Fourteen Oak Knoll Juniors are Commissioned as Eucharistic Ministers

Fourteen juniors were commissioned as Eucharistic Ministers on May 17 during the Ascension Thursday Mass, celebrated by Rev. Thomas A. Dente, Director of the Office of Divine Worship, Archdiocese of Newark.

The program for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion is an opportunity for members of the rising senior class to serve the community in a special way. In the last weeks of their junior year, candidates who have indicated a serious interest in the ministry participate in a preparatory program organized by Upper School campus ministry team members Ms. Kathleen Lynch and Mr. Brian Topping. The training reviews the history of the ministry, the theology of the Eucharist, and the practical dimensions of this ministry.

“In order to become a Eucharistic Minister, the student must sense a call to ministry, submit an application, write two essays, obtain a recommendation from their parish’s priest, interview with Mr. Topping and me, and observe [the Eucharistic Ministers at] a Wednesday Morning Mass,” Ms. Lynch explained. “They must also participate in one two-and-a-half hour training session, where we focus on the theology of the Eucharistic Ministry, as well as the practical side of it, like the vocabulary, and what to do in unusual circumstances.”

The newly commissioned Eucharistic Ministers are: Elizabeth Borowiec, Christine Butchko, Laura Capron, Kerry Caufield, Catherine Chambers, Breanna Feith, Kristen Kelly, Gabriella Marki, Leanna Namovic, Madeline Niebanck, Clare Piasio, Kelsey Schroeder, Hannah Smith, and Keara Walsh.

Our newly-commissioned ministers will now serve at school Masses, including the Wednesday Morning Mass and other liturgies. As they stand up and serve in front of the community, Ms. Lynch added that “they are role models that hold a special responsibility that the younger students look up to.”

Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child is an independent Catholic school enrolling boys and girls in kindergarten through grade six; and young women only in grades seven through 12.  For more information about Oak Knoll, please visit www.oakknoll.org or call 908-522-8109.