Transignification[1] is a doctrine, largely in progressive Roman Catholic circles, which attempts a rational explanation of the Real Presence of Christ at Mass. The theology states that although Christ's body and blood are not physically present in the Eucharist, the elements take on at the consecration the real significance of this body and blood, which thus become sacramentally present. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Mass is the term used of the celebration of the Eucharist in the various liturgical rites of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglo-Catholic tradition of Anglicanism, and in some Lutheran regions which are largely High Church: the main Lutheran service is still known as the...

This concept is based on the thought that there are two kinds of presence, local and personal. Jesus is personally, but not locally, present at the Mass. One can be locally present, as when riding on a bus, but ones thoughts can be far away, making him personally not present.

The theory hasn't been accepted by the Magisterium but is used by progressive priests who are embarrassed by the medieval tone of Transubstantiation. Magisterium (from the Latin magister: master) is a technical ecclesiastical term in Catholicism referring to the Pope and those Bishops who are directly under his supervision. ...

See also

• Real Presence
• Eucharistic theologies contrasted
• Transubstantiation