In some Christian churches, the Reader is responsible for reading aloud excerpts of the scripture at a liturgy. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings A liturgy is the customary public worship done by a specific religious group according to their particular traditions In early Christian times, the reader was of particular value, given the rarity of literacy. traditional definition of literacy is considered to be the ability to read and write or the ability to use Language to read, write, listen,
Contents |
Roman Catholicism (Latin Rite)
In the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, the term "lector" is used in preference to that of "reader". The Latin Rite is one of the 23 Sui iuris Particular Churches within the Catholic Church. The term can mean someone who in a particular liturgy is assigned to read a Biblical text other than the Gospel. A liturgy is the customary public worship done by a specific religious group according to their particular traditions Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament (Reading the Gospel at Mass is reserved specifically to the deacon or, in his absence, to the priest. The Mass is the Eucharistic celebration in the Latin liturgical rites of the Roman Catholic Church. Deacon is a role in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind but which varies among theological and denominational traditions A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites in particular rites of sacrifice to and propitiation of a deity or deities ) But it also has the more precise meaning of a person who has been "instituted" (or, in some cases, "ordained") as a lector, and so is a lector even when not assigned to read in a specific liturgy. This is the meaning in which the term is used in this article.
In the Latin Catholic Church, the office of lector, in this sense, was formerly classed as one of the four minor orders and in recent centuries was generally conferred only on those preparing for ordination to the priesthood. The Latin Rite is one of the 23 Sui iuris Particular Churches within the Catholic Church. The minor orders are the lowest ranks in the Christian clergy. With effect from 1 January 1973, the apostolic letter Ministeria quaedam of 15 August 1972 decreed instead that:
- 2. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. What up to now were called minor orders are henceforth to be called ministries.
- 3. Ministries may be assigned to lay Christians; hence they are no longer to be considered as reserved to candidates for the sacrament of orders.
- 4. Two ministries, adapted to present-day needs, are to be preserved in the whole Latin Church, namely, those of reader and acolyte. The functions heretofore assigned to the subdeacon are entrusted to the reader and the acolyte. Subdeacon (or sub-deacon is a title used in various branches of Christianity. . .
- 5. The reader is appointed for a function proper to him, that of reading the word of God in the liturgical assembly. Accordingly, he is to proclaim the readings from sacred Scripture, except for the gospel in the Mass and other sacred celebrations; he is to recite the psalm between the readings when there is no psalmist; he is to present the intentions for the general intercessions in the absence of a deacon or cantor; he is to direct the singing and the participation by the faithful; he is to instruct the faithful for the worthy reception of the sacraments. He may also, insofar as may be necessary, take care of preparing other faithful who are appointed on a temporary basis to read the Scriptures in liturgical celebrations. That he may more fittingly and perfectly fulfill these functions, he is to meditate assiduously on sacred Scripture.
- Aware of the office he has undertaken, the reader is to make every effort and employ suitable means to acquire that increasingly warm and living love and knowledge of Scripture that will make him a more perfect disciple of the Lord.
Canon 1035 of the Code of Canon Law requires candidates for diaconal ordination to have received and have exercised for an appropriate time the ministries of lector and acolyte and prescribes that institution in the second of these ministries must precede by at least six months ordination as a deacon. Canon Law, the Ecclesiastical law of the Catholic Church, is a fully developed legal system with all the necessary elements courts lawyers judges a fully articulated Deacon is a role in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind but which varies among theological and denominational traditions
Instituted lectors are obliged to wear a liturgical vestment (alb, or cassock and surplice) when proclaiming the readings at Mass; others who perform the same function are neither required nor forbidden by universal law of the Latin Church to do so: "During the celebration of Mass with a congregation a second priest, a deacon, and an instituted reader must wear the distinctive vestment of their office when they go up to the ambo to read the word of God. The alb, one of the liturgical Vestments of the Roman Catholic, Anglican and many Protestant churches is an ample garment of white The cassock, an item of Clerical clothing, is a long close-fitting ankle-length Robe worn by clerics of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Priest or seminarian with censorjpg|thumb|Seminarian vested in a pleated Roman-style surplice with lace inserts holding a Thurible. Those who carry out the ministry of reader just for the occasion or even regularly but without institution may go to the ambo in ordinary attire, but this should be in keeping with the customs of the different regions" (General Introduction to the Lectionary for Mass, no. 54).
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 101 speaks as follows of those who, without being lectors in the specific sense, carry out their functions at Mass:
- In the absence of an instituted lector, other laypersons may be commissioned to proclaim the readings from Sacred Scripture. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM—in the Latin original Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani (IGMR—is the detailed document governing the celebration They should be truly suited to perform this function and should receive careful preparation, so that the faithful by listening to the readings from the sacred texts may develop in their hearts a warm and living love for Sacred Scripture.
In its sections 194-198, the same document lists the lector's specific duties at Mass.
