Thank you for your devotion to Jesus in the Blessed and Sacrament and for your interest in service at the Altar. Pope Francis tells us that serving at the Altar is a way to grow closer to Jesus which "enables you to open yourselves to others, to journey together, to set demanding goals and to find the strength to achieve them." Altar servers may be any age, but must be Roman Catholic and have received their First Holy Communion.

Service involves full and active participation in the Mass.  

• Please arrive 15 minutes before Mass for any special duties for this Mass: baptism, incense, chalice exchange, etc.
• Coordinate with the other Server beforehand so that there is minimal talking during Mass.
• Focus on the ambo when the Scripture Readings are proclaimed, and respond by singing the Psalm and Acclamations.
• Your actions should follow the actions of the faithful. Do not move about the sanctuary unless it is an appropriate time or breaks in parts of the Mass.
• Keep your focus on the Altar when the priest is there.
• Throughout the Mass, please make sure that your posture indicates that you are paying attention, and avoid distracting movements like slouching, crossing and uncrossing your legs, or the ever-popular cincture twirl. All this is important so that the people can pray as they see us praying.
• Please help clean-up after Mass: extinguish candles, cleaning vessels in sacristy, etc.

Download the full Altar Server Guidelines for your convenience. There are also extra copies in the sacristy if needed. 

In every celebration of the Eucharist, there should be a sufficient number of ministers of Holy Communion so that it may be distributed in a reverent and orderly manner. Bishops, priests and deacons distribute Holy Communion by virtue of their office as ordinary ministers of the Body and Blood of the Lord. When the size of the congregation requires it, the celebrant may be assisted by other bishops, priests, or deacons. If such ordinary ministers of Holy Communion are not present, the priest may call upon extraordinary ministers to assist him.

Extraordinary Ministers must be fully initiated, confirmed members of the Roman Catholic Church in good standing. All ministers of Holy Communion show the greatest reverence for the Most Holy Eucharist by their demeanor, their attire, and the manner in which they handle the consecrated bread or wine. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion receive sufficient spiritual, theological, and practical preparation to fulfill their role with knowledge and reverence during their initial training session, and at the yearly 1-hour meeting. In all matters we follow the guidance of the diocesan bishop (Norms for the Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion Under Both Kinds for the Dioceses of the United States of America, NDRHC, no. 28) which is printed (in part) on the back of the guidelines page

Our Extraordinary Ministers do not follow a schedule. Ministers simply take a cross from the board outside the Sacristy as they enter for Mass. 

The lector is appointed to read the word of God in the liturgical assembly. Accordingly, the lector reads the lessons from sacred Scripture (the priest proclaims Gospel); recites the psalms between the readings (if there is no cantor), and presents the intentions for General Intercessions (when the deacon is absent). The Liturgy of the Word is to be celebrated in a manner so that the action of the Holy Spirit allows the words proclaimed to be grasped by the heart of the listener.  The sacred texts are to be pronounced in a loud and clear voice. It is appropriate to observe such periods of silence, for example, before the Liturgy of the Word itself begins, after the First and Second Reading, and at the conclusion of the Homily.

This quote from the General Instruction of the Roman Missal indicates the importance of the Ministry of Lector:

“When the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself speaks to his people, and Christ, present in his word, proclaims the Gospel. Therefore, the readings from the Word of God are to be listened to reverently by everyone, for they are an element of the greatest importance in the Liturgy. Although in the readings from Sacred Scripture the Word of God is addressed to all people of whatever era and is understandable to them, a fuller understanding and a greater efficaciousness of the word is nevertheless fostered by a living commentary on the word, that is, by the Homily, as part of the liturgical action.” 

The Hospitality Minister: Greeter/Usher warmly welcomes, and greets everyone with the love of Christ. This is one of our most visible and important ministries since greeters and ushers create a positive experience for our guests and a lasting impression. It is one of the reasons our guests return and become regular attendees.

Hospitality Ministers make a commitment to 4:30pm, 8:30am or 10:30am Masses. There is a training session every year, and those who join us are issued a name badge so that the faithful can identify them as someone who can help.  During the training sessions we make sure that each minister can help the faithful find the restrooms, welcome packets, or the wheel chair if needed. Familiarity with what to do in case of emergencies is vital to this ministry.

Need content for this section!!!