Worshiping Community
By our shared human nature and by Baptism into the Church, we have the responsibility and privilege to minister to one another; to reach out with care, concern and love to our brothers and sisters. Ministry means to be present to others; to go outside ourselves. It is our conscious act of paying attention to another. This is Christian hospitality.There is no better time or place for us to demonstrate Christian hospitality than when we come together to praise the Lord in Sunday Liturgy. Liturgy is the action by which we, as individual believers, deliberately make ourselves into an assembly of God's people. In Liturgy we give thanks for the life God has given, and anticipate the life that comes in the fullness of God's reign.

Celebrating the Eucharist is the central act of Catholic worship. Second Vatican Council states; "...liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed, at the same time it is the fountain from which all her power flows."

Different Ministries Contribute to Our Communal Worship
If you feel called to one of these ministries, please contact the Director of Liturgy/Music. Kathy Lewis klewis@riverjordan.com

Lector
It is the responsibility of the Lector to put out every effort to bring the printed pages of Scripture to life so that the members of the worshiping community are moved to receive God's Word and respond to it. To effectively proclaim the Word, the Lector must read Scripture privately on a regular basis and be well prepared. New Lectors receive a brief training to prepare them for this ministry.

Extraordinary Ministers of Communion
Ministers of the Eucharist help the priest in the distribution of communion at the Mass. They may be called upon to take communion to the sick or homebound. Some Eucharistic Ministers are trained and commissioned to lead at the Liturgy of Word and Communion. Extraordinary Ministers of Communion are appointed by the bishop for three years.

Minister of Hospitality
Hospitality is a form of caring enough for people to give them space in our life and to welcome them in. Although hospitality is the work of all the members of the worshiping community, it is the Usher/Greeter who is the visible hospitality of the parish community. It is their task to greet people, to make them feel at home, to assist individuals with disabilities, to help the assembly to gather together, and to take up the collection.

Gift Bearers
Gift Bearers present the gifts of bread and wine to the priest in the name of the worshiping community. We encourage families to participate in this significant ministry.
 

Environment
Careful preparation for the liturgical environment makes it possible for people to feel welcome, to enter, sit down, compose their thoughts, and to personally prepare themselves for the liturgy. The task of the Minister of Liturgical Environment is to create an atmosphere that will enhance the worshipping experience and deepen the awareness of God's presence.

Altar Servers
Altar Servers assist the priest at Mass. Altar Servers, boys and girls, are recruited and trained from the school and CCD program.

Music
It is the role of the Music Ministers to help make the liturgy come alive, to be a celebration. "The quality of joy and enthusiasm which music adds to community worship cannot be gained in any other way. It imparts a sense of unity for the congregation and sets the appropriate tone for a particular celebration." (Music in Catholic Worship #23). If you wish to share your musical talents with the community as song leader, organist, pianist, instrumentalist or as a member of the Saint Anne Singers.