With every mass, a team works tirelessly to ensure worship runs smoothly. From the altar to the sound booth, these unsung heroes are the backbone of weekly worship, quietly orchestrating everything from reading to music. The behind-the-scenes efforts at weekly Mass reveal a world of dedication, teamwork, and grace that is vital to every service.
Father Zachary, our school’s priest and a member of the community ministry team, oversees the scripture readings, which play a large part in the mass by setting the tone and are standardized worldwide with some flexibility. He mentioned, “How neat is it that the Catholic Church has a scriptural readings calendar that is the same around the world. We generally follow the calendar unless there is a pastoral reason to choose a different one, such as a special occasion.”
Ms. Laskey, a member of community ministry, plays a helpful role in preparing mass as well. “We assign roles, everything from the procession to readers to Eucharistic Ministers. We’ll run through all the jobs a few times before the mass day to make sure everyone feels comfortable,” she mentioned. Preparing mass takes many people across multiple departments. They must prepare the environment and other necessary supplies, including the eucharist.
Jonah Paulus 25’ has been attending weekly mass for as long as he could because he finds that weekly masses and the experiences are healthy for people and their relationships with God, especially through the transubstantiation. He mentioned, “Having a weekly reminder that our Lord gave himself fully to forgive us is such a powerful part.”
“Good liturgy engages the community and orients it toward God. We first consider the student experience of mass.” Ms. Laskey added. While preparing mass, the student experience is one of the most important things taken into consideration, which makes the mass even more engaging and meaningful. They often ask themselves “How can we make it more engaging for people of all faiths? How can we encourage participation – in singing hymns, in saying responses, in listening to the Word of God and preaching?”
“I see the homily as a chance to ‘break open’ the scriptures.” Father Zachary mentioned. Scriptures tend to have powerful messages and more often than not, historical background might be necessary to fully understand the story.
“I also try to include some connection to life today via a story or some insight or observation, to show that, even though we are living 2,000 years later, our lives are not so different from those of the apostles or disciples,” he added. The main point he makes in the masses is clear: we’re called to show love, mercy, and hope to others. And sometimes he likes to add one of his jokes or two to help get that message across!
The impact of Mass, to Jonah, depends on the day. While sometimes he feels like he’s heard certain advice, such as “God loves me,” before, he recognizes that others may need to hear it. “There is also the spiritual aspect, although naturally the social and spiritual aspect are intertwined,” he mentioned. He realizes that all aspects of mass, no matter how many times one’s experienced it, contribute to creating a meaningful experience for all involved.
Another key part of mass is the closing reflection, leaving the congregation with a powerful message. “We start with looking at the readings for the day ahead of time and sharing them with the Faith in Action class students. For all-school masses, they each write a reflection based on the scriptures and then share them in class to vote on who should be the reflector,” Ms. Laskey explained. This process is a great way for the class to learn about their peers and their journey with God which helps them gain a deeper understanding of one another’s unique relationship offering them new perspectives on their own.
Weekly mass serves as an essential opportunity for personal growth, community connection, and spiritual renewal. It offers a space for individuals to reflect on their faith, receive God’s grace, and deepen their relationship with both God and fellow community members.
Jonah mentioned that, “the Church states ‘In brief, the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith’ (CCC 1327)”
