Procedures
- Dressing appropriately for the occasion, men wear at least business casual attire, such as trousers and a collared shirt. Women wear a dress, skirt, or slacks and a blouse with sleeves. No shorts or sportswear are permitted.
- Please arrive ten minutes before Mass begins, and check in with the sacristan so that they know you are here and that a substitute doesn't need to be obtained.
- First lector: first reading and petitions. However, if the deacon is present, he reads the petitions.
- Second lector: carry the Book of Gospels in the procession if the deacon is not present, and proclaim the second reading.
Both lectors are (ideally) participants in the procession. They stand side-by-side if the deacon is carrying the Book of Gospels; otherwise, the first lector follows immediately behind the candle bearers, and the second lector carries the Book of Gospels behind the first lector. - When going up to the ambo, bow to the tabernacle at the foot of the sanctuary, then use the railing. Likewise, when leaving the sanctuary, use the railing to descend, turn, and bow to the tabernacle before returning to your seat.
Guidelines for Proclaiming the Word
When done well, reading scripture publicly is more than just a Bible reading. It is the lector’s role to bring a passage to life so that we can hear God’s story firsthand, for ourselves.
Here's the first point. Public reading is not the same as public speaking. And it works the other way around, too: public speaking is not just public reading. Many people often mistake one for the other.
In public speaking, the speaker must visibly connect with the audience to build rapport and establish an authentic relationship. Public speaking involves sustained eye contact, gestures, and engaged, energetic body language with facial emphasis— all of that. The speaker combines these with words to capture the audience’s attention and earn their interest in what is being said. It is the speaker’s presence in the moment that communicates as much of the message as the words themselves. We observe the speaker and thus learn about their character, helping us better understand their remarks.
But a lector reading in public should be invisible, hidden within the text being read. A public reading of scripture in worship is an appointment with a text from scripture, often a familiar one to the listeners. It is the text―familiar though it may be―that must capture our attention, not the lector. Looking up from the text to catch someone's eye distracts from the reading. The lector must step aside, so to speak, from him or herself. Therefore, the lector’s job is to speak the text in a way that allows the text itself, not the lector, to speak to us.
Some common rules for public speaking naturally apply to lectors: careful attention to enunciation, pronunciation, vocal quality, microphone use, and pacing of words (not too fast, not too slow). However, the very qualities essential in public speaking often hinder a public reading. When reading scripture in worship, the goal is to focus attention on the text, not on the lector.
I would suggest there are only two times when a lector really needs to look at anyone in the congregation. The first is during the opening proclamation line, “A reading from ...” Look those people directly in the eye when you do it so they know you’re serious. Pause after saying the introduction and count silently to three before starting the text.
The last part is the final declaration, “The Word of the Lord.” After the reading, pause again, count to three, and then deliver the conclusion. Punctuated silence is the most effective way to capture attention. Use it wisely.
Your focus on the text will guide our attention to what is being read.
Preparation? Practice out loud; reading the text about six times is not too many—say it aloud. That comes after you've read the text silently to yourself an equal number of times. You need to become familiar with the words, their flow, and learn where a pause or vocal emphasis can help clarify the meaning.
Word emphasis? Discover how your voice can bring the text to life. Scripture contains irony, humor, playfulness, serious warnings, heartfelt laments, conversational exchanges, snarky jokes (“Can anything good come from Nazareth?”), narration, and more. I can't think of any verbal characterization that isn't present in scripture. Let the weight of the words convey mood, tone, and delivery during the reading.
Microphone? Don't rely on it to project your voice. Find the right distance so your voice isn't muffled or too loud. Listen for your p’s and t’s; they can sometimes pop out of the system like cap pistols. Slightly move back from the microphone if you hear these pops.
There you go. That’s some of the technical stuff.
Non-technical: Say a prayer of gratitude for the service you've been chosen to perform. Start there first, then focus on the technique.
Here's the first point. Public reading is not the same as public speaking. And it works the other way around, too: public speaking is not just public reading. Many people often mistake one for the other.
In public speaking, the speaker must visibly connect with the audience to build rapport and establish an authentic relationship. Public speaking involves sustained eye contact, gestures, and engaged, energetic body language with facial emphasis— all of that. The speaker combines these with words to capture the audience’s attention and earn their interest in what is being said. It is the speaker’s presence in the moment that communicates as much of the message as the words themselves. We observe the speaker and thus learn about their character, helping us better understand their remarks.
But a lector reading in public should be invisible, hidden within the text being read. A public reading of scripture in worship is an appointment with a text from scripture, often a familiar one to the listeners. It is the text―familiar though it may be―that must capture our attention, not the lector. Looking up from the text to catch someone's eye distracts from the reading. The lector must step aside, so to speak, from him or herself. Therefore, the lector’s job is to speak the text in a way that allows the text itself, not the lector, to speak to us.
Some common rules for public speaking naturally apply to lectors: careful attention to enunciation, pronunciation, vocal quality, microphone use, and pacing of words (not too fast, not too slow). However, the very qualities essential in public speaking often hinder a public reading. When reading scripture in worship, the goal is to focus attention on the text, not on the lector.
I would suggest there are only two times when a lector really needs to look at anyone in the congregation. The first is during the opening proclamation line, “A reading from ...” Look those people directly in the eye when you do it so they know you’re serious. Pause after saying the introduction and count silently to three before starting the text.
The last part is the final declaration, “The Word of the Lord.” After the reading, pause again, count to three, and then deliver the conclusion. Punctuated silence is the most effective way to capture attention. Use it wisely.
Your focus on the text will guide our attention to what is being read.
Preparation? Practice out loud; reading the text about six times is not too many—say it aloud. That comes after you've read the text silently to yourself an equal number of times. You need to become familiar with the words, their flow, and learn where a pause or vocal emphasis can help clarify the meaning.
Word emphasis? Discover how your voice can bring the text to life. Scripture contains irony, humor, playfulness, serious warnings, heartfelt laments, conversational exchanges, snarky jokes (“Can anything good come from Nazareth?”), narration, and more. I can't think of any verbal characterization that isn't present in scripture. Let the weight of the words convey mood, tone, and delivery during the reading.
Microphone? Don't rely on it to project your voice. Find the right distance so your voice isn't muffled or too loud. Listen for your p’s and t’s; they can sometimes pop out of the system like cap pistols. Slightly move back from the microphone if you hear these pops.
There you go. That’s some of the technical stuff.
Non-technical: Say a prayer of gratitude for the service you've been chosen to perform. Start there first, then focus on the technique.
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St. Fabian Catholic Church
32200 W. Twelve Mile Road Farmington Hills, MI 48334 248-553-4610 [email protected] Weekend Mass Times Saturday Vigil: 5pm Sunday: 8am, 10am, 12pm, 5:30pm |
