The Admission of Lay Ministers
¶
To be used before the Liturgy, or after the Collects of the Daily Offices,
or at the Ember Vigil or separately.
¶
The Priest shall appoint a Sponsor who shall instruct and examine the
Candidates in the duties of their Office, and present them for Admission.
¶
Candidates for different Ministries may be presented and examined together,
but shall be admitted separately with the Proper pertaining to their Office.
THE PRESENTATION
¶
The Congregation being seated, the Priest shall stand at the Chancel Gate,
facing the People, the Sponsor and the Candidates, clad in the proper vesture
of their Office, standing before him. The Sponsor shall say,
REVEREND
Sir, I present unto you these persons, to be admitted to the Office of Reader
(or Acolyte etc.) in this Parish.
Priest. Are the persons whom you present duly prepared by purity of life, regular attendance at Church, and knowledge of their duties, to exercise their ministry to the honour of God and the edifying of the Church?
Sponsor. I have instructed and examined them, and believe them so to be.
Priest. Are the persons whom you present duly prepared by purity of life, regular attendance at Church, and knowledge of their duties, to exercise their ministry to the honour of God and the edifying of the Church?
Sponsor. I have instructed and examined them, and believe them so to be.
THE EXAMINATION
¶ The Priest, addressing the
Candidates, shall say,
DEARLY
beloved, who desire to be admitted to the Office of Reader (or
Acolyte etc.) in this Church, are you convinced that the work of this
ministry is so important that, while you are appointed thereto, you should be
diligent in performing the same?
Answer. I am so convinced.
Priest. Will you try faithfully and reverently to execute the duties of your Office to the best of your ability, as unto the Lord and not unto men?
Answer. I will try to do so.
Priest. Will you strive to live in accordance with the sacredness of this Office?
Answer. I will so strive, the Lord being my helper.
Priest. May God guide and bless you in the doing of this work.
¶
Then, all standing, the following Antiphon and Psalm shall be sung or said,
but when used as part of the Ember Saturday Vigil, this may be omitted.
Antiphon. Praise the Lord, ye servants; * O praise the Name of
the Lord.
Psalm 100. Jubilate Deo.
O
BE joyful in the Lord, all ye lands; * serve the Lord with gladness, and come
before his presence with a song.
Be ye sure that the Lord he is God; it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; * we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; * be thankful unto him, and speak good of his Name.
For the Lord is gracious, his mercy is everlasting; * and his truth endureth from generation to generation.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.
Be ye sure that the Lord he is God; it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; * we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; * be thankful unto him, and speak good of his Name.
For the Lord is gracious, his mercy is everlasting; * and his truth endureth from generation to generation.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.
THE ADMISSION
¶
Then, the People being seated, the Candidates, standing, shall be admitted
as follows. First the Lesson proper to the Office shall be read. Then the
Priest shall take each Candidate by the right hand, saying the words of
Admission, “I admit thee etc.”. Then he shall give the Candidate the
Token of the Office, saying, “And I give thee etc.”. Then he shall bless
the Candidate saying, “In the Name etc.”. Then, the Candidates kneeling,
all others standing, the Priest shall say over them the Antiphon, Versicle, and
Collect.
¶
When used as part of the Ember Saturday Vigil Service, then the readings may be
omitted.
1. OF CHORISTERS
The Lesson. Colossians 3:16.
LET
the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing
one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your
hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
The Admission
I
ADMIT you to the Office of Chorister in this Church; and I give you this Hymnal
as a Token of your Ministry; In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Antiphon. These are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the Lord; * and they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing.
O come, let us sing unto the Lord;
Let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.
Let us pray.
O
GOD, who didst inspire thy servant David both to write songs, and to appoint
singers for thy worship; Give thy grace to the Choristers of thy Church, that
speaking together in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, they may sing and
make melody in their hearts to thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
2. OF USHERS
The
Lesson 2
Chron 8:12-14
The Admission
I ADMIT you, to the Office of Usher in
this Church; and I give you this Key as a Token of your Ministry; In the Name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Antiphon: No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.
Open
to me the gates of righteousness:
I
will go into them, and I will praise the LORD:
Let us pray.
O
GOD, who of old didst give the Porters the charge of the entrance to thy holy
temple; Give thy grace, we beseech thee, to the Ushers of thy Church, that
devoutly guarding the place of thy sanctuary and welcoming those who come to
worship Thee, they may make safe thy temple and increase the church; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
3. OF READERS
The Lesson. Nehemiah 8:1.
ALL
the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was
before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of
the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest
brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that
could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And
Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people: (for he was above all the
people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: and Ezra blessed the
Lord, the great God. And the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their
hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to
the ground. So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the
sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
The Admission
I
ADMIT you, having been duly licensed, to the Office of Reader in this Church;
and I give you this Bible as a Token of your Ministry; In the Name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Antiphon. When all Israel is to come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; * thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
Thy word is a lantern unto my feet;
And a light unto my paths.
Let us pray.
