The
Catholic Weekly
Online
Sydney
19 October 2003
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Peace
in our hands
Jubilee
week for Pope
Special
guests at Mother Teresa’s beatification
School
insurance hike
Honoured
by university
It’s
truly feminine and truly beautiful
Spiritually
renewed by Lourdes
$1.75m
for Caritas
Catholic
Women’s Network
Board
short bonanza for Vinnies
Advice
to lectors, acolytes
Much
deeper reality
Editorial:
Time for tribute
Letters:
Barrel of a gun
Conversation:
Terry Hanley, lay missionary who has spent nearly 15 years in the field - Happy
to ‘spend rest of my life in Africa’
What
is peace like?
Religion
test upsurge
Malouf
on campus
Ministry
of Jesus to the sick and dying
‘Father,
this is your life’
‘Priest
in residence’ honoured
Bushland
setting for Thurgoona church
Full-on
disciple of Jesus
Active
practice of faith
Requiem
Mass for ‘Bacon Priest’
Advice to lectors, acolytes
Bishop Porteous and the Good Shepherd acolytes, from left (rear): Matthew Newman, Nicholas Maurice, James McCarthy, Julian Belic, Andrew James; (front) Philip Shwe, Richard Abourijaily, Gregory Saw, Minh Vong Nguyen
By Damir Govorcin
“My message for the lectors is to proclaim the word of God with conviction by living the word and having it in your hearts. For the acolytes, serve Mass with reverence since the Blessed Sacrament is Christ himself.”
This was the advice the rector of the Good Shepherd Seminary, Homebush, the newly ordained Bishop Julian Porteous, gave to 14 young men when they were installed there as lectors (first year seminarians) and acolytes (second year seminarians).
In front of a large gathering of family and friends, the new lectors and acolytes took another step towards priesthood.
The five lectors were received by kneeling before the Bishop, who gave them the Scriptures, saying: “Take this book of Holy Scripture and be faithful in handing on the word of God, so that it may grow strong in the hearts of his people.”
The nine acolytes also knelt before the Bishop, who gave them the vessel with the bread to be consecrated, saying: “Take this vessel with bread for the celebration of the Eucharist.
“May your life be worthy of your service at the table of the Lord and his Church.”
First year seminarian Kim Ha says being a lector will allow him to serve Christ by proclaiming his words of salvation.
“It is a great ministry because I will serve Christ very intimately with my voice,” he said.
“The ministry is quite a big step for me since my life for the first time will be in the public eye.
“I want to do it well so others might hear the voice of Christ through my voice.”