Catholics/reference for mass rituals

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Expert: - 9/14/2004


Question
I am trying to explore Catholicism and have begun attending mass - however I feel uncomfortable because I don't know the chants or the correct responses to the things that the priest says.  Can you tell me about these chants/responses, or can you refer me to a website or other source that I can study?  I want to be able to participate in mass without feeling lost.  Thanks!

Answer
Hi.. there should be near the front door of the church, or just at the entrance of the church, some booklets which outline the "order of the Mass," including words spoken and sung by the priests and the people. In my country, Canada, these are published by Novalis and are called "Living With Christ." There is also a Sunday Missal which outlines the liturgy. Most parishes should have these for free. But you can buy them too.

As for links, try these:

http://myweb.lmu.edu/fjust/Mass.htm

http://www.carr.org/~meripper/faith/massexpl.htm

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09790b.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_(liturgy)

http://store.novalis.ca/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=236

Remember that each parish will have slight modifications of prayers and invocations as permitted by local region. But on the whole, the order remains the same.

If you continue to find the Mass to your liking, you might consider contacting a priest (through the parish office) and ask about the RCIA program (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults). I say this because I find that the Eucharist (Holy Communion) is the high-point of the celebration, and as a non-Catholic, you would not be permitted to receive it.

I personally think that's a questionable rule, but that's the way it is.

Best wishes.

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Michael Clark, Ph.D.

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I'm a progressive Catholic--not a liberal, conservative nor a single-minded critic of Catholicism. I simply believe that adults in the 21C should use the mind God gave them and not just repeat ancient and medieval modes of thinking.

I can probably help with questions that intelligently and respectfully question those aspects of Catholicism that are not infallible. But if you're looking for someone to vigorously defend or perhaps refute Catholicism as a whole, that's not me. So please ask another expert.

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I run an educational website earthpages.org and know what the web has to offer. I might suggest hyperlinks and/or book titles as I have a Ph.D. in Religious Studies and a considerable personal library.

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Print Media:
My table from "Religions and Cults" at earthpages.org is reproduced with permission in L. Lindsey, S. Beach and B. Ravelli, Core Concepts in Sociology, 2nd ed., p. 157

World Wide Web:
My online article "Letter to God" coauthored with Buddhist monk, E. Raymond Rock, appears on several different spirituality-based websites, including http://tinyurl.com/db7a5o

I've interviewed, as a Christian, a self-proclaimed mystic: http://tinyurl.com/cawykr

My articles appeared at the former New View magazine nuvunow.ca and are published at earthpages.org.

Education/Credentials
Ph.D. in Religious Studies
M.A. in Comparative Religion
B.A. Hon. in Psychology/Sociology
For more info, please see my CV and letters of recommendation and my blog at michaelwclark.com.

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