First Mass, questions

[TomKat27]

Hi all,
I went to my first Catholic Mass today. What an experience! I didn’t really know what to expect to be honest and had to follow what others were doing. I didn’t receive the Eucharist but I was blessed by the Priest.

I have begun my journey today, after speaking with the Priest. I have a couple questions I would like to ask if anyone who is willing to answer on here…

Do all Masses have the same prayers (I mean in which the people say the words back to the Priest)?
What I am really asking is, if I were to go to another Church (Catholic, obviously), in another town, would the responses to the prayers being said be the same and would the same prayers be said?

Finally, could someone give me the outline of the basic prayers which are said in Mass so that I can learn them for next time I attend Mass (which will be this coming Sunday )

Thank you all and God bless you.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

Yes, the words you say will be the same, more or less.

I say “more or less” because sometimes there are options. For example, after the consecration we proclaim the mystery of faith, but there are four choices for the acclamation.

Take a look at catholic-resources.org/ChurchDocs/Mass.htm for the various prayers that are said. There’s an option at the bottom of the page for a PDF version you can print out and take with you.

Many blessings on your journey.

 

[TomKat27]

Thank you :thankyou:

 

[kristie_m]

Welcome TomKat, and prayers for you as you begin your journey!!

 

[CalCatholic]

TomKat, if you have a Catholic bookstore around you (or you can look online), you can get a ‘missal’ which contains all the Sunday readings and ‘the order of the mass’, and all the responses for the people. When I started attending the Catholic Church, this was very helpful (and enjoyable) to me. They are small enough that you can bring them with you to Church. Now the missal is being revised for approx. 2011, so don’t purchase a nice leather one now, rather look for a papeback one, good for the current year that you are attending, you can pick them up pretty cheap; amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_1_13?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=sunday+missal+2010&sprefix=sunday+missal

Hope this helps. God bless you!

 

[puzzleannie]

Welcome Home!
yes, more or less there are some prayers that stay the same, including the dialogue between the priest and the people, and some that change with the day or seasons, usually those the priest says, and of course the scripture readings change daily.

if there is no worship aid in the pew ask an usher for one

you will also notice after you have been coming to Mass for a while that even some of the “same” prayers have different options, it will sound as if everyone else knows what they are doing, because they know what the priest prefers, but it leaves newcomers off balance some times. Don’t worry just watch, listen and learn. You can still be participating even when you don’t make a verbal response.

 

[Rolltide]

Hi all,
I went to my first Catholic Mass today. What an experience! I didn’t really know what to expect to be honest and had to follow what others were doing. I didn’t receive the Eucharist but I was blessed by the Priest.

I have begun my journey today, after speaking with the Priest. I have a couple questions I would like to ask if anyone who is willing to answer on here…

Do all Masses have the same prayers (I mean in which the people say the words back to the Priest)?
What I am really asking is, if I were to go to another Church (Catholic, obviously), in another town, would the responses to the prayers being said be the same and would the same prayers be said?

The short answer is that yes, most of the time, the Mass you attend at virtually any Catholic Church across the United States will be the same… it will be the Ordinary Form of the Latin (Western) liturgy.

That said… here is the MUCH more in-depth answer. Hopefully, I don’t overwhelm you with information:

Most people are not aware that the “Catholic Church” is actually comprised of twenty-three independent Catholic Churches, all in union with the pope. The Western, or Latin Catholic Church, is so large, however, that many people, even Catholics, are completely unaware of the other twenty-two churches, which make up the Eastern Branch. (Some have from only a few thousand members to a few million.)

Originally, there was only one denomination… the Catholic Church (the word Catholic meaning “universal”). However, there were five cities that early on were singled out as being important centers of Christianity. They were Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, and of course, Rome. Each developed its own unique traditions and liturgy, but ALL shared a common theology and were in communion with each other and the Bishop of Rome, known as the Pope. However, about 1000 years ago, due to a variety of unfortunate problems, the other four cities, allied with the Byzantine Empire, mutually broke off from Rome, forming the various Eastern Orthodox Churches. Although doctrinally, they are virtually identical to Catholics, they refuse to acknowledge that the pope is more than a “first among equals”. (A couple groups broke of much earlier in the 400s AD also, to form what are known as the Oriental Orthodox Churches).

What has happened is that over time, some portions of each of the various Orthodox groups have decided to reconcile with the Catholic Church and come back into communion with Rome. When they do, they are allowed to keep all of their traditions and much of their independence, although they acknowledge the authority of the Pope. They become truly Catholic, in that anyone from ANY branch of the Catholic Church can participate in the liturgy and ceremonies of any OTHER branch of the Catholic Church. The only two Eastern groups that never fell out of communion with the Catholic Church were the Maronite Catholic Church, and the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church. So… for every branch of the Orthodox Churches that are NOT in communion with Rome, there is a corresponding and virtually identical branch of the Eastern Catholic Church that IS in communion with Rome. Since their customs and liturgies date from before the Council of Trent, they are allowed to remain.

The following liturgies are used by the Eastern Catholic Churches:

• The Liturgy of St. Basil
• The Chaldean Mass
• The Order of the Divine and Holy Liturgy of Our Father Among the Saints Gregory the Theologian (or Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts)
• The Liturgy of St. James
• The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
• The Liturgy of St. Mark
• The Holy Qorbono

Below is a listing that includes EACH of the twenty-three Catholic Churches in union with the Pope. Do not confuse “churches” with “rites”. A rite is a series of traditions, that includes different customs and liturgies. Several different churches may use the exact same rite. A Church has its own rules and separate line of authority to the Pope. It may also have a figure in charge, like a Metropolitan or a Patriarch (like an Archbishop), since these churches are generally very small and work very hard to preserve their unique traditions. The major rites are the Latin, Alexandrian, Antiochian, Armenian, Chaldean, and Byzantine.

continued…

 

[Rolltide]

**The Western (Latin) Catholic Church

Latin liturgical tradition**

1. Ordinary Form (This is the form of the Mass that you will find in virtually every Latin Catholic Church almost every day of the week. This Mass has existed since the mid-1960s, ever since reforms were made following the Second Vatican Council.)
2. Extraordinary Form (This is the form of the Mass that was used in virtually every Latin Catholic Church from the Middle Ages until the mid-1960s. It may still be said in Catholic Churches should a priest choose to use it. Some of the differences from the Ordinary Form include the exclusive use of the Latin language (except for the homily), the receipt of Communion exclusively on the tongue and kneeling, the priest facing the same direction as the people (toward the altar and God) so he can lead the people in prayer, no lay participation on the altar, and usually, no responses by lay people.)
3. Ambrosian Rite (Only permitted in the Archdiocese of Milan)
4. Mozarabic Rite (Only permitted in the Cathedral of Toledo, Spain and a few surrounding churches of the diocese)
5. Bragan Rite (Only permitted in the Archdiocese of Braga, Portugal)
6. Anglican-Use Mass (This form was once only permitted in the extremely rare circumstance in which an Anglican priest converted to Catholicism and brings his entire parish with him. In that event, a parish could continue to use the Anglican liturgy, with corrections to make it conform with Catholic teachings. It was originally meant as a transitional liturgy, and upon the death of the pastor, the church would revert to the Ordinary Form. With the recent provisions announced by the Vatican to allow Anglicans into the Catholic Church and keep their traditions, it seems that the Anglican-Use will now become both far more widespread AND permanent.)

