By Dennis Kellogg
Director of Communications
Students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln recently had the opportunity to learn more about the Catholic Mass from the pastor and parochial vicar of the St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center.
Father Ryan Kaup and Father Alec Sasse celebrated a “Teaching Mass” for students Feb. 25. The Office of Communications for the Diocese of Lincoln recorded the Teaching Mass and edited it into a video, “The Mass Explained.”
Before the Mass began, Father Kaup detailed the different vestments a priest wears during the Mass, while Father Sasse put them on in front of the altar. Father Kaup explained the symbolization behind the amice, alb, cincture, stole and chasuble. The amice, or small vestment around the neck and shoulders under the alb symbolizes a helmet for battle, as the priest is entering a spiritual war. The alb, or long white garment, symbolizes the purity of the Christian soul, having been washed in His Blood. The cincture at his waist symbolizes the chastity of the priest. The stole, which resembles a scarf, symbolizes the immortality of the Christian soul, and the chasuble or outer garment symbolizes the “yoke” of Christ as recounted in Matthew 11 :29.
Father Sasse then celebrated the Mass, pausing at certain times to allow Father Kaup to explain what just happened or what was about to happen, and why the priest does certain things during the Mass. Students could also refer to a booklet that was provided, guiding them through the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
“It started with our OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) class. We were going to have a class on the Eucharist and on the Mass,” Father Kaup said. “We thought, ‘why don’t we just do a Teaching Mass at one of the classes to help them actually enter into the Mass as we teach them about it?’ And then, we’re like, we don’t want to just do this for OCIA, because a lot of other students who are already Catholic would be interested, too. So, we just opened it up to the community.”
Father Kaup credited Father Sasse for putting much of the Teaching Mass together. They offer it twice a year, once each semester, at the Newman Center. It often attracts a full church of those wanting to learn more about the Catholic Mass. They have also received a number of inquiries from parishes in other dioceses who would like to do the same thing and are looking for help getting started.
Father Kaup said Teaching Masses are done in different ways.
“We try to do it in a way that helps people enter into the Mass,” Father Kaup explained. “Meditate on certain parts of the Mass more deeply, trying to share some of the scriptural basis of the Mass, especially for those in OCIA, but then also really highlighting how the Mass is the fullness of worship for Christians.”
Father Kaup said people often come to the Teaching Masses each year and say they learn something different each time. Students at the Newman Center involved in this year’s OCIA program sat in the front pews and met afterward to discuss any questions they may have had about the Mass.
Editor's note: The “Teaching Mass” video and booklet are available on the Diocese of Lincoln's Prepare and Proclaim: Enriching our Mass Experience page, as well as the diocesan YouTube channel.
