Liturgical Ministries
There are a number of opportunities for our parishioners to discern involvement with, in relation to many Masses and liturgies here at St. Justin's.
Altar Servers
Youth Altar Severs assist our parish priests at all weekend masses, weddings and special liturgical celebrations within the parish. We warmly welcome students from Grade 2 and above who have made their First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion.
Training is offered. This is an excellent opportunity for our young people to put their faith into action and fall in love with the Mass.
Contact the Parish Office at stjustinmartyrun@archtoronto.org for more enrollment details.
Ministers of Hospitality
The key ingredient to any vibrant community of faith is hospitality. We strive to make sure that everyone who walks through our parish doors are loved, welcomed and affirmed. Ministers of Hospitality, commonly known as Ushers, help parishioners and visitors in seating for masses, take offertory collections, distribute important information pamphlets or bulletins and much more. Their duties know no end and their presence is needed so that our liturgies flow smoothly.
Contact Arnold Lee Wah through the Parish Office if you would like to join our Ministry and help to make St. Justin Martyr Community a more vibrant and welcoming place of worship.
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
It takes a number of committed men and women in our parish to feed the Masses of people who worship with us here at St. Justin's. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, who assist the Celebrant at each parish Mass, should be over the age of 16+ and willing to be trained on the Church's protocol for administering Communion.
Contact Grace Tenn through the Parish Office.
Ministers of the Word (Lectors)
Ministers of the Word, commonly known as Lectors, help to proclaim the Word of God at each of our weekend Masses. Lectors should have a sensitivity and sense of reverence when proclaiming the word of God.
Contact Grace Tenn through the Parish Office.
Music Ministry
The Music Ministry here at St. Justin Martyr brings together the faith experience and diverse talents of many people who come together to lead the worshipping community to a fully, conscious and active participation in the Liturgy.
"The whole point of our coming together is the common worship and praise of God. Whether or not we arrive at that goal is first judged by the participation of the assembly. Only when each person joins his/her heart and voice to our common prayer can we truly say that our parish has arrived at that goal. And so it is not simply from a musician's point of view that we need to pray our songs. We do not just have "music at liturgy," but we have a "musical liturgy." It is therefore important that all of us pray the song prayers that are chosen. Even those who cannot sing or who don't feel that they sing well, should be encouraged to pick up the hymnal and pray the words with the rest of the assembly." (Ministry Resource Update - June 2010"
Our Music Ministry tries to reflect the tradition and teaching of the Church that music is "more holy in proportion as it is more closely connected with the liturgical action, whether it adds delight to prayer, fosters unity of minds, or confers greater solemnity upon the sacred rites." (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 112)
All of our choirs welcome new members. Please contact our Music Director, Julia Iacono-Hauser after all Masses or through the parish office (extension 35) for more information.
Saturday 5:00PM - St. Cecilia (Youth) Choir: This group of young people provide music for the Saturday 5:00pm Mass. Young people who like to sing or who play a musical instrument are invited to join. Rehearsals for instrumentalists begin at 3:30pm in the Church on Saturday before Mass. Singers are asked to come at 4:15pm to rehearse the music for the Saturday 5:00pm Mass.
Sunday 8:30am - St. Francesca Choir: We are a chamber choir of about 20 singers. We sing every Sunday morning at the 8:30am Mass and rehearse every Tuesday evening at 7:30pm in the Church. We invite people of all ages and musical abilities to join this choir.
Sunday 10:30am - St. Gregory Choir: This is the largest choir in the parish, with a membership of forty singers. This choir sings at the Sunday 10:30am Mass and rehearses every Thursday evening from 7:30pm - 9:30pm in the Church. St. Gregory Choir, along with our parish choirs, present an annual Advent Concert in December which successfully raises funds for our Parish community.
St. Gregory Choir invites new members of all ages and abilities. Tenors and Basses for our Men's section are especially welcome.
Sunday 12:30pm - Children's Choir: The Children's Choir sing every Sunday at our 12:30pm Mass. This choir provides a wonderful opportunity for young people from Grades 2 to 7 to fully participate in the liturgy of the Mass. Rehearsals take place every Tuesday evening from 6:00pm - 7:15pm in the Church. These practices are a way for the children of the parish to come together to meet new friends, while at the same time learn more about singing and the music of the Church. More experienced choristers participate in cantor training and may have the opportunity to sing the weekly psalm as a soloist.
