For the visitors at Mass


Richard Ginder





FOR THE
VISITOR

AT
MASS

by

Richard Ginder

THE QUEEN’S WORK
3115 South Grand Boulevard

St. Louis 18, Missouri



SUMMARY

"Catholics have never told me about
the Mass" is a common complaint of non-
Catholics. Should they happen to attend
Mass, seldom if ever is it explained to
them. Here Father Ginder explains briefly
and simply what the Mass is, what the
actions of the priest signify, and why
Catholics regard the Mass as the highest
and the greatest act of worship.

Imprimi potest:

Peter Brooks, S. J.
Praep. Prov. Missourianae

Nihil obstat

:

F. J. Holweek
Censor Librorum

Imprimatur:

P Joannes J. Glennon
Archiepiscopus Sti. Ludovici

St{. Ludovici, die g Dcccmbris ig^i

Twenty-second printing, November 1952

Anv financial profit made by the Central
Office of the Sodality will be used for the

advancement of the Sodality Movement and
the cause of Catholic Action.

Copyright 1940

THE QUEEN’S WORK



For the Visitor at Mass
hy

RICHARD CINDER

Y
OU are about to witness what is to
a Catholic the most sublime act on

earth. The Catholics around you believe
that Jesus Christ will shortly be present on

the altar and will offer Himself to the ever-

lasting Father as He did nineteen centuries
ago. In fact the Mass, which you are about

to witness, is to a Catholic the bloodless

repetition of Christas sacrifice on Calvary.

Sacrifice has been the essence of all re-

ligions from the very beginning. It per-
meates the Old Testament. So the early

Christians, who when they were Jews of-
fered animals in sacrifice, found it easy

to accept the Sacrifice of the Mass. It was
only in the sixteenth century that groups

of Christians began to reject the idea of
sacrifice and to substitute a communion
table for the altar.

The sacrificing priest exercises what we
Catholics call the power of orders. The
Church took Christ’s words at the Last
Supper literally—‘‘Do this for a commemo-
ration of me”—and since then has by the
imposition of a bishop’s hands delegated
priests to offer the sacrifice of Christ in the

name of the people. The power of orders
comes, not from the people, but from Christ
Himself through the hands of the ordaining
bishop.

— 3 —



You may have noticed wnen you were
coming into the church that the people on

entering dipped their fingers into an urn
of water and traced the sign of the cross

on themselves. The water has been blessed
and is known as holy water; the holy-water
urn at the church door is the last relic of

the washing of the feet which early Chris-
tians performed before they entered a

church.

Visible in the center of the altar is a

curtained door. Beyond this door is a little
compartment — called a tabernacle — in
which is kept consecrated altar breads (un-

leavened bread) — called Hosts or the
Blessed Sacrament—which Catholics believe
is the body and blood of Jesus Christ. These
are for the devotion of the faithful and for
the Holy Communion of those at Mass and
those who are sick and those who are dying.
A light is kept burning always before the
tabernacle, which contains the real presence
of Jesus Christ, and people entering and
leaving the Church always touch one knee
to the ground—genuflect—toward the altar.
The fact of the real presence of Jesus
Christ in the Catholic Church explains why
those of the faith kneel for a moment at
their place and look so intently at the altar
and why they never speak in church—even
when no services are being conducted

—

except in a whisper.

In front of the tabernacle and on either
side of the altar are printed cards framed
and covered with glass. On these altar
cards are some of the prayers which the

— 4 —



priest says while he is performing more
or less complicated ceremonial actions dur-

ing the Mass. Ordinarily the priest stands

at the center of the altar and reads most
of the prayers from a large Mass book

—

called the missal—but now and then his
hands are occupied, for instance in bless-

ing or in holding the chalice. At such times
he cannot easily turn his head or manipu-
late the pages of the missal, so he reads

from the card in the center. The cards at
the sides supply the prayers for those times

when the missal is not within convenient
reach.

