gone on long enough!
|
|
R. Deo gratias. R. Thanks be to God.
|
|
Following the Epistle come the Gradual, Alleluia or Tract and, on
five major feastdays, the Sequence. These are the remnants of the chants
which separated the original three lessons at Mass. The priest reads them
aloud, still holding the Missal, and bows as during the Collects.
From the Epistle side, the priest moves with joined hands to the centre
of the altar where he lifts his eyes to the Cross, then casts them down
and bows profoundly - without laying his hands on the altar - to say
silently the Munda cor meum, a fourteenth century prayer asking God
to purify his lips and heart.
|
|
C. Munda cor meum ac labia mea, omnipotens Deus, qui labia
Isaiae prophetae calculo mundasti ignito: ita me tua grata miseratione
dignare mundare, ut sanctum Evangelium tuum digne valeam nuntiare. Per
Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. C. Cleanse my heart and my
lips, almighty God, who cleansed the lips of the prophet Isaias with a
live coal. In your mercy, deign to cleanse me so I may be worthy to
proclaim Your holy Gospel: through Christ our Lord. Amen.
C. Jube, Domine, benedicere. Dominus sit in corde meo et in
labiis meis: ut digne et competenter annuntiem Evangelium suum.
Amen. C. Bless me, O Lord. May the Lord be in my heart and on my
lips, that I may be fit and worthy to proclaim His Gospel. Amen.
|
|
The
Missal is moved by the server to the right hand side of the altar (so
called because the right hand of the crucifix points to that side) and
placed diagonally on the altar. The congregation stand to greet the word
of God. Standing before the Missal with joined hands, the priest says
aloud the Dominus vobiscum. At the Sequentia, the priest
lays his left hand on the book, while he makes the Sign of the Cross with
the thumb of his open right hand, first at the beginning of the Gospel
passage. Then - with his left hand on his breast - he traces the cross
with his thumb on his forehead, mouth and breast.
|
|
C. Dominus vobiscum C. The Lord be with you.
R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with your
spirit.
C. Sequentia (or Initium) sancti Evangelii secundum
N. C. A passage from (or The beginning of) the holy Gospel
according to N.
R. Gloria tibi Domine. R. Glory to You,
Lord.
|
|
The
priest reads the Gospel aloud with his hands joined. If he needs to bow
his head or genuflect, he does so to the Missal. If he has to turn a page,
he uses his right hand, laying the left on the altar. At the end of the
Gospel, the priest lifts the Missal with both hands, and bows to kiss it
where he signed the cross, saying the Per evangelica dicta.
|
|
C. Per evangelica dicta, deleantur nostra
delictur. C. Through the words of the Gospel, may our sins be
wiped away.
R. Laus tibi, Christe. R. Praise to You, O
Christ.
|
|
Standing erect, the priest replaces the Missal on the stand which
he moves diagonally closer to the middle of the altar next to the
corporal. At this point, the priest may move to the pulpit or lectern to
read the Epistle and Gospel in the vernacular and to deliver a sermon. If
so, he removes his maniple and lays it aside.
The Epistle and Gospel readings must be according to the old calendar
and may not be taken from the new rite of Mass. The 1982 Vatican
instruction forbids any mixing of rites. The homily - in the people's own
language - dates back to the time of the Apostles. St Paul himself
preached at the Eucharist, as we read in the twentieth chapter of the Acts
of the Apostles.
Following the homily, the priest moves to the centre of the altar for
the Creed and, if necessary, puts his maniple back on. As he says the
words Credo in unum Deum, he extends his hands, lifts them to the height
of his shoulders and rejoins them at his breast, bowing at the same time
to the Cross.
The Nicene Creed, which dates from the Council of Nicaea in the early
fourth century, is a late addition to the liturgy, after people had become
used to the declaration of faith as a protest against the heretics. The
Eastern Churches first adopted the prayer in the sixth century. From there
it spread to Spain, to Gaul in the eighth century and it was only
introduced in Rome in 1014 at the request of the German Emperor St Henry
II. Pope Benedict VIII told the Emperor the Creed had never been needed
in Rome because the Church there had never been stained by heresy!
The priest bows when he mentions the Holy Name. At the words Et
incarnatus est, the priest lays his hands on the altar outside the
corporal and genuflects slowly on his right knee, without bowing his head.
He rises after the words Et homo factus est. The priest bows his
head at the words simul adoratur. At the end of the Creed, with the
words et vitam venturi saeculi, he makes the Sign of the Cross. At
the Amen, the priest places his hands flat on the altar outside the
corporal and kisses the altar.
|
|
C. Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, factorem coeli et terrae,
visibilium omnium et invisibilium. Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum,
Filium Dei unigenitum. Et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula. Deum de Deo,
lumen de lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero. Genitum, non factum,
consubstantialem Patri: per quem omnia facta sunt. Qui propter nos homines
et propter nostrem salutem descendit de coelis. (genuflects) Et incarnatus
est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine: ET HOMO FACTUS EST. (stands)
Crucifixus etiam pro nobis: sub Pontio Pilato passus, et sepultus est. Et
resurrexit tertia die, secundum Scripturas. Et ascendit in coelum: sedet
ad dexteram Patris. Et iterum venturus est cum gloria, judicare vivos et
mortuos: cujus regni non erit finis. Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum, et
vivificantem: qui ex Patre Filioque procedit. Qui cum Patre et Filio simul
adoratur et conglorificatur; qui locutus est per Prophetas. Et unam
sanctam catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam. Confiteor unum baptisma in
remissionem peccatorum. Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum. Et vitam
venturi saeculi. Amen.
C. I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth,
maker of everything, visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord, Jesus
Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all time;
God from God, light from light, true God from true God; begotten, not
made, of one substance with the Father; through whom all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation, He came down from heaven, (genuflects)
by the power of the Holy Ghost, He became incarnate of the Virgin Mary AND
WAS MADE MAN. (stands) For our sake too, He was crucified. He suffered
under Pontius Pilate and was buried. On the third day, He rose again from
the dead, according to 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 Ghost, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the
Father and the Son. With the Father and Son, He is adored and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets. I believe in one holy, catholic and
apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. I
look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to
come. Amen.
|
|
This
point marks the end of the Mass of the Catechumens, that part of the
liturgy which was attended by intending converts to Catholicism. What
follows is the Mass of the Faithful, formerly reserved to baptised
Catholics alone.
|
|
back to top
1) - Introduction
2) - Preparations for the Mass
4) - Text II: Mass of the Faithful
|
|
| |