Proper vs Ordinary of the Mass: What Is the Difference?
The Proper contains Mass texts that depend on the day or feast. The Ordinary contains the recurring parts of the order of Mass. The daily calendar on Missale Online combines them in their liturgical order.
Which texts belong to the Proper?
The changing parts include the Introit, Collect, Reading, Gospel, Offertory, Secret, Communion antiphon and Postcommunion. They give the Mass of each day its particular selection of texts. In the Proper index you will find these texts independently of any particular calendar year.
- Proprium de Tempore: formularies of the liturgical year, for example the First Sunday of Advent.
- Proprium de Sanctis: formularies for the feasts of the calendar of saints.
- Commune Sanctorum: common formularies to which a feast may refer for particular texts.
A feast therefore need not have its own unique text for every section. The Rubrics of the Missal, nos. 301–305 describe the selection of feast Masses. Missale Online resolves the stored references and shows the origin alongside the relevant text.
Which texts belong to the Ordinary?
Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Agnus Dei are familiar recurring texts. The Ordinary page also offers prayers from the order of Mass, such as the prayers at the foot of the altar, Canon and Lord’s Prayer.
“Recurring” does not mean that every section occurs every day. Whether the Gloria or Credo is prayed depends on the particular Mass. The daily view follows the stored order of Mass; the separate Ordinary page serves as an index of texts.
An example: the First Sunday of Advent
On the feast page for the First Sunday of Advent you will see its Proper, including the Introit, Collect and Gospel. The calendar dates listed there take you to the corresponding daily Mass. That view adds the recurring prayers in their place in the order of Mass.
If you only need the texts that distinguish this Sunday from other days, the feast page is sufficient. To follow the Mass continuously, use the daily view with the Ordinary displayed.
How do I read both groups of texts on Missale Online?
In every reading area, you can display one edition or “Both” and adjust the text size with A− and A+. With two editions, the text pairs appear side by side or stacked, depending on the available space.
The reading language applies to all text sections. We use published sources and our own translations. The second source fills only gaps in the primary source. If neither source has a translation, the passage is marked as untranslated. Source order by language and text section.
The Introduction to the order of Mass and following the prayers takes you through the daily view. For more information about the sources, see Sources and editorial information; the historical Schott of 1927 is available as a PDF.