“The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which all her power flows. For the aim and object of apostolic works is that all who are made sons of God by faith and baptism should come together to praise God in the midst of His Church, to take part in the sacrifice, and to eat the Lord’s supper.”
― Pope Paul VI.

For information on and how to enroll in Liturgical Ministry Training click on the link below:
Ministry / Training / Formation – Liturgy Office of Sydney Archdiocese (sydneycatholic.org)

Acolyte

Acolytes assist on the sanctuary in the celebration of the Mass. Acolytes perform similar tasks to an altar server but acolytes are an official and permanent “order” of the Church: what is called a Minor Order of the Church.

The Church only allows males to be acolytes and they must be at least 18 years of age. See the Archdiocese of Sydney Liturgy Office website.
They are permanent ministers of Holy Communion and may lead a church Holy Communion Service in the absence of a priest when no Mass can be celebrated. Acolytes may also take Holy Communion to the sick and elderly in their homes.

Acolytes are formally instituted into their ministry with the approval of the bishop and must undertake a short training course offered by the Archdiocese of Sydney.

Altar Linen

Volunteers wash and iron (and starch as required) all necessary linen items used for the Liturgy in the church including laundering of altar table cloths, corporal and purificator.

Altar Servers

Altar servers play an important part in the Church’s Liturgy.  Good servers enable us all, bishops, priests and laity to celebrate the Mass and the other sacraments with a spirit of prayer. Young people from the parish who have received the Sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation and First Eucharist can be trained to serve on the altar during the week and at weekends.

They are usually of school age. Following a decision in the 1990s, the Catholic Church now allows female altar serversas well as males.

During the Mass, altar servers carry out duties such as setting the altar for the Liturgy of the Eucharist, bringing up water and wine for the priest to transform into the Body and Blood of Christ, washing the chief celebrant’s hands and assistance with other such rituals.

Altar serving is regarded as a good way to get young people more interested and involved in their religion and their parish. They wear a long white vestment called an alb or a cassock.

Church Flowers

A group of volunteers that ensure fresh flowers are placed in fresh water at the required/nominated positions on the sanctuary of the church each week, and in Our Lady’s Chapel among the statues.

Eucharistic Minister

The Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion assist in distributing Holy Communion to our parishioners at Mass. When required, they also administer Holy Communion to the sick at home or in hospitals. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion receive sufficient spiritual, theological, and practical preparation to fulfil their role with knowledge and reverence.

Lectors/Readers

Lectors proclaim the Word of God in the Scripture Readings at Mass. They also announce the Intentions in the Prayers of the Faithful and proclaim the psalm between the readings.

This is an important ministry in the parish. Lectors should have pre-read the readings beforehand so that God’s Word is proclaimed clearly and in an engaging way.

Liturgical Group

A group that comes together to assist with the planning and preparation of our major Liturgical Celebrations.

The Group:

  • Prepares liturgies for the season of Lent and Advent based on themes and information from the Archdiocese and The Liturgical Commission.
  • Prepares liturgies for other major celebrations including the Feast of Our Lady of Mt Carmel etc.
  • Prepares the church environment (decorate church).
  • Selects the music for these liturgies.
  • Prepares liturgies that encourage full and active participation.

The Liturgical group includes our Priests, our Pastoral Co-ordinator, a representative from the Music Ministry, a representative from our school and up to two other interested and suitably skilled Parishioners or Parish Councillors.

Music

Music Ministry includes choirs/singers and musicians.  The Choir leads the congregation in singing at Mass so as to encourage full and active participation of the entire assembly of the faithful. Musicians provide musical accompaniment for the choir.