Lord, make me a window, not a door.

Help me break open Your Holy Word

to let Your people through

point them outward

help them see and hear and feel

Just like windows, Your people will know I'm there,

but through me, may they

watch the marvelous display of Your Presence

that Your Word unfolds for them.

Lord grant me humility as I approach the task of proclamation.

The last thing I want to do is be an obstacle.

Grant me the wisdom to know I must prayerfully prepare with other Lectors

to really open myself to what You would have me learn

before I can open Your Holy Word for others.

Bless my efforts to do Your will by proclaiming Your Word.

May You be in my heart and an my lips each time I read that I may worthily proclaim Your Holy Word.

Amen.

Lectors' Prayer Together before proclaiming (A)

Lector 1:

While everything else has its season and turns to dust, God's Word lives forever.

The Hebrew scriptures are eloquent in speaking about the creative, effective, dynamic, eternal reality that we call the Word of God, which continues to live and breathe and work its way in human history.

Lector 2:

God's World dwells among us…

In the Beginning was the Word;

The Word was God's presence, and the Word was God.

He was present to God in the Beginning.

Through him all things came into being, and apart from him nothing came to be.

Together:

May the Lord be in our hearts and on our lips each time we read that we may worthily proclaim His Holy Word.

Amen.

Lectors' Prayer Together before proclaiming (B)

Lector 1:

The ministry of a Lector is a wonderful work.

Through us God's living Word continues to speak to His people, to the young and the old, the troubled, the hopeless, the happy and the content,

To those in need of challenge and those in need of comfort.

Lector 2:

Our task is like that of the sower who generously casts the seed on the earth,

Knowing that some will take root and bear good fruit.

Together:

May the Lord be in our hearts and on our lips each time we read that we may worthily proclaim His Holy Word.

Amen.

Prayer of Preparation for a Lector of the Word.

Lord, invest me with Your Power as I prepare to proclaim the Marvel of Your Message.

I have prepared my readings, I have tried to take within me the meaning of what I am about to proclaim;

help me, I ask, to read not just with my lips but with my whole heart and soul.

Lord, make me a hollow reed so that Your Voice will be heard by all who will hear me.

Free me of excessive concern over my performance, over the impression I create in this Sacred Action.

Convert my feelings of nervousness, turn all my apprehensions into an energy for proclaiming Your Word with power and authority.

May Your Spirit fill me as it fills the holy words that I am about to proclaim.Amen+

Prayer of Thanksgiving for a Lector of the Word.

My Lord and Source of Divine Wisdom, Womb of the Word which I have been gifted to read to my brothers and sisters,

help me as I now return to my daily duties, to live out in the fullest what I have proclaimed as Truth,

what I have heralded as the Way and the Life.

I ask that my life may be an open gospel to all who observe my actions.

May my speech echo the Love of God, speak of the Lord's Generosity and Patience.

Lord, what I ask is that I might become Your Word to my family and to all whom I encounter.

May this request be granted in Your Divine and Compassionate Mercy,

through Jesus Christ, my Brother and Lord.

Amen+

The Art of Proclaiming the Word

Good Delivery

Good delivery does not call attention to itself. It conveys the Lector's reading clearly, interestingly, and without distracting the audience. If you mumble your words, shuffle your feet, or talk in a monotone, you will not get the message across. Most listeners prefer delivery that combines a certain degree of formality with the best attributes of good conversation - directness, spontaneity, vocal and facial expressiveness, and a lively sense of communication.

Concentrate on such basics as speaking intelligibly, avoiding distracting mannerisms, and establishing eye contact with your listeners.

Reading Word for Word

Delivering a scripture reading word for word requires great skill. Some people do it well. Their words "come alive as if coined on the spot." Others seem to ruin it every time. Instead of sounding vibrant and conversational, they come across as wooden and artificial. They falter over words, pause in the wrong places, read too quickly or too slowly, speak in a monotone, and march through the reading without even glancing at their audience. In short, they come across as reading to their listeners, rather than talking with them. When reading from scripture, do your best to avoid these problems.

Practice aloud to make sure the reading sounds natural. Work on establishing eye contact with the congregation. Above all, reach out to the congregation with the same directness and sincerity that you would if speaking extemporaneously.

Speaker's Voice

The aspects of voice you should work to control are:

Volume

¨      If you speak too loudly, your listeners will think you boorish.

¨      If you speak too softly, they will not understand you.

¨      Your own voice always sounds louder to you than to a listener.

