GUIDELINES FOR ALL LITURGICAL TEAM MEMBERS* Dear liturgical ministers, Thank you for helping to make our liturgies a pleasing offering to God. It is a joy to be part of a well-planned Mass, and you make that happen. By your diligent service people intuit that what we do here is important. Below are the guidelines common to our liturgical ministries: Communication: Team members should be able and willing to answer the phone when called by their team leader or other team members, or call back without delay. Those who decide to use text messages should offer each other the courtesy of responding quickly. Team members should know and be in contact with their team leaders! Scheduling: We repeat the schedule each month, making only necessary adjustments. Team members are asked to inform their team leader before the fifteenth of the previous month if there are going to be any weekends of the following month when you can not be present. This means looking ahead and anticipating other things that you might have going on. Punctuality: All those helping with the liturgy for a particular Mass are asked to arrive at least fifteen minutes early. There might be something special happening which needs to be explained, or some small change. If not, you can enjoy the opportunity to pray and recollect before Mass. Come a half hour before and recite the rosary! Emergencies: If an emergency comes up you may call first another member of the team to take your place, and if nobody can be found, the team leader. It is an act of charity and shows respect for another’s time not to wait until the last minute to let someone know. We really try to stick to the month’s schedule once it is published and avoid making changes that could have been foreseen. Commitment: The same level of commitment is necessary for a volunteer at church as for a paid employee in the workplace; only the motives change. Both have agreed to offer a service, shoulder responsibility, and be counted on! Team members are invited to take pride in what they do for God and the building up of our local parish community. Child safety: All ministers and volunteers of any king are obliged to successfully complete the volunteer safety program offered by the Archdiocese. The certification is good for five years. You can find the link towards the bottom of our home page. Please be diligent in keeping this up to date. *For minors helping out, the parent or guardian is the point of contact with the team leader.