Liturgical Ministries
St. Marguerite d’Youville Catholic Church Altar Server Association (ASA) was established on Friday, February 9, 2018.
The altar server occupies a privileged place in the liturgical celebration (the Mass). More than just a helper for the parish priest, you are servers of Jesus, the Eternal High Priest. Altar servers are called in a special way to be young friends of Jesus.
The requirements of joining the altar server ministry are that you must have received First Holy Communion, and attend and participate in at least two training classes. Training classes are presented by Deacon Kapya and the Altar Server Coordinator, under the guidance of Father Tomy.
Training classes are held in the weeks following First Communion, and in the Fall. Announcement of the classes appears in the Church bulletin and announced from the Altar for two weeks prior to first class.
Would you like to serve on the Altar? For additional information, or to let the Parish Office know you are interested: 770-381-7337
In January 1973, Pope Paul VI, in the instruction “Immensae Cariatis,” extended the permission of allowing laypersons to assist priests in giving Holy Communion to the universal Church. He wrote “Present-day conditions demand that greater access to Holy Communion should be made possible so that the faithful, by sharing more fully in the fruits of the sacrifice of the Mass, might dedicate themselves more readily and effectively to God and to the good of the Church”. He went on to state provisions must be made lest reception become impossible or difficult owing to a lack of a sufficient number of ministers. Therefore it seemed appropriate to the Holy Father to establish extraordinary ministers and allow them to serve Holy Communion. Originally called Eucharistic Minister we are now referred to as Extraordinary Ministers. The priest, celebrating mass, is the Ordinary Minister and we therefore are just extra ministers or Extraordinary Ministers.
Who Are Extraordinary Ministers?
Extraordinary Ministers are members of the parish community who would like to have a closer relationship with God by participating in the celebration of the mass.
They are lay people who perform a great service to the church and who have been certified by the bishop for a period of time to assists the priest in distributing Holy Communion to the faithful on those occasions where a shortage of ordained clergy makes it difficult to distribute Holy Communion in a reasonable way.
Who can be an Extraordinary Minister?
Extraordinary Ministers should have a special reverence and love for the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist knowing that the Eucharist is the core of our Catholic faith.
The best ministers have the ability to communicate their faith through eye contact and gestures.
They have gone through proper training and commissioning every three years.
They can be either single, married, separated, or divorced as long as they have not remarried. If married they must have been married in the church.
They must be of sufficient age and maturity to perform his/her duties at mass. Usually minimum age of 16 and who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation.
They must be a Catholic living in harmony with the teachings of the Church and be able to receive the Eucharist.
Why Should I be an Extraordinary Minister?
Extraordinary Ministers are graced with the opportunity to share their faith in the Eucharist with fellow members of the parish family.
They are able to participate in the mass as a family unit until called upon to distribute the Eucharist.
Their assignment is very flexible as they are able to go to any mass and still participate in the distribution of the Eucharist by signing up at that mass.
Training for this ministry requires just a few hours and there is periodic training (every three years) so that they are always current with the teachings of the church.
They will generate new friendships by belonging to a small select group of fellow parishioners.
Contact:
Coordinator : em@stmdy.org
Mission: To welcome parishioners into their Second Home and to help visitors feel loved and welcomed.
Greeters are the first ambassadors for our parish as people arrive, sometimes for the very first time, for Mass at St. Marguerite d’Youville. Whether the person is well known to you or a new face, a friendly greeting does much to convey the spirit of our Catholic belief in the Communion of Saints.
Guidelines for Greeters
Please arrive 15-20 minutes before Mass begins.
In nice weather, the outer doors may be left open to provide a more welcoming appearance. If you would like to stand outside near the entry to greet, feel free to do so. In inclement weather, please stand inside the church near the entrance. The idea is for all who enter to feel noticed and welcome.
Please greet people by name as often as possible. Greeters are encouraged to use the directory to get to know some of the parishioner’s names. If you wear a name tag people will get to know your name. There are blank name tags in the ministry room.