On either side of the tabernacle are can-
dles—two or six. Two are lighted for a low
Mass, which is read, and six for a high
Mass, .which is sung. Originally candles

on the altar served the very practical pur-

pose of providing light—for example in the
catacombs. Today the candles are largely
ceremonial.

In the sacristy—a room adjacent to the
enclosure which contains the altar — the
priest puts on the special ceremonial robes

-—vestments—that are worn during Mass.
These robes are essentially the ceremonial
adaptation of the everyday dress of the an-
cient Romans. In the early Christian
churches, which were unheated, the priest
wore a skullcap in order to keep warm.
Later three flaps were added to the skull-
cap to facilitate its removal (for example
the priest takes off his hat at the mention
of the name of Jesus). The priest will be
wearing such a three-cornered hat (biretta)

— 5



wh^n, vested, he will enter the sanctuary

—

the enclosure which contains the altar

—

from the sacristy.

The vestments of the priest at Mass will
be in a color expressive of the event com-
memorated by the Mass:

Gold—on occasions of solemn joy.
White—on occasions of joy; feast days

(special days of commemoration) of Our
Lord, the Virgin Mary, and the saints.

Rose—on one Sunday in Advent (the
more than three weeks preceding Christ-
mas) and one Sunday in Lent (the forty
days preceding Easter)

.

Red—at Masses of the Holy Spirit or
feast days of the martyrs.

Green—in seasons expressive of hope:
on the Sundays after the Epiphany (the
coming of the Magi) and after Pentecost
(the coming of the Holy Spirit to the
Apostles).

Violet—in seasons of penance: Holy In-
nocents’ day, at Masses for peace, on vigils

(days preceding special feasts), and
throughout Advent and Lent.

Black—on Good Friday and at Masses
offered for the souls of the dead.

Mass will be read or sung in Latin, the
language of the Roman Empire in the
early days of the Church. The great ad-
vantage of the use of the Latin is that it

is a dead language, and therefore its
words are not subject to changes in mean-
ings. Many of the people around you have
English translations of the missal. Others

will recite the rosary. Still others will



simply meditate on the significance of the

action taking place on the altar before

them. It is not necessary for a person at

Mass to understand Latin. God under-
stands it, and the first purpose of sacrifice
is honor to God.

MASS BEGINS
The priest enters the sanctuary, carrying

the sacrificial cup (explained later). He is
preceded by one or more altar boys, each of
whom wears a cassock and a surplice. The
cassock is a long loose robe which was a
common over-all garb in Europe, as may
be seen in Renaissance paintings. The sur-
plice is a short white linen garment de-
vised by the monks to cover the furs which
they had to wear for warmth during the
early-morning services in their chapels.

These altar boys, who respond to the
prayers of the priest, represent the people.

The people stand

—

through respect and
politeness—-when the priest enters. The
priest gives his biretta to an altar boy,
genuflects toward the altar, mounts the
steps leading to the altar, and puts the
chalice (the sacrificial cup) with its pall

(cover) upon the altar. The chalice and
pall are covered with a veil (napkin) of
the same color as the vestments.

The priest goes to the right and puts
bookmarks in those places in the missal to
which he will refer during the Mass.
He descends to the foot of the altar. The

people kneel. Here he recites Psalm 42

—

‘‘Judge me, O God . . —(Psalm 43 in
most of the non-Catholic versions of the

— 7 —



Bible). Then he bows low and according
to a formula called the confiteor makes a
general confession of his sins. He stands
erect again, and then the altar boys make
the same confession on behalf of the peo-
ple. The priest begs God^s forgiveness for
all.

He slowly goes up to the altar and kisses
it through respect for Jesus Christ, whom
the altar represents.

He goes to the right, reads a verse from
the Scriptures, then the doxology (a short
prayer in honor of the holy Trinity), and
then the verse again.

Returning to the center, he and the altar
boys alternate in reciting nine verses of a

prayer in Greek whose translation is ‘‘Lord,
have mercy on us; Christ, have mercy on
us.’'

