During the Summer months, this column will be highlighting the good work and parishioners involved in one of our various Parish Ministries. Each week, we will feature an article from a different ministry, written by one if its members, as a reflection on the generosity and stewardship of the SMOS community.
Liturgical Ministry Reflection
by Justin Roth
A few years after I joined the St. Margaret of Scotland, I found myself asking how I could actively contribute to the parish. I grew up in a much smaller parish and one of the things that became obvious to me from a very young age was the need for as many helping hands as possible. A parish is a community and every community needs active participation from its members to thrive.
Serving as a lector was the first thing that came to mind. When I was a student in my parish school, I frequently served as a lector during school mass. While many kids were intimidated by the public speaking aspect, that never really bothered me and I grew to enjoy it as I got older. Both then as a child and now as an adult, I’ve found the entire process very fulfilling on many levels. My favorite part is actually the prep work. I carve out some time at home before mass to sit in a quiet room and slowly read the passages several times to both practice and to try to understand the message. After an often busy, hectic week, I find this process very calming and almost meditative.
Serving in this parish has been an honor. Seeing the number of people who have been so involved in this parish and have been so generous with their time makes me feel truly blessed to be a part of this community. Recently in this past school year, my daughter’s Kindergarten class got to participate in the weekly all-school mass. She volunteered to do a reading and was very excited to tell me that she was going to help with Mass the same way I do. I can’t express how happy that made me as a father and a Catholic. This has been a rewarding experience in many ways, and I am so glad that I made the decision to lector.