What is a liturgical minister? When I grew up, I never heard the word “minister” as applying to Catholics. The minister was the Protestant pastor down the road. Catholics started using the word to refer to people using their gifts in support of the community at worship. Ministry is service, but not to do things for people; rather to be with people, to be present caring for people, paying attention to them. To be of service is a sacrificial act. We are willing to pay the price, to sacrifice time and energy, to be held accountable, to give of self for the good of all.
We volunteer to be a liturgical minister, but not to get our own needs met, but to serve the community, to aid the community’s prayer, to use our gifts and talents in praise of God, and to help this gathering be a place where God can speak to us and to the community. We are allowing God to act through us.
Liturgical ministers have a servant mentality. They have a competence in a certain area, such as a good singing voice or the ability to make people feel welcome. They are people of responsibility, on time and prepared for Mass. They are people who pray, and they are formed by Scripture and the Church’s life of prayer. They are kind and pleasant, open and approachable.
It is important to remember that people are called out of the gathered community to take on specific roles that are needed in the Mass, but the most important ministry of all is the ministry of the whole group drawn together for our common purpose of praising God and learning how to be Christ in the world. In a sense, all of us are liturgical ministers. We have not come together as spectators to watch a play or a sporting event. We are participants whether we have a specific role as server or reader or something else. We are praying, singing, responding, processing, listening, standing, sitting, shaking hands, eating, and drinking – all verbs.
We participate to the best of our ability at the time. We take seriously our role as a liturgical minister among the other ministers.
