Dear Lectors,

Attached is the schedule for February-March 2011 as well as the updated roster.  Areas that we need to focus on as a Ministry:

• PLEASE help us to reduce no-shows by reviewing the entire schedule remembering that your name may appear under your 2nd or 3rd preference Masses.  Call each other well in advance of your scheduled Mass.  You may consider making a call/email now after marking your calendar. Because we are working hard to implement this phone call process as a fail-safe to no-shows, we would like you to consider this as a mandatory procedure.  We are disappointed with the many "no shows" during the December-January cycle  and hope to have a “zero” rate this cycle. Finally, please do not assume that you can handle both readings by yourself; we know that you can.  We schedule two lectors at each Mass so that the assembly can hear two different voices for the two readings.
• Focus on your attire. Thank you for following the guidelines we provided in the email previously sent out with the December-January schedule. We have seen great improvement in this area.

Lent will begin on Ash Wednesday, March 9. Please remember that there is no Procession at the beginning of Mass during Lent. Lectors are to be seated in a pew after finishing your preparation before mass begins, i.e., signing in, placing the lectionary on the Ambo, putting Prayer of the Faithful binder at the lectern, making sure that the Book of Gospel is placed at the Altar, etc. At the end of mass, lectors are to join in the recession as normal.

Lastly, a reminder that in the procession, when one lector carries the Book of Gospel, the second lector walks in front of him/her behind the Altar Servers.  When Deacon carries the Book of Gospel, the two lectors walk side by side behind the Altar Servers.

Thank you for being a St James Lector and start sending out those confirmation emails and phone calls now.