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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.
Lectors
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.
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Liturgy
Support
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. Thomas More 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.
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Ministry
of Hospitality
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.
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Ritual
Environment
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!
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Sacristan
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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