Sunday Toddlers
In St Brigid’s we are very fortunate in having a team of adult volunteers
who take it in turn
to look after pre-school children
during the 12 o’clock Mass each Sunday. Most Sundays we
have 6 or more children attending.
The children gather in the Meeting Room (which is situated in the Church building, next to the sacristy). Once there, the children are involved in all sorts of ‘holy stuff’ - a mix of story-telling, colouring-in, prayers, hymns and videos. The children love it, and their parents and others are able to enjoy Mass freed from distraction.
There is no minimum age; parents will know when their child is ready to join the Group. By the time the children are 4 or 5 they are ready to re-join the congregation in the Church for Mass each Sunday.
Children’s Liturgy of the Word
Each Sunday, at the 12 o’clock Mass, primary children are invited to
begin their celebration of the Mass in the Parish Centre. There, the children
celebrate the Liturgy of the Word in a manner appropriate to their level of
understanding. All primary children are invited, from P1 to P7.
The children gather in a single group to hear the Word of God, and then separate into 3 smaller age-groups to discuss and discover what God is saying to each one of them.
There are 12 adult leaders (working in teams of three) who each take it in turn to prepare the Children’s Liturgy. If you would like more information, or would like to offer your services, please see the parish priest
Altar Servers
In St Brigid’s we are very proud of our large team of altar servers,
boys and girls. You’ll find photographs of them in our photo album. We
usually have about 30 servers at any one time. Once a year, around the end
of August new members are invited to join. The children in Motherwell Diocese
receive their first Communion in P4. No-one is allowed to join the St Brigid’s
Altar Servers until after they have received their first Communion. Many of
the youngsters continue to serve on the altar during their first few years
at St Aidan’s High School.
The children take their duties as servers very seriously, and are a credit to their parents and families.
Readers
Our Ministers of the Word proclaim the Word of God at all Masses in St Brigid’s.
They also announce the Prayers of the Faithful at Sunday Masses. We currently
have about 20 readers for Sundays, and another half dozen for weekday Masses.
We are delighted to have them, but would always welcome more. Indeed, the
more the merrier! Elizabeth Somerville is responsible for organising the Reader’s
Rota.
Ministers of the Eucharist
St Brigid’s currently
has 44 Ministers of the Eucharist As well as helping to distribute Holy Communion
at the Sunday Masses, our Eucharistic Ministers take Communion to the sick
and housebound in their homes and in Murdostoun Castle. This ministry is appreciated
by all who are unable to be present at Sunday Mass, but who - through the
services of our ministers - are united to the congregation in the Church.
Ministers of the Eucharist are commissioned each year on the first of February, the Feast of St Brigid. The normal term of office is three years. Ministers may choose to serve a second term (indeed most do), giving a total of six years service.
Passkeepers
Of all the ‘liturgical’ Parish Groups, none have a more varied function
or role than that of our Passkeepers. This small team of men (and thankfully,
more recently, also women) are involved in all celebrations and Services in
St Brigid’s. We are always on the lookout for new recruits; anyone aged
18 or over who would like to offer their services should speak to the parish
priest, or to any of the Passkeepers.
R.C.I.A. GROUP
Our RCIA Group (R.C.I.A. = Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) was established
in 1997 under the guidance of our Pastoral Assistant, Sr Maria Goretti. Each
year the Group helps prepare adults for reception into and membership of the
Church. Since our RCIA Group was first established until 2002 they have journeyed
with and welcomed 22 new members into the Church.
For more information on how to become a Catholic click here.
