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Upgrade25
Guest
I got asked at my parish to lector, and went through the training today. Does anyone have extra tips?
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Reuben_J
Guest
If you are going for training, that would be good enough. Do not get uptight and enjoy it. It is a privilege to proclaim God’s word.
If there is any tip, our trainer those days would tell us, on top of all the things that he taught us, to practice always. If you are on duty on Sunday, be sure to read the reading allocated to you throughout the week. You will not go wrong with practice.
Of course, try to live out the word in your life. You life is public once you are a lector.
D
Dorothy
Guest
I always pray before Mass to proclaim the Word the way the Lord wants me to; and for the Holy Spirit to touch the hearts of all who are there.
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tee_eff_em
Guest
The same way you get to Carnegie Hall: Practice, practice, practice.
Make sure you know the text and vocabulary you will be reading aloud.
In the parish of my youth, it seemed the same unfortunate gentleman was always scheduled to read when the Old Testament reading was taken from Genesis 15, including this verse:
:bigyikes: uch: 
tee
Make sure you know the text and vocabulary you will be reading aloud.
In the parish of my youth, it seemed the same unfortunate gentleman was always scheduled to read when the Old Testament reading was taken from Genesis 15, including this verse:
…And he would invariably mispronounce the highlighted word (brazier, a fire pot) as *brassiere *(a lady’s undergarment).
:bigyikes: uch: tee
C
Convert_in_99
Guest
Always read (and recite if possible) the readings a time or two BEFORE mass. A simple missal is not too expensive, and many Churches will give the lector a free paper missal for each Liturgical Season or for the whole year.
If you don’t know how to pronounce a name or a city, as the pastor.
If you don’t know how to pronounce a name or a city, as the pastor.
B
Beryllos
Guest
and make sure every word is clearly pronounced.
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Reuben_J
Guest
The same way you get to Carnegie Hall: Practice, practice, practice.
Make sure you know the text and vocabulary you will be reading aloud.
In the parish of my youth, it seemed the same unfortunate gentleman was always scheduled to read when the Old Testament reading was taken from Genesis 15, including this verse:
…And he would invariably mispronounce the highlighted word (brazier, a fire pot) as *brassiere *(a lady’s undergarment).
tee
That’s pretty hard to pronounce though especially if one has trouble with letter z.
Is it permitted to unquote saying 'that’s a fire pot" just so that the congregation would not have any ideas.
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tawny
Guest
If your Parish supplies a Lector’s Manuel for the years’ readings, go over the readings for the day checking the pronounciation guide. Also, check that the Ambo is prepared & the Lectionary is open to the correct readings of the day. If, you also read the Intercessionary prayers, go over them as well. Relax, don’t read to fast & enjoy.
D
DaveBj
Guest
Develop relationships with people who are known to have knowledge on how to pronounce Biblical personal and place names, as well as obscure terminology. Go over the readings several days in advance, and if there is an unusual name or term, ask!
(A previous poster said to ask the pastor. All respect to our priests, but not all of them have had (or have retained) the training in this particular sub-field.)
(A previous poster said to ask the pastor. All respect to our priests, but not all of them have had (or have retained) the training in this particular sub-field.)
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fbl9
Guest
Drink water with a little shot of lemon juice in it. This clears up your voice. As other noted pray i usually ask that i not stumble on His Holy word. Yes practice but not necessarily the words rather the delivery of the words. Speak to the congregation and not the book iow look up at the people while you read.
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Usige
Guest
Yes.
Many tend to rush through a sentence and blur or run words together. This can make it harder for the listeners to understand. The words should be distinct and there should be a slight pause between each phase or line. The pauses should not be drawn out, but should act as a short time for the listeners to absorb what was said (say 1/4 to 1/2 a second).
This is also where you can find the best places to breath naturally. When you rush through you can start to run out of breath, so look for natural places to breath and be aware if you have a long phrase coming up you might need to take a half breath during the inter phrase pause so that you don’t gasp for breath in mid sentence. It is not just reading the words, but also should maintain a consistent rhythm without running words together. This is why you need to practice.
Looking at today’s reading from Philippians would take me around 37-40 seconds, but rushing through it might take 25-30 seconds. This is an example of where I would pauses and perhaps take a breath.
A Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians <longer pause - breath>
Brothers and sisters: <pause - half breath>
If there is any encouragement in Christ,
any solace in love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any compassion and mercy, *<pause - *half breath>
complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,
united in heart, thinking one thing. *<pause - *breath>
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; *<pause - *half breath>
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also everyone for those of others. *<longer pause - **breath>
*The word of the Lord.
This one is a little easier since there are numerous commas, periods and colons, but other times there will be a break mid sentence that should still have a short pause (maybe half of what a comma above would get). I generally think of line ends as a half beat, a comma as a half beat, a colon as a whole beat and a period as 1.5 beats. I then mentally add them together (e.g. a comma mid line is a half beat, but a comma at the end of a line is a full beat). It’s not that exact, but it’s more how I try to set my pacing.
Also make sure you know how to pronounce any unfamiliar words or names and practice them several times. There are a number of audio and video resources online to help hear how to pronounce them if you are more auditory than visual. You can always ask the priest or deacon if you are unsure, but it’s better to know it days rather than minutes before you read. Personally I try to run through the readings a couple of times a week and a half or two in advance so that I have time to correct any pronunciation difficulties.
Finally, this is probably subjective, but you need to strike a balance between reading a farm report and giving a dramatic recitation. I for one find “dramatic readings” to be rather distracting, but I know others that love them. It is not like voice acting where you need to project emotion, but also shouldn’t be a wooden delivery. A lector should have a love of scripture and your love for scripture should be evident in a reverent reading where the words, rather than the lector, takes central place.
Don’t be nervous. Many of this things just take time until they become second nature. The more you practice and read in Mass the easier it becomes.
Many tend to rush through a sentence and blur or run words together. This can make it harder for the listeners to understand. The words should be distinct and there should be a slight pause between each phase or line. The pauses should not be drawn out, but should act as a short time for the listeners to absorb what was said (say 1/4 to 1/2 a second).
This is also where you can find the best places to breath naturally. When you rush through you can start to run out of breath, so look for natural places to breath and be aware if you have a long phrase coming up you might need to take a half breath during the inter phrase pause so that you don’t gasp for breath in mid sentence. It is not just reading the words, but also should maintain a consistent rhythm without running words together. This is why you need to practice.
Looking at today’s reading from Philippians would take me around 37-40 seconds, but rushing through it might take 25-30 seconds. This is an example of where I would pauses and perhaps take a breath.
A Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians <longer pause - breath>
Brothers and sisters: <pause - half breath>
If there is any encouragement in Christ,
any solace in love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any compassion and mercy, *<pause - *half breath>
complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,
united in heart, thinking one thing. *<pause - *breath>
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; *<pause - *half breath>
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also everyone for those of others. *<longer pause - **breath>
*The word of the Lord.
This one is a little easier since there are numerous commas, periods and colons, but other times there will be a break mid sentence that should still have a short pause (maybe half of what a comma above would get). I generally think of line ends as a half beat, a comma as a half beat, a colon as a whole beat and a period as 1.5 beats. I then mentally add them together (e.g. a comma mid line is a half beat, but a comma at the end of a line is a full beat). It’s not that exact, but it’s more how I try to set my pacing.
Also make sure you know how to pronounce any unfamiliar words or names and practice them several times. There are a number of audio and video resources online to help hear how to pronounce them if you are more auditory than visual. You can always ask the priest or deacon if you are unsure, but it’s better to know it days rather than minutes before you read. Personally I try to run through the readings a couple of times a week and a half or two in advance so that I have time to correct any pronunciation difficulties.
Finally, this is probably subjective, but you need to strike a balance between reading a farm report and giving a dramatic recitation. I for one find “dramatic readings” to be rather distracting, but I know others that love them. It is not like voice acting where you need to project emotion, but also shouldn’t be a wooden delivery. A lector should have a love of scripture and your love for scripture should be evident in a reverent reading where the words, rather than the lector, takes central place.
Don’t be nervous. Many of this things just take time until they become second nature. The more you practice and read in Mass the easier it becomes.
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Usige
Guest
Good point. I rarely memorize the readings by heart, but you should know it well enough that you are more glancing down for the next phrase rather than reading and looking up only at the end of a line.
C
Convert_in_99
Guest
Lol! That is actually a fairly common mistake.The same way you get to Carnegie Hall: Practice, practice, practice.
