Sacristan – A Prayerful Ministry
When Jesus sat down to share the last supper with
his disciples, someone would have had to set the table, put bowls out, bake the
bread, ensure there were enough cups, pour the wine and then of course clear up
at the end of the meal.
In every parish and chaplaincy there are a small
number of ministers who carry out this prayerful ministry behind the scenes. It
is a ministry that very few sign up for yet it is a ministry that can offer the
minister the opportunity to pray and reflect while preparing the sanctuary for
the celebration of the church’s liturgies. The word Sacristan comes from the
word sacristy which means ‘a place for sacred things ‘. Sacristies came about
roughly around the 10th century after churches realized that a cupboard was
needed to store all the vestments, chalices, patens and books that were used
for Mass. Unlike other ministries of the church such as Ministers of the Word,
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and Music Ministers; who all minister
in full public view, the ministry of the sacristan is carried out prayerfully,
reflecting on each part of the preparation behind the scenes and hours before
parishioners start to arrive.
By the 15th century, the church became so obsessed
with ordinations and clergy that the council of Trent decided that the ministry
of the Sacristan should only be for priests in minor orders. Of course that
didn’t last long as priests already had so much on their plates to deal with.
As the years went by the role and responsibilities
of the sacristan grew and was no longer for the priests. Parishes instead
selected from among themselves one person that was trustworthy and well
respected in the community to be the sacristan or ‘porter’ as they came to be
known. By this time it was the Sacristan who opened and closed the church doors
each day, mopped the floors, maintained the church gardens, decorated the
church for weddings, dug graves for funerals as well as preparing everything
for the celebration of daily and Sunday Masses.
Fortunately today, the Sacristan does not have to
do everything mentioned above as parishes are well looked after by volunteers
who faithfully give up their time to mop the floors, clean the gardens and
decorate etc...
Can I be a sacristan? What skills do I need? Anyone
who loves to serve and has a deep interest in the Church’s liturgy can be a
sacristan.
A sacristan:
• Is moved by beauty to recognize the abiding
presence of God.
• Is able to work well with others and dedicated to
serving them.
• Is familiar with the liturgical calendar, its
seasons and feasts;
• Is well organized and able to maintain good
order, often in limited space.
• Is willing to learn all the liturgical books,
vessels, vesture, and everything that is used in liturgies.
• Is able to spend time at the church caring for
and preparing the material things for liturgy.
The Liturgy Centre has a variety of resources
available for both purchase and study to assist parish sacristans in their
ministry and spiritual growth. We also have workshops available to parishes and
chaplaincies on request. For more information on these workshops contact the
staff at the Liturgy Centre.
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