**Rites of Religious Orders **

1. Dominican Rite
2. Carthusian Rite
3. Carmelite Rite
4. Cisternian Rite

Note: Technically, the forms of the Latin liturgy listed above are NOT different rites, but variations of the SAME rite, although people do tend to commonly use the term somewhat erroneously in this context. The differences between the Latin “rites” are FAR less than those between the Latin liturgy and any of the Eastern Rites.)

continued…

 

[Rolltide]

**The Eastern Catholic Churches

1. Alexandrian liturgical tradition:**
2. Coptic Catholic Church (patriarchate): Egypt (1741)
3. Ethiopian Catholic Church (metropolia): Ethiopia, Eritrea (1846)
   2. Antiochian (Antiochene or West-Syrian) liturgical tradition:
4. Maronite Church (patriarchate): Lebanon, Cyprus, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Argentina, Brazil, United States, Australia, Canada, Mexico (union re-affirmed 1182)
5. Syriac Catholic Church (patriarchate): Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Palestine, Egypt, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, United States and Canada, Venezuela (1781)
6. Syro-Malankara Catholic Church (major archiepiscopate): India, United States (1930)
   3. Armenian liturgical tradition:
7. Armenian Catholic Church (patriarchate): Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Jordan, Palestine, Ukraine, France, Greece, Latin America, Argentina, Romania, United States, Canada, Eastern Europe (1742)
   4. Chaldean or East Syrian liturgical tradition:
8. Chaldean Catholic Church (patriarchate): Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, United States (1692)
9. Syro-Malabar Church (major archiepiscopate): India, Middle East, Europe and America.
   5. Byzantine (Constantinopolitan) liturgical tradition:
10. Albanian Greek Catholic Church (apostolic administration): Albania (1628)
11. Belarusian Greek Catholic Church (no established hierarchy at present): Belarus (1596)
12. Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church (apostolic exarchate): Bulgaria (1861)
13. Byzantine Church of the Eparchy of Križevci (an eparchy and an apostolic exarchate): Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro (1611)
14. Greek Byzantine Catholic Church (two apostolic exarchates): Greece, Turkey (1829)
15. Hungarian Greek Catholic Church (an eparchy and an apostolic exarchate): Hungary (1646)
16. Italo-Albanian Catholic Church (two eparchies and a territorial abbacy): Italy (Never separated)
17. Macedonian Greek Catholic Church (an apostolic exarchate): Republic of Macedonia (1918)
18. Melkite Greek Catholic Church (patriarchate): Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Jerusalem, Brazil, United States, Canada, Mexico, Iraq, Egypt and Sudan, Kuwait, Australia, Venezuela, Argentina (1726)
19. Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic (major archiepiscopate): Romania, United States (1697)
20. Russian Catholic Church: (two apostolic exarchates, at present with no published hierarchs): Russia, China (1905); currently about 20 parishes and communities scattered around the world, including five in Russia itself, answering to bishops of other jurisdictions
21. Ruthenian Catholic Church (a sui juris metropolia, an eparchy, and an apostolic exarchate): United States, Ukraine, Czech Republic (1646)
22. Slovak Greek Catholic Church (metropolia): Slovak Republic, Canada (1646)
23. Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (major archiepiscopate): Ukraine, Poland, United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, Germany and Scandinavia, France, Brazil, Argentina (1595)

 

[Rolltide]

Finally, could someone give me the outline of the basic prayers which are said in Mass so that I can learn them for next time I attend Mass (which will be this coming Sunday )

Here is the complete order of the Mass for the Ordinary Form:

catholic-resources.org/ChurchDocs/Mass.htm

(It is worth noting that beginning in 2010 or 2011, there will be a new English translation of the Ordinary Form that will be slightly different from the text that is used now, so some of the prayers will change a little bit. It’s the same words, just a different (and more accurate) translation.)

 

[Cathhsmom]

It is kind of overwhelming in the beginning. Been there, done that. It does take a while, but you will be amazed at how quickly you memorize it. The big ones for me where the Our Father and the Nicene Creed. I learned the Nicene Creed so well that I have problems with the Apostle’s Creed because I keep adding in things from the Nicene.

If you really need a “cheat sheet”, so to speak, check out Magnifikid. It is a kids booklet that has word for word what is to be said and when it is the mass from the begining to the end. They put them out each month and give you one for each Sunday mass in the month, and for any Holy Days of Obligation, too. My son loves this because he likes knowing exactly what to expect.

