Vibrant Worship: By Design, Not by Happy Coincidence

What is liturgy all about?

The liturgy is the summit towards which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time, it is the font from which all her power flows (SC 10).

The Church’s liturgy is always centred on Christ, celebrating his crucified and risen presence among his people: in the proclamation of the word and in the eucharistic elements of bread and wine, in the person of the priest and within the gathered assembly.

Liturgy is at its best when all who gather for worship participate fully, consciously and actively (SC 14). When the faith community does the work of liturgy together in this way, they open themselves more fully to receive the fruits of God’s grace and holiness. The liturgy is the public and communal expression of the mystery of the Church as the Body of Christ.

As our primary and most excellent form of prayer, the liturgy deserves the best that we can bring to it. While we celebrate liturgy in the present, we must not forget that the liturgical tradition and heritage of the Church has shaped the way that we worship today.

Preparing to Celebrate – The Work of the Parish Liturgy Team

Our worship and praise of God and our celebration of the sacred mysteries deserve beautiful music, animated proclamation, good preaching, robust symbolism and worthy ritual.

Good and vibrant liturgy doesn’t happen by accident! Liturgy belongs to all in our faith community but it needs careful planning and preparation.

A parish liturgy team is an essential part of parish life. If we really believe that the celebration of Christ’s life, death and resurrection is at the heart of everything we believe and do as Catholics, then we would naturally invest our energy and commitment to ensure that our faith community is praying and worshiping as fully as possible.

A Useful Analogy

In some ways, the parish liturgy team’s preparation and planning can be compared to preparing for a dinner party or some special event. We are all familiar with the tasks that are done before the event even begins: sending invitations with directions to your home, cleaning the house, placing fresh flowers on the table, planning the menu, shopping for food, cooking the meal, uncorking the wine, setting the table, lighting the candles and playing some music. Then the guests arrive. If the party is in the evening, you will have turned on the porch light and will have been hovering near the front door awaiting your guests. They are welcomed, made comfortable, introduced to other guests, offered refreshments, and invited to the table. All appreciate the hospitality of the hosts, sharing stories and enjoying one another’s company over shared food and wine. If the occasion is a special event such as a birthday or anniversary, there are familiar rituals, such as singing and speeches, candles and cutting the cake, all of which help to highlight the reason for gathering. At the end of the event, guests will have formed the bonds of community and experienced a most enjoyable time.

Role of a Parish Liturgy Team

The work of the parish liturgy team in planning and preparing the liturgy bears many similarities to the preparations for and activities during a dinner party. The ministry of the parish liturgy team is one of liturgical hospitality, which is attentive to the demands of the liturgical action and to the elements required for its enactment. The task is to create a place for the welcome and inclusion of all. Additional tasks include selecting liturgical texts, writing the Prayer of the Faithful, rostering and instructing lliturgical ministers, and scheduling times for silence during the liturgy.

So the key tasks of a Parish Liturgy Committee are:

* To plan and prepare the liturgy: in short term planning for each Sunday but also in longer term planning for the entire liturgical year, Feasts and Solemnities, celebration of the Sacraments and particular local events in the parish or diocese.

* To be aware of the liturgical needs of the worshipping community and to respond in appropriate ways so that the celebration of the liturgy has visible connections to daily life.

* To promote the art and ministry of hospitality.

* To advise on the liturgical furnishings and décor of the church.

* To recruit and form people to serve in liturgical ministries.

* To coordinate the various liturgical ministries so that all share a common understanding of the ritual to be celebrated and the preparations required.

* To arrange and promote formation in the knowledge and art of the liturgy for the team itself, for liturgical ministers and of the entire faith community.

* To review the parish’s liturgy and make recommendations on areas of improvement.

* To set goals and long-term objectives.

Membership

The involvement of the clergy is important for the work of the parish liturgy team. Many decisions are made about the finer details concerning the celebration of the liturgy and these need the understanding and agreement of the priest. The priest has a significant role in guiding the team. He may also be assisted in his own formation in the liturgy, with the help of other team members. 

Other members of the team may include people who have experience working with or who have done study in liturgy, representatives from the various music groups, pastoral associate, members of other liturgical ministries, including children’s liturgy, sacramental preparation team, RCIA group, youth ministry and, if possible, the religious education leader from the parish school. The liturgy team may also include parishioners with no particular association with any group, but who are faithful and passionate members of the community and are prepared to be involved and to learn more about the liturgy.

In general, while many of the team may represent various areas of liturgical activity in the parish, they should be aware that their role is to foster the celebration of vibrant and enriching liturgy for the benefit of the entire worshipping community, not just for the interests and needs of their own particular group.

Some people may be invited to attend particular meetings during the year according to what is being planned at the meeting. For example, when the parish is preparing to celebrate the sacraments of initiation with children, ensure that the school religious education leader and the parish sacramental coordinator are involved in the planning of the celebrations. When the rites of the catechumenate are being planned, the parish RCIA team leader may discuss an outline of the various liturgies. If the parish music ministers were also invited, the team might then plan together the rituals of the RCIA, including the celebration of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil.

Meetings

Depending on parish circumstances, meetings may be held monthly or at some other regular interval. Gathering throughout the year for prayer, discussion and planning is highly desirable as a way to ensure that the work is methodical and ongoing. Planning only for Easter and Christmas is not a satisfactory basis on which to build and develop a parish liturgy team. Meeting regularly will assist the parish liturgy team to become more attuned to liturgical time: the feasts and seasons and the three-yearly cycle of the Church’s worship.

The meeting should always begin with prayer. The prayer leader may choose a text reflecting the Sunday or season being planned and invite members to spend time in deliberate reflection on Scripture, rather than reciting a perfunctory prayer. Thus the prayer guides the team in its discussion. A Collect or Preface of the season may be a useful point of entry to the key foci of the season.

Formation

Meetings should always include a short period of liturgical formation. There are numerous possibilities. One that works well is to select an article from a liturgy journal for members to read beforehand and then discuss at the meeting. Or a passage from one of the church’s documents on the liturgy may be chosen for members to study and reflect on. It is always worthwhile going back to the documents to clarify one’s vision and explore more of the Church’s rich teaching.

The work of parish liturgy committee members will be more effective if, over time, they become familiar with:

* the Church’s rites and prayers in the liturgical books, including The Roman Missal and Lectionary. This study would ​give special attention to the General Instructions and Introductions prefacing the various liturgical books;

* the various forms of the Church’s liturgy including the Liturgy of the Hours which is, in fact, the Church’s daily prayer;

* the Church documents on the liturgy from the Second Vatican Council and those issued by the Holy See subsequently. This would include guidelines published bythe Australian Catholic bishops.

It is important to learn about and make use of formation opportunities for liturgy committee members and liturgical ministers. There may be workshops offered by diocesan offices of worship, national conferences, as well as liturgy journals, websites, and other training resources.

In turn, liturgy committee members might provide in-service for the parish’s liturgical ministers, for example, helping musicians understand the principles of selecting liturgical music and the priorities for singing in liturgy. Sometimes a speaker from the diocese or another parish may provide input for the whole parish, for example, on particular rites such as the Anointing and Pastoral Care of the Sick.

Including information about liturgy in parish bulletins and handouts is one way of helping everyone understand more about the liturgy and how to participate in it.

Conclusion

Among all who are involved with regard to the rites, pastoral aspects, and music there should be harmony and diligence in the effective preparation of each liturgical celebration in accord with the Missal and other liturgical books. This should take place under the direction of the rector of the church and after the consultation with the faithful about things that directly pertain to them (GIRM 111).

A liturgy team can be a great asset to the parish. The team collaborates closely with the parish priest, who is its guide and pastor. The team can be of assistance to the priest, taking on responsibilities in the preparation of the liturgy: being attentive and respectful of the basic elements of the liturgical ritual, preparing them well and taking care to be welcoming and inclusive for the worshipping community.

A parish that does not have a liturgy team at present may consider setting one up. Begin with getting the liturgical basics right. As the group grows in confidence and skill, it can explore its deeper involvement in the wider, long term aspects of liturgy planning and preparation.

The work of the parish liturgy team is above all a work of liturgical hospitality. We take Christ as our model, the centre of all our liturgical worship and the one who invites all to his table.

Through the ministry of the parish liturgy team we extend Christ’s invitation to others:

‘Come and enter, the table is set.

All is ready. Welcome!’

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This article was originally published in Liturgy News ​Vol 47(4) December 2017. Reprinted with permission.