"I rejoiced when they said to me, let us go unto the house of the Lord." -Psalm 122
Worship at St. Francis and St. Mary Star of the Sea relies heavily on the generous involvement of many parishioners and their families.
Altar Servers
In the Roman Catholic Church, altar servers help the priest and deacon during the liturgy, especially the Holy Mass, funerals, weddings, and other special occasions. They have several supporting duties to carry out, such as carrying the processional cross and candles, carry the incense and thurible, holding the missal for the priest celebrant when he is not at the altar, assisting the priest when he receives the gifts from the people, washing the hands of the priest before the prayer over the gifts, removing items from the altar during communion, and assisting the priest celebrant as necessary. Altar servers wear the alb or the cassock and surplice during a liturgy.
Children who are in the 4th grade and above are encouraged to become altar servers. God blesses altar servers with additional graces separate from the graces received from participating in the Holy Mass. There are also joys from serving, such as satisfaction at helping the priest celebrate Mass and also satisfaction from praising God in a different way. There are also a multitude of benefits such as learning the order of Mass, a chance to meet new people and build self-esteem. There will be training sessions for new candidates.
If you or your child would like to become an altar server please call the parish office. We will be so pleased to incorporate you in the altar server group!
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
The Most Holy Eucharist is the most august sacrament, in which Christ the Lord Himself is contained, offered and received, and by which the Church constantly lives and grows.
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion serve the gathered Christian assembly by assisting with the distribution of the Body and Blood of Christ, so that all may be strengthened and nourished to carry on the work of Jesus in the world. Eucharistic Ministers assist in the distribution of Communion at parish liturgies, also bringing communion to the sick or homebound.
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion should in every way demonstrate by their reverence for the Eucharist that they truly believe that this is not just bread and wine, but the very Body and Blood of the Risen Lord. Their manner of dress, their respectful silence, their grace-filled movement, and their care with the Sacred Species are observed by all the people and by the Lord. One should not accept this kind of responsibility unless he or she is willing to carry it out with deep faith and a deep and awesome sense of God’s presence.
To become an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, please contact the parish office or Betty Wooledge
at 605-490-8310.
Lectors
When you answer the call to be a minister of the Word, you enter a deeper relationship with God revealed in Scripture. A reader has the awesome duty and privilege of bringing the printed word to life, making it flesh. Your proclamation enables God’s Word to achieve the purpose for which it was sent. In short, you become a prophet, one who speaks for God. John the Baptist is your model, preparing the way of the Lord, making crooked ways straight, and rough places smooth. Finally you join yourself to the Jewish tradition which sees prayerful study of God’s Word as the worthiest of all endeavors. And as a Christian you believe that God’s words find their fullest expression in that one perfect Word – Jesus, the word made flesh. Being a lector is a very rewarding experience and gives a person a chance to verbally share the word of the Lord with the faithful attending the Mass.
If you think you are called to be a lector, please call the parish office. We would love to have you.
Sacristans
The sacristan diligently arranges the liturgical books, the vestments, the altar, sacred vessels and other things that are necessary for the celebration of Mass and other special occasions.
We use Ministry Scheduler Pro (MSP) to schedule Cantors, Altar Servers, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Lectors and Hospitality Ministers. MSP also has a mobile app for your phone or tablet, search for it in your app store. If you need help using the app, you may reference the MSP site for their help videos.
Please email the ministry scheduler with any questions.