THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY CROSS IN THE PARISH OF MARSH FARM SOLEMN MASS OF THE RESURRECTION This Mass will be live-streamed on our Parish Facebook Page Welcome to the Church of the Holy Cross on Easter Sunday as we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. Please keep SILENCE before Mass begins so that people can use the time for private prayer. THE ORDER OF MASS Please STAND when the Sacristy bell sounds INTROIT HYMN Please listen to the hymn INTRODUCTION The Introduction helps us to come together as one, prepares us to listen to the Word of God and to meet Jesus in the Mass. 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. Amen. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And with your spirit. The priest welcomes the congregation and gives a brief introduction. The parents and godparents of the children to be baptised are invited to stand in front of the priest. The priest then asks: What name have you given your child? The parent(s) then gives the Christian name of each child. What do you ask of God’s Church for your children? Baptism. The priest then addresses the parents: You have asked to have your children baptised. In doing so you are accepting the responsibility of training them in the practice of the faith. It will be your duty to bring them up to keep God’s commandments as Christ has taught us, by loving God and our neighbour. Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking? We do. The priest then addresses the godparents: Are you ready to help the parents of these children in their duty as a Christian parent? We are. The priest then says a prayer and makes the sign of the cross on the forehead of each child. The candidates, family and godparents return to their seats. PENITENTIAL ACT Brethren (Brothers and Sisters) let us acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries. I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, (we strike our breast as we say) through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. GLORIA 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 Let us pray: O God, who on this day, through your Only Begotten Son, have conquered death and unlocked for us the path to eternity, grant, we pray, that we who keep the solemnity of the Lord’s Resurrection may, through the renewal brought by you Spirit, rise up in the light of life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen. THE LITURGY OF THE WORD We listen to the Word of God in the Scripture readings and consider their meaning. Please SIT After each reading: The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. THE GRADUAL HYMN Please STAND THE GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed; Let us celebrate the feast then, in the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! THE GOSPEL The Lord be with you. And with your spirit. A reading from the holy Gospel according to John Glory to you, O Lord. John 20: 1-9 After the Gospel: The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. Please SIT THE HOMILY THE BAPTISM LITURGY Please STAND for the HYMN Once the HYMN is concluded, please SIT INVOCATION OF THE SAINTS Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us. S. John the Baptist, pray for us. S. Joseph, pray for us. S. Peter & S. Paul, pray for us. S. Andrew, pray for us. S. Alban, pray for us. All holy men and women, pray for us. PRAYER OF EXORCISM The priest says the Prayer of Exorcism to prepare the children for the coming of the new life of God in baptism. Almighty and ever-living God, you sent your only Son into the world to cast out the power of Satan, spirit of evil, to rescue man from the kingdom of darkness, and bring him into the splendour of your kingdom of light. We pray for these children: set them free from original sin, make them a temple of your glory, and send your Holy Spirit to dwell with them. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. ANOINTING WITH CATECHUMENS The priest anoints the children with the Oil of Catechumens to strengthen them with the power of Christ. We anoint you with the oil of salvation in the name of Christ our Saviour; May he strengthen you with his power, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen. BLESSING OF THE WATER My dear brothers and sisters, God uses the sacrament of water to give his divine life to those who believe in him. Let us turn to God, and ask him to pour his gift of life from this font on the children he has chosen … Father, God of mercy, through these waters of baptism you have filled us with new life as your very own children. Blessed be God. From all who are baptised in water and the Holy Spirit, you have formed one people, united in your Son Jesus Christ. Blessed be God. You have set us free and filled our hearts with the spirit of your love, that we may live in peace. Blessed be God. You call those who have been baptised to announce the Good News of Jesus Christ to people everywhere. Blessed be God. You have called your children to this cleansing water and new birth, that they may share in the faith of your Church and have eternal life. By the mystery of this water, lead them to a new and spiritual birth. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. PROFESSION OF FAITH Please STAND. The Priest addresses the whole congregation: Dear Brethren (Brothers and Sisters), through the Paschal Mystery we have been buried with Christ in Baptism, so that we may walk with him in newness of life. And so, now that our Lenten observance is concluded, let us renew the promises of Holy Baptism, by which we once renounced Satan and his works and promised to serve God in the Holy Catholic Church. And so I ask you: Do you renounce Satan? I do. And all his works? I do. And all his empty show? I do. Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth? I do. Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered death and was buried, rose again from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father? I do. Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting? I do. And may almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us new birth by water and the Holy Spirit and bestowed on us forgiveness of our sins, keep us by his grace, in Christ Jesus our Lord, for eternal life. Amen. THE BAPTISM The Priest addresses the parent and godparents of the children to be baptised and says: Is it your will that these children should be baptised in the faith of the Church, which we have all professed with you? It is. The children are then baptised and anointed with Chrism. The Congregation are sprinkled with Holy Water from the font. The baptism party then return to their seats. PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Please kneel After each intention we pray: Lord in your mercy. Hear our prayer. We conclude our prayers with: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. The priest concludes with a Collect. We then STAND for the Offertory hymn. THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST We celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, as his sacrifice on the cross is made present to us in his Body and Blood.