Sacristan Manual

The OLOG Sacristan 

            

Church of Our Lady of GuadalupePuchong, SelangorMalaysia

November 2013 Last update 30 May 2017   

The Sacristan is charged with the care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents. In OLOG church the sacristan consist of a team of volunteers. Below are some checklists for the different events. The sacristan (rep) will also attend the Liturgy Ministry meeting for updates of events and liaise with the Liturgy Ministry.

Sacristan Checklist

Sunday Mass

  1. To arrive an hour before the mass, open the AV Room and turn on the power to the AV system
  2. Check the microphones for the comentator and choir
  3. Unlock and switched on the PC 
  4. Remove the "Do not Enter" sign from the centre of the church, switch on sufficient lights
  5. Unlock the sacristy doors and the sacristy side doors. Anchor the side doors 
  6. Turn on the tabernacle lights (ensure the blue backlights on the crucifix above is on as the wires are connected) and unlock the tabernacle door. Take note of the number of host in the ciborium.
  7. Remove the altar covers, fold it and keep in the sacristy.
  8. Sweep the sanctuary if needed

  9. Test exisitng microphones for Commentator, Altar, Father's ambo, and ambo are permanently fixed. If wireless mic is used (baptism, funeral, Holy hour, Lauds - morning mass) ensure the wireless receiver is switched on before turning the amplifier on. 

  10. Adjust the amplifier and sound system in the AV room if needed.

  11. Layout a corporal on the altar and place altar mic beside it. 

  12. Setup the credence table;

    • Place in the centre the 2nd corporal on the credence table,
    • Chalice with purificator, paten, large host covered with pall.
    • Bowl of water with cover and hand towel on top
    • Ciboria (based on number of EMCs, check with Mass coordinator). Each ciborium with 70 unconsecrated hosts, The number of EMCs on duty determines the number of ciboria to be used for each mass times. Ciboria are place on a tray and can be place at the credence table or in the sacrity. Note capacity (ground floor church is 350-400 hosts, each wings (50-100), mezzanine floor (100-250), during homily check for crowd outside front of church and add host if need.
    • Patens  (based on number of altar servers)
    • Holy water sprinkler
    • If there is no offertory procession then set the cruets and ciboriums at the credence table

  13. Setup the Offertory table at the front of church if there is offertory procession;

    • Cruets of wine and water (if no procession then place at Credence table)
    •  
    • Book of the Gospel
  14. Check the Ordo for the vestment colour and Mass information. Hang vestment at the front of the church. Also set the Roman Missal (Large book on Altar and smaller book on Father's ambo)
  15. Place the Lectionary on the Ambo after marking the page with a acrylic book mark.
  16. Note the number of Priest chairs in the sanctuary, in case of co-celebrated mass note number of priests and prepare number of chairs with cushion, and vestments accordingly
  17. Check the scantuary vigil lamp (over the tabernacle), refill the lamp  if needed.
  18. Prepare charcoal for incense for 9.30am Sunday mass and for all days marked as Solemnity. Start the charcoal fire for the incense. The gas stove is only to start the fire and not to maintain burning the charcoal. Fill the boat with incense. Place burning charcoal in thurible 5-10 minutes before the Mass.
  19. Position and turn on the floor fans on the sanctuary
  20. Extra bowl of water with towel for EMCs to be placed on the trolley below the sanctuary. (Saturday 6.:30pm and Sunday 9:30am Mass, if more than one row of EMCs then place two wash bowls. Due to space constrains, place hand towels on the cover of the wash bowls for EMCs. EMCs will remove cover with towel to place at the side, before washing fingers.
  21. Place lighted altar candles on their stand 15 minutes before mass or at start of the Novena or Rosary prayers. Use gas lighter to light
  22. Check for Homebound request and place the labeled pyxes on the tray, even if only one pyx. The altar servers will collect from the tray in the sacristy. Link to Homebound Request Form

  23. Place vestment on the table at front of the Church.

  24. Ring the bells 5 minutes before time.

  25. Trim the candles as needed outside the sanctuary and place wax in container provided.

  

 

pic on Roman missal**

 

  1. Distribution of host into ciboria
    Assuming there are 11 EMCs, estimated hosts in tabernacle is 200 and based on crowd estimates sacristan decides to add 400 hosts for consecration.
    Total host is 400+200 = 600
    total ciborium is 12 (include ciborium in tabernacle), so each ciborium to have 600/12 =50 host
    The 400 host will be placed into 8 ciboria (50 each x 8=400) The remaining 3 ciboria will be left empty which will be used by PP to distribute host from the tabernacle.

