At St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Community, our ushers provide the following specific assistance:
- Greet and welcome each arriving person at the church entrance with a worship aid
- Arrange gift bearers for the Offertory procession
- Seat people as needed
- Take up collections
- Help the Communion flow
- Assist those who become ill or need aid
- Prepare the pews and Church for the next Mass
- Perform other duties as requested by the Celebrant
History
The usher ministry represents the oldest lay ministry within the Catholic Church. Today’s ushers are part of a centuries-long tradition of faithful servants who came before them. In Christ’s era, temple doorkeepers numbered in the hundreds and served as the predecessors to modern ushers. The more direct ancestor of contemporary ushers can be traced to the clerical order of porter, established in the third century A.D. In that period, porters or ushers were responsible for protecting the church entrance from intruders who might disrupt worship services. These porter responsibilities held such significance that they became incorporated into ordination ceremonies, which defined their duties as “ringing the bells, opening the church and sacristy, and opening the book for the preacher.” In 1972, Pope Paul VI eliminated the porter order and transferred these vital responsibilities to lay people. Although today’s ushers no longer ring bells or open books, their core duties and responsibilities encompass welcoming and greeting parishioners upon their arrival, assisting them in finding seating, and collecting offerings.
