by Fr. Brian Wirth,
Director of Rural Life
On Saturday, Feb. 25, I had the privilege of concelebrating the lector/acolyte installation Mass along with Bishop James Conley and 13 of my brother priests at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ.
Thanks be to God, the harvest is abundant! In total, there were 18 lectors and 95 acolytes installed this year, making it one of the largest installation Masses in diocesan history. And yet, as impressive as the total number of installed lectors and acolytes was, something else caught my attention.
From a Catholic Rural Life perspective, it was an absolute blessing to see so many men of all ages representing their parishes, small and large, from across the diocese. Evident was the fact that many faith-filled men of our diocese, rural and urban, desire to offer their talents and livelihood for the sake of building up the Church in body and spirit.
Witnessing the Cathedral filled with these now installed lectors and acolytes with their families brings to mind Jesus’ words in Luke’s Gospel account: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”
Moreover, we are reminded of Jesus’ Commissioning of the Disciples in Matthew 28: “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…”
The installing of men to serve as lectors and acolytes is no small feat; these men are freely taking upon themselves a deeper level of service and commitment for the sake of the Church for the physical/spiritual welfare of her members. In these offices, men are accepting a greater share of the call to serve in union with Christ the Bridegroom, who perfectly offered Himself as a total sacrifice for the sake of His Bride, the Church.
To highlight this, I would like to share with you two prayers from the Rite of Installation.
For lectors, the bishop prays the following: “Jesus Christ made all things known to us and then entrusted His Church with the mission of preaching the Gospel to the whole world. You will assist in this mission, and so take on a special office within the Christian community; you will be given a responsibility in the service of the faith, which is rooted in the Word of God. You will proclaim that Word in the liturgical assembly, instruct children and adults in the faith and prepare them to receive the Sacraments worthily. You will bring the message of salvation to those who have not yet received it. Thus with your help men and women will come to know God our Father and his Son Jesus Christ, whom He sent, and so be able to reach eternal life.”
For acolytes, the bishop prays further: “It is your responsibility to assist priests and deacons in carrying out their ministry, and as special ministers to give Holy Communion to the faithful at the Liturgy and to the sick. Because you are specially called to this ministry, you should strive to live more fully by the Lord’s Sacrifice and to be molded more perfectly in its likeness. You should seek to understand the deep spiritual meaning of what you do, so that you may offer yourselves daily to God as spiritual sacrifice acceptable to him through Jesus Christ. In performing your ministry bear in mind that, as you share the One Bread with your brothers and sisters, so you form One Body with them. Show a sincere love for Christ’s Mystical Body, God’s holy people, and especially for the weak and the sick. Be obedient to the commandment which the Lord gave to his apostles at the Last Supper: ‘Love one another as I also have loved you.’”
Thus, hearing these prayers, the annual installation Mass is a beautiful illustration of the very mission of the Catholic Rural Life Office: The education and training of the Catholic laity in the domestic order; cultivation of a network of spiritual, intellectual, and practical leaders; offering of spiritual/physical support among Catholic families; etc. Such objectives are directed toward communion, the salvation of souls, and the glorification of God by our holiness of life.
Therefore, to those men who have been installed: never forget the beauty and importance of your faith-filled offices! Along with Bishop Conley, I encourage you to be bold! Proclaim always in word and deed our Crucified and Eucharistic Lord to your families and parish families alike. Recognize daily the call you have so wondrously received from the Father through Christ in the Spirit. Strive to sow the seeds of faith for the sake of reaping the abundant harvest.
Being filled with the fullness of the Spirit, do not be afraid to exercise the God-given ministries that God has so installed you to perform. We need you, our parishioners need you, the sick and the homebound need you, our catechumens need you, the Church Universal needs you. We need your witness of holiness and more, your sacrificial love, a life uniting us all the more firmly to Christ, the Divine Bridegroom.