At this point he may, depending on the
rank and nature of the feast, recite the an-
gelic hymn or greater doxology, which be-
gins, “Glory be to God in the highest . .
This prayer dates from the second century.
At a high Mass the prayer is intoned by
the priest and sung by the choir. At the
conclusion of this prayer . . .

The priest kisses the altar, faces the peo-
ple, extends his hands, and says, **Domimis
vobiscum ”—“The Lord be with you,” to
which the altar boys reply, *^Et cum spiritu
tuo*'
—“And with thy spirit.”

Going to the right, the priest bows to the
cross in the center and says, “Oremiis”

—

“Let us pray.” Then he reads one or several
prayers—called collects—of varying lengths,

— 8 —



at the end of which the altar boys reply,

The priest reads these prayers
with his hands extended—an early Christ-
tian attitude of prayer—^perhaps because of
the beseeching character of the posture,

perhaps to represent Christas arms extended
on the cross.

Lowering his hands to touch the missal,

the priest then reads the epistle. This is a

lesson from the Old Testament, from the
Acts of the Apostles, from the epistles, or
from the Apocalypse (Revelation). After

this . . .

One of the altar boys takes a place near
the celebrant (the priest who is offering the
Mass), who reads a few selected verses
from the Scriptures, verses appropriate to
the feast.

The priest goes to the center of the altar,
where he bows and asks God to purify his
heart and his lips for the reading of the
Gospel. In the meantime an altar boy has
carried the missal to the left side of the

altar.

The priest goes to the missal. The people
rise—through respect for the Gospel—and
ail make a small sign of the cross on fore-
head, on lips, and on heart. The priest
reads from the Gospel a lesson which varies
with the feast. On finishing ...
He kisses the missal and moves it toward

the center. If the day is a Sunday or a
solemn occasion, the priest may pause at
this point, make the parish announcements,
read the Gospel of the day in English, and
preach a sermon. If the priest does not

9 —



pause for this purpose, or at the conclusion

of the sermon . .

.

He goes to the center, where he may,
again depending on the nature of the feast,
recite the Nicene Creed, a profession of

faith formulated in the year 325. The peo-
ple stand during the recitation of the creed

and genuflect with the priest at the words
**Et incamatus esf*—‘‘And [He] was in-
carnate.” Following the creed or, if the

creed has not been said, following the
Gospel . .

.

The priest kisses the altar and greets the
people again with the words **Dominus
vohiscum*^ — “The Lord be with you.” The
altar boys respond with “E't cum spiritu
two”—-“And with thy spirit,” and the con-
gregation sits down.

The priest faces the altar again and, re-
maining in the center, says, “Oremws”

—

“Let us pray.” Now begins the sacrificial
part of the Mass. So far the Mass has been
principally instructive in order to put the

people in the proper disposition :^or what is
to follow. In the early centuries at this

particular point of the Mass non-Catholics
and candidates for baptism were asked to
leave. What was to follow was only for the
initiated.

While the priest has been saying this
prayer, ushers have been taking up a col-
lection from among the congregation. In
the early days of the Church the faithful
offered instead of money bread and wine
for the church, the priests, and the poor.

— 10 —



This collection is taken up only on Sundays
and holydays.

The priest takes the veil and the pall off
the chalice and puts them to one side. In
some churches a bell is rung at this point
to mark the beginning of this more solemn
part of the Mass. Now the celebrant re-
moves the paten (sacrificial plate), which
covers the chalice. Oh the paten rests a
large round wafer of unleavened bread —
the Host. This the priest elevates before

him, offers it to God, and then places it on
the altar. He picks up the chalice and . . .

Going to the right side, where the altar
boys have been waiting with a cruet of
water and one of wine, takes the wine cruet
and pours into the chalice a little wine,
which symbolizes the divine nature of

Christ. Then he blesses the water, which
symbolizes the human nature of Christ,
and carefully pours a drop or two into the
chalice.

