Spirit of the Heartland
Episcopalians in Total Ministry
As a liturgical minister you are a mediator of Christ's presence and a leader of the worshiping community. It is your role to model the joy and reverence of worship. You are not here to attract attention to your self, but to give glory and praise to God.
You are to mirror the beauty of the Body of Christ in daily life. Liturgy is an art. It is "a creative human expression of beauty offered to God as a living sacrifice of praise."
Be attentive.
Say the prayers and sing the hymns.
Keep your focus and attention on God not self.
Don't get between people and God.
Minimize distractions:
no gum chewing, no flashy jewelry,
no fidgeting or distracting gestures with hands, face, or posture.
Every action has a necessary function.
Avoid exaggerated moments.
Move naturally and directly from one place to another.
Don't move backwards.
Save your private devotions for private times.
Take your time, move with grace.
Silence & reverent pauses during worship can be blessings.
Continue with grace or repeat as required.
If "lost," look to the celebrant for direction.
God uses our mistakes -- the cracks in our "perfection" to come into our lives.
"In liturgy as in poetry, rhetoric, and music meaning is as often communicated by rhythm and scale as by words alone" (Kavanagh).
Reverencing the altar: A simple or profound bow, or a brief pause facing the altar, is appropriate each time one enters or leaves the front of the sanctuary. The exception is those who are serving communion. In general, a profound bow (from the waist) the very first and very last time, and simple bows (nods) or pauses other times are appropriate. Genuflecting has not been part of the tradition of our churches, so is not appropriate for liturgical ministers. When part of a group (e.g., in procession) similar reverences should be used by all, the celebrant may be an exception.
Follow the lead of the celebrant. Turn to him/her for directions.
Vestments. An alb, as a baptismal garment, is always appropriate for all Christian ministers. Cassock and surplice is preferred but not required for Daily Office. St. John's has special seasonal vestments for acolytes. A pectoral cross is appropriate, but not essential. Bishops, priests, and deacons vest according to order and function. A lay person may, on informal occasions serve in street clothes.
Please read also the Acolyte Handbook.
Crucifer Carries cross in all processions. (See procession directions.) If also serving at altar, sits in server's seat. (See seating charts for each building.)
Server Gives alms basins to ushers. (Note: ushers should bring gifts directly to altar rather than passing them trough acolyte). Assists celebrant (or deacon) in preparing table by handing things from and returning things to credence table as needed. A simple bow (nod) is appropriate between celebrant/deacon and server when things are passed between them. When table is set, offers lavabo (hand washing) to priests (Note some priests may prefer not to have the lavabo or that only celebrant washes. Server should ask before service.)
Candles Are lit by either acolyte, or both, before service begins. There is a chart for order of lighting/extinguishing posted in the side entry. If there is a paschal candle it is lit first before the service and not extinguished until all have left. At Good Samaritan and Our Saviour's, the acolyte extinguishes the candles when the music for the final hymn begins. At St. Stephen's, when the music for the final hymn begins, the two altar candles are gently blown out by the celebrant and the LEM/acolyte, standing on either side of the altar.
Torch Bearers and Thurifers Special instruction will be given for Festival Occasions
Welcomes people. Hands out service sheets. Answers visitors' questions. At beginning of offertory hymn, brings bread and wine forward all the way to altar (with a pause to reverence the altar at the gate). Receives alms basin(s) from acolyte. Collects offering and brings forward to altar as soon as the celebrant indicates she/he is ready, often still during the offertory music (again with a pause to reverence altar at gate and again before returning to seat). Offers to help people up/down steps at communion time. Notifies celebrant if anyone needs communion brought to them in the pew.
Selects prayers of the people . Following the creed (without an introduction by the celebrant - this is new at Good Samaritan and St. Stephen's), announces which form will be used. Reads prayers from pew in a clear voice. Reads the parish intercessory list, if any. Invites other intercessions and leaves silence where appropriate. (Celebrant reads the collect at the end.)
Moves to lectern after the end of collect when the people are seated. Reverences altar on approach to lectern and when returning to seat.
Announces the reading: "A reading from the Book of (Genesis)" (chapter & verse is optional, not necessary). May offer clarifying introductory sentence, but only as approved by preacher. Leaves a brief pause after announcing the reading and another brief pause after reading before the conclusion ("The word of the Lord").
At Good Samaritan and St. Stephen's, the Lector reads the First (usually Old Testament) Reading, then (this is new) introduces/leads the Psalm, and the LEM reads the Second (usually an epistle) Reading.
At Our Saviour's, the Lector reads both the First and Second Readings, as well as introducing and leading the psalm reading in between them. At St. John's, please check with the schedule.
When introducing the Psalm, Lector allows time for people to find it in their service sheet or Prayer Book.
Lay readers are trained and licensed to lead services of the daily office (e.g., Morning Prayer) in the absence of clergy. They read already prepared sermons approved by the priest or the diocese. Lay reader may make choices of canticles, prayers, etc for the service, but needs to let the person putting together the service sheet know choices in time for preparation of the bulletin. If there is a preacher, the lay reader should ask them if they have particular choices for canticles or prayers to support/enhance the message in the text.
Lay Eucharistic Ministers ("LEMs" were called "Chalice Bearers") are trained and licensed to assist the celebrant with the distribution of communion during worship. (Lay Eucharistic Visitors – "LEVs" are trained and licensed to take communion to people after worship, and are not included in this customary.)
