Want to Serve Your God and Parish, While at Mass?

As pastor, I am extending an open invitation to parishioners to consider serving God and your fellow parishioners as either a Lector, Eucharistic Minister, Usher, or Altar Server. For the smooth execution of the sacred liturgy, it takes many hands to celebrate well the Mass of Jesus Christ. We need a priest to consecrate; We need lectors to proclaim the Word of God and engage parishioners in the full participation of the Mass; We require Eucharistic Ministers to help reverently distribute Holy Communion (just think how much longer it would take if only the priest distributed the Body and Blood f Christ); and, if there we no ushers to greet and help first-timers to attend Mass with us, and if no altar servers were at the altar, your priest would look like a one-man band. When Vatican II called the laity to join in with the “full participation of the Mass,” it wasn’t simply just talking about singing, kneeling, responding in dialogue and praying, but it was actively fulfilling the role of the laity in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper: Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, altar servers, ushers and more.

As I invite you to pray over how you can help me celebrate the Mass, please email me at fr.whyte@aohct.org, and let me know what you would consider doing, and I will set up training sessions. Lisa, our parish secretary, will reach out to you and schedule the training sessions. THANK YOU!

What is great about these roles in the parish is that they happen while you are already at Mass—no extra time, no extra driving. Could I make it more convenient?