Christ On The Mountain Catholic Church

The Mass is the re-enactment of the sacrifice on Calvary. Through the Eucharist, Christ gave the power to offer this same perfect sacrifice to us. The Mass is the renewal of Christ's sacrifice, of His Passover and new covenant between Him and us, His Church. At Mass, Christ does not suffer and die again but represents, prolongs, continues and renews His great moment of sacrifice down through the ages so that we can be part of it. The Mass is divided into two main parts: 1) the Liturgy of the Word in which God addresses His Work to us through the Old and New Testament readings and homily. 2) the Liturgy of the Eucharist in which our gifts, the bread and wine, are transformed into Christ so that through Him and with Him we offer ourselves in thanksgiving to the Father. The Father, in return, gives the same perfect gift to us, Jesus Christ, who unites us to Himself and one another.

Children's Readings and Homily

The language of the scriptures and the homily are usually very difficult for children. Ministers of the Word are prepared to share the scripture passages with the children in their own language and song. This enables the children to hear the same message as the rest of us and then rejoin their families and the community for the rest of our Eucharistic celebration.

Why do you shake hands with each other?
The Sign of Peace is an essential part of the celebration of the Eucharist. "Before you bring your gift to the altar go and be reconciled with your brother and sister," is one of the commands of Jesus in the Gospel. This Sign of Peace is a testimony of reconciliation. It is also a remind to us that we are to reverence Christ within one another during this time of physical violence and disregard for human life. Let us touch one another with gentleness and care. "The peace of the Lord be with you!"

People who received Communion in front of me told their name to the Eucharistic Minister before receiving Communion. Why?
Hospitality was important from the earliest days of Biblical History. From the very beginnings of Christ on the Mountain Parish, hospitality has been emphasized and one way of being hospitable is to call someone by his or her name. To call a person by name has always been important in the Christian experience. Each one of us is an essential member of this community. We want to call you by name.

We kneel from the Holy, Holy, Holy to the Great Amen, why do you stand?
Christ on the Mountain Parish made the decision to stand throughout the Eucharistic Prayer because the Eucharist is a meal and we stand like the early Christians who stood around the table during the prayer of blessing. Standing encourages a more active participation in prayer than kneeling.

Missalettes
We choose not to use missalettes because listening is an essential part of the Catholic ritual and during mass is the time to hear the Good News proclaimed. Having access to a worship aid such as a missalette encourages us to isolate ourselves from one another. Our weekend gatherings are meant to be a community experience of prayer.