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Preparing for the Celebration of Mass
The Second Vatican Council calls the Eucharist the 'source and summit of the
Christian life'. What is at the heart of our life and what we love, we do well - and
so careful preparation for the celebration of Mass is one way in which we show
our appreciation of its central role and our respect for those who will be
celebrating the Mass, both ministers and congregation.
This series of work sheets has been prepared to help those carrying out these
important responsibilities of preparing the celebration of Mass to understand
better what is expected of them and those they are working with, as well as
provide some hands-on resources for doing so well. Originally prepared in the
Archdiocese of Westminster for use in schools, we are grateful for permission to
use them in the Archdiocese of Cardiff
These resources have been designed with the needs of schools and school
teachers especially in mind, though they are likely to be of help in chaplaincies
and parishes also. The sheets offer information and practical suggestions. They
will also help with the over-all coordination of the preparation of the Mass
(though not everyone will need the whole range of sheets).
Those who are only beginning to review the way they prepare and celebrate Mass
are advised to start with the sheets that deal with the matters that are most
pressing and broaden their approach as they go on.
The original versions of these sheets will be found at
http://www.rcdow.org.uk/liturgy/default.asp?library_ref=18&content_ref=3916
The Mass
What is What is What is What is given given given given totototo usususus???? 1. The structure of the Mass. It is a simple and dynamic structure.
• Gathering and Introductory rites
• Liturgy of the Word
• Liturgy of the Eucharist
• Blessing and dismissal/going forth
If we work with the structure it will help our
celebration. If we work against it, the
nature of the Mass as ritual is com-
promised and participants are disem-
powered in the present celebration and
not helped for participation in the future.
2. The prayers and readings of the Mass
These are found in the Lectionary and
the Missal. Texts for each day of the
year and texts for special occasions are
provided. We are invited to make ap-
propriate selection, rather than to make
up our own prayers.
The Catholic tradition is a liturgical tra-
dition, where given prayers and read-
ings matter. When the prayers and
readings are not easy to understand
on first encounter - and for children that
will probably mean most of our read-
ings and prayers - those responsible
for Catholic education and for worship
need to help the children understand
them, and to do this especially before
the celebration itself.
3. The symbols of the Mass The Mass is God communicating with
us through Sacrament (a symbol that
signifies what it effects). If Sacraments
don’t signify, their ability to effect, or to
‘work’, is greatly compromised.
Gathering, Listening and Responding;
Giving Thanks, Eating and Drinking
and leaving to live as Christ are not sim-
ply things we go through the motions
of doing. They need to be purposeful
and significant. Again, this needs to be
learnt by everyone taking part if, togeth-
er we are to do what is necessary. Westminster
LITURGY Commission
This resource has been prepared for use in Schools in Westminster Diocese.Thank you to teachers at St Edwards School, Lisson Grove, and St Joseph’s, Maida Vale for assistance.
What is it? Th The Mass is the memorial of the saving
death and resurrection of Jesus.
Th The celebration of Mass, an action of Christ
and his people, is the centre of the whole of
Christian life for the Church, and for each
individual Christian.
The Mass is given to us Th The Mass is a central part of the Tradition of
the Church, instituted by Christ at the Last
Supper, and handed on down the genera-
tions. The Mass is a given. Our task is to
learn how to celebrate it faithfully and well,
so that it might be fruitful in our lives.
The Mass is celebrated by the whole Church
Th The Mass is for the whole assembly to cele-
brate. A celebration of Mass should always
be prepared so that it will lead those taking
part to conscious, full and active participa-
tion. Participation that fosters the virtues of
faith hope and charity is what is expected
because of what we celebrate, but also be-
cause, through our baptism we all share in
the priesthood of Christ.
O The implication of this is that in the worship
of the Church, priests and other ministers
don’t do the Mass for us, we do it togeth-
er. They have their vital role, and without
an ordained priest, for example, we cannot
celebrate the Mass. But each one present
has a role to play, and principal amongst
the roles of the ministers is to help them to
fulfil that role.
W We need help to celebrate well The work of celebration needs constant
support so that all of those taking part - min-
isters and others - are helped to know what
they are to do and how to do it. Attention to
the internals of participation are at least as
important as attention to the externals.
