Definition

Noun: 1. (Roman Catholic Church) A book containing all the prayers and responses needed to celebrate Mass throughout the year. It is a liturgical book used by the celebrant (priest) and often contains the complete texts for the Mass, including the proper prayers for specific feast days and seasons.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The priest carefully placed the missal on the altar before beginning the Mass.
  • She followed the liturgy in her personal missal during the service.
  • The beautifully illuminated medieval missal is now kept in a museum.

Advanced Usage

• Historical Missals: Refers to specific editions of the missal, such as the (the Roman Missal issued after the Council of Trent) or the (used in medieval England).
  • Scholars study the Sarum Missal to understand medieval English liturgy.

Variants and Related Words

• Missalette (n): A smaller, often disposable, booklet containing the prayers and readings for a specific Mass or liturgical season, typically intended for use by the congregation.
  • The parish provides missalettes in the pews for the worshippers.

Synonyms

• Liturgical book: A general term for any book containing prescribed texts for public worship.
• Sacramentary: Historically, a book containing the prayers spoken by the priest during Mass (the "Canon of the Mass"). The modern Roman Missal combines elements of the earlier sacramentary and lectionary.

Notes on Meaning

• The term missal is specific to the Roman Catholic tradition and some other Western Christian liturgical traditions (e.g., Anglican). It is distinct from a breviary (which contains the Divine Office/Liturgy of the Hours) or a lectionary (which contains primarily the scriptural readings for Mass).

Noun

1. (Roman Catholic Church) a book containing all the prayers and responses needed to celebrate Mass throughout the year