Fr. Dr. Okhueleigbe Osemhantie Amos
Sacred liturgy is the public and official worship of the Church, governed not by private ingenuity but by ecclesial wisdom preserved in tradition and law. In the liturgy, no ministry is self-generated; each is instituted by the Church and regulated by authoritative norms. Every functionary serves not personal visibility but the mystery being celebrated. As the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy clearly states, “no other person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 22). When ministries are exercised according to their nature and limits, the liturgy forms, sanctifies, elevates, and unites. When excesses intrude, even under the guise of zeal, the liturgy risks distraction, theatricality, and a subtle displacement of Christ at the centre.
THE CHOIR
The choir is not an optional embellishment of the liturgy but a ministerial body with a defined ecclesial function. The Church assigns to it the role of fostering the active participation of the faithful through sacred song, giving musical expression to the prayer of the assembled Church (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 114; Musicam Sacram, 19). Properly understood, the choir does not sing for the congregation but with and on behalf of it, lending voice and structure to communal praise. In this sense, the choir mirrors the ministry of the angels who assist the heavenly liturgy with ordered song and reverent harmony.
Excess emerges when this ministry slips from service into dominance. When musical interventions become unduly prolonged, when solos eclipse congregational responses, or when non-liturgical compositions intrude into moments governed by prescribed texts, sacred music ceases to serve the rite and begins to compete with it. The Church insists that sacred music must be holy, artistically sound, and intimately bound to the liturgical action (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 112; Musicam Sacram, 4).
A particularly grave deviation occurs in the chanting of the Responsorial Psalm. The Psalm is itself the Word of God proclaimed in musical form and must therefore be rendered with clarity and intelligibility (GIRM, 61). When articulation is blurred, syllables obscured, or melodic complexity overwhelms textual clarity, the Word is no longer proclaimed but muffled. Likewise, imposing unfamiliar tunes or substituting hymns for the Psalm violates both the structure and theology of the Liturgy of the Word.
ALTAR SERVERS
Altar servers are entrusted with a ministry of proximity to the altar, assisting the priest and deacon so that the sacred rites may unfold with dignity and noble simplicity (GIRM, 100). Their service is neither decorative nor incidental; it is a disciplined participation in the Church’s public worship. In many local contexts, they are affectionately called “small fathers,” a title that captures both their nearness to the sanctuary and the reverence expected of them. Standing, as it were, in the company of the cherubim and seraphim, they minister in the immediate presence of the Holy.
Excess arises when familiarity erodes reverence. Casual posture, inattentive movements, unnecessary whispering, playful gestures, or exaggerated actions fracture the contemplative atmosphere proper to the sanctuary. The sanctuary is not a thoroughfare nor an extension of the sacristy; it is a consecrated space reserved for sacred action and demands disciplined restraint (GIRM, 295; Redemptionis Sacramentum, 45).
Equally disturbing is the neglect of appropriate attire. Graceless footwear, untidy vesture, poorly maintained cassocks, unkempt hair, indecorous trousers, or unsuitable head coverings for girls contradict the visual language of reverence the sanctuary is meant to communicate. External disorder, here, betrays an interior loss of liturgical consciousness.
CHURCH WARDENS / MINISTERS OF HOSPITALITY
Ministers of hospitality exercise a quiet yet indispensable ministry. Charged with welcoming the faithful, facilitating order, and assisting the assembly, they help the Church gather as one body for worship (GIRM, 43). Their service begins before the opening hymn and extends beyond the dismissal, embodying the Church’s pastoral solicitude.
The excess appears when hospitality degenerates into control or display. Persistent movement during the liturgy, audible instructions after Mass has commenced, rigid enforcement of seating, or conspicuous gestures draw attention away from the altar and disrupt interior recollection. Once the liturgy has begun, it must be allowed to speak for itself. True hospitality is discreet, almost invisible, allowing the sacred action—not human coordination—to command attention.
LECTORS
The lector is instituted to proclaim the Word of God to the liturgical assembly, lending voice to the divine address itself (GIRM, 99). This is a ministry of profound theological gravity: through the lector, God speaks to his people here and now. It is therefore proclamation, not mere reading (Dei Verbum, 21).
Excess manifests when lectors dramatise the text, inject personal sentiment, improvise introductions or conclusions, or transform the ambo into a platform for commentary. At the opposite extreme, inadequate preparation, careless pronunciation, poor diction, casual dressing, or irreverent handling of the Lectionary equally undermine the ministry. The Church requires that the Word be proclaimed clearly, faithfully, and without personal interpolation, so that its inherent power may address the assembly unimpeded (GIRM, 55).
ANNOUNCER / MC
The announcer performs a functional but strictly delimited role within the liturgy. Announcements are permitted only when they are necessary and are to be brief, clear, and well timed, ordinarily after the Prayer after Communion or before the final dismissal (GIRM, 90).
Excess occurs when announcements are poorly composed, emotionally laden, or delivered in a careless manner that weakens their purpose. When they assume the tone of exhortation, moral instruction, humour, or personal opinion, especially when delivered from the sanctuary or ambo, the boundary between liturgical action and administrative communication is blurred. An announcement is precisely that: a concise transmission of information. The sanctuary is not a public address stage, and the liturgy is not a bulletin. Ecclesial norms insist on restraint so that announcements may serve the rite without intruding upon it (
Redemptionis Sacramentum, 78).
At the core of these excesses lies a shared misconception: the temptation to let the liturgy revolve around personalities rather than allowing personalities to be formed by the liturgy. No minister owns the Mass, not even the priest. Each role exists to yield space, voice, and attention to Christ. Fidelity to liturgical norms is not aesthetic rigidity; it is theological humility. In the liturgy, it is precisely by the disciplined restraint of the minister that the fullness of the mystery shines forth.
Thanks for Reading
Fr. Dr. Okhueleigbe Osemhantie Ãmos is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Uromi and a Lecturer at CIWA, Port Harcourt
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