Pitch

¨      Pitch is the highness or lowness of your voice.

v     Vocal attributes of speaker

v     Mood he/she is trying to create

v     Composition of the audience

v     Nature of the occasion

¨      A fast rate helps to create feelings of happiness, fear, anger, and surprise. Used when the information is already familiar to the congregation.

¨      A slow rate is better for expressing sadness or disgust. Used when you explain complex information.

¨      Two obvious faults to avoid are speaking so slowly that your listener gets bored or so quickly that they lose track of your ideas.Learning when and how to pause is a major challenge for most beginning Lectors. Even a moment of silence can seem like an eternity. As you gain more poise and confidence, however, you will discover how useful the pause can be. It can

¨      Signal the end of a thought unit

¨      Give an idea time to sink in

¨      Lend dramatic impact to a statement

Developing a keen sense of timing is partly a matter of common sense, partly a matter of experience. You will not always get your pauses just right at first, but keep trying.

When you do pause, make sure you pause at the end of thought units and not in the middle. Otherwise, you may distract listeners from the main idea.

Pronunciation

We all mispronounce words now and again. Here, for example, are six words with which you are probably familiar. Say each one aloud:

Very likely you made a mistake on at least one, for they are among the most frequently mispronounces words in the English language. Let's see:

Every word leads a triple life: it is read, written, and spoken

Articulation

Articulation and pronunciation are not identical. Sloppy articulation is the failure to form particular speech sounds crisply and distinctly. It is one of several causes of mispronunciation; but not all errors in pronunciation stem from poor articulation. You can articulate a word sharply and still mispronounce it. For example, if you say the "s" in "Illinois" or the "p" in "Pneumonia," you are making a mistake in pronunciation, regardless of how precisely you articulate the sounds.

Most of the time poor articulation is caused by laziness - by failing to manipulate the lips, tongue, jaw, and soft palate so as to produce speech sounds clearly and precisely.

If you have sloppy articulation, work on identifying and eliminating your most common errors. Like other bad habits, careless articulation can be broken only by persistent effort - but the results are well worth it.

Nonverbal Communication

Posture, facial expression, gestures, and eye contact - all affect the way listeners respond to a Lector. Research has confirmed, 'People trust their ears less than their eyes." When a Lector's body language is inconsistent with his/her words, listeners tend to believe the body language rather than the words.

Here are the major aspects of nonverbal communication that will affect the outcome of your reading:

Personal Appearance

A number of studies have confirmed that personal appearance plays an important role in proclaiming the Word. Listeners always see you before they hear you. Just as you adapt your language to the congregation and the occasion, so should you dress and groom appropriately.

You should try to evoke a favorable first impression - an impression that is likely to make listeners more receptive to what you say.

Bodily Action

Novice Lectors are often unsure about what to do with their bodies while reading. Some shift their weight from one foot to the other, bob their shoulders, or turn into statues, standing rigid and expressionless from beginning to end.

Such quirks usually stem from nervousness. With a little concentration, these mannerisms should disappear as you become more comfortable reading in front of the congregation.

As important as how you act during the reading is what you do just before you begin and after you finish. As you rise to read, try to appear calm, poised, and confident, despite the butterflies in your stomach. When you reach the lectern, don't lean on it, and don't rush to your reading. Give yourself time to get set. Arrange the book just the way you want it. Stand quietly as you wait to make sure the congregation is paying attention. Establish eye contact with the congregation. Then - and only then - should you start to read.

Eye Contact

One of the quickest ways to establish a communicative bond with the congregation is to look at them personally and pleasantly. Scan the congregation rather than trying to engage the eyes of each person individually. No matter what the size of the congregation, you want your eyes to convey confidence, sincerity, and conviction. They should say, "I am pleased to be able to read to you. I believe deeply in what I am reading, and I want you to believe in it too."

Summary

The impact of your scripture reading is strongly affected by how the reading is delivered. Good delivery does not call attention to itself. It conveys the Lector's reading clearly, interestingly, and without distracting the congregation. Concentrate on speaking intelligibly and establishing eye contact with the congregation.

A primary factor in delivery is the Lectors voice. In using your voice effectively you should work to control your volume, pitch, rate, pauses, vocal variety, pronunciation, articulation, and dialect. Volume is the relative loudness of your voice, and pitch is the relative highness or lowness. Rate refers to the speed at which you talk. Pauses, when carefully timed, can add great impact to your reading. Vocal variety refers to changes in volume, pitch, rate, and pauses, and is crucial to making your voice lively and animated.

Nonverbal communication is another vital factor in delivery. Posture, personal appearance, facial expression, bodily movement, and eye contact all affect the way listeners respond to speakers. You can dress and groom appropriately for the situation at hand.

