Eucharistic Ministers
EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS OF HOLY COMMUNION
"Here I am Lord. Send me."
Few ministries are as important as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMOHC) - it is a ministry that Pope Paul VI called "an important office of immense love."
Roman Catholics are called to live generous lives of prayer and service by the grace of baptism and incorporation into the church. They are called to serve and minister to the needs of one another as an expression of their shared life and love for God, who has saved all through Jesus Christ.
The function of the EMOHC is to assist the priests in the distribution of Holy Communion and the precious blood of Jesus. These Ministers are called to make a contribution in the liturgy that is positive and effective. The Minister is also obligated to visit and comfort those parishioners, who are sick and cannot attend Mass.
Thanks are due to those sharing their time taking communion to the sick and homebound, who are much in need of personal contact as well as a sense of belonging to the community.
Being an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion is both a privilege and a commitment. It is a ministry of dedication and faithfulness and is one of the most fulfilling experiences of worship. The EMOHC are assigned Sunday Masses of their preference to assist the priest as infrequently as once a month or more often depending on their availability.
This ministry is large and consists of over 60 dedicated men and women. However, there
are still openings, especially for the Saturday and Sunday 5:00 PM Masses. Requirements include being willing to keep scheduled assignments, attend a training class and be commissioned by the pastor. If a parishioner wants to make a difference and feels "called to serve," please contact Netta Sloboda.
"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him." John 6:56
The following Parishioners are currently active in this ministry:
Gloria & Louis Agro, Ann Marie Basher, Barbara Blair, Deacon Jerry Blood,Stefania Bonanni, Catherine Bragato, Dolores Burns, Sharon Callahan, Al Casalaina,
Benilda Cardoso, Alice Casey, Mitch Chalsen, Diane Clutcher, Eleanor Cornett, Clare Coughlin, Jo & Gerry Donohue, Rick Dumas, Jean Dunagan, Sheila Farrelly, Lori and Joe Fernandes, Tom Finn, Paul Fiore, Mary Gorman, Theresa Goudeau, Margaret Green, Kathy Gross, Gloria & George Hofgartner, Jack Hurson, Barbara Kurac,
Linnae Latessa, Helen Long, Leanne Lucia, Mary Lynch, James & Susan Mahoney, Colleen & Robert Manfred, Joe McCarthy, John McGovern, Denise Martin, Terry McGlynn, Dorothy Milanta, Theresa Napoli, Ethelinda Nelson, Peggy O'Sullivan, Flo Palermo, Robert Patterson, Pam Perricone, Clarice Pollack, Anne Randazzo, Patricia Ruddy,
Pat Ryan, Joyce Saponara, Rita Sateriale, Netta Sloboda, Elaine Smith, Dr. Irene Sullivan, Janet Torchia, Nino Totino, Liz Trainer, Diane & Ray Tuohy.
Lectors
Proclaiming the word of God in the Scriptures is a very special form of participation in the Liturgy. Lectors have been entrusted with the responsibility of sharing God's message with the congregation in order to promote a greater understanding of this message. It is a form of communication
which allows us to share the holy word with our fellow parishioners. The task is a humbling one which carries responsibility. We have been called to serve as communicators of God's love for His people. We strive to make the Liturgy of the Word as meaningful as possible for the assembly of worshippers.
In one sense, lectors have been referred to as storytellers. Through this ministry we, ourselves, have the opportunity to grow closer to God spiritually as we can more fully understand the significance of the Scriptures in our daily lives and develop a greater appreciation of their messages to mankind.
The Lectors serve at all weekend Masses as well as at all Mass for holy days. Training is given before one begins service as a lector. We welcome new members and look forward to spreading God's word through this service. A lector receives approximately one assignment a month and selects the Mass at
which one will serve. It is recommended that a lector prepare and meditate upon each reading prior to the Mass. Lectionaries are provided by the Parish.
The following lectors serve at the weekend Masses: Gloria Agro, Louis Agro, Ellen Baker, Paul Blaney, Deacon Jerry Blood, Kathleen Collins, Marge Criscuolo, Kathleen Cross, Richard Cross, George Hofgartner, Leanne Lucia, Bridget McCarthy, Terence McGlynn, James McGough, Ethelinda Nelson,
Robert Patterson, Eileen Pilla, Kevin Plunkett, Mark Prescott, Patricia Ryan, Mary Jo Sanguily and Ann Walsh. The following lectors serve at the weekday 9 AM Mass: Paul Blaney, Jean Dunnigan, Robert Errico, Paula McGovern, Dan Nyraday, Robert Patterson, Netta Sloboda and Ann Walsh.
Contact person: Pat Ryan (914-282-8671)
Lector information:
Letter to Lectors
Lector Schedule
Altar Servers
"GEE WHIZ, I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT CROSS WAS SO HEAVY!"
"WHAT HAPPENS IF I FORGET TO BRING UP THE BOOK?"
"HOW LONG SHOULD I RING THE BELLS?"
These are but a few of the issues on the minds of our young students, eager to begin their important ministry as altar servers at Transfiguration. This is our second year of formal training and the kids have been terrific! Students from Transfiguration School and the Parish School of Religion are invited to become altar servers toward the end of the fourth grade. They are given a manual to study and receive one to two hours of hands-on training in the church. This session includes learning about the Mass, the various objects used in the liturgy, and the special duties of the altar server before, during, and after Mass. The students enjoy figuring out which size alb to wear, practicing carrying the large (heavy!) cross, and learning how to use the butane lighter (undoubtedly, their favorite part!) We try to impress upon the students how valuable their service is and encourage them to behave prayerfully. The pioneers of the altar server training are Deacon Blood, Rita, Sateriale, and Ann Faison. They worked with "veteran" servers to determine what was important to emphasize in the training and practice sessions. A special thanks goes to Deacon Blood for developing the manual, which is updated as changes are incorporated into the liturgy. Currently, Ann Faison and Bob Patterson conduct the training sessions. They are usually held in late May, but can be arranged at other times if needed. Barbara Coughlin has taken on the daunting task of scheduling the servers throughout the year. Our goals are to recruit as many new servers each year as possible, and to continue to improve how they perform their wonderful ministry. We are thrilled if the parishioners pay them a compliment or two every now and then. This would be the best way to keep them coming back!
Parish Liturgy Committee
The Parish Liturgy Committee discusses and plans forthcoming liturgies and other events related to the prayer and worship in our parish community. It seeks to implement the ongoing efforts of the church to improve the involvement and active participation of our worshipping community in the public prayer life of the church.
Some items resulting from the committee discussions are:
- The Children's Liturgy at the 10 AM Sunday Mass, where children from K to 5 are led in the Sunday's readings by their teachers in the Day Chapel;
- The Parish Book of Petitions in which parishioners write their own petitions, and which book is brought up to the Altar at the Presentation of Gifts of every Sunday Mass and placed upon the Altar for the remainder of the Mass;
- The scheduling of an occasional Sunday Mass for the Anointing for the Ill and Elderly;
- Under the creative leadership of Ted Sohn and the Family Mass Committee, a monthly "Family Mass" which involves the Parish School and the School of Religion, the children and their families. Ted also leads the Children's Christmas Service and Liturgy;
- Occasional celebrations of Carmelite Feasts, such as the Evening of Carmelite Prayer held on July 16 ,the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel;
- The hosting of a chapter of the Lay Carmelites of the Third Order of Carmelites who participate in parish events;
- The scheduling of Evenings of Prayer for the parish and its ministers in particular;
- The Stations of the Cross and Benediction on Friday nights during Lent;
- Special events, such as the gathering of members of various church choirs for the celebration of The Parish Centennial in 1997, as well as for the welcoming of the Relics of St.Therese (the Little Flower) to our parish in 1999;
- The scheduling of workshops for the spiritual growth and instruction of the ministers, such as Lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist;
- The annual Parish Memorial Mass and Service on November 2(All Souls Day) for those parishioners and family members of parishioners who have died during the previous year;
- The welcoming of the first Interfaith Village Memorial Prayer Service sponsored by Dwyer Funeral Home for villagers who died during the past year of 2004;
The committee hopes in the future to continue seeking out and providing for the spiritual needs of our parish assembly, and to try to remember in prayer the needs of our twinning parish, Reina de la Paz in Soyapango, El Salvador. It hopes also to grow in conscious evaluations of our liturgical celebrations so that it may pursue honestly the demands of the liturgy and encourage the "full, active and conscious participation" of the worshipping community.
Those who have made notable contributions to the success of the committee: first, our past pastors Frs.Michael Driscoll and Alfred Isacsson, and our present pastor, Father Lucian Beltzner and all associate priests. Recognition is made of all committee members past and present who have represented the leadership of the various ministries: currently,Pat Ryan, Lectors; Netta Sloboda, Eucharistic Ministers; Dan Moriarty, Music Ministry: Mary Lynch, who is responsible for all our scriptural and seasonal banners; Audrey J.Woods and Rita Sateriale, Principal and Co-ordinator respectively of our Parish School and the School of Religion, Bernard Sciarpelletti, leader of the Ministry of Hospitality; the Family Mass director and committee leader Ted Sohn; Deacon Blood, Ann Faison and Bob Patterson, instructors of Altar Servers, and Sr. Eulalia R.S.H.M, who is responsible for Baptismal Preparations and Anniversary of Baptism Celebrations.
Contact Person: Kathleen Cross
Family Mass
Purpose: Family Mass, which is held on the first Sunday of the month at 10:00 AM, was started about 20 years ago. Its purpose was and is to give children a sense of participation in the Sunday Mass of the parish. The Family Mass Committee also introduced and helped organize the Christmas Eve Pageant
and the Palm Sunday procession which are now part of the regular liturgical life of the parish. Besides giving children a sense of participation, the purpose was is to help foster the Liturgical life of the parish by having carefully prepared liturgy. Three guiding themes of this have been: prayer, preparation
and participation. The ideal is for all ministries involved, including the celebrant, to come together to prayerfully reflect on the texts and prepare the Sunday liturgy.
Planning and Preparation: Planning and preparation are by grade level. Scripture readings are distributed in advance of the planning meeting so that children and their parents may reflect on them. The planning meeting is attended by grade level participants and their parents. In addition to the planning meeting there is a rehearsal.
Committee:Nancy Nelson, DRE,is the coordinator; she is assisted by Stefania Bonanni and Theresa Napoli. The Christmas Eve Pageant is coordinated by Mary Carroll and Lori Fernandez who in turn have the assistance of many parents.
Miscellaneous: Children's own liturgy of the word, which is a totally separate activity at the 10:00 AM Mass on the other three Sundays, nicely complements the Family Mass.
Children's Liturgy
The Children's Liturgy Ministry, coordinated by Nancy Nelson, has been established to explain the Word of God to children in grades K-5 at the 10 AM Sunday Mass. Just prior to the readings at Sunday Mass, the children are escorted to the chapel where the readings are explained in a manner they can better understand.
The children are divided into two groups. Sister Eulalia mentors the group of children in kindergarten and first grade. Sister Eulalia provides those children with religious pamphlets explaining the readings in a manner, in which the children can not only understand the meaning of the message, but relate to it.
In order to make the session interesting, Sister Eulalia encourages the children to draw and color sections of the pamphlet that have been designed for this purpose.
The other group of children is led by Nancy Nelson and other staff members. These children reenact the stories told in the reading by contriving various role playing exercises. In this way, the children learn from the experience. Often times, the reenactment of the stories inspire questions from the children,
which lead to further discussions on the subject matter. The children are not isolated from the adult community, but merely receiving the same word in a way that they can understand and embrace fully. The aim of the Children's Liturgy is twofold: It intends to simplify for children our celebration of God's word,
while insisting upon genuine liturgy. Secondly, it intends to familiarize children with the full adult celebration of God's word in anticipation of the day when they will join the adult Christian assembly.
After completing the 20 minute Children's Liturgy, the students process into the Church and to their families for the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
Ms. Nelson indicates the program has been successful, because it resonates with the children. The learning process is structured so the children are entertained by the experience, which makes learning religious education fun.
For more information, please contact the program coordinator, Nancy Nelson, at 914-631-2380.