Preparing for Mass
This is not difficult to do, but like
everything else it does require
particular skills.
It is very helpful for the person with
overall responsible for the Mass to
become familiar with
• the Missal
• the Lectionary
• the priorities and princi- ples regarding
music at Mass
• the Church’s expecta- tions of readers,
servers, etc
You do not have to be THE expert on all
of these things. Normally you should
expect your role to be more of a
coordi- nating role, as you draw on the
expertise of others (who may, for
example, select music, train readers,
write the texts for the Prayer of the
Faithful.)
But you ARE the person who has been
given responsibility for ensuring the
suit- ability and quality of the
celebration. So you need to have a
understanding of the basics.
Indeed sometimes you will have to ‘train
the experts’ because, for example
sim- ply because someone is a
skilled musi- cian doesn’t necessarily
mean they have an understanding of
the expectations of music at Mass.
You may also find your- self dealing
with someone familiar with what was
common practice at Mass, but not
familiar with the expectations proper
to the revised Mass. Good luck!
The various sheets in this set remind of the
basics. And they also include work- sheets
for use preparing for each cele- bration,
which will help your co-workers to give you
their proposals in the form you need them,
and facilitate your re- view of those
proposals.
To take things further, once you have the
basics in place, have a look at Celebrating
the Mass, and the Directory for Masses
with children. Links to these documents will
be found at www.rcadcschools.org in the
Primary and Secondary Resources areas –
Catholic Life and Ethos.
A worksheet for RE coordinator/ Liturgy organiser The Mass
S Suggested initial stages of Preparation
• Occasion for the celebration:
Eg start of School year
• Date/time of celebration
• LiturgicalLiturgicalLiturgicalLiturgical DayDayDayDay Consult Liturgical Calendar in diocesan
year book to see what liturgical day this is
• ‘Restrictions’
1. Are there proper readings or prayers the
Church requires us to use this day?
2. If a ferial day are readings of the day suitable? If not, select from those set for
Various Needs and Occasions, or Commons
• If there are no calendar restrictions what
options seem attractive for
1. Collect; Prayer over the Offerings, Prayer after
Communion Eg Proper of Ordinary time or Masses and
Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions
2. Eucharistic Prayer Which seem most suitable from EPs I-IV,
EPs for Various Needs and Occasions;
for Reconciliation; for Masses with Children?
Once you have these basics in place, complete
the following master sheet and the worksheets
you will pass on to your collaborators. Allow
enough time for them to give proper attention to
their work, and for you to get back to them if
there are things that need adjusting.
Date: Liturgical Day:
Reason for celebration:
Priest:
The Introductory Rites Page number
Procession
Entrance song/music
Greeting
Penitential Act
(Gloria)
Collect
The Liturgy of the Word
First Reading
Psalm
(Second Reading)
Gospel Acclamation
Gospel
Homily
(Creed)
Prayer of the Faithful
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
Presentation of Gifts
Offertory Song
Prayer over the Offerings
Preface
Sanctus
Eucharistic Prayer
Memorial Acclamation
Great Amen
Communion Rite
Lord’s Prayer
Lamb of God
Mode of distribution of Holy Communion
Song(s)/Music during Holy Communion
Song after Holy Communion - optional
Prayer after Communion
The Concluding Rites
Blessing
Dismissal
Concluding Music/Song
Preparation of worship space Coordinator
Music Coordinator
Readers Coordinator
Servers Coordinator
Holy Communion Coordinator
A teacher’s guide to
Preparing the Mass A simple process to follow 1. Establish the context.
• What is the particular reason for the
celebration?
• What are the expectations of the style
of celebration - eg a quiet celebration
of the Mass of the Day or something
more particular and festive?
• Who will take part in the
celebration?
• Where will the celebration take
place?
• What dates/times are available?
2. Once basic decisions have been
taken about the who/what/where
and when of the celebration , the
work of researching the options
can begin.
• How will this be done? By one
person or a group working
together?
• Who will make the final decisions?
