The Liturgy Committee of St. John Neumann is composed of the Pastor, Deacons, Director of Music and a representative from the Sacristans, Environmental Committee, Altar Servers, Lectors, and Eucharistic Ministers of Holy Communion for Mass. They promote prayerful liturgies through careful planning and evaluating of liturgical celebrations. This is done during meetings held each month or as scheduled from September through June.
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are responsible for distributing the Eucharist at Liturgies. Attendance at an orientation workshop is required. Those who serve at Sunday Mass are usually scheduled once every three to four weeks, but the schedule is created around your availability.
If you would like to bring Holy Communion to the sick and homebound, see Parish Life.
Lectors proclaim the Word of God during Mass. It is Christ who speaks when Holy Scripture is read aloud in the Church. We serve at least once a month, but the schedule is created around your availability. Initial training is required and each person receives a workbook to use in preparing the readings.
Sacristans are responsible for the smooth functioning of all aspects of Liturgical celebrations, including setting up for Mass, lighting and sound control. Sacristans are also responsible for obtaining replacements of Lay Ministers and Altar Servers, if necessary. They also are responsible that all special rituals/needs that are carried out in an efficient and reverent manner. The Head Sacristan prepares the schedule dependent upon the individual requests every three months. Training is done on-site as deemed necessary.
Altar Servers assist the priest during weekend Masses and Holy Days of Obligation. You may also be offered opportunities to volunteer to serve on special occasions such as Holy Week and Stations of the Cross during Lent. This requires attending a training session to learn what to do at Mass, and when and how to do it. However, the most important function is to be a role model for the congregation by showing reverence and participating in the prayers and singing. The ministry is opened to youth 10 years of age or older. Most serve about once a month. The schedules are created around your availability and are coordinated across ministries so families are only assigned one Mass each weekend they are scheduled to serve.
Ministers of Hospitality serve by welcoming people arriving at Mass, seating them, taking collections, distributing bulletins, and keeping the Church tidy. In addition to individuals, families are encouraged to join this ministry as it is an especially good way for youth and young adults to serve. Ushers are expected to arrive 20 minutes before Mass and serve on average one Mass per weekend. Initial training is on-the-job with a refresher training once per year.
The Arimatheans is composed of a group of men and women who perform the Corporal Work of Mercy of Burying the Dead of St. John Neumann Parish. They are under the direct supervision and leadership of the Pastor and are headed by a coordinator. Upon notification of a funeral, the coordinator gathers a team that will meet the needs of the particular funeral being serviced.
Members perform the following services:
The Arimathean serves a very special need. Individuals for this ministry must serve at a moment’s notice, given the nature of the need. They should be sensitive toward those suffering the loss, and as ambassadors of the Church, convey our sorrow for the loss of one of our own.
St. John Neumann Parish is blessed to have had Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration continuously since September 2002. It is a devotion whereby parishioners and other faithful from the surrounding community can visit with our Lord Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in our adoration chapel any time of the day or night and any day of the week.
Eucharistic Adoration is spending time with our Lord Jesus, as He is truly present in the Exposed Eucharist. It is a quiet, contemplative time in His Presence, a time to pray, reflect, praise and thank, adore, petition for your needs or those of others, or just rest in His peace. It is also a time to grow spiritually and develop a closer relationship with Jesus. To ensure that our Lord is never left alone, regular adorers commit to spending a specific hour every week before the Blessed Sacrament on a continuing basis. Substitutes agree to serve as their replacements when needed. Visitors are welcome at any time.
Members of the Altar Guild are the right hand of the Sacristan. They engage in the laundering of the altar linens as well as the care of the candles and sacred vessels. They also may perform small sewing tasks such as the making of the Baptismal Garments, repair of altar linens and the priest’s vestments. Two people are currently scheduled per month with everyone serving once or twice a year. Instructions are provided as to the care of the linens, etc. Volunteers are always welcome as people’s schedules change.
Our purpose is to contribute to the physical atmosphere of the Liturgical environment and enhance the mood of worship at St. John Neumann.
Our activities are in two general areas:
Maintaining the beauty of our plants and flowers requires regular watering, moving of plants and periodic pruning and cleanup. You are invited to become one of the special people who wants to dedicate a small amount of time on a regular basis, perhaps taking one weekday/weekend morning or more a month to help in this vital ministry which gives so much to so many.