 

 

Daily mass in church

Setup is as for Sunday mass with some differences indicated below.

 

  1. Place vestment on the table in the sacristy.
  2. Credence table to be moved to beside the altar
  3. Only one Roman Missal (Sacramentary) to be placed on the altar. Except on Friday if have altar boys then use 2 Roman missal as on Sundays and Saturdays
  4. One wireless microphone at the first left bench, for Lauds, including the daily prayer book.  Collect both items from Fr after Lauds
  5. Identify an EMC, failing which Sacristan will double up as one. For visiting priest check if need to retrieve ciborium from tabernacle. If need then do it at the Lamb of God.
  6. Light the candles before Lauds.
  7. After mass wash and keep all sacred vessels in cupboard and make sure the tabernacle is locked.
  8. Trim the candles as needed outside the sanctuary and place wax in container provided.
  9. Microphones at the altar and commentator stand are not removed. Switch on wireless receiver before switching on the amplifier.
  10. The bell is manually rung from the sacristy, 1 minute before mass starts.

 

Funeral Mass

  1. Prepare as for Daily Mass,
  2. Place and light Pascal candle
  3. If there is offertory procession then setup the offertory table at the front of the church
  4. Additional items to prepare
    • Incense boat and holy water sprinkler on the side trolley
    • Microphone at the front of church – wireless mic
    • Holy water sprinkler at the front of the church
    • White coffin covering cloth, bible and crucifix at the front of the church
    • Pascal candle to be lighted
    • Altar cloth
  5. After priest openning prayer at entrance, white cloth is passed to family members to cover the coffin. Next priest request for bible for family members to place at centre of coffin and lastly the crucifix is placed above the head of the coffin.
  6. Coffin procession with deceased facing the altar (leg in first).
  7. Start the charcoal fire 
  8. the Gospel readings and set the thurible before mass ends (for Service, thurible ready after Gospel so fire need to start at start of mass).
  9. Hand the thurible to the altar server and collect back after priest has incensed the coffin
  10. Remove white cloth, crucifix and bible after the service 
  11. Last respect can be paid before the coffin is process out or after
  12. Procession out is with the coffin turned around (leg first)  

 

Wedding Mass or Service

 

  1. Setup as for mass, if it is a service than skip step 2
  2. Determine if there will be an offertory procession  
  3. Choir mics is put in place if there is a choir.
  4. Marriage Register with pen to be placed at the signing table.

 

Holy Hour

  1. Unlock tabernacle door
  2. One sever bench in front of altar, covered and place a cushion, humeral veil and Holy Hour booklet
  3. In the front left pew place the wireless microphone, Holy Hour book and 2 copies of Everyday prayer book
  4. Altar layout.
    a. One large corporal, to be layout on the altar
    b. Place oil lamps at each corner of the corporal
    c. Place the monstance at the centre of the corporal.
  5. Start charcoal fire 15 minutes before start of service. Transfer burning charcoal to stove on left wing.
  6. Prepare incense boat and thurible
  7. Place stole on the front table
  8. AV room
    • Turn on amplifier
    • Set the project screen in down position
    • unlock and Turn on PC (PC now outside the AV room)
  9. At the end of the holy hour service, return benches to their original position, keep all vessels used and prepare the altar for mass
  10. At end of mass, turn off the amplifiers in the AV room and remove only the choir microphones if in use.
  11. Lock Sacristy doors    

Sacraments (extra items needed)

Baptism

  1. Check for holy water, placed in jug
  2. Uncover the font before the Baptism service.
  3. Set the bench with oils (Catecumen-green, Chrism-yellow), tissue box, cotton pads and towels (number of participants plus 1 for priest)
  4. Set the Pascal candle and light it. Note Pascal candle is used at baptism and funeral services. 
  5. Check that candle for baptism candidate and name list are placed on the bench.
  6. Collect towels back at end of service.

 

First Holy Communion 

  1. Setup as for Mass
  2. Dual Species for communion so place more wine in curet.
  3. Assist to hold the chalice at communion if needed.

 

Confirmation

  1. For confirmation mass kindly prepare the chrism oil for the bishop.
  2. Prepare hand towel and wash bowl with lemon water for bishop to wash hands after the confirmation.
  3. All other preparation would be accordingly for the presence of the bishop.

