In liturgical use the term Preface is applied to that portion of the Eucharistic Prayer that immediately precedes the Canon

Canon of the Mass

Canon of the Mass is the name given in the Roman Missal, from the first typical edition of Pope Pius V in 1570 to that of Pope John XXIII in 1962, to the part of the Mass of the Roman Rite that begins after the Sanctus with the words Te igitur...

 or central portion of the Eucharist

Eucharist

The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...

 (Mass

Mass (liturgy)

"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...

 or Divine Liturgy

Divine Liturgy

Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. Armenian Christians, both of the Armenian Apostolic Church and of the Armenian Catholic Church, use the same term...

). The Preface, which begins at the words, "It is very meet and just, right and salutary" (or a variation thereof) is ushered in, in all liturgies

Liturgy

Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...

, with the Sursum Corda

Sursum corda

The Sursum Corda is the opening dialogue to the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer or Anaphora in the liturgies of the Christian Church, dating back to at least the third century and the Anaphora of the Apostolic Tradition. The dialogue is recorded in the earliest liturgies of the Christian...

, "Lift up your hearts", and ends with the Sanctus

Sanctus

The Sanctus is a hymn from Christian liturgy, forming part of the Order of Mass. In Western Christianity, the Sanctus is sung as the final words of the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer, the prayer of consecration of the bread and wine...

, "Holy, Holy, Holy, etc."

In the Western liturgies

Latin liturgical rites

Latin liturgical rites used within that area of the Catholic Church where the Latin language once dominated were for many centuries no less numerous than the liturgical rites of the Eastern autonomous particular Churches. Their number is now much reduced...

, proper

Proper (liturgy)

The Proper is a part of the Christian liturgy that varies according to the date, either representing an observance within the Liturgical Year, or of a particular saint or significant event...

 prefaces are appointed for particular occasions. In the various Eastern liturgies there is great variation. Among those who follow the Rite of Constantinople the audible portion of the preface does not change, but the silent prayer said by the priest will differ depending upon whether it is the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

The Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom is the most celebrated Divine Liturgy in the Byzantine Rite. It is named after the anaphora with the same name which is its core part and it is attributed to Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople in the 5th century.It reflects the work of...

 or the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great. Among the Oriental Orthodox Churches the preface will take different forms, depending upon the liturgical rite

Christian liturgy

A liturgy is a set form of ceremony or pattern of worship. Christian liturgy is a pattern for worship used by a Christian congregation or denomination on a regular basis....

 and/or the particular feast day.

In the Roman Rite

Roman Rite

The Roman Rite is the liturgical rite used in the Diocese of Rome in the Catholic Church. It is by far the most widespread of the Latin liturgical rites used within the Western or Latin autonomous particular Church, the particular Church that itself is also called the Latin Rite, and that is one of...

, the preface opens with the following:

Priest: Dominus vobiscum

People: Et cum spiritu tuo

Priest: Sursum corda

People: Habemus ad Dominum

Priest: Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro

People: Dignum et iustum est

The current English translation has:

Priest: The Lord be with you.

People: And with your spirit.

Priest: Lift up your hearts.

People: We lift them up to the Lord.

Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God

People: It is right and just.

Anglican and Protestant Forms

In the 1979 United States edition of the Book of Common Prayer

Book of Common Prayer

The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...

, this dialog is given for Rite One as:

Priest: The Lord be with you.

People: And with thy spirit.

Priest: Lift up your hearts.

People: We lift them up unto the Lord.

Priest: Let us give thanks unto our Lord God.

People: It is meet and right so to do.

Priest: It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty, that we should . . .

Rite Two has the dialog as in the ICEL version above, with the preface itself beginning:

Priest: It is right, and a good and joyful thing, . . .

Most Protestant churches in the United States, when formal liturgy is used, use forms very similar to ICEL and Rite Two; common 21st Century gender-neutral usage frequently substitutes "It is right to give our thanks and praise," or "It is right to give God thanks and praise."

Lutheran Forms

Among Lutheranism

Lutheranism

Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...

, the preface has many different translations that can be used in the Divine Service. The following is a common form:

Priest: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Priest: Lift up your hearts.

People: We lift them up to the Lord.

Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

People: It is right to give him thanks and praise.

The following form may also be used, however some responses may vary (noted with a "/"):

Priest: The Lord be with you.

People: And with thy/your spirit.

Priest: Lift up your hearts.

People: We lift them up unto/to the Lord.

Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

People: It is right and just/It is meet and right so to do.

It is also a common Lutheran practice to reword the preface to make the exchanges rhyme and chant them:

Priest: May the good Lord be with you.

People: May the Lord be with you too.

Priest: We lift up our hearts in praise.

People: Grateful hearts in thanks we raise.

Priest: For it is both good and right to give thanks and praise his might.

People: Singing out with angels bright: "alleluia". Amen.