How do Catholics remember all those responses?

[rarndt01]

I have just been a Ctholic now for a little over 2 years and it has been all uphill. I had a poor RCIA instructor. I was never instructed in the “mechanics” of what to say and do during the mass. I had to learn through total embarassment and scrambling through the pages of the church missal. I still am BEHIND. Why? Because most Catholics can recite ALL the responses from memory.

                                    My question is, how did they get this proficient?  Most people can not remember all the words to the "pledge of Aligance" that we rattled off as a child. So how do they know all the responses, like the, Gloria,  Nicene creed and the Eucharist responses, etc? I do alright with the "Our Father", "amen", and "also with you". I even learned that your suppose to say "Peace to you" and not "how ya doin" when everyone greets one another.

                                      Has anyone else gone through this or am I the only Gomer Pyle? Just wondering if all these other Catholics took a Jerry Lucas memory corse some years back to remember all this? Thanks.

                                              Ron from Ohio

 

[Marauder]

rarndt01:

I still am BEHIND. Why? Because most Catholics can recite ALL the responses from memory.

                                      My question is, how did they get this proficient?

First off, don’t worry. Nobody cares if you don’t know all the responses. If your church has missaletes, all the responses are in there. Use them, eventually you will learn all the parts from memory.

I see people that have been in the Catholic faith for years, still use the books for the Nicene Creed and other prayers.

The reason a lot of people know the prayers by heart is that they have been using them for years. You begin to learn the prayers. Also it is much easier to say these prayers with a group. I bet if you take your average Catholic and ask him to say the Nicene Creed without anyone else around, they would mess up or not even be able to do it. But in a group they are fine. I know the Nicene Creed by heart but will occasionally mess up, especially if my mind starts to wander. Sometimes I even (by accident) merge the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed.

 

[renee1258]

I always use the missal, and I go every week for years. Maybe because I have young children it keeps me from getting distracted, also it promotes my toddler to “read along”.

 

[Ray_Marshall]

Marauder:

Sometimes I even (by accident) merge the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed.

Whew! I’m sure glad to find out that I’m not the ony one who does that! :tsktsk:

 

[stellina]

There are a lot of missals in Catholic bookstores, & I think they go through the whole liturgical year. I see many people using these. My parents had their own missals back when the Mass was in Latin - think of all the help people needed back then!

 

[tee_eff_em]

Ray Marshall:

Marauder:

Sometimes I even (by accident) merge the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed.

Whew! I’m sure glad to find out that I’m not the ony one who does that! :tsktsk:

Me too! Me too!

(And I concur: Get a missal(ette), attend frequently, and you’ll pick it up.

I know the OP concerns a recent convert, but this is yet another reason to bring young children to Mass – How else will they learn the responses?)

 

[SeekerJen]

Ron,

I think most of us just learn by immersion. I’ve been a Catholic for my entire life. I attended Catholic school for grades K-8, and during that time I attended Mass not only on Sundays but also at least one weekday per week with my classmates. I remember a couple of things being drilled into us by our teachers (in 1st grade it was the exchange at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer: “The Lord be with you.” “And also with you.” “Lift up your hearts” etc.). The rest I just picked up over the course of two and a half decades.

Thing is, it takes time to learn this stuff. You’ve only been at it for a couple of years. And it comes easier for some than others. My parents’ next door neighbor is in her seventies, she’s been a life-long member of our parish, has a favorite cousin who is a nun, and she still uses the printed page in the hymnal when reciting the Nicene Creed. It’s no big deal. There’s no shame in using a missal or missalette, either (I like to use one during the readings). You could even buy your own copy and study it at home to make the Mass a little more familiar.

 

[jmm08]

Try this link.
“Why do Catholics bounce on one knee?”
“Why do Catholics scratch their foreheads before the Gospel Reading?”
“Why does the priest sniff the altar?”

By the way, I read somewhere that instead of using one knee we should sometimes use two knees (if for example Christ is exposed during Holy Hour).

text.grigaitis.net/?/articles/guide.html

 

[mercygate]

If you’re looking for a missal, try Magnificat. It’s expensive and it has all the readings for daily Mass as well as Sunday, plus short forms of Morning and Evening Prayer, lives of saints and fantastic meditations for each day’s Mass. It comes out monthly and costs about $40/year or $70 for two years. Of course, it has the entire text of the Mass in it as well.

magnificat.net/

 

[Catholicforlife]

practice practice practice
I am only 32 but have been Catholic all my life. That is 32 years of Sunday mass. I went to Catholic grade school that had us go to mass once a week. So for 8 years of my life, I went to mass twice a week. I think children can remember things better than adults, not sure if I could memorize it all now I use to mumble the words Father spoke as well when I was child.
It will come, keep flipping through the missalette
Glad to have you in the church!!!
D

 

[renee1258]

jmm08:

Try this link.
“Why do Catholics bounce on one knee?”
“Why do Catholics scratch their foreheads before the Gospel Reading?”
“Why does the priest sniff the altar?”

By the way, I read somewhere that instead of using one knee we should sometimes use two knees (if for example Christ is exposed during Holy Hour).

text.grigaitis.net/?/articles/guide.html

Awesome link!