You should practice all these aspects of delivery along with the words you are reading

LECTOR INSTRUCTIONS

PREPARATION

PIP Meetings:

To make the service of the Word effective, all lectors are expected to be prepared for their ministry. Preparation should be spiritual, scriptural, and practical. Spiritual preparation involves prayer over the text and reflection on its message. Scriptural preparation involves understanding the text. Practical preparation involves mastering difficult words, learning the right pronunciations and practicing the delivery of the text aloud, ideally in the presence of someone who is able to critique the delivery.

NO SHOW

It is your responsibility to get a replacement. In an emergency, please call the second lector to give them ample preparation time to proclaim your margin-left:0in">Right after the end of the opening prayer, the lector will walk to the center of the church, and bow slightly to the altar. Walk up the steps to the ambo for the first reading.

At the end of the reading, the Lectionary should not be lifted off the ambo while saying: 'The Word of the Lord".

PAUSE, take two steps backward and briefly bow towards the Lectionary and return to your seat. (You do not have to reverence the altar when you leave).

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

As usual, the choir will handle the Responsorial Psalm.

SECOND READING

A brief period of silence should be allowed after the Psalm.

After the short pause, the second Lector does the same as the first reader.

AFTER MASS

Both Lectors stand to join the server, and wait for the priest to walk down the steps. (usually at the beginning of the second verse). All bow and process.

At the 5PM masses, please return the Lectionary its spot in the Sacristy.

At 8AM, 9:30AM and 11:AM masses, return the Lectionary to the Vesting Room for the next mass.

Guidelines

ü      SILENCE: The reader should pause before beginning the first reading while the assembly is settling.

ü      In order to enable the assembly to ponder and reflect on the Word proclaimed, a pause of about fifteen to thirty seconds should be observed after each reading

ü      Readers begin to read by saying, "A reading from the Book of Exodus." It is inappropriate to add words such as: 'The first reading..."

ü      If the Responsorial Psalm is recited, readers should begin the recitation with the antiphon. Announcing "Responsorial Psalm" is unnecessary.

ü      Ministers of the Word should not add any of their own words to the texts.

ü      The title of the reading such as "A reading from the Book of Exodus" and the ending, 'The Word of the Lord", should be distinguished from the reading itself. Readers do this by observing a pause of about three seconds after the former and before the latter phrase.

ü      While proclaiming the Word, reader may hold the Lectionary in his/her hands, or place in on the ambo and rest his/her hand on it. Anything that might distract from the proclaimed Word, such as leaning on the ambo, hands in pockets, or shuffling from one foot to the other should be avoided.

ü      The reader should never do anything to draw attention to her/himself at anytime.

ü      Clothing should be appropriate for the occasion, modest and in keeping with the dignity of the ministry.

  Becoming a Better Lector

As a lector, you have a major impact in how the assembly responds to the readings. Whether you are a novice or veteran lector, Becoming a Better Lector will help you play your role more forcefully.

1. Pray

2. Read Scripture

3. Finding the most important phrase in your reading

4. Find the emotion

5. Practice

6. Use eye contact

7. Project

8. Vary your pace

9. Vary your style

Things lectors worry about

What to do you if you are asked to read at the last minute

Preface

I became a lector when I was 17 years old. I wish I could say I had done so because I felt a call from the Lord, or I felt a keen desire to evangelize those who had not yet heard the Word or some such lofty, spiritual motivation.

The truth is, I liked the attention. When I walked up to the ambo, all the eyes in the church were focused on me. Perhaps this is not the best reason to become a lector, but it is the reason that a lot of us got started and the reason some of us are still doing it after lots of years. I used to feel a little guilty about my less-than-pure motivation until I realized that God can use even my weaknesses to accomplish God's goals. I began to accept that I would never be visited by winged angels bearing burning coals to purify my lips. I would never see a vision or hear a voice or receive written instructions from the Lord directing the exact way in which I was supposed to live out my baptismal commitment. My call was in fact my selfish desire for attention.

What has helped me reconcile my selfishness with the mandate to be selfless and to sacrifice myself, a mandate I proclaim almost every time I read, is a commitment I made early on to continually improve my skills as a lector. If I am going to take attention from the community, I feel obligated to give my best effort back to them when I read.

I thought I was a "good enough" lector almost from the time I started. I could be heard clearly, and I used pretty good eye contact. Isn't that all that's expected of a lector? But the more I proclaimed the Scriptures, the more I realized there is never really a "good enough" minister. All the Scriptures point to the paschal mystery, Christ's self-sacrifice for us. The more I read, the more I understood that God wasn't calling me just to be a good lector. God was and is calling me to sacrifice myself for the sake of the community, just Christ did.

