Today in the Catholic Mass Series, we continue with the artistic trend and focus on the church itself by examining the architecture. Some argue that these are just buildings like any other – but we’ll see how the design of a church shapes the worship, the experience of the faithful, and even reflects theological principles. At the same time, it is a human achievement, reflecting the values of each age. So what’s the history of church buildings? Where did they start? Is one type better than the other? And are all modern churches, well, Modernist?

We continue the section of the podcast series where we go step by step through the Mass to examine the various sections of the Liturgy. In this week’s episode, we discuss the Canon, the Communion, and the Conclusion of the Mass. What is the meaning of the symbolism of the liturgical actions? What are the prayers of the Canon expressing? What is the meaning of the priest’s reception of the Eucharist and the purpose of the prayers after Holy Communion is distributed?

Today we continue the section of the podcast series where we will go step by step through the Mass to look at the various sections of the Liturgy. In this week’s episode, we discover the richness of the Offertory prayers and rubrics. What are the various prayers said and what are they for? And which of the prayers perfectly encapsulates the entire reason for the Mass? We also examine the symbolism of various actions, such as placing a few drops of water with the wine, the hiding of the paten, and even details such as where the priest is supposed to look during prayers.

Now we turn to the Lessons, that is, the portion of the Mass that centers on the Epistle and Gospel. This also includes important elements such as the Alleluia or Tract and the Sermon. Moreover, we also examine the role of deacons and subdeacons during this part of the Mass.

In this week’s episode, we focus on the section from the Introit up to the Collect. These prayers and the symbolism of the liturgical gestures have a deep history, which is apparent when we open our hand Missals to see phrases like “The Mass of the Catechumens” and “Stational Churches.” What do these terms mean? And what is signified during this beginning portion of the Mass?

Today we’ll look at the beginning part of the Mass – but we won’t look immediately at the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, like you might think. Before we do that in this episode, we’ll start by learning about the Asperges, the blessing of the church, the priest and ministers, and the faithful with Holy Water, as is done on every Sunday’s sung Mass. Why do we have this special ceremony? What is it about Holy Water that is so important?

We now begin the section of the podcast series that proceeds step by step through the Mass to examine the various sections and rubrics of the liturgy, starting with the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar through the Conclusion. Before we look at the individual ceremonies, however, we must explicate the proper method for approaching the Mass. The ceremonies of the Mass are very ancient, and their origin is often lost in the mists of history. How can we go about discovering why the Mass is arranged as it is along with the meaning of its constituent parts?