Parish Sacristans Provide A Valuable Service Preparing For “The Greatest Show On Earth”

Have you ever noticed how beautifully prepared our sanctuary is for each and every Mass? The altar sits ready for the celebration of the Eucharist, the holy vessels gleam, the tabernacle candle is lit. All of these details come together to provide a peaceful and reverential atmosphere for worship, though many of us may not know who we have to thank for ensuring that the sanctuary remains such a sacred haven — our sacristans.

Sacristans take care of several “housekeeping” details for the celebration of Mass by washing altar linens, server cassocks, and surplices, and replenishing the candles, host and wine. While most of the sacristan’s work happens behind the scenes, it is nonetheless essential to our parish.

Tausha Dybdal is one of several people who serve St. Vincent de Paul in this special ministry.

“[Without sacristans], the time involved in caring for all these tasks would take away from the time a priest or pastor would have to administer to the people those things that only they can do,” she says. “Jesus had friends among Him and His apostles to help administer to the people, as well.”

Tausha was first inspired to serve as a sacristan by her son, Levi. While he was attending our diocesan altar server leadership camp, Levi desired to participate in a leadership role. However, his ability to fill the cabin leader position was compromised by his battle with childhood cancer. The adult team leaders developed the role of sacristan at the camp especially for him. In the following years, many young men would go on to serve as sacristans at the camp, thanks to the inspiring role model they found in Levi.

Like the boys who followed in Levi’s footsteps at the leadership camp, Tausha was also inspired to become a sacristan. By serving the church in this way, she feels a greater connection to Levi, as well as a deepening of faith and intimacy with the Lord.

“I, too, saw the light of Christ that shone through Levi, and it made me want to serve the Lord in this way also,” she says. “Levi passed away on Sept. 5, 2016, and I know that the Eucharist is the time of the Mass when I can be as physically close to him and all the other saints and angels in heaven as I can be. It has been a gift that keeps that endearing love of Christ alive, and having it tied to Levi reminds me that we have someplace better to get to. It’s only a matter of time.”

Feeling richly blessed by her experience as a sacristan, Tausha encourages anyone who may be interested in living out intentional discipleship at St. Vincent de Paul — as a sacristan or in any other ministry — to prayerfully consider giving of their time and talent.

“[Serving as a sacristan] keeps reminding me of the many spiritual gifts the Lord gives us every day in the simplest tasks,” Tausha says. “It is like being part of a road crew that helps make the greatest show on earth happen just by helping behind the scenes. It is in quiet prayer and daily tasks that we can give some of our greatest glory to God. We can never repay God enough for the life He has offered us. God is great all the time!”

Our parish looks forward to the day when we can once again have full participation of all our servers during the Mass! Any parishioner interested in learning more about the Sacristan Ministry may contact Tausha Dybdal at Tausha-Dybdal@cdolinc.net or 402-643-3421.

Sacristans take care of several “housekeeping” details for the celebration of Mass, such as replenishing the host and wine for the celebration of the Eucharist. While most of the sacristan’s work happens behind the scenes, it is nonetheless essential to our parish and ensures that our priests may focus on administering to their parishioners.