PREPARING FOR THE NEW TRANSLATION

OF THE MASS
The Introductory Rites

On the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011, Catholic parishes in the United States will begin praying the texts of the Mass using a new English translation of The Roman Missal. This week, we explore the Introductory Rites of the Mass. Every time we gather for Eucharist, each of us comes with our own preoccupations and concerns. The Introductory Rites of the Mass are intended to draw us out of our own little worlds and form us into an assembly of God's people, the Body of Christ, ready to render our praise and thanksgiving to God. Each element is designed to play its own role in uniting us as a worshiping people and calling us into God's presence. We hear each other's voices in the opening song and the Glory to God; we remember who we are as God's people through the Sign of the Cross, the Greeting, and the Penitential Act; and we prepare ourselves for today's particular celebration in the opening prayer or Collect. If we allow the Introductory Rites to do their work, we will be ready to celebrate the Eucharist as one people in God.