COLLECT
Almighty ever-living God,
lead us to a share in the joys of
heaven,
so that the humble flock may reach
where the brave Shepherd has
gone before.
Who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Priest: In the name of the Father and
of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit.
People: Amen.

Grace to you and peace from God our
Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
And with your spirit.
PENITENTIAL ACT
Brethren (Brothers and sisters),
let us acknowledge our sins,
and so prepare ourselves to
celebrate the sacred mysteries.

SIT

Hail Redeemer, King divine!
Priest and lamb, the throne is thine,
King whose reign shall never cease,
Prince of everlasting peace.

Angels, saints and nations sing:
Praised be Jesus Christ, our King:
Lord of life, earth, sky and sea,
King of love on Calvary.

Shepherd-King, o’er mountains steep,
Homeward bring the wandering sheep,
Shelter in one royal fold
States and kingdoms, new and old.

Angels, saints and nations sing:
Praised be Jesus Christ, our King:
Lord of life, earth, sky and sea,
King of love on Calvary.

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Cf. Ps 32: 5-6
The merciful love of the Lord fills
the earth;
by the word of the Lord the
heavens were made, alleluia.

Fourth Sunday of Easter

26th April 2026

The absolution by the priest follows:
May almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of
good will.
We praise you,
we bless you,
we adore you,
we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great
glory,
Lord God, heavenly King,
O God, almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten
Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the
Father,
you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world,
receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of
the Father,
have mercy on us.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.

GLORIA

Lord Jesus, you have shown us the
way to the Father: Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you have given us the
consolation of the truth:
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you are the Good
Shepherd, leading us into everlasting
life: Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

The Liturgy of the Word

Entrance Hymn
FIRST READING 2:14.36-41

A reading from the
Acts of the Apostles
On the day of Pentecost Peter stood
up with the Eleven and addressed the
crowd with a loud voice:

“The whole House of Israel can be
certain that God has made this Jesus
whom you crucified both Lord and
Christ.”

Hearing this, they were cut to the
heart and said to Peter and the
apostles, “What must we do,
brothers?” “You must repent,” Peter
answered “and every one of you must
be baptised in the name of Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of your sins,
and you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit. The promise that was made is
for you and your children, and for all
those who are far away, for all those
whom the Lord our God will call to
himself.” He spoke to them for a long
time using many arguments, and he
urged them, “Save yourselves from
this perverse generation.” They were
convinced by his arguments, and they
accepted what he said and were
baptised. That very day about three
thousand were added to their number.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps22:1-6.R.v.1
R. The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
or Alleluia!

1. The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he give me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit. R.

2. He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of
darkness no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and
your staff;
with these you give me comfort. R.

PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
Grant, we pray, O Lord,
that we may always find delight in
these paschal mysteries,
so that the renewal constantly at work
within us may be the cause of our
unending joy.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

PROFESSION OF FAITH

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial
with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
(All bow during the next three lines)
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate
of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under
Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven and is
seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord,
the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and
the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is
adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and
apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the
forgiveness of sins and I look forward
to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.

Facing the people the priest says:

Pray, brethren (brothers and sisters),
that my sacrifice and yours
may be acceptable to God,
the almighty Father.

May the Lord accept the sacrifice at
your hands
for the praise and glory of his
name,
for our good, and the good of all
his holy Church.

SIT

PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL

Raising the host, the priest says:
Blessed are you, Lord, God of all
creation, for through your goodness
we have received the bread we offer
you: fruit of the earth and work of
human hands,
it will become for us the bread of life.
Blessed be God for ever.
The priest pours wine and a little water
into the chalice, saying quietly:
By the mystery of this water and wine
may we come to share in the divinity
of Christ,
who humbled himself to share in our
humanity.
Raising the chalice, the priest says:
Blessed are you, Lord, God of all
creation, for through your goodness
we have received the wine we offer
you: fruit of the vine and work of
human hands,
it will become our spiritual drink.
Blessed be God for ever.
Bowing the priest says quietly:
With humble spirit and contrite heart
may we be accepted by you, O Lord,
and may our sacrifice in your sight this
day be pleasing to you, O Lord.
Then the priest washes his hands, saying
quietly:
Wash me, O Lord, from my iniquity;
and cleanse me from my sin.

Liturgy of the Eucharist

3. You have prepared a banquet for
me in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing. R.

4. Surely goodness and kindness shall
follow me all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever. R.

GOSPEL 10:1-10
The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
A reading from the holy
Gospel according to John.
Glory to you, O Lord.
Jesus said: “I tell you most solemnly,
anyone who does not enter the
sheepfold through the gate, but gets
in some other way is a thief and a
brigand. The one who enters through
the gate is the shepherd of the flock;
the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep
hear his voice, one by one he calls his
own sheep and leads them out. When
he has brought out his flock, he goes
ahead of them, and the sheep follow
because they know his voice. They

ACCLAMATION 10:14
Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the good shepherd, says the
Lord; I know my own sheep and

my own know me. Alleluia!

