Faith

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Formed in Christ

Friday, August 29, 2025Faith

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Those in the procession are also members of the assembly and so should be singing along with the rest of the assembly.

With our preparations made, we begin the Mass.
The leader of song will invite all to stand. As with all other postures, if one can do so, one should; if someone has limitations, she can opt to remain seated.
Having gathered in the rear of the church, the narthex, or vestibule, the procession starts at the door and proceeds deliberately and at a moderate pace up the middle aisle towards the altar. Notice the word "up" as we move towards the altar? It is a little reminder that we are going to a holy place "up there," even if only a bit elevated from the remainder of the church. We are really going "up" to be with Christ both at the Last Supper and at his Crucifixion, so that we can go "up" with him at last, when he comes again in glory.
The music we sing might be the antiphon assigned to the day in the Roman Missal, or in the United States, an alternative hymn in a worship aid. Verses should last from the beginning of the procession until the last of the ministers, usually the priest, has arrived at his place in the sanctuary, that is, at the presider's chair.
Some parishes insist on singing all the verses of a hymn, which seems to some to extend the Mass. An easy solution is to select hymns that have three or four verses and are set to a common meter. This will usually set the tone for Mass and not challenge some with a preference for shorter musical repertoire.

Those in the procession are also members of the assembly and so should be singing along with the rest of the assembly.
Musicians and celebrants need to be aware of the amplification system. Neither should use it so that either voice drowns out the other voices. This is especially true of those with truly excellent voices who may well end up, unwittingly or unintentionally, becoming soloists, rather than leaders or assembly members.
As the procession nears the sanctuary, a brief stop is made, and the ministers make a bow to the altar. Those who carry a liturgical item, e.g., the cross or candles, do not make a bow but enter the sanctuary and proceed to place their items in their proper places. The cross should be on a stand, visible for the assembly, unless there is already a crucifix in the sanctuary, preferably suspended over the altar. The candles would be placed at the altar or brought to the sacristy and extinguished to be ready for use at the recessional of the Mass.
The last to enter would be the priest celebrant, perhaps with a deacon to his right. They make the bow and proceed towards the altar, and reverence it with a kiss, and then go to their chairs in the sanctuary.
If, however, the tabernacle with the Most Blessed Sacrament is present in the sanctuary, the priest, the deacon, and the other ministers genuflect when they approach the altar and when they depart from it, but not during the celebration of Mass itself. (GIRM # 274)
On arriving at his chair, the priest makes the sign of the cross, blessing himself while doing so, as does the rest of the assembly, though the assembly makes this action its own by responding. Amen.
The priest greets the assembly with one of the several apostolic greetings in the Missal. Those are the only options provided in the Missal. Secular greetings or folksy comments are not part of the Roman Rite. This would include "good morning" or some other such secular greeting. We are doing something different here, something sacred now, and the first words of the priest who is "in the person of Christ the Head" should verbalize this.
The priest, and the ministers for that matter, should have already greeted their fellow celebrants as they arrive at church or as they depart after Mass or in an after-Mass gathering for coffee and donuts.
During his audience with altar servers from France on a special pilgrimage on Aug. 25, Pope Leo told them, "Dear friends, I thank you for your commitment: it is a very great and generous service that you render to your parish, and I encourage you to persevere faithfully. When you approach the altar, always bear in mind the grandeur and holiness of what is being celebrated. Mass is a moment of celebration and joy. How, indeed, can one not have one's heart filled with joy in the presence of Jesus? But Mass is, at the same time, a serious, solemn moment, imbued with gravity. May your attitude, your silence, the dignity of your service, the liturgical beauty, the order and majesty of your gestures, bring the faithful into the sacred grandeur of the Mystery."
Sound advice not only for servers but for the entire assembly at any Mass.