 

[SeekerJen]

mercygate:

If you’re looking for a missal, try Magnificat. It’s expensive and it has all the readings for daily Mass as well as Sunday, plus short forms of Morning and Evening Prayer, lives of saints and fantastic meditations for each day’s Mass. It comes out monthly and costs about $40/year or $70 for two years. Of course, it has the entire text of the Mass in it as well.

magnificat.net/

I second this. I’ve been a Magnificat subscriber for about three years now. It’s been really helpful in prayer and Scripture study.

 

[dream_wanderer]

I was given a gift subscription to that magazine…its really helpful.

I’ve only been a Catholic since Easter and I’ve done the old 'do whatever around me is doing and hope they are doing it right!"

I keep forgetting to do the sign of the cross on my head, lips and mouth before the reading of the gospel.

By the time I had learned the Gloria it was Lent and I didn’t get to sing it for 40 days!

I watched Mass on tv for a few months before I actually started attending to give myself a ‘heads up’ on what was going on. Our RICA instructors started out the first few sessions going over what happens during Mass and why. They even showed us a video…but they made sure to tell us that there are no "Catholic Police’ waiting to get you if you mess up.

I’m still learning!

 

[RBushlow]

rarndt01:

I have just been a Ctholic now for a little over 2 years and it has been all uphill. I had a poor RCIA instructor. I was never instructed in the “mechanics” of what to say and do during the mass. I had to learn through total embarassment and scrambling through the pages of the church missal. I still am BEHIND. Why? Because most Catholics can recite ALL the responses from memory.

My question is, how did they get this proficient? Most people can not remember all the words to the “pledge of Aligance” that we rattled off as a child. So how do they know all the responses, like the, Gloria, Nicene creed and the Eucharist responses, etc? I do alright with the “Our Father”, “amen”, and “also with you”. I even learned that your suppose to say “Peace to you” and not “how ya doin” when everyone greets one another.

Has anyone else gone through this or am I the only Gomer Pyle? Just wondering if all these other Catholics took a Jerry Lucas memory corse some years back to remember all this? Thanks.

Ron from Ohio

Do they have Missals in your church? If so, take one home (ask first) for a week or two and follow through the prayers and scripture readings in your spare time. I love to worship our Lord and will sometimes go through it during the week because I cannot get to daily mass.

May the peace of the Lord be with you.

 

[Antonio_B]

rarndt01:

I have just been a Ctholic now for a little over 2 years and it has been all uphill. I had a poor RCIA instructor. I was never instructed in the “mechanics” of what to say and do during the mass. I had to learn through total embarassment and scrambling through the pages of the church missal. I still am BEHIND. Why? Because most Catholics can recite ALL the responses from memory.

My question is, how did they get this proficient? Most people can not remember all the words to the “pledge of Aligance” that we rattled off as a child. So how do they know all the responses, like the, Gloria, Nicene creed and the Eucharist responses, etc? I do alright with the “Our Father”, “amen”, and “also with you”. I even learned that your suppose to say “Peace to you” and not “how ya doin” when everyone greets one another.

It’s simple. No one takes us by the hand and teaches us the responses for the liturgy. We just go to Mass all out lives and after a while you don’t need to see the Missalette anymore because you already know the responses from your heart more than from your mind.

Antonio

Has anyone else gone through this or am I the only Gomer Pyle? Just wondering if all these other Catholics took a Jerry Lucas memory course some years back to remember all this? Thanks.

Ron from Ohio

 

[Annunciata]

tee_eff_emQuote:
Originally Posted by Ray Marshall
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marauder
Sometimes I even (by accident) merge the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed.

Whew! I’m sure glad to find out that I’m not the ony one who does that! :tsktsk:

tee_eff_em:

Me too! Me too!

(And I concur: Get a missal(ette), attend frequently, and you’ll pick it up.

I know the OP concerns a recent convert, but this is yet another reason to bring young children to Mass – How else will they learn the responses?)

Me Three! And I agree with all of the above and I’ve been a Catholic for nearly 41 years… I watch the Mass at least once or twice on TV daily and attend it daily when I can get a ride! Annunciata

 

[aimee]

I learned the responses because I am an Episcopalian convert…

Really happy to be Roman Catholic…

 

[jimmy]

Marauder:

Also it is much easier to say these prayers with a group. I bet if you take your average Catholic and ask him to say the Nicene Creed without anyone else around, they would mess up or not even be able to do it. But in a group they are fine. I know the Nicene Creed by heart but will occasionally mess up, especially if my mind starts to wander.

You got me, I can’t memorize the Nicene creed. I can memorize all the other prayers but I just can’t memorize the Nicene creed. I have been Catholic all my life too.

 

[workinprogress8]

I think that if you are raised in the Catholic church, you tend to remember the prayers for life. It’s kind of like a language, if you learn it when you are younger, it’s easier for you.

 

[mjdonnelly]

RBushlow:

Do they have Missals in your church? If so, take one home (ask first) for a week or two and follow through the prayers and scripture readings in your spare time.

I was hoping someone would recommend this before me. It should be no problem to get one from the Church whenever a new one comes out. Take it home, buy those little sticky flags and then mark the pages where everything is that you need. That way you can concentrate more on the mass and not what page you need to turn to next.

I don’t recommend buying your own copy from the store because there will be differences unless you have the exact same copy. I know that the Oregon Press people change things and their “version” is different.