Order of the Roman Catholic Mass Quiz

The Mass begins with an entrance song while the priest and other ministers enter the church and proceed to the altar. This begins what is known as The Introductory Rites.

The sign of the cross and a greeting from the priest follow, then the Act of Penitence. This is where the faithful recall and acknowledge their sins and ask for God's mercy so that they are in a state of grace for receiving the Eucharist later in the service.

We confess that we have sinned "through our own fault" and ask for forgiveness from God, Mary and all the Angels and Saints, then say the Kyrie Elison which means "Lord have Mercy".

In 1969 the 'Novus Ordo' was introduced to the Catholic Church - this was a translation of the traditional Latin Mass into the separate languages around the world.

Then on the First Sunday of Advent 2011 a new translation was presented throughout the world. This 'Novus Ordo' is a much more strict translation of the original Latin Mass. The order and meaning remain exactly the same, but certain words/prayers are slightly different.

For example: At numerous times throughout the Mass the priest will say "The Lord be with you" and the congregation would answer "and also with you." The new translation has us now replying "and with your spirit", which is a direct translation from the Latin "et cum spiritu tuo". Of course, the traditional Latin Mass is still an acceptable form of worship and always performed at the Vatican.

The last of the Introductory Rites is the Gloria. This is a celebratory prayer known as a 'true hymn' although it can be spoken or sung. It is an ancient hymn beginning with the choir of angels at Christ's Birth: "Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace to people of good will."

Its first verse is praise to God: "... we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory..."; the second verse moves onto imploring the mercy of Christ: "Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us", and finally to the Trinity at the end: "Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen."

Because of the austerity of Lent and Advent, the Gloria is not used during those seasons except for the few feasts and solemnities which may occur during them.

After the Gloria we move onto the next section of the Mass, called The Liturgy of the Word. As the name suggests this includes Bible readings and teachings.

The Mass has two readings with a responsorial psalm in-between them. The first reading is from the Old Testament, where we recall the origins of our Covenant and it will relate to the Gospel by giving an insight into what Jesus will do then.

We then sing or say the Responsorial Psalm where a cantor reads the verses of one of the psalms and the congregation makes a response.

The second reading is from the New Testament, usually from one of the letters of St Paul and his teachings during the early history of the Church.

The only time this changes is during the season of Easter when the first reading is taken from Acts of the Apostles, also in the New Testament.

Because of the unique presence of Christ in the proclamation of the Gospel, it has long been the custom to stand in reverence to hear these words. We believe that Christ "is present in his word, since it is he himself who speaks when the holy Scriptures are read in the church" (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, #7).

The Gospel is always read by the priest, as opposed to the readings which are by members of the congregation. As the name suggests it is always a reading from one of the Gospel writers - Matthew, Mark, Luke or John.

There are three 'liturgical years' which work on a continuous rota. Year A is Mark's Gospel, B is from Matthew and Luke's are in Year 3. The Gospel of John is read during the Easter Season in all three years.

After the Gospel we all sit for the homily which is referred to as the sermon in a lot of faiths. Homily is derived from the Greek word homilia which means to have communion or hold intercourse with a person.

The priest's purpose is to explain the literal content of the readings and the spiritual meanings within them. It is a period of reflection, instruction and consolation.

A 'good' homily will use the scriptures to help us understand our relationship with God, how to grow in His grace, to hold fast to our Faith and comfort us when we fail.

There are two creeds used during the Mass, either of which can be used at this point. One is called the Nicene Creed, which dates back to the fourth century, and the other is a shortened version called the Apostles Creed.

Both serve as reaffirmations of the promises that were made on our behalf at Baptism, or that we made ourselves if baptised later in life. It is an acknowledgement of our fundamental beliefs and a summary of our faith.

There are four main sections to the Creed which all begin with the statement "I Believe". The first is about God the Father, the second about Jesus his Only Begotten Son, the third is the Holy Spirit, the Giver of Life and the last for one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

The last section in the Liturgy of the Word is the Prayer of the Faithful or Universal Prayer. These are read by a cantor and are prayers for the salvation of us all.

They will often include specific intentions that arise from the scriptures that usually fall under five types of intercession. The needs of the Church, for those in authority, salvation of the world as a whole, for those burdened by difficulties and for our local community and their needs.

Each prayer is only a few sentences and concludes with the cantor asking for the Lord's mercy and the congregation asking for the prayer to be heard by Him.

We then move on to what is called The Liturgy of the Eucharist. This is the central part to our Catholic Mass and is performed every day except for Good Friday when it is called a service. The congregation may receive Communion on Good Friday but it has been Consecrated on Holy Thursday and stored in the Tabernacle.

This Liturgy begins with the offertory and the preparation of the altar with the bread and wine. After this begins the Eucharistic Prayer which is at the heart of this Liturgy.

In this prayer the priest acts in the person of Christ as head of the body of the Church. He begins with a prayer and giving thanks for all that he has done for us.

This leads into the Epiclesis, in which the priest asks the Father to send the Holy Spirit on the bread and wine that they may become the Body and Blood of Christ. It involves the account of the actions of Jesus on Holy Thursday at The Last Supper, when he blessed the bread and wine and gave them to his disciples as His Body and Blood. This act, known as transubstantiation, is what separates the Roman Catholic Church from other Anglo-Catholic religions.

After the Epiclesis comes the Anamneses, the memorial part of the Eucharistic Prayer in which the congregation refers to the memorial character of the Eucharist or to the Passion, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus.

The priest then makes prayers of intercession for the living and the dead, the Leaders of the Church and all the Faithful.

The Lord's Prayer, recited by the entire congregation, begins the Communion Rite, the last section of the Eucharistic liturgy. The people stand to recite this famous prayer that Jesus taught to his disciples when they asked him how to pray. It glorifies God, asks him for our needs, to forgive our sins and prepare us for Heaven.

Then we have the Rite of Peace where the priest prays that the peace of Christ will fill our hearts, our families, our Church, our communities, and our world. As a sign of hope, members of the congregation turn to those standing around them and wish them peace, usually by shaking hands.

The Fraction Rite has the priest breaking the consecrated bread as the congregation says a prayer asking the Lamb of God to take away our sins and to have mercy on us and grant us peace. We also make an acknowledgment that we are not worthy to receive Him and asking Him to make us so.

The final Eucharistic Rite is Communion itself, when we receive the Holy Sacrament. It is important that we believe we are prepared to receive this gift. In general, no-one will stop you taking Communion, it is a personal obligation to refrain if you know you have committed a serious sin for which you have not been absolved.

The faithful approach the altar and bow with reverence before receiving Communion. The priest or Eucharistic Minister holds the Host aloft and says, "The Body of Christ" to which the communicant replies "Amen". The Host is then presented - it may be placed on the tongue or into the hands. Not every communicant chooses to take the wine but if they do the process is repeated with the Chalice.

Because of our belief in transubstantiation and the sacredness of the Eucharist, only Catholics that have received instruction and had the sacrament of First Communion may receive Communion. Younger children and non-Catholics are encouraged to come to the altar for a blessing, crossing their arms across their chest to signify that they are not eligible to receive Sacrament.

The Mass then ends with The Concluding Rites, which involve a blessing to the people and then a dismissal telling us to go and live our lives as God intended.