It's been a while . . . What do I do at Mass?

Like the Jewish religion, the Catholic Church is a faith community of ritual.  Some of the practices and traditions of the Church can be a little confusing.  The purpose of this section is to help people to understand some of the practices in the Church.

How do I know when to stand and sit and kneel at Mass?

The easiest answer to this question is to quite simply watch the others at church. While this may sound simple, it isn't a bad way to know what to do. Many churches have misalettes (prayer books) that contain readings and prayers used at Mass. They oftentimes indicate when one should sit, stand or kneel.

Perhaps it might also be helpful to know the rationale of these actions. Generally, we stand to pray or praise, we sit to listen, and we kneel to worship. While there are some exceptions, this simple explanation can be helpful to understand the actions of the Mass as they occur.