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Liturgical Ministry |
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Click here to read about the graphic above, from the Trinity Icon. |
Altar Servers Altar servers assist the priest and deacon as they celebrate the liturgy. From holding the sacramentary to preparing the altar for the gifts of bread and wine, the altar server ministry is one that brings dignity and grace to the celebration. We invite all boys and girls who are in the fifth grade or older to join this important ministry. We have a general training session in the spring, but individual training is available all year. Eucharistic Ministers Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist have the privilege of bringing the Body and Blood of Jesus to the members of the assembly. The Eucharist is the center of our lives as Christians. The transformation of bread and wine holds within itself the great mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection. From This Holy and Living Sacrifice: The Eucharist is also a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us in the memorial of Christ’s death and resurrection. (#6) At the St. Thomas More East Campus Eucharistic ministers are scheduled for one month at a time. We gather as a ministry approximately once a year, to renew and refresh ourselves, and to work at refining the ministry. Individual training goes on throughout the year. The proclamation of the Word is integral to our Sunday celebration. Along with the Eucharist, it makes up one single worship. The documents of Vatican II says this: The Church is nourished spiritually at the table of God’s word and at the table of the Eucharist: from the one it grows in wisdom and from the other in holiness. In the word of God the divine covenant is announced; in the Eucharist the new and everlasting covenant is renewed. The spoken word of God brings to mind the history of salvation; the Eucharist embodies it in the sacramental signs of the liturgy. (Lectionary for Mass, #10) Proper preparation is very important to beautiful liturgy. To that end, our lectors are each given the Workbook for Lectors and Gospel Readers, published by Liturgy Training Publications. In addition, we gather approximately once a year to enrich ourselves in scripture. We advise our lectors to gather in scripture study on their own, as well. Lectors are schedule approximately once every six weeks. Individual training goes on throughout the year.
St. Thomas More has a vibrant liturgy committee, whose work it is to prepare liturgy in such a way as to bring to life the fullest prayer experience possible. To that end, the committee works hard on continuing education through study of church documents, workshops both within the parish community and the archdiocese. We also spend time in prayer at each of the meetings and have a day of retreat each year. The committee works on the seasons and feasts of the year, including preparation for devotions, liturgy of the hours, and parish-wide prayer opportunities, such as our annual Advent Lessons and Carols and our Lenten Day of Reflection. The liturgy committee works in cooperation with all other standing committees of the parish. Members serve a term of three years. Nominations are open to the entire parish and are taken in the spring. The purpose of the liturgy committee of the Church of St. Luke is to act upon the mandate from the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy: “that all the faithful be led to that full, conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations called for by the very nature of the liturgy”. In preparing for the liturgical seasons and feasts of the year, the committee strives to facilitate the parish’s ability to fully experience and understand the liturgy, communicate with the staff and other committees and evaluate the prayer, always holding in highest regard the integrity and beauty of the Roman Catholic liturgy.
Hospitality is at the center of all we do. As disciples of Christ we constantly reach out to the world to invite them into the great love of Jesus. Whether we stand at the door to greet the newcomer or watch carefully to lend a hand to a young parent or elderly neighbor, we become the face of Christ to the community. From Environment and Art in Catholic Worship, #11: As common prayer and ecclesial experience, liturgy flourishes in a climate of hospitality: a situation in which people are comfortable with one another, either knowing or being introduced to one another; a space in which people are seated together, with mobility, in view of one another as well as the focal points of the rite, involved as participants and not as spectators. We have a vital usher ministry. These people offer assistance and a smile to all who enter. They have a basic understanding of emergency care and take care to make the worshiping community comfortable. We can always use more people to act as ushers. We hope to develop a greeter ministry. This is a wonderful place for families to minister together. Perhaps you would like to learn more about greeters and the important work they do. Call or e-mail Dana here.
The essence of beauty is the essence of our Judeo-Christian heritage. In the opening pages of Genesis we learn of God’s sacred energy infusing all creation with beauty. Our liturgies reflect this yearning for beauty. From Built of Living Stones, #17: Every church building is a gathering place for the assembly, a resting place, a place of encounter with God, as well as a point of departure on the Church’s unfinished journey toward the reign of God. The ritual environment committee works to bring noble simplicity, natural beauty and sacred integrity to our already beautiful spaces. Each liturgical season brings with it certain colors, smells, gestures, and spatial relationships that are unique to its place in the liturgical calendar. The ritual environment ministry highlights each season with fabric, flora, and symbol. Some seasons are busier than others, but the entire liturgical year demands a certain amount of attention. Ritual environment affords the opportunity to help to all ages and all abilities. From placing lights on evergreen trees, to fashioning floral arrangements, from carrying ladders and changing banners to sweeping up the floor - all these activities fall under the ritual environment description. This is a wonderful place for whole families to help. It is the one ministry that does not require a scheduled appearance!
Included in the varied preparation for Sunday mass throughout the week is the last 30-45 minutes just before mass begins. This is the domain of the sacristan. Vessels, books, vestments, holy water, incense all need to be prepared for the liturgy. The sacristan’s job is to see that all is in place before the opening song that signals the beginning of the procession. We encourage families to become sacristans. In the careful preparation of liturgical elements children soon learn to love and reverence the sacred character of the mass itself. Out of this ministry grows a wonderful sense of ownership that simply sitting in the pew can never provide! Sacristans minister at all the masses and at funerals and baptismal liturgies, as well. Scheduling for masses is approximately once a month. Baptismal liturgies are scheduled four times per year. Sacristan training is ongoing. You can begin this ministry at any time.
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