At the Service of the Eucharist A Practical Guide for Liturgical Ministry at St. Clare Parish October 16, 2013
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Table of Contents PREPARATION FOR MASS FOR ALL MINISTERS.4 PROCESSIONS (Entrance and Exit)....6 LITURGICAL ASSISTANT (LA) Church Set-up (LA or SACRISTAN) 7 Preparation of the Altar..8 Presentation of the Gifts..9 Communion Rite 9-10 ALTAR SERVERS.....11-12 Instructions for Altar Servers for Masses Without an LA..13-14 READERS......15-16 USHERS/GREETERS...17-18 EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS..19-20 GLOSSARY....21 MINISTRY SCHEDULERS 22-23 3
PREPARATION FOR MASS FOR ALL MINISTERS Please arrive at the church 20 minutes before you are scheduled to assist at Mass. This allows time for interior peace of mind to develop and external physical preparation within this holy place. General thoughts If you aspire to liturgical ministerial service, please be mindful of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal governing your service. The reverence with which you approach the Eucharist will encourage others to do the same. All who engage in ministry can exhibit their devotion to these sacred mysteries in several ways: 1. By entering the church mindful that this a holy place, a place of prayer and quiet. The People of God seeking holiness have prayed in this church, been graced with the Sacraments, been inspired by the Word; and the faithfully departed have gone forth from here; 2. By dressing appropriately (i.e., no shorts, cut-offs, tank tops, t-shirts with slogans, or flip-flops); 3. By rediscovering that which the Church considers sacred and being submissive to its call. a) The altar is the focal point within the church whereby the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. One makes a profound bow to the altar as a way to recognize its presence. b) The tabernacle is the place of reservation of the Body and Blood of Christ. It reminds us of the many Eucharistic celebrations to which we and our community have been invited. If one is physically able the Church asks that the faithful genuflect on one s right knee. 4
PROCESSIONS Entrance Procession With the Cross Bearer in front, followed by Altar Servers, followed by the L.A. on the choir side and Reader One on the tabernacle side, the Celebrant processing last, the entrance procession moves into the church at the beginning of second verse of the song. Once the entrance procession has arrived at the foot of the sanctuary in the center of the church, everyone should line up in front of the altar. Taking their cue from the Celebrant, all bow from the waist in unison, the Reader and Liturgical Assistant go to their seats on the celebrant s bench near the east transept. The cross bearer places the cross in the stand on the tabernacle side of the sanctuary and the altar servers place their candles on the stands near the altar. Exit Procession After the recessional hymn begins at the completion of Mass and the celebrant has moved to the foot of the sanctuary in the center of the church, the Reader and the L.A., Cross Bearer and Altar Servers shall line up in the same order they were in for the entrance procession. Taking their cue from the Celebrant, after bowing from the waist, they shall proceed out of the church in the same order in which they entered. 5
LITURGICAL ASSISTANT Overview Please plan to arrive 20 minutes before the time of Mass to set up. When everything is ready, please take this time to engage in quiet prayer. Try to limit walking in the sanctuary to reverential action so that the sanctuary might be maintained as a place of meditation for those who are praying in church. Church Set-up by Liturgical Assistant or Sacristan Immediate preparation is primarily the role of the L.A. or a Sacristan. In addition, look at the sign-up sheet in the west sacristy to make sure that the necessary number of bread and cup ministers as well as ushers are present for the Mass. A few minutes before Mass is to begin, go to the north entrance of the church to join the celebrant and reader, ready to begin the entrance procession. The Liturgical Assistant (L.A.) or a Sacristan should make sure that everything is ready. 1. Place the flagon filled with wine at the north entrance of the church, and the ciboria at each entrance of the church filled with some of the unconsecrated hosts and tongs. 2. Make sure that the Eucharistic cups and purificators as well as the bowl for the washing of the hands and a finger towel are placed on the credence table. Fill each cup with two ounces of wine, leaving one cup unfilled. Use the measuring cup located in the closet where supplies for Mass are located. 3. When placing the purificators on the credence table, make sure the number of purificators is equal to the number of cups, Place two corporals side-by-side in the front and center of the altar with the seams down. Corporals, purificators and finger towels are located in the upper drawers on the right side of the vesting bureau. 4. Please make sure that the candles in the sanctuary have been lighted by the servers if the servers are present. Butane lighters are located in upper far left drawer of the vesting bureau and the candle lighter can be found on the south wall of the sacristy. After lighting the candles, extinguish the lighter, moving the wick into the brass stem. Before leaving, push the wick back outside of the stem to ensure that it moves freely before putting the candle lighter back in place. 6