Make sure you know the text and vocabulary you will be reading aloud.
In the parish of my youth, it seemed the same unfortunate gentleman was always scheduled to read when the Old Testament reading was taken from Genesis 15, including this verse:
…And he would invariably mispronounce the highlighted word (brazier, a fire pot) as *brassiere *(a lady’s undergarment).
tee
1
1neophyte
Guest
It’s important to understand the meaning behind the words you’re saying, rather than just speaking the words you see on the page. Last weekend I heard a lector proclaim, “I am being poured out like a leprechaun,” instead of “I am being poured out like a libation.” If he had gone to the trouble of finding out in advance the meaning of what he was saying, he wouldn’t have made such an embarrassing error. At every mass, there are some people in attendance who will have no other exposure to scripture during that week. It is important to take your job seriously and realize your obligation to serve those people.
- The readings in most lectionaries that I’ve seen present the readings in sense line format like this:
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
The end of the written line of text is a natural place to take a breath. It’s much easier to read than block text format:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Much easier to read in the first format; if your lectionary is presented that way, just follow the formatting as a clue to take breaths.
- Familiarize yourself with the correct pronunciation of any unusual words in advance. When you are reading, say those words confidently, like you are 1000% certain that’s the way they are to be pronounced. Even if it’s different than people are used to hearing, they will give you the benefit of the doubt if you say it with confidence. SAN-huh-drin or San-HED-rin? Both a valid and get the point across.
- Don’t feel like you have to look up at the congregation during the reading. Especially if you’re nervous, keep focused on the text so you don’t lose your place. I’ve been lectoring for more than 40 years and still follow along the text with my finger so I don’t lose my place.
- Project your voice a little - you don’t have to shout unless your church has no sound system. Let the loudspeaker do the work for you.
- Having said that, don’t “swallow” the microphone - keep a distance of at least a few inches from your mouth to the microphone. That way you won’t “pop” your p’s when you are reading.
- Be warned: St. Paul’s letters were not written with 21st-century spoken English in mind. A couple weeks ago, I encountered a six-verse reading from one of Paul’s letters that was just one sentence! Advance preparation is crucial in situations like these. Study it until it makes sense to you; you can then plan on where to take your breaks and what inflections to use. If the reading doesn’t make sense to you, you will have a very difficult time presenting it in a way that makes sense to those hearing it.
- Ask God for help. You were chosen to provide a service to His people…He can assist you in carrying out that service in a way that leads the people in the congregation closer to Him.
- Have fun!
L
LittleFlower378
Guest
Slower is better. Definitely project your voice as Glennon said above. Project it from your lungs and heart, not shouting but loud enough for everybody to hear.
T
Tarpeian_Rock
Guest
Remember that there is a significant difference between “prostrate” and “prostate.” Not every lector I’ve heard seems to know this. Good luck in your new ministry!
B
Beryllos
Guest
… and be careful not to mix up immortality and immorality, which would usually completely reverse the meaning!
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YADA
Guest
There has been great advice -
I always practice speaking - out loud - … Please do not merely read through the text multiple times … its different reading silently than spoken aloud.
I start a week before and do so at least twice each day and more often as Sunday approaches … If I ride to Mass with someone - I will even read out loud on the way to Mass - its good for both of us
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You can go to usccb.org for the daily readings and listen to the Scripture readings being spoken there as well … and also in written form of course.
My parish provides Lector Books - they provide the Sunday Readings with commentary on the scriptures along with pronunciation and tips … hopefully your parish will too … but as I said - you can get the readings online
Remember - its God’s Words … He is the one who is really speaking … Blessings!
I always practice speaking - out loud - … Please do not merely read through the text multiple times … its different reading silently than spoken aloud.
I start a week before and do so at least twice each day and more often as Sunday approaches … If I ride to Mass with someone - I will even read out loud on the way to Mass - its good for both of us
.You can go to usccb.org for the daily readings and listen to the Scripture readings being spoken there as well … and also in written form of course.
My parish provides Lector Books - they provide the Sunday Readings with commentary on the scriptures along with pronunciation and tips … hopefully your parish will too … but as I said - you can get the readings online
Remember - its God’s Words … He is the one who is really speaking … Blessings!
P
Phemie
Guest
Remember that the shoot sprang from the stump of Jesse, not his rump as I proclaimed a few years ago. 
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