The Eucharistic Prayer forms the heart of the second part of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

That means we have to make the effort to join the priest in offerin...

The Liturgy of the Eucharist begins with the portion of Mass known as the preparation of the gifts that will be offered to God and consecrated by God.

The priest introduces the prayers of the faithful, which are sometimes called the Universal Prayer, after we recite the creed together.

On every Sunday and on special days of importance throughout the year called solemnities, we recite the creed after the homily.

We have all become accustomed to hearing a homily preached at nearly every Mass we attend, including weekday Masses.

Every Sunday at Mass, all of us are given the opportunity to hear a wide variety of passages from the Old and New Testaments.

The celebration of Mass begins with a prayer offered by the priest on behalf of all those present. The Roman Missal calls this prayer the “collect.”

We give you thanks for your great glory

Brother and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.”

In the next series of columns over the coming year, I want to explain some of the individual parts of the Mass, both the words and gestures.

Why did the early Christians begin to construct specially designed buildings meant for no other purpose than for Christian worship?

Many people wonder what they are meant to be doing at various points during Mass.

We should try to be conscious, at the various points of Mass, of who is speaking to us and to whom we are speaking. Let me tell you what I mean.

Sunday is at the head of the week because from antiquity it has been recognized as the day when God began His work of creation.