First-Time Lector

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mozier

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This past Sunday, I served my parish as a lector for the first time.

I made it a point to read both readings, though I was slated for the second. I felt good and confident.

Then I got up at the lecturn! All of those parishioners looking at me! I felt my legs turning to mush, but managed to keep standing. I then let out the open line, “A Reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians.” I felt my voice quiver a bit, but kept reading. Slow down, I said to myself. Make sure to read each word steadily and clearly. Getting to the end, I looked up and no one was staring at me oddly. So I concluded, “The Word of the Lord.” Thanks Be To God indeed!

I also did the Prayers of the Faithful without any problems. My wife and daughters came up afterwards and said how good I had done! Clear, articulate, well paced, and just the right emphasis on each sentence. All for His glory, I said.

Now I am counting the days until I get to read again! The first sunday in June.
 
thanks for your service. try to pray with the Sunday scriptures in the week before so the Word becomes part of you. Breath, and speak more slowly than you think is necessary. Let the mike do the amplifying but speak clearly and distinctly. Get a book that helps you with pronunciation of difficult words and names.
 
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mozier:
This past Sunday, I served my parish as a lector for the first time.

I made it a point to read both readings, though I was slated for the second. I felt good and confident.

Then I got up at the lecturn! All of those parishioners looking at me! I felt my legs turning to mush, but managed to keep standing. I then let out the open line, “A Reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians.” I felt my voice quiver a bit, but kept reading. Slow down, I said to myself. Make sure to read each word steadily and clearly. Getting to the end, I looked up and no one was staring at me oddly. So I concluded, “The Word of the Lord.” Thanks Be To God indeed!

I also did the Prayers of the Faithful without any problems. My wife and daughters came up afterwards and said how good I had done! Clear, articulate, well paced, and just the right emphasis on each sentence. All for His glory, I said.

Now I am counting the days until I get to read again! The first sunday in June.
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Good job. Perform your ministry for the glory of God and not yourself and I’m sure you will be happy with the results.

Please keep in mind that you served as a reader and not a lector this last Sunday. I also hope you read from the actual ambo and not some side lecturn.
 
Glad it went well, mozier! I used to be a lector (I know, “reader”, but every church I’ve ever been in calls them lectors), so I know the feeling.

Don’t worry about the voice-quivering thing – it is not generally detectable by the congregation – it sounds far worse to you than it does to them.

Just prepare the readings ahead of time, and pray over them (and look up the pronunciation of any unfamiliar names), and you’ll do fine.

I’ve heard it said that a good lector knows the readings; a great lector knows the Author. 🙂

You may always have a few butterflies in your stomach, but you’ll soon get them to fly in formation!
 
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CarolAnnSFO:
Glad it went well, mozier! I used to be a lector (I know, “reader”, but every church I’ve ever been in calls them lectors), so I know the feeling.

Don’t worry about the voice-quivering thing – it is not generally detectable by the congregation – it sounds far worse to you than it does to them.

Just prepare the readings ahead of time, and pray over them (and look up the pronunciation of any unfamiliar names), and you’ll do fine.

I’ve heard it said that a good lector knows the readings; a great lector knows the Author. 🙂

You may always have a few butterflies in your stomach, but you’ll soon get them to fly in formation!
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It’s been my experience that only those parishes that have no clue about the position of actual lectors in the Church refer to their readers as “lectors.”

It’s not nit-picking to show proper respect for lectors who are actually men permanently instituted to thier ministries within the Church.
 
Pariah Pirana:
It’s been my experience that only those parishes that have no clue about the position of actual lectors in the Church refer to their readers as “lectors.”
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Possibly, but that’s not what the thread is about, and I don’t care to hijack it, and I’m not the type to pick nits. 😃
 
Lector? Reader? It is rewarding to be able to serve God and your fellow Catholics in this way. After Vatican II we had one reader who wore a cassock and surplice. Next I was blessed to be one of the next group of six. We wore suits and did it all commentator, cantor, reader, EMHC. It left us tired, but so blesst.Today these are all seperate lay ministries which require training and certification by our Bishop. Welcome to the long line of those who have gone before you and served the Lord and each other. I am thrilled for you and hope and pray that you continue to do well. Dick
 
Good for you. You will find that as you continue to read and research the readings that you do, Holy Scripture will become very alive for you.

God bless,
Deacon tony
 
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rwoehmke:
Lector? Reader? It is rewarding to be able to serve God and your fellow Catholics in this way. After Vatican II we had one reader who wore a cassock and surplice. Next I was blessed to be one of the next group of six. We wore suits and did it all commentator, cantor, reader, EMHC. It left us tired, but so blesst.Today these are all seperate lay ministries which require training and certification by our Bishop. Welcome to the long line of those who have gone before you and served the Lord and each other. I am thrilled for you and hope and pray that you continue to do well. Dick
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Are you kidding around?
 
