The primary Liturgical Ministry is the Assembly—the people of God assembled—one of the presences of Christ in the sacramental life of the church. It is out of this assembly of the baptized that the church community calls forth those who serve the assembly in various ministries. Please contact Fr. Rick if you have questions about or would like to volunteer for any of the following ministries:
These ministers serve the community in the distribution of the Body and Blood of Christ. There will be a training session scheduled for all Communion Ministers each November prior to the Advent/Christmas schedule.
These ministers bring Holy Communion to the sick and homebound on a regularly scheduled arranged time between the minister and the homebound person. These ministers can be ministers at Mass or only serve those who are sick and homebound. There is training and materials are provided.
These ministers serve the community at both nuptial Masses and Funeral Masses in the distribution of the Body and Blood of Christ. This ministry is exercised rarely but we are in need of backup for those times when families are unable to provide sufficient ministers. There is ordinarily a training session scheduled for all Communion Ministers in November.
The role of Mass coordinator requires that a person be in the vestibule at least 20–25 minutes prior to Mass. This person sees that the altar candles are lit as well as the shrine candles. The Mass coordinator oversees the signing in of all ministers for the particular Mass. In the past this has usually been an additional role of a Eucharistic minister—this is no longer the case. You need not be an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion in order to fulfill this ministry. The Mass coordinator is also responsible for securing a family or group of persons (3) to bring forward the gifts of bread, wine and contributions during Mass. Training will be provided.
Boys and girls in grade 4 and up are invited to serve the assembly at the altar. Most youth altar servers serve at the 9:00 am Mass on Sunday morning. Training will be provided.
Adult Acolytes serve at the altar. Most acolytes serve at either the 4:00 pm Mass or the 10:00 am Mass. We are also looking for Acolytes to serve at parish funerals. Training is provided.
An essential ministry—Greeters are the first face of St. Robert’s to guests and parishioners alike. Their duties include warmly greeting those who enter our church for any service, making sure they have what they need to participate in our Worship, and if they are visiting that they receive a “Visitor Nametag." They may also assist our own parishioners in finding their nametags. The ministry requires being at church about 20 minutes prior to Mass time. Training is provided.
Archdiocesan policy requires that there be rotating teams performing this ministry. It involves distributing the collection baskets and returning to the rear or the break in the church to retrieve the full baskets. We no longer “accompany” the baskets on their way to the rear of the church. They are then placed into a large basket. The collectors send the Gift Bearers forward to the altar. The collectors are not normally the gift bearers.