Exploring the Mass
Local
Why is the Mass the way it is? What do the various parts mean? Why is the Mass so important to Catholics? These are some of the questions answered in the latest edition of the Pilgrims Quest publication Making the Most of the Mass.
Ros Rowett, Mgr Egar and Greg Crafter at the book launch.
The 28-page full colour booklet was launched last month by the Hon Greg Crafter AO, chair of the National Catholic Education Commission, at St Joseph’s Church, Brighton.
Describing it as contemporary and local, Mr Crafter said the publication was a reminder of how important the Mass was in people’s lives, particularly at a time when the Church was in turmoil as a result of the clerical sexual abuse scandal.
At the same time, he said there were great institutions living out the mission of the Church in health, education, social welfare and aged care.
He spoke of his own experience of being drawn to the Mass as a young person growing up in the Semaphore parish.
“Often I would go to 7am Mass and there would be men that would go every morning but they couldn’t stay because they were workers and had to go to work at one of the local factories or the wharves at Port Adelaide.
“Just before Mass the priest would give Communion to those men in their working clothes and then they would go off to work,” he recalled.
“That always stayed with me as an example of how important it was to receive Communion in the daily lives of those workers.
“The words that we say in the Mass about the work of human hands always rings a bell with me about the dignity of work and what it creates for us.”
Mr Crafter said an explanation of the Eucharist that had great impact on him was “what you eat and drink today, walks and talks tomorrow”.
“So it’s not me that lives, it’s the Christ within me – those beautiful words from the gospel,” he added.
One of the contributions in the booklet came from mother of four, Elysia Ryan, who wrote about why she and her husband Ben attended Sunday Mass with their children each week.
“Sometimes a week seems to run away without having spent much time with God,” she wrote, “but on Sunday, we know the time is set aside with nothing else in the way.”
“We appreciate the relationships we continue to form in our Eucharistic community, with our parish priest and with people in similar and different stages of life.”
More than 55,000 copies of the first edition of the book were sold.
Designed by Ros Rowett, Making the Most of the Mass can be ordered from Mgr Rob Egar on 8296 4931 or robegar2009@gmail.com.
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