“In the Eucharist and in all the sacraments, we are guaranteed the possibility of encountering the Lord Jesus and of having the power of his Paschal Mystery reach us.”

Pope Francis, Desiderio Desideravi:
On the Liturgical Formation of the People of God, paragraph 11

Liturgical Formation

Welcome to the Liturgical Formation webpage!

Here you will find a variety of resources to deepen your love and understanding of the Mass.
Celebrating the Eucharist as a community is the source and summit of our Catholic faith.
By growing in knowledge and love of the liturgy, we can experience Christ’s saving work more fully
every time we go to Mass and truly become the Body of Christ in our daily lives.

Open Bible with ribbons placed on a table inside a church, with stained glass windows and church pews in the background.

LEARN the Mass

  • The word “liturgy” comes from the Greek “leitourgia” which means “public work” or “work of the people.” As it entered Christian usage, it began to refer to the way the People of God participate in the work of God. That means that liturgy is both the work of God and the work of human beings. Liturgy is where heaven and earth meet in a unique way.

    The Mass is the most common form of liturgical celebration, but there are many other forms of liturgy. For example, the “Liturgy of the Hours” is the prayer of the Church - the second highest form of prayer besides Mass. All priests, religious sisters and brothers, and many lay people pray the Liturgy of the Hours every day. It is meant to sanctify our entire day which is why it includes morning prayer, evening prayer, night prayer and even other hours in between.

    Liturgy can also refer to the celebration of other sacraments even outside of Mass such as Baptism, Reconciliation services, and Anointing of the Sick in the home or in a hospital. These sacraments are liturgical because we participate in God’s work of salvation that comes from celebrating the sacraments.

  • The Mass is the highest form of liturgical prayer. Mass is the “source and summit” of our faith because we actively participate in Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection through our celebration of the Eucharist. All aspects of our relationship with God flow from (source) and point toward (summit) Jesus’ death and resurrection which is why the Mass is so central to our faith.

    The Church invites us to attend Mass every Sunday, no matter where we are, because giving thanks to God (Eucharist = “thanksgiving”) is “right and just,” it is “our duty and salvation.” Mass is where we partake in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, the joyful celebration of heaven meeting earth. And God invites us over and over again to come to this Feast, to receive life, nourishment, peace, and joy through the Eucharist.

Close-up of a wooden church pew reflecting colorful light from stained glass windows above.

LOVE the Mass

  • Mass is less of an informational seminar and more of an active participation in God’s saving work on earth. In Mass, we acknowledge that God is active and present in our lives – on the altar and in every moment at home, at work, on vacation, running errands, sitting at soccer practice, and wherever else we may be.

    We can “get more” out of Mass by remembering that it’s not like going to the movies or listening to a lecture. God has made us active participants in this world and in the celebration of Mass. The word “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving.” This means that our celebration of the Eucharist at Mass is all about remembering the gifts God has given us and offering to God our own return gift of praise and thanksgiving.

    At Mass, we aren’t just watching the priest do something. Instead, because of our baptism, we all are participants in the sacrifice (offering) of the Mass. We go to Mass to recall how God has loved us and to respond by offering our hearts, our lives, our joys, our sorrows, our work up to God on the altar. Like the offering of bread and wine, we know that God will transform our little offering into something much greater than we could ever have imagined.

  • Just like any other thing that we participate in, it’s always helpful to prepare our hearts before going to Mass. There are many ways you can prepare for Mass, but here are a few suggestions:

    1. Read the Mass readings before you get to Mass and reflect on how God is speaking to you through them

    2. Keep the car silent on your drive to church to attune your heart to God’s voice

    3. Consider fasting from food or coffee one hour before Mass as an intentional act of sacrifice

    God’s love transforms us no matter how much or little we prepare, but all these small actions can help to lift our hearts and mind to God so that we can better encounter Christ in Mass.

The entrance of a brick church building with steps leading up to dark wooden double doors, decorated with colorful wreaths, and flower beds with purple, yellow, and pink flowers in the foreground. Flags with ribbons are on poles near the steps.

LIVE the Mass

  • “Mass” and “mission” share the same Latin root word: missa. That means that our experience of Mass isn’t meant to be confined to the church building. It means that Mass isn’t an escape from daily life or simply an obligation to check off before Sunday brunch. We’re missing the point if we don’t let the Mass spill over into every part of our daily lives.

    When the priest or deacon invites us to “Go forth, glorifying the Lord by your life,” we respond: “Thanks be to God.” That “Thanks be to God” is not just an empty response. It’s an acceptance of a mission. We glorify God at Mass, yes. But we’re called to glorify the Lord by our life – by our daily decisions, in the way we prepare our kids’ lunch, in the way we speak to our spouse, in the way we interact with co-workers, friends, and family.

    All of our daily actions should be shaped by our experience of Jesus at Mass. Through the readings, Mass trains us to remember the difficulties and blessings of our lives. Through the petitions, Mass trains us to pray for the world and the church and to take action to serve others. Through the offertory, Mass trains us to be generous with our time and talents. Through Communion, Mass trains us to become the Body of Christ that we receive.

    Mass forms us to live liturgically. And living liturgically means aligning the rhythm of our daily busyness to the rhythm of God’s life. Living liturgically means living a life of selflessness and gratitude.

