Our pupils are encouraged to help out with ministries in their local parish.
In proclaiming the word of God, readers exercise their responsibility in mediating the presence of Christ. God speaks to the congregation through them, and, the impact of God’s message will depend significantly on their conviction, their preparation, and their delivery.
The reader has responsibility for not simply reading the word, but assisting the congregation to hear the word. This requires the reader to be attentive to the congregation, and careful to allow for times of pause and silence as the congregation prepares to listen and, once the reading has been proclaimed, as it takes the word of God to heart.
We are incredibly lucky to have a team of readers from Sacred Heart School who help us understand the ‘Liturgy of the Word’ each week. We thank them for their service and commitment to this role – it can be very difficult to read and project your voice to a church full of people particularly when there are so many younger members in the congregation.
A servant's heart is the most important quality when practising this ministry. This team is made up of families who share their warmth and hospitality by giving a friendly smile to make people feel welcome at
Sacred Heart Church.
Whoever you are, wherever you are from, whatever your background, you are welcome at Sacred Heart and the welcome team serve others by ensuring the congregation have the books and information needed to participate and share in the Mass with our whole congregation. They also hand out the parish newsletter.
Thank you to the children from Sacred Heart and their families for carrying out this incredibly important ministry. You are the first people visitors see and you give that first impression of what our community is like – a happy place to be, a place where we can come to know God more closely.
A number of our pupils are Altar Servers or are in training to be Altar Servers.
The Guild of St Stephen is an International Organisation of Altar Servers founded in England in 1904 by Father Hamilton McDonald when he formed a Society of Altar Servers at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in London.
In 1905, Pope Pius X gave his approbation to the Canonical establishment of the Guild at Westminster Cathedral and in 1906, the Sacred Congregation of Rites made the Guild an Archconfraternity prima primaria enabling all the parish branches to be linked with it.
The Guild spread, and in 1934, Pope Pius XI enabled all Guilds of Altar Servers throughout the British Commonwealth to be affiliated with the Archconfraternity at Westminster.
To encourage, positively and practically, the highest standards of serving at the Church's liturgy and so contribute to the whole community's participation in a more fruitful worship of God.
To provide altar servers with a greater understanding of what they are doing so that they may serve with increasing reverence and prayerfulness and thereby be led to a deepening response to their vocation in life.
To unite servers of different parishes and dioceses for their mutual support and encouragement.
We are very proud that many of our children serve at Mass on a Sunday as well as ex-Sacred Heart pupils who continue to serve on a weekly basis.