He returns to the center, where he raises
the chalice and, as he did with the Host,

prays that almighty God will accept it ‘‘for
our salvation and that of the whole world.’’
Then he puts the chalice down, covers it
with the pall, and, bending low, professes
his own and the people’s humility before
God. Standing erect again, he invokes the
blessing of the Holy Spirit and makes the
sign of the cross over the chalice and the
Host.

Now he goes to the right side, where the
altar boys have been waiting with water, a
basin, and linen. He washes and dries his

— 11 —



fingers, reciting meanwhile six verses of
Psalm 25 (Psalm 26 in non-Catholic ver-
sions of the Bible).

Returning to the center, he bows and asks
the most blessed Trinity (God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) to
accept this sacrifice for the honor of God
and the saints and for the salvation of the
people.

Turning to face the people, he says,
**Orate, fratres**—‘‘Pray, brethren,” beg-
ging the congregation to add their prayers
to his own that the sacrifice may be ac-
ceptable to God the Father almighty. The
altar boys make the response in the name of
the people.

Still at the center, he reads silently one

or several prayers, which vary with the
feast of the day, placing the offering of the

sacrifice under the patronage of Our Lord.

He concludes the last prayer aloud so
that the faithful may ratify it:

V. “Per omnia saecula saeculoriwi**

—

“World without end;”

R. “Amen.”
V. **Dominus vobiscnm**—“The Lord be

with you.”

R. **Et cum spiritu tuo”—“And with thy
spirit.”

V. **Sursum corda*' — “Lift up your
hearts.”

R. **Habemus ad Dominum**—“We have
lifted them up unto the Lord.”

V. **Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro**
—“Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.”

— 12



R. **Dignum et justum —‘‘It is meet
and just.”

The priest continues aloud with the
preface, a prayer developing the idea of

thanksgiving in the light of the feast of

the day and of the season, asking that with

his prayer and those of the people all may
be permitted to join the heavenly choirs

praising God face to face: “And therefore
with the angels and archangels, the thrones

and dominions, and the whole host of the
heavenly army we sing the hymn of thy
glory, saying again and again. . .” Bowing
humbly before the altar, he continues in
the sublime words of Isaias the prophet
and of the Psalms: “Holy, holy, holy.
Lord God of hosts. Heaven and earth are
full of thy glory. Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is He that cometh in the name of
the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.” This is
called the Sanctus.

A bell is rung three times by one of the
altar boys at the words “Holy, holy, holy.”
This is the signal for the people to kneel,

since the action on the altar now begins to
penetrate more deeply into the mysteries
of the heavenly court.

The priest is no longer free to turn and
beg the prayers of his congregation. He is
preoccupied with the approaching sacrifice.

He kisses the altar and makes the sign
of the cross three times over the bread
and the wine. He prays now for the uni-
versal Church, for the Holy Father, for
the bishop, for those who need his prayers
or to whom he has promised a remem-

— 13 —



brance, and finally for those who are assist-
ing at the Mass (a Catholic never merely
attends Mass; he assists at Mass). The
celebrant goes on to unite himself and his
people with the Virgin Mary and the saints,
adoring God, with Christ, in heaven.
The bell is rung once as the priest ex-

tends his hands over the bread and the
wine—called the oblation. This ringing of
the bell is to warn the people that the conse-
cration (the changing of the bread and
wine into the body and blood of Christ) is
about to take place.

The priest prays again for the accept-
ance of the offering. Again he makes the
sign of the cross three times over the

bread and the wine together; then he
makes the sign of the cross separately over
the Host and over the chalice. The Church
is now very still, the people around you
intent on the altar. In an instant — ac-
cording to the belief of those around you
—the priest will transform the bread into
the body of Christ and the wine into His
blood. The change will not be visible, but
we have Christ’s word for it that the
change will take place.
The celebrant bends over the Host and

pronounces the sacred words: ‘Take and
eat ye all of this ; for this is my body.**
He genuflects in adoration before the

Host, which has become God between his
fingers, and the bell is rung. He raises the
Host high so that the faithful may adore
their Savior, and the bell is rung again.

