Saint Benedict Episcopal Church

Many years ago, while I was still in seminary and working for another parish, I was giving a tour to a friend of mine who is an actor. It was the first time he’d ever been inside a church. He marveled at the building and the art and asked me a million questions about the Christian faith. As we came to the Sacristy, that area where the clergy and all those assisting, vest and prepare for the service, my friend made an astute observation. “It’s a green room!” he said. “The best moments in the theatre always happen in the green room, he continued. “I bet this is the best place to be on Sunday mornings.”

Green room? Perhaps you are wondering what on earth is a green room? In the theatre, the Green room is the place where actors wait off stage in between or before they enter onto the stage for their performance. Yes, the sacristy is in a sense the green room of the church. It is the place where we wait and prepare. 

So few people ever get the chance to know about our Sacristy; for some it is the holy of holiest places. How many times I’ve observed people who just can’t seem to take a step into the sacristy from the hallway. It is a place of activity before Sunday mornings, a place of laughter and prayer and conversation about how life is going.

So often this hidden place with quiet ministries gets overlooked. On January 28, we will have the chance to acknowledge and celebrate the quiet ministries that happen in our sacristy, the ministries of our Altar Guild. Our liturgy that day will give explanation about the many rituals and pieces of the liturgy and after the Eucharist, you are invited to come back to the Sacristy and check it out! 

The Sacristy is one of the best places to be in the church. It starts early on Sunday morning as the Altar guild members arrive here. In still of the morning and the quiet, they lay out the silver and the bread and all the beautiful linens. This is a ministry of presence and quiet. This is a ministry that gives people space for contemplation on the holy vessels that we use. It is ministry of work and prayer (very Benedictine!) as people take home linens to wash and iron, and help do the dishes after church. 