Welcome
to St.Charles Borromeo
Welcome to St. Charles Borromeo
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Ministries
of
Liturgy
the
AltAR sERVING
Serving at the table of the Lord is an important and wonderful way that young people can assist in the Eucharist — the source of our life as Christians. When done with reverence, respect, and attention, as the Pope suggests in the quote below, this can be a wonderful service to our faith community and indeed an act of love that draws the server closer to God.
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“When you take part in the Liturgy by carrying out your altar service, you offer a witness to all. Your absorption, the devotion that wells up from your heart and is expressed in gestures, in song, in the responses: if you do it correctly and not absent-mindedly, then in a certain way your witness is one that moves people.”
— Pope Benedict XVI addressing altar servers on August 2, 2006
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Altar Serving at St. Charles is open to boys and girls, beginning at 4th grade, who belong to the parish. New servers are trained before serving, and are assigned to serve with experienced servers for at least their first year. The altar serving schedule is compiled every three months, and is sent to all servers via e-mail . In most cases, servers will serve 4-6 masses during each three-month period. Servers may serve well into their high school years and are encouraged to continue serving for as long as possible. Here at St. Charles, we strongly believe that it is a great honor to be an Altar Server, and we enthusiastically encourage all young people of our Parish to become involved in this very important ministry.
If interested in becoming an altar server, or if you would like more information, please contact Dave Steklenski or the Parish Office.
Ministers of Holy Communion
The Eucharist is at the center of our celebration and distributing the Body and Blood of Christ is an action of utmost reverence. Our generous community participates in this ministry by providing assistance at our weekend and weekday Masses. Our Eucharistic Ministers are trained so that they may know the proper reverence and procedures for the distribution of the Eucharist. This ministry is a wonderful opportunity to help feed the community with the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ. There are guidelines that are followed for what Eucharistic Ministers are to do before Mass, during the Rite of Communion at Mass, and what to do when finished distributing communion.
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If you are interested in becoming a Eucharistic Minister or would like more information, please contact the parish office at (585) 663-3230.
Greeters & UShers
Our Greeters and Ushers are our official Ministers of Hospitality, the Hosts and Hostesses of our parish! They are sometimes the first face that visitors and parishioners see when coming through our doors. We strive to be a welcoming community that embraces the call to welcome the stranger in our midst. This ministry is vital to our spirit of welcome and hospitality.
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In addition to greeting, our ushers make sure there are people who will be taking up the gifts of bread and wine during the Preparation of the Gifts. They also count the number of people in attendance at that particular Mass. They pass the collection baskets during Mass, and offer assistance to those who may be looking for a place to sit.
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If you are interested in becoming a Greeter/Usher, please contact us in our offices at (585) 663-3230.
Lectors
One of the greatest aspects of our community here at St. Charles is the giftedness and generosity of our people. They share their gifts willingly and generously. Our lectors proclaim the Word of God with great reverence, energy, faith and love. The story of God’s life in creation through Scripture is proclaimed by our team of lectors. Their careful preparation, enthusiasm and prayer give St. Charles a wonderful foundation for immersion into the very Word of God. Our lectors become servants of the word and do their best at conveying the passion and faith of the writers of Scripture, whether they be St. Paul, St. Peter, or a prophet from the Old Testament.
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If you are interested in being a part of this wonderful ministry, please contact Lisa Coon, our Lector Coordinator, at Lisa.Coon@Excellus.com, or call our offices at (585) 663-3230 for further information.
Sacristans
Many hands lighten the load — that’s for sure when it comes to preparing and setting up for Mass. We at St. Charles have a very dedicated team of Sacristans that take care of our Sacristy and assist in setting up for our weekend and weekday Masses. These people are extremely important in the preparation of our worship space.
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Sacristans prepare the vessels for the Eucharistic liturgy, set out appropriate quantities of bread and wine, assist the priest and other ministers in vesting, ensure that the books are properly placed, and when the Mass is over, clean and put away all the vessels and objects used during the celebration. By being responsible for the material things of worship, sacristans grow in appreciation of how liturgy works. Sacristans create a hospitable house for the church as they prepare the place for the celebration of the Eucharist.
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If you are interested in finding out more about this important ministry, please contact Sharon O’Brien, our head sacristan, at shar312@rochester.rr.com, or call our offices at (585) 663-3230.
MINISTRY
MUSIC
Sanctuary Choir
The Sanctuary Choir performs twice per month at various mass times and major Holy Days. This 50 person ensemble rehearses Wednesday nights from 7:30-9pm
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We are always looking to expand!
Interested? Contact Eric Trumpowsky
Charley's Angels
(Children's Choir)
We perform at the 10:30 Children's Liturgy and special holiday events like Christmas. Rehearsals are Sundays from 9:30 to 10:10am.
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All School age Children are welcome!
Interested? Contact Marcia Sheremeta
Resurrection Choir
The Resurrection Choir serves a vital role within the parish, assisting with funerals through hymns, Psalms, and response. There are no regularly scheduled rehearsals. Any singer who is available during the day will be welcomed by this group of dedicated parishioners!
Interested? Contact Marcia Sheremeta
Schola Cantorum
Schola Cantorum is our Cantor Program at St. Charles. Our cantors provide musical leadership every weekend mass and once a month sing as a group.
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All are welcome!
Spirit Rising
Spirit Rising specializes in leading contemporary Christian music at several weekend services. In addition, we lead the congregation in hymn and Psalms.
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Come Worship with Us!
Interested? Contact Marcia Sheremeta