  • We certainly receive the Eucharist to experience communion with God. But sharing the Eucharist as one community of worship also calls and transforms us to become the Body of Christ in the world. When we leave Mass, we are meant to leave as transformed people, sent out to the world to glorify God by our lives. Below are some suggestions for how to connect Mass with your daily life:

    1. Be gracious in the parking lot, in the home, at the restaurant. If we have experienced God’s transforming love in the Eucharist, we should express that grace in the first places we go after Mass: the parking lot, our home, a restaurant. Go the extra mile to be a witness to God’s love on Sundays after Mass.

    2. Offer the stresses of the week up to God. Use the Mass as a blueprint for how to offer up sufferings, worries, stresses, and anxieties up to God. In the offertory at Mass, we bring bread and wine to the altar, we give monetary donations, and we “lift our hearts up to the Lord,” praying that God would transform our offerings. We can do the same in our daily lives: offering every annoyance with a family member, every playroom mess, every frustrating conversation with a colleague, every petty drama at school up to the Lord, praying that God would transform them into moments of grace.

    3. Serve others. When we truly participate in Mass, we become more Christ-like. So when we go out from Mass, we must also serve others, work for justice, and spend time with the outcast just like Jesus did. Mass helps us to become less self-centered and more attentive to the needs of others.

Featured
Concluding Rites: Sent Out on Mission
Concluding Rites: Sent Out on Mission

These Sundays in Easter we’ve been reflecting on the ways God is at work in the Mass. Even when it doesn’t look or feel like it, there’s so much happening at Mass. God is always working to transform us into the Body of Christ for the world! In the Introductory Rites, God invites, we gather. In the Liturgy of the Word, God speaks, we listen. In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, God gives, we receive. Now, on Ascension Sunday, it’s fitting that we reflect on the Concluding Rites: God sends, we go.

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Liturgy of the Eucharist: Receiving Transformation
Liturgy of the Eucharist: Receiving Transformation

After being fed at the “Table of the Word,” we are fed at the “Table of the Eucharist.” In the Introductory Rites, God invites and we gather. In the Liturgy of the Word, God speaks and we listen. In the Liturgy of the Eucharist: God gives and we receive.

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Liturgy of the Word: The Words We Speak Are Not Our Own
Liturgy of the Word: The Words We Speak Are Not Our Own

The first time we sit down during Mass begins the Liturgy of the Word. Sometimes this creates the perfect opportunity to tune out: we finally get to sit down and someone else is going to read Scripture passages that we’ve heard before. But we call this part the Liturgy of the Word; we’re missing the point if we think we’re supposed to kick back and zone out! “Liturgy” means “the work of the people” – it’s our active participation in God’s work of salvation.

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Introductory Rites: Our Response to God’s Invitation
Introductory Rites: Our Response to God’s Invitation

Have you ever noticed that Fr. Mike, Fr. Radley, deacons, lectors, and altar servers begin Mass in the least efficient way possible? In ten steps (maybe five for Fr. Mike), they could go from the sacristy straight to the sanctuary. But instead, they go all the way to the back and walk slowly down the main aisle. Why?

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Easter, Emmaus, and Eucharist
Easter, Emmaus, and Eucharist

Last month I subbed a 5th grade religion class at the School of St. Mary. I had everyone share the last movie they saw in a theater and heard all sorts of answers: Top Gun: Maverick, Black Panther, Spider Man, Jurassic World, Minions. We talked about how going to the movies and going to Mass can seem like the same thing on the outside: we leave our home, go to a specific location with a bunch of other people, we sit down in rows, and we watch something happen that we’re not actually part of.

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Videos & Series on the Mass

Books on the Mass

  • Book titled 'Real Presence: What Does It Mean and Why Does It Matter?' by Timothy P. O'Malley with a foreword by John C. Cavadini, published by the University of Notre Dame.

    Real Presence: What Does It Mean and Why Does it Matter?

    by Timothy P. O’Malley

  • The mass explained by Maria Grace Dateno

    The Mass Explained

    “This simple and concise explanation of the Mass can serve as a useful text for RCIA and faith formation for young people and adults…” - Most Reverand Christopher J. Coyne, Bishop of Burlington, Vermont

    Can be found on Amazon

  • Painting of Jesus Christ crucified with a glowing halo behind his head, a golden chalice and grapes at his side, and a background with draped banners.

    Eucharist

    by Bishop Robert Barron

  • Book cover of 'The Lamb's Supper' by Scott Hahn, featuring a religious painting with Jesus and angels above, and a seated man in robes below, with the title and author's name.

    The Lamb's Supper

    by Scott Hahn

  • Book cover titled 'Mass Class: Your Questions Answered' by Father Dave Dwyer, featuring a man in priest's robes inside a church.

    Mass Class: Your Questions Answered

    by Fr. Dave Dwyer

  • Book cover titled 'Becoming Eucharistic People: The Hope and Promise of Parish Life' by Timothy P. O'Malley, with a red background and gold and white text, featuring a circular design.

    Becoming Eucharistic People: The Hope and Promise of Parish Life

    by Timothy P. O’Malley

  • Book cover titled 'Food for the Soul' by Peter Kreeft, with a maroon background.

    Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings (Cycles A, B, C)

    by Peter Kreeft

Click below to learn more about the

National Eucharistic Revival