The Saint Willibrord MissalThe Eucharist as the Church's Act

The Holy Eucharist is not the private devotion of the clergy, nor the possession of a particular congregation, diocese, or jurisdiction. It is the Church’s own act of thanksgiving, offered in obedience to Christ’s command and sustained by his promise to be present where his people gather in his name.

The Saint Willibrord Missal exists to serve that act.

From its opening rubrics, the Missal situates the Eucharist within the life of the whole Church, gathered in ordered communion. The bishop, when present, presides at the Lord’s Table and proclaims the Gospel — not as a mark of personal authority, but as a visible sign of unity. Presbyters, deacons, subdeacons, ministers in minor orders, and lay persons are not accessories to the liturgy but participants in a common offering, each serving according to the ministry entrusted to them.

Concelebration, as envisioned here, is not a matter of convenience or clerical courtesy. It is a sacramental sign: many presbyters standing at one altar, offering one sacrifice of praise, and sharing one bread and one cup. The Eucharist is never the action of an isolated minister. Even when celebrated with few, it remains the prayer of the whole Church.

The Missal therefore presumes reverence without rigidity and confidence without presumption. It safeguards the matter of the Sacrament, the dignity of the altar, and the integrity of the rites — not to burden the faithful, but to free them from uncertainty. What is handed on clearly can be received with peace.

Above all, The Saint Willibrord Missal bears witness to a simple truth: the Eucharist is given to the Church not as a reward for holiness, but as nourishment for those being drawn into holiness together.