Lectors are called upon to carry out the following functions in the Church:
1 – To proclaim the word of God at Mass.
2 – Lectors read the Universal Prayer, also known as the Prayer of the Faithful or Intercessions, when a deacon is not available.
Lectors are called to be an instrument for God’s Word. This responsibility requires “diving deeper” into the ministry of God’s presence and action in the world. Our participation in that mystery of God’s Kingdom means having an awareness of the struggles and needs of others so that we may announce the Universal Prayer or Intercessions with sincerity and empathy.
In giving life to the printed words of Scripture, the immediacy of the word proclaimed in liturgy is God speaking directly to the hearts and minds of his people through the power of the Holy Spirit.