P ope John Paul’s Encyclical for the Year of the Eucharist stated, “The Mass needs to be set at the center of the Christian life and celebrated in a dignified manner by every community…” Another way of saying it could be, “You can’t truly be Catholic without participating fully, regularly, actively and consciously in the Mass, including the Eucharist!” The Pope asks that each parish community provide catechesis for all parishioners about the Mass – its specifics rituals, rites and symbols – so as to enable all to enter into the celebration more fully aware and conscious of its significance in our lives as Catholics. To learn more about a particular part of the Mass, please check out one of the links in the "Documents" box at the left.