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Procedures
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Lectors
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The coordinator for the Lector Ministry is:
- General Instructions:
- Prepare your assigned passags by reading them aloud at
home.
- Proclaim the Word of God clearly, relatively slowly,
and with strength. Enunciate. Remember that your voice
should reach the farthest pew in the Church. Do not
depend ONLY on the PA system. Do not use a monotone, but
also do not use exaggerated inflections and emotions.
Your goal must be to communicate the Word of God.
- Be sure to check the practice book, or ask the
Presider, for the proper pronunciation of difficult
words and names for the readings. Ask the Presider or
another minister if you are unsure about how to
pronounce names in the intercessions.
- Lectors are responsible for getting their own
substitutes. If phoning, it is helpful if you
ask lectors assigned to the same Mass time for which
you’re scheduled. The use of email is an
effective way to get a substitute, and in that case, a
general message to all lectors is helpful. In an
emergency, you may ask the other lector assigned to your
scheduled Mass to read both readings.
- Both readings must be proclaimed. Emergencies do
occur, so be prepared to read both in case the other
lector is absent unexpectedly.
- As a general rule, anytime you cross the center of the
church, it is appropriate to reverence the altar, i.
e., make a bow toward the altar. The exception is
when you are carrying the Evangelium (Book of Gospels);
one never bows when carrying the Evangelium (Book of
Gospels).
- The Lectionary is never carried in procession, but
resides at the Ambo. Only the Evangelium (Book of
Gospels) is carried in procession and that only in the
entrance rite and the Gospel procession.
- Upon Arrival:
- Arrival: at least 15 minutes before
Mass.
- Check that the intercessions are on the cantor’s
lecturn in the front of the Church, that the lectionary
is at the Ambo, and the Evangelium (Book of Gospels) is
in the vesting sacristy.
- Read over the intercessions; familarize yourself with
the pronunciation of the names in the intercessions for
the ill and for the dead; If you need help, ask the
Presider or another minister for help with these
names.
- Look over your reading in the lectionary to be
prepared for the printed phrasing; make sure the marker
ribbon is set at the proper page.
- Make sure that the marker ribbon is in the proper
place in the Evangelium (Book of Gospels).
- It is always wise to prepare both readings and the
intercessions in case an emergency prevents the other
lector from showing up.
- Always check in the vesting sacristy to assure that
both readers are in the church; let the other reader
know you are there; be prepared to take the missing
lector’s reading and/or intercessions, should
that be necessary.
- If the Presider leads a prayer for ministers before
Mass, please join the group. (Currently, Presiders
rarely lead prayers before Mass).
- The Procession:
- If the deacon is NOT present, the lector for the first
reading carries the Evangelium (Book of Gospels) in the
opening procession, but only if the Presider intends to
use the Evangelium (Book of the Gospels). It is carried
directly before your face with its opening to your left
and its binding to your right; it is not necessary to
carry it high and away from your body. The Lectionary
is NEVER carried in procession; it resides on the
Ambo.
- Exception: If the deacon is present or should
the Presider opt NOT to use the Evangelium (Book of
Gospels), the lector simply joins the assembly, i.
e., the lector is not in the procession.
- Lenten exception: During Lent, if you have
processed with the Evangelium (Book of Gospels), do not
return to the assembly after the procession. Sit in the
pew next to the Ambo until it is time to proclaim the
first reading.
- In The Sanctuary:
- When you reach the sanctuary, approach the altar
without bowing or genuflecting; stand or place the
Evangelium (Book of Gospels) on the altar on the
tabernacle side face out, its binding to your right,
open pages to your left; open the rear cover to stand
the book in the center of the altar OR simply lay it
flat on the altar; then go back to your place with the
assembly, reverencing the altar with a bow from the
middle aisle. If the Presider has placed a stand for the
Evangelium (Book of Gospels) on the altar, use it and
place the Evangelium (Book of Gospels) face out as
described above. Do NOT reach to place the Evangelium
(Book of Gospels) on the altar from the assembly side of
the altar; go to the tabernacle side in order to do
so.
- The First Reading:
- After the Presider’s opening prayer and when the
assembly sits down, the first lector approaches the
sanctuary, meets the psalmist in front of the altar,
bows, goes to the Ambo, opens the Lectionary on the Ambo
and begins the reading (the psalmist sits in the pew to
the side of the Ambo); at the end of the reading, after
a pause, the lector proclaims “The Word of the
Lord”. Don’t just throw away this closing;
proclaim it with spirit. If emphasis is to be placed on
any of the words, it should be on “Word” not
“Lord”.
- Lenten exception: If you have processed with
the Evangelium (Book of Gospels) and have taken a seat
in the pew next to the Ambo, simply approach the Ambo
after the opening prayer. Be sure to wait until the
psalmist is seated in the Sanctuary before
speaking.
- Return to your Place:
- After the first reading, the first lector remains at
the Ambo with head bowed after the assembly’s
“Thanks be to God” response; after a pause
for reflection (count to ten), the reader closes the
Lectionary and places it on the shelf of the Ambo,
leaves the sanctuary, bows before the altar and returns
to his/her seat within the assembly; if there is only
one lector, s/he should be seated in the pew to the side
of the Ambo where the psalmist was seated to await the
second reading.
- The Second Reading:
- After the completion of the psalm, the second lector
approaches the altar, meets the psalmist there, bows,
and proceeds to the Ambo. If the lector is seated in the
sanctuary, s/he proceeds to the Ambo when the psalmist
has returned to his/her seat in the assembly. After the
reading, the lector bows his/her head during the pause
for reflection (count to ten). Leave the lectionary on
the Ambo unless instructed to do otherwise by the
presiding priest. When returning to the assembly, the
lector bows before the altar.
- The Intercessions:
- If a deacon is not present, after the Creed, the
second lector goes directly to the cantor’s
lecturn for the general intercessions. Bow if you cross
the center of the altar. The Presider will read a brief
introduction. The lector should be in place and ready to
begin the intercessions as soon as the Presider finishes
the introduction. During the Easter season, there is no
Creed and the intercessions immediately follow the Rite
of Sprinkling. If a Baptism or a special blessing takes
place after the homily, ask the Presider before Mass
about the placement of the intercessions in the sequence
of the Mass.
- Intercessions should be read with appropriate pauses
to give the assembly time to think about the prayer. Do
not rush through the names of the sick and deceased,
especially if there is an interpreter for the deaf.
Names are usually phonetically spelled, but when you
read the intercessions before Mass, check unfamiliar
names with the Presider or another minister, especially
a minister of hospitality. When pausing for “our
own intentions . . .”, provide a significant pause
before saying “We pray to the Lord.” Wait to
return to your place in the assembly until after the
Presider has concluded the prayer.
- Exception: When he is present, the deacon reads
the intercessions.
- Lenten exception: During Lent, the lector
concludes each intercession with a spoken, not sung,
“We pray to the Lord,” and the cantor leads
the assembly in singing the response.
- The Recessional:
- Neither the Evangelium (Book of Gospels) nor the
Lectionary is carried out in the recessional. However,
after the final hymn, the second lector should bring the
Evangelium (Book of Gospels) to the vesting sacristy in
preparation for the next Mass.
USCCB Guidelines for the Ministry of Lector
