3 minute read
Julie Lauvetz Reflects On The Blessings Of Our Sacristan Ministry: Keeping The Lord’s House Sacred
Have you ever noticed how beautifully prepared our sanctuary is for every Mass? The candles are bright and glowing, and the altar linens are clean and pressed, ready for the celebration of the Eucharist. All of these details come together to provide a peaceful and reverential atmosphere for worship. Our parish has a very special group of parishioners working behind the scenes to ensure that the sanctuary remains such a sacred haven — our Sacristan Ministry.
Julie Lauvetz has been a parishioner at St. Francis Xavier for over 20 years, and a sacristan for almost 10 years. She greatly enjoys being able to serve the parish in this special way.
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“I just enjoy taking care of things, and I enjoy being close to the sanctuary and the tabernacle,” she says. “There is just a feeling that you’re taking care of something that is the center of the church. It just keeps the sacristy and sanctuary running in an orderly way. Everything is cleaned and organized so that the priests and deacons can function in their roles.”
St. Francis Xavier is blessed to have a group of over 20 dedicated parishioners serving as sacristans. Each Thursday and Friday, sacristans will come to the church to tidy up the sanctuary and sacristy. They polish the candle holders and change out the candles, clean the holy water fonts and replace the water, and take care of any transitions in décor from one liturgical season to the next. Some sacristans are responsible for the washing and ironing of altar linens and vestments.
While the duties of a sacristan are carried out behind the scenes, they are nonetheless essential to the celebration of the liturgy.
“I like to know that I’m helping,” Julie says. “I think that’s what a lot of sacristans like about it — they know they are participating in the Masses in some way and keeping everything running well. For example, there are some ladies who just love doing linens. You’re washing and you’re ironing, knowing that each linen is used during Mass on the altar. It’s a very peaceful thing to know that you’re doing something that needs to be done. It’s the same with the candles and candle holders — you know you are helping to keep those nice for such a sacred space.”
Serving in this quiet ministry, our sacristans find that their “extra” moments spent in the Lord’s house deepen their faith and intimacy with Christ. “I think it keeps me grounded,” Julie says. “It keeps me constantly keeping Christ in my life because I think about it a lot. It’s not just a job, but it’s an experience and a feeling and emotions. It keeps Him present in your heart and in your mind.
“I’ve had a lot of sacristans say that they’re kind of stressed out at the end of a workday when they have to come [prepare the sanctuary],” she adds. “But then they get to the church and are so thankful that they came because it relaxes them and lets them spend time with the Lord in such a special way by keeping His house sacred and worshipped.”
Feeling richly blessed by her experience as a sacristan, Julie would encourage anyone who may be interested in living out more intentional discipleship to prayerfully consider serving the parish in this wonderful ministry.
“It gives the priests and deacons a peacefulness because they know that everything is there and ready for Mass,” Julie says. “When you go to Mass and know what you did to prepare the sanctuary for that Mass, it just gives you a warm feeling in your heart that you were able to help out in such a special area.”
