Order of the Mass With Gestures and Postures

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Order of The Mass Timeline for Presider and Assembly

Section of the Mass	Example
Introductory Rites	May be preceded by Welcome & Announcements from the Lectern
Entrance	Introit (from Bible) or Opening/Processional Hymn
Greeting	+ The Lord be with you And with your spirit
Penitential Act	Kyrie/Lord have Mercy/Confiteor
Glory to God	Gloria – there is preference for the singing of the Gloria, but if it is not sung (when prescribed), it is recited
Collect (Opening Prayer)	Let us Pray: Almighty Everliving God – – .Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
Liturgy of the Word	Read at the Ambo
First Reading	Generally from the Old Testament: The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
Responsorial Psalm	A Psalm or a Canticle (e.g., Canticle of Zechariah)
Second Reading (on Sundays and solemnities)	Generally from the Epistles: The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
Gospel Acclamation	Alleluia. Verse before the Gospel Alleluia.
Gospel	The Lord be with you And with your spirit A Reading from the Gospel according to X Matthew, Mark, Luke, of John Glory to you O Lord – 3 Cycles A, B, C changed yearly – Proclaimed by a Priest or Deacon
Homily	A message from the Priest of Deacon based on the Readings
Profession of Faith on Sundays and solemnities	“I believe …” We bow at the phrases “conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.“
Universal Prayer	For the Church and all others “Lord hear our prayer “E pule kakou.”
Liturgy of the Eucharist	“Communion Prayer”
Presentation of the Gifts and Preparation of the Altar	Offertory hymn – procession to the Altar, reception of bread, wine, and collection monies, laying out chalices and ciboria
Prayer over the Offerings	E.g., Lord, may the offering of your people be pleasing to you ..
Eucharistic Prayer	The Eucharist is the Source and Summit of our Faith
o Opening dialog	The Lord be with you and with your Sprit. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God It is right and just.
o Preface	It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks
o Holy, Holy, Holy	The Sanctus – ends with Hosanna in the highest
o Epiclesis	Calling of the Holy Spirit e.g., – “so that they may become for us the Body and ✠ Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
o Consecration	Take this, all of you … This is my Body / my Blood
o Mystery of Faith	E.g., Lord by your Cross and Resurrection …
o Thanksgiving	E.g., (II) giving thanks that you have held us worthy, (III) we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living sacrifice
o Offering	E.g., (II) we offer you, Lord, the Bread of life and the Chalice of salvation, (III) we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living sacrifice. (IV) we offer you his Body and Blood, the sacrifice acceptable to you
o Second epiclesis over the people	(II) we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit. (III) and filled with his Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit in Christ. (IV) and filled with his Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit in Christ.
o Commemoration of the living and dead	E.g., “may all who have died in the peace of Christ share with your saints in the joy of heaven
o Doxology	through Christ our Lord, through whom you bestow on the world all that is good. AMEN. (May be sung more than once)
o Second half of prayer,	Ends Through him, with him, and in him in the Unity of the Holy Spirit
Communion Rite	We pray standing with hands folded
The Lord’s Prayer	Our Father …
Sign of Peace	The Peace of the Lord be with you And with your spirit Let us share the sign of Christ’s Peace
Lamb of God	Agnus Dei – Lamb of God you take away the sins of the World, … The Body is broken and a small piece (the fraction) is dropped into the Chalice.
Behold the Lamb of God	Lord I am not worthy …
Conclusion of the Prayer	Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father,
Communion	The body of Christ Bow and say AMEN The blood of Christ Bow and say AMEN
Prayer after Communion	Let us Pray. … Amen
Concluding Rites	From the Presidential Chair or Altar
Optional announcements	From the Lectern
Greeting and Blessing	The Lord be with you And with your spirit May Almighty God Bless you The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit X … AMEN
Dismissal	The Mass is ended. Go in Peace. Thanks be to God
Recessional hymn	Presider and other ministers process out.

Gestures and Postures of the Assembly at Mass

Entrance Rites

Make the sign of the cross with holy water (a sign of baptism) upon entering the church. (Temporarily suspended during pandemic restrictions)
Genuflect toward the tabernacle containing the Blessed Sacrament and the Altar of Sacrifice before entering the pew. (If there is no tabernacle in the sanctuary, or it is not visible, bow deeply, from the waist, toward the altar before entering the pew.)
Kneel upon entering the pew for private prayer before Mass begins.
Stand for the entrance procession.
Remain standing for the entrance rites. Make the sign of the cross with the priest at the beginning of Mass.
Strike your breast at the “mea culpa(s)” (“through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault”) in the Confiteor.
Throughout the Mass, bow your head at every mention of the name of Jesus and every time the Doxology [“Glory be”] is spoken or sung. Also when asking the Lord to receive our prayer.
Gloria: bow your head at the name of Jesus. (“Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son…”, “You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ…”)