5. Make sure the lights are on in the church. The preset switches are located on the north wall of the sacristy to left of the vesting bureau. For Sunday Mass, press the preset marked 1. 6. Make sure that the tabernacle key is placed in the tabernacle and that the key turns easily in the lock. The tabernacle key is located in the top center cabinet of the vesting bureau. The key for that cabinet is located in the drawer immediately to the left. 7. Check to make sure that all assigned Readers, Bread and Cup Ministers as well as ushers are present recruiting as needed. 8. When everything is prepared, please go to the entrance of the church for the procession, ready to begin. At the end of Mass, bring the vessels into the sacristy cleansing them at the workroom sink, check to make sure that the candles in the sanctuary have been extinguished by the altar servers, turn off the lights in the church, and return the tabernacle key to the sacristy. 7
The Preparation of the Altar After the Prayer of the Faithful, the L.A. will reverently prepare the altar for the Eucharistic celebration. Since this action augments and coincides with the taking up of the offertory collection, there is no need to hurry; be mindful of your timing. From the credence table, take the cups by the neck and place them on the right side of the corporal, being careful not to block the Celebrant s view of the missal. Place the purificators on the altar.* When finished, return momentarily to the bench. When the Celebrant stands up to receive the gifts, go with him to the foot of the sanctuary on the choir side and stand next to Celebrant. He will hand you the flagon and ciborium. Proceed to the credence table, dropping off the flagon, and then to the altar and wait for the celebrant to take the ciborium from you. Then, return to the credence table. *If there are Altar Servers present they should take the responsibility of bringing the cups and purificator to the L.A. who then remains in the upper sanctuary. 8
Presentation of the Gifts to the Celebrant At the credence table, it is important to remember that you represent the community in presenting the gifts to the Celebrant. So, reverently take the following from the credence table: After having removed the stoppers, take the flagon with the wine and the cruet of water to the corner of the altar and be ready to hand the flagon to the Celebrant by holding the flagon in the palm of your hand. When he has filled his chalice, he will return the flagon and then take the water cruet. While handing the cruet, it is easier for the receiver if the giver turns the handle of the cruet toward the receiver. When he returns the water cruet, return to the credence table. Take the glass bowl, place the finger towel over your left arm, return to the corner of the altar and prepare to pour water over the Celebrant s hands; once you have poured a small amount of water over his hands, extend your arm so that he can dry his fingers on the towel; return the bowl, towel and water cruet to the credence table.* Then go to a place where you can kneel for the Eucharistic Prayer. The Communion Rite Before the end of the Sign of Peace, check to make sure that Bread Minister One has gone to the tabernacle, opened it, genuflected (or, if unable, made a profound bow), removed the ciborium from the tabernacle and taken it to the upper sanctuary. After all the Extraordinary Ministers have received communion under both species from the Celebrant, the celebrant will give each of the bread ministers a ciborium. Then all ministers will go to their assigned communion station. *If there are servers present they should take the place of the L.A. for the washing of the hands. 9
