St. Mary's Liturgical Ministries

"God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission...." John Henry Newman

Our goal is to facilitate the varied aspects of prayer experience at St. Mary's.

Art & Environment Ministry:

Responsible for the interior worship environment for all the major liturgical seasons and celebrations. Whether your interest is in art, sewing, flower arrangement (or you just enjoy the peaceful calm of ironing!), there is a place for you. Commitment: flexible; concentration just prior to the major seasons, i.e. Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter.

Altar Linen Care: This ministry involves the regular laundering and care of our altar linens and purificators.
Plant Care: Take responsibility for the regular care and watering of our flowers and plants inside the Church and Commons areas. Commitment is based on a rotational schedule.

Altar Ministry & Youth Altar Ministry:

Serve at the altar to assist the presider. Our ideal is to have a team of one adult and one youth (7th grade and up) to serve at each Eucharistic Celebration. Training is provided. Commitment is based on a rotational schedule.

Eucharistic Ministry:

Eucharistic Ministers are entrusted with the work of ministering Christ's Body and Blood to the Body of Christ....the Church. Eucharistic Ministers assist with the distribution of Communion at every celebration of Mass. Training is provided. Commitment is based on a rotational schedule.

Lector Ministry:

As a community of faith, we share the Word of God at all liturgical celebrations. Lectors prepare and proclaim Scripture readings on an assigned basis. Training is provided. Commitment is based on a rotational schedule.

Hospitality Ministry:

"...liturgy flourishes in a climate of hospitality..." NCCB Bishop's Committee on the Liturgy
St. Mary's Parish is committed to the scriptural message of hospitality. To this end, we have Hospitality Ministers and Usher Ministers present at each Mass.

Hospitality Ministers greet people as they enter the Worship Space and distribute worship aids. They also coordinate the offertory procession and distribute Bulletins after Mass. They assist with 'post-liturgy' tidying up in preparation for the next celebration.
Usher Ministers greet and assist in seating members of the assembly and are attentive to visitors or newcomers to the parish, directing them to available seating. They also facilitate the offertory collection and assist in post-liturgy preparation for the next celebration.

Training is provided. Commitment is based on a rotational schedule.

Youth Liturgical Ministry:

Opportunities in Liturgical Ministry are available as: Altar Minister (7th grade and up); Lectors (7th grade and up); Eucharistic Ministers (10th grade and up).

Children's Liturgy of the Word Prayer Leader:

Children's Liturgy of the Word is an opportunity for young children to hear the Word of God in a age-appropriate forum. Children are dismissed from the 9:30am and 11:15am Masses each week (except during Baptisms and First Eucharist Sundays). Prayer Leaders proclaim the reading using the children's Lectionary and "break open" these readings for the children to understand what God is saying. Commitment is flexible and Prayer Leaders serve approximately every six weeks. Resources and guides as well as training is provided to support our Leaders. **Middle and High School Youth are encouraged to participate as Leaders in this ministry.**

Nursery:

We offer a co-op nursery during our 9:30am and 11:15am Masses each week. Parents who choose to use this nursery are asked to volunteer twice every three months to support this program. Sign up sheet is outside the nursery.