Fraction Rite

The fraction begins after the Sign of Peace. The priest breaks the Eucharistic bread, assisted when necessary by a deacon or concelebrant. The action recalls Christ's breaking of bread at the Last Supper and the apostolic name for the Eucharistic assembly, but it is not a reenactment separate from the Mass's one sacramental action.^[1]

The sign expresses that the many faithful become one body by receiving from the one Bread of Life, Christ who died and rose for the salvation of the world. The use of bread that can truly be recognized as food and broken for at least some communicants makes this sign more evident, while every consecrated host contains the whole Christ.

The Agnus Dei, or Lamb of God, accompanies the breaking and may be repeated as needed until the rite is complete; the final invocation concludes with grant us peace. It is a litany addressed to Christ, not background music to be replaced by an unrelated song.

The priest places a small piece of the consecrated host in the chalice. This commingling signifies the unity of the Lord's Body and Blood in the work of salvation—that is, the living and glorious Jesus Christ. It does not effect the consecration, which has already occurred in the Eucharistic Prayer.

The fraction is carried out reverently without needless prolongation or exaggerated prominence. It belongs to the ordained ministers designated by the Missal; the assembly participates through the litany and the interior preparation for Communion, not by distributing the fraction among many people as a display.^[2][3]

Only the amount needed for Communion is ordinarily broken at this point. The rite must not be moved into the words of consecration, turned into a theatrical gesture, or detached from the approved order of Mass.