3. Agree who will be involved in the
practical preparation of the place
of celebration/ministers etc.
• Notify them and give them the infor-
mation they need to take responsi-
bility for the tasks allocated to them.
• Agree when arrangements need to
be concluded and necessary infor-
mation passed on to the central co-
ordinator - eg the names of readers,
copies of Prayer of the Faithful.
4. AFTER the celebration gather the
principle people responsible for
the preparation to REVIEW how
things went, so that there can be
effective learning from the
experience in preparation for the
next time. Westminster
LITURGY Commission
This resource has been prepared for use in Schools in Westminster Diocese. Thank you to teachers at St Edwards School, Lisson Grove, and St Joseph’s School, Maida Vale for assistance.
Importance of preparation Every celebration of Mass should be pre-
pared carefully.
Always there are choices to be made.
Careful preparation helps ensure that the
choices are wide wisely so as to best
support and encourage the prayer
participation of those with whom the Mass
is being celebrated.
What factors should be taken into consideration? A wide variety of factors can and should be
taken into consideration
• The day of the celebration
What is the focus of the day in the
Church’s calendar? Sometimes this
determines prayers/readings that must
be used. But once the character of the
Church’s day is known...
• What options are provided in the
Lectionary and in the Missal?
• The congregation
Often what is proper for a celebration
with thirty 8-year olds will not be so
suitable for a celebration with a con-
gregation of adults and teenagers.
• The musical repertoire known by the congregation and by the mu- sic ministers
Often it will be appropriate to learn a
new setting or song for a particular
Mass, but the planning starts with
knowledge of what is already known
and what is the musical competence of
congregation/ministers.
• Opportunities and restrictions
imposed by the time/place of
celebration
1. The context. • What is the particular reason for the celebration?
• What are the expectations of the style of celebration?
• Who will take part?
• Where will we celebrate?
• What dates/times are available?
2. Researching the options.
• How will this be done? By one person or a group working together?
• Who will make the final decisions?
3. Who will be involved in the practical preparation?
• What information do they need? Who will give it to them and deal with questions?
• Who do they need to feed back to and when?
4. When/where will the review meeting take place?
NB Detailed planning and preparation sheets
are available in this pack provided for
Chaplain/RE Coordinator/Head of RE etc.
They can also all be downloaded from
www.rcadcschools.org (Primary and Secondary
Resources areas – Catholic Life and Ethos)
Prayer of the Faithful for Mass for ..............................................................
on .........................................................................
at ..........................................................................
in ..........................................................................
Coordinator for Mass is..................................
Priest is ...............................................................
A teacher’s guide to
Preparing the Mass
The Priest
How to get the best out of your priest • Ensure you have consulted with him in
good time about the forthcoming cele-
bration. This will help avoid clashes with
Feast Days/Solemnities which might not
‘fit’ with the focus of your celebration, but
may have priority on a particular day.
• Discuss with him what he will prepare
and what he expects others to prepare -
eg choice of readings, music. Agree how
decisions are to be shared about what is
prepared by priest and others.
• Let him know about particular pastoral is-
sues within the group that is celebrating
that he should know about so that he may
be pastorally sensitive. For example has
there been a recent bereavement in the
class, or major difficulties in the family life
of a pupil? He does not need to know all
the details, and will treat information with
profession confidentiality. He will not re-
fer to these things
during the Mass, if
it is judged best not
to. But sometimes
knowing what not to
refer to is as impor-
tant as knowing what
should be acknowl-
edged in prayer.
• It is sometimes
appropriate for the
priest to help the
smooth running of
the Mass by inviting
forward ministers by
their name at the ap-
propriate time - eg
‘John is now going to
read the first reading
to us...’ If this suits
your situation, let the
priest have a typed
list of who is doing
what.
The priest: Sacrament of Christ’s presence In the celebration of the Eucharist, Christ
is present in the person of the presiding
priest, ordained for this min- istry. Every
authentic celebration of the Eucharist is
presided over by the Bish- op or a priest,
presiding in the person of Christ.
As so often, in the Mass, what we see is
less than we get. We see the priest, a
man among men. But by virtue of the
sacrament of Ordination and the
ministry entrusted to him by the
bishop, this man is the symbol of
Christ present for us.
