Cathedral Layreaders

written by Bill Black

It is a great privilege to act as a layreader at the cathedral. Our roles include opening the church early on a Sunday morning, preparing the space for the service, giving voice to some of the readings and prayers, and administering the chalice at communion. To prepare for the role one must get a good understanding of the how the liturgy works, for which the BAS service is somewhat different than the BCP service. And there are various bits of detail (what order for lighting and extinguishing candles, sequence for entering and exiting, how and when to bow, etc) which matter. There are other bits for which different celebrants have different preferences—we try to adapt. But much more important than any of these ceremonial matters is for us to serve the essential purpose of congregational prayer—helping everyone connect with their sense of our Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier.