Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Liturgical Ministry WorkshopLectors Workshop
Deacon Modesto CorderoDirector
Office of Worship
[email protected](808) 585-3342808-585-3342
Lord, I thank you,for granting me the privilege to serve you in
this most honored Ministry of Lector.I ask that you guide me so
I might continually learn to betterproclaim your Word in a way
that is pleasing to you,and enlightening to our brothers and sisters
in the body of your church.If I approach this ministry too carelessly,
remind me Lord,that I was called by you,
and that I owe you nothing less than my absolute best effort.
I ask you to guide me and all lectors throughout the body of your church.
Let your spirit fill our heartsas we serve you in love;
in your son Jesus' name, Amen.
• What is a “minister”?– People entrusted to perform a special function for the
members of their community.
• Types of “ministers”– Ordained ministers
• Permanent Deacons, Priests, Bishops• Sacrament of Holy Orders
– Lay ministers• Baptize people that volunteer their time to help priests and
deacons in performing special functions –Like: Lectors, Cantors, Catechists, Ushers, Extraordinary
Ministers of the Holy Communion, Altar Servers, Environment, others …
An invitation to serve as a Minister is a reflection of the diversity of the parish.
An invitation to join the ministry does not mean that one is "better or holier than another", nor is an invitation indicative of a reward of some sort.
Guidelines for invitation to service in this ministry clearly indicate that is an invitation to serve ... not to create an elite group in the church community.
As “ministers” we should always be aware that it is a privilege and can never be considered a right.
People of faith who have nurtured a relationship with God. People that have formed their lives on the Gospel. Members of a community of family, friends and strangers,
bound together by a desire to live near and for one another. To share opportunities for faith and worship.
They value their local Church and its mission. They understand the importance of making Sunday worship the
highlight of their week. They strive to make the reading of the scriptures a highlight of
the Mass. LECTORS have personally encountered the WORD of God, and
through them the people of God encounter the divine WORD.
Inner faith is the essential foundation for all Catholic worship. Through faith we recognize the presence of Christ in the liturgy. Our faith will affect the way we fulfill our ministry as lectors. FAITH is the most critical quality for a lector. Faith is not a static quality … it can grow, may weaken and even be
lost. A lector (like the priest or deacon) can foster and nourish or
weaken and destroy faith. No other single factor affects the liturgy as much as the attitude,
style and bearing of the celebrant and ministers.
A great opportunity, a great challenge, a great responsibility!
Out of faith develops an attitude of prayerfulness.
People sense and recognize it, just as they intuit and detect its absence.
A spirit of prayerful adoration should permeate ministers throughout the celebration of Mass.
We are called to serve with dignity and humility, impressing upon others the living presence of God.
ONLY A PRAYERFUL PERSON CAN DO THAT!
The presence of Jesus brought joy to people’s hearts. St. Paul wrote that the fruit of the spirit are: Love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity,
faith, mildness and chastity. “Rejoice always.”
Those inner qualities of peace, love and joy will, like faith and prayerfulness, be evident to parishioners. We need to perform our task with faith, prayerfulness and
care regardless of the current mood or feeling. The spirit of Christian joy and peace within us needs to shine
despite what our emotions may seem to tell us at that moment.
We need to be reverent, but relaxed; comfortable, but not casual.
The Mass is a celebration ... a relaxed, easy, joyful event.
Your respect for the Ministry should be reflected in your appearance and attire: appropriate attire includes being properly groomed and wearing▪ MAN: nicely creased trousers with shirt [and tie or nice
sweater];▪ Woman: pants suit or skirt or slacks with blouse / sweater or a
cover dress. Please note: no jeans or shorts at any time! Jewelry or clothing which would be distracting to the assembly
should not be worn. Your hands should be clean, with neatly trimmed and clean nails.
God speaks to us through the scriptures. He speaks to a particular people gathered at a
particular time in a particular place. The WORD will affect us in different ways. Each person will hear the message uniquely, as the
Holy Spirit reaches into the hearts of us all to place within them the message that comes from God. To work this miracle, God chooses instruments,
▪ God uses LECTORS.
• Readings other than the Gospel are proclaimed by the LECTORS. • The ministry of the Word is treated seriously and with great dignity.
– Lectors bring the living Word of God to the liturgical assembly.– The Word of God is not merely read during the liturgy. It is
proclaimed!• Deliver the message with clarity, conviction and appropriate
pace.• Ideally, members of the assembly listen to the proclamation of the
Scriptures and do not read along in missalettes.• Use of TWO readers – one for each reading – is encouraged.• The Gospel is ordinarily proclaimed by the deacon.
– In the absence of the deacon, the priests proclaims the Gospel.– In concelebrations, one other than the presiding celebrant
proclaims the Gospel.
Sunday Lectionary◦ Three-year cycle Year A – Matthew Year B – Mark Year C – Luke◦ St. John’s Gospel occurs on the first Sundays of Lent,
during the Easter season, and on certain Sundays during Year B
The readings from the Word of God are to be listened to reverently by everyone.
Always read from the ambo.
Sacred Scriptures◦ First Reading = Prophet (OT) Easter = Acts of the Apostles
◦ Responsorial Psalm (OT)◦ Second Reading = Apostle (NT)◦ Alleluia/Gospel Acclamation; Sequence Faithful should stand at the ‘Alleluia’ No ‘Alleluia” during Lent season Sequence = Easter Sunday & Pentecost Day
◦ Gospel = high point of the Liturgy of the Word Homily Profession of Faith Universal Prayer
• Lectors requires spiritual and technical preparation.• Spiritual preparation
– Biblical and liturgical formation– Be able to understand the readings in context– Perceive the light of faith – the central point of the revealed
message– Have some grasp of meaning and structure of the Liturgy of
the Word• Technical preparation
– Prepare lectors with skills in the art of reading publicly– Know how to use their voices– Know how to use the sound equipment
Before you begin to read you will want to have the attention of the entire assembly.
