Parish C&B Liturgy Group

Liturgy in our Parish

In a parish with three worshipping communities it is important that there be a good level of communication and co-ordination with regard to liturgical celebrations. To this end each community has its own Liturgy Committee. These committees arrange and manage day to day celebrations throughout the year. Two members each from these Committees sit on a whole parish C&B Liturgy Group which meets once a quarter with the parish priest. The C&B Liturgy Group decides and manages whole parish liturgical events such as Services of Reconciliation, Christmas, Holy Week and Easter celebrations.

Contact: Parish Office

GUIDELINES FOR THE CAMBERLEY & BAGSHOT CATHOLIC PARISH
LITURGY GROUP

Purpose & Aims
1. Public worship, liturgy is very much at the very heart of our parish life. The purpose of the Liturgy Group is therefore threefold:

a. to deepen an understanding in the parish of what the liturgy is.
b. to enable the parish to celebrate liturgical worship in the very best way that it can.
c. to be the means of providing a key channel of communication within the parish on on worship issues.

Membership
2. Recognition is given that parishioners who assist with the parish liturgy are valued volunteers who have much to contribute to the provision of good worship. Individual Liturgy Committees serving worshipping communities at St Tarcisius, St Peter & St John and Christ the King are invited to send two representatives each to sit on the C&B Liturgy Group. The parish priest, as President of the Group, will appoint a Chairperson and ex officio members as required. It is preferable that members sent to the C&B Liturgy Group forum from Liturgy Committees are not members of other major committees. The sending Liturgy Committees should review their representation on the C&B Liturgy Group annually. On the changeover of a Parish Priest the Liturgy Group will require re-appointment. However, Liturgy Committees will remain in being.

Meetings
3. Meetings should be held sufficiently ahead of major celebrations so that planning may be effective. The Liturgy Group will appoint its own secretary. Minutes of meetings may be published in full or presented as a summary for publication on the parish website and other publications. Meetings that go on for more than one and a half hours are not usually productive.

Relationship to other Parish Structures
4. The C&B Liturgy Group may meet from time to time in joint session with the other two major parish committees: the Parish Finance Committee (PFC) and the Parish Advisory Group (PAG). The Parish Chairman will chair these Parish Teams meetings. Such joint meetings will normally be convened at the time of the AGM but may also be called with the purpose of discussing major policy issues facing the parish.


Principal Objectives
5. The C&B Liturgy Group should:

a. be aware of and apply liturgical norms and policy as provided by various Church documents as well as the Bishop’s Conference of England & Wales (see ANNEX A).
b. be aware of and apply liturgical norms and instructions from the diocesan Liturgy Commission and other authorities.
c. routinely review all parish worship celebrations to ensure that they serve the liturgical needs of the parish and to identify to the parish priest areas in need of development.
d. liaise with the Diocesan Specialist Advisor for Liturgy and work with other parish groups and committees as necessary to achieve effective parish celebrations of Baptism, First Communion, First Reconciliation, Confirmation, Rites of Christian Initiation of Adults, Marriage, the Sacrament of the Sick, Funerals and other celebrations.
e. plan whole parish liturgical celebrations ensuring that the necessary advance planning and preparation is carried out in anticipation of each of the major liturgical seasons, i.e. Lent/Easter/Pentecost, Advent/Christmas.
f. plan arrangements for Advent and Lent Services of Reconciliation.
g. oversee procedures and best practice regarding bringing of Holy Communion to the housebound.
h. review and promote use of the Divine Office.
i. study and discuss issues of concern raised by the three Liturgy Committees also by individual parishioners. Consider issues of concern that affect the wider parish as required.
j. provide the stimulus for new liturgical initiatives.
k. review and promote the non liturgical devotional life of the parish .
l. each January review existing rotas and recommend the names of new Eucharistic Ministers, Readers and others to the parish priest as required.
m. promote annual liturgical training for the specialized ministries particularly Readers and Commissioned Ministers of Holy Communion. Initiate and promote liturgical education and training opportunities for the wider parish.
n. promote high standards of worship through music, good serving and a prayerful environment.
o. recommend the purchase of appropriate publications e.g. hymn books, missals etc.
p. oversee procedures and best practice relating to Authorised Persons, the paying of fees in support of various liturgical celebrations e.g. organist’s fees, marriage costs.
q. prepare on an annual basis a proposed budget of expenses relating to liturgical celebrations, and submit same to the Parish Finance Committee.