Traditionalist Catholic organizations such as the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest and the Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney have been permitted to continue to employ the denomination "minor order" rather than "ministry" for the lectorate and to use the pre-1973 rite of "ordination" rather than "institution" into the office. Traditionalist Catholics are Roman Catholics, or people who identify as Roman Catholics who believe that there should be a restoration of many or all of the liturgical The Priestly Fraternity of St Peter (In Latin: Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri - FSSP) is a group of Traditionalist Catholic priests The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (Latin Institutum Christi Regis Summi Sacerdotis is a society of Priests in the Catholic Church that celebrates The Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney was established on The controversial Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) and other traditionalist Catholic bodies in dispute with the Holy See, such as sedevacantists, act in the same way without seeking authorization. The Society of St Pius X ( SSPX) is an international Traditionalist Catholic organisation whose official Latin name is Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sedevacantism is the position held by a minority of Traditionalist Catholics who claim that the Papal See has been vacant since the death of Pope Pius XII
Orthodoxy
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Reader (in Greek, ἀναγνώστης/anagnostis; in Church Slavonic, Чтец/Chtets) is the second highest of the minor orders of clergy. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Church Slavonic (also Church Slavic, Old Bulgarian) is the Liturgical language of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Macedonian Orthodox This order is higher than the Doorkeeper (now largely obsolete) and lower than the subdeacon. Subdeacon (or sub-deacon is a title used in various branches of Christianity. The reader's essential role is to read the Old Testament and Epistle lessons during the Divine Liturgy and other services, as well as to chant the Psalms and the verses of certain antiphons. In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. An epistle (pronounced) ( Greek επιστολη epistolē "letter" is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of persons usually a letter The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included This article is about the musical term See Antiphon (person the orator of ancient Greece There is a special service for the tonsuring of a reader, although in contemporary practice a layman may receive the priest's blessing to read on a particular occasion. Tonsure is the practice of some Christian churches mystics Buddhist novices and Monks and some Hindu temples of cutting the Hair from the The term " layman " originated from the use of the term Laity, but over the centuries changed definition to mean a person who is a non-expert in a given field of A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites in particular rites of sacrifice to and propitiation of a deity or deities The office of a reader subsumes that of a taper-bearer, and the service of tonsuring a reader mentions both functions.
Readers are permitted to (and should in accordance with his particular church's practices) wear a cassock, although many do so only when attending services (again in accordance with particular church practices). The cassock, an item of Clerical clothing, is a long close-fitting ankle-length Robe worn by clerics of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Readers will generally not wear a clergy shirt, and may not perform any of the duties reserved for a deacon, priest or bishop. Clerical clothing is non- liturgical Clothing worn exclusively by Clergy.
After being tonsured, the reader is vested in a short phelonion [1], which he wears while reading the Epistle for the first time. Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religions especially the Latin Rite and other Roman Catholics The phelónion, in Greek, (plural, phaelónia) is a liturgical Vestment worn by a Priest of the Eastern Christian tradition This short phelonion is then removed (and never worn thereafter) and replaced with a sticharion, which the reader wears thereafter whenever he reads the Epistle. The sticharion (also stikharion or stichar; Greek στιχάριον Slavonic стихарь is a liturgical Vestment of the Eastern This practice is not universal, however, and many bishops and priests will allow a reader to perform his function dressed only in a cassock or (if a monk) a riassa [2]. MONK is a Monte Carlo software package for simulating nuclear processes particularly for the purpose of determining the neutron multiplication factor or k-effective The cassock, an item of Clerical clothing, is a long close-fitting ankle-length Robe worn by clerics of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Often, a bishop will decree what vesting practice he wishes to be followed within his own diocese; for an example, see here, section VIII. In many rites of the Roman Catholic Church and in Anglican churches, a diocese is an administrative territorial unit administered by a Bishop.
![[2]](http://www.kosovo.net/289_y.jpg){kind=link}
Byzantine icons often show readers and church singers wearing a sticharion-like garment (more loose and flowing than the modern sticharion) and a pointed hat with the brim pulled out to the sides (see here, lower left corner). An icon (from Greek εἰκών eikōn, "image" is a religious work of art most commonly a painting from Eastern Christianity. This distinctive garb is now obsolete.
Anglicanism
Minor orders were discontinued in the reformed Church of England. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican The modern office of reader is that of a licenced lay minister. After a period of theological training (often, in the case of the Church of England, three years of evening classes), a lay person is licenced to preach and lead public worship. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican A reader is not a member of the clergy, and cannot preside at the eucharist, baptize, perform marriages, absolve or bless. The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names is a Christian Sacrament by which in a common interpretation those In Christianity, baptism ( Greek, "immersing" "performing Ablutions " is the ritual act with the use of water by which one is admitted A wedding is the Ceremony in which two people are united in Marriage. Absolution is a traditional theological term for the forgiveness experienced in the traditional Churches in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The reader is licenced to lead non-sacramental worship (including, in some cases, funerals), may assist in the leadership of eucharistic worship and may preach. A funeral is a Ceremony marking a person's Death. Funerary customs comprise the complex of Beliefs and practices used by a Culture to remember An Anglican reader usually wears a blue tippet with choir dress. Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs A tippet is a Stole or Scarf -like narrow piece of clothing worn around the arms and above the elbow Choir dress is the vesture of the Clerics seminarians and religious of traditional churches worn for public prayer either apart from the Reader Ministry in the Church of England.
See also
External links
In a general sense the term Holy Orders refers to those in the Christian religion who have been ordained in Apostolic Succession. A cantor or chanter (Gk ψάλτης is the chief singer (and ofttimes instructor employed in a church with responsibilities for the ecclesiastical Choir A lay reader (in some jurisdictions notably the Church of England, simply Reader) is a Layperson authorized by a Bishop of the Anglican
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic