Day of Reflection: A “tune-up” for St. Anne’s Lay Ministers
Some 50 St. Anne’s parishioners gathered recently to reflect on their roles as lay ministers. The group included everyone involved in our liturgies, ranging from lectors, to Eucharistic ministers, to ushers and choir members. The event was coordinated by Marian Young, Pastoral Assistant for faith formation and liturgy.

The highlight of the event was a presentation by Geoff Duffy, Pastoral Assistant for music and liturgy at St. Joseph parish, who invited us to take a deeper look at the role of lay ministers (and parishioners in general) in the Mass. Here are some of his key points:

The Gathering
• This opening part of the Mass says “let’s reconnect the body of Christ.”
• There should be a climate of hospitality.
• The people of God have the primary role in the liturgy; even the priest is secondary to the role of the people.
• We are all ministers of hospitality. How can we be more welcoming?

Singing at Mass
• When we sing, we pray twice.
• Singing unites us.
• If you can’t sing at least open the hymnal and follow along. Ministers are role models. We should all sing.
• Why do we sing our praises? It reminds us of what God has done for us.

Liturgy of the Word
• We are proclaiming the Word of God.
• When the lector finishes a reading, he says “the word (Singular) of God because Jesus is the pre-eminent word of God. Jesus is the word we proclaim and lectors should think about this.
• The word of God bridges the gap between God and us. God comes a little bit closer.

The Eucharist
• The Word elicits a response and the Eucharist is the response. That is the point of liturgy – to hear the Word and respond.
• The Eucharistic Prayer is “the center and summit” of the celebration – not the reception of the Eucharist.
• It is a community prayer. The priest voices the prayer for us.
• In the Eucharistic prayer we ask God to transform the bread and wine – and all things (including you and me). We are transformed.

The Sending Out
• The final blessing of the Mass is critically important. We come to the Mass so that we can be blessed and sent out into the world to do God’s work. If you didn’t hear the final blessing, you missed the point.
• We should not leave church feeling comfortable. We should feel a little on edge. The world outside is calling us to action for those who are without. Our role is to help build the Kingdom of God on earth.