The Nativity of the Lord – Vigil Mass
24 December, 7:00 pm
Welcome, and thank you for joining us as we celebrate the Eucharist today. You are welcome to use this guide to support you as we celebrate as a parish community. We recommend you set your phone to Do Not Disturb mode to avoid any distractions to your prayer.
Hearing Aid Loop
The church sound system includes a hearing aid loop. Sit in the main body of the church building, and switch your hearing aid to the ‘T’ position.
Receiving Communion
During the celebration of Mass, we are nourished both at the table of God’s Word (through the Scripture proclamations) and the table of the Lord (the altar, through Holy Communion). Catholic members of the assembly who have already celebrated their First Communion and feel they are in a position to receive Communion today may come forward and do so. Alternatively, you are most welcome to come forward during Communion (or bring your young children forward with you), and the priest or minister that you approach can pray for God’s blessing upon you. Please help the priest or minister by making it clear through your gestures if you are receiving Communion (one hand in the other at chest height, or mouth wide open for communicants receiving on the tongue), or seeking a blessing (for school-aged children and adults, this is most commonly done by crossing your arms over your chest).
Can’t come forward to receive Communion?
Either during Communion, or once the Communion procession concludes, a minister will take Communion to people in the church who can’t come forward due to restricted mobility. If you want to receive Communion, but can’t come forward, simply stand where you are or raise your hand as the minister approaches (or someone with you can do this for you).
The Introductory Rites
Entrance
When Mass is ready to begin, we stand and priest and ministers process to the sanctuary.
Hymn
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
come and behold him born the King of Angels:
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ, the Lord!
Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
sing, all ye citizens of heav’n above;
Glory to God in the highest:
Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning,
Jesu, to thee be glory giv’n;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing:
Sign of the Cross
We make the Sign of the Cross as the Priest says:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All:
Amen.
Greeting
Then the Priest greets the assembly and we respond:
And with your spirit.
The Priest will often take a moment to introduce the particular feast day, or say something to help us focus on the Scripture readings we will listen to.
Penitential Act
The Priest invites us to call to mind our failings and seek the mercy and forgiveness of God.
The Priest or Music Ministers:
… Lord, have mercy.
All:
Lord, have mercy.
The Priest or Music Ministers:
… Christ, have mercy.
All:
Christ, have mercy.
The Priest or Music Ministers:
… Lord, have mercy.
All:
Lord, have mercy.
The Priest:
May almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
All:
Amen.
Gloria in excelsis
Then the Gloria is sung or said. If it is sung, then the words will be displayed on the screen.
All:
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of good will.
We praise you,
we bless you,
we adore you,
we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King,
O God, almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world,
receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.
Collect Prayer
The Priest:
Let us pray.
We take a moment to pray in the silence of our own minds and hearts, before the priest leads the Collect Prayer, which we affirm by saying:
Amen.
Then we sit to listen to the Word of God in the Scripture proclamations.
The Liturgy of the Word
When the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself speaks to his people, and Christ, present in his word, proclaims the Gospel.
General Instruction of the Roman Missal, n. 29
We are invited to listen to God speaking to us.
Following the Scripture proclamations
It is important to listen to the readings during Mass (rather than reading them) to experience God speaking to us. We understand, however, that listening to the readings is not always possible, particularly for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Universalis provide the readings for Mass each day on their website.
First Reading
This reading is from the book of the prophet Isaiah. At the end of the reading, the Minister of the Word declares:
The word of the Lord.
All:
Thanks be to God.
After the reading, we are invited to take a moment in silence to reflect on what we have just heard. What stood out to you?
Responsorial Psalm
We listen to a proclamation from the Psalms and sung whenever possible, and we add our voice throughout with the response:
For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Second Reading
This reading is from the Acts of the Apostles. At the end of the reading, the Minister of the Word declares:
The word of the Lord.
All:
Thanks be to God.
After the reading, we are invited again to take a moment in silence to reflect on what we have just heard. What stood out to you?
Acclamation Before the Gospel
We stand and sing “Alleluia” to praise God and welcome the proclamation of the Gospel.
Gospel
The Priest or Deacon:
The Lord be with you.
All:
And with your spirit.
The Priest or Deacon:
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
Using our thumb, we make a cross over our forehead, our lips and our hearts as we say:
Glory to you, O Lord.
Then we listen to the proclamation of the Gospel reading. At the end of the reading, the Priest or Deacon declares:
The Gospel of the Lord.