When giving communion, elevate the host before the recipient and say, The Body of Christ. Do not personalize this by adding a person s name, even if you know the recipient. If you drop a host on the floor, pick it up immediately and consume it. For those who are seeking a blessing, as you touch the individual s forehead, you can either say, God bless you or a more formal blessing, Until the day you receive the Body and Blood of Christ, may God bless you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. After communion, the Celebrant will take the ciborium from each bread minister, combine the hosts into the one large ciborium, and return it to Bread Minister One, who then returns it to the tabernacle. Before closing and locking the tabernacle door, genuflect to the Eucharist within the tabernacle. While standing at the credence table, remove the stopper from the water cruet, return to the choir side of the altar. Wait for the Celebrant to take the water cruet. Be prepared to accept the cruet, the cleansed vessels and the corporal as the celebrant hands them to you; place them on the credence table. This completes your tasks and you may return to your seat on the Celebrant s bench. At the end of Mass, pause while the Celebrant moves forward to kiss the altar, and follow him the front of the sanctuary. When he is ready to exit, he will make a profound bow bow with him and then leave down the aisle as instructed on page 5. 10
ALTAR SERVERS PLEASE ARRIVE 15 MINUTES BEFORE MASS AND: 1. Go to the workroom and sign in on the sheet next to the Sacristy door. 2. Get dressed: put on your alb (robe), cross, and cincture (belt). 3. Light the candles. Entrance Procession 1. Line up at the back of the church in this order: cross bearer, candles, Reader and Liturgical Assistant (LA), Celebrant (priest) 2. Wait until the second verse of the gathering song before beginning the procession. 3. When you process to the front of the church, line up in front of the altar and wait for presider. Bow when he does, then walk to your chair, putting the candles back on their bases. The Cross Bearer (if altar serving) sits across the sanctuary from the Altar Servers, by the processional cross. Sit down whenever the assembly does. Gospel 1. Procession: The Celebrant will get up and start walking around the altar. Just as he walks up to the Candle Bearer closest to him, the other Candle Bearer (closest to the assembly) walks in front of the Celebrant to lead the procession. The Candle Bearer closest to the Celebrant will join the procession after the Celebrant passes (Candle Bearer, Celebrant, Candle Bearer). The procession pauses at the middle of the altar, where you bow with the Celebrant. You then get your candles and continue walking to the designated places in front of the ambo, with the Celebrant walking in between you. 2. Stand in front of the ambo, in your designated places, and face one another while the Celebrant continues walking to the ambo. When the Celebrant is finished reading he puts the book on the rack in front of the ambo, and you put your candles back and return to your seat. 11
During Collection 1. Help the Liturgical Assistant bring up the cups and the purificators. Please wait for the Liturgical Assistant to direct you. 2. AS SOON AS YOU ARE FINISHED HELPING, get your candles and go to the back of the church for the procession with the gifts. Washing of Hands 1. Go back to the credence table immediately after returning from the pro cession. One Altar Server gets the towel and the empty bowl, and the other waits for the Liturgical Assistant to hand over the cruet of water. 2. When the Celebrant comes to wash his hands, he will hold them over the bowl. The Server with the cruet pours the water over the Celebrant s hands. Eucharistic Prayer and Communion 1. After the Holy, Holy, Holy, kneel quietly with your hands folded. 2. Walk up to the Celebrant and the LA and hold hands for the Lord s Prayer. 3. Stand on the step by your chair during the Lamb of God. Receive communion and return to you seat. Recessional (After the Final Blessing) 1. When the Celebrant kisses the altar, get your candles. 2. Line up in front of the altar with the Celebrant. 3. When the Celebrant nods, LEAD the procession to the back of the church. 4. Return the candles to their bases. After changing, please hang up your albs on hangers and put the crosses and cinctures on the hooks on the right wall. 12
Instructions for Altar Servers for Masses Without an LA Presentation of the Gifts/Preparation of the Table 1. The Candle Bearers do not lead the procession of the gifts. 2. When the Celebrant gets up to receive the gifts, the Head Altar Server goes behind the upper sanctuary steps to the credence table and waits for the Candle Bearers to return. The Candle Bearers follow the Celebrant to the front of the altar. The Celebrant hands the Book of Intentions to one of the Candle Bearers who then places it on the stand on the table in front of the altar. 3. The other Candle Bearer takes the cruet filled with wine from the Celebrant and places it on the credence table. 4. The two Candle Bearers take two cups each and, grabbing them by the neck go to the upper sanctuary, stand at the edge of the altar and wait for the Celebrant to take them. Return to the credence table. Next, one of the Candle Bearers takes the remaining two cups and the other Candle Bearer takes the two ciboria and goes to the upper sanctuary, standing at the edge of the altar and waits for the Celebrant to take them. Return to the credence table and be seated. After removing the stoppers from the cruets, the Head Altar Server takes the cruets filled with water and wine to the upper sanctuary, and stands at the edge of the altar and waits for the Celebrant to take them. When he gives back the cruets, return to the credence table. 