We need to cultivate a reverence for that
presence of Christ in the ministry of
the priest. This is one way in which we
help ourselves to keep aware that the
Mass is something that involves our relationship with Christ. It is not a
merely human work, something we do.
It is something richer by far than only that.
The role of the priest The priest’s role at Mass is to lead the
peo- ple in prayer, in listening and
responding to God’s word and in
offering the Sacrifice through Christ in
the Spirit to the Father.
Through his prayerfulness and his
relationship to the Mystery of the Mass
and to the people assembled the priest
is to assist the congregation in their
praying of the Mass. It is a challenging
thing that is entrusted to him. It is
important to recognise that to do this
the priest needs to take overall re-
sponsibility for the celebration of the
Mass, though he should always also
work collaboratively with other
ministers.
His role is more integral to the
celebration than the necessary
minimum of leading the presidential
prayers and ensuring the Sacrament is
validly administered.
Background notes for the priest
1. Pastoral sensitivities
2. Additional relevant information
(eg issues that have come from
children reflecting on the read-
ings; details of symbols in opening
procession...)
Information should be passed to............................... for approval before.................................
A teacher’s worksheet for
The Priest Information
Mass for ..............................................................
on .........................................................................
at ..........................................................................
in ..........................................................................
Coordinator for Mass
is.................................. Priest is
...............................................................
How to contact the Priest
His phone:
His email:
A meeting has been arranged for:
Signs & Symbols at Mass Other main signs
Altar: The Altar is where the Sacrifice of the Cross
is made present; the Table of the Lord around which
we gather. It is venerated as symbol of Christ, cor-
nerstone of the Church and a Living Stone. It should
be dressed with a cloth, and reserved for its Eucha-
ristic function. Candles may be placed on the altar;
flowers may be put next to the altar but not on it.
Ambo: The Ambo is table of God’s word and com-
plements the Altar (table for the sacrament).Its de-
sign should indicate the dignity of the word. It should
remain in its place throughout the Mass.
Cross The cross is a constant reminder of the cost
of our salvation and a symbol of hope. The Cross
should be visible to the whole assembly during
Mass. The Cross should bear a figure of Christ cru-
cified. The Cross may be on or near the altar, or be
brought in procession.
Chair: In a church the presider’s chair is a symbol
of the priest’s office. It symbolises unity, leadership
and service. When celebrating in a school hall, it will
rarely be possible to achieve this, and usually the
chair will simply serve as a chair.
Candles: The light of candles signifies Christ the
light of the word; the gradual burning down of the
candle as wax is consumed in the flame symbolises
Christ’s self-sacrifice in the service of his mission.
Only genuine was candles should be used. Fake
‘candles with oil inserts are not permitted at Mass.
2, 4, or 6 are to be used, according to the level of
solemnity. 7 should be lit when the Archbishop pre-
sides at Mass.
Eucharistic Vessels: When it is not practical for
these to be of precious metal, they should be of
gilded metal. Pottery or porcelain should not be
used. Vessels for the Body of Christ should have
the form of plates or shallow bowls not chalices.
Chalices should be large enough for the quantity of
wine needed for consecration for communion.
Vesture: The outer vestures worn by the priest are
the stole and chasuble. Variety in colour gives effec-
tive outward expression to the seasons of the year.
The priest and servers should also wear an alb, al-
though if this cannot be provided for servers they
can wear their ordinary school clothes.
Why worry? The Mass is God communicating with
us through Sacrament (a symbol that
signifies what it effects). If Sacraments
don’t signify, their ability to effect, or ‘work’,
is greatly compromised. Giving attention to
the quality of the symbols is a pastoral
response to the needs of the Assembly.
Principal Symbols Assembly: The assembly, the Body of
Christ, should experience itself as gath-
ered and ordered for celebration. Its
mem- bers should be able to see and
hear clearly, and be in sufficient comfort
to allow them to participate.
Word: The Word of God should be able to
be heard by all present. Amplification
and loop systems, and signing, should
be avail- able as needed. The dignity of
the Word should be indicated by the use
of the Lectionary (or in some other way,
if necessary).
