Celebrating the Mass Lesson- Holy, Holy, Holy

(This lesson is in accordance with the new Roman Missal that is to be implemented on November 27, 2011.)

*Be sure to adjust this lesson to fit the needs of your students.


(Please take in consideration that I am just a Mom and I'm providing these lessons and activities to the best of my abilities. I will try to make them as accurate as possible, but I know I will make a few mistakes and it was not intentional.)



At this part of the Mass we praise God with all the angels. We praise God’s power, might, and glory. We call out “Hosanna” which is a Hebrew word that means “pray” or “save us”. Sanctus is the Latin word for “holy”. The name of this prayer is the Latin Tersanctus meaning “three holies,” because “holy” is repeated three times at the very beginning of the prayer.

The Priest, with hands extended, continues the Preface. The People are still standing.

At the end of the Preface he joins his hands and concludes the Preface with the people, singing or saying aloud:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

Or:

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dóminus Deus Sábaoth.
Pleni sunt caeli et terra glória tua.
Hosánna in excélsis.
Benedíctus qui venit in nómine Dómini.
Hosánna in excélsis.


At the end of the “Holy, Holy, Holy” in most churches you will kneel. There are some churches in which kneelers are not present and the custom may be to stand.



Questions:

How many times do we say the word holy? (Three times.)

Who are we praising? (God)

What does Hosanna mean? (Pray or save us.)

What does Sanctus mean? (Holy)

Are we standing or sitting during Sanctus? (Standing)



Activities:

catholicmom.com- Catechist Resources for Roman Missal, 3rd Edition
Sanctus and Communion Invitation- lesson with Responding in the Second Half (of Mass) Worksheet (page 2), We Respond during the Liturgy of the Eucharist worksheet (page 3)



Games:

The following games are from nashvilleras.com- More than 100 Missions Bible Memory Games and Other Activities

Check Out- Write Holy, Holy, Holy or Sanctus on a chalk or white board, inserting an incorrect word between each two words of the prayer. Students take turns “checking out” an incorrect word. When all, have been “checked out,” let the students read the prayer together. Erase. Let each student say the prayer.

Dot the Verse- Print the prayer to be learned in a random fashion on a sheet of paper with a dot in front of each word. Make copies for each student. Have the students connect the dots in proper
order. Repeat until each student can say the prayer.

Fading Verse- Write the prayer to be learned on a chalk or white board. Erase one important word at a time while repeating the prayer each time. Continue until all words are erased and the prayer is learned.

Hand Down- Display the prayer. Let the students read the prayer aloud. Remove the prayer. Tell each student to raise his or her right hand. Ask a volunteer to lower his or her hand if he or she knows the first word of the prayer. Let him say the first word. Write it on a chalk or white board. Follow the same steps with each word in succession until the entire prayer is again displayed.

Hang the Verse- Print each word of the prayer to be memorized on a separate 3” x 5” card. Stretch a small rope between two chairs (or you can do it along the chalk tray of the chalk board). Use clothespins to pin each word in a jumbled fashion on the rope. Have students alternate to move one word at a time one space per move to put the prayer in order. Repeat until all students have learned the prayer.




The activities below are free, however they can only to be used for classroom and personal use. They may not be published on any websites or other electronic media, or distributed in newsletters, bulletins, or any other form or sold for profit. Reproduction or retransmission of any materials, in whole or in part, in any manner, is not permitted.


Holy, Holy, Holy Game- Review Sanctus with the class and discuss. Divide the class into teams. Say the first 3 words of Sanctus (English or Latin version that you use at your church). Have Team #1 fill in the next 3 words. If they are correct, they get a point. If they are incorrect, Team #2 gets a try. Continue with saying only 3 words to Sanctus and have a team fill in the next 3 words. The team with the most points wins.

*For younger students you can write Sanctus on the board as you review it with them. Have your students sit in a circle. Say the first 3 words of Sanctus (English or Latin version that you use at your church) and toss a small ball to one student. That student must fill in the next 3 words (they can look on the board). Then they toss the ball to any student. Continue game until the students have learned Sanctus.



Puzzles:

Holy, Holy, Holy- Crossword

Sanctus- Crossword



Worksheet

Holy Worksheet- For younger students have them fill out the worksheet. Go over worksheet with students. Try playing the game above (the younger student version) and allow students to place their worksheets in front of them to use when needed.