Parish Minstries

According to the Second Vatican Council in its Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosantum Concilium),

The Church… earnestly desires that Christ's faithful, when present at this mystery of faith, should not be there as strangers or silent spectators; on the contrary, through a good understanding of the rites and prayers they should take part in the sacred action conscious of what they are doing, with devotion and full collaboration. They should be instructed by God's word and be nourished at the table of the Lord's body; they should give thanks to God; by offering the Immaculate Victim, not only through the hands of the priest, but also with him, they should learn also to offer themselves; through Christ the Mediator, they should be drawn day by day into ever more perfect union with God and with each other, so that finally God may be all in all (Sacrosantum Concilium, 48),

According to St. Augustine of Hippo, “Singing is praying twice!” The choir is open to anyone high school age and older. We rehearse weekly and sing at the Sunday 9 am Mass. We sing a variety of genres, but our primary function is to aid the congregation in participating in the hymns, psalms and Mass parts.

We rehearse on Wednesday from 3:30 - 5:15 in the church.

In addition, we occasionally have need for instruments such as flute or violin. If you are interested, please contact the English Music Director through the parish office.

The Church as its vision for sacred or liturgical music which, as much as possible, we strive to fulfill within the limits of our parish resources.  In promoting reforms to the Sacred Liturgy, Vatican II declares as follows,

The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services.  But other kinds of sacred music, especially polyphony, are by no means excluded from liturgical celebrations, so long as they accord with the spirit of the liturgical action (Sacrosantum Concilium, 116).

Religious singing by the people is to be intelligently fostered so that in devotions and sacred exercises, as also during liturgical services, the voices of the faithful may ring out according to the norms and requirements of the rubrics (Sacrosantum Concilium, 118).

In the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument which adds a wonderful splendor to the Church's ceremonies and powerfully lifts up man's mind to God and to higher things.  But other instruments also may be admitted for use in divine worship… on condition that the instruments are suitable, or can be made suitable, for sacred use, accord with the dignity of the temple, and truly contribute to the edification of the faithful (Sacrosantum Concilium, 120).

According to the ancient tradition and the discipline of the Church, the readings other than the Gospel are proclaimed by lay ministers (cf. General Instructions to the Roman Missal, GIRM 59).

The proclamation of the Word of God is truly a service to the Church. Lectors bring the living Word of God to the liturgical assembly.  The ministry of the Word should, therefore, be treated seriously and with great dignity (cf. GIRM 55). 

Requirements: This ministry of the Word requires skill in public reading, knowledge of the principles of liturgy, and an understanding of the scriptures.  Lectors are fully initiated, practicing Catholics. Only properly trained and commissioned lectors should be scheduled for liturgy (cf. GIRM 101, LM Intro 14).

Spanish Lectors Ministry is organized as follows:

Presently, we have about twenty-eight lectors, divided into groups per Mass.  Each group has a lead lector who is responsible for developing the Monthly Schedule of assignment of lectors for each Mass.   He or she coordinates to ensure a lector is available to fill in; in case a scheduled lector has any emergency or could not make it.

Meetings are schedule upon request or as needed.

The Lector Book is ordered through the church. Each lector buys his/her own book.

English Lectors Ministry is organized as follows:

We currently have 20 Lectors plus slots for student lectors twice a month.   All things being equal, meeting will be once every two months. 

The proclamation of the Word of God is truly a service to the Church. Lectors bring the living Word of God to the liturgical assembly. The Word of God is not merely read during the liturgy, it is proclaimed as an action of praying.  Effective proclamation involves the delivery of the message with clarity, conviction, suitable pace, as well as making emphasis through voice intonation in a crescendo or diminuendo, where appropriate, but avoiding undue exaggerations.  It demands the ability to evoke faith in others by demonstrating one’s own faith.  

Proclamation is a special ministry which presupposes faith in the minister and arouses faith in those who hear the Word proclaimed. In the act of communal listening, the worshippers experience not only unity among themselves but also the presence of Christ speaking to them through the Word. Against this background, in a liturgical context, worshipers are primarily to listen to the Word being ministered to them, not to read along.  In the words of Christ, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21); not in your reading along (cf. Deut 5:1; Jer 28:7).

Hence, in the Catholic Church, the reader or lector only announces the Book the reading is drawn from; we do not mention the chapter and verses, so that the members of the congregation do not begin to scout for the passages in their personal bibles. All should simply listen to the Word being ministered to them and to receive the Word of God from the minister (“receptivity”), just as we receive the Body and Blood of Christ from the priest, deacon or a minister of Holy Communion. After all, as Vatican II rightly declares,

The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord, since, especially in the sacred liturgy, she unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful the bread of life from the table both of God's word and of Christ's body, Dei Verbum, 21).

Finally, regarding the homily (biblical, liturgical and pastoral preaching/catechesis, Vatican II says,

By means of the homily the mysteries of the faith and the guiding principles of the Christian life are expounded from the sacred text, during the course of the liturgical year; the homily, therefore, is to be highly esteemed as part of the liturgy itself; in fact, at those Masses which are celebrated with the assistance of the people on Sundays and feasts of obligation, it should not be omitted except for a serious reason (Sacrosantum Concilium, 52).