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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 Instructions for the Ministry of Lector