All:
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Then we sit for the homily.
Homily
After the Gospel, the Priest will break open the readings for us, and related them to our lives through the homily.
Profession of Faith
We stand and respond to what we have heard in the proclamation of God’s word by affirming our faith. The creed will be displayed on the screen, or you can tap the shaded box below to view it here.
Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed
In Wentworthville, we usually pray this creed on Sundays during the Advent and Christmas seasons, and on particular feast days.
All:
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
At the words that follow, up to and including ‘and became man’, all bow.
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Prayer of the Faithful
We pray as a community for the needs of the Church, our community and the world. Each intention is named, after which we take a moment to pray for that intention. Then the Minister invites us to call upon the Lord, and we usually respond with:
Lord, hear our prayer.
At the end, the priest concludes the prayer, which we affirm by saying:
Amen.
Then we sit as the offerings are presented and prepared for the Eucharistic Prayer.
Collection
After the Prayer of the Faithful, wardens will pass around the collection plates for the collection. Placing money on the plate is just one way you can financially support our Carmelite and parish community. You can also “Tap and Go” in the parish centre, place cash in the collection boxes near the doors into the parish centre, make use of a set of planned giving envelopes, or make a direct deposit through online banking.
Any contribution you can make to financially support our community is voluntary and gratefully appreciated.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
Presentation and Preparation of the Offerings
The gifts of bread and wine are brought to the altar, and gifts of our labour may be offered as well.
Hymn
O little town of Bethlehem
O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;
Yet in the dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.
For Christ is born of Mary,
And gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wond’ring love.
O morning stars, together
Proclaim the holy birth!
And praises sing to God the King,
And peace to all on earth.
How silently, how silently,
The wond’rous gift is giv’n!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of his heav’n.
No ear may hear his coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him, still
The dear Christ enters in.
O holy Child of Bethlehem!
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in,
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!
Prayer Over the Offerings
Once all the preparations are complete, the priest invites us to join him in the Eucharistic Prayer:
Pray, brothers and sisters,
that my sacrifice and yours
may be acceptable to God,
the almighty Father.
We stand and reply:
May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands
for the praise and glory of his name,
for our good
and the good of all his holy Church.
The priest leads the Prayer Over the Offerings, which we affirm by saying:
Amen.
Eucharistic Prayer
The Priest:
The Lord be with you.
All:
And with your spirit.
The Priest:
Lift up your hearts.
All:
We lift them up to the Lord.
The Priest:
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All:
It is right and just.
The Priest continues by praying the preface of the Eucharistic Prayer, which speaks of the solemnity of Christmas in relation to Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. At the end of the preface, we sing or say:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Then we kneel as the Eucharistic Prayer continues.
If you are unable to kneel, don’t worry – please feel free to sit instead.
In the next part of the Eucharistic Prayer, the bread and wine are consecrated – that is, they are transformed and become the Body and Blood of Christ. This is then followed by an acclamation by the assembly.
The Priest:
The mystery of faith.
Then we sing or say one of the following three acclamations:
Either:
We proclaim your Death, O Lord,
and profess your Resurrection
until you come again.
Or:
When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup,
we proclaim your Death, O Lord,
until you come again.
Or:
Save us, Saviour of the world,
for by your Cross and Resurrection
you have set us free.
The Eucharistic Prayer continues. At the conclusion of the prayer, the priest says:
Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God, almighty Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honour is yours,
for ever and ever.
And we affirm the entire Eucharistic Prayer by singing or saying:
Amen.
Then we stand to pray the Lord’s Prayer.
Lord’s Prayer
The priest invites all of us to pray the Lord’s Prayer, and we say or sing:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
The priest:
Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
…
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
All:
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Rite of Peace
The priest:
Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles,
…
who live and reign for ever and ever.
All:
Amen.
The priest:
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
All:
And with your spirit.
Everyone is then invited to share a sign of peace with those around them in an appropriate and reverent way.
Fraction
The priest begins to break the bread for Communion as we say or sing:
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world;
grant us peace.
Then we kneel as we prepare to receive Communion.
If you are unable to kneel, don’t worry – please feel free to sit instead.
Communion
The priest shows the host and chalice to the people and prays the invitation to Communion:
Behold the Lamb of God.
…
Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
All:
Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
Once the priest receives Communion, and gives Communion to the ministers in the sanctuary, Communion is offered to all who feel they are in a position to receive. Unless there are very large crowds, everyone is invited to receive Communion from near the altar where the Eucharist has been offered.
