Procedures for Ushers 

All Ushers should demonstrate the greatest hospitality to the parishioners and guests arriving at our church by their demeanor, attire and their willingness to serve. Please arrive early. This gives you enough time to prepare in the manner explained below, welcome people as they enter the church, and reverently participate in Mass when it begins. Please note that if you cannot serve at the assigned time:  find another minister to substitute; inform the Head Usher of the substitution; and advise the Head Usher if you cannot find a substitute. 

BEFORE THE MASS BEGINS:       

1.         Check in with the Mass Captain 20 minutes prior to the start of Mass.  Ensure that you sign in on the sign-up sheet and check for second collection information.  There should be an announcement on the bulletin board.

2.         Wear you appropriate colored nametag

3.         Check the Church and the cry area - pick up debris.

4.         Distribute programs at the end of each pew, with an appropriate number per pew, e.g., 5-6 at the end of each aisle in the main Church area.

5.         Greet parishioners & guests entering the Church (by the doors) - both at the main entrance and at the side entrances. Try to open doors and help people as they enter.  Please try to keep the visiting with other greeters to a minimum.

6.         Help seat parishioners.

7.         Assist the disabled if required.  Ask if they need special assistance at communion.  Inform Lead Eucharistic Minster if the need arises.

8.         Distribute hearing aids, if requested.  (These are in the drawers under the nametags.) If they are not working, see the sacristan.

9.         It is the responsibility of the head usher to get someone to take the gifts to the altar.  Make sure that the gift bearers are age/dress appropriate.  For example, while very young children are welcome to walk up the aisle with others, some may be too young to hold and carry the gifts.  Not all gift bearers need to carry a gift, e.g., a large family.  Ensure that the gift bearers begin to bring up the gifts as soon as Father starts to the front of the altar. Do not make him wait.

10.      Ensure that the phone is plugged in. 

THE GATHERING PROCESSION 

1.         When the celebrant enters the Church proper to start down the aisle, close the double doors and stand in front of them.  Ask latecomers to use the side doors.

THE MASS (Liturgy of the Word)

 1.  SEAT NO ONE DURING THE READINGS OR THE HOMILY.  Latecomers may seat themselves during the Responsorial Psalm and Alleluia.  Try to get them to use the side doors into the Church proper.  Try to use the choir loft as little as possible and NOT AT ALL DURING THE 10:30 a.m. Mass.

2.   Collections and Gift Bearers.  Start the collection following the Prayers of the Faithful.  Gift bearers should wait until the end of the Prayers of the Faithful to come to the back of the Church to take the gifts to the altar.  Side Ushers are responsible for collecting the cry area and behind the altar.  As soon as the presider comes to the front of the altar, the gift bearers will precede the Ushers down the aisle and give the gifts to the presider.  The Ushers will start the collection while the presider is preparing the altar.  As soon as the singing/music is completed, the two Ushers will take the collection forward and hold the basket while the presider says the “prayer over the gifts”.  Be sure to set the basket close to the front of the AMBO and not at the edge of the stairs.  Bow heads jointly and walk back down the main aisle. 

 3.   Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLW).  Direct the children returning from the CLW to follow behind the gift bearers and ushers. The children may return, however via the main and side isles.

THE MASS (Liturgy of Eucharist)

1.   Communion.  Ushers are to approach the front when the celebrant starts to give communion to the  Eucharistic Ministers.  As the celebrant approaches the front of the aisle to start communion, start the congregation going forward to meet the celebrant.  Be aware that the celebrant may need to give communion to people in the front pews who cannot go to receive communion

2.   Communion / Vestibule.  For Holy days, and Sunday 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.   Masses.  Extra Eucharistic Ministers will serve the back of church from a central location. The Bread Eucharistic Minister will stand in the large doorway and face away from the altar. The wine Minister will between the last two pews in the middle aisle. Two Ushers will start with the crying area/vestibule and direct parishioners to the Eucharistic ministers.  When completed, Ushers will move to the back pews.  The communion procession will start with the last pew, with the congregation proceeding out the Vestibule side doors and entering   the Vestibule middle doors.  The procession will continue until the Ushers meet at the middle.  If only four Ushers are available, allow the attendees on the transept sides of the Church to proceed by themselves and have two Ushers in the back and two in the middle.    

Second Collections.  Following the prayer after communion, a lector announces the second collection. Ushers should already be in position to start the collection as it is announced by the lector.  (A good clue there is a second collection . . . there are two large baskets behind the ushers’ pew.)

THE RECESSIONAL:  

1.   As soon as singing is over, the head usher or a selected usher takes the basket of money to the vestibule and signs in  with Ken. 

2.      Hand out bulletins - at both the front and side doors.

3.      Check Pews.  Place missals and songbooks neatly in the rack, raise kneelers, pick up trash, and put bulletins in pews back with the other bulletins.  Turn in the articles left in the pews to the sacristan.  Please remember that other ministers may be involved with clean up (i.e., Eucharistic Ministers) and to check with them prior to turning the article over to the sacristan.  Put programs back at the end of the pews.  Ushers for the Sunday 11:00 Mass should gather the programs and place them in the recycle box near the check-in sheet (near the name tag area).   

ADDITIONAL NOTES

1.   Seating: When seating people, please try to fill the pews from the front to the rear before Mass begins.  Either show people a pew or ask them to take seats toward the front.  Once Mass begins, seat people from the side aisles if possible.  Remember, if there are chairs behind the altar, then any overflow may be seated on those. 

2.   Doors: Remember, when the celebrant enters the Church proper, immediately close the vestibule doors and stand in front of them . . . direct latecomers down the side aisles.  If it is cold outside or if the air conditioner is on, close the outside doors.  If not, you may leave the outside doors open to bring in fresh air.  If the Church is stuffy and the air conditioner is NOT on, you may open the windows for ventilation.  Use your best judgment. 

3.   Attire: Please be certain you are dressed appropriately for the celebration of Mass.  We encourage you to look nicely dressed when you serve God. 

 4.   Wheelchair and Walker: The wheelchair is located in the closet beside the elevator on the lower level. The walker should be by the coat rack near the nametag area.

EMERGENCIES

 1.        Emergencies: Ushers are responsible for keeping alert to emergencies that occur during Mass.  The best ways to handle these situations are as follows:

A.      If someone becomes ill, assist the parishioner to the vestibule, if possible.  There is a cot in the closet in the cry area that can be set up, if necessary.  CALL 9-1-1 if NEEDED.  The phone is in the same area as the nametags. 

 B.         The fire extinguisher is in the vestibule by the stairs to the choir loft.  Additional fire extinguishers are located in the prayer alcoves just inside the Church proper and in each sacristy. 

C.        If an earthquake should occur, advise parishioners to stay in the Church and get under the benches. 

 D.         For those rare times when the Church must be evacuated, try to get people at least 50' away from the Church.  This will make room for the people leaving the Church last and make room for the emergency people to get to the building.