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Ministers of Welcome
About the Ministry
Ministers of Welcome (Ushers) greet worshipers at Sunday Masses, assist in seating people, assist those with special needs for large-prints missals, hearing assisted devices, or communion brought to their pew, guide collection baskets, and distribute bulletins and handouts after Masses. This important ministry often serves as our first contact with newcomers and visitors to the parish, so Ministers of Welcome should be warm, engaging, welcoming beacons of Christ's love to strangers.
To view the Ministers of Welcome handbook, click here.
Scheduling
Ministers are generally scheduled to serve every other month at a Mass time of their choice.
If you are interested in finding out more about the Minister's of Welcome or volunteering, please email olmcUshers@olmc1.org.
Sacristan
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the sacristan is "an officer who is charged with the care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents." In any Catholic parish, the behind-the-scenes role of the sacristan is one of the "best kept secrets" of the community. In a parish with the size and energy of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, with at least 19 Masses each and every week (2 on weekdays, 1 on Saturday morning, and 8 on the Lord's Day) and sometimes as many as 3 weddings on a weekend(!!), keeping the "sacristy, the church, and all their contents" well maintained, well stocked, and up and running is a tall order!
The duties of the sacristan include, but are not limited to, the following:
- preparing for specific seasons and liturgies
- assisting the priest when asked at various liturgies, on site and off site
- training and supervising weekend sacristans to set up for vigil Mass and Sunday Masses
- preparing and caring for liturgical vestments and vessels
- taking care of altar linens and all linens used at Mass, replenishing as needed
- maintaining an inventory of all items used in liturgy
- ordering hosts, wine, incense, charcoal, altar, all candles, palms, etc.
- coordinating the myriad of wonderful volunteers who help with taking care of:
- altar candles and followers
- holy water fonts
- the adoration chapel
- votive candles (daily)
- sanctuary candles
- Our Lady of Guadalupe flowers
- servers’ robes
- other miscellaneous tasks
To contact the head sacristan, please email olmcSacristan@olmc1.org.