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Guy of Anderlecht
Patron Saint of Sacristans
Sacristan Ministry

s k r -st n

Definitions

One who is in charge of a sacristy. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: 4th Ed. 2000).

Ecclesiastical official having care of sacred objects. (Hutchison Encyclopedia: 2000)

An officer who is charged with the care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents. In ancient times, many duties of the Sacristan were performed by the doorkeepers (ostiarii), later by the mansionarii and the treasurers. The Decretals (pontifical letter containing a pontifical decision) of Gregory IX speak of the Sacristan as a priest with an honorable office attached to a certain benefice (a permanent right to receive ecclesiastical revenues on account of the performance of some spiritual service) and specify his duty was to care for the sacristy, sacred vessels, vestments, lights, the Blessed Eucharist, the baptismal font, the holy oils, the sacred relics, the decoration of the church for the different seasons and feasts, the preparation of what is necessary for the various ceremonies, the pregustation in pontifical Mass, the ringing of the church bells, the preservation of order in the church and the distribution of Masses.

Sacristan at St. Francis

At St. Francis, the Sacristan’s general responsibilities are to help prepare and maintain the worship space and to have in-place the items needed by the presider to properly and prayerfully celebrate Mass and other liturgies, in a smooth and flowing manner.
Sacristan is a relatively new ministry at St. Francis. Because of this, other ministries at St. Francis handle some of the duties that a Sacristan might undertake at other churches where Sacristan is an older ministry. Examples would be preparation of the bread and wine for consecration at Mass (done by the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion), welcoming worshippers (done by the Greeters) and collection of offerings (done by the Ushers). This is to be expected, due to the differences in when the different ministries were initiated. The Sacristan’s job at St. Francis is to “fill the gaps”, assist in the behind-the-scenes preparation and to make it as easy as possible for the presider to celebrate Mass.

Typical Duties

• Reserve seats for Baptismal, First Eucharist and Vocation Cross families.
• Ensure baptismal items are in place, as needed
• Ensure Children’s Liturgy items are in place.
• Verify marking of Commentator’s bible and notebook.
• Verify set-up of altar for mass.
• Replace items after mass and set-up for next mass.

Requirements for Ministry

• Faithful Catholic who has received the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation.
• Be at church before mass to review set-up.
• Stay after mass to reset items.

For more information, or to become a Sacristan at St. Francis, please contact the Sacristan Ministry leaders.

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