Liturgical Ministries

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Contact: Dale Sieverding, Director of Worship | 310-566-1520 |

Our liturgies utilize the talents and gifts that God has given our community to the fullest extent. Whether participation is through “behind the scenes” preparation and planning or through a public role of service within the Mass, parishioner contributions help our liturgies to be truly life-giving celebrations. Please prayerfully consider joining one of these ministries.

In addition to these ministries, we also have two liturgical committees, the General Liturgy Committee, who has the responsibility of preparing for the various special seasons of the church year, and the Saturday 5:30 Vigil Liturgy Team, who assists in preparing weekly liturgies, special seasons, and special events. Both are by invitation of the pastor in consultation with the director of liturgy and music.

If you would like to learn more about or join one of our teams, please complete and submit the application and one of our ministry coordinators will contact you. Go to inquiry form>>

If you wish to audition for one of our choirs, go to www.stmonica.net/music

Contact: Dale Sieverding, Director of Worship | 310-566-1520 |

If you would like to learn more about or join one of our teams, please complete and submit the application and one of our ministry coordinators will contact you. Go to inquiry form>>

If you wish to audition for one of our choirs, go to www.stmonica.net/music

Lectors

Lectors proclaim the Word of the Lord during Mass. Therefore, they must be comfortable withpublic speaking, and proficient with diction, enunciation, pronunciation, and projection. Training is provided along with ongoing faith formation activities.

Eucharistic Ministers

Eucharistic Ministers, along with the priest and on occasion, deacon, assist with the distribution of the Body and Blood of Christ to the assembly during Mass. Training is provided.

Qualifications for the ministry include:

Must be a practicing Catholic and fully initiated (Baptized, Confirmed and First Holy Communion)
Registered parishioner of St. Monica Catholic Community
16 years or older with a mature demeanor and a willingness to serve fellow parishioners
Attend scheduled training and ongoing formation opportunities

We also need volunteers to serve as Eucharistic Ministers to the Sick. Go to www.stmonica.net/EM for more information.

Hospitality Ministers

Following Christ's example of welcoming all with open arms, our hospitality ministers open doors and warmly greet all that come to worship with us.

Responsiblities may include (but are not limited to):

greeting parishioners
passing baskets during the offertory
guiding parishioners during Communion
serving as hosts to answer questions at the Welcome Table
cleaning up the church before the next Mass
distributing handouts including the bulletin

There are also additional opportunities that may include assisting with infant Baptisms and funerals, serving as a greeter for receptions for new members to the parish, serving on the core team to help with scheduling, fellowship, and other spiritual enrichment opportunities, amongst others. Serving as a hospitality minister is a wonderful opportunity to get to know other parishioners. Interested individuals and families should be hospitable, have an ability to see the needs of others and respond to them, and be welcoming.

Altar Servers

Altar servers assist the priest during Mass and other liturgical ceremonies. They are expected to be appropriately prepared, committed to giving their time and talent to their parish community, and willing to serve God’s people. They should be able to understand the Eucharistic celebration and the other sacred rites. Minimum age is 5th grade. Training is provided. Servers vest in white albs.

Responsibilities include:

Carry the cross and processional candles.
Hold the book for the priest celebrant
Carry the incense and censer and present the bread and wine along with the water to the priest during the preparation of the gifts or assist him when he receives the gifts from the people.
Wash the hands of the priest, and assist the priest and deacon as necessary.
In the absence of a sacristan, the servers may prepare the altar and sacred vessels before Mass.

Sacristans

Sacristans work in the sacristy to set up for Mass, which includes putting out the sacred vessels, organizing the liturgical books, and seeing to the proper amount of bread and wine. After the Mass, they make sure the sacristy is cleaned up and in good order. Each Mass at St. Monica is assigned a sacristan.

Trainings

Liturgy: Cutting A New River provided an opportunity to come together during this time of separation and distancing and reflect on our experiences as liturgical ministers. Dr. Layla Karst, Professor of Liturgy at Loyola Marymount University, compared our lives to rafting down a river; sometimes peacefully calm while other times the adrenaline and fear of rushing through whitewater rapids consumes us. The tumult of the pandemic has flipped our raft upside down, throwing us into exile. We hug onto our lifejackets, our various means of spiritual and social survival, and our entire perspective shifts.

We are reminded that God is very much present with us and He is working to bring us into a new creation. As the doors of the church have been closed these many months, we have been challenged to let go of former ways of doing and seeing things. As God cuts a new river for us to travel, we are called to worship and give thanks as we begin anew in this time of lockdown and sheltering in place.

As was read from the Book of Tobit, “If you turn to him with all your heart and with all your soul to do what is true before him, then he will turn to you and will no longer hide his face from you.”