5. The Head Altar Server at the credence table, places the towel on his/ her arm and then takes the water cruet and the empty bowl to the upper sanctuary, and stands at the edge of the altar. When the Celebrant comes to wash his hands, he will hold them over the bowl. The Head Altar Server pours the water from the cruet over the Celebrant s hands. The Celebrant will take the towel, dry his hands and place it back on the Head Altar Server s arm. Return to the credence table and place the bowl, towel, and pitcher of water to the credence table and return to his/ her seat by walking behind the upper sanctuary. 13
Eucharistic Prayer and Communion 1. After the Holy, Holy, Holy, the Head Altar Server and two Candle Bearers kneel quietly with your hands folded. 2. Walk up to the Celebrant and hold hands for the Lord s Prayer. 3. After the Lord s Prayer, stand on the top level of the sanctuary by corner of the altar during the Lamb of God, Head Altar Server on the tabernacle side and Candle Bearers on the choir. 4. Receive communion and return to your seat. Post Communion 1. When the Celebrant returns from giving communion and he has taken the cups from the Eucharistic Ministers, the Head Altar Server brings the water cruet to the upper sanctuary, and stands at the edge of the altar. 2. The Celebrant will take the cruet, pour the water into the cups and then hand the cruet back to the head Altar Server, who then returns to the credence table and places the cruet on it. Meanwhile, the Candle Bearers go to the upper sanctuary, and stand at the edge of the altar. The Celebrant will hand each of them two cups. Return them to the credence and then return to the upper sanctuary. The Celebrant will hand one of the Candle Bearers two more cups and one of the Candle Bearers, two ciboria. The head Altar Server goes to the upper sanctuary. The Celebrant will hand him/her the ciborium covered with the corporal. Important Reminders for Altar Servers: Most important of all, you need to participate FULLY in the Mass. To be a good role model for other parishioners, please be reverent when altar serving. That means that you are walking slowly, bowing in front of the altar with folded hands, listening to the Word of God, singing, and praying at appropriate times. Finally, please BE ON TIME. If you are not signed in on the sheet by 10 minutes before the Mass, you will be replaced if possible. 14
READERS General Remember that Reading is part of the Mass. As such, it carries great responsibility as an integral component of the sacrifice and worship activity. The Reader must remember that he or she is not reading the Word, but rather proclaiming the Word. There is a big difference To proclaim well the Word of God, the Reader must prepare by praying for an understanding of the reading and the assistance for delivery. Reading all the readings for the Mass may be helpful in preparing for ones assigned reading. Proclaimers of the Word are ministers of Christ s presence and grace. At Mass: First Reader ARRIVE EARLY to inspect the podium to insure the Lectionary is open to the proper reading, and the prayers of the faithful and the announcements are in place. The 2nd reader starts first by reading the announcements at the podium. The priest will give you a visual cue when to begin. The 1 st reader begins at the rear of the church as part of the procession to the Altar when the priest is ready to begin. You will stand to the right of the Liturgical Assistant. The first reader steps off to the side and waits for the priest to bow before he steps up to the altar, and then sits down beside the priest. [If there is no LA, the First Reader can stay in the pews by the Tabernacle.] When it is your turn to read, approach the front of the altar, stop, bow and go slowly and with reverence to the podium approaching from the rear. 15
