Liturgy Ministry Day at Flanders parish focuses on role of liturgical ministers

FLANDERS  Liturgical ministers of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish here — from lectors and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion to ushers and music ministers — recently learned not “how” to perform their various important tasks while serving at Mass but more importantly “why” they do them.

“It’s because the Mass — the Eucharist — is the ‘source and summit of Christian life,’ according to Lumen Gentium, a document of the Second Vatican Council,” Father Pawel Tomczyk told 50 liturgical ministers at the Liturgy Ministry Day, which was held in-person on a recent Saturday at the Flanders parish. Father Tomczyk serves as director of diocesan the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and Youth Ministry and as chaplain at Fairleigh Dickinson and Drew universities, both in Madison. “The Eucharist is the reason for and the goal of our lives. It is what Christian life is supposed to be. But sadly, as Catholics, we tend to practice without much understanding,” he said.

Father Tomczyk tried to fill in that knowledge gap at St. Elizabeth’s in the three keynote addresses that he delivered, during the Liturgy Ministry Day. The Morris County parish held the event to help its liturgical ministers recommit themselves to the Eucharist and the parish community through a deeper understanding of the divine mystery and the gifts we are given to share. The priest spoke on the following topics: “Attending Mass: The Three Truths about the Eucharist,” “Serving Mass: The Calling of Parish Ministers,” and “Promoting Mass: Contemporary Objections and Our Response.”

The Liturgy Ministry Day also included breakout sessions, during which participants were invited to share their responses to several reflections questions. They included, “How do we prepare for our ministry?” “How do we make best use of our gifts as individual ministers — discernment, learning, practice, and development of their talents?” and “How do we plan for and train the next ministry leader?”

Attendees included parish lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, ushers, altar-server leaders, music ministers, youth ministry leaders and those who are part of altar care/service and church decoration. Also invited were young people involved in these ministries, as well as parishioners, who are interested in ministry. One inspired participant was Richard Delafuente, parish coordinator of evangelization ministry, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, lector, and usher.

“It was good to go back to the theology of the Eucharist and to get in touch with the reality of it — what Jesus instituted for us. So many people don’t understand the ‘why?’ of what we do,” Delafuente said. “I had a sense of awe that such an awesome God entrusts us to do this [minister at Mass]. The day gave me respect for all the ministries that we are involved in and an understanding that we are all called to serve,” he said.

In his first talk, Father Tomczyk said liturgical ministers should believe, live, and promote three truths about Mass. They are that Jesus is fully and really present in the Eucharist, that we cannot practice Christianity without receiving the Eucharist, and that the Eucharist is Jesus’ holy sacrifice that makes us one with him and him with us.

The Eucharist is the Real Presence of Jesus, as evidenced by John 6:47-69. There, he tells his disciples, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world,” Father Tomczyk said in quoting Scripture.

Furthermore, Jesus tells us that unless we receive the Eucharist, we will not have life within us. The Bread of Life satisfies our all our needs and desires. Because we ingest Jesus physically, we become one with him — the Creator of the universe — and he with us. It is like the moment of greatest intimacy — or “oneness” — that a man and wife can achieve, during their sexual relations in marriage, Father Tomczyk said in his first talk.

“Can you say that you are dead inside if you love and have love from someone [Jesus]?” Father Tomczyk said. “Christian life is not just a nice philosophy. It is life in Christ. We become what we eat,” he said.

To that end, The Eucharist is the ultimate sacrificial offering by Jesus — his perfect gift to the Father in reconciliation for our sins. Through our union with Christ, “we must be ready to embrace the blessings and the graces that he bestows on us and also the hardships and sufferings that come our way,” Father Tomczyk said in his first talk.

“If the Mass is what unites us to the One who gave us life, then we are to give of our lives for others. Jesus told his disciples, ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’ Do not just receive the sacrifice; become the sacrifice for your brothers and sisters. Let go of your own needs for others,” Father Tomczyk said.

After the Liturgy Ministry Day, Father Stan Barron, St. Elizabeth’s pastor and diocesan Vicar for Education, called the event “a positive support for the parish.

“Liturgical ministers not only need to perform a function at Mass but also but offer something for the spiritual life of the parish,” said Father Barron. He concelebrated Mass with Father Tomczyk, the homilist, at the beginning of the day, which originally was scheduled for last year but was postponed because of COVID-19. “Father Pawel emphasized that liturgical ministers need to work on their own spiritual lives and on their relations with the parish community,” Father Barron said.

Impressed with Father Tomczyk, Phil Lamoureux, St. Elizabeth’s director of music and its Seton Choir and Liturgy Ministry Day coordinator, said the speaker is “passionate about the Eucharist and Holy Mass.

“Father Pawel’s talks were enlightening and invigorating,” Lamoureux said. “He told us the reason that liturgical ministers get involved in the Mass. They are called to serve according to the gifts that God gave them. Each person uses his or her special charism to bring the word of God to the people and get them involved in an inclusive way,” he said.