A norm in a Vatican II document inspired St. Peter’s lector ministry. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy called for altar servers, lectors, and choir members to exercise “a genuine liturgical function” with piety and decorum. And, it said, “they must be trained to perform their functions in a correct and orderly manner” (No. 29).
But it was three generous, single-minded women who gave the ministry life and nurtured it for the next 50 years: Fran Voorde from its beginning in the early 1970s into the 80s; Jo Loughlin from the 80s to the late 90s; and Mary Lynn Stevens from 1998 to the present.
They had help from Father Bob Duggan, an assistant 1973-1977, who trained recruits; from Mary Shaw, who was, until her untimely death in 2000, the parish Scripture scholar; from Marlene Desmond, who made calls “before our wonderful Wifi”; and from hundreds of men, women, and children drawn to the ambo to proclaim God’s Word.
Training sessions at Catholic University and the parish were enhanced by mandatory Wednesday night practices, first in the rectory dining room, later in the church. Here are some recollections…
Jerry Conlon (lector, 1973-present): “I distinctly remember Fran Voorde coming up to me one Sunday morning as I was walking into church and telling me that she thought I should be a lector…. As so often with Fran, she left little room to say no. I said yes on the spot…. Regarding the CUA sessions … the importance of ‘stage presence,’ pronunciation, projection, pacing and pausing, eye contact, etc. were all made known to us and have had lasting effects…. The final exam was the videotaping of each participant proclaiming the Word.”
Marlene Desmond (lector, 1970s-2010s): “I really enjoyed being a lector and took the classes in the rectory basement with Fran and Fr. Duggan…. I just wanted to be on the altar and was excited about the idea of the laity, and especially women, actively participating…. I remember how important practice was both for technical competence and understanding. I seem to remember Fran saying to read confidently as though it made perfect sense even if that eluded us.”
Tom Mauro (lector, 1970s-c. 2020): “I do not know why Fran decided that I should be a lector candidate. I certainly … do not believe I should hold myself out as an exemplary communicator of the Word of God. Fran knew, of course, we are just the messengers. She thought I could do it because of my training as a lawyer. I thought that my involvement would give me needed practice in public speaking, which it has in spades. I wanted the opportunity as an attorney to see whether the Scriptures handle questions of injustice and unfairness better than our legal system does.”
Ellen Coughlin (lector, c. 1976-1996): “I did participate in one of the CU training sessions but my memory of that is very vague. I have a clearer memory of a day-long retreat for the lectors run by Fran and Fr. Duggan…. Part of the exercise was working on a reading, and I was assigned one from Isaiah that both of them thought I was not conveying with enough energy. Fran was formidable, a tough taskmaster, and she kept at me and kept at me. Finally, I got it, and they both praised me. It was very satisfying.”
Next week: More lector recollections.
In 2010, longtime lector Jerry Conlon donated two of the eight new minister’s chairs to honor Fran Voorde and Jo Loughlin, who led the parish lector ministry through its first 25 years. These are ink images of the brass plaques on those chairs.