MGR B R MADDERS
Parish Priest

1. Liturgy (leitourgia) is a Greek composite word meaning originally a public duty, a service to the state undertaken by a citizen. Its elements are leitos (from leos = laos, people) meaning public, and ergo (obsolete in the present stem, used in future erxo, etc.), to do. From this we have leitourgos, "a man who performs a public duty", "a public servant", often used as equivalent to the Roman lictor; then leitourgeo, "to do such a duty", leitourgema, its performance, and leitourgia, the public duty itself. (From the Catholic Encyclopaedia)

2. http://www.dabnet.org/PastoralTeam/liturgy/liturgy.htm
3. e.g. Children’s or youth Masses
4. e.g. Benediction, the use of the rosary, Stations of the Cross etc.
5. e.g. Commissioned Ministers of Holy Communion course, Reader’s course

ADDENDUM

GUIDANCE NOTES FOR LITURGY COMMITTEES IN THE PARISH

Introduction
1. Individual worshipping communities meet at the church of St Tarcisius at Camberley, the church of St Peter & St John at Old Dean and at the church of Christ the King at Bagshot. Formerly parishes in their own right these three communities now form the single parish of Camberley & Bagshot Catholic Parish (C&B). It is entirely right that within the C&B parish framework the three individual communities continue to organize, manage and regulate their own liturgical celebrations. For this purpose individual community Liturgy Committees are formed in each community to manage day-to-day liturgical celebrations. In order to provide a liturgical forum for the wider parish the C&B Liturgy Group was formed in 2007. Where they apply the guidelines for the C&B Liturgy Group may be applied locally.

Purpose
2. Liturgy Committees at St Tarcisius, St Peter & St John and at Christ the King exist to plan worship in each community.

Meetings
3. Meetings should take place as required. Minutes should be sent to the parish priest. From time to time the parish priest should be invited to attend Liturgy Committee meetings.

Membership
4. Membership is by local co-option of volunteers rather than by parish priest appointment. It is recommended that membership of Liturgy Committees should allow for a routine change of personnel. Individual members should not serve more than six years unless they cannot easily be replaced. Committees should actively seek out potential new members on an annual basis to ensure freshness of approach and an openness to change. Liturgy Committees may be as large as desired however the recommended minimum number of members is 4 and the maximum 12. In addition Liturgy Committees may co-opt liturgical experts to serve as ex officio members as required. Each Liturgy Committee will elect a chairperson who will serve a 3-year term renewable only with the approval of the parish priest. Other representatives on the Liturgy Committee should include leads for:

• Ministry of Reader
• Eucharistic Ministry (including Ministry to the housebound)
• Music Ministry
• Sacristy & Fabric
• Serving
• Church administration (including Ushers/Welcomers/ Collectors/Flowers
• Children’s Liturgy
• Youth (14+) Participation


Principal Objectives
5. The main objectives of Liturgy Committees are to:

a. promote a consistently high quality of liturgical celebration.
b. implement plans for seasonal celebrations e.g. Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week & Easter.
c. organize appropriate youth and children’s celebrations from time to time.
d. respond to guidance from the parish priest and the C&B Liturgy Group.
e. ensure there is worthy music at all celebrations and to routinely search for new and inspiring material.
f. each January to recommend names of new Eucharistic Ministers & to review existing Eucharistic Ministry.
g. oversee local arrangements made for bringing Holy Communion to the sick and housebound.
h. oversee the recruiting and scheduling of Readers.
i. ensure that servers are recruited, trained and scheduled for all celebrations particularly major feasts.
j. recruit train and schedule: Welcomers, Ushers, Collectors, Hospitality (coffee etc)
k. provide full and efficient sacristy support and to oversee the ordering of supplies/stores through the parish office. Recommend the purchase/replacement of church equipment.
l. provide oversight and support for the flower arrangers.
m. manage church notice boards.
n. ensure compliance with Health & Safety legislation [in liaison with the Church Management Group Representative]
o. review internal cleaning and upkeep arrangements.
p. promote ecumenical acts of worship






MGR B R MADDERS
Parish Priest