Liturgy of the Word

Sit for the Scripture readings.
Stand for the Gospel at the Alleluia verse.
When the priest announces the Gospel, trace a cross with the thumb on head, lips and heart. This gesture is a form of prayer for the presence of the Word of God in one’s mind, upon one’s lips, and in one’s heart.
Sit for the homily.
Creed: Stand; bow your head at name of Jesus; on most Sundays bow during the Incarnatus (“by the power of the Holy Spirit … and was made man”); on the solemnities of Christmas and the Annunciation all genuflect at this moment.
Make the sign of the Cross at the conclusion of the Creed at the words “I believe in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.”

Liturgy of the Eucharist

Sit during the offertory.
Stand as the priest says “Pray brethren that my sacrifice and yours…” and remain standing to respond, “May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands…”
If incense is used, the congregation bows toward the thurifer when he bows to the congregation both before and after he has incensed them.
The congregation remains standing until the end of the Sanctus (“Holy, holy”), when they kneel for the entire Eucharistic Prayer.
At the moment of the Consecration of each element, bow the head and say silently “My Lord and my God”, acknowledging the Presence of Christ on the altar. These are the words of Saint Thomas when he realized that it was truly Christ who stood before him (John 20:28). Jesus responded, “Because you have seen me, you believed. Blessed are they that do not see and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
Stand at the priest’s invitation to recite the Lord’s Prayer.
Reverently fold your hands and bow your head as you pray the Lord’s Prayer.
Remain standing to exchange the sign of peace, if the invitation is made. (The sign of peace may be either a handshake or a bow of the head towards those nearest you, accompanied by the words “Peace be with you”.) This should be a short, quiet, reverent, greeting to those immediately nearby.
In reciting (or singing) the Agnus Dei (“Lamb of God…”), strike the breast at the words “Have mercy upon us”.
Kneel at the end of the Agnus Dei (“Lamb of God…”).
Bow your head as you say, Domine non sum dignus… (Lord, I am not worthy…) and strike your breast three times as you say Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.

Reception of Communion

Leave the pew (without genuflecting) and walk reverently toward the altar, with hands folded in prayer.
Make a gesture of reverence as you approach the priest in procession to receive Communion. If you are kneeling at the Communion rail, no additional gesture is made before receiving.
You may receive the host either on the tongue or in the hand.
If the former, open your mouth and extend your tongue, so the priest can place the Host properly. If the latter, place one hand over the other hand, palms open, to receive the Host. With the lower hand, take the Host and reverently place it in your mouth. (See Holy See’s 1985 directives).
If you cannot receive communion, you may still participate in the Eucharistic procession by folding your arms in an “X” over your chest. This signifies to the ministers of the Eucharist that you will not be receiving communion, and the minister will instead sign a blessing following the recommendations of the Bishop
If you are carrying a child, it is much less awkward to receive on the tongue.
If you also receive from the chalice, make the same gesture of reverence when you approach the minister to receive.
Make the sign of the cross after you have received Communion.
Kneel in prayer when you return to your pew after Communion, until the priest sits down, or until he says “Let us pray”. (GIRM 160 American adaptation says that people may “stand, sit or kneel”.) Bishop Larry Silva has recommended that “all remain standing in solidarity with the members of the assembly who are still approaching the Eucharist until the ciborium with consecrated hosts is returned to the tabernacle.” All make a profound bow with the minister who genuflects before the tabernacle. The Priest Celebrant sits in the Presidential Chair and then the assembly may be seated or kneel for a brief period of reflective prayer and gratitude.”

Conclusion of Mass

Stand for the concluding prayers.
Make the sign of the cross at the final blessing, as the priest invokes the Trinity.
Remain standing until all ministers have processed out. (If there is a recessional, bow in reverence to the crucifix as it passes by.)
If there is a hymn for the recessional, remain standing in your pew until it concludes. If there is no concluding hymn, remain in your pew until all the ministers have gone out of the main body of the church.
After the Mass is concluded, you may kneel for a private prayer of thanksgiving.
Genuflect reverently toward the Blessed Sacrament and the Altar of Sacrifice as you leave the pew, and leave the nave (main body) of the church in silence.
Make the sign of the cross with holy water (temporarily suspended) as you leave the church, a reminder of our baptismal obligation to carry Christ’s Gospel into the world.

As we exit the building, we enter the World to carry and live in the Word of Christ.