Bread and Wine: Bread should be fresh
(even if altar breads are being used).
The large Host used by the priest
should be large enough so that it can
be ‘truly broken into parts and
distributed to at least some of the
faithful’, as the Church requires. Wine
should be natural and pure and free
from any foreign substance. It must be
alcoholic wine (nb not all wine sold as
Communion wine is intended for
Catholic use, so check carefully with
your supplier)
Priest: The priest is to lead the people
in prayer, in listening and responding to
God’s word and in offering the Sacrifice
through Christ in the Spirit to the
Father. If he is to lead the assembly,
he needs to be carefully prepared, and
in good time, as to what is proposed for
a Mass. He also needs to exercise
responsibility for those parts which
most closely relate to his role.
Assembly
How does the gathering
work? Can everyone see
and hear? Is there room
to move easily for Com-
munion etc
Word
Are the readers well
prepared? Has the con-
gregation been well
prepared to listen and
understand? Is the Lec-
tionary treated with dig-
nity?
Bread &
Wine
Are the symbols clearly
visible? Are they under-
stood? Is the large Host
broken so that it is ‘tru-
ly broken into parts and
distributed to at least
some of the faithful? Is
Communion ministered
under both kinds?
Priest
Has the priest been prop-
erly prepared for his role?
If not how might this be
improved on? Is the priest
allowed to preside? Are
parts of his role being,
improperly, taken by oth-
ers - eg at introduction or
conclusion of the Mass,
proclaiming of Gospel?
S Symbols for school Masses Un Unlike the other worksheets this is not for a particular Mass. Rather it is for a review of the quality
of symbols regularly used at Mass in or with the school in order to see whether
• any key symbols are regularly not being used
• the quality of any symbol used is weak or compromised and would benefit from being improved on.
You will find fuller and clear guidance in Chapter Two of Celebrating the Mass. See www.cts-on-line.org.uk
or as a PDF from www.liturgyoffice.org.uk/Resources/GIRM/Documents/CTM.pdf
A teacher’s worksheet for
Signs & Symbols at Mass
Altar
Is the altar worthy of
the celebration? Can it
be seen by all the con-
gregation? Is it properly
dressed? Is it the right
height for the priest and
the right size to hold
comfortably all it needs
to hold.
Ambo
Is the ambo worthy of the
celebration? Is it suitable
for those who are to read
from it? Can it be clearly
seen by all of the congre-
gation? Is it large enough
to hold the Lectionary?
Cross
Is there a cross, with a
figure of Christ crucified
on it, placed on or near
the altar, and clearly vis-
ible to the congregation
at least? Is there a pro-
cessional cross (which if
left at or near the altar,
can perform both func-
tions)?
Candles
Are the altar candles
adequate to their func-
tion of highlighting the
dignity and festiveness
of the celebration? Are
they made of real wax?
Are seven available for
when the Archbishop
celebrates?
Altar linen
Is the altar linen in good
condition? Free from
stains, and carefully
ironed? Is there suffi-
cient linen to meet your
needs?
Liturgical
books
Are the correct liturgical
books being used? In
the right sized volumes
to meet the needs of the
ministers?
Vesture
Are vestments availa-
ble for the priest in the
right liturgical colours?
Are properly fitting albs
available for the altar
servers?
Incense
When Is incense used?
When is it not? Why?
Flowers
and other
decoration
Are fresh flowers or other
suitable decorative items
used to enhance the
beauty and dignity of the
celebration? Are flow-
ers ‘fasted from’ during
Lent? Are the key places
of celebration decorated,
highlighting both word
and sacrament?
Participa-
tion aids
Are necessary partici-
pation aids provided for
children (and adults)?
Are processes in place
to help the children (and
adults) learn the texts of
the Ordinary of the Mass
so they do not keep
needing the basic partici-
pation aids?
The responses should be passed to............................... for consideration and discussion before.................................
acher’s guide to
Music at Mass
This resource has been prepared for use in Schools in Westminster Diocese. Thank you to teachers at St Ed- wards School,, Lisson Grove, and St Joseph’s, Maida Vale for assistance.
