Children’s Advent Mass on 22nd December

This special Mass will be our first children’s Mass at St Thomas More. We are delighted that so many of the children and young adults of our community will be here and have signed up to participate.

The children will lead the readings, prayers of the faithful, gifts and collection. They will also treat us to some beautiful songs! Practice with the children will continue after Mass today and next Sunday, 15th December.

We hope that you can join us for this special celebration. You are also invited to the rectory for some snacks after Mass on the 22nd December.

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Unlike other ways of getting involved in the community, this is a ministry that requires specific skills in order to be able to take part. Since the group is small, each individual singer needs to be able to hold a tune while singing in parts. In order to keep up with the pace of 3-4 “new” songs most weeks and because of the way the choir works, you do need to have a basic understanding of music theory and be able to read sheet music.

Time commitment
Choir practice is every Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. plus a short run-through before Mass (which usually means 9.00 a.m. on Sunday).
However, there are many choir members who are not in Bonn every week/weekend, so that what the commitment boils down to is attending the Friday practice if you are going to sing at the following Mass on Sunday.
It is not necessary to be available to sing at every Mass in order to join the choir.

If you are interested in joining the choir – either as a singer or as a musician – please contact either our choir leader Markus or our parish secretary Martina.

For a long time now, STM has not had a permanent social team, although we are fortunate to have two individuals who we can call on to prepare social events and we usually manage to find helpers to clear up afterwards. We would, however, like to establish a permanent social team again if possible.

The main events that we have each year are:

Easter agape, 1st Communion, summer picnic, welcome back reception, advent party.

Time commitment:
The time commitment is fairly flexible, but it is more practical for someone who lives nearby or at least in Bonn to help out with these tasks.

Coffee after Mass:
In addition to the “big” events throughout the year, on most Sundays we also invite people to stay after Mass for coffee etc. in the parish meeting room. This is a self-service activity and we ask everyone taking part to contribute to the preparations and to clearing up afterwards and making sure that the room is ready for weekday Mass.

Please contact Martina, our parish secretary, if you would like to become part of the social team.

To serve as a regular lector you must be a practising Catholic who meets certain requirements (please ask for further information). The coordinator for this ministry is Eugénie. Training sessions are organised at intervals. Lectors should aim to arrive at church at least 15 minutes before Mass starts in order to have time to prepare: make sure the lector’s book and prayers of the faithful are in place and that the microphone is switched on and working. Right now we have quite a large group of lectors made of 15 people, therefore, each lector gets scheduled to read about twice every quarter

This ministry is open to everyone, whether individuals or family groups. It is a very good way to take the first steps in serving your community. Currently there is no formal coordination – perhaps someone would like to take on this task (organising the schedule, showing new ushers the ropes, making sure that everything is prepared and cleared away).

Time commitment – arrive early / stay for a while after Mass

The church is open 30 minutes before the service starts, at the latest (9.00 a.m. on Sundays, usually 6.30 p.m. on Holy Days of Obligation).

Duties
Before people start arriving the ushers make sure that everything is in place: trolleys with Gather books as well as the box with children’s books on both sides at the back of the church, welcome sign and holy water in the entrance. As people arrive they greet them and hand out the books and bulletins; if someone is new, they should show them where to find the prayers and readings in the Gather book and our bulletin, offer a registration form and answer any questions the newcomers might have. During the service they stay by the trolleys to help latecomers; the Ushers pass the collection baskets and take the collection to the front; they coordinate the procession of people to the altar for Communion. Before the offertory Mass participants are to be counted, including priest and altar servers. The total is to be filled in on the participation sheet in the blue folder on the trolley and then put into the collection basket. After the service the ushers collect all books (Gather books and children’s books) put away the trolleys, welcome sign, check for cushions in the church etc.

Please contact Martina, our parish secretary, if you would like to volunteer for this service

This ministry is open to all children and youth who have made their First Communion. Training is provided by our priests, Father Gregory and Father Stephen. There is no schedule; everyone who is part of this ministry is invited to serve. It is important to arrive at least 15 minutes before Mass starts (or earlier in the case of special services) in order to get ready and receive any instructions that may be necessary. Parents can help by making sure that their children find the right size gown – touching the ground without the cord – and the right color cinture: the priest’s vestments are a helpful indicator if anyone is unsure!”