He genuflects again, and the bell is rung a
third time.

— 14 —



Without pausing, he goes on to the con-

secration of the wine in the chalice: ^‘Take

and drink ye all of this; for this is the
chalice of my bloody of the new and eternal
Testament: the mystery of faith: which

shall he shed for you and for many unto
the remission of sins. As often as ye do
these things, ye shall do them in remem-
brance of me/’

Again he genuflects, adoring the blood
of Christ before him, and the bell is rung.
He raises the chalice for the adoration of
the people, and the bell is rung again. He
genuflects again, and the bell is rung the
third time.

This is the essence of the sacrifice—this
mystical separation of Christ’s body and
blood. The priest has with the sword of
his miraculous words made a cleavage, as
it were, yet Christ lives whole and entire
under the appearance of the bread and the
wine. Christ the victim rests immolated
(sacrificed) on the altar before him. This
is a mystery whose roots are in eternity.
We accept this mystery on the word of
God Himself.

The priest continues to pray, his hands
extended. Through reverence for the body
of Christ he keeps the thumb and the fore-
finger of each hand pressed together until
they have been washed over the chalice
after he has received Holy Communion.
(This will be explained later.)

‘Now he can present to the divine ma-
jesty “a pure Host, a holy Host, a spotless
Host, the holy bread of eternal life, and

— 16 —



the chalice of everlasting salvation.” In

his prayers he associates this offering of

the sacrifice with the sacrifices of Abel,

Abraham, and Melchisedech, which in the
Old Testament found acceptance with God.

Bowing again in humility, he prays that
‘'these things [this sacrifice] ... be car-
ried up by the hands of thy holy angel to
thine altar on high, in the sight of thy

divine majesty. . . He kisses the altar,
which is hallowed now by the divine pres-
ence of Christ, blesses the sacrifice, and
then makes the sign of the cross on his own
person.

He joins his hand? thoughtfully and
prays for those who have died in the faith.
Then striking his breast, he prays: “And
to us sinners, thy servants, hoping in the

multitude of thy mercies, vouchsafe to

grant some part and fellowship with . . .
all thy saints. . . . Through Christ Our
Lord. Through whom, O Lord, thou dost
always create, sanctify, quicken, bless, and
give us these good things.” While he says
these words, he makes the sign of^the cross
three times over the sacrifice.

He genuflects and raises his voice again
that the faithful may ratify his prayer:

V. “Per omnia saecula saeciilorum**

—

“Forever and ever.”
R. “Amen.”
The celebrant recites the Lord’s Prayer,

looking at the Host before him, and con-
cludes :

V. **Et ne nos inducas in tentationem**

—

“And lead us not into temptation.”

— 16



R. ^"Sed libera nos a 7nalo**—‘^Rut deliver
us from evil.”

Silently the priest paraphrases this peti-

tion of the people for deliverance from

evil. Toward the end of his prayer he
makes the sign of the cross on himself with

the paten, kisses it, and, after genuflecting,

concludes aloud:

V. **Per omnia saecula saeculorum** —
^‘Forever and ever.”

R. ^^Amenr
V. ^^Pax Doinini sit semper vohiscum**

—

‘*The Peace of the Lord be always with
you.”

R. ''Et cum spiritu tuo''—‘‘And with thy
spirit.”

The priest divides the Host into three
parts, drops the smallest part into the

chalice, and places the other two parts
on the paten. While he is doing this, he

recites the prayer: “May this mixture and
consecration of the body and blood of Our
Lord Jesus Christ avail us that receive it
unto life everlasting. Amen.”

He genuflects again, strikes his breast
three times, and says:
“Lamb of God, who takest away the sins

of the world, have mercy on us.
“Lamb of God, who takest away the sins

of the world, have mercy on us.
“Lamb of God, who takest away the sins

of the world, grant us peace.”

