Welcome, and thank you for joining us as we celebrate the Eucharist today. You are welcome to use this guide to support you as we celebrate as a parish community. We recommend you set your phone to Do Not Disturb mode to avoid any distractions to your prayer.
During the celebration of Mass, we are nourished both at the table of God’s Word (through the Scripture proclamations) and the table of the Lord (the altar, through Holy Communion). Catholic members of the assembly who have already celebrated their First Communion and feel they are in a position to receive Communion today may come forward and do so. Alternatively, you are most welcome to come forward during Communion (or bring your young children forward with you), and the priest or minister that you approach can pray for God’s blessing upon you. Please help the priest or minister by making it clear through your gestures if you are receiving Communion (one hand in the other at chest height, or mouth wide open for communicants receiving on the tongue), or seeking a blessing (for school-aged children and adults, this is most commonly done by crossing your arms over your chest).
The Introductory Rites
Commemoration of the Lord’s Entrance into Jerusalem
At our 10:00 am Sunday Mass, Mass will begin with the procession from the school playground – the commentator will invite you to make your way there and gather shortly before Mass. At our other Masses, you will be invited to move to the parish centre to commemorate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.
Sign of the Cross
We make the Sign of the Cross as the Priest says:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All:
Amen.
Greeting
Then the Priest greets the assembly and we respond:
And with your spirit.
The Priest will give an introduction and invite us to participate in the Palm Sunday celebration.
Blessing of Branches
The Priest will pray for God’s blessing upon the branches we have with us, then sprinkle them with holy water.
Gospel
We listen to a Gospel account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.
The Priest or Deacon:
The Lord be with you.
All:
And with your spirit.
The Priest or Deacon:
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew/Mark/Luke/John.
Using our thumb, we make a cross over our forehead, our lips and our hearts as we say:
Glory to you, O Lord.
At the end of the reading, the Priest or Deacon declares:
The Gospel of the Lord.
All:
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Procession
The Priest:
Dear brothers and sisters,
like the crowds who acclaimed Jesus in Jerusalem,
let us go forth in peace.
Please follow the priest and ministers in procession back into the church.
Procession at 10:00 am Mass – Hymn
During the procession, a hymn will be sung. We invite you to join in the singing.
The King of Glory
The King of glory comes, the nation rejoices.
Open the gates before him, lift up your voices.
Who is the king of glory; how shall we call him?
He is Emmanuel, the promised of ages.
In all of Galilee, in city or village,
He goes among his people curing their illness.
Sing then of David’s Son, our Saviour and brother;
In all of Galilee was never another.
He gave his life for us, the pledge of salvation,
He took upon himself the sins of the nation.
Text: Willard F. Jabusch, b. 1930, © 1966, 1984
Tune: KING OF GLORY, 12 12 with refrain; Israeli.
Used with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-20161
As everyone enters the church, a hymn will be sung. Please remain standing and join in the singing of the hymn – the words will be displayed on the screen.
Collect Prayer
The Priest:
Let us pray.
We take a moment to pray in the silence of our own minds and hearts, before the priest leads the Collect Prayer, which we affirm by saying:
Amen.
Then we sit to listen to the Word of God in the Scripture proclamations.
The Liturgy of the Word
When the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself speaks to his people, and Christ, present in his word, proclaims the Gospel.
General Instruction of the Roman Missal, n. 29
We are invited to listen to God speaking to us.
First Reading
This reading is from the prophet Isaiah. At the end of the reading, the Minister of the Word declares:
The word of the Lord.
All:
Thanks be to God.
After the reading, we are invited to take a moment in silence to reflect on what we have just heard. What stood out to you?
Responsorial Psalm
We listen to a proclamation from Psalm 22 (21), and we add our voice throughout with the response; on Sundays you will find the response displayed on the screen.
Second Reading
This reading is from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians. At the end of the reading, the Minister of the Word declares:
The word of the Lord.
All:
Thanks be to God.
After the reading, we are invited again to take a moment in silence to reflect on what we have just heard. What stood out to you?
Acclamation Before the Gospel
We stand and sing an acclamation to praise God and welcome the proclamation of the Gospel.
Gospel
The Priest or Deacon:
The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew/Mark/Luke.
On Palm Sunday, we do not respond or sign ourselves with the cross.
The proclamation also ends without its usual declaration and response. Then we sit for the homily.
Homily
After the Gospel, the Priest will break open the readings for us, and related them to our lives through the homily.
First Collection
After the Homily on Sundays, wardens will pass around the collection plates for the first collection. Placing money on the plate is just one way you can financially support our community. You can also “Tap and Go” in the parish centre, place cash in the collection boxes near the doors into the parish centre, or make a direct deposit through online banking.
This collection supports the living expenses of the Carmelite Friars who serve our parish. Any contribution you can make to financially support our community is voluntary and gratefully appreciated.
Profession of Faith
We stand and respond to what we have heard in the proclamation of God’s word by affirming our faith. At Sunday Mass, the creed will be displayed on the screen, or you can tap the shaded box to view it here.
Apostles’ Creed
In Wentworthville, we usually pray this creed on Sundays during the Lent and Easter seasons, and during Ordinary Time.
All:
I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
At the words that follow, up to and including ‘the Virgin Mary’, all bow.
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
Prayer of the Faithful
We pray as a community for the needs of the Church, our community and the world. Each intention is named, after which we take a moment to pray for that intention. Then the Minister invites us to call upon the Lord, and we usually respond with:
Lord, hear our prayer.
