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Ministry Resource Update 
July 2010
 
 

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Encouraging Inquiry

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is the church's way of incorporating non-Catholic men and women into our Catholic Faith. This is the ancient catechumenate process of the church. People join the process all year long as the Spirit moves them. But we all know that nothing works better than a personal invitation. Encourage the members of your community to invite anyone they know who might be interested to attend an “Inquiry Evening.” (You can have more than one during the year.) This will be one way to give people information about the catechumenate process and to start them off as inquirers.

One of the best ways to learn anything is to ask questions. This applies to Catholic adults who have never received their Confirmation or First Eucharist, to Catholics who feel that they need to know more about their faith, and to children and youth who have questions about something they don't understand. Consider sponsoring an evening entitled, “What You Want to Know about the Mass.” During the weeks before the scheduled meeting, invite people, adults and children, to submit questions that they have. Put a “Questions” box in the vestibule, or make it available at the school office or during meetings or catechetical sessions. This will allow time to look up the answers to any esoteric questions before the meeting. Another approach is to answer the questions in a brief session just before the final blessing at Mass, or to publish the answers one at a time in the weekly bulletin. You can be creative in engaging the participation of the community.


More on Arriving at Mass Late and Leaving Early


This was contributed by Brenda Tibbits. I think the best part about this idea is that they invited the people to consider the problem and to generate ideas, rather than just tell them what they should do and why. It might be fun to try in your parish.

Brenda: I would like to share with you something that we did to try to address the coming late and leaving early issue. Our Worship Commission placed ads in the weekly bulletin and made some verbal announcements asking for the top ten reasons for coming to Mass on time. We asked that entries be sent in by a given date and stated that a list would be compiled and shared with the parish at the monthly coffee and donuts. We would select a winner, and the winner and their family would be announced at Mass and in the bulletin. They would also receive free coffee and donuts. We printed the compiled list in the bulletin and made cardstock lists to put on the tables during coffee and donuts. They were lighthearted (mostly) and generated a great deal of conversation. A few months later, we did the same thing with leaving Mass early. On both occasions, our priests used some of the list in their homilies that day and it was both fun and made the point. The first few weeks things were better, but I can’t say that it really lasted. Still, it addressed the problem. Attached are our ads and the final lists.

CONTEST

Now you have a chance to have your top reason for staying through the end of Mass or for arriving on time printed in the bulletin. Please call or email [name and contact info] at the Parish Office with your top reasons! The top ten of our collected reasons for staying through the end of Mass will be printed in the bulletin and their entire families will receive free donuts at our [date] Koffee Klatsch! Submissions must be received by [date] to be eligible.

Here is a copy of a letter sent to the contest winners:

Dear [name],

Thank you so much for participating in the parish contest for the “Top Ten Reasons to Stay until the End of Mass.” Below you will see the final list that will be printed in the bulletin on [date]. A number of the reasons were paraphrased from the form in which they were received, and some reasons were rewritten to include elements of multiple contributors. As you can see, we tried for some humor as well as some real issues to help get the point across. Your involvement was much appreciated!

As a small gift, you and your family are invited to the [date] Koffee Klatsch without charge. Again, thank you!

1. You will avoid getting run over by the servers as you try to sneak out just ahead of the procession.
2. You will receive the final blessing—and who among us doesn’t need to be blessed?!
3. While you are waiting to get out of the parking lot, you have time together as a family to talk about the question of the week.
4. Those sitting around you won't worry that you lost your way coming back from communion when they notice your empty seat.
5. You can enjoy those final peaceful prayerful minutes of Mass before the kids start their barrage of questions and requests during the car ride home.
6. You won’t miss any important announcements.
7. The distraction of people leaving to those praying the Mass would be eliminated.
8. You have the wonderful opportunity to bond with your fellow parishioners after Mass.
9. The choir sings the best songs at the end of Mass.
10. Unlike a Bengals or Browns game, Mass isn't over at halftime!

Blessings and Peace,

A similar letter was sent regarding "Reasons to Get to Mass on Time" with this list.

1. Avoid dirty looks from the Pastor and others!
2. Allow time for kids to use the bathroom before Mass.
3. You can do your shopping for Scrip, Fair Trade Coffee, Christmas wreaths, etc. before Mass.
4. Make others feel welcome through your relaxed & generous spirit.
5. One of the ushers can ask you/your family to bring up the gifts.
6. Hear Ted play a newly composed piano prelude to set the tone for a moment of prayerful meditation before Mass begins.
7. Have the chance to collect your thoughts and become aware of others who are with you in this shared celebration of faith.
8. Improve your insurance rates; studies show people who get to church early have 25% fewer parking lot accidents!
9. The first shall be last and the last shall be first only applies to the Kingdom of God. All other circumstances just demonstrate poor time management.
10. If you arrive early, you have a better shot at getting to sit in the back pews.




