Lectors at Sacred Heart help by reading the Sacred Scripture and also the prayers of the faithful. Lectoring is a dynamic ministry being able to share the Word of God with His people and assist the priest celebrating Mass in sharing the Good News.
Lectors are trained prior to being placed on the schedule by Peg Hoffmiller. If you are interested in becoming a lector, please contact Director of Music and Liturgy at [email protected].
If you are a lector, please click the link below to prepare for mass.
You might also check out this weekly video series from
Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church in Scottsdale, AZ.
General Principles
Reading and Explaining the Word of God
When the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself speaks to his people, and Christ, present in his word, proclaims the Gospel. Therefore, the readings from the Word of God are to be listened to reverently by everyone, for they are an element of the greatest importance in the Liturgy. Although in the readings from Sacred Scripture the Word of God is addressed to all people of whatever era and is understandable to them, a fuller understanding and a greater efficaciousness of the word is nevertheless fostered by a living commentary on the word, that is, by the Homily, as part of the liturgical action.(General Instruction of the Roman Missal [GIRM], no. 29)
Vocal Expression of the Different Texts
In texts that are to be pronounced in a loud and clear voice, whether by the Priest or the Deacon, or by a reader, or by everyone, the voice should correspond to the genre of the text itself, that is, depending upon whether it is a reading, a prayer, an explanatory comment, an acclamation, or a sung text; it should also be suited to the form of celebration and to the solemnity of the gathering. Consideration should also be given to the characteristics of different languages and of the culture of different peoples. (GIRM, no. 38)
Silence
The Liturgy of the Word is to be celebrated in such a way as to favor meditation, and so any kind of haste such as hinders recollection is clearly to be avoided. In the course of it, brief periods of silence are also appropriate, accommodated to the assembled congregation; by means of these, under the action of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God may be grasped by the heart and a response through prayer may be prepared. It may be appropriate to observe such periods of silence, for example, before the Liturgy of the Word itself begins, after the First and Second Reading, and lastly at the conclusion of the Homily. (GIRM, no. 56)