 

[TomKat27]

Wow, what a response! Thank you all so much. I already know Our Father, so that’s one major block learned

You can still be participating even when you don’t make a verbal response.

• puzzleannie

Thank you for that reassurance, I don’t like feeling left out, but I am trying my best to learn it before this Sunday now

Thank you rolltide for the information on the differing liturgical traditions, it is very interesting.

And God bless you all! :getholy:

 

[tampagrl]

It is kind of overwhelming in the beginning. Been there, done that. It does take a while, but you will be amazed at how quickly you memorize it. The big ones for me where the Our Father and the Nicene Creed. I learned the Nicene Creed so well that I have problems with the Apostle’s Creed because I keep adding in things from the Nicene.

If you really need a “cheat sheet”, so to speak, check out Magnifikid. It is a kids booklet that has word for word what is to be said and when it is the mass from the begining to the end. They put them out each month and give you one for each Sunday mass in the month, and for any Holy Days of Obligation, too. My son loves this because he likes knowing exactly what to expect.

My kids love Magnifikid! The only thing is that sometimes the Psalm is different (at least at my Parish, which I assume is okay?) but other than that, it would be a great thing to look in to even for an adult.

 

[tampagrl]

The short answer is that yes, most of the time, the Mass you attend at virtually any Catholic Church across the United States will be the same… it will be the Ordinary Form of the Latin (Western) liturgy.

That said… here is the MUCH more in-depth answer. Hopefully, I don’t overwhelm you with information:

Most people are not aware that the “Catholic Church” is actually comprised of twenty-three independent Catholic Churches, all in union with the pope. The Western, or Latin Catholic Church, is so large, however, that many people, even Catholics, are completely unaware of the other twenty-two churches, which make up the Eastern Branch. (Some have from only a few thousand members to a few million.)

Originally, there was only one denomination… the Catholic Church (the word Catholic meaning “universal”). However, there were five cities that early on were singled out as being important centers of Christianity. They were Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, and of course, Rome. Each developed its own unique traditions and liturgy, but ALL shared a common theology and were in communion with each other and the Bishop of Rome, known as the Pope. However, about 1000 years ago, due to a variety of unfortunate problems, the other four cities, allied with the Byzantine Empire, mutually broke off from Rome, forming the various Eastern Orthodox Churches. Although doctrinally, they are virtually identical to Catholics, they refuse to acknowledge that the pope is more than a “first among equals”. (A couple groups broke of much earlier in the 400s AD also, to form what are known as the Oriental Orthodox Churches).

What has happened is that over time, some portions of each of the various Orthodox groups have decided to reconcile with the Catholic Church and come back into communion with Rome. When they do, they are allowed to keep all of their traditions and much of their independence, although they acknowledge the authority of the Pope. They become truly Catholic, in that anyone from ANY branch of the Catholic Church can participate in the liturgy and ceremonies of any OTHER branch of the Catholic Church. The only two Eastern groups that never fell out of communion with the Catholic Church were the Maronite Catholic Church, and the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church. So… for every branch of the Orthodox Churches that are NOT in communion with Rome, there is a corresponding and virtually identical branch of the Eastern Catholic Church that IS in communion with Rome. Since their customs and liturgies date from before the Council of Trent, they are allowed to remain.

The following liturgies are used by the Eastern Catholic Churches:

• The Liturgy of St. Basil
• The Chaldean Mass
• The Order of the Divine and Holy Liturgy of Our Father Among the Saints Gregory the Theologian (or Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts)
• The Liturgy of St. James
• The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
• The Liturgy of St. Mark
• The Holy Qorbono

Below is a listing that includes EACH of the twenty-three Catholic Churches in union with the Pope. Do not confuse “churches” with “rites”. A rite is a series of traditions, that includes different customs and liturgies. Several different churches may use the exact same rite. A Church has its own rules and separate line of authority to the Pope. It may also have a figure in charge, like a Metropolitan or a Patriarch (like an Archbishop), since these churches are generally very small and work very hard to preserve their unique traditions. The major rites are the Latin, Alexandrian, Antiochian, Armenian, Chaldean, and Byzantine.

continued…

I am feeling very schooled right now, myself! Your 3 posts were awwwesooome! Thank you!

