Outline of the Mass

INTRODUCTORY RITES

The purpose of these rites is that the faithful who are assembling should become a community and dispose themselves to listen properly to God's word and to celebrate the Eucharist worthily (GIRM 46).

• Entrance procession accompanied by a hymn: The purpose of this chant is to open the celebration, foster the unity of those who have been gathered, introduce their thoughts to the mystery of the liturgical season or festivity, and accompany the procession of the priest and ministers (GIRM 47).

• Sign of the Cross

• Greeting: By this greeting and the people's response, the mystery of the Church gathered together is made manifest (GIRM 50).

• Penitential rite
  

• I confess
  

• Lord have mercy
  

• Sprinkling rite (especially on Sundays in Easter season)
  

• Gloria (Sundays and feast days)
  
  
• Opening prayer (Collect): The people, uniting themselves to this entreaty, make the prayer their own with the acclamation Amen (GIRM 54)
  
  

LITURGY OF THE WORD

In the readings, the table of God's word is prepared for the faithful and the riches of the Bible are opened to them. … it is unlawful to substitute other, non-biblical texts for the readings and responsorial Psalm, which contain the word of God (GIRM 57).

• First reading (usually OT)

• Silence: The Liturgy of the Word must be celebrated in such a way as to promote meditation… (GIRM 56).

• Responsorial Psalm: It is preferable that the responsorial Psalm be sung, at least as far as the people's response is concerned (GIRM 61).

• Second reading

• Silence

• Gospel Acclamation to accompany procession of Gospel book: An acclamation of this kind constitutes a rite or act in itself, by which the assembly of the faithful welcomes and greets the Lord who is about to speak to it in the Gospel and professes its faith by means of the chant (GIRM 62).

• Gospel: The reading of the Gospel is the high point of the liturgy of the word (GIRM 60).

• Homily: … it is necessary for the nurturing of the Christian life. It should develop some aspect of the readings from Sacred Scripture or of another text from the Ordinary or from the Proper of the Mass of the day, and take into account the mystery being celebrated or the needs proper to the listeners (GIRM 65).

• Silence

• Profession of Faith (Sundays and special feasts): The purpose of the Symbolum or Profession of Faith, or Creed, is that the whole gathered people may respond to the word of God proclaimed in the readings taken from Sacred Scripture and explained in the Homily and that they may also call to mind and confess the great mysteries of the faith by reciting the rule of faith in a formula approved for liturgical use, before these mysteries are celebrated in the Eucharist (GIRM 67).

• Nicene Creed  (option of Apostles' Creed)

• The Prayer of the Faithful: In the General Intercessions or the Prayer of the Faithful, the people respond in a certain way to the word of God which they have welcomed in faith and, exercising the office of their baptismal priesthood, offer prayers to God for the salvation of all … petitions will be offered for the holy Church, for civil authorities, for those weighed down by various needs, for all men and women, and for the salvation of the whole world (GIRM 69).

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

At the Last Supper Christ instituted the Paschal Sacrifice and banquet, by which the Sacrifice of the Cross is continuously made present in the Church whenever the priest, representing Christ the Lord, carries out what the Lord himself did and handed over to his disciples to be done in his memory (GIRM 72).

• Preparation of Gifts: … the bread and the wine with water are brought to the altar, the same elements that Christ took into his hands (GIRM 72:1).

• Presentation of the Gifts: It is well also that money or other gifts for the poor or for the Church, brought by the faithful or collected in the church, should be received. These are to be put in a suitable place but away from the Eucharistic table (GIRM 73).(Optional incense: altar, gifts, minister, faithful)

• Prayer over gifts

• Eucharistic prayer: … the entire congregation of the faithful should join itself with Christ in confessing the great deeds of God and in the offering of sacrifice (GIRM 78).

• Preface

            Acclamation: Holy, holy

• Communion rite: Since the Eucharistic celebration is the Paschal Banquet, it is desirable that in keeping with the Lord's command, his Body and Blood should be received as spiritual food by the faithful who are properly disposed (GIRM 80).

• Lord's prayer
  
  
• Sign of peace: … the Church asks for peace and unity for herself and for the whole human family, and the faithful express to each other their ecclesial communion and mutual charity before communicating in the Sacrament (GIRM 82).

• Breaking of bread accompanied by Lamb of God: The priest breaks the Eucharistic Bread, assisted, if the case calls for it, by the deacon or a concelebrant. Christ's gesture of breaking bread at the Last Supper, which gave the entire Eucharistic Action its name in apostolic times, signifies that the many faithful are made one body (1 Cor 10:17) by receiving Communion from the one Bread of Life which is Christ, who died and rose for the salvation of the world (GIRM 83).

• Silent preparation for communion
  
  
• Invitation to Communion: It is most desirable that the faithful … receive the Lord's Body from hosts consecrated at the same Mass and that, in the instances when it is permitted, they partake of the chalice so that even by means of the signs Communion will stand out more clearly as a participation in the sacrifice actually being celebrated (GIRM 85).

• Communion procession accompanied by song of assembly: While the priest is receiving the Sacrament,  the Communion chant is begun. Its purpose is to express the communicants' union in spirit by means of the unity of their voices, to show joy of heart, and to highlight more clearly the "communitarian" nature of the procession to receive Communion (GIRM 86).

• Silent prayer and/or hymn of praise: … the priest and faithful spend some time praying privately. If desired, a Psalm or other canticle of praise or a hymn may also be sung by the entire congregation (GIRM 88).

• Prayer after Communion

CONCLUDING RITE

• (Announcements)

• Greeting
  

• Blessing:  simple or solemn form
  
  
• Dismissal: … so that each may go out to do good works, praising and blessing God (GIRM 90).

• Kissing of altar by priest and deacon

• Profound bow to altar by priest, deacon and ministers

• (Recessional Hymn)