Strengthen Your Brethren, Eucharistic Ministers Part 3 - September 24, 2006
Please keep Father Dennis Worzalla in your prayers as he remains hospitalized in Washington, D.C., where he was visiting his sister and brother-in-law. Beyond the malfunction of his kidneys, now infections have taken hold in several parts of his body and he suffered significant internal hemorrhaging last week. As always, Father Worzalla has serenely placed himself in God’s hands and deeply appreciates your spiritual support through prayer.
On the evening of Tuesday, September 26, I will be giving a presentation on the distribution of Holy Communion. Anyone is welcome to attend in order to learn about the history, the significance and the manner of distributing Communion. Of course, the program is specially intended as a “refresher” for current extraordinary ministers who assist at Mass as well as those who bring Communion to the homebound. It is also intended as a training session for those who are newly volunteering as an extraordinary minister for service during the Mass or to the homebound. In part one (6:30 to 7:00 pm) of my presentation I will speak about the history, significance and general principles concerning the distribution of Holy Communion. In part two (7:00 to 7:45 pm) I will cover current Church discipline and the real practicalities of distributing Communion at Mass or to the infirm (including procedures and common problems encountered). The session will be conducted in church and you may call the parish office to register.
One of the more successfully implemented principles for the renewal of the Liturgy stemming from Vatican II concerns the Bible: “In sacred celebrations there is to be more reading from Holy Scripture, and it is to be more varied and suitable” (Second Vatican Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 35). There is no question regarding the importance and centrality of the Scriptures in Catholic worship. “When the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God Himself speaks to His people, and Christ, present in His own word, proclaims the Gospel. Therefore, all must listen with reverence to the readings from God’s word, for they make up an element of greatest importance in the Liturgy” (General Instruction of the Roman Missal [Third Typical Edition], 29). What an incredible honor and awesome responsibility, then, to be a lector – the one through whom God’s voice resounds in the Church and in the world by the proclamation of the biblical readings at Mass and other liturgical celebrations!
As in the Jewish synagogue, from the very beginnings of the Church there have been readers distinct from the celebrant. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal [Third Typical Edition] notes that “by tradition, the function of proclaiming the readings is ministerial, not presidential” (59). In other words, it does not pertain to the one who presides at Mass – the priest – but to another. The lector proclaims the readings excluding the Gospel which is properly proclaimed by the deacon, or in his absence, a priest other than the celebrant (see General Instruction of the Roman Missal [Third Typical Edition], 59). I invite you to prayerfully consider becoming a lector. A conference for all current and prospective lectors will be held in church on Tuesday, October 3, from 6:30-7:45 pm. I will personally conduct this training and refresher session. You may call the parish office to register.
Finally, please prayerfully consider becoming an usher. We are in desperate need of increasing our team of ushers. Young or old, individuals or families, men or women are eligible to take on this important role at Mass. A training and refresher session is scheduled for Tuesday, October 10, from 6:30-7:30 pm.
Saint Peter, pray for us! Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!