|
Handbook for Ushers
Table Of Contents
Welcome (Back to the Table of Contents)
Welcome to the Ministry of the Ushers!
Jesus said, "Whoever welcomes you, welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the One who sent me" (Mt. 10:40).
This booklet is designed to assist you in your participation in the liturgical Ministry of the Ushers here at St. Patrick Parish.
Your willingness to respond to your Baptismal call to serve the people of God, in the capacity of an Usher, reflects your commitment to Christ. Your willingness to commit to a monthly schedule; to arrive on time and to be a friendly, welcoming presence to those coming to worship here at St. Patrick is a further reflection of your willingness to respond fully to your Baptismal call.
When you assure a welcoming presence, while ensuring orderly seating at all Masses offered in this Parish, you enhance the beauty of the Liturgy and become an instrument through whom God may be present to members of the Assembly. "For the sake of my relatives and friends, I will say, 'Peace be with you!' For the sake of the house of our Lord, I will pray for your good." (Ps 122:8-9) and "I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of the wicked." (Ps 84:11)
Once you are commissioned to serve in the Ministry, you will be issued an identifying Ministry pin signifying that you are an Usher. Wear this pin humbly for it signifies that you have accepted the awesome privilege of welcoming and being for others a representative of a welcoming gracious, God!
God bless your efforts!
General Ministry Information (Back to the Table of Contents)
General Ministry Information:
- The Ministry of Ushers has assisted parish worship for generations since long before the 2nd Vatican Council. In light of the liturgical reforms of the 2nd Vatican Council, much attention was focused on new liturgical roles by the laity and ushers were often ignored when it came to outlining new expectations of the usher role.
- At St. Patrick Parish, at every regularly scheduled Week-End Mass and at Masses offered during the Christmas and Easter Season, the Ministry of Ushers is an important and valued Ministry.
- St. Patrick Parish employs Church sextons for the purposes of ensuring that all aspects of scheduled week-end Masses go smoothly. The sextons ensure, e.g., that there are enough hosts or wine for the Mass and that all assigned lay ministers are present and ready to serve. The sextons secure the needed replacement from members of the Assembly.
- All assigned liturgical lay ministers are responsible to the Parish Coordinator of Lay Ministry, but, work in cooperation with the sextons at his/her scheduled Mass.
- The role of the Usher, here at St. Patrick Parish, is one of offering a friendly welcoming presence to those coming to worship, providing assistance in securing seating for latecomers, providing assistance in emergencies, providing assistance in taking up the collection, providing assistance at the time of the presentation of the gifts and at Communion, providing assistance in the dissemination of the parish bulletin and participating in the clean-up of the church after the completion of Mass.
Before Mass Information (Back to the Table of Contents)
- On the day you are assigned to serve as an usher, it is appropriate and a good practice to develop the habit of taking time to prepare for your service with quiet prayer and if possible, a reflective reading of Scripture.
- Plan on arriving in a timely manner for the Mass at which you are scheduled to serve, according to the dictates of the particular Mass for which you are ushering. For example: the 7:30 AM Mass on Sunday mornings require you to be present at least by 7 AM, if not earlier, whereas, at the 12 Noon Mass, arriving 15 minutes before Mass is often very appropriate.
- Check your name off the posted schedule or insert your name for the person for whom you are substituting and then begin the work of being a hospitable, welcoming presence to those coming to worship at St. Patrick Parish!
- Wear your Usher Badge so that it is visible to all those coming to worship.
- Make a concerted effort to find family members of the person or persons for whom the Mass is being offered, or, find different members of the Assembly each week at each Mass to bring the gifts to the altar.
- Because the giftbearers represent all those in the Assembly gathered at that celebration, those asked to participate in the presentation of the gifts should reflect the diversity of the Assembly.
- Once you have identified the giftbearers, they should be told to come to the rear of the Church when the collection begins, so that they will be ready to come forward with the gifts at the appropriate time. The altar servers will escort the gift bearers to the altar.
- Ushers assist with good order at Communion time. At St. Patrick parish, communicants go out row by row from the front. On occasion and at certain Masses in particular, e.g., the 4 PM Mass on Saturday afternoon, there is need to be aware of those members of the Assembly for whom processing up to Communion may be a problem. You should ask the person or persons if they would like assistance going up to Communion, or if they want Communion brought to them. It is your responsibility to be sure to let a Eucharistic Minister know that Communion may have to be brought to someone in the rear of the Church.
- In the Upper church, two (2) ushers come to the front when the Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist begin to receive Communion. You stand by the 1st row until it is time to have the faithful move forward to receive. You should go row by row to the rear of the church, at least to approximately under the balcony. Remember, your role is to be of service to the Assembly at this time, so you should be offering gentle guidance and not acting as a drill sergeant!
- In keeping with full participation in the Mass, it is appropriate to join in the Communion song while it is being sung.
