St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church
310 Hertzler Road
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania 17055
Office: 717-697-2614
Fax: 717-795-0800
Religious Education Office: 717-697-3545
http://www.steas-mech.org
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church
310 Hertzler Road
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania 17055
Office: 717-697-2614
Fax: 717-795-0800
Religious Education Office: 717-797-0800
http://www.steas-mech.org
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MISSION OF LITURGY AND WORSHIP
ALTAR FLOWERS
General Purpose: To provide parishioners the opportunity to memorialize a loved one or celebrate a special event by purchasing altar flowers for weekend Masses.
Parishioners have the opportunity to make a $100 donation for altar flowers to memorialize a loved one or to celebrate a special anniversary or event. Interested parishioners should call the contact person listed in the back of this booklet for a list of available weekends.
ALTAR LINENS
General Purpose: To launder and prepare altar linens for use in the church.
Volunteers wash and iron altar linens in their own homes, paying special attention to the removal of stains. Each individual volunteer usually performs this service two to four times each year as scheduled.
ALTAR SERVERS
General Purpose: To assist the priest as he leads the congregation at Mass and other liturgical events.
In addition to assisting at Masses, altar servers may be asked to help at other events such as weddings, funerals, evening prayers, or benediction. Altar servers should be at least in the fourth grade, and many serve through their high school years. Meetings and training sessions are held as needed; a schedule is prepared regularly for serving weekend liturgies.
CHAPLET OF DIVINE MERCY
General Purpose: To gather together in prayer for God's mercy on us and the whole world.
Parishioners meet on the third Sunday of each month at 3:00 PM in the church to pray for God's mercy on us and the whole world. The chaplet can be recited or sung using ordinary rosary beads.
CURSILLO
General Purpose: To provide a weekend review of the basics of our Catholic faith and to renew one's faith and relationship with Jesus Christ.
The Cursillo movement, named for the Spanish for "short course," is a method of Christian renewal and evangelization, which is active in the diocese as well as nationally and internationally. Meetings are held prior to Mass on Saturday mornings at 8:00 AM in the Parish Center. Participants must be sponsored into the movement by current active members.
LECTORS
General Purpose: To participate in parish liturgies by reading prescribed Biblical texts.
Lectors are members of the parish who have the ability and desire to read at liturgies. Schedules are made up and distributed several times each year, and lectors read approximately once each month. A workbook containing the readings for the year is given to each lector to enable him/her to prepare for the liturgies in advance. Workshops and meetings are scheduled as needed.
LITURGY COMMITTEE
General Purpose: To enhance the liturgical celebrations of the parish community.
The Liturgy Committee is primarily a think tank, providing ideas for the parish regarding music, art, and seasonal themes as applicable to the liturgical year and worship of the community. In addition, this committee is responsible for implementing the ideas they generate.
Members of the Liturgy Committee are appointed by the pastor and are drawn from various backgrounds. Meetings in the Parish House Meeting Room are scheduled as needed.
Children's Liturgies: Designed to being the Gospel message to children from four years of age through the fourth grade in a way that is understandable and meaningful to them, children's liturgies are held at the 11:00 Mass during the Sundays of Advent and Lent.
Old Testament and Gospel readings are proclaimed by the lector using a children's lectionary. Using drama, discussion, art, and song, the Gospel message is then presented to the children in a way they can relate to their young lives. At the closing, a child's version of the Creed is recited.
MUSIC MINISTRIES - ADULT CHOIR
General Purpose: To support and enhance the liturgy through song.
The Adult Choir consists of approximately 50 members who voluntarily give of their time and talent. Members must be parishioners of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish and are expected to be able to sing. Reading music is an asset.
All members are required to attend Thursday evening rehearsals in the church from 7:30 PM until 9:30 PM; in addition to a 30-minute rehearsal prior to the Mass when the choir is scheduled to sing.
Choir members are strongly committed to their ministry. Singing at the liturgies constitutes a nourishment of the singers' spiritual life. The occasional opportunity to sing outside of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton include liturgies at the Seton Shrine in Emmitsburg, MD, presentations at Messiah Village and the annual ecumenical choir.
MUSIC MINISTRIES - CANTORS
General Purpose: To help and enable the congregation to take their rightful part in the liturgy of sung prayer.
Cantors are required to be members of the adult choir. The cantors' role is one of leadership. They should exemplify in their own personal lives an attitude of prayer and understand the "servant role" in helping others to pray in song. They must appear confident, have an acceptable, pleasant voice, and demonstrate leadership skills. Cantors must always prepare themselves by practicing and reviewing the music to be used; therefore, it is also helpful if cantors are able to read music.
A schedule of cantor assignments and responsibilities, as well as other pertinent materials, is prepared by the Director of Music Ministries and distributed to all cantors for practice and preparation for the Mass.
MUSIC MINISTRIES - INSTRUMENTALISTS
General Purpose: To enhance liturgical celebrations of the Church.
Instrumentalists are mainly selected from the Time and Talent Survey of the parish. Preference is given to parish members, although instrumentalists from outside the parish are used if none can be found within the parish. The services of instrumentalists are scheduled as needed on special occasions by the Director of Music Ministries.
USHERS
General Purpose: To assist parishioners before and after Masses, to oversee the collection and presentation of the offertory, and to direct parishioners receiving the Eucharist.
Ushers arrive approximately 15 minutes early to begin assisting the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton community in seating at all Masses and at other religious celebrations. In addition, the ushers take up the collection, select a family to represent the congregation at the offertory, and assist and guide communicants during the reception of the Eucharist. At the conclusion of Mass, ushers distribute Sunday bulletins.
VOCATION COMMITTEE
General Purpose: To inspire and assist the community of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in fulfilling its mission of fostering vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
The vocation committee is made up of persons invited to serve by the pastor. The committee is charged with the responsibility of increasing awareness of the need for various vocations, educating parishioners in the ways of fostering vocations, and providing the resources and opportunities to do so. The committee must also coordinate parish prayer and related programs to this end.
From September through May, an Adoration Hour for Vocations is held on the first Sunday of every month from 7:00-8:00 PM. Parishioners are urged to come and pray for vocations or any of their own private intentions. Parishioners are also encouraged to pray regularly for vocations in their homes before the evening meal.