The Latin Mass exists because of the generous help of volunteers! We need help in all the following areas.
Donations
Donations to Saint John the Evangelist Church help to pay for the travel expenses of our priest celebrant, and, in general, to support the parish which is our spiritual home! Please contribute to the collection basket during Mass.
We also appreciate donations specifically intended for Latin Mass expenses: such donations help to defray the cost of altar furnishings, vestments, liturgical items, choir books, and worship aids. In the future they could potentially help defray the cost of training additional priests to celebrate the Extraordinary Form. Please contact us or speak with us after Mass if you would like to earmark your donation for Latin Mass expenses.
Social
Contact: Mary Risley, mary@centrelatinmass.org
Volunteers are always needed to bring food to the potluck social, to set up beforehand, and to clean up at the end. This is a very rewarding ministry which helps build up our community! It is also much appreciated by our clergy, servers, musicians, and all who travel long distances or work long hours to prepare for Mass. If you plan to come to the social regularly and are able to help out in any way, please let Mary know so we can ensure that all the jobs are covered each time.
Ushers
Contact: Mark Maggs, mark@centrelatinmass.org
Ushers help to take up the collection, to distribute missalettes/worship aids, and to assist the servers in setting up the sanctuary before Mass and restoring it after Mass. Every extra hand is much appreciated!
Servers
Contact: Thomas Flanagan, thomas@centrelatinmass.org
Serving at the altar is a great privilege, being an opportunity to assist in the priestly sacrifice in a particularly intimate way. All boys of First Communion age or older are encouraged to consider this important ministry! New servers begin as torchbearers or cross-bearers and gradually learn the skills and Latin responses necessary to become acolytes, thurifers, or masters of ceremonies. Rehearsals are held as necessary.
Musicians
Contact: Devren Yener, devren@stbenedictschola.org, 814-404-9127
Music for the Traditional Latin Mass is provided by the Saint Benedict Schola Cantorum. New singers of all ages are most welcome, for both our Men’s Schola and our Women’s Schola! We rehearse on Tuesdays at Our Lady of Victory in State College, and we sing periodically at several local parishes, in both the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of the Mass, as well as the Byzantine Divine Liturgy. (Little-known fact: The “New Mass” actually has exactly the same music as the Extraordinary Form, and the same ancient Latin chants form its native repertoire!) For more information, see the schola web site.