After each reading you will pause and pray, modeling reflection that all will do.
Pace the petitions during the Prayer of the Faithful, will help people think about them one by one.
Proclaim exactly what the Lectionary specifies. Arrive early!
• Genres (literary types):– Narrative: it is a story; usually the narrator is an
unidentified storyteller with no role in the action. • Ex: Old Testament, Acts of the Apostles
– Discourse: a speech, lecture, or letter that makes an argument or explanation.• Ex: The Sermon of the Mount, Gospel of John
– Poetry: most often recognized by their layout on the page, their metaphors, repetition and cadence.• EX: Genesis 1, Job, Book of Revelations
– Prayer: is poetic and needs a similar approach for proclamation• Ex: prayers of Jesus, the psalms
Theme Understanding the theme of the text will lead you to
the voice or mood that the text conveys. Voice or Mood Your proclamation needs to be consistent with the
speaker and mood Tone of voice should be different accordingly of what
is proclaimed▪ Ex: command (Job), charge (Ephesians), touching (Samuel)
Avoid monotone voice
• Names of people and places are critical for the assembly to hear correctly in order to understand the reading.
• Incorrect pronunciation can undermine an otherwise fine proclamation.– Ex:
• Philippians vs Philippines• Vindication vs vindiction
• Read everything with confidence and pronounce words that are repeated in the text consistently so the assembly can follow you.
• Enunciate! .. all syllables are pronounced!!• Slow Down! …pace the readings.
– Reading at a conversational pace is too fast.
• Announcements and/or any commentary during the celebration are read by someone other than the lectors.
• General Intercessions may be read by the deacon, the cantor, the lector or someone else.
• Lectors are fully initiated, practicing Catholics whose lives witness to the Word which they proclaim.
• Lectors are commissioned for their ministry, preferable during a Sunday Mass. [Book of Blessings]
• Lectors are to take part in the entrance procession.– If there is no Deacon, one of the lectors carries the Book of
Gospels in the opening procession and places it on the altar.– If there is no one to sing the psalm, a lector may lead the
refrain and proclaim the verses
The lector(s) joins the presider and other ministers in the closing procession. Neither the Lectionary nor the Book of Gospels is carried in the
recessional. Anything that might distract from the proclaimed Word or from
the dignity of this ministry is to be avoided. Leaning on the ambo Placing hands in pockets Shuffling from one foot to the other Wearing inappropriate or immodest clothing or wearing
anything that draws attention to the lector. Lector or Gospel Reader does not lift the Lectionary or the Book
of Gospels while saying: “The Word/Gospel of the Lord.”
Symbolizes our Christian belief Serves as a sign of our salvation Should be made reverently and thoughtfully It’s made two times during the mass:▪ At the beginning of the service, following the
entrance song▪ At the conclusion of the Mass, during the blessing
◦ Is made at the announcement of the Gospel and following the action of the priest or deacon.◦ It is made by closing your right hand into a loose fist, with your thumb on top – then using the thumb to trace the Sign of the Cross on your forehead, lips and breast.
“May the gospel be in our mind, on our lips and in our heart.”
Genuflection
Comes from the Latin words: ‘genu’ (which means “knee”), and ‘flectere’ (which means “to bend”). There are three rules.
Rule #1: If there is a tabernacle with the Blessed Sacrament in the sanctuary, a genuflection should be made before and after Mass, but not during the Mass (or other Liturgy).
Rule #2: The only exception to the rule on genuflections involves the cross-bearer and deacon carrying the Book of the Gospels.
Rule #3: On Good Friday, the exposed crucifix should be given the same reverence shown the Blessed Sacrament.
BOWS
◦ Reflects less reverence than issignified by genuflecting◦ There are two kinds of bows:
Simple – is a slow nod of the head. It is made when the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are named together, as well as at the name of Jesus, Mary, or the saint in whose honor the mass is celebrated.Profound – is a bow of the body, made from the waist with your hands folded. Bow before the altar if the Blessed Sacrament is not
present At the elevations of the consecration Creed at the words “by the power of the Holy Spirit”
• Concelebrants and ministers keep their hands joined when walking from place to place or when standing, unless they are holding something.
• “Hands joined” means: “Holding the palms sideward and together before the breast, with the right thumb crossed over the left.”
Standing◦ Is the traditional posture of the Christian prayer◦ Expresses our attentiveness to the word of God and our
readiness to carry it out◦ Beginning of the Entrance chant/while the priest
approaches the altar, until the end of the collect◦ During the Alleluia chant before the Gospel; while the
Gospel itself is proclaimed◦ The profession of Faith and the Prayer of the Faithful◦ The invitation, Orate, fratres (Pray, brethren), before
the prayer over the offerings until the end of Mass.
Seating◦ During the readings before the Gospel and the Responsorial Psalm◦ Homily◦ Preparation of the Gifts at the Offertory is taking place◦ Could sit or kneel while the period of sacred silence after
Communion is observed
Kneel◦ Beginning after the singing or recitation of the Sanctus until after
the Amen of the Eucharistic Prayer, except when prevented on occasion by reasons of health, lack of space, or some other reason
◦ If can’t kneel, ought to make a profound bow when the priest genuflects after the consecration
“…able and God-fearing persons…”
