Sacristans

A sacristan prepares the worship space before and after each of the Saturday and Sunday Masses. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia (Our Sunday Visitor Inc., 1991), sacristan is "the term to describe the person who is responsible for the contents of a church related to liturgical worship, such as vestments, vessels, books, etc."

Sacristans typically arrive 30 to 45 minutes before the beginning of Mass, handle the preparation needs of lights and candles, and check to make sure that the sacramentary (the book that contains the presider's prayers) is present at the altar server's chair. Sacristans also make sure that the proper vessels are in place for baptisms, sprinkling rites and liturgies that use incense. Behind the scenes, sacristans coordinate with other liturgical ministers, touching base with the coordinator of the Eucharistic ministers and double-checking that lectors, servers and a cross bearer are present.

Sacristans remain after the liturgy to put away any items left open or out. They are responsible for making sure that candles have been extinguished and lights turned out.

Sacristans are scheduled to serve at specific liturgies. The ministry is open to families, adult individuals and teens. If you think you might be interested in this ministry, please contact Randy Symanitz at (952) 227-4091 or e-mail him at rsymanitz@gachaska.org. 

The Sacristan Schedule is included on the Ministry Schedule.  Click here to link to the Ministry Schedule page.