Within Saint
Joseph Catholic Community, the Liturgy Committee takes
a very active role in preparing and insuring the celebration
of the liturgy. The Liturgy Committee works for the liturgical
education of the parish at large and serves as the primary
caretaker of the liturgy:
Prepares and implements liturgies
for the major seasonal celebrations (Advent,
Christmas, Lent, and Easter Seasons).
Provides ministers at specifically
designated liturgies.
Works with other parish groups
for liturgical events under their sponsorship.
Meetings
include an educational component, preparation of
liturgy, task
assignment, and implementation of plans. Membership includes
the coordinators of different ministries of the parish: Music
Ministers, Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Communion,
Proclaimers, Ushers and Greeters, Religious Education,
Altar Servers, and Arts and Environment.
You are cordially
invited to enter into liturgical service as Eucharistic
Ministers and Proclaimers/Lectors at our weekend Masses.
Requirements for Eucharistic Ministers:
Must be at least sixteen years old and have already
received the Sacrament of Confirmation
Requirements for Proclaimers/Lectors
Must be in High School
For more information, please contact
Father Glen, Father Scott, or Karlos Blackmon at the
parish office. Please consider participating in this
opportunity "to serve our Lord and His people"
From apostolic
times, altar servers have always had a place in the celebration
of the Eucharist as well as other liturgical rites. From
the very beginning of the celebration of the Breaking of
Bread there were those who prepared for the celebration,
assisted at the table, and put things back in order afterwards.
We
are actively seeking more altar servers. Candidates must
have at least
received the Sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist. Minimum
age and scheduling procedures are left to the pastor’s
direction through the director of liturgy. The recommended
minimum age for youth is about the fourth grade.
The
role of the Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist (EME)
seems simple enough: to minister the Body and Blood of
Christ to the assembled faithful. In reality, the role
is to draw faith from the people of God, to become more
and more like the Body and Blood of Christ. EME are called
not only to minister the Body and Blood of Christ, but
also to take on Christ’s likeness. EME accomplish
this by strengthening their faith from within and sharing
it with the faithful at communion.
EME
are called to a most beautiful ministry of serving the
people of their community. Time taken to reflect on its
meaning and practice will deeply enrich your own awareness
of Christ and of the people you serve. The communion into
which Jesus invites us is a personal communion, a communion
of persons.
A
primary requirement is that you are by nature interested
in, caring about, and at ease with other people—without
regard for status in the community or for distinction of
age, race or sex. All who gather at the table of the Lord
do so as sisters and brothers in the Lord, and must be
welcomed there as such.
EME,
like all ministers, present an outward sign to the faithful.
By answering the call to serve, the minister becomes a
witness of Christ's church to the congregation.
Being
an EME is open to anyone who has been confirmed. In our
parish, EME are on a rotating schedule, usually serving
once a month at the Mass they generally attend.
IS MUSIC IN YOUR FUTURE?Overall, music ministry at Saint Joseph Parish has been rejuvenated...and now, opportunities abound for you to become involved in this exciting ministry. We have three choirs: the Gospel choir led by Gus Smith that ministers at the Saturday Vigil, the Folk choir led by Gary Mahon that ministers at the 8:30am Mass, and the Sanctuary choir led by Karlos Blackmon that ministers at the 11:00am Mass.
We
are always seeking new voices and instrumentalists. So,
there is a place for you in music ministry—a place
for you to add your God-given gifts to praise our Lord
in worship. Whether your interest is in vocal music, keyboard,
guitar, woodwind, brass, or percussion, Our program offers
a wide variety of opportunities for praising God through
music. We would like to invite each of you to consider
ministering to each other through music ministry at Saint
Joseph parish. Please consider joining us for fellowship,
music and personal enrichment. We want to get to know you
better!!
Choir Rehearsals:
Gospel choir rehearses after the 5:00pm Mass on Saturday
in the Church
Folk choir rehearses at 7:00pm each Wednesday in
the Church
Sanctuary choir rehearses at 6:30pm each Thursday
in the Church
Every
music group is accepting new members. If you are interested
in joining one of the choirs, call our office or be present
for the appropriate rehearsal.
We
cannot iterate enough how we would like to to raise significantly
the size of our choirs and instrumentalists. We would like
to have more keyboardists, guitarists, bass guitarists,
a percussionists, any wind or brass instrumentalists, and
vocalists who are comfortable leading the assembly.
For
more information contact Karlos Blackmon in the parish
office at (256) 534-8459 or email him at music@saintjosephcc.com.
Our
Arts and Environment Team develops our worship space
in such a way that the Christian faithful can experience
worship more fully through symbolism and imagery. Using
so much more than banners and flowers, the teams uses
just about every resource available to them for the enhancement
of the worship space.
