Extraordinary Form·Prayers at the Foot of the Altar
Prayers at the Foot of the Altar
Psalm 42 and the Confiteor, prayed by priest and server.
What happens
After the Sign of the Cross, the priest and server recite antiphonally Psalm 42 (Iudica me), followed by the Confiteor — first by the priest, then by the server in the name of the people. The priest responds with the Misereatur and Indulgentiam, then ascends to the altar saying further prayers (Aufer a nobis, Oramus te).
Why it happens
These prayers prepare the priest (and, through the server, the people) to approach God's altar with humility and purity of heart, echoing the psalmist's plea: 'I will go unto the altar of God, to God who giveth joy to my youth.'
Sources
- 1962 MR Ordo Missae, Preparatio ad Missam
- RS III, 1–6