If asked, you should be able to provide the Mass and Reconciliation schedules. These are listed on the front of the bulletin. Please encourage newcomers to take a bulletin home. If an individual is interested in registering to become a member of the parish, please obtain a registration form from the ministry room (next to the vesting sanctuary). Offer to answer any questions he/she may have. If you don’t have the answer, please try to find someone to help.
Greeters are responsible for obtaining gift bearers. During the school year, when Sunday school is in session, the children will bring up the gifts at the 8:30 AM Mass. Please try to ask varied groups of people. Diversity in a parish is a strength to encourage and to celebrate. Taking the gifts to the altar is an honor that we would like more people to enjoy. Generally, a group of 2-4 is easiest but larger families are easily accommodated. Those without a specific item to carry, can simply walk reverently with the actual gift bearers. Write the gift bearers names on the paper and take it to the organist or ask an usher to do so. In this way, the gift bearers will be announced properly during the Offertory procession. There are pieces of paper available in the ministry room.
For holiday Masses during Christmas, New Year’s and the Easter Triduum, we will not schedule greeters. A sign-up sheet will be located in the Narthex. This is to accommodate those who may travel or change schedules during those times.
If you are unable to greet at your appointed Mass, please try to get a replacement or send a group email asking for a substitute for your Mass.
Father Tomy would love to have multiple greeters at each Mass. Please consider greeting, even if you are not scheduled. In the event that you attend a Mass at which there are no greeters present, please step in and greet for that Mass. Your dedication is very much appreciated.
Please encourage your friends and acquaintances to join you in this important ministry. It’s a very easy way for newcomers in particular to become involved with parish life at St. Marguerite d’Youville.
Please contact Maria Madonia at 770 833 5372 or contact the Parish Office at secretary@stmdy.org.
May God bless you all for your sincere hearts and dedication to serving others.
“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.”
Contact Coordinator and 770-381-7337 if you interested to join.
~ (General Instruction of the Roman Missal [GIRM], no. 29)
Music Ministry Invites You…
Music provides a powerful vehicle for the proclamation of the Word of God, particularly in the celebration of the liturgy. The proclamation of the Word of God in the Scriptures through music lifts the heart and mind to a new level of spiritual worship. Music joined to the Word of God is meant to draw people into an encounter with the living Word of God, who is Christ.
The role of Music Ministry at St. Marguerite d’Youville Catholic Church is to draw believers to full and active participation in “the source and summit of the Christian faith”: The Holy Mass.
St. Paul directed that when Christians assembled, they should be “singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in [their] hearts to God” (Col 3:16).
Music Ministry at St. Marguerite d’Youville Parish invites all parishioners to actively participate in the prayer of the people at Mass by sharing their musical talents of singing or instrumental accompaniment (piano, organ, guitar, bass, flute, etc.).
There are three Masses to choose from:
~ Saturday, 5:30 pm Vigil Mass
~ Sunday, 8:30 am Mass
~ Sunday, 11:00 am Mass
The commitment to Music Ministry involves one weekly rehearsal on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm and arriving 45 minutes before Mass to set-up and warm-up.
To join or to get more information contact office
We have 20 dedicated Ushers. We use 3-4 Ushers for each of our 3 weekend masses. There are a good range of ages starting at 18 years old to many retired seniors. We have 5 females and 15 males. Duties range from 1) Collection of Offerings, 2) Directing Organized receiving of Communion by the Parishioners, 3) Finding seats for the Parishioners, 4) Helping anyone who requires extra assistance during Mass and 5) Sanitizing the Pews after the Mass.
Each Usher is the face of the Parish and thus carries herself or himself with dignity. Our goal is to help put every Parishioner in an atmosphere in which to get the most spirituality of the Mass. We are a proud group – but are always looking for more Ushers to help carry our message.
If you would like to become part of the Ushers Ministry, please contact Peter Nkereuwem of the Usher Ministry at St. Marguerite d’Youville Parish, at 770-381-7337, or email at admin@stmdy.org.
For additional information, or to let the Parish Office know you are interested:
Call us at : 770-381-7337
email us at : admin@stmdy.org