Hymn
Bread of life
Bread of life, hope of the world,
Jesus Christ, our brother:
feed us now, give us life,
lead us to one another.
A child is born for us,
A son is giv’n to us,
In our midst, Christ our Lord and God
Comes as one who serves.
With our own eyes we see,
With our own ears we hear
The salvation of all the world,
God’s incarnate Word.
You are the hope of all,
Our promise and our call,
Radiant light in our darkness,
Truth to set us free.
We eat this living bread,
we drink this saving cup:
sign of hope in our broken world,
source of lasting love.
Hold us in unity,
in love for all to see;
that the world may believe in you,
God of all who live.
You are the bread of peace,
you are the wine of joy,
broken now for your people,
poured in endless love.
Hymn of Praise After Communion
Silent night
Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright
round yon Virgin Mother and Child.
Holy Infant so tender and mild,
sleep in heavenly peace,
sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight;
glories stream from heaven afar,
heav’nly hosts sing “Alleluia!”
Christ, the Saviour is born!
Christ, the Saviour is born!
Silent night, holy night!
Son of God, love’s pure light,
radiant beams from thy holy face
with the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord at thy birth,
Jesus, Lord at thy birth.
Prayer After Communion
When the priest invites us to participate in the Prayer After Communion, we stand.
The Priest:
Let us pray.
The priest then leads the Prayer After Communion, which we affirm by saying:
Amen.
The Concluding Rites
Before Mass concludes, the Priest may also share some messages of importance for the parish community. He may also send forth parishioners who are ministering Holy Communion to those who are sick or housebound.
Blessing
The Priest:
The Lord be with you.
All:
And with your spirit.
if we are then invited to “Bow down for the blessing”:
There are special seasons, feast days and occasions where Mass may conclude with an extended blessing of the assembly, using either a Solemn Blessing (three short prayers that each conclude with us responding “Amen”), or a Prayer Over the People (a single, longer prayer ending with “Through Christ our Lord” or “for ever and ever”, then our responding “Amen”).
The priest then concludes the blessing by saying (as we make the Sign of the Cross):
And may the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit
come down on you and remain with you for ever.
All:
Amen.
The priest then concludes Mass with the dismissal.
We make the Sign of the Cross as the priest says:
May almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All:
Amen.
Dismissal
Then the assembly is dismissed to go forth and live the mission of Jesus, and we reply:
Thanks be to God.
The priest and ministers then process out of the church.
Hymn
Hark! the herald angels sing
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new-born King;
peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all you nations, rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with th’angelic hosts proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”
Christ, by highest heav’n adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
late in time behold him come,
offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
hail the incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with us to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
ris’n with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth,
born to give us second-birth.
After Mass, you are welcome to stay in the church to pray, or connect with others in the parish centre.
Excerpts of the English translation of the Roman Missal, © 2010, International Committee on English in the Liturgy Corporation, Inc. (ICEL). Excerpts of the English translation of the Lectionary for Mass, © ICEL. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
Music of Mass Shalom © 1977 and 2002, Colin D Smith CFC, and adaptations to revised music 2010 by Paul Mason. Administered by Liturgical Song and Willow Publishing. Chant tune of the Lord’s Prayer for the Dioceses of Australia by Percy Jones, © Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.
Text of O come, all ye faithful, probably by John Francis Wade c. 1711-1786, trans. Frederick Oakeley 1802-1820, W T Brooke and others; tune ADESTE FIDELES, irregular, later form of melody probably by John Francis Wade c. 1711-1786. Music for the Responsorial Psalm for the Nativity of the Lord, Vigil Mass by Colin D Smith CFC, © 1995, revised 2016 Willow Publishing. Text of O little town of Bethlehem, Text: Phillips Brooks, 1835-1893; tune ST. LOUIS, 8 6 8 6 7 6 8 6; by Lewis H. Redner, 1831-1908. Text and Music of Bread of life by Bernadette Farrell, b. 1957; © 1982, 1987, published by OCP Publications. Text of Silent night (Stille nacht, heilige Nacht) by Joseph Mohr 1792-1884, translated by John F Young 1820-1885, alt.; tune SILENT NIGHT, 66 89 66, irregular, by Franz Xaver Grüber 1787-1863. Text of Hark! the herald angels sing by Charles Wesley; tune adapted by W H Cummings from a chorus by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. All music and song texts under copyright used with permission, under One License #A-20161.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Wentworthville 