[If a particular Mass does not have a choir or cantor to lead the Responsorial Psalm, Reader I will stay at the ambo right after he/she reads the first reading, pauses then reads the psalm from the Book] Second Reader proceeds to the ambo for the second reading only after the Responsorial Psalm cantor is seated. When finished with your reading, turn the page if that is where the next reading is. First Reader stands up to do the Prayer of the Faithful, and approaches the ambo (go across the rear of the altar) after the presider has introduced the prayers. Do not return to your seat until the priest has completed the prayers. Both the frist and second Readers go to the front of the altar with the priest to receive the gifts. The second Reader stands to the left of the first Reader who stands to the left of the priest. The first Reader hands the book of prayer to the second Reader or the money basket, whichever is given to him or her first. The money is placed in front of the altar on the right side. The book of prayer should be opened (it will have place keeper ribbon on the correct page) and placed on the stand in front of the altar. The second Reader does the announcements after the Prayer after Communion. The first Reader processes out with the priest after standing to his right at the front of the altar and bowing with him prior to exit. [IMPORTANT NOTE:]f it happens that there is only one Reader available for the Mass, the Reader present will read all the readings: the Welcome, Prayer of the Faithful and the Announcements as well. When this is the case, the reader does not need to process in the beginning of the Mass.] 16
USHERS/GREETERS Arrival: 20 minutes before Mass to greet people. Greeting: greet incoming parishioners at your assigned door. If the church is crowded, direct people to empty seats. Presentation of the Gifts: At the end of the Prayer of the Faithful when everyone is sitting down: get a basket located at the intersection of the nave and the transept closest to you. stand at the end of the first pew in either the east or west transept. When all ushers are in place, bow together and start taking up the collection. One Usher stands in the side aisle, and the other stands in the center aisle. The Usher in the side aisle passes the basket to the first row, and the one in the center aisle passes the basket to the second row. Repeat the process until all pews have been served. When the transept collection is completed, wait at the intersection of the nave and the transept until all Ushers are ready to proceed to the nave. Follow the same procedure for collecting the offering in the nave. Empty all the money and envelopes into a rectangular basket when after you have finished. [Some Ushers may be asked to bring up some of the gifts.] Bring the empty basket back to its original place. Follow the above procedure for a second collection. After Mass: Two Ushers (not related) should go to the sacristy, place the money in a plastic bag, and sign your names on the bag and in the record book of collections (on the counter). 17
Collect the money from the cup under the votive candles in the west transept and place it in a zippered bag marked candle money, located underneath the sacristy counter where the money bags are kept. Follow the same procedure for collecting the money from the poor fund boxes located at each church entrance, and place it in the zippered bag marked, poor fund. Place the money bags in the slot with wooden doors to the left of the inside main door of the Parish Office. Please make sure to shut the wooden doors of the slot after dropping the money bags. 5 pm & 8:30 am Mass: Remove all debris from the pews and book racks, and place the books with the spine side up in the book racks. The Mass cards are placed in front of the books in the racks. 18
Breaking of the Bread BREAD AND CUP MINISTERS As an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, one must be delegated to exercise this ministry. This delegation is given by the Church in several ways: 1) by office as an instituted acolyte; 2) temporarily from the Archbishop for a particular term; 3) or temporarily by the celebrant at the time of service. At St. Clare, this temporary delegation is given by the celebrant when he gives the ciborium or cup to each extraordinary minister. This act of delegation is intended to uphold the dignity of the Eucharist. During the Presentation of the Gifts, the Bread Ministers get the ciboria from their respective transepts, and bring them to the Celebrant with the Gifts. At the Sign of Peace, Bread and Cup Ministers go to the upper sanctuary and use hand sanitizers. Bread ministers and the Liturgical Assistant then go to the tabernacle side. Cup ministers go to the south and choir side. Bread Minister One should go to the tabernacle, open it, genuflect (or, if unable, make a profound bow), remove the ciborium (with lid) from the tabernacle and take it to the upper sanctuary. Do not set the ciborium on the altar yourself but stand at the ambo side of the altar and wait for the Celebrant to take it from you. The Celebrant will give the Body of Christ to each Extraordinary Minister and then will give each of them the Blood of Christ. He will leave the cup with the Cup Minister along with a purificator. After all have received the cup and the Celebrant has given a ciborium to each of the Bread ministers, Cup and Bread Ministers go to their assigned station. 19
