Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
“Oh Divine Jesus, lonely tonight in so many tabernacles, without visitor or worshipper”.
Is Jesus important enough to you to set aside one special hour each week to be with Him? Imagine the Pope wanting you to set aside one specific hour each week to be with him! Overjoyed, you would feel like the most important person in the world. You would let nothing interfere with your meeting with someone so important. Should you treat our Blessed Lord with any less dignity?
Because people can’t see Jesus, they take His love and presence in the Blessed Sacrament for granted. People are hesitant in making a commitment for a specific hour because they let everything else come before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
Your faith will make this commitment easy! “Faith is confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do not see.”
Your willingness to choose an assigned hour is a precious expression of your faith that Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is welcomed, loved, and adored by you.
Extraordinary Eucharistic Ministers
What better way to draw closer to our Lord than to feed His people, not only with His Precious Body and Blood, but by showing through example your faith, love and hope in God and in His only Son, Jesus.
It is a blessing, filled with grace, a gift from the Holy Spirit and a privilege to serve God in this way.
After training and written instructions, you will be called upon to serve about twice a month. There will be a class which you must attend, about three or four hours long, sometime in the future, in order for you to be commissioned as an Extra- ordinary Minister of Communion.
The duties include necessary preparations for Communion before Mass, assisting the Priest in the distribution of Holy Communion and the washing of the Consecration and Communion vessels after Mass. This is a joy-filled ministry!
Lector Ministry
The Lector Ministry is open to men and women of the parish who exhibit the qualities and skills necessary to serve the Lord and His Church through the proclamation of Scripture. Depending on the number of lectors, you could expect to serve at one or two masses per month, and assignments are flexible. Interested candidates are encouraged to initiate the screening and training process at any time and the rewards are heavenly.
Music Ministry
This ministry provides music, instrumental and choral, for the Saturday and Sunday Masses, plus Holy Days of obligation and special liturgies.
To belong to this ministry, you can play a musical instrument such as the piano, organ, guitar, flute, etc. and/or sing in the choir.
We rehearse on Wednesday at 7:00 PM in the church, unless changed by the music coordinator.
Sacristy
The care of the church is a privilege, encompassing many different facets. This includes the upkeep of sacred linens, the cleaning of the candles and the over- seeing of all items used during the administration of the Sacraments. Training is available for individuals willing to give time to the Lord.
Flowers
A group already exists for the beautification of the church. Additional men and women are always welcome to join us. A desire to arrange flowers and help during the high feasts is all that is required. Training, of course, is ongoing.
Ushers
While there are other duties the ushers tend to, the primary responsibilities are:
- Welcome and assist parishioners to seats in the church
- Take up offertory collections
- Assist parishioners in bringing up gifts of bread & wine to the altar
- Guide parishioners to the altar during distribution of the Eucharist
- Hand out parish bulletins at the end of Mass
Normally, three ushers are assigned for each Mass. We try to maintain a roster large enough so that each volunteer is assigned about once a month. During Advent and Lent, some volunteers will serve twice a month. Of course, we are always looking for more people to join us. Our scheduling is flexible enough to allow you to switch dates with another volunteer if you find yourself unable to attend your scheduled date.
Women and men 18 and older are welcome to join this ministry. The only other requirement is that you be present about 30 minutes prior to the start of Mass on the date of your assignment. This allows time to tend to duties and greet parishioners before Mass.