Sacred Liturgy: "the work of the people," 
undertaken together for the glory of God. 
By Fr. Matt
 
My earliest recollection of “liturgy,” which of course was an unknown and unused word in the late 1960’s, was as a child of about 8, at St. Catherine’s Grammar School, in Cleveland, Ohio. The image of Fr. Egan, our associate Pastor, at the altar in green vestments, elevating the host at the consecration, is still vivid in my mind. It has stayed with me all these years as the very core and center of what life as a Catholic is all about.
 
            The words of the Second Vatican Council, which had already been written by the time of this 8-year-old’s experience, reflect perfectly the wonder and awe I felt that day: “For it is the liturgy, through which, especially the Eucharist, that the work of our redemption is accomplished.” SC n.1
 
From the very beginning of my ministry here at St. Nicholas and St. William Parish, I have purposely placed the liturgical life of our parish at the very top of my agenda. Not in any way to diminish or devalue the other ministries, but because of my firm belief in these words: “_… the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed [and] the font from which all her power flows.” SC n. 10
 
            Common sense tells us that most of the Catholic faithful, indeed the vast majority, who venture into our midst, do so on Sunday for the sole purpose of attending Mass. It is in the midst of the Sunday assembly that people experience, in a most unique way, what we are all about as a parish community of believers. And so, what we do, we must do well. We must be instruments of “good liturgy.”
 
            Again, the Second Vatican Council makes this point clear: [liturgical ministers] “exercise a genuine function. They ought, therefore, to discharge their offices with the sincere piety and decorum demanded by so exalted a ministry and rightly expected of them by God’s people.” SC n. 29
 
I believe that what makes for “good liturgy” is a community firmly grounded in the basics.
 

1. Prayers that are prayed.
2. Scripture that is proclaimed.
3. Gestures that are graceful.
4. Ritual that is respected.
5. Space we hold sacred.
6. Music that touches all of our human emotions.
7. Silence with a purpose.

 
      This Sunday, January 18, we will commission those in our parish who serve the assembly that gathers for worship as liturgical ministers: ushers and greeters; lectors; cantors and musicians; extraordinary ministers of Holy of Communion; Mass coordinators; art and environment; sacristans, altar servers, and linen care.  Let us both recognize the special role they play in contributing to our experience of worship at St. Nicholas and St. William Parish.