Daughters Prayer before the altar Crucifix

DOVES Prayer Before the Altar Crucifix before each Mass when serving as a sacristan.

Your handmaid is here, O Lord,

to serve in preparing the sanctuary for the Holy Mass.

Many pilgrims are preparing now to come to this holy place.

I pray that they are granted Your peace and mercy,

so that they may arrive safely,

prepared to participate fully

in the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Mass.

As our priest is preparing us to receive You Lord,

grant to him the grace of touching the hardest of hearts

during this Holy Mass

and in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

May all who serve in ministry for this Holy Mass

be inspired to the fullest expressions of faith, hope, and charity.

May this Sacrament of the Eucharist prepare me,

to receive the grace and gift of repentance;

the nourishment and strengthening of my soul;

and the sacred awareness

of Your Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament.

Glory Be…

Daughters,

Remember to approach the Holy Water font

as you enter the main part of the Church.

'This is a sacramental blessed by a priest,

invoking God's blessing on all who use it.

Blessed water is a symbol of spiritual cleansing,

and its use is advised in moments of physical danger

and against temptations from spiritual enemies.

It is common practice to dip one's fingers in holy water

and reverently make the Sign of the Cross

as one enters a Catholic church,

and it is recommended for use in the home.'

Modern Catholic Dictionary, Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.

Remember to always genuflect

toward the tabernacle when approaching the altar

and before entering the pew

as an act of Adoration reserved for the Lord.

Written by Sharon Willougby

Copyright ©2010

Daughters Veiling Prayer

VEILING

Veiling before entering into

the Eucharistic stewardship of the altar,

particular to the DOVES charism,

is a symbolic reminder to the faithful,

of the veiled Sacramental Presence of Jesus

in the Eucharistic species.

As the chalice is veiled and preserved

to receive our Eucharistic Lord,

the DOVES also veil before Mass,

as they prepare their hearts

to become a resting place for our Eucharistic Lord.

The blue color of the veil honors our Lady Mother,

who remains wherever her Son is present

and serves as the blessed handmaid of the Lord,

throughout all time and all generations.

Veiling Prayer

(While veiling, to be offered before entering the Church,

before a statue of Our Lady.)

Lord, I am your servants

Your servant, a daughter of your handmaid.

Psalm 116: 16

‘Lord, as I veil in preparation for serving

before the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,

help prepare me to be a worthy vessel to receive You.

May others who see my actions

be reminded that You are truly present,

though also hidden,

in the sacramental veil

of the Eucharistic Species.’

Hail Mary…

Written by Sharon M. Willoughby

Copyright ©2010

Trinity Veil

The veil design we use is that of an equal sided triangle,

which is a symbol of the Holy Trinity.

We use light blue lace with lace trim for the veil.

I measure from the tip of one ear,

over the head, to the tip of the other ear.

I then measure the other two sides

to be exactly the same length as over the head.

I sew ties on the ends and use fray block at the tips

to prevent fraying over time.

The purpose for using a tie, triangular veil,

is that the daughters do work at polishing

the sacred vessels, as well as cleaning the Adoration chapel.

This tie back veil helps them keep their hair out of their way.

~Equilateral Triangle ~

"Symbol of the Trinity, early used in various forms;

a triangle with equal sides;

three foils; three figures;

the Father represented at the apex,

the Cross the Son, the Dove the Holy Spirit,

all in a triangular form.

Such symbols appeared in Roman churches,

as late as the thirteenth century.

During the Middle Ages the triangle appeared

alone with the words

Unitas, Trinitas, Pater, Filius, Spiritus

with the addition of 'Deus Est' in the center

representing the Godhead.

The Catholic Church has honored the Trinity

by a special feast since 1334."

Modern Catholic Dictionary by Father John a Hardon, S.J.

The DOVES Life of Love and Devotion

The DOVES

~ Life of Love and Devotion~

A daughter of A daughter of Veronica in Eucharistic Stewardship

may serve the Lord as a Sacristan

by preparing the altar for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass;

by caring for the Sacred Linens commissioned for the Holy Mass;

as well as, attending to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel for Adoration.

Before she begins her duties as a Sacristan,

the daughter prepares by loving Christ in her heart.

She grows to know the Lord by studying her catechism

and by faithfully living a Sacramental Life.

Having an understanding of the Seven Sacraments

as the outward signs of Christ that impart His grace,

the daughter before the altar

is able to participate more fully in the expression of Divine Providence,

where Jesus promises, “I am with you always, to the close of the age”.

(Matthew 20:28 Ignatius Holy Bible Revised Standard Version; 2^nd Edition.)

Frequent Confession and reception of Holy Communion,

with an active life of prayer,

prepares the daughter to appreciate

the privilege of serving Our Lord in the Eucharist as a Sacristan.

