![]() ![]() Ushers carry a dignity about themselves even when performing menial tasks, and can handle emergency situations with composure and compassion. Given the centrality of the Eucharist to our lives as Catholic Christians, the importance of this ministry cannot be over emphasized. Some are called to do so in a more particular way through liturgical ministries such as Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, Usher, Lector, or Altar Server. 5), all of us have an individual right and duty to contribute (GIRM, 58). Since the Eucharist is the action of the whole Church (GIRM, Intro. How we do so varies from person to person, but the most important way is conscious, active, andĢ fruitful participation in the mystery of the Eucharist (GIRM, Intro. Through Baptism, we are all called to be a holy people and royal priesthood (I Peter 2:9), whose right and privilege it is to participate in Christ's own ministry. Christian hospitality draws people together, opens them to participation, and sets the tone for the liturgy. The first task of the parish community is to reach out to all people in Christian love and service. People experience the presence of Jesus Christ in the world through the ministry of the church. While today's ushers don't ring bells or open the church, their primary duties and responsibilities include greeting and welcoming parishioners as they enter the church, help them to find seats, taking up the collection and wishing everyone a good day at the conclusion of the Eucharistic Celebration. The porter duties were so important that they came to be included in the rite of ordination, where they were specified as: "to ring the bells, open the church and sacristy, to open the book for the preacher." In 1972 Pope Paul VI abolished the order of porter and this important task was given over to the laity. During those times, it was the duty of the porters or ushers to guard the door of the church against any intruders who might disturb the service. ![]() The more immediate predecessor of today's usher can be found in the clerical order of porter, instituted in the 3rd Century A.D. During the time of Christ, the temple guard numbered in the hundreds and were the forerunners of today's ushers. We see their antecedents in 1 Chronicles where they are called the gatekeepers. The ushers of today have descended from a long line of people of God who have gone before them. What is an Usher? The ministry of ushers is the oldest lay ministry in the Catholic Church. Francis Xavier parish in Parkersburg, WV, for Eucharistic celebrations on Sundays and Holy Days the guidelines have been developed from the General Instruction on the Roman Missal (GIRM) the Diocese of Wheeling Charleston's Celebration of Sunday Eucharist and Management of Sunday Collections. 1 Guidelines for Ushers The following guidelines for Ushers reflect current liturgical practice at St.
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