Sacristans reveal secrets behind scenes to children

When Eileen Bennett felt a call to volunteer in her parish, Holy Family in Little Falls, she tried to be a lector, but the ministry didn't feel comfortable.

Next, she became a Eucharistic minister, but she didn't think it was a good match.

Then, her pastor called for a new sacristan to prepare the sacristy, sanctuary and church for Sunday Mass. The ministry fit her so well, she said, that when she expressed how much she liked it, her husband Bill joined her.

Between the two retirees, "we have it down pat," she said.

Behind the scenes

Mr. and Mrs. Bennett have expanded their behind-the-scenes ministry to include the littlest members of the church community: They host tutorials for First Communion students on the Mass.

The couple invites the children into the sacristy to show them where the hosts are packaged, what goes on before Mass and how sacristans prepare the church.

The point, they say, is to complement the children's in-class instruction and sacramental preparation with experience, and to further underscore their education by showing them "the mechanics" of how an unconsecrated host travels from the box in the sacristy to the ciborium in the tabernacle.

Inside look

Mrs. Bennett got the idea for the tutorial when she thought about how "these beautiful sweet children will approach the altar and receive the Body and Blood of Christ. How is it prepared? Where do the hosts come from?"

Mr. Bennett shows the children how he pours the unconsecrated wine into the decanters from the refrigerator in the sacristy.

"I say to them, 'Watch Father when he elevates the host. You remember where it came from, and how we prepared it,'" his wife explained.

The children also get to turn on the lights in the sanctuary and church, learn about the vestments for the priest and the robes for the servers, and see the contents of the drawers in the sacristy.

Home and church

The Bennetts compare what's going on in the sacristy to something second-graders understand well: the preparation for a meal at home, a birthday celebration or visiting friends.

"'When you have a birthday, what do you put on your cake? Candles. This is the same: it's a celebration,'" Mr. Bennett tells children.

"I point out to the children that you'll see the servers pour the water over Father's fingers. It's not that his fingers are dirty -- it's a ritual washing. This is like getting ready for a meal at home. We try to relate it to things that they do in their home that have to be done."

Keeping light on

The Bennetts' favorite point in the training is showing the children and their parents the tabernacle and the sanctuary light, which they liken to a "light in the window" at a favorite friend's house.

"When you have company coming over in the evening, you will leave a light on in the window, letting them know they're home," Mr. Bennett explained. "It's the same thing here. Jesus is here, and you can come over whenever you want."

The children then participate in two other activities the sacristans complete before Mass: bringing the bread and wine to the gifts table, and asking the family that arranged for the Mass to be said in the name of a loved one if they would like to bring up the gifts.

Goal

Mr. Bennett hopes that, as the children continue going to Mass after their First Communion, "they will feel more comfortable that this is what happens."

Said Mrs. Bennett, "Our goal is that, through their life, they will remember one thing that took place at the humble little training that they can keep in their hearts, that they can relate to their life.

"I hope they develop a bond that they know that Jesus is with them all the time. We hope the little ones will grow closer to God and faith."

(4/26/07) [[In-content Ad]]