How Should I Prepare For Mass

All gather together. Christians come together in one place for the Eucharistic assembly. At its head is Christ Himself, the principal agent of the Eucharist. He is the high priest of the New Covenant; it is He Himself who presides invisibly over every Eucharistic celebration. It is in representing Him that the bishop or priest acting in the person of Christ the head (in persona Christi capitis) presides over the assembly, speaks after the readings, receives the offerings, and says the Eucharistic Prayer. All have their own active parts to play in the celebration, each in his own way: readers, those who bring up the offerings, those who give communion, and the whole people whose son and "Amen" manifests their participation.

The Mass is not an individual spiritual event, but rather an assembly where the people of God are called together, with a priest presiding and acting in the person of Christ, to celebrate the eucharistic sacrifice, for the celebration of the Mass perpetuates the sacrifice of Christ on the cross on our behalf. "Where two or three come together in my name, there am I in their midst: (Mt 18:20).
The gathering for Mass should begin long before the Entrance Procession and Hymn. As people ready themselves and their families in their homes for the Sunday Eucharist, they should be preparing for Mass. The Eucharist is "source and summit" of all we do, and it deserves attentive preparation (cf. Lumen Gentium, 11).

There is spiritual preparation that can be done as a family ahead of time, such as reviewing the Mass readings over a meal the day or days before the Mass. There are also temporal preparation activities, such as determining proper and modest attire and proper reverential behavior for the Mass.

These preparations set a tone and aid in not distracting your fellow parishoners.


Keep in Mind:
Arrive before Mass begins.


 Dress appropriately. You are dressing to come be with Christ. If you would dress up to meet the President of the United States at the White House, coming to be in the presence of Jesus is much more important and one's attire should show it.
Properly dispose of chewing gum before entering church. Turn off cell phones/pagers.
Say an individual preparatory prayer Settle in (and down) and place your heart and mind in the presence of the Lord
Participate and assist at the Mass devoutly by using the Missal to follow the priest, saying the Mass prayers as found in the prayer book, and singing hymns
 Assisting in the Mass also means to unite fully with the priest in offering the Holy Sacrifice and to receive Holy Communion.
Remember not to leave until after our celebrant, acting in the presence of Christ, has left the church. Leave the Lord's house neat and tidy by placing books back in their proper place.
Please take the Church bulletin home with you. (It is also a good idea to attend confession regularly, especially to be free from mortal sin in order to receive communion)