SECOND READING 2:20-25
A reading from the first letter of
St Peter
The merit, in the sight of God, is in
bearing punishment patiently when
you are punished after doing your
duty.
This, in fact, is what you were called
to do, because Christ suffered for you
and left an example for you to follow
the way he took. He had not done
anything wrong, and there had been
no perjury in his mouth. He was
insulted and did not retaliate with
insults; when he was tortured he
made no threats but he put his trust in
the righteous judge. He was bearing
our faults in his own body on the
cross, so that we might die to our
faults and live for holiness; through his
wounds you have been healed. You
had gone astray like sheep but now
you have come back to the shepherd
and guardian of your souls.

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

never follow a stranger but run away
from him: they do not recognise the
voice of stranger.”
Jesus told them this parable but they
failed to understand what he meant by
telling it to them.
So Jesus spoke to them again:
“I tell you most solemnly,
I am the gate of the sheepfold.
All others who have come
are thieves and brigands;
but the sheep took no notice of them.
I am the gate.
Anyone who enters through me will be
safe: he will go freely in and out
and be sure of finding pasture.
The thief comes only to steal and kill
and destroy. I have come so that they
may have life and have it to the full.”

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER III
PREFACE: III of Easter
The Lord be with you.
And with your Spirit.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right and just.

It is truly right and just, our duty and
our salvation,
at all times to acclaim you, O Lord,
but in this time above all to laud you
yet more gloriously, when Christ our
Passover has been sacrificed.
He never ceases to offer himself for us
but defends us and ever pleads our
cause before you:
he is the sacrificial Victim who dies no
more, the Lamb, once slain, who lives
for ever.
Therefore, overcome with paschal joy,
every land, every people exults in your
praise and even the heavenly Powers,
with the angelic hosts,
sing together the unending hymn of
your glory, as they acclaim:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name
of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest. At the Saviour’s command

and formed by divine teaching,
we dare to say:
Our Father, who art in heaven . . .
Deliver us, Lord, we pray,
from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days,
that, by the help of your mercy,
we may be always free from sin
and safe from all distress,
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus
Christ.
For the kingdom, the power and the
glory are yours, now and for ever.t

You are indeed Holy, O Lord, and all
you have created rightly gives you
praise, for through your Son our Lord
Jesus Christ,
by the power and working of the Holy
Spirit,
you give life to all things and make
them holy, and you never cease to
gather a people to yourself, so that
from the rising of the sun to its setting
a pure sacrifice may be offered
to your name.
Therefore, O Lord, we humbly implore
you:
by the same Spirit graciously make holy
these gifts we have brought to you for
consecration, that they may become
the Body and @ Blood
of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ,
at whose command we celebrate
these mysteries.
For on the night he was betrayed
he himself took bread,
and, giving you thanks, he said the
blessing,
broke the bread and gave it to his
disciples, saying:

TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT
OF IT,
FOR THIS IS MY BODY,
WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.

In a similar way, when supper was
ended, he took the chalice,
and, giving you thanks, he said the
blessing,
and gave the chalice to his disciples,
saying:

TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND
DRINK FROM IT,
FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY
BLOOD,
THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND
ETERNAL COVENANT,
WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR
YOU AND FOR MANY
FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.

DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME.

Then the Priest, with hands extended, says:
Therefore, O Lord, as we celebrate
the memorial of the saving Passion of
your Son,
his wondrous Resurrection and
Ascension into heaven, and as we
look forward to his second coming, we
offer you in thanksgiving this holy and
living sacrifice.
Look, we pray, upon the oblation of
your Church and, recognising the
sacrificial Victim by whose death
you willed to reconcile us to yourself,
grant that we, who are nourished by
the Body and Blood of your Son and
filled with his Holy Spirit, may become
one body, one spirit in Christ.
May he make of us
an eternal offering to you,
so that we may obtain an inheritance
with your elect,
especially with the most Blessed
Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
with blessed Joseph, her Spouse, with
the blessed Apostles and glorious
Martyrs (with Saint N., the Saint of the
day or Patron Saint) and with all the
Saints, on whose constant
intercession in your presence we rely
for unfailing help.
May this Sacrifice of our reconciliation,
we pray, O Lord, advance the peace
and salvation of all the world. Be
pleased to confirm in faith and charity
your pilgrim Church on earth,

s

The mystery of faith:
Save us, Saviour of the world,
for by your Cross and Resurrection
you have set us free.