Remember you are not reading, you are proclaiming the word of the Lord…so not only read the readings ahead of time, but do some scripture study too, so you understand what it is all about. This is called exegesis…you can find it sometimes in the lector’s handbook or even get yourself a good Bible commentary. It is extremely helpful. You must always pray about it, pray for the Holy Spirit to fill you with the knowledge, courage, wisdom and awe in the words you are about to proclaim. Helpful hint…use your finger as you read the words, so as you look up to the congregation proclaiming each word you will never lose your place in the text. It is a great privilege to be a proclaimer!
May God bless you for your ministry!
 
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mozier:
This past Sunday, I served my parish as a lector for the first time.

I made it a point to read both readings, though I was slated for the second. I felt good and confident.

Then I got up at the lecturn! All of those parishioners looking at me! I felt my legs turning to mush, but managed to keep standing. I then let out the open line, “A Reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians.” I felt my voice quiver a bit, but kept reading. Slow down, I said to myself. Make sure to read each word steadily and clearly. Getting to the end, I looked up and no one was staring at me oddly. So I concluded, “The Word of the Lord.” Thanks Be To God indeed!

I also did the Prayers of the Faithful without any problems. My wife and daughters came up afterwards and said how good I had done! Clear, articulate, well paced, and just the right emphasis on each sentence. All for His glory, I said.

Now I am counting the days until I get to read again! The first sunday in June.
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**Congratulations! :clapping: **
I’m a lector at my parish. I had read before, having been a novice in a religious order. It can be a bit nerve racking, but I’m sure after time you’ll be comfortable.
**It’s easier for me because we have a deacon who is really “God’s enforcer.” He tends to be a bit loud when he reads the Gospel and is rather authoritarian in his homilies, and he’s not really traditional. I figure nobody pays attention to what I do after he gets up there, so I’m able to relax. I hope you have your own “enforcer” at your parish. 😉 **
 
Once you do it a couple of times it becomes very easy and you don’t feel pressure. It helps to remember that you are just a tool by God to get his word out to the congregation.

matt
 
well done !

my experience as a reader for the last 25 years is that the more you understand the scriptures the better reader you will become (eg by attending a catholic bible study).

Also practice by reading aloud.

It is OK to read slow but reading fast is almost always a poor way of reading.
 
I was a lector in high school. It was fine. However now that I am older I have no desire to do it. One of the hardest jobs a man has to do is find someone to lector at his wedding. Seems no one wants to lector. This is just another reason why the tridentine latin mass is superior as a rite over the NO.
 
Mind if I share a story?

I went with my (future) wife’s choir to Italy years ago and they were to sing at the Vatican at a Mass in St. Peter’s. There was even the installation of a Cardinal at the Mass as I remember. Of course we all got dressed up and I was in a suit, and when we entered and I sat in a pew near the choir a man came up to me and asked if I would do one of the readings! I assume this is a standard thing, to get visitors to do the readings. Now I was not a lector and in fact had never done a reading before. Well, I swallowed and said yes, and then went over the reading many, many times. My biggest worry was that I would not notice his signal to come up!

Of course, I did notice the signal, and gave the reading without a stumble. God always helps those who say yes in even the smallest things. I guess that was my point. That and, always dress nice at St. Peters – you never know what might happen!
 
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VociMike:
That and, always dress nice at St. Peters – you never know what might happen!
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Good advice if there’s even a remote chance you will be called upon to proclaim the readings. Not like one guy in my former parish, who wore to church the ratty old clothes he was going to wear to fix his car later in the day. When he got to church, he was asked to be a last-minute substitute reader {{happy now? 😉 }} , because the scheduled one was sick. :eek:

About reading slowly – “slowly” is good, but not too slowly. I heard one reader proclaim the reading Word. By. Word. She was going so slowly that every word was disjointed from every other word. It was impossible to make out any phrases from what she was saying, so it was impossible to understand the reading. That was too slow. 😃
 
BRAVO! It’s a wonderful ministry and I appreciate the effort our lectors/readers (?) put into the readings. We have a lay leader who helps nervous people if they want to participate but are afraid to get started. THey get techniques like how to take a breath or if you get ‘stuck’ move your feet a little and you’ll come back to earth. I think a lot of people are like you in that once they do it, they can’t wait to read again.

One of our lectors told our RCIA group about www.lectorprep.org (com?) It has all of the readings plus a bit of background about the readings so that sometimes helps to know where to put the emphasis in a specific reading. I often check out lectorprep before mass to get a little more background. It makes the reading even more meaningful

Lias N
 
Steve Green:
I was a lector in high school. It was fine. However now that I am older I have no desire to do it. One of the hardest jobs a man has to do is find someone to lector at his wedding. Seems no one wants to lector. This is just another reason why the tridentine latin mass is superior as a rite over the NO.
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I could see where it might be difficult to locate an actual lector. On the other hand, almost anyan serve as a reader…
 
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