Donata Aglia serves as a lector at the ordination Mass of her husband, Deacon Joseph Aglia, Jan. 24 at St. Joseph Church in Hilo. (HCH file photo)
Speak clearly, with reverence. Understand what you are reading. Prepare.
The diocesan Office of Worship has issued an 11-page guide on how to be a good lector, listing both liturgical principles and practical advice such as this.
The “Diocesan Guidelines for Lectors” was approved by Bishop Larry Silva on Sept. 8.
The lector is the person who reads the first or second Scripture readings at Mass. A lector may also recite the Responsorial Psalm, which follows the first reading, and the Universal Prayer, also called the Prayers of the Faithful. The lector does not read the Gospel, a role reserved for the deacon or priest.
According to the director of the Office of Worship Deacon Modesto Cordero, this is the first time his office has written and distributed guidelines for this ministry.
“The proclamation of the Word of God is truly a ministry in the church,” the guidelines state. “Lectors bring the living Word of God to the liturgical assembly. In and through them God speaks to the gathered faithful. The ministry of the Word, therefore, is treated seriously and with great dignity.”
“The Word of God is not merely read during the liturgy, it is proclaimed,” the guidelines say. “It demands the ability to evoke faith in others by demonstrating one’s own faith.”
The lector therefore should have a strong personal faith, in addition to solid public speaking skills, the guidelines say.
A lector should also have a “love and reverence for the Sacred Scriptures along with a basic understanding of the Bible.”
He or she must be “trained in a reading style that is clear, audible, and intelligent,” the document said.
It recommended that the parish offer “regular, periodic formation and study days” as well as “days of recollection, evenings of prayer and fellowship” in support of lectors.
Lectors should also be provided “biblical commentaries, texts and liturgical reference materials for their study and preparation.”
A lector should be suitably prepared, understanding the passage, how it should be interpreted and how to pronounce unfamiliar names and words.
But a lector may not make any changes to the text to modernize terms or for any other reason.
The guidelines also explain the place of the ambo, the lectern which symbolizes the “presence of the Word of God.” It is used for the proclamation of the Scripture readings, the Responsorial Psalm, the Gospel, the homily and the Universal Prayer.
Ideally, each Scripture reading at Mass should have its own lector. And a lector should not engage in another liturgical ministry at the same Mass.
The lector should read slowly and deliberately “in a manner that promotes meditation.”
Proclamation of the readings should also include a period of silence, “to reflect on the Word of God … after each reading and the homily.”
Children may be lectors at children’s Masses that use the “Lectionary for Masses with Children” if they are competent and well prepared.
In the celebration of the sacraments and funerals, family members or friends may be lectors “for pastoral reasons.” However, the guidelines warn, “a person should never be chosen simply for the sake of giving him or her something to do in the liturgy.”