There are some basics every lector has to master just to be "good enough." However, once those basics are mastered, every lector is faced with a choice. "Am I going to be satisfied with 'good enough,' or am I going to challenge and stretch myself for the sake of the community? Am I going to work to become a better lector next year than I was last year? Am I going to go out of my way to learn new ways to proclaim God's word more powerfully?"

I would respectfully suggest that neither God nor the Church needs lectors who are "good enough." What we need are lectors who will sacrifice themselves. What we need are lectors who will work every week to give back to the community more than they take from it. What we need are lectors who are driven to give their best effort-plus a little bit more-in order to proclaim the paschal mystery.

You are that kind of lector or you wouldn't be reading this book. It is my hope that some of the techniques you find here will help you in your continuous efforts to improve and extend yourself. For some of you, these nine steps will be reminders and encouragements of some of the things you already do to prepare. For others, some of these steps may seem overwhelming and challenging. Keep in mind that your goal isn't to be the best lector God has ever created. It is to be a little better next time than you were last time. Work in small but consistent doses to improve your skills. If you can do that, you will be meeting the Gospel's mandate to self-sacrifice.

May the Lord be on you lips and in your hearts so that you may worthily proclaim God's word.

Frequently asked questions

1. Where should the lectors be in the opening procession?

The order of procession varies from parish to parish. The most usual order is for the lector carrying the lectionary to be second-to-last in line, right in front of the presider. The other lector is third-to-last. When the procession reaches its destination, the process for placing the book on the ambo also varies from place to place. Usually all the ministers in the procession either bow to the altar or genuflect. In most cases, the lector carrying the Word would neither bow nor genuflect. In some parishes, the lector carrying the lectionary bows his or her head but does not "dip" the lectionary. That is also acceptable. If the custom in your parish is for the ministers to genuflect, and if it is important in your community that all the ministers do genuflect, it is best to place the book on the ambo, return to the foot of the altar, and then genuflect.

2. How high should the book be held?

The higher the better. At a minimum, bottom of the lectionary should be at about eyebrow level. Stretch your comfort level and raise it a bit higher than that. Ideally, the lector would extend his or her arms as much as possible in order to create a true sense of procession with the book. Imagine that you are proclaiming the Word with the very first step of your procession. How would you make the proclamation nonverbally? How would you let the assembly know, before you ever reach the altar, that the Word of God is among them? Use your body, the rhythm of your walking, and the way you carry the book to make that proclamation.

3. Should the book be held during the reading?

The new lectionaries have almost made this a moot point. If you are using one of the new Sunday lectionaries, it is impossible to hold them for long because of their size. If for some reason you have a smaller lectionary and you wish to hold the book as you read, that is probably a good thing to do. It works just as well, however, to leave the book on the ambo as you read. It should go without saying that the lector would always read from a bound lectionary. Every symbol we use at Mass should be worthy and dignified. It should not look temporary or disposable. So no paperback lectionaries, workbooks, missallettes, or looseleaf papers. Always read from a worthy book.

4. Is it okay for lectors to use hand gestures during the reading?

Hand gestures are tricky to pull off. The first thing to ask is why a lector would want to add in a gesture. Will the gesture significantly add to the proclamation of the reading? Will it help the assembly to better understand and "hear" God's word that day? Too often, a gesture is simply distracting. It can call attention to itself and to the lector and not really help the proclamation. But on occasion, used sparingly and well, a simple gesture can emphasize the most important point of the reading and add an important element to the proclamation.

Here are some general guidelines for adding gesture.

¨      If you are at all unsure about using the gesture, don't.

¨      margin-left:0in;text-indent:.5in">The ideal would be for the lectors to sit in the midst of the assembly. However, this also varies from parish to parish so check with your parish leaders. When the lector comes from the assembly to proclaim the reading, it creates a clear sense that the ministries flow from the assembly.

7. Should the lectionary be carried out the end of Mass?

There isn't an absolute rule, but generally, what is carried in the opening procession is carried out at the end of Mass. At St. Angela, the lectionary is not carried at the recessional.

8. How should lectors dress?

Lectors should dress up. Proclaiming the Word of God is a sacred ministry, and lectors should dress as though they have a sacred calling. Casual dress gives an air of the ministry being casual. What "dressing up" means varies from community to community and even within communities. So even though the ideal is to dress up, lectors need to be careful not to criticize each other about how they dress. What is casual for one person may be dressy for another.