The team is made up of parishioners who
create design proposals and implement them for the various
sacred seasons and solemnities. All plans are reviewed
by the Director of Liturgy. While in most parishes the
two major times of duty for Arts and Environment are Christmas
and Easter, in our parish it is all year round. Major celebrations
that our team plans for are Advent, Christmas, Lent, the
Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Easter, Confirmation, First
Communion, and novenas throughout the year.
While there is no fixed meeting time
for the Arts and Environment, our team is always looking
for help. For more information, please contact Regina
Shelton.
Lectors usually read for Sunday and Holy Day Masses. They
are required to attend a training session at least once
a year and, after the training they are commissioned to
serve.
Commissioned Lectors who wish to serve at weekend liturgies
can pick the Mass time which they prefer and also select
second and third preferences, if they wish. Schedules are
prepared to assure that each Mass has the required number
of Lectors. They are usually scheduled for the Mass they
most prefer to attend. If they have second and third Mass
preferences, they can be scheduled accordingly.
Any planned absences can be scheduled in advance by contacting
the parish office. For any unforeseen absences which arise
after the schedule has been prepared, the Proclaimer must
arrange for a substitute by contacting another member of
the ministry who would be willing to fill-in.
For more information, contact Tom Uss, the ministry coordinator,
at (256) 851-6029 or the parish office.
Holy Matrimony is a
Sacrament in the Catholic Church and is governed by canon
law and diocesan policies. These laws and policies determine
who, when, how and where Catholics can marry. You or your
prospective spouse must be a registered, practicing Catholic
and be free to enter into a marriage to be married in a
Catholic Church.
Your wedding day is one of the most important events in your life. The information
provided here is to assist you in your planning and to provide you with a better
understanding of what is required for a Catholic wedding. Your knowledge will
help prevent disappointment and misunderstanding.
Marriage preparation is a pastoral ministry of a parish. Couples need to contact
one of the priests or the deacon at least 4-6 months prior to their desired wedding
date to begin marriage preparation. Where there is a remarriage on the part of
one or both of the parties, a declaration of nullity must be obtained for each
one before a wedding date can be discussed. They will then follow the same preparations
as those entering a first marriage. These couples must see the priest immediately
to begin this process.
For couples entering a first marriage, the first step in planning a wedding is
to contact one of the priests or the deacon who will discuss times, dates, and
guidelines. Please remember that our Church is not a private wedding chapel.
It is wise to discuss all of your plans with the clergy and staff prior to making
commitments on photography, music, flowers and decorations, dress, et cetera.
In the course of the required premarital counseling (canonical and diocesan),
the priest will review the marriage preparation ministry with the couple and
begin compiling the marriage file. Couples participate in both a marriage readiness
process with the presiding priest or deacon and either the marriage preparation
workshop sponsored by the local Catholic churches or the Engaged Encounter Weekend
in Cullman sponsored by the diocese.
Following the readiness discernment process, the decision is made on the pending
marriage and the wedding date is finalized. It is at this time that the couple
begins to plan the wedding ceremony.
Our Parish Center (the Father Messmer Center) may be rented for a wedding reception.
The Parish Business Manager (Parish Administrator) can provide information on
availability, fees, contract, and insurance requirements for a reservation.
Our
brothers and sisters who serve the parish community
in the capacity of ushers and greeters are much more
than collection takers and distributors of the weekly
bulletin. They are representative of our overall community.
In addition to welcoming visitors, they assist new
parishioners and help the disabled experience an accessible
environment.
SKILLS
The
best ushers and greeters are helpful and outgoing;
they realize that they have a role to be the welcoming
face of our community. Many people who come to celebrate
the liturgy may only talk to the usher or greeter.
In this way, the ushers and greeters must be able to
provide a friendly and welcoming smile. Ushers and
greeters must be able to balance their facilitation
of movement and action with sensitivity to people's
feelings and personal needs. They should also be prepared,
if the need arises to render assistance in emergencies.
BENEFIT
The
door of the church is a symbol of our baptism, which
is our entry into Christian life. Ushers and greeters
welcome the followers of Christ at the door. Matthew
7:7 reads: "Ask and it will be given to you search
and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened
for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone
who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the
door will be opened." Ministers of hospitality
are graced with the opportunity to extend Christ's
love in this way to both friend and stranger.
TIME COMMITMENT
Each
team of ministers is asked to serve at one of the three
weekend liturgies. Ushers and Greeters need to arrive
about fifteen minutes before Mass and stay for a little
while after the assembly has left.
