Lector Training in the Catholic Church

Catholic Lector
Shout Out!

I started the lector training class of my diocese, with my wife and oldest son. The room was filled with a variety of parishioners from all over the diocese and I was glad to be meeting new faces. Like many Catholic words and terms, I was curious about the lector definition.

As I prepared myself for the class to become a Catholic Lector, I started out looking for information about “lectors” in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I found in the index, the Catechism refers to lectors as “readers”, and it pointed to CCC 1143.

 For the purpose of assisting the work of the common priesthood of the faithful, other particular ministries also exist, not consecrated by the sacrament of Holy Orders; their functions are determined by the bishops, in accord with liturgical traditions and pastoral needs. “Servers, readers, commentators, and members of the choir also exercise a genuine liturgical function.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a great source of information for learning more about the Holy Mass. You can start reading at CCC 1066 .. PART TWO THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY

Check Out the USCCB new Digital Version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church – Click Here

I would like to share a few part of the Catechism that I found important to read, as to come to the  training class to become a Catholic lector. AND really I would suggest to everyone who is considering taking a lector training class, in the diocese or specifically for their parish, to have a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on hand.

First, take a look at CCC 1153,

A sacramental celebration is a meeting of God’s children with their Father, in Christ and the Holy Spirit; this meeting takes the form of a dialogue, through actions and words. Admittedly, the symbolic actions are already a language, but the Word of God and the response of faith have to accompany and give life to them, so that the seed of the Kingdom can bear its fruit in good soil. The liturgical actions signify what the Word of God expresses: both his free initiative and his people’s response of faith.

A short title is shared in the Catechism just before this particular part on sacramental celebration.

Words and actions

Full Participation and Awareness at Holy Mass should be practiced and encouraged to those you see not fully participating or paying attention. While yes the Holy Spirit is present and reaching out to everyone, and the symbolism and gestures can reveal great meaning to those present, we still need to be looking out for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Nourishment, that is what we can get out of Holy Mass. Substance to sustain us in our journey of faith. The sound of the liturgy of Word in conjunction with the actions seen and played out, work together. The next two sections of the Catholic Catechism explain this;

The liturgy of the Word is an integral part of sacramental celebrations. To nourish the faith of believers, the signs which accompany the Word of God should be emphasized: the book of the Word (a lectionary or a book of the Gospels), its veneration (procession, incense, candles), the place of its proclamation (lectern or ambo), its audible and intelligible reading, the minister’s homily which extends its proclamation, and the responses of the assembly (acclamations, meditation psalms, litanies, and profession of faith). CC 1154

The liturgical word and action are inseparable both insofar as they are signs and instruction and insofar as they accomplish what they signify. When the Holy Spirit awakens faith, he not only gives an understanding of the Word of God, but through the sacraments also makes present the “wonders” of God which it proclaims. The Spirit makes present and communicates the Father’s work, fulfilled by the beloved Son. CCC 155

Lectern, a word often heard by many, but often mistaken as to who what it is. The lectern is where the liturgy of the Word is spoken. A place designated to announce the proclamations and is “special”, so that those in the sanctuary or those close by are AWARE . The lector voices the living Word from the lectern, or you may know of it as the ambo. The last part of CCC 1184, take a look;

The lectern (ambo): “The dignity of the Word of God requires the church to have a suitable place for announcing his message so that the attention of the people may be easily directed to that place during the liturgy of the Word.”

I have to close this post on becoming a Catholic lector, with pointing toward an earlier blog post. I shared a brief explanation of the term Alleluia. In the Catechism you can really draw in a greater essence of what prayer really means, or IS. You can read my post on it by: Clicking Here … or you can just find CCC 2589,

Alleluia, Amen.

Something to ponder, something to pray.

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