However, Cantemus is not your only option. The order of Mass is also available at the beginning of the blue plastic-covered song books, and in that version you have handy little figures that show if you should be standing, sitting or kneeling during that part of the Mass.
Sometimes Mass is said in Latin, English, Swedish or some other language. If so, the order of Mass is usually available separately on paper, and you can find the leaflets at the entrance of the church. (Some parishes in Finland use a blue book called Cecilia for the Swedish Mass. It is also used in Catholic parishes in Sweden. In Cecilia you will find the order of Mass in both Swedish and Latin on the grey-edged pages in the middle of the book.) |
The Readings for Mass - and using your phone in church. At the beginning, I felt weird to be reading the readings on my phone during Mass. But I looked into this and found that it is fine if we are really only using the phone for the Mass readings! I use apps like Laudate or Daily Readings on my phone. I always make sure I have downloaded the readings and turned the phone to airplane or silent mode before the Mass begins. I take out my phone when the first reading starts and put it away again at the end of the Gospel reading. This has really helped me a lot: the Mass helps me learn Finnish by listening!
After the blessing, in some parishes there are some “default” prayers. For instance, in Turku we say a prayer to St. Michael the Archangel at the end of the Mass and the prayer can be found on the back cover of Cantemus. We also sing the Salve Regina or some other Marian hymn. So, please do not leave before the song has ended!
I hope this article is useful for you, specially if you are newcomers! If you would like to share some other practices from your parish, please use the comment function below. And have a great start to the new academic year!
* The Cantemus books in parishes are red, but if you want to buy one for perusal at home you can. However, if you do, it comes with blue covers. |
Yiran, or Maria Micaela. Born in China as a Protestant Christian but baptised in Spain (2015), being the only Catholic in the family. I came to Turku as an Erasmus exchange student and I stayed for my MSc studies. Cooking, running and photography are my hobbies. |