 

[tampagrl]

Hi all,
I went to my first Catholic Mass today. What an experience! I didn’t really know what to expect to be honest and had to follow what others were doing. I didn’t receive the Eucharist but I was blessed by the Priest.

I have begun my journey today, after speaking with the Priest. I have a couple questions I would like to ask if anyone who is willing to answer on here…

Do all Masses have the same prayers (I mean in which the people say the words back to the Priest)?
What I am really asking is, if I were to go to another Church (Catholic, obviously), in another town, would the responses to the prayers being said be the same and would the same prayers be said?

Finally, could someone give me the outline of the basic prayers which are said in Mass so that I can learn them for next time I attend Mass (which will be this coming Sunday )

Thank you all and God bless you.

What a beautiful time to be coming to the Church! I will be praying for you!

 

[crazzeto]

Hi all,
I went to my first Catholic Mass today. What an experience! I didn’t really know what to expect to be honest and had to follow what others were doing. I didn’t receive the Eucharist but I was blessed by the Priest.

I have begun my journey today, after speaking with the Priest. I have a couple questions I would like to ask if anyone who is willing to answer on here…

Do all Masses have the same prayers (I mean in which the people say the words back to the Priest)?
What I am really asking is, if I were to go to another Church (Catholic, obviously), in another town, would the responses to the prayers being said be the same and would the same prayers be said?

More or less. There is some room here and there for a different prayer to say. Typically it’s an A, B, C kind of choice, i.e. it will always be one of three differenet prayers. But fear not, you will never enter any Catholic Church, anywhere in the world, where the Mass will be completely alien to you. Even if you don’t understand the language in which the Mass is being performed, you’ll still know exactly where everyone is! It’s one of the most beautiful things about the Catholic Church, Protestants really don’t know what they’re missing out on here!

Finally, could someone give me the outline of the basic prayers which are said in Mass so that I can learn them for next time I attend Mass (which will be this coming Sunday )

Thank you all and God bless you.

Beleive it or not, Wiki actually has a pretty accurate outline of the liturgy:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_mass

Beleive it or not, as simple and standardized as the mass is there’s a whole lot of text upon which it’s based, i.e. the Roman Missal. You can find the actual Roman Missal on www.vatican.va, but you will probably find this difficult to read as a new commmer. The wiki entry is more digestable.

Lastly, CONGRATULATIONS!!! These first steps your taking into the Church are the first on a long, beautiful road you’re walking to the Lord Jesus Christ, on your walk to Victory in Christ! How Jelous I am, in some respects of your experiences just starting out like this! I am experiencing some of this excietment bi-proxy, my Fiance is converting from evangelical independant baptist to Catholic, and I’m taking that Journey with her (as a cradle catholic) as an RCIA sponsor. It’s a beautiful experience.

 

[1believer1]

TomKat, if you have a Catholic bookstore around you (or you can look online), you can get a ‘missal’ which contains all the Sunday readings and ‘the order of the mass’, and all the responses for the people. When I started attending the Catholic Church, this was very helpful (and enjoyable) to me. They are small enough that you can bring them with you to Church. Now the missal is being revised for approx. 2011, so don’t purchase a nice leather one now, rather look for a papeback one, good for the current year that you are attending, you can pick them up pretty cheap; amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_1_13?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=sunday+missal+2010&sprefix=sunday+missal

Hope this helps. God bless you!

It seems that you have received a lot of helpful information. If you want to wait until the new missal is available I would encourage you to look at a magazine called "The Word Among Us " They have two editions, but the one I use has the complete Catholic Mass ( which has the readings printed out) as well as a meditation for each day. Once you become more familiar with the Mass you will find this magazine very helpful. It also contains some articles which are uplifting and very informative. This come every month with editions that are specific to the Liturgical calender. Look it up at wau.org