“The Lord has given me a well-trained tongue,
that I may speak to the weary a word that will rouse them”
Isaiah 50:4
Lectors are liturgical ministers who proclaim the readings from scripture during the Mass. At St. Anthony of Padua, lectors take this responsibility seriously by carefully preparing to proclaim the Word of God. Preparation means becoming fully familiar with the assigned readings. Thus, a lector should read silently and aloud the readings several times prior to the scheduled Mass. In doing so, attention should be given to proper cadence, phasing and the pronunciation of the words.
Please contact Amanda Alexander at 202-526-7667 or [email protected] for training and to be added to the roster in MSP.
Qualities of a Lector
Time Commitment
Lectors are asked to practice readings, and to take the time to reflect upon the meanings of the words you will proclaim. Lectors are asked to serve in this ministry approximately twice every 6 weeks, this can be flexible based on availability. Lectors are asked to dress in a manner that honors our Lord and shows reverence to the altar. This is a ministry that welcomes adults and children. Adults are asked to mentor our children and help them to feel comfortable in their role as ministers.
Schedules
The lector ministry at St. Anthony of Padua leverages technology and makes use of Ministry Scheduler Pro (MSP) to increase involvement and create a schedule. The MSP online platform allows lectors to select when they want to serve, review and listen to assigned readings and request a substitue when not available. By downloading hte app, this functionality is also available via a smartphone.
Resources
Daily readings are located on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website. Also, Workbooks for Lectors are available to those who wish to have paper copies as a reference.
The lector does what any good minister does: comforts us in our faith and encourages us in our discouragement. To proclaim the good news from the sacred text is ministry par excellence.
All Christians are, by definition, proclaimers of the good news. Because we were baptized into Christ’s life, mission, death, resurrection and ascension, we announce to the world be our very existence that “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.” Some among us are called to minister the Word directly, to ensure that we will continue to hear God’s love spoken anew each time the sacred book is opened. These special people are called lectors.