Lector - St Stephen Protomartyr

Proclaimer of the Word

Speaking God’s Word as a Storyteller

The Lector Ministry of St. Stephen’s holds this motto: "One gains at least as much as one puts into this ministry in terms of spiritual growth and deeper understanding of what our faith is all about."

Lectors at St. Stephen’s strive to make the Liturgy of the Word as meaningful as possible for the worshipping assembly by speaking God’s Word as storyteller, telling how God has acted and is acting in our lives.
Lectors strive to impart God’s Word in a clear and compelling manner so that the community will be inspired by our efforts to ponder and meditate on God’s words in their daily lives.

The importance of the lector ministry should not be underestimated in producing a vibrant and meaningful liturgy. The ministry’s portion of the Liturgy of the Word enhances the meaning of the Gospel. Moreover, our Christian tradition includes the tradition of Israel as God’s chosen people and the foundation of the early church.

The Calling
The lector ministry at St. Stephen’s seeks individuals who have a love of Scripture and public reading skills. The ministry offers special group training sessions through the Deanery and through our parish to help individuals who feel called to this ministry. In addition, ongoing formation opportunities are offered to all lectors during Advent and/or Lent. Lectors believe that an effectively communicated Word of God provides spiritual service, social justice and community-building dimensions to the spiritual lives of the worshipping faithful. The reader reveals God’s ways of justice and love, as well as how the worshipping community can become one body in service to the world.

The Responsibilities
Lectors are scheduled to read at specific masses on Saturdays, Sundays and holy days of obligation. The time commitment is determined by each individual lector both in scheduling and preparation. It is recommended that lectors read and meditate on each reading in the week prior to the reading and show up 15 minutes before the start of Mass.

Each lector receives a yearly lectionary of readings to help the individual with difficult pronunciations, understanding of where the reading fits in the Scripture, and how the readings fit together for an individual worship service.

For More Information
Call the Office at 847-824-2026 or REGISTER here.