9. How many lectors are required on Sunday?

Two Lectors are scheduled for the First Reading and the Second Reading.

10. Would a third lector be required for the psalm and a fourth for the intercessions? What about the announcements?

The ministry of the lector is not to "read stuff at the microphone." The ministry of the lector is to proclaim the word of God. So the lector would not ordinarily read the intercessions or announcements. While this does happen in many parishes, it is not the ideal. It is a habit we have fallen into and that we should extract ourselves from. The usual minister for leading the intercessions and making announcements is the deacon. In parishes where there is no deacon, the ministries of the deacon fall either to the cantor, the presider, or another minister, but not to the lector.

The psalm is the Word of God, but it is not a reading. It is a song and, at least on Sunday, it would ordinarily be sung.

11. Can a lector also serve as a communion minster or other liturgical minister?

This would also be case in which a lector would double up only in an emergency or compromise situation. If a lector takes his or her ministry seriously, that person is lector even at times when he or she is not reading just as a priest is a priest even when he is not presiding at Mass. As a lector, how do you make the Word present when you are not scheduled to read? How do you make the Word present when the Liturgy of the Word has ended and the Liturgy of the Eucharist has begun? More elementally, what does it say about our seriousness about fulfilling the mandate of the Second Vatican Council to expand the liturgical ministries as broadly as possible if a few people are serving in two or three ministries? If you really feel called to be a communion minister or an usher or a choir member, resign from your role as lector and serve in the ministry you are most called to. If you can't decide, serve in one for a year and then switch to another for a year. If you serve at one of t margin-left:0in;text-indent:.5in">liturgies and for the time being you and the other ministers are unable to recruit more help, then try your best to at least not serve in two ministries at the same liturgy. So for example, you might be a lector on the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time and a communion minister on the 29th Sunday, but you would avoid doing both ministries on both Sundays.

12. What are the differences among translations of Scripture?

None of Scripture was originally written in English. Most of the New Testament was written in ancient Greek and much of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew. Translations of Scripture began to occur almost as soon as it was written. There are several modern translations that are excellent. The translations Catholics might most frequently encounter are the New American Bible (NAB), Revised Standard Version (RSV), New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), Jerusalem Bible (JB), and Contemporary English Version (CEV; used in the Lectionary for Masses with Children). Any of these translations may be used in parishes for prayer, study and catechesis. In parishes in the United States, only the NAB may be used in the liturgy. In parishes in Canada, only the NRSV may be used in the liturgy.

Reflections of a Liturgical Minister.

I took my position as Liturgist in my parish about a year ago. The parish had made a commitment to improving their celebration of the Liturgy, and they created my position. I understand we have a very long way to go toward helping folks understand and appreciate the richness, the beauty and the meaning of liturgical celebration. But several incidents over the past week make me think that, for all our efforts toward "liturgical reform" over the past 40 years or so, we seem to be not far off square one. Let me try to explain as briefly as I can.

The first rule of liturgy in our parish is: "Liturgy is liturgy is liturgy." We don't use one set of guidelines for Sunday liturgy and another for wedding, funerals, school liturgies, etc. Our music and liturgy committees and I go to very great lengths to make sure the music we do is appropriate for liturgy and speaks to/reflects the scripture of the day. We offer a wide variety of musical style among the eight weekend liturgies we do. We follow established guidelines for all liturgy, and for the most part, we feel we've "succeeded" in our efforts. (Visiting clergy and worshipers tell us we celebrate liturgy well.)

If we've "succeeded" in celebrating liturgy so well, why in the space of one week did I meet with one wedding couple who wanted a country-and-western wedding, one couple who wanted Van Halen and Aerosmith, and one who wanted a Bruce Springsteen song which spoke of "just the two of us under the oaken boughs in the shadows of the night;" and when I asked them where God fit in, they replied, "I feel God has enough exposure in this service...this is 'our' time"? (They tell me they do music like this all the time in the major city they're from.) It sure looks like, for all of our efforts at doing liturgy well, it's just not sinking in at a deeper level for the general population of church-goers.

Our emphasis on liturgy is not new in the parish with my arrival -- my part-time and volunteer predecessors did a remarkable job in doing liturgy in the parish. So "doing liturgy well" is not new in the parish; we've simply streamlined the effort.

I keep telling myself this is God's way of reminding us how much work we have to do. I love doing what I do, and I'm far from discouraged. I know these things take time, but I wonder just how effective we (as a Church) are in touching the "average" churchgoer.