Ministers

When we in the Catholic Church hear the term “minister” we most often think of the priests and deacons who serve our community.  Father and Deacon are ordained ministers who are assigned by the Archbishop to serve our parish.  They have a specific role and the specific ministry which belongs to them.  We are blessed that these men answered the call of the Holy Spirit and have given themselves to our service. 

Any one of us exercising a ministry is a minister, in the fullest sense of the word. Since all the baptized are part of the universal priesthood, whenever we engage in our vocation to evangelize the world and to help those in need, we are ministers.  Those of us serving in ministry are usually referred to as “lay ministers” because we aren’t ordained.

Lay ministries include lectors who proclaim Sacred Scripture during Mass, altar servers who help Father and Deacon at the altar, cantors and music ministers who lead the singing, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion who serve during Mass and/or who take Holy Communion to the sick and homebound, and ushers or ministers of hospitality who direct the seating and procession of the assembly and Greeters who welcome us at the doors.

Lay ministries include the catechists who lead our Sunday Liturgy of the Word for Children and teachers of our Faith Formation classes.  The RCIA team who teaches our faith to those who are entering the Church, our youth group leaders, our collection teams, those who cook and serve at St. Martin’s Hospitality Center and Roadrunner Food Bank, those who advocate for Social Justice and our Scout leaders, are all ministers. 

Here at Risen Savior there are some 700 members of our community who are ministers.  They are involved in these ministries and many more.  But the needs are greater than even that number can fill.  Many Masses don’t have enough ushers, or lectors, or 3-minute readers.  Many of our homebound don’t receive Holy Communion as frequently as they’d like for lack of ministers to take the Lord to them at home.  From joining us to bake cookies for the homeless to helping to clean our worship space, ministers are needed.

Who can serve as a minister?  The simple answer is any of the faithful.  We are all called to a ministry.  Women and men, children and adults, are all called to be ministers in God’s Holy Church.

Search your heart.  How is God calling you to serve?