Theoffertory (fromMedieval Latinoffertorium andLate Latinofferre)[1] is the part of aEucharistic service when the bread and wine for use in the service are ceremonially placed on thealtar.
A collection ofalms (offerings) from the congregation, which may take place also at non-Eucharistic services, often coincides with this ceremony.[2][3]
The Eucharistictheology may vary among thoseChristian denominations that have aliturgical offertory.
In theRoman Rite, the term "Preparation of the Gifts"[4] is used in addition to the term "Offertory"[5] (both capitalized) or, rather, the term "Preparation of the Gifts" is used for the action of the priest, while the term "Offertory" is used for the section of theMass at which this action is performed in particular when speaking of the accompanying chant.[6] In theLutheran Mass, the Offertory includes the presentation of the eucharistic gifts at the altar by thechurchwardens, the bringing up of the collection to the altar, and the prayer of the priest (pastor): "Receive us and our gifts for the sake of Jesus Christ".[7]
InBaptist churches, the offertory refers to the part of the service of worship in which collection plates or baskets are distributed by ushers, with the tithes and offerings subsequently being brought to thechancel.
Offertory hymns are often sung during preparation and collection.
In the Roman Rite, the offertory is the first part of theLiturgy of the Eucharist. The altar is first prepared by placing on it thecorporal,purificator,missal andchalice. The bread and wine, and perhaps other offerings or gifts for the poor or for the Church, are presented by the faithful in a procession to the accompaniment of an offertory chant. The priest places first the bread and then the wine on the altar while saying the prescribed prayers, after which he mayincense them together with the cross and the altar. The priest and the people may also be incensed. After washing his hands at the side of the altar, the priest says the Prayer over the Offerings.[8] This was originally the only prayer said at the offertory of the Roman Rite.[9]
There are variations in other rites. For instance, in theDominican Rite a single prayer was said at the offertory over the bread and wine, which have already been prepared on the altar at an earlier part of theMass.[10]
In theByzantine Rite, there is a short offertory at the same point as in the Roman Rite. A more elaborate ceremonial, theLiturgy of Preparation, takes place before the public part of the celebration of theDivine Liturgy.[9]
In the Roman Rite, the procession bringing the gifts is accompanied by the Offertory Chant, and singing may accompany the offertory even if there is no procession.[11] Before 1970, the priest said the Prayer over the Offerings silently because during the offertory the people, at an earlier time, sang a psalm or, inresponsorial fashion, repeated a refrain while a soloist sang the verses of the psalm.[9] In theTridentine Mass, only the choir sang the refrain alone to an elaborate setting. The priest read the refrain at the beginning of the offertory not only at aLow Mass, which was without singing, but also at aSolemn Mass.
The1662Book of Common Prayer of theChurch of England includes "offertory sentences" which are to be read at this point. Current practice inAnglican churches favours the singing of a congregational hymn (the "offertory hymn") or an anthem sung by the choir, and often both. In some churches music at the offertory is provided by anorganist.[citation needed]
The offertory hymn in theLatin Mass for the Dead (Requiem) is "Domine Iesu Christe [de]". It has been set by many composers.[citation needed]
"Herr, wir bringen in Brot und Wein" (Lord, we bring in bread and wine) is a 1970 offertory hymn in German, based on a Dutch text. Another hymn in that style is "Alle Menschen höret auf dies neue Lied", written in Dutch in 1966 and translated into German in 1972. Also in 1972,Lothar Zenetti wrote the hymn "Das eine Brot wächst auf vielen Halmen". In 2009, Raymund Weber wrote a German text, "Nimm, o Gott, die Gaben, die wir bringen", to a melody fromAndrew Lloyd Webber's musicalJesus Christ Superstar.[citation needed]
InJustin Martyr'sFirst Apology, dated between AD 155–157, he writes that "at a certain point in the celebration":
"they who are well-to-do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succors the orphans and widows, and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds, and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need".[12]
In traditional forms of Christianity, atithe (the first tenth of one's income) is seen as what is owed to God, while alms (offerings) are anything contributed beyond that.[2][3]
During the offertory or immediately before it, a collection of money or other gifts for the poor or for thechurch is taken up. In the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, as well as the Lutheran Churches, these offerings may be brought forward together with the bread and wine, but they are to be placed "in a suitable place but away from the Eucharistic table".[11][7]
In manyAnglican,Baptist andMethodist churches, a collection plate, basket or bag is often used during the offertory to gather the gifts of the faithful (tithes and alms) for the support of the church and for charity. These may then be brought into thechancel.[citation needed]
A "second collection" to provide financial support to a particular good cause sometimes takes place at the end of a service.[13] The second collection can, however, be collected during the service and also taken up during the offertory.[14]
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