Distribution of Communion Cup Ministers shall stand far enough back from the Celebrant or Bread Ministers so as to avoid a line forming between receiving the host to drinking from the cup. When giving a host to a communicant, elevate the host before the recipient and say, The Body of Christ. Do not personalize this by adding a person s name. If you drop a host on the floor, pick it up immediately and consume it. For those who are seeking a blessing, as you touch the individual s forehead, you can either say, God bless you or a more formal blessing, Until the day you receive the Body and Blood of Christ, may God bless you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. When sharing the cup, elevate the cup and say, The Blood of Christ. Do not personalize this by adding a person s name. Present the cup to each person who wishes to receive it; after each one drinks, wipe the rim of the cup with the purificator, give the cup a quarter turn and present it to the next communicant. If your cup is empty before the end of communion, remain at your station but place the purificator over the top of the cup. Should you unfortunately spill any of the wine, use the purificator to clean up. When no more parishioners are coming up to you for communion or a blessing, especially in the transepts, look and see if the nave line is still quite long. If so, move to help make sure that everyone receives communion. All ministers remain at their assigned stations until the Celebrant returns to the altar, then all return to the upper sanctuary. If all the Precious Blood has not been consumed from your cup, please consume it. If you can t consume it, please ask a fellow Eucharistic Minister to do so. Wait in the upper sanctuary until all have finished. The Celebrant will pour a small amount of water into your cup. Gently swirl the water around the cup, drink the contents, wipe the cup dry and then return the cup to the credence table, and return to your seat. 20
Glossary of Terms AMBO The stand from which the reader proclaims the Word ALTAR The table where the celebrant offers the Holy Sacrifice. It should be reverenced with a profound bow from the hips. CREDENCE TABLE Small table to the side of the altar where the sacred vessels are arranged. CIBORIUM, CIBORIA (pl.) The bowl that contains the hosts. CHALICE The larger sacred vessel in the form of a cup. It is the one used by the celebrant. CHURCH LOCATIONS: VESTIBULE Formal entrance to the church. NAVE Body of the church where the congregation sits. SANCTUARY The part of the church where the altar is located and which is reserved as a sacred space for the liturgy. SACRISTY A reserved space near the sanctuary that is a place of preparation for Mass. It contains supplies for the Mass and contains the lavabo or sink where the sacred vessels are sanitized at the conclusion of Mass. TRANSEPT Seating areas adjacent to the nave. CUP The smaller of the sacred vessels from which one drinks the Precious Blood. It is used by the cup ministers. LINENS: CORPORAL A square piece of linen with a cross in the center that is placed on the altar during Mass and exposition. It is folded in such a way as to prevent desecration of the Eucharistic Bread. FINGER TOWEL Small towel used to dry the priest s hands. PURIFICATOR Rectangular towel with cross in the center folded in three. It is used by cup ministers to wipe the cup after each use. It is also used by the celebrant to purify the sacred vessels when concluding the Communion Rite. TABERNACLE The gold box near the sanctuary. It is the place of reservation of the Blessed Sacrament. It should be venerated with a genuflection or a profound bow if one is physically unable to genuflect. 21
St. Clare Ministry Scheduler for Scheduling Volunteers How it Works 1. Volunteer is entered into the scheduler and receives a Welcome 22
St. Clare Ministry Scheduler for Volunteer Scheduling Sub Requests and Fill-ins To Request a Sub: Option 1 Login to the Web Terminal Ministry Scheduler Under My Schedule Tab, you will see a list of all your upcoming service times and positions Click on the request for sub link and follow the prompts to confirm. Option 2 When you receive a message notifying you of your service schedule, click on the request for sub link. It will take you to the Web Terminal Ministry Schedule, login if needed, then follow the prompts to confirm. Please note, requesting a sub does not necessarily mean your position will be filled. Your help is needed to follow up on the request and help find a sub to fill your position. To Accept a Sub Request: When a sub is requested, you will receive an email notification. If you would like to accept the position, click on the volunteer now link and it will take you to the Web Terminal, login if needed, then follow the prompts to confirm. Thank you for your service to our community! Please send any questions to stclareministryscheduler@gmail.com, or feel free to call the Parish office at 503.244.1037. 23
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