St. Vincent - Crookes, Sheffield at 40 Pickmere Road, Crookes, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S10 1GY UK - Reading at Mass (St Vincents)
Reading at Mass (St Vincents) |
 | Saint Vincent's Catholic Church 40 Pickmere Road, Crookes, Sheffield South Yorkshire S10 1GY Telephone 0114-268-0716 |  |
| A church site of Diocese of Hallam |
GUIDELINES FOR READERS OF THE WORD OF GOD AT ST VINCENT'S SHEFFIELD
The delivery of God’s Word in enhanced by the following:
1. The holiness of the Reader’s life
2. The prayerful preparation of the sacred Text.
3. The way the Reading is proclaimed (not simply recited)
4. By realising the importance of the task they have taken on
5. By applying the message of the Readings to oneself.
SOME IMPORTANT QUOTATIONS
· “Christ is present in His Word", since it is He Himself who speaks when the Holy Scriptures are read at Mass”. (Vatican 11 Documents)
· “It is necessary that those who read at Mass should be competent for their task and carefully prepared for it”. (Pope Paul V1)
· “For in the Sacred Books, the Father who is in Heaven meets His children and speaks to them with great love” (Vatican 11 Documents)
· Readers should make special efforts to develop a love and understanding of the Scriptures, and thus become more perfect followers of the Lord Jesus” (Paul V1)
PREPARATION
PLEASE
· Prepare at least the day before.
· Know what you are going to read well in advance (not when you arrive for Mass)
· Practice and become familiar and comfortable with the Reading
· Try and get the appropriate phrasing, emphasis and speed right.
· Remember failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
ON THE DAY
PLEASE
· Read the passage fairly slowly but not too slowly. By going too fast the people won’t take in the message. By dragging the passage the reading loses its vibrancy and meaning.
· Stop, when there is a full stop.
· Read loud enough so that the people at the back of the Church can hear you as well as those at the front. If at all possible direct you words to those in the back row. You are meant to proclaim the Word of God and not simply read it. However, please don't read too loud or then it will appear that you are shouting at the congregation and the people won't listen to you.
· Approach the Lectern with the confidence of a spokesperson of God. Do not appear to apologise for your presence. Try and appear as if you are comfortable standing there rather than appearing like someone who feels awkward and can’t wait to get away.
· If you are very nervous, try to remember it is God’s Word that you are proclaiming and not your own. You are only God’s instrument. Try to be His worthy instrument. Everyone, including the priest, is somewhat nervous.
· Some eye contact with the congregation goes down well. By looking up at the congregation from time to time you are giving the message an immediate efficacy. It also gives the congregation the feeling that you are in control and that you have some understanding of what the message is about. A start could be made by looking up when you announce the Reading; “A Reading from St Paul to the Romans”, and at the end of the Reading before you say: “This is the Word of the Lord. You could also glance up the congregation at the end of a paragraph. Practice makes perfect.
· Correct enunciation is most important. In addressing the congregation, sound every syllable in each word and let us hear every soundable consonant and vowel. There is an old saying among professional public speakers that if you sound the consonants, the vowels will take care of themselves. The ‘t’s’ must be crossed and the ‘d’s’ dentalised.
· A very common fault is to chop the sentence into short chunks of five or six words, lowering the voice between each. If this happens the Reading comes across as stilted and unpalatable to listen to.
· Try and put a bit of feeling into the Reading. Variate your tone. An unaltered tone will make the reading sound like a door buzzer or a vacuum cleaner. To put a bit of feeling into the Reading is not the same thing as being over dramatic. When you are telling your friends an exciting piece of news your voice is not dead pan – neither should it be when you are conveying the Good news of the Scriptures to the people. However, try not to over dramatise the Reading because then the focus will be ON YOU and not THE LORD
· The Reader is an interpreter and a good interpreter conveys not only the meaning but also the spirit and personality of the original speaker. If it is a good story from Genesis, tell it with life and enjoyment. If it is a blast from Ezekiel or Amos, deliver it as a blast intended for your own congregation, and see that they sit up and are made to realise that this reading is addressed to them today. It is also addressed to the Readers themselves.
· Try not to let your voice fall away at the end of a sentence. Use proper inflection, For instance when you come to a comma, try not to let your voice drop giving the impression to the people that you have reached the end of the sentence. If so the reading may come across as unpalatable. You don’t want that.
·
PLEASE SOME NO NO’S
Never say “The First Reading” or “The First Reading is from………”
Never say “The Responsorial Psalm” or “The Response to the Psalm is”….or “The Response is….” Just read the response, then look up at the congregation and they will repeat it.
Never say “Please stand for the Gospel”
(It is not the Reader's job to give instructions to the congregation. That is the job of the commentator or priest).
Never read the small print in italics at the top of the Reading. That is meant for private Reading.
AND FINALLY
PLEASE
Try and always read from the Lectionary rather than the sheets. Go up to the lectern and check the Reading in the lectionary before Mass. Reading from the Lectionary gives more dignity to the Word of God.
For the Bidding Prayers please be standing at the microphone before the priest begins the Opening Prayer and stay standing there until the priest has finished the concluding prayer or the people have finished the Parish Prayer.
Please wait until the people are seated and settled before you begin the Readings. Please don’t rush into it. Rushed liturgy is poor liturgy.
Please read the page entitled 'The use of prayerful pauses. It is very important and applies to all readers.
If the large Book of the Gospel is used, the Reader of the Second Reading needs to remove the lectionary. Check to see if we are using the large green Book of the Gospels.
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