This Month's Recommendation


Ministry of the Lector cover image THE MINISTRY OF THE LECTOR
Caroline M. Thomas
Paper, $6.95 (with special bulk prices)
64 pages, 5½" × 8½"
ISBN 0-89390-689-1

Give your lectors some “homework” over the summer so they can come back reinvigorated in their ministry next fall.

This book answers the following questions:

How do we bring the word of God to life for our assembly at Mass?
What makes the readings speak to each one personally?
How does lectoring become proclaiming/storytelling?

This book tells how to do just that, giving suggestions on how to prepare and describing actual techniques. Examples of the various techniques are presented. The book establishes the ministry of lector in relationship to the assembly and develops the concept of proclaiming as a faith witness. Although the title references the ministry of lector, the principles and techniques will be helpful to deacons, presiders, catechists, and all who proclaim God’s word.


The regular price for this book is $6.95. Get a special newsletter discount of 20% for this book by mentioning the Ministry Resource Update. Call 888-273-7782 to place your order. Or click here to order online and enter Customer Code MRU710. Offer expires 7/31/10. 


Liturgical Bits & Bytes for the Bulletin and Beyond


If you have been getting the Liturgical Bits & Bytes in this newsletter, but didn’t sign up at the beginning, you can subscribe to all the archives online. The new ones will be added as they become available. It is easy to include them in the bulletin or other parish media.

Week 1:

RCIA Community

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults isn’t just for those who are planning to join the Catholic Church. The process is the responsibility of the whole community. All the members of the parish support the catechumens by prayer and example to assist in gradually incorporating them into a whole new way of life in Christ. Consider becoming a sponsor or at least a prayer partner to these brothers and sisters who are responding to God’s invitation to grace.


Week 2:

Holy Water

Q: Each time we enter the church we bless ourselves with holy water. That rite is meant to remind us of our Baptism. Baptism is the way that we became part of the community of the faithful. It was our entrance into church (the people of God). It was the way that God made us God’s children, brothers and sister of Jesus and of one another. So each time we enter the church we make that sign of our faith. The font or fonts at the entrance to the church contain holy water. It is the water that we use to renew our faith and the water we use to baptize. Those who use holy water as part of their family prayer can request water to take home.


Week 3:

Liturgy, the Word

Liturgy is a word that comes from the Greek meaning “the work of the people.” What makes our liturgy a “shared” work? We sing; we sit in silence; we listen and speak; we stand, embrace, eat, and drink. In all these actions (including formalized or ritualized communication) we speak to one another and to God with our bodies and our voices, and we “listen” not just with our hearing but with all our senses. The real communication of the liturgy is the moments that it offers us for being still in open and loving relationship with God and one another. Liturgy is not something we do for God. It is our opportunity to touch and enlarge our experience of God, to be with God, to hear God, to know God. When it works, it changes who we are and how we live.

Week 4:

Changes in the Mass

Q: Has the Mass always been the way it is now?
A: The way we worship now has a long and complicated history. The most recent changes that came from the Second Vatican Council are what most adults talk about when they refer to “the changes.” While retaining the basic purpose of the ritual, Mass has its deepest origins in the Jewish “Sabbath Suppers.” Down through the years it has included many cultural and ritual variations. We tend to think that the Mass is an action that never changes. This is far from the truth. Just as one example, the language of the Mass has changed from Hebrew to Greek to Latin to the vernacular. The way we worship is not a museum piece but the living, breathing, changing work of a people seeking to touch God through word and gesture, song and prayer, sign and symbol. You may have heard that there are more changes coming. This should reassure us that the church is still living and growing.

Week 5:

The Celebrating Assembly

This concept has been discussed many times, but it bears repetition. Mass is something we do together. It is not something the priest does while we watch. We all have important tasks to do. In days past people were brought up with the thinking that we “attended” Mass in the same way you would go to a concert or a movie. There are really four tasks or steps for an assembly. We gather. We listen. We respond. We are sent. If we understand these steps as an assembly, we will better understand what it means to say that Sunday Mass is not a private act, but something we all do together. It is in this sense that we say that we are all celebrants. A worshiping community that begins to believe in itself and act as God's priestly people will unleash tremendous power for life. It is through that faith experience that God touches us and we touch God. If we actively work at the task of being an assembly, then we will see what a difference that can make.



The above five inserts have been prepared by Fr. Richard Husted, OFM and pastoral liturgist and ministry consultant Caroline Thomas for use by everyone who receives this Ministry Resource Update. Fr. Richard’s input is also being used for the main section of the Ministry Resource Update. Please feel free to forward this update to anyone you think would find it helpful.

 


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Praying with Your Children: A Guide for Families
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NEW!  Lectionary Bulletin Inserts, Year A: First and Second Readings
Vatican II introduced more Scripture readings into the liturgy. The homily is usually on the Gospel reading. These inserts, reflections on the first and second readings, give insight into the other two readings people have heard at Mass. To view sample inserts visit http://www.rpinet.com/products/lbia.html.


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