Aelred Rosser, in his well-known book of reflections, A Word That Will Rouse Them, notes "It is time to define the ministry and its requirements in more specific terms. With an accurate understanding of the importance and dignity of the reader's ministry, we will expect from readers no less than what we expect from presiders, deacons, musicians and preachers... all of whom undergo extensive formation for their ministries."

Unlike the quality and professionalism parishes demand from their musicians or cantors, few make similar demands on their lectors, leaving them on their own to find sources of self-development and enrichment.

Though many parishes put on annual or semi-annual lector meetings, they usually don't maintain any feeling of continuity as with ministries that gather more frequently such as choir, youth ministries, small faith groups and parish committees.

Avoid Loner Ministries
Though much of a lector's preparation and study does require internal "alone" time, it takes regular gatherings with other lectors to keep the ministry alive and burning in their hearts between their assigned Sundays. Unless we read regularly at daily mass, many of us only get scheduled one or two Sundays a month and then have to wait weeks before we're up again, which makes it difficult to have any sense of continuity or "living" our ministry on a daily basis.

If your parish has a support system for ongoing lector enrichment, hats off to those in charge! But if you don't have much going on, there are numerous parish and diocesan websites with workshop outlines; weekly meeting formats for preparation, sharing and prayer; engaging lector web pages and more.

As a last resort if your parish hierarchy shows little interest, gather a few of your lector friends on your own for prayer, preparation and sharing in your homes, a restaurant, or wherever.

There's a remnant of lectors in every parish thirsting for enrichment and fellowship. Ferret them out and start raising the bar of the ministry in your parish from the bottom-up.