Format for the Catholic Mass

score:15

Accepted answer

I think you're looking for the Order of Mass

But in General, each Catholic Mass is broken up into 4 parts (It's a little different for Sundays and the few Holy Days of Obligation than it is for weekday Masses; more things are optional for weekday Mass)

  1. Introductory Rite

    A. Procession in to the Church

    B. Greeting

    C. Penitential rite (there are a few ways this can be done)

    D. Let us pray... (This is the prayer that changes, if you go to weekday mass it usually has something to do with the saint whose feast day it is)

  2. Liturgy of the Word

    A. OT reading

    B. Psalm

    C. NT reading (not Gospel)

    D. Alleluia

    E. Gospel (usually connected in some way with OT reading)

    F. Homily

  3. Liturgy of the Eucharist

    A. Creed (Apostles or Nicene)

    B. Intercessory prayers

    C. Collection and presentation of the gifts ( bread wine and money brought up)

    D. Eucharistic Prayer (This is the part that the priest does mostly, but I'll list the parts you'd do if you were at Mass)

    i. Great Amen

    ii. Acclamation (what the we say after "the mystery of faith")

    iii. Our Father

    iv. Rite of Peace (hand shake time)

    v. Lamb of God (and then you kneel)

    vi. Lord I am not worthy...

    vii. Eucharist time!

  4. Concluding Rite

    A. Prayer

    B. Lame Joke (that might just be in the Footville order of Mass)

    C. Mass has ended...

    D. Process out.

    E. Eruption of noise as everyone suddenly forgets they're still in the presence of The Lord.

That's about the gist of it, the order of mass is what is supposed to happen, some things that aren't supposed to happen are pretty normal ( or at least regional) if you want to see how it's supposed to be done head over to the Guadalupe Shrine outside of La Crosse.

Upvote:2

Obviously this is a late answer, but a couple of things should be noted:

Generally mass is celebrated in a Catholic church every day, if a priest is available.

Attendance at mass is required for Catholics on every Sunday, and Holy Day of Obligation (which vary by country), as previously answered. However, notwithstanding several important points, participation in the Eucharist (communion) is only required once a year.

The order of mass is specified by the pope. It is specified in the "General Instructions of the Roman Missal". A great deal of the structure, form, and specific words to be used are strictly prescribed. Some songs, and some customs are up to regional and local variation. To be exhaustive, there are also other authorized rites that are somewhat different, particularly the traditional Latin mass. But generally, the mass is the same everywhere, and one should be able to follow along even if it's in a different language.

To get back to the start of the question: yes, a Catholic mass is very different, and that's because protestants have decided that they have 20,000 better ways of worshiping God than the Church does.

Upvote:4

To supplement the other two fine responses, I'd like to point out another general distinction. The texts prayed at every Catholic mass fall into one of two categories:

Mass Ordinary: This set of texts remains more or less fixed from day to day, with some variation based on the season or the day's liturgical rank1 -- for example the Gloria is omitted in Lent and Advent, the second reading and Creed are generally omitted on weekdays, etc. Peter's answer outlines its structure.

Mass Propers: These texts vary from day to day. and can themselves be divided into three categories:

  • Two or three Scripture readings or lessons: always one from the New Testament, sometimes one from the Old Testament, and always one from the Gospel

  • Five or more processional chants: usually small excerpts from the Psalms, traditionally sung by the choir at various points in the mass where there could be a procession. In the newer form of the Roman Rite several of these chants are often replaced by congregational hymns, which the music staff choose ad libitum:

    1. Introit (entrance procession)
    2. Gradual (between lessons)
    3. Alleluia or Tract (before the Gospel)
    4. Sequence (a long non-Scriptural hymn added before the Gospel on major feasts)
    5. Offertory (during the preparation of the bread and wine for consecration)
    6. Communion (during the distribution of Holy Communion)

  • The presidential prayers, prayed by the priest:

    1. Collect: concludes the opening rites and immediately precedes the Scripture readings
    2. Prayer over the Offerings: concludes the Offertory and immediately precedes the Anaphora (i.e, Eucharistic Prayer)
    3. Postcommunion: concludes the Communion rite and precedes the dismissal

1Every day of the year has a liturgical rank, which ranges from Easter at the top to an ordinary summer weekday at the bottom, with saints' feast days somewhere in between depending on a number of factors.

Upvote:6

I got this manual from my sibling's homework for their subject, Christian Living Formation. Hope this helps.

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References:
1. The Order of Mass. St. John Bosco Parish Church. 20 August 2010. Web. 5 February 2012. <http://www.saginaw.org/images/stories/PDFs/missal/order-of-mass.pdf>.
2. The Order of Mass. Catholic Diocese of Saginaw. 10 June 2012. Web. 5 February 2012. <http://sjbmakati.com/uploads/2/7/4/3/2743634/new_roman_missal.pdf>.

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