with your servant Leo, our Pope, and
N. our Bishop, his assistant Bishop(s)
the Order of Bishops, all the clergy,
and the entire people you have gained
for your own.
Listen graciously to the prayers of this
family,
whom you have summoned before you:
in your compassion, O merciful
Father, gather to yourself all your
children scattered throughout the world.
To our departed brothers and sisters
and to all who were pleasing to you
at their passing from this life,
give kind admittance to your kingdom.
There we hope to enjoy for ever the
fullness of your glory
The Priest joins his hands.
through Christ our Lord,
through whom you bestow on the
world all that is good. †

The Priest takes the chalice and the paten
with the host and, elevating both, he says:
Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God, almighty Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honour is yours,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ,
who said to your Apostles:
Peace I leave you, my peace I give
you, look not on our sins,
but on the faith of your Church,
and graciously grant her peace and
unity in accordance with your will.
Who live and reign for ever and ever.
Amen.

The peace of the Lord be with you
always.
And with your Spirit.

Communion Rite

COMMUNION ANTIPHON
The Good Shepherd has risen,
who laid down his life for his sheep
and willingly died for his flock,
alleluia.

The priest may add these or similar words.
Let us offer each other the sign of peace.

The priest places a small piece of the host in
the chalice saying quietly:
May this mingling of the body and
blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
bring eternal life to us who receive it.

Meanwhile the people sing or say:
Lamb of God, you take away the
sins of the world:
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the
sins of the world:
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the
sins of the world:
grant us peace.

May the Body of Christ
keep me safe for eternal life.

The Priest reverently consumes the Body of
Christ.
Then he takes the chalice and says quietly:
May the Blood of Christ
keep me safe for eternal life.

The Priest raises a host slightly and shows it
to each of the communicants, saying:
The Body of Christ.
Amen.

The priest says quietly:
May the receiving of your Body and
Blood,
Lord Jesus Christ,
not bring me to judgement and
condemnation,
but through your loving mercy
be for me protection in mind and body,
and a healing remedy.

Raising the host the priest says:
Behold the Lamb of God,
behold him who takes away the sins of
the world.
Blessed are those called to the supper
of the Lamb.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Look upon your flock, kind Shepherd,
and be pleased to settle in eternal
pastures the sheep you have
redeemed by the Precious Blood of
your Son.
Who lives and reigns for ever and
ever.
Amen.

R. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

Praise the Lord all you nations.
Acclaim him all you peoples.
Strong is his love for us,
He is faithful forever. R.

O sing a new song to the Lord.
Sing to the Lord all the earth.
O sing to the Lord, bless his name.

R.

Proclaim his help day by day,
Tell among the nations his glory
And his wonders among all the
peoples. R.

Bring an offering and enter his
courts,
worship the Lord in his temple,
O earth tremble before him. R.

The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want.
He makes me down to lie
in pastures green. He leadeth me the
quiet waters by.

My soul he doth restore again,
and me to walk doth make
within the paths of righteousness,
e’en for his own name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk in death’s dark vale,
yet will I fear none ill.
For thou art, and thy rod
and staff me comfort still.

My table thou hast furnished
in presence of my foes,
my head thou dost with oil anoint,
and my cup overflows.

Goodness and mercy all my life
shall surely follow me.
And in God’s house for evermore
my dwelling-place shall be.

A

S

S
S

A

T
t

Imprimi Potest: Concordat Cum Originali: @ Most Rev. Alan McGuckian SJ, Bishop of Down and Connor. Nihil Obstat: Excerpts from
the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy corporation.
Origination and printing by Shanway Press, email: info@shanway.com T: 028 9022 2070

f

And together with the people he says once:
Lord, I am not worthy
that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word
and my soul shall be healed.

w

The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.

Solemn Blessing No6 Easter Time
May God, who by the Resurrection of
his only Begotten Son
was pleased to confer on you
the gift of redemption and of adoption,
give you gladness by his blessing.
Amen.

May he, by whose redeeming work
you have received the gift of
everlasting freedom, make you heirs
to an eternal inheritance.
Amen.

And may you, who have already risen
with Christ in Baptism through faith,
by living in a right manner on this
earth, be united with him in the
homeland of heaven.
Amen.

And may the blessing of almighty
God, the Father, and the Son, X and
the Holy Spirit, come down on you
and remain with you for ever.
Amen.

Go in peace glorifying the Lord by
your life.
Thanks be to God.

Communion Hymn

Private Prayer after Communion

Concluding Rites

Recessional HymnLord Jesus, you are my shepherd,
you have come that I may have life
and have it to the full.
Through baptism and the sacraments
we share your risen life:
when you come again we shall share
your glory. Till then our life is hidden
with you in God.
Christ has died. Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.