Extraordinary ministers assist the Presider in the distribution of the Body and Blood of Christ during our liturgies as well as to parishionerS who are homebound, hospitalized or residing in nursing homes.
There is one major training session required with sessions being scheduled in the Fall. Schedule will be posted when date is determined. Following the training, members are commissioned as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.
Ministers serve at least once a month at the liturgy they normally attend. They must also make one home, hospital, or nursing home visit immediately after the 8:00am Sunday Mass, one Sunday per month.
All Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion must have received the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, First Holy Communion and Confirmation) and have no impediments to receive Eucharist.
As a result of the Second Vatican Council, the laity were empowered to proclaim the Word of God by reading the Scripture selections at Mass. Even when ministers of a higher rank are present (e.g. priests and deacons), the laity are still charged with proclamation of the Word. St. Luke’s Lector Ministry is a response to this mandate.
Lectors are expected to read the Scripture passages reverently and “transparently,” meaning the Word itself (not the proclaimer) takes center stage. Our voices are a vessel through which God speaks to his people of his love and tenderness. Everything from our prayerful preparation, to our body language and our voice stylistics, should communicate God’s love for his people.