Liturgy Committee

Altar Servers
Mission: To ensure that the altar linen and clothes etc are kept clean and tidy.

Members offer to help the parish family by washing, ironing and the linen used around the church. Members undertake the task in their own homes on a rostered basis to spread the work around the members.

Though this is often an unseen assistance it is one that helps liturgies celebrated for the parish have linen that is well maintained and fit for celebration of God’s love and care for us.

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Children’s liturgy
Mission: To make Jesus real to the children

Children’s liturgy is offered during the Sunday 10:00 am Mass on the Sundays of the school terms. The school age children celebrate the liturgy of the word appropriate to their age

The children with their parent leaders and helpers leave the main part of the Church at the beginning of Mass. After hearing the Gospel of the day they share in various activities to reinforce the gospel message. The children return to Mass at the Preparation of the Gifts to celebrate the Eucharist with their families and the rest of the congregation.

New children and parent helpers are always welcome.

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Extra-ordinary ministers of the Eucharist
Mission: To provide lay ministers to assist the priests with the distribution of Holy Communion at Masses and to take Communion to the sick and house-bound.

Extra-ordinary ministers of the Eucharist assist the priest with the distribution of Holy Communion during parish Eucharistic celebrations, and take Holy Communion to the sick and house-bound for our parish family. Ministers are rostered for Sunday Masses and also offer their assistance at daily Masses.

Training is given before ministers are commissioned for service to our parish family.

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Floral ministry
Mission: To provide a welcoming and worthy environment for the celebration of Parish events in the Church.

Flowers and floral arrangements provide a worthy and pleasant atmosphere to the church environment. Those with a floral artistic bent share their time and talent with the Parish by creating floral arrangements to enhance the worshipping and gathering space of our church.

Arrangements can be seasonally themed (such as Easter or Christmas) or reflect the wonder of creation by bringing living colours into the Church.

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Greeters
Mission: To provide a welcoming and friendly experience when people join us for worship, whether they are parishioners (existing or new) or visitors to our community.

Jesus was one who always welcomed friends and strangers when they came to him. He never left anyone unaware of the love that God had for them and his desire to invite them to be part of his family. As Christians seeking to follow Jesus Christ, our Parish strives to extend that same welcoming atmosphere to all who come to worship with us.

The ministry of Greeting is one of the prime ways that we outreach to those who come to St Mary’s. They provide a friendly face and welcoming atmosphere when people enter the building for liturgies. Greeters also distribute the Parishioner (the weekly Parish newsletter), orders of service and other printed material available in the church foyer.

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Music
Mission: To provide music at liturgical celebrations that helps our parish family celebrate its mission in an appropriate way.

Realising the value and contribution of music to any celebration St Mary’s Parish strives to provide appropriate music at as many parish liturgies as possible.

The Parish presently has a Musical Director who oversees in a general way the musical activities of the Parish. We are lead by a variety of music groups including choirs, organists, youth bands and other instrumentalist.

If you would like to share your gift of music, either as a musician of a vocalist please free to either join in an existing group, or look at beginning a group with others who share your passion for music

Dove Music Group
This group of singers and musicians provide music of a more contemporary style.

Filipino Choir
This group of musicians and singers is based on the local Filipino community

Guitar Group
This group of singers and musicians provide music of a more contemporary style

Pipe Organ
St Mary’s Church is fortunate to have a significant pipe organ installed and this provides a wonderful accompaniment to the singing at parish liturgies.

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Proclaimers of the Word
Mission: To contribute to Sunday Masses and other liturgies through the proclamation of the Word of God.

Readers proclaim the Word of God to our faith community, and therefore have an important role in focusing our community on the Good News.  They also help to build our community by providing the welcome at the start of Mass, and by leading the Prayers of the Faithful.

Throughout the year Proclaimers of the Word are rostered in pairs for preferred celebrations either at Saturday evening or Sunday morning Eucharist.

Special roster are published,  utilising those available for special celebrations for Easter, Christmas and other significant liturgical events in the Church’s liturgical calendar and a separate Holiday Season roster is organised from December to January.

Training and support are provided and we endeavour to include fully initiated parishioners of all ages.

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Sacristans
Mission: To provide oversight of the Sacristy and setting up of the church for celebrations.

This is a relatively new lay role in our parish which involves preparation for the Saturday Vigil/Sunday morning Eucharist, and also the daily weekday Eucharist.

Sacristans set up the Church and sanctuary, lectern and altar frontals, sacred vessels, linen, lectionary, altar breads etc.

Sacristans also ensure continuity of altar wine and altar bread stocks, candles and other related tasks.