This weekend, my home parish is opening back up for Sunday Mass for the first time since mid-March. Following the advice of the CDC, our diocese temporarily suspended Mass during the on-going COVID pandemic.
While following the guidelines to stay at home, I’ve sorely missed the privilege of freely celebrating my faith in community with others at church. I realize now that I took church for granted. It’s been a long two months since I last attended in person, and I want to return with an increased appreciation for the liturgy.
I imagine there are other people feeling the same way I am — excited about going back to church but a little bit nervous about it, too. I don’t want to go back and fall into the same trap of taking it all for granted. So, to feel more fully prepared to return, I decided to refresh my memory on the parts of the Mass. My hope is that this will help me (and anyone else in similar shoes) understand exactly what takes place during the Mass and to more deeply appreciate it.
In this post, I’m going to share with you what happens during a Catholic Mass, my favorite parts of the Mass, and what I’m looking forward to the most about going back.
Before I dive into all that, I want to again recognize that the COVID-19 crisis is still very active. My particular state and county have deemed it safe to allow some public gatherings again, but this is not the case for everyone everywhere. If you are still staying home because of COVID, know that your sacrifice is felt in the heart of Jesus and that I am praying for you. If you are able to go to Church now, remember to pray for our brothers and sisters who cannot.
Parts of the Mass: What Happens During a Catholic Mass?
The Catholic Mass has two primary parts: Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist. It also consists of Introductory Rites at the beginning and Concluding Rites at the end.
Parts of a Catholic Mass:
Here is a summary of what happens during a Catholic Mass.
- Introductory Rites – Mass begins with the Introductory Rites. This includes the priest’s entrance, greeting, and prayer to prepare the congregation to listen to the Word of God and to celebrate the Eucharist. The Penitential Act, the Kyrie, the Gloria, and the Collect are prayed by all the congregation during the Introductory Rites.
- Liturgy of the Word – After the Introductory Rites, Mass proceeds with the Liturgy of the Word. At this time, the congregation listens to readings from the Bible. On Sundays and certain Holy Days, there are three readings: First Reading, Second Reading, and Gospel Reading. The First Reading is taken from the Old Testament, the Second is from the New Testament, and the Third is from the Gospels or alternatively from one of the Letters of the Apostles. A selection from the Psalms is sung between the First and Second Reading. Following the three readings, the priest gives a homily. The priest can use this time to provide an interpretation of the readings, to provide theological insight, or to provide moral and spiritual teaching. Then the congregation makes a Profession of Faith (the Creed) and says the Universal Prayer (Petitions). These final parts of the Liturgy of the Word prepare the congregation for the next part of the Mass: the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
- Liturgy of the Eucharist – The Liturgy of the Eucharist is the most central part of a Catholic Mass. During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the congregation offers prayers of thanksgiving as the gifts of bread and wine are presented and prepared at the Altar. The priest prays over these gifts, asking the Holy Spirit to sanctify them and transform them into the Body and Blood of Christ. During the Eucharistic Prayer, the congregation kneels reverently and the priest lifts up the bread and wine. This is when the consecration occurs and the priest repeats the Lord’s words from the Last Supper: “Take this all of you, and eat of it: for this is my body which will be given up for you” (Lk 22: 19; Mt 26: 26; Mk 14: 22; 1 Cor 11:24). Once the Eucharistic Prayer is completed, the congregation stands and joins hands to pray the Our Father and then exchanges the Sign of Peace. The congregation will then kneel again to pray the Lamb of God prayer. This is followed by a procession of all members of the congregation (who are in good standing with the Church, are not in a state of mortal sin, and have fasted for at least one hour) up to the front of the church to receive the Body and Blood of Christ, administered by the priest or a Eucharistic minister.
- Concluding Rites – Then Mass ends and the priest dismisses the congregation, giving them a blessing and instructing them to, “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” The priest will kiss the Altar and bow toward the Sacrament before processing out. The choir, if one is present, will sing as the priest and other ministers process out, followed by the rest of the congregation.
There is much more depth to the Catholic Mass than what I’ve briefly written here. I hope to write a more in-depth post in the future. For now, if you would like to learn more about the parts of the Mass, I suggest checking out this USCCB resource and this article from Our Sunday Visitor that explains the Scriptural basis of the Mass.
Like I mentioned, I hope to write more on this topic and love learning about the Mass. So, if you have any suggested reading on the topic of the Catholic Mass, please drop it in the comments section at the very bottom of this post!
What I’m Most Looking Forward to About Returning to Church
I’ve missed many things about attending Mass over the past two months. What I’ve missed the most is singing! Singing the Gloria and hearing the collective voices of the congregation rise during the Communion hymns brings me immeasurable joy.
The next thing I miss may surprise some people. People like to joke about all the kneeling, standing, sitting, then standing back up, then kneeling back down again, etc. But this is something I seriously miss!
Throughout this period of Mass suspension, I’ve continued to “attend” church online. However, I’m not always sure when to be sitting or standing or kneeling without the cues of the congregation around me. Here’s why I miss it: the various postures of sitting, standing, and kneeling move your participation beyond just responding to the priest or singing along with the choir. The physical movement gets your entire body and all your senses involved in the praise and worship of our God. By including this movement, I feel I’m better able to do as Jesus instructed: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Mt 22: 37).
And finally, the most anticipated part of the Mass I’m eager to return to is the Eucharist. Having this weekly encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist is what I’ve relied on for years to keep me going through every season of life, be it stormy or calm. If I’d had a hard day or a difficult week, I could rely on Jesus’ embrace every Sunday in the Eucharist. This would always renew my spirit for the week ahead. Not being able to receive the Eucharist for a while now has been wearying. I look forward to returning to Jesus in the Eucharist because I know that receiving His body will strengthen me spiritually and unite me more closely with him.
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
1 Corinthians 10: 16-17
What Can Churches Do to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19?
As I mentioned before, COVID-19 is still affecting people all over the world and has not cleared up yet. So, our church has established some rules for the congregation to follow to prevent the further spread of the virus. Here are some of the protocols our church is asking everyone to abide by:
- Seating will be limited to allow social distancing. Once the limited capacity has been reached, people will be asked to attend the next Mass.
- Ushers will seat families to maintain social distancing
- Face coverings are required for anyone over the age of four
- Hand sanitizer will be made available at the entrance and exit
- There will be no Sign of Peace exchanged between parishioners for the time being
- Stationary collection baskets will be used instead of passing them around
- Holy Water fonts and Baptismal fonts will be empty
- Ushers will direct you out for communion
- There will be no wine during communion
- Attendees are requested to receive communion on the hand instead of on the tongue
- The bulletin will be available online only
- No coffee after Mass
- There will be a separate Mass held for people 65 years and older and those with high risk for contracting the virus during the week.
Attending Mass again is going to be a challenge for us because we have a one-year-old who likes to move about. I haven’t quite figured out how we are going to navigate the new protocols, but we are going to give it a try. One parent may stay home with her while the other goes to mass, switching off each week until things return to normal. If you’re attending Mass with these changes happening, please let me know how it’s going for you (especially if you’re going with kids) in the comments below!