At the Savior’s command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:
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.
Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and for ever.
Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles: Peace I leave you, my peace I give you; look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will. Who live and reign for ever and ever.
Amen.
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
And with your spirit.
Let us offer each other the sign of peace.
The people then exchange a sign of peace. In most of the United States, a hand shake is the normal sign of peace along with saying the words: "Peace be with you". Some people say: "The Peace of Christ be with you." Family members, friends, and younger student groups tend to hug or lightly hug in place of shaking hands. After the sign of peace, the people 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.
The priest will say a prayer and conclude with:
Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
At this point, the faithful will move forward, usually in lines, to receive the body and blood of Christ. The priest or other minister will offer the host or consecrated wine and say:"The Body of Christ" or "The Blood of the Christ". The receiver will respond: "Amen". If you are not Catholic or do not feel properly disposed to receive the Eucharist (Communion, Body and Blood, Consecrated Bread and Wine) then you may still come forward for a blessing. To receive a blessing, please cross your hands over your chest.
We reserve Communion only for Catholics not as a sign of separation but rather as a deep invitation to union. We view the partaking of the consecrated bread and wine as a sign of complete unity with the Catholic family. As such, we would love for you to explore, study, and formally make a committment to join our family. However, because this is a life long committment, we encourage you to take the necessary time to explore this committment. We offer a special preparation program for study, prayer, and immersion in the Catholic Faith. If you feel inclined to learn more, please contact someone in leadership after this celebration. We do truly hope everyone can join us in Communion, in every sense of the word, in due time. But, if you are simply here visiting or with a friend, please feel welcome to pray in our midst.