Altar servers help at the altar while the priest celebrates the liturgy. Altar servers can carry the processional cross. They can hold the book when the priest isn’t at the altar. They can carry the incense and censer or present the bread, wine, and water during the preparation of the gifts. Altar servers have a special place in the holy sanctuary, where access is limited to very few people, so they set an example of reverent service for the assembly during Mass.
“The altar server has a privileged place in liturgical celebrations . . . Thus you altar servers especially are called to be young friends of Jesus. Strive to deepen and foster this friendship with him.” (Pope John Paul II, August 1, 2001)
Jeanie LeGendre
Parish Representative of Altar Servers
813.727.7642
jeanielegendre@gmail.com
As Eucharist Ministers of Holy Communion, our responsibility is to assist the priest in the distribution of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. We are assigned stations prior to mass and report to the Sanctuary after the Kiss of Peace. Our goal is to show reverence as we proceed to our designated area in the Sanctuary and try to disrupt to mass as little as possible. We will receive Holy Communion on the Altar and the proceed to our assigned stations. After distribution, we return our vessels to the Sanctuary and return to our seats and join the congregation for the remainder of the mass.
Edith S. Minton
813-933-2859
Office@mhrtampa.org
Estela Zelaya (Spanish)
813-453-2754
Office@mhrtampa.org
The church is the heart of parish worship. As home of the Blessed Sacrament and gathering place of Christ's Body, the church must be cared for by attentive stewards who work behind the scenes. From tending sacred vessels and altar linens to sanctuary decoration and cleaning the church, sacristans carry out the holy duties that make community worship possible.
How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord? (Psalm 83:3)
Ellen Witkowski
813.335.0258
ewitkowski@tampabay.rr.com
Readers proclaim God’s Word as a living, dynamic and timeless form of praise during the liturgy. They help create a caring and hospitable environment by praying the Prayers of the Faithful. They are empowered by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, granted the resources necessary to nourish the assembly at the “table of God’s Word” in preparation for receiving the Lord at the “table of the Eucharist.”
Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us (Luke 24:32)?
Laura Kuechenberg
Parish Representatives of Readers
813.238.0563
lauraskuechenberg@live.com
Charlie Rodriguez
Parish Representative of Spanish Readers
813-933-2859
Office@mhrtampa.org