The Mass in Words and Pictures

The Epistle

Reading of the Epistle.  Photograph © Society of Saint Pius X 2003.

The Priest intones (sings) a passage from Holy Scripture taken from one of the letters written by the Apostles, from the Book of Acts, the Apocalypse, or the Old Testament.  While singing the Epistle, the Priest rests his hands on the Missal as a symbol of attachment to the doctrine contained in the sacred text.

At a Solemn Mass, the Epistle or Lesson is sung by the Subdeacon.

< Previous | Index | Next >