After the Greeting, Penitential Rite and Gloria are completed, the faithful may be seated and are invited to listen attentively to the Word of God. As a teacher, I have ... Read more

“When this hymn is concluded (the Gloria), the Priest, with hands joined says: ‘Let us pray.’ And all pray in silence with the Priest for a while.” So state the ... Read more

On Sundays and feast days, but not on Sundays during Lent or Advent, the Gloria is sung or recited by the faithful. It is a song of joy and praise ... Read more

The opening scene of the black and white film, Lord of the Flies (1963), shows British schoolboys marching in formation on the beach of an island in the South Pacific ... Read more

Why do we repeat “mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa” (through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault)? We say that three times because important truths ... Read more

Of all the magnificent prayers at Mass, the Confiteor is one of my favorites, and it comes at just the right moment: the beginning of Mass. It is deeply powerful, ... Read more

We begin the Mass – as we begin almost every prayer and sacrament – by making the Sign of the Cross, using the exact words that Jesus taught us (Mt. ... Read more

You have heard the conventional wisdom, “You get out of it, what you put into it”, and that surely applies to the Mass. Worship resources, including the free Relevant Radio® ... Read more

The sacristy is a special room in the church, usually next to or behind the sanctuary, which many of the faithful never see. The sacristy is where the priest vests ... Read more

Every Catholic Church has a tabernacle, an altar, and a crucifix – which is a cross with the figure of Christ crucified. The crucifix is in the sanctuary near the ... Read more

While the tabernacle is the most important item in a church, the altar is no less important during Mass. Because upon the altar the Perfect Sacrifice is renewed and Jesus ... Read more

The most important item in a Catholic Church is the tabernacle – the noble, beautiful, and secure safe that contains the Holy Eucharist, which is the very Body and Blood, ... Read more