At Mass Information (Back to the Table of Contents)
- Once Mass begins, it is inappropriate to be carrying on a conversation unrelated to the action of the Mass. Your full participation in the Mass is expected so that you are joining in the singing, listening attentively to the Word of God, extending a Peace greeting and showing by your entire demeanor that you are fully engaged in the Mass at which you are present. It is understood that there will be times when it is necessary for you to interact with members of the Assembly arriving late. This interaction should be short and pleasant.
- It is important that you know the appropriate time to seat latecomers so you can communicate this to those arriving late. Liturgical guidelines indicate it is inappropriate to seat latecomers during the opening prayer, while the Word of God is being proclaimed, during the Homily or the Prayers of the Faithful. Please ask people to remain quietly at the rear of the Church until an acceptable time to be seated occurs; e.g., during the Psalm response, or after the homily.
- Remember to always treat those who are late with reverence and respect; it is not your place to judge, but to be of service!
- At St. Patrick Parish, in the Upper Church, the offerings of the Assembly are collected by two (2) ushers in the middle aisle and one (1) usher in each side aisle using long handled baskets. In the Lower Church, the collection is taken by two (2) ushers in each aisle using long handled baskets. It is important to remember that this is part of the act of worship and therefore should be completed with dignity and respect, not only in action but in dress!
After Mass Information (Back to the Table of Contents)
- Ushers should be careful to not signal it is OK to leave the celebration early by opening the doors and standing ready to hand out bulletins before the Celebrant is even off the altar and beginning the recessional. Again, if people do leave early, it is not up to us to stand in judgement of those who do.
- Once the Celebrant has left the altar, ushers should go to their respective ³posts² and stand ready, with a warm smile, to distribute the parish bulletin and say goodbye to those who came to worship.
- Once the Assembly has left the celebration, the worship space needs to be cleaned up. You should assist in straightening up the pew areas by putting the hymnals back in the appropriate location, picking up what may be left behind in the pews and returning any stray bulletins to the appropriate locations at the doors.
Disruptions / Emergencies (Back to the Table of Contents)
Ministry to the Sick / Homebound:
- It is important to remember, no matter the nature of the disruption or the emergency, that the role of the usher is to bring about good order and to be the presence of Christ to the worshiping community and to see the presence of Christ in those members of the Assembly who have come to worship.
- You may be faced with situations where a member of the Assembly becomes disruptive. You are encouraged to try to handle any disruptive problem with gentle firmness that focuses on the right of the assembly to worship without undue distraction. A positive approach to a problem yields more fruit than a nasty negative exchange. Again, as an usher, you are there to serve the assembly, not to judge and you are asked to be a source of calmness and competence during difficult situations.
- Medical emergencies can occur and it is always better to err on the side of caution. Calls to 911 should be made from the phone in the sacristy. Again, you want to try to be as calm as possible and cause as little distraction as possible to the members of the Assembly.
- A written plan to handle various types of emergencies, including fire and medical, is to be developed. Each Usher will have the plan made available to him/her and the plan will be posted in appropriate areas of the Church, e.g., the Bulletin Board, and each of the sacristies. Each Usher will also be trained, as appropriate, in all aspects of the plan, so that you are comfortable with the execution of any plan to address emergencies during a Mass or Service at the Parish.
Ash Wednesday:
- You may be asked to assist with the distribution of ashes on Ash Wednesday. If you are assigned to assist in one of the Ash Wednesday services, you should check in at the sacristy and determine from the Celebrant, where you will be located to distribute the ashes and what script you will use:
"Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel", or
"Remember, you are dust and to dust you will return."
You mark each persons forehead with the sign of the cross with your thumb while saying one of the scripts. Be sure to wash your hands after administering the ashes.
Miscellaneous Information. (Back to the Table of Contents)
- Be sure to notify Joan Kilday Puleo (781-438-2498) before the 15th of the month, of any known schedule issues, e.g., vacations for the following month, so the schedule may be prepared appropriately.
- The schedule will be mailed to you, along with a cover letter outlining any information about which you should be aware for the coming month relative to your Ministry.
- Remember, it is your responsibility to secure a substitute should you have a schedule conflict.
- The presence of an Usher, for every scheduled week-end Mass, at each entrance to the Church (at least 4 Ushers for each Mass) is a goal here at St. Patrick Parish which is not yet realized.
- Your respect for your Ministry should be reflected in your appearance, by being clean and well groomed and in your attire; appropriate attire includes: suit and tie or clean, nicely creased trousers with shirt and tie, or, shirt and nice sweater; for women: pants suit or skirt and blouse or slacks and blouse...please note; no jeans or shorts at any time!
Resources. (Back to the Table of Contents)
- Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy
(2nd Vatican Council Document).
- General Instruction on the Roman Missal
- Guide for Ushers & Greeters
Liturgy Training Publications, 1997.
- The Joy of Ushers and Hospitality Ministers
Gretchen Hailer, RHSM, Resurrection Press, Catholic Book Publishing Co., 2000.
|
