Be still and listen to God’s voice within you.
His are the words you read,
His are the words you proclaim,
His are the words you enflesh,.
As you speak he will uphold you
As you read he will enfold you
Trust in his unending love.
Use the talent he has given you,
Speak his word in confidence and with love.
Through you he gives his word to all humanity
for this instant and for all eternity.
From a prayer for Ministers of the Word
The principle role of the Reader is to ensure that everyone is able to hear the Word of God. Our Readers proclaim the scriptures at weekday as well as Sunday masses. As well as technical ability, this ministry calls for a particular love for the scriptures.
If you feel you have a gift for this important ministry, please contact the priest or speak to one of the readers. Help and assistance are available for new readers, and courses are run from time to time.
Resources
The Sunday Readings
The Readings in context
Reflections on the Readings
The English Bishops’ guide to celebrating the Mass
Readers’ preparation notes
These are the notes from a series of training sessions given at St Peter-in-Chains in July 2010. Our thanks to Charles Serio who prepared and gave the sessions and has allowed us to reproduce his notes.
The Wind and the Fire:
As the Spirit manifests itself through ‘Wind and Fire’, so we need Wind and Fire to express the Living Word. The Wind is our Breath. The Fire is our interpretation of the reading and its momentum.
Some Basic Things:
I accept that I ‘will be seen’.
I accept that I ‘will be heard’.
So I intend to be seen and I intend to be heard.
These are “Givens” and we must accept that.
Relaxed Position:
When nervous or fidgeting, I check my body position. What is in contact with the floor is in touch with the floor (Feet). My head is level-neither raised nor lowered (Head). My hands are on the lectern or ‘heavy’ by my side (Hands).
Don’t tell yourself to relax, do something to relax.
The Good Start:
To prepare myself to give my reading, I do the following. I begin by saying a prayer to the Spirit so as not to get in the way of His Word.
As I begin to walk to the altar, I look for something in the Church that I did not notice before. I do this to ‘draw myself out’ and to get out of the Little Room (My Head) and into the Big Room (The Church).
I feel my body displace the air as I walk in order to draw myself out of myself.
As I approach the lectern, I check and/or adjust the microphone so that it is level with my mouth as much as can be possible. I do not ‘lean into’ the microphone. I keep my head level. I let the microphone do its job.
Then before I begin my reading, I BREATHE.
The Sound is Carried on the Breath:
As I read, I imagine that there is a stream of air carrying my words away from me.
This helps me to avoid swallowing my words. It also reminds me to breathe throughout my reading.
I try to speak to the end of a thought or idea on one breath. Then breathe again to express the next thought or idea on one breath.
There should be a ‘forward momentum’ in the reading. Not raced, but paced.
Try to avoid breathing in the midst of a single thought or idea. It breaks up the momentum of the reading. It also causes a disconnection with the congregation.
Cast your Net:
As I read, I try to project my voice just beyond the people furthest from me. I imagine my voice enveloping the congregation. This allows me to ‘let my voice out’ and helps with clarity and making my reading easily heard.
If it is Sounded, It is Heard:
This is about articulation. If a letter in a word is sounded, then it must also be sounded in the reading. Work to be clearly heard by sounding the letters in words that should be sounded. Watch out for sounded letters in the midst of words such as ‘Judge’ as well as final stop consonants. This allows our reading to be clearly heard and prevents the congregation from having to work to understand us.
Preparing our Reading:
Preparing our reading and preparing to give our reading are two distinct activities. When preparing a reading at home, look for the places where one should breathe. Look for the sounds that should be articulated in every word.
If possible, practice your reading aloud to one other person. Work to convey the reading to them as an individual. This allows us to develop a sense of connecting our reading to the listener.
Use a source of your choice to understand the “Key Point’ of your reading. A couple are suggested in the ‘Resources’ section above.
Readers for the Family Mass
At present there are 20 readers on the rota for the 11:15 Sunday Family Mass, eight in year 7 (secondary school), the rest in years 4 to 6. A rota is published approximately every three months during the academic year and readers would expect to read twice per rota; usually once doing the first reading and once doing half of the bidding prayers. There are usually five to six bidding prayers and so they are shared between two readers.
All our readers, including 3 recent recruits, have been given training where they will practice walking up to the lectern, adjusting the microphone and reading text. Attached to each rota, which is sent to all readers, are guidelines on best practice for reading at Mass.
The readings and bidding prayers, which are edited ensure they are appropriate to the younger reader are sent out on Friday evening or Saturday morning.
If people have to cancel due to sickness etc., others fill in as required.
If you or one of your children are interested in becoming a reader at the 11:15 Family Mass, then speak to Fr Sean or contact Kathleen Conneally who organises the rota and will arrange training.