 

Ash Wednesday

  1. Sunday before Ash Wednesday prepare the stove to burn the palm leaves and gather the ash to pass to parish office. Parish office or sacristan will sieve the ash and keep in a biscuit tin/plastic container to keep the ash away from moisture.
  2. On Ash Wednesday the ash are dispensed into small bowls (number of EMC + PP) and placed on the tray. They will be blessed during the mass after the homily and dispense directly to EMCs by the priest.
  3. Prepare towels at the back of the sacristy for the Priest and
  4. A table with water jug and towel for  EMCs to wash their hands after imposing the ash.
  5. Need another sacristan(s)/altar servers to assist in cleaning the ashes from the floor after the imposition of ashes. Please use kitchen tissue papers to wipe the area and used tissues are to be burnt.
  6. Leave enough ash for blessing and imposition if there is more than one mass for the day.
  7. prepare 50 small paper envelopes for parishioners who wish to bring ash to their family members at home.

 

Holy Week refer to Sacristan Holy week

 

 

Christmas       

 

Baptismal Font maintenance

  1. The font needs to be prepared before Baptism. The office will inform of such events. Here is the guide to service the font.
  2. Drain all water from the font. Attached a hose to the tap on the floor at the bottom left side of the font. Open the tap and start the font pump.
  3. To fix the water hose to the sacristy tap, you need to remove the goose neck from the tap and attached the black connector to the tap head. Connect the hose using a connector to the hose reel. Do not dismantle any connector from the hose reel. Any problem you face means your setup is not correct.
  4. Before you start refilling;
    • Wash the filter at the water head 1 and replace it. Change filter if needed. For calibration of water flow and during use, remove the water filter. The water filter is to prevent insects and lizards entering the upper tank which is uncovered.
    • Start filling basin 4 and allow the pump to pump the water into basins 2 and 3.
    • Once basin 3 is filled, stop the pump, removed the level pipe in basin 4 to allow the water to fill the tank below it. You can know the tank is filled by the sound of the water flowing into the tank. Once filled (basin 4 is empty, if not then remove some water from basin 3) replace the level pipe and start the pump. Do not add any more water as doing so will cause the font tank to overflow when the font is not in use.
    •  

 

Disposal of linens

  1. All linens that are worn out are to be buried or burned.
  2. Vestment and other usable items can be given to other churches to use
  3. Washing of all linens in contact with the consecrated host and wine are to be washed only in the sacrarium located in the sacristy

 

Polishing of vessels

  1. This work to be undertaken on the first Saturday of each month.

Washing of vestments and altar linens

  1. All vestment and altar server cassocks and surplice should be washed as needed. Soiled vestments should be washed as needed and an inspection after each mass should be made.    
  2. Pack and send to dhoby shop near the church. Collection slip can be pass to office for payment and collection

 

Setting up the sound system

 

AV room

  1. Do not switch off the power supply in the room which powers the security video cameras.    
     
  2. Before turning on the sound console, fixed all the microphones
  3. Switch on the console – the switch is on the back 
  4. Press the phantom power switch which provides power to the microphones (altar, ambo and choir). No sound from these mics, if it is not switched on. 
  5. Un-mute (lighted) the switches for the altar, ambo, commentator and choir microphones. 
  6. Slide the master volume fader to the marked level. In case of humming (feedback), lower the master volume fader by 2 levels 

  

 

Amplifiers

 

To turn off the system

1.       Turn off the console in reverse order
2.       Turn off the amplifiers and DVD player
3.       Do not turn off the video camera recorder

 

Video recorder

 The multimedia control box on the computer table is always left on. There are 4 columns by 2 rows of button switches. If there is no projection, check that the left most column of both the switches (1) are on (back lighted). The control box for the propjector is in the projection desk Projection system

 

 

 

Choir system

Image   Image  |   The projection computer is located next to the organ. Unlock the cover.||

Ringing the bell

Five minutes before mass, ring the bell. Note there is also a CD for funeral bell sound. Always replace back the Sunday bell CD after the funeral mass.  

Cordless Microphone Battery

Tray 1 – Storage tray for new batteries
Tray 2 – Storage tray for used battery in good condition
Tray 3 – Storage tray for old batteries  
Changing of Battery for Cordless Mic

  1. Check battery using the battery meter before use. Batteries not in the green zone should be discarded in tray 3. With the battery meter it is better to purchase alkaline batteries.
  2. Ensure cordless mic are turn off when not in use
  3. Batteries are to be removed before storage
  4. New batteries are in the drawer.
  5. Old batteries in tray 3 to dispose or reuse for other purpose

 

Glossary

Names of vessels and vestments
http://www.stpatrickyork.org/greatadventure/MassDVDs/MassItems.pdf
http://www.sanctamissa.org/en/sacristy/sacristy-sanctuary-and-altar/sacred-vessels.html
http://www.togetheratonealtar.catholic.edu.au/craft/dsp-content.cfm?loadref=38