Please ask the celebrant before the service about the order in which communion is to be given. The Prayer Book indicates that the celebrant receives first, then the altar party receives as the congregation comes forward. Some celebrants prefer to receive last, which is the custom at St. John's. Some celebrants, instead of feeding themselves, will ask the LEM to offer the celebrant the bread as well as the wine, whether before or after the congregation is fed.
Ordinarily the LEM vests in an alb and processes immediately after the acolyte(s). For seating, check the chart for each building. On occasion a LEM may simply come forward from the congregation in street clothes to serve at the altar.
At Good Samaritan and St. Stephen's, the LEM also reads the second lesson. Following the reading, reverences the altar, and goes immediately to a seat in the congregation or returns to the usual seat.
At Our Saviour's, a LEM wishing to sit with the congregation for the sermon, may move quietly to a seat in the pew at the beginning of the gradual/sequence hymn.
Remains in same place (with congregation or in usual seat) until the offertory sentence, then precedes the celebrant moving toward the altar. Reverences altar and, if an acolyte is present (and no deacon), the LEM moves to the celebrant's right (as celebrant stands at altar) and stands, facing the side of the altar, during the preparation of the table.
(If acolyte present, but no deacon present) stands on celebrant's right, facing the side of the altar, during Eucharistic Prayer. Before the invitation ("the gifts of God for the people of God ..."), moves to stand beside celebrant and elevates the chalice.
If serving as acolyte also, the LEM stands at the side of the altar to the celebrant's left, and moves from there to stand beside the celebrant (still on the left) to elevate the chalice.
After all have received communion, LEM, if able, consumes the wine (if it is a lot, celebrant or others may help) and returns chalice to celebrant (or deacon). LEM then returns (reverencing the altar) to original seat (unless also serving as acolyte) while celebrant does the ablutions.
If there are acolytes, LEM processes out immediately behind him/her/them during final hymn.
- to be completed when we have a deacon.
It is the bishop's prerogative to determine any and all liturgical ceremonials excepting those specifically required by the rubrics of the Book of Common Prayer. All other liturgical ministers should consult with the bishop or his/her customary, which should be on file in the church office.
The preacher may be bishop, priest, deacon, or licensed lay preacher. In the presence of the priest in charge, others may preach at the priest's discretion. Preacher may choose to vest, process, and sit with altar party or not. Appropriate but not required vestment for preaching at the Eucharist is an alb; at Daily Office, cassock and surplice.
In procession the preacher is immediately before the celebrant. Ordinarily sits in the chair nearest the pulpit.
If preacher is in holy orders (in the absence of a deacon) he/she reads the gospel. In which case, during sequence hymn, preacher gets gospel book from altar, processes to congregation, reads gospel, returns book either to altar or to pulpit, then moves to preach.
Preacher may preach from pulpit or from "music stand" closer to congregation (or from another place of their choice if okayed by priest in charge).
In the absence of an ordained or licensed preacher, a lay reader reads a sermon approved by the priest in charge.
The celebrant at the Eucharist must be a Bishop or Priest. Daily Office is most appropriately led by a lay minister.
A visiting or supply priest should, for the most part, follow this customary. Where changes in the ceremony are desired, she/he should prepare appropriate ministers before the service.
When Morning Prayer is used as ante-communion for the Eucharist, a service may have both "officiant" and "celebrant." At this service the celebrant may choose to preach or request that the lay reader read a sermon. Canticles and other service options are chosen in consultation between celebrant and lay reader.
In General. Liturgical processions are ordered, with the most "important" minister being the last to follow the cross -- so lay people first, then deacons, then priests, then bishops. (Deacon may walk beside celebrant if desired.) Except in festival processions with more than one cross, the cross does not follow a minister. If the celebrant moves out before the cross, the crucifer (and other ministers) remain in their places.
The following order is usual:
If there is no procession, altar party enters from the side door together, celebrant first (because celebrant sits on the "far" side) and reverence the altar together before moving to respective seats.
Entrance. Crucifer leads off at beginning of second verse, unless instructed otherwise by celebrant. Pause at opening to altar rail to reverence the altar. If you are carrying cross or torch (or gospel book) reverence the altar with a brief pause rather than a bow.
After reverencing altar, crucifer places cross in holder and goes to seat. All others move directly to their seats. When there is no procession, altar party enters in silence by side door, in the order determined by the celebrant, and reverence the altar together before moving directly to their seats. When the music for the final hymn begins, the acolyte extinguishes the candles, reverences the altar, then exits by the side door.
Gospel. Ordinarily, the gospel reader only processes. The gospel reader may request that an acolyte carry and/or hold the Gospel book for the Gospel proclamation. At the beginning of the sequence/gradual hymn, acolytes or LEMs who desire to sit in the congregation for the sermon, move quietly to the pews. After the gospel, the Gospel book is put in its customary place (ordinarily the altar at Our Saviour's, the pulpit at Good Samaritan, and the choir pew book rest at St. Stephen's), the gospel reader either moves to preach, or moves to sit in usual seat or with the congregation as the preacher moves to preach. After the sermon, the preacher returns to usual seat. A period of silence is kept following the sermon. (New at some churches.) After offertory sentence, when the offertory hymn begins, LEM and celebrant - in that order- move to sanctuary, reverencing altar individually at the gate.
Festival procession instructions will be done as needed.
Recessional. Candles are extinguished during first verse. Crucifer moves to cross and removes it from holders. Crucifer begins procession at beginning of second verse (or at signal from celebrant). Crucifer pauses facing altar briefly to reverence the altar. Other ministers, in same order as processional, reverence the altar and follow.