As Saint Veronica came forth to offer comfort to Our Lord on Calvary

by consoling Him with her veil,

the Daughter Sacristan is attentive to the Calvary of the Altar

by preparing the sacred linens commissioned for the Holy Mass.

Her movements of purposeful reverence

may inspire the faithful to realize the effects

of all that is seen and unseen.

When her service to the altar is completed,

she continues to serve in the pew with faith,

understanding, prayer, acts of reverence and piety.

She is a faithful witness amidst the Mystical Body of Christ.

As Saint Veronica spent time with the Lord on Calvary,

the Daughter Sacristan may also foster

her love of the Real Presence of the Lord,

by offering a Holy Hour once a month outside of the Holy Mass,

while caring for the Adoration Chapel, as she prays in community.

As the Daughters of Veronica grow

in their devotion to the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist,

it is the prayer of the Church that they will be prepared to hear

and respond to the call of their vocation in life,

in accordance to God’s permitting Will.

Sharon Marie Willoughby

Mother of Six Altar Sons and One Daughter of Veronica

Consecrated Marian Catechist

Copyright © 2010

Daughters Veronica Eucharistic Stewardship

Daughters

Walking the Via Dolorosa to Golgotha, Jesus speaks to the women,
"Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me" (Luke 23:28).
This eighth station of the Cross in time reveals to us
how we are seen in the eyes of our Suffering Savior.
In the midst of His agonizing Via Dolorosa, He claims us for His own.
We are His daughters and re-present ourselves as such
each time we encounter the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,
where the unbloody 'Calvary of the Altar' unfolds until the end of time.
Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you.
Jeremiah 1:6

Veronica
Our Church is a Mother, and as such, has seen to it that
Her children come into the friendship of this daughter of the Church, Saint Veronica.
As we make our pilgrimage through the sixth station of the Cross,
we find a woman who has braved the angry mob to the place where Jesus suffers.
She offers Him a cloth, a simple veil, to wipe His face~
a simple gesture of love and compassion.
In return, our Lord gifts her with an image of His face.
'Veronica' is overcome with mercy
as she sees the image of her Lord,
a true, 'forget-me-not, as a remnant of love on her veil.
'Veronica' is a name that inspires daughters
to become the very fabric of the Divine Indwelling.
As a sacristan prepares the altar for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,
daughters of Veronica are attentive to a life of devotion and prayer,
so that out of love, they are prepared to respond where it is that
Our Lord remains with us 'always until the end of time'. Matthew 28:20

Eucharistic
In the Sacred Scriptures, in John 4:10, we discover our Lord speaking to a Samaritan woman who has lost her way, 'If you but knew the gift of God'.
As daughter sacristans, we respond to this 'gift of God' in the Eucharist,
by partaking of the life of devotion, prayer, and catechesis.
By living a Sacramental life, we grow to know Him and love Him,
so that we may serve Him in this life well,
in the hope that we may be with Him one day, in heaven.

Stewardship
The faithful steward is the servant who offers all she has for the fruits of eternal life.
Being entrusted with the work of a sacristan,
the daughters of veronica are attentive
to preparing for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
They are trained to prepare the altar, care for the sacred linens, and
attend to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel for Adoration.
Theirs is a daily spiritual work of mercy in the life of prayer,
daily examination of conscience, monthly Sacramental Confessions, monthly Adoration, and daily catechesis through spiritual reading and Sacred Scripture.
Saint Therese, the Little Flower, loved serving our Lord as a sacristan.
Seeing her reflection in the ciborium,
she knew that the Good God would soon rest there.

Teresa Satola

Fine Sacred Art

http://web.mac.com/feldblume/teresasatola/Merchandise/Entries/2008/2/21_St._Th%C3%A9r%C3%A8se_as_a_Sacristan_files/droppedImage_1.jpg

Written by Sharon M. Willoughby
Copyright ©2010

D.O.V.E.S Sacristan Ministry Begins July 12, 2010 at Our Lady of Angels

DOVES Visitation to our Sacristy hosted by our mother sacristan

The D.O.V.E.S. ministry began at our parish on Monday, July 12th, 2010,
the memorial feast day of Saint Veronica.
Daughters who have reached the age of reason,
after having received the Sacraments
of Baptism, Penance and Holy Communion,
are invited to serve as Sacristans, under the patronage of Saint Veronica.
Through the witness of Saint Veronica, as she served to comfort our Lord
during His dolorous way to Calvary,
Veronica's daughters will serve the 'Calvary of the Altar,
by preparing the altar for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass;
by caring for the Sacred Linens commissioned for the Holy Mass;
as well as, attending to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel for Adoration.
The Daughters of Veronica will prepare for this stewardship
through catechesis, prayer and devotion to the Sacramental life,
under the priestly spiritual direction of their parish priests.

This work is lovingly dedicated to our daughters.
May they always serve as joyful, handmaids of the Lord.

Written by Sharon M. Willoughby
Copyright © 2010