Pastor’s Corner for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B, by Rev. William (Billy) Davies
After major celebrations and events, such as the Confirmation last Saturday and Easter, visitors often comment and compliment the high standard of Liturgy at Holy Trinity. Praise is heaped on our music, homilies, and, as one visitor once commented in the car park: “Holy Trinity sure puts on a good show”.
And that we do, but are we always aware of what takes place for us at Holy Trinity to maintain that standard? Good liturgy doesn’t just happen!
Yes, we are often reminded of the work that the schola, the clergy and the proclaimers put in to make our Masses meaningful. We see, hear, and experience all of these role-players during Mass, but in the celebration of liturgy, there are other essential role-players we don’t notice or even see during the celebration, yet their input is vital to our delivering quality liturgy.
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus preached and performed miracles without the assistance of props. But at times, He needed something. At the start of His ministry He received a scroll to read from Isaiah. He used six stone jars at the wedding in Cana. Twice in His ministry, He asked for a coin. He used Simon’s boat. After feeding the multitude, He needed baskets to gather up the remains of the loaves and fishes. For the Last Supper, He needed help setting up and preparing for what we know was the most important night in our liturgy.
Ever since then, the Church has relied on special people to help prepare the way of our Lord. People who make sure that the “room” is prepared and those who assist in the serving of the meal to ensure the meaning of the celebration.
Those special people at Holy Trinity are called Sacristans and Altar Servers. They serve quietly behind the scenes, not drawing attention to themselves, but their service is invaluable in assisting our Priest in celebrating the Mass. The work of the Sacristan and Alta Servers helps the gathered community to concentrate, reflect and participate better in the music, the prayers, the proclamation of Scripture, and most especially, the Liturgy of the Eucharist, in short, to prepare the place for the celebration of our Lord Jesus Christ.
To achieve this, they attend training and, when on duty, arrive at the parish long before Mass is due to start to ensure that necessary arrangements for the Eucharist are in place.
At Trinity, we are beginning a new round of recruitment and training for Sacristans and Altar Servers and invite you to reflect on your own service and calling. If you feel called to serve in either of these very important ministries, please talk to us.
Rev William (Billy) Davies