Less can be more • Not everything that can be sung, should
be sung. Focus on the key elements
that are expected to be sung.
• Not every song needs lots of words.
Taizé chants and shorter World Church
songs are easy to learn and have the
advantage of coming in a range of lan-
guages. Use them to express the mul-
ti-national nature of your school.
What are the priorities for singing at Mass?
Th The most important things for us to sing
are the key acclamations of the Mass.
In In the Liturgy of the Word we should sing:
• The Alleluia
In the Liturgy of the Eucharist we should sing:
• The Sanctus (Holy, Holy))
• The Memorial Acclamation
• The Great Amen
• The Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)
Th There is an old saying that we should sing
the Mass, rather than sing at Mass. This
means that in the first place we should focus
on singing the given songs of the Mass, be-
fore we think singing anything else.
Other texts that have priority over hymns
include the Gloria, and the Responsorial
Psalm, and the Dialogues between priest
and people.
H However, particularly for those who have not
yet got these central songs into their
repertoire, carefully selected other songs
and hymns have their place. In other words
don’t stop singing just because you realise
you may still have work to do in learning the
core repertoire of songs for Catholic Mass!
Why is music important? M Music - and especially singing - brings a
richness to our worship. St Augustine said
‘singing is for one who loves’, for the different
energy required to sing makes the action of
singing a sign of personal commitment, and
the beauty and dignity of the song makes
ever more apparent the importance of what
is taking place.
To To use a secular example we would think
something was wrong if we said the words
of the ‘Happy Birthday’ song instead of sing-
ing it. We should also feel there is something
out of sorts if the key songs of the mass are
said and not sung.
Make your singing real. In In order for our worship to be truly authen- tic
the Church urges us to avoid the use of pre-
recorded music.
If the school does not already have staff or
students capable of accompanying the song of
the Assembly, serious thought should be given
to employing an accompanist for Mass and
preparation (often local parishes will be able to
suggest someone.) In the meantime it is
generally more honest and true to the litur- gy to
sing unaccompanied rather than to use pre-
recording backing tracks.
U Using pre-recorded music to replace the song
of the assembly is not acceptable practice.
Schools & parishes can help each other
It I It is a great help if schools and parishes
have a shared repertoire of the core songs.
• Schools generally sing these songs
less regularly than parishes do, so
children attending the local parish will
already know the songs
• Schools often have more rehearsal
time available than parishes do, so
schools can help parishes prepare to
introduce new settings
• Collaboration shows that Church is
bigger than school or parish alone!
Westminster
LITURGY Commission
Settings for the Ordinary of the Mass
Kyrie
Gloria
Alleluia
Prayer of the Faithful
Sanctus
Memorial
Acc. Great
Amen
NB Items in black box/white print are the priority sung items at any Mass
Settings for the Proper of the Mass
Entrance Antiphon or Entrance Song
Psalm
Communion Antiphon or Communion Song
Final Song
• The Psalm should be sung, if possible. It is good to sing an appropriate Psalm from the collection of Common Psalms if you have not learnt a set- ting of the Psalm of the day.
• Antiphons will rarely be sung at school. Most often they are substituted by a hymn or other song.The theme of the antiphon might suggest a song, as might the readings of the day.
• The Roman Rite of Mass does not envisage a concluding song.The dismissal is taken seriously! On the other hand music here can help maintain prayer and reverence as people leave. Why not experiment and see what works best for you.
The proposals for Music should be passed to...............................
for approval before.................................
A teacher’s worksheet for
Music at Mass Music for Mass for .............................................................. on .........................................................................
at ..........................................................................
in ..........................................................................
Coordinator for Mass
is.................................. Priest is
...............................................................
Themes for the Mass
Note here the themes from the occasion of the celebration, or from the readings or anti- phons that you might like to be expressed in the music
choices (especially hymns) you make.
Symbols of Christ, symbols of us
In the Orthodox tradition the bread and the wine
of the Offertory procession have been
venerat- ed almost as though they were
already the Body and Blood of Christ they will
soon become.
