Proclaiming the Word of God
Provisional Guideline
Proclaiming
the Word of God is an essential and important part of the liturgy.
“In the readings, God speaks to
his people of the mystery of salvation and nourishes their spirit:
Christ is present through his word.”
(General Instruction of the Roman Missal, #33) “It is desirable that
the Gospel be read by the Deacon or, in his absence, by a Priest other than the
celebrant: the other readings are
read by the subdeacon or reader. In
the absence of a Deacon or other Priest, the celebrant reads the Gospel.” (GRIM,
#34)
For
the first two reading and the Responsorial Psalm, a lay person may be called
upon to proclaim the Word. Laity
should receive training and have the ability to properly read and proclaim the
readings. After the pastor has
properly prepared Lectors, their names are to be sent to the Bishop for a card
to be issued indicating they have been properly trained and selected as Lectors.
Lectors should not be selected just because it would be an honor or because they are youth. Anyone selected to do the readings must have the proper ability and skills to do a good job. A particular concern is that pastors supervise Lectors for school masses or confirmations. It had been noted that some are not prepared nor do they have the skill or practice of public speaking, using a microphones or projecting the voice. Emphasis must first be put on the people of God hearing the Word proclaimed and not on the privilege or honor of being asked to do a reading.
It
would be recommended that those adults selected to do Sunday readings or at
other liturgical events, be video taped and critiqued on their overall
presentation.
Those
laity selected to be Lectors, should be practicing Catholics and in good
standing with the Church. Although
this policy mainly emphasizes the preparation and good presentation by the
laity, it is also a reminder that Deacons and Priests also give serious
consideration as to their preparation and proclamation of the Word of God.
Each
parish should also give consideration to those persons with hearing impairments
so that they can also hear the Word of God.
An article from the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commission’s
newsletter on the important matter is attached as an appendix for your
information. Pastors should also
check their public address systems to make sure it is working properly,
especially in churches that are acoustically challenging.
An investment in a good sound system helps provide a good Liturgy of the
Word. Attention should be given to
all who proclaim the Word that they know how to use the public address system.
(For Information on the article referred to on this page please see http://www.fdlc.org/home.htm)