At the end, the priest concludes the prayer, which we affirm by saying:
Amen.
Then we sit as the offerings are presented and prepared for the Eucharistic Prayer.
Second Collection
After the Prayer of the Faithful on Sundays, wardens will pass around the collection plates for the second collection. Placing money on the plate is just one way you can financially support our community. You can also “Tap and Go” in the parish centre, place cash in the collection boxes near the doors into the parish centre, make use of a set of planned giving envelopes, or make a direct deposit through online banking.
This collection supports the operating and mission expenses of our parish community. Any contribution you can make to financially support our community is voluntary and gratefully appreciated.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
Presentation and Preparation of the Offerings
The gifts of bread and wine are brought to the altar, and gifts of our labour may be offered as well.
Then the priest prepares the offering of bread. If there isn’t any music, he may choose to say the prayer of blessing to God aloud:
Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,
for through your goodness we receive the bread we offer you:
fruit of the earth and work of human hands,
it will become for us the bread of life.
All:
Blessed be God for ever.
Then the priest prepares the offering of wine. If there isn’t any music, he may choose to say the prayer of blessing to God aloud:
Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,
for through your goodness we receive the wine we offer you:
fruit of the earth and work of human hands,
it will become for us our spiritual drink.
All:
Blessed be God for ever.
Prayer Over the Offerings
Once all the preparations are complete, the priest invites us to join him in the Eucharistic Prayer:
Pray, brothers and sisters,
that my sacrifice and yours
may be acceptable to God,
the almighty Father.
We stand and reply:
May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands
for the praise and glory of his name,
for our good
and the good of all his holy Church.
The priest leads the Prayer Over the Offerings, which we affirm by saying:
Amen.
Eucharistic Prayer
The Priest:
The Lord be with you.
All:
And with your spirit.
The Priest:
Lift up your hearts.
All:
We lift them up to the Lord.
The Priest:
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All:
It is right and just.
The Priest continues by praying the preface of the Eucharistic Prayer, which will speak particularly of Holy Week and Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. At the end of the preface, we sing or say:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Then we kneel as the Eucharistic Prayer continues.
If you are unable to kneel, don’t worry – please feel free to sit instead.
In the next part of the Eucharistic Prayer, the bread and wine are consecrated – that is, they are transformed and become the Body and Blood of Christ. This is then followed by an acclamation by the assembly.
The Priest:
The mystery of faith.
Then we sing or say one of the following three acclamations:
Either:
We proclaim your Death, O Lord,
and profess your Resurrection
until you come again.
Or:
When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup,
we proclaim your Death, O Lord,
until you come again.
Or:
Save us, Saviour of the world,
for by your Cross and Resurrection
you have set us free.
The Eucharistic Prayer continues. At the conclusion of the prayer, the priest says:
Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God, almighty Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honour is yours,
for ever and ever.
And we affirm the entire Eucharistic Prayer by singing or saying:
Amen.
Then we stand to pray the Lord’s Prayer.
Lord’s Prayer
The priest invites all of us to pray the Lord’s Prayer, and we say or sing:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
The priest:
Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
…
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
All:
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Rite of Peace
The priest:
Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles,
…
who live and reign for ever and ever.
All:
Amen.
The priest:
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
All:
And with your spirit.
Everyone is then invited to share a sign of peace with those around them in an appropriate and reverent way.
Fraction
The priest begins to break the bread for Communion as we say or sing:
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world;
grant us peace.
Then we kneel as we prepare to receive Communion.
If you are unable to kneel, don’t worry – please feel free to sit instead.
Communion
The priest shows the host and chalice to the people and prays the invitation to Communion:
Behold the Lamb of God.
…
Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
All:
Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
Once the priest receives Communion, and gives Communion to the ministers in the sanctuary, Communion is offered to all who feel they are in a position to receive. Unless there are very large crowds, everyone is invited to receive Communion from near the altar where the Eucharist has been offered.
Usually we will sing a hymn at this time – the words will be displayed on the screen.
Usually there is time for silent prayer after Communion. On some occasions, however, we will sing a hymn of praise – again, the words will be displayed on the screen.
Prayer After Communion
When the priest invites us to participate in the Prayer After Communion, we stand.
The Priest:
Let us pray.
The priest then leads the Prayer After Communion, which we affirm by saying:
Amen.
The Concluding Rites
Before Mass concludes, the Priest may also share some messages of importance for the parish community. He may also send forth parishioners who are ministering Holy Communion to those who are sick or housebound.
Blessing
The Priest:
The Lord be with you.
All:
And with your spirit.
if we are then invited to “Bow down for the blessing”:
There are special seasons, feast days and occasions where Mass may conclude with an extended blessing of the assembly, using a Prayer Over the People (a single, longer prayer ending with “for ever and ever”, then our responding “Amen”).
The priest then concludes the blessing by saying (as we make the Sign of the Cross):
And may the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit
come down on you and remain with you for ever.
All:
Amen.
The priest then concludes Mass with the dismissal.
We make the Sign of the Cross as the priest says:
May almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All:
Amen.
Dismissal
Then the assembly is dismissed to go forth and live the mission of Jesus, and we reply:
Thanks be to God.
The priest and ministers then process out of the church. There may be a hymn sung at this time – if so, the words will be displayed on the screen.
After Mass, you are welcome to stay in the church to pray.
Liturgy 