The celebrant bows over the altar and in
preparation for Holy Communion (the par-
taking of the Host in the manner of food),
which he is about to receive, addresses

— 17 —



three prayers to Christ in the Host on the
paten before him. With the first prayer he
asks for peace, with the second for holi-

ness, and with the third he asks that the
body and blood of Christ, which he —
though unworthy — is about to receive, may
heal and keep him, body and soul.

The bell is rung three times as the priest,
after genuflecting, takes the Host between
his fingers and recites three times the
prayer of the centurion (the soldier in the

Gospel who asked Christ to heal his son),
a prayer beautifully adapted to Holy Com-
munion: ‘^Lord, I am not worthy that thou
shouldst enter under my roof; say but the
word and my soul shall be healed.”
At each ringing of the bell, the people

strike their breasts in deepest humility.

The priest hows over the altar and con-
sumes the Host (receives Holy Commun-
ion). After a moment of thanksgiving he
genuflects and gathers up any little par-
ticles which may have dropped on the altar,
scraping the linen with the paten. These

particles he brushes into the chalice, which

he now raises to his lips; he consumes the
contents.

The people who intend to receive Holy
Communion approach the altar rail. (If no
one intends to receive Holy Communion,
skip to page 19). The priest unlocks the
tabernacle and takes out the ciborium (an-
other chalice), which is covered with a lid

and a veil. In the ciborium are kept a num-
ber of smaller Hosts that are consecrated at

Mass as they are needed for the people’s

18 —



Holy Communion. While he has been doing
this, the altar boys have been reciting the

confiteor for the people. The priest places
the ciborium on the altar, uncovers it, genu-

flects, and, turning sidewise—lest he have
his back to the Blessed Sacrament—asks
God to absolve the people from their sins.

Turning back to the altar, he takes the

ciborium and, facing the congregation, holds

one of the Hosts over the chalice and re-

peats these words of St. John the Baptist:
“Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who
taketh away the sins *of the world.^'
Once more there is a triple repetition of

the words of the centurion : “Lord, I am not
worthy that thou shouldst enter under my
roof; say but the word and my soul shall
be healed.”

The priest, followed by an altar boy, goes
down to the communion rail and lays a
Host on the tongue of each person there,

saying each time: “May the body of Our
Lord Jesus Christ preserve thy soul to life

everlasting. Amen.” The altar boy holds
a communion plate under the chin of each
person in order to catch any particles of
the Blessed Sacrament that might fall.
When he has finished distributing Holy
Communion, the priest returns to the altar
and simply replaces the lid on the ciborium,
covers it with its veil, and puts it back in
the tabernacle. Then the Mass continues.

If no one approaches the rail for com-
munion, the ceremonies described beginning
with the paragraph **The people who intend
to receive Holy Communion . . .” on page

— 19 —



18 are omitted. The priest has consumed
the precious blood of Christ. Now he ex-
tends the chalice toward the altar boys,
who have taken their place at the right.
One altar boy pours a little wine into the
chalice. The priest moves the chalice with
a rotary gesture to rinse it before he drinks

the contents.

Now holding the chalice, he walks to the
right. One altar boy pours over the thumbs
and forefingers of the priest and into the
chalice a drop or so of wine; the other

pours in a little water.

The celebrant returns to the center and
drinks the wine and the water. He wipes
the inside of the chalice and covers it with
the paten, the pall, and the veil, so that it
looks now as it did when the priest entered
with it at the beginning of the Mass.

Meanwhile one of the altar boys has car-
ried the missal to the right side. The priest
now walks to the missal, reads an appropri-
ate verse called the communion — it is
taken from the Bible — and, returning to
the center, greets the people with the

familiar **Dominus vohiscum** — ‘^The Lord
be with you.”

Returning to the right, he bows to the
tabernacle and says, **Oremus'* — ‘‘Let us
pray.” The prayers that follow are called
postcommunion prayers, which vary accord-
ing to the feast of the day and the season.

