 Liturgical Ministries
Our Lady of Peace offers the following Liturgical
Ministries. If you are interested in becoming a Liturgical Minister, please contact
the Rectory.
| The Reader of the Word |
| It is necessary that
those who exercise the ministry of reader be truly qualified and carefully prepared so
that the faithful may develop a warm and living love for Scripture from listening to the
sacred texts read. Their preparation must above
all be spiritual, but what may be called a technical preparation is also needed. The
spiritual preparation presupposes at least a biblical and liturgical formation. The
purpose of their biblical formation is to give readers the ability to understand the
readings in context and to perceive by the light of faith the central point of the
revealed message. The liturgical formation ought to equip the readers to have some grasp
of the meaning and structure of the Eucharist. The technical preparation should make the
reader more skilled in the art of reading publicly in a clear, confident, and concise
manner.
|
| Ministers
of Communion |
| Those who exercise
this ministry have been called to a most beautiful ministry. This is a personal communion,
a communion of persons. They should make the moment of communion as personal as possible.
Time taken to reflect on its meaning and practice will deeply enrich their own awareness
of the mystery of Christ and the people they serve. Those serving in the ministry of
communion are exercising the role of hosts and servants at the Eucharist banquet. A primary qualification for ministers of communion is that they be, by
nature, interested in, caring about, and at ease with other people - without regard for
status in the community or for distinction of class, sex, age or race.
|
| Acolytes |
| Acolytes or servers
are needed in any liturgical celebration. Their charge is to care for and deal with
artifacts and sacred objects and to expedite the role of the presider. They should have an enthusiasm for public prayer. The server is not
someone who performs a function or two and then settles back, but sings, prays and listens
with the entire assembly. They should have a basic knowledge of liturgy’s style and
feel comfortable using and holding the liturgical symbols such as bread, wine, oil, water
and ashes and know when they are to be used.
|
| Musicians |
| Ministers of music
are called to lead the community in the liturgical music, which in itself is a mode of
prayer. This means attention both to the integrity of music (the art itself) and to its
appropriateness in liturgical celebration. Liturgy
demands art forms capable of elevating the human heart and spirit. Familiarity with the
Bible and with the feasts and seasons of the church year, and a study of the readings of
the Sunday or feast for which music is being prepared are important dimensions of the
music minister.
|
| Ushers
and Greeters |
| The role of the usher
is of being the "official" host - one whose presence, conversation and actions
speak a genuine desire that all who come to the liturgical event enjoy their time
together, creating an atmosphere conducive to the act of worship, the act where we are
most genuinely one. The ushers make the worship
space a home, a place characterized by warmth, friendship, hospitality; a place where
dialogue and interaction are encouraged. |
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