How we started..
The transition period of serving both Cathedral of the Holy Spirit and Church of the Divine Mercy began taking place with the first mass conducted under approved circumstances when the CDM building was more than three-quarter way through construction. Then, upon completion of the building and after obtaining the OC, a few more masses were conducted.
The lectors group started officially serving Church of the Divine Mercy exactly a year ago, on 29th September 2010. It was the inaugural mass in celebrating the official launching and opening of the Church of the Divine Mercy. This was a historical milestone for many of us who stay around this area.
We started with only 5 lectors. In order to increase the pool, numerous rigorous and active recruitment drives, either by setting up counters at the main entrance of the church or by word of mouth, were carried out. We were indeed blessed with so many people coming forward to volunteer, wanting to proclaim the Word of God.
Months down the road, Fr. BP announced that the 9am masses would be conducted in English & BM as we have quite a number of East Malaysian parishioners attending the morning masses. All lectors are to be trained to read in BM & familiarise themselves with the bahasa readings. At this point, Fr. BP suggested recruiting brothers & sisters from the East to encourage their inclusion and participation in CDM, in addition to promoting a sense of belonging to our community.
At Present….
Our Team:
Currently, we have a total of 26 lectors inclusive of our members from East Malaysia. We have a good and balanced mix of ethnic backgrounds, gender & age in our team. As we are now a bigger team, recruitment takes place only twice a year or when the need arises. All new recruits will have to be audited initially, undergo one or two training sessions (spiritual/technical) before he/she is scheduled to read.
How we function:
– Two lectors are assigned to each weekend mass, the 9am and 6pm mass respectively, according to the roster.
– The 2nd lector of the 9am mass will have to read in BM, following the scripture from the Alkitab.
– Lectors are to practise ahead of their turn and be ready in church at least 15minutes before mass starts.
– If any of the scheduled lector is unable to do his/her duty, he/she is to find a substitute ASAP or swap duties with other lectors and inform the head of the lector group & MC of the change.
– All lectors adhere to a set of guidelines drawn up to help formalise and enhance on-going proclamation of the Word.
Our commitment:
To maintain a high level of standard of all the lectors, quarterly refresher classes are included in our calendar to further improve the quality of our lectors. Special one-on-one training is also provided for those in need. Potluck fellowship gatherings, formation and other teambuilding activities are also included in our 2012 calendar of events to promote teamwork, better understanding of the scriptures & spiritual growth.
The dedication and commitment of the lectors are truly commendable. Whenever someone scheduled is unable to read, on weekday or special masses, there are many, more than willing to help out. Even one or two would ever-ready be there in church almost every week, standing by at the back of the church just in case there is a 'no-show'. This how much they are committed to this ministry! CDM is truly blessed.
Notes & References for lectors:
