Lector information

Lector Rota

Lector Responsibilities

Tips for Reading

Arranging a Substitute

THE LECTOR FOR THE DAY, "in ordinary (albeit handsome) clothes, without candles or costuming or gestures, is standing at a lectern reading to us, and we are sitting silently to hear him. This is the quietest, most understated moment in the Mass .... [T]here is no ceremony going on at all, if we don’t count the Master of Ceremonies hovering courteously beside the lectern. The only thing we have to talk about is what we’re hearing: the Lesson, the first of the three ‘lections’ read at each High Mass. And there is a good deal to be said about these lections, especially the first one, from the Old Testament. For although the movements and music of Mass have reached their most subdued moment, if we listen to the words we find ourselves plunged into a realm of the remote and uncanny."

--Richard Major, Freeze-Frame Mass, forthcoming.

Reading Tips for Lectors

THE CHURCH SPACE IS LARGE AND RESONANT. It is not equipped with amplifiers and loudspeakers. Here are some tips for readers who want to be heard and understood under those circumstances:

1. Don't rush. When you take your place at the lectern to read, remember that you are among friends. Don't rush into your text: stand there silently for a for a few seconds to get comfortable. Let the congregation look you over so they can see that you are perfectly at ease and in complete control of the moment.

2. Speak loudly. Breath deeply, keep your chin up, and speak loudly. Project your voice over the lectern, all the way to the rear of the church.

3. Speak slowly. Otherwise, reverberation will muddle the sound of your voice.

4. Articulate all your words carefully, even little words like "and."

5. Emphasize consonants, especially final consonants. Otherwise they will be covered up by the reverberation of preceding vowel sounds.

6. Use pauses for purposes of interpretation and emphasis.

7. Remember: no need to rush. Speak slowly and steadily all the way to the end of your text. Resist the urge to speed up as you near the end.

8. At the end of the text, stop. Let the text sink in for three or four seconds, then say "Here endeth the lesson," close the book, give it to the Master of Ceremonies, and return to your seat.