O
ALMIGHTY God, whose blessed Son didst read the holy Scriptures in the
synagogue; Look graciously upon the Readers of thy Church, and so enlighten
them with wisdom and understanding that they may read thy holy Word to the
edification of thy people, and the glory of thy holy Name; through the same
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
4. OF CATECHISTS OR TEACHERS
The Lesson. Deuteronomy 4:1.
NOW
therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I
teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land
which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you. Ye shall not add unto the word
which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep
the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. Only take heed to
thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine
eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life:
but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons.
The Admission
I
ADMIT you to the Office of Catechist in this Church; and I give you this Prayer
Book as a Token of your Ministry; In the Name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Antiphon. These words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart; * and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children.
O teach me true understanding and knowledge;
For I have believed thy commandments.
Let us pray.
O
GOD, whose blessed Son taught in the temple; Give thy blessing and the guidance
of thy Holy Spirit to the Catechists of thy Church, that teaching thy children
both by word and good example, they may lead them to the knowledge and love of
thee and of thy holy Church; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
5. OF VISITING &
HEALING MINISTERS
The Lesson Luke 7:37-38
And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a
sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought
an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him
weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the
hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
In the Name of God and of this
congregation, I commission you [N.] as Visitor in this
Parish [and give you this __________ as
a token of your ministry].
Antiphon
Religion that is pure and undefiled
before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their
affliction and to keep oneself unspoted from the world.
Let
not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten:
Nor the hope of the poor be taken
away.
Let us pray.
O God, your Son Jesus Christ said that
we minister to him when we clothe the naked, give food to the hungry and drink
to the thirsty, and visit the sick and imprisoned: Go with all those who,
following the command of your Christ, visit your people in his Name; who lives
and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
6. OF ACOLYTES
The Lesson. St. Luke 12:35.
LET
your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like
unto men that wait for their Lord, when he will return from the wedding; that
when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are
those servants, whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching. Verily I say
unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and
will come forth and serve them.
The Admission
I
ADMIT you to the Office of Acolyte in this Church; and I give you this Candle
as a Token of your Ministry; In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Antiphon. My sons, be not now negligent; for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him; * and that ye should minister unto him.
I will go unto the altar of God;
Even unto the God of my joy and gladness.
Let us pray.
O
GLORIOUS King, before whose heavenly throne the angels stand to do thy will;
Bless, we beseech thee, the Acolytes of thy Church, that ministering before
thine earthly throne they may serve thee with reverence and true holiness, to
the honour and glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
7. OF SACRISTANS OR ALTAR GUILD MEMBERS
The Lesson. I Chronicles 9:26.
THESE
Levites were in an office of trust, and were over the store-rooms and
treasuries of the house of God. And they lodged round about the house of God,
because the charge was upon them, and the opening thereof every morning
pertained to them. And certain of them had charge of the ministering vessels,
that they should bring them in and out. Some of them also were appointed to
oversee the vessels, and all the instruments of the sanctuary.
The Admission
I
ADMIT you to the Office of Sacristan in this Church; I and I give you this
Purificator as a Token of your Ministry; In the Name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Antiphon. Ye shall keep charge of the sanctuary, * and charge of the altar.
In his temple doth everything speak of his honour;
Holiness becometh thine house for ever.
Let us pray.
O
GOD, who of old didst give the Levites the charge of the instruments of thy
holy temple; Give thy grace, we beseech thee, to the Sacristans of thy Church,
that devoutly caring for the vessels and vestments of thy worship, and adorning
the place of thy sanctuary, they may make the place of thy presence glorious;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
8. OF WARDENS AND VESTRYMEN
The Lesson. Numbers 11:16.
THE
Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom
thou knowest to be elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them
unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.
And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit
which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden
of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.
The Admission
I
ADMIT you to the Office of Warden (or Vestryman) in this Church;
and I give you this Book of Canons as a Token of your Ministry; In the Name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Antiphon. Without counsel purposes are disappointed: * but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.
I am thy servant, O grant me understanding;
That I may know thy testimonies.
Antiphon. Without counsel purposes are disappointed: * but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.
I am thy servant, O grant me understanding;
That I may know thy testimonies.
Let us pray.
O
ETERNAL God, the fountain of all wisdom; Enlighten with thy grace the Wardens
and Vestrymen of thy Church, and so rule their minds, and guide their counsels,
that in all things they may seek thy glory and the welfare of thy holy Church;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE CONCLUSION
¶ Here may follow an Instruction or
Sermon.
¶
When used at another service the Kyries and Lord’s Prayer shall be omitted.
¶ Minister and People
Lord,
have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
OUR
Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And
forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And
lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. Amen.
Teach me thy way, O Lord, and I will walk in thy truth;
O knit my heart unto thee, that I may fear thy Name.
So will I always sing praise unto thy Name;
That I may daily perform my vows.
The Lord be with you;
And with thy spirit.
O knit my heart unto thee, that I may fear thy Name.
So will I always sing praise unto thy Name;
That I may daily perform my vows.
The Lord be with you;
And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
REGARD,
we beseech thee, O Lord, our supplications, and confirm with thy heavenly
benediction thy servants whom we have admitted to the lay ministry of thy
Church, that with sincere devotion of mind and body they may offer a service
acceptable to thy divine Majesty; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with
thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.
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