The priest returns to the center and,
turning to the people, says:

V. **Domintis vobiscum** — “The Lord be
with you.”

—-20 —



R. **Et cum spiritu tuo**—‘‘And with thy
spirit.”

V. “/^e 7nissa esV* — “Go, the Mass is
ended.”

R. **Deo gratias **
—“Thanks be to God.”

Turning toward the altar, the priest bows

low and addresses a final prayer to the

blessed Trinity that the sacrifice may have
been pleasing to God and fruitful for the
people.

He kisses the altar, turns to the people,
and makes the sign of the cross over them,
saying: “May almighty God bless you; the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.”

The people rise while the priest crosses
to the left and reads (from the card)
verses from the opening of St. John’s
Gospel. Everyone genuflects with him at
the verse, “E’t verbum caro factum est-*

—

“And the Word was made flesh.”
If it has been a high Mass (sung), the

priest leaves the altar at once; if a low

Mass, he goes to the foot of the altar and
recites the prayers after Mass:

“Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is
with thee; blessed art thou amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus.”

The people conclude with: “Holy Mary,
Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now
and at the hour of our death. Amen.”
This prayer, called the “Hail, Mary,” is
said three times.

Then the priest and the people recite
together

:

— 21 —



holy queen, mother of mercy.
Hail our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children
of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine
eyes of mercy toward us. And after this
our exile show unto us the blessed fruit
of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, 0 loving,
0 sweet Virgin Mary.”

V. “Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.”
R. “That we may be made worthy of

the promises of Christ.”

The priest says, “Let us pray,” and then
recites the following prayer.

“O God, our refuge and our strength,
look down in mercy on thy people who cry
to thee

;
and by the intercession of the

glorious and immaculate Virgin Mary
Mother of God, of St. Joseph her spouse,
of thy blessed Apostles Peter and Paul,
and of all the saints, in mercy and good-
ness hear the prayers which we pour forth
for the conversion of sinners and for the
liberty and exaltation of our holy mother
the Church. Through the same Christ Our
Lord.” To which the people respond,
“Amen.” Then the priest continues:

“Holy Michael Archangel, defend us in

the day of battle; be our safeguard against
the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do thou, prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God thrust down to hell
Satan and all wicked spirits, who wander

— 22 —



through the world for the ruin of souls/'

To which the people respond, ‘‘Amen."
Then is recited three times:

V. “Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,"

R. “Have mercy on us."

The late Pope Pius XI asked that these
prayers after Mass be offered especially for
the relief of the Church in Russia.

The priest now ascends to the altar and
gets the chalice. He descends to the foot
of the altar, turns and genuflects, puts on
his biretta (hat), and returns to the
sacristy. Until he has left the sanctuary,

the people stand—through politeness.
All the Catholics will, as they leave their

pews, genuflect to the Blessed Sacrament
in the tabernacle before they turn to walk
out. You might genuflect too as an act of
devotion, if you think it will make you less
conspicuous. To know how to do this,
watch your neighbor.

CONCLUSION

During the Mass you may have been puz-
zled by the crosses and blessings, the actions
and gestures. But you must remember that
Mass is the reenactment of the Last Supper
in which Christ, through His priest, by the
separate consecration of bread and wine,
offers anew the sacrifice of Calvary.

Nineteen centuries of love and devotion
have elaborated ceremonies, like a beautiful
setting, around the central gem—the conse-
cration. If you want more explanation of the
Mass, ask your Catholic friends or a priest.

— 23 —



Pamphlets on»,»
• • • the Bible
. • • the Mass
. • • the Sacraments

Are the Gospels True?

An Adult’s Confession Booklet
Attention, Godparents!

Confession Is a Joy?

How to Pray the Mass
A Layman Looks at the Mass
Sacrament of Catholic Action

Say, Catholic! What Do You Know
About the Sacraments?

Well, What Is the Mass?
When We Go to Confession

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