In our Western tradition we reverence these el-
ements too. Like all of Creation they find their
fulfilment in Christ, as is made explicit in their
of- fering at Mass. But in our tradition the
elements are mainly seen as symbols of us.
Human hands that have prepared these
offerings of bread and wine. We have taken
the wheat and grape of God’s creation and
transformed it into work of human hands,
which now we offer to God.
St Augustine wrote beautifully on this: ‘Bread is
not made from one grain, but from many. It’s
as though you who were many were ground.
When you were baptised it’s as though you
were mixed into dough. When you received
the fire of the Holy Spirit, it’s as though you
were baked. Be what you can see, and
receive what you are. After all, just as many
grains are mixed into one loaf in order to
produce the visible ap- pearance of bread, as
though what holy scrip- ture says about the
faithful were happening: They had one soul
and one heart in God (Acts 4:32); so too with
the wine. Brothers and sisters, just remind
yourselves what wine is made from; many
grapes hang in the bunch, but the juice of
the grapes is poured together in one vessel.’
There’s a lot in St Augustine’s teaching to deep-
en our appreciation of the meaning of the
sym- bols of bread and wine, and a lot to
refresh how we speak with the children on
these things.
This sheet should be passed to............................... for approval before.................................
MiMinisters for Offertory Procession Bread .............................................................
Wine .............................................................
• Collection for the poor or for the Church ......................................
(NB whenever the school has a collection for a charity, make the most of the opportunity of Mass to dedicate to God the collection and the work done in making it.)
Bread & Wine for Consecration:
Prayers & needs to present to God
If, If, as St Augustine suggests, the bread and
wine symbolise us: baptised and consecrated
to God in Christ and by the Spirit, it is no bad
thing for us to make these symbols still more
potent by consciously and deliberately asso-
ciating the detail of our lives with the symbols
of bread and wine.
Alr Already these symbols represent our human-
ity redeemed by Christ. Let us also deliberate-
ly and consciously associate our troubles and
difficulties with the elements being brought to
the altar. Let these concerns and challenges
be associated with Christ’s Paschal Mystery,
his Passion, Death and Resurrection. We as-
sociate our fears and frailties with his triumph
over human fears and weaknesses, so that
they might be come before the transcendent
love of the Father, which as it raised Jesus
from the dead, so too it may reach out to us
for healing and encouragement, hope and the
promise of new and eternal life.
Ag Again , it is through the owning of and the us-
ing of the symbols of the Liturgy that these an-
cient symbols become fruitful for us, and that
we best participate in them.
Offertory Procession for Mass for ..............................................................
on .........................................................................
at ..........................................................................
in ..........................................................................
Coordinator for Mass
is.................................. Priest is
...............................................................
A teacher’s worksheet for
The Offertory Procession
Who can serve at the altar? In theory any of the baptised can serve at the
altar. In our diocese there is equal ac-
cess to the ministry for male and female.
However it is usual to reserve the minis-
try to those who have also made their first
Holy Communion.
It is important that anyone who is asked to
serve either already has acquired the skills
to serve with understanding and attention.
These skills will only be obtained by careful
and and sustained training.
The Assembly and priest are not well served
when this ministry is entrusted to those
who do not know what to do. Nei- ther are
the servers themselves, who are shown in
a poor light if they are confused and
ineffective..
It is not a difficult thing to train servers in the
school, and probably one of the local
clergy would be happy to arrange a couple
of after-school sessions to work with vol-
unteers.
That said it is probably simpler to make use of
servers who have already be trained for
service in parishes. However these too will
require additional help to adapt themselves
to the often very different circumstances of
serving in a school setting.
How many servers should there be?
The right number for what they need to do!
The flip answer is the only really
sensible one. For example if you
are having an en- trance
procession with thurible and
boat, processional cross, and
two candles then you need four.
On the other hand if all the
server is being asked to do is
bring chalic- es from the
credence table and assist re-
ceive the Offertory gifts then only
one (or two) are needed.
So agree on the degree of ritual that
is to feature in your celebration
and note the maximum number
of servers you need at any one
time, (probably it will be the num-
ber carrying things in the
Entrance Proces- sion), and that
is the number of servers you