Liturgical ministers help to enhance our worship through their talent and service. Their ministry centers around the celebration of the Eucharist, and they are an invaluable part of the Sacred Liturgy and our community. Liturgical ministry is a part of the Spiritual Life Commission. Questions about Liturgical Ministries can be answered by calling the rectory at 773-588-6484.
Ushers
This volunteer group welcomes the faithful before weekend and Holiday Masses and services, and assists with any issues or concerns they may have. The help distribute worship aids, organize gift bearers and collections. The Ushers help facilitate family Mass, Holy Week Services, and the Annual Catholic Appeal.
Liturgical Writers
The Prayers of the Faithful prayed at each liturgy after the homily are one way in which the liturgy reflects the community spirit here at St. Benedict. These Prayers are written by members of the Liturgical Writing Ministry. Each person who writes the Prayers prayerfully considers the needs of our community, our church and our world in light of the scripture readings. If you would like to participate in this ministry, you are invited. There is no experience or special knowledge required. The only requirement is a heartfelt desire to pray with our community and a commitment to write the Prayers once every 4-6 weeks throughout the year.
Extraordinary Ministers
The Extraordinary Ministers at St. Benedict's are a very engaged, committed group that welcome the opportunity to participate in the Mass by distributing Eucharistic to fellow parishioners. If you feel called to be an Extraordinary Minister, we typically will offer a formation session for interested parishioners 3-4 times a year. During the formation, you will learn the importance of the role and the reverant way parishioners support the clergy in the celebration of the Eucharist. The expectation is that EMs will typically serve two times a month and can share their preferred Mass time. We welcome questions from anyone seeking more information.
Music Ministry
Our ministers of music help us to enhance our liturgy as choir members, cantors, and instrumentalists.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ON MUSIC MINISTRY
Lectors
Lectors proclaim the Word of God each week. Becoming a lector is a great way to become more familiar with Scripture and how to proclaim it publicly. Lectors should be of high school age or older. Annual training and workshops are held to help form our ministers.
Altar Servers
An altar server is a lay assistant to the priests during mass. Altar servers assist the clergy by performing tasks such as setup and clean up for Mass, carrying the cross and candles in the procession, holding the Mass book for the priest, ringing the Sanctus bell, accepting the gifts and assisting with the preparation for communion among other things. There are opportunities to altar serve at Sunday Mass, on feast days, holidays and weddings. Detailed training is provided prior to serving. This ensures there is support for new and experienced servers alike. Both boys and girls 5th grade through 12th grade can altar serve.
Art and Environment
The art & environment ministry is responsible for creating a prayerful welcoming space in our church. We welcome all those who are interested in contributing to decorating our parish prayer space. Both creative types and “worker bee” types are needed to help keep our church looking great. The time commitment is about 2 hours once a month, and the schedule is very flexible.