SPRING 2019 San Rafael Catholic Church Eucharistic Ministry S A N R A F A E L P A R I S H Eucharistic Minister Updates Please welcome to our team Victoria Wilson (9:00 am) We are very happy to have them join us to serve at the table of the Lord. --------------------------------------------------------- Schedules for April, May and June are completed and posted on website. Easter Masses to be posted as soon as all available spaces are filled. ---------------------------------------------------------- Did you notice that Msgr Mikulanis used an Oplatki Christmas Wafer at the Christmas Vigil and some Masses after that during the Holiday season. It is a beautiful Polish tradition, nothing says "I Love You" as meaningfully as this wafer. Oplatki is an unleavened bread that began to appear in Polish homes at Christmas soon after the arrival of Christianity. The word means "Angel Bread". The wafer is typically a rectangle about 4-5 inches long embossed with a Christmas scene of the Nativity or the Blessed Virin Mary holding Baby Jesus. It is made of flour and water, pressed thin to resembe the wafer used in Holy Communion and has long been considered sacramental. In Poland this love filled Tradition is shared as dusk falls and the first star appears in the night sky. It is shared by each family member along with their sharing of their love, their hope for the future, for reconciliation, good health, growth in Gods grace or forgivness for their family. It is an example of keeping Christ in Christmas and the special lesson in this age old custom is unity of the family. At San Rafael each year, Father consecrates at least one and shares at the Table of the Lord multiple times before Epiphany. DAILY MASS SCHEDULE FOR EMs We are trying to perfect the EM experience at the daily Masses. In the past it has been kind of a dilemna to figure out who and whether you should begin to start to approach the altar to serve or not. By scheduling the EMs at these Masses there is no guesswork, it also offers a solution for all who wish to serve but can't tell how many others have the same idea. Some EMs have a favorite seat in the church that isn't necessarily close to the altar and so haven't had much chance to participate. The scheduling began at the end of January and will continue until further notice. If you wish to be a daily Mass attendee and would like to be part of the schedule for Monday thru Saturday morning, please email mrysnshne@gmail.com.
WHERE TO FIND THE SCHEDULES ON THE WEBSITE - Besides the schedule you receive by email you may also access the information by using our parish website, sanrafaelparish.org. Once on the website, choose Liturgy and you will see on the right hand side of the page the schedules for not only the Eucharistic Ministers but also the altar servers, lectors and many other ministry schedules. FILLING THE CIBORIA BEFORE THE ELEVATION - Not an easy task to complete especially if you are not at the altar and starting to fill immediately when even part of the ciboria are on the altar. Because the Elevation is part of the holiest part of the Mass and because all focus should be directed to it, please, when the elevation begins if you have not finished the task you must stop what you are doing until the elevation is over. You may continue then but you only have a very few minutes to finish while the Priest is dividing the Eucharist before serving the EMs. A suggestion is that generally the ciborium brought down from the tabernacle is very full, I start by moving a great portion of the contents of the Eucharist in that ciborium into the Priest's ciborium as it's easier than trying to lift them out of that smaller full ciborium. 2 CHECKING THE NUMBER OF CIBORIA BEFORE MASS You are all aware of the importance of knowing how many ciboria are in the tabernacle as you plan for your mass. While you check the credence table as part of your premass duties to be sure all is well (including checking to be sure a host is included with the Priest's chalice), may I suggest and will you consider counting the empty ciboria on the credence table to know how many are in the taberenacle for the next mass instead of opening the tabernacle when you arrive. There are a total of 6 being used at each mass. If there are four on the credence table then there are two in the tabernacle, 5 on the table means only one in the tabernacle. I'm sure you are aware that between masses folks are in the chapel praying and my hope is that you will recognize this and try to avoid any distractions to them when you open the tabernacle to see how many ciboria are in there,. Thanks for your consideration of this suggestion. ***************************************************************************** GRIDLOCK IN THE VESTIBULE BEFORE AND AFTER MASS It is important that Captains are available in the vestibule before Mass to greet their assistants at Mass, to greet those who have come to Mass that are EMs but not at the Mass that is starting to let it be known that they are there if needed. It's also very nice to see the teams enjoying each other's company at these times. However, there are folks trying to get into the cry room, altar servers coming in to the sacristy to prepare, lectors, homebound ministers taking care of their pyx in the sacristy, people coming in from the back door and there has been know to be near gridlock in the area of the schedule sign up area. It is important that we keep these areas open and available for people to be able to get by from all directions. Please be mindful of this jam, help all access the areas needed by possibly moving around the corner closer to the main doors of the sanctuary.
3 CONSECRATED OILS San Rafael displays behind the altar the three oils used in different ceremonies during the year. Knowing the difference between the oils, what the represent and how they are used is something I wished to learn more about. Here is what I discovered. The Chrism Mass Each year at Eastertime the local bishop blesses enough new oils for every parish during the Chrism Mass. The holy oils are then transported to individual parishes, where they are available for use during that year. Though the bishop cannot be physically present at every baptism or confirmation in his diocese, he can be symbolically present through the holy oils he blesses. After the Liturgy of the Word, the blessing of the oils takes place. In a formal procession, olive oil is brought forward in special urns; the oil of the sick is presented first, next the oil of the catechumens, and finally oil for the holy chrism. The bishop prays over and blesses each oil individually. The ritual for creating and consecrating the holy chrism is different from the others. To make it, the bishop mixes oil from the balsam plant with the olive oil, breathes on the mixed oil to signify the presence of the Holy Spirit, and then says a prayer to consecrate it. Once blessed in this way, the chrism and the other oils are no longer ordinary ointments. Instead, they are a holy, precious gift from God to the Church, signifying cleansing and strengthening, healing and comfort, and the life-giving grace of the Holy Spirit. TCA Oil of the Sick The Church makes use of three holy oils: the oil of the sick, the oil of the catechumens and the holy chrism oil. The first two are blessed, and the bishop consecrates the third, during the annual Chrism Mass. Each has a distinctive purpose in the Church. The oil of the sick, which is pure olive oil, is used for the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. While ideally celebrated with the community during the Mass for the anointing of the sick, this sacrament can be administered any time and in any place. The priest lays hands on the sick or elderly person, says special prayers and anoints the person by placing oil in the form of a cross on the forehead and hands. Through this sacrament, God gives the sick person grace and strength to bear the illness or infirmity. In addition, many Catholics have witnessed the power of this anointing to bring spiritual, emotional and even physical healing. Oil of the Catechumens Both adults and infants prior to baptism are anointed with the oil of the catechumens, which is also pure olive oil. For adults, this prebaptismal anointing often takes place during a special initiation ceremony when the person begins to prepare for the Sacrament of Baptism. At the beginning of the process known as the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), each person preparing for initiation is anointed with the oil of the catechumens. This rite most often takes place during Mass, prior to holy Communion. The priest or deacon anoints the catechumens. Then he prays that God will instill them with wisdom for discernment and with the strength necessary to avoid evil during their inquiry into the Catholic faith and their preparation for a life with Christ.
In a similar way, an infant is anointed just before receiving the waters of baptism. This anointing is to help the child ward off evil, avoid temptation and possess the faith necessary to carry the cross of Christ throughout life. 4 Holy Chrism Oil The third oil, holy chrism oil, is olive oil mixed with balsam. The oil symbolizes strength, and the fragrant balsam represents the "aroma of Christ" (2 Cor 2:15). Anointing with chrism oil signifies the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is used to consecrate someone or something to God's service. Each year we witness the use of the holy chrism when young people are confirmed, and at the Easter Vigil when adults are confirmed after baptism. The bishop traces the Sign of the Cross with chrism oil on the forehead of the one being confirmed and says, "[Name], be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit." Chrism oil is also part of the baptismal rite. Following an infant's baptism with water and before he receives the white garment, the cross with chrism oil is traced on the crown of the child's head, marking him as a Christian. Anointing on the head is also administered at the baptism of an adult if the person does not immediately receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. Holy chrism oil is used as well during the ordination of a priest (the Sacrament of Holy Orders) and the consecration of a bishop. It is the anointing used in the consecration of a church and the blessing of an altar and the vessels used at Mass. DID YOU EVER WONDER-When the new oils are received from the Diocese and presented at Mass at Eastertime, what happens to the oils that the clergy has used for the past entire year. To properly dispose of those oils, Msgr Mikulanis says that they are burned. The clergy crumple up paper, pour the leftover oils over the paper and burn it in the back yard of the rectory. As you may have noticed, I've been sending out several emails with important updates to the guidelines we should follow when we are serving at the Mass. I do very much appreciate that you have read them, that you are anxious to help by abiding by the suggestions to better what we do at the Table of the Lord. I'm hoping that this form of communication is sufficient as opposed to having mandatory meetings to be sure that we are doing things the same at all the Masses. Some of my email information will be repeated here for you to review again in the hopes that if you didn't get or read the email, this is your chance to refresh your memory. In 2019 I'm hoping that if we do have a group meeting that it be with the intent that we would use the time to enjoy each other's company, get to know each other better, and praise the Lord for how lucky we are to be able to serve as we do. LAST but very much not least is my gratitude to all of you faithful servers at the Lords Table. This church could not do without your help each and every day. When I have asked for help there are always many willing to share their time with this church. I am so appreciative of you all and hope that if there is anything I can do for you I will certainy try to help in return for your kindness to me since I've taken on this responsibiity. Thank you so much. AT THE CONCLUSION OF MASS - The Mass Captains after all masses except the noon Mass are responsible that all vessels are returned to the sacristy where they are purified, cleansed and returned to the credence table for the next mass. Of course we all stay until the music is finished after the dismissal and the clergy leaves the sanctuary. What you may not know is that the Captains appreciate the assistance of all Eucharistic Ministers in at least helping to carry the vessels back to the sacristy, carrying them reverently as they still contain particles of the sacred sacrament. The Captains only have 1/2 hour to complete this task before the next Mass starts and without help it's not always easy to accomplish. Your help with this is greatly appreciated even if your Captains are so busy they forget to thank you for your help because they really do. Please consider helping, it doesn't take long. Along with this request, remember that one person should only be carrying two ciboria at any time, one in each hand IF EMPTY. IF FULL, ONLY ONE SHOULD BE CARRIED. They are sacred vessels.
And of course, here comes the map again. It stays the same but where we go with our vessel on some Sundays seems to get a little creative sometimes, review the map every so often so that we look like that symphony in motion that it should be when we take our places. 5