Ask Deacon Mike

From time to time I receive questions from people wanting information about being ministers at our Liturgies. These questions range from age requirements, proper attire and the particulars of the ministry. In particular I would like to address altar servers, lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.

We schedule our Liturgical Ministers every quarter. The schedule is posted on our parish web site: www.spnparish.org. If you do not have access to the internet we also provide printed copies. Liturgical ministers are asked to give us their Mass preference and an alternative preference. We try to schedule people according to their 1^st choice. In addition we try to schedule families together if that is their wish. If the kids are servers and mom is a Lector we try to schedule them for the same Mass. In addition we also ask you to give us dates when you are not available (vacation, etc.) and we will work the schedule accordingly.

We have a dress code for all Liturgical Ministers. It can be found on our web site, also. We ask that people dress appropriate for their duty. Below is a description of each ministry.

Altar Servers: I believe this to be a wonderful opportunity for our children from 3^rd grade through high school to be of service to our community. We have a very capable and faithful group of servers here at St. Philip Neri. We will be recruiting new servers in the next few weeks. Your children should receive applications either through the parish elementary school or through the PREP program. If you have a child who is in the 3^rd grade or older who did not receive an application or letter of invitation and they would like to be a server, please call the rectory and leave your name and a number for us to contact you.

The primary duty of an altar server is to serve at weekend Mass. However, we have other special liturgies throughout the year for which we need servers to assist us. These are special Masses, Benedictions and Stations of the Cross during Lent to name a few. There will be training classes for new servers on May 12, May 15 and May 19. Each new server is required to attend two of the three practices. I hope you will talk to your children about this and encourage them to consider becoming an altar server. Perhaps you were a server when you were younger. I am sure you would be proud to see your child follow in your footsteps.

Lectors: Our goal is to have two lectors for every Mass. At the present time we do not have enough people to provide two lectors at each Mass. If you would like to share your faith by proclaiming the Word of God at Mass we need you. Lectors read the 1^st and 2^nd readings at Mass and they lead the Prayers of the Faithful if a deacon is not present. We do not require our Lectors to sit separate from their families any more. In fact, it is proper for the Lector to come from the midst of the people to proclaim God’s word. If you are interested, please call the rectory and leave your name and number and I will contact you. We accept new Lectors and train them at any time.

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: The name implies what it says. These are men and women who assist the ordinary ministers of Holy Communion (bishops, priests and deacons) with the distribution of the Blessed Sacrament at Mass. The Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion is used to assist us when the congregation is large enough that the ordinary ministers cannot facilitate the congregation in a reasonable amount of time. In addition, some of our folks take the Eucharist to the sick and those unable to attend Mass. We try to form a new class every year. However, if you would like to be considered, please let us know now. Just call the rectory and leave your name and number and someone will contact you.

I hope you will consider sharing your time and faith with us in the capacity of one of the ministries mentioned above. In addition we are always looking for new members for our choir. If you play an instrument we need you, also. Contact Mrs. Cathy Faust if you would like to sing or play and instrument in our choir. Cathy has a music link on our web site mentioned above.

As always, I invite your questions or comments concerning the church, our parish, sacraments or any related matter you wish to discuss. We always keep your identity anonymous. You can send me an e-mail at deaconmikefranks@comcast.net, drop a note in the collection basket or send your inquiry to the parish office.

As the Easter season quickly comes to a close I hope that the Holy Spirit will fill you with the zeal to live and share your faith. God bless you and I love you all. Deacon Mike Franks.