Sacristans

“Heavenly Father, please pour your blessings on my ministry today. It is an honor and a privilege to serve the Lord at his table. Please guide my hands and my steps that I may fulfill my duties with grace and devotion. I ask this in the name of Jesus whom I serve with Joy. Amen.”

The Sacristan ministry is a vibrant, worthwhile, grace-filled volunteer opportunity, which draws us closer to God and our fellow parishioners. May God bless as you consider participating in this ministry at the service of Our Lord and His People.

The term Sacristan comes from the Latin word, sacer, which means sacred. Sacristans are often behind the scene prayerful volunteers that bring to mind the words of Jesus when He said we should not do good works to gain accolades (Matthew 6:1). The Sacristan is charged with the care of the sacristy especially in preparation of the vessels before and after masses. The Sacristans are crucial to ensuring vessels are prepared for the Liturgy of the Eucharist therefore enhancing the quality of our daily community’s liturgical celebrations. At Saint Thomas these duties also include cleaning the purificators, corporals and towels along with ensuring other items such as cruets, corporals, lavobo and towels are made available for mass. The chores of the Sacristan should be done in a prayerful manner keeping the sacristy a neat, quiet and meditative place.

New Sacristans are always welcome! To join this ministry, volunteers are required to be practicing Catholics, current on their Safe Environment Training and 16 years or older. Training for this ministry is done by appointment the Lead Sacristan.