ST. ALEXIUS - OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS - ST. PAUL’S
M E E T S T. PA U L’ S N E W S A C R I S TA N L E A D E R ,
Marlene Gro S AY I N G “ Y E S ” T O S E R V I C E A N D L
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ost of us are familiar with the Biblical story of the two sisters, Mary and Martha. Martha is busy making preparations for Jesus and her other guests, while Mary sits at the feet of Jesus, listening to Him teach. Many scholars and homilists have unpacked these verses over the years, lending various interpretations on the importance of both active service and peaceful meditation in prayer. For longtime St. Paul’s parishioner Marlene Groetsch, serving as a sacristan is the perfect combination of both roles. “I always think of Martha and
Sacristans help the priest to prepare to celebrate the Mass in a variety of different ways.
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Mary, one was sitting talking to the Lord and the other was getting things ready,” says Marlene. Initially, the role of sacristan appears to be very “Martha” — setting up for Mass and ensuring that everything is properly prepared, from the sacred books and the sacramental vessels to the liturgical colors. “Your goal is to make sure everything set up and ready for the priest,” Marlene says. “It’s not hard, it’s just being there, being dependable.” Recently retired, Marlene had only been serving as a sacristan
for a short time before she saw in the bulletin that the ministry was looking for a new leader. Although her initial reaction was hesitation, after spending time in prayer, Marlene decided to say “yes” when Fr. Greg asked her to take the role. “Of course, you can’t say ‘no’ to Fr. Greg when he asks you,” she says, smiling. “I thought, ‘I’m sure there’s someone more qualified than me that can do it,’ but then I had a tug on my heart. I think Somebody was telling me, from up above, ‘Marlene, you can do this,’ so I said ‘yes.’” Marlene hopes to use her previous professional experience as the Head of Nursing at a local nursing home to help sacristans adjust to all of the changes and new protocols, due to the COVID-19 restrictions. “It’s been a learning experience,” she says. “With the virus, everything has been a bit different. We’ve had changes in how we do things, so I’m doing as I was when I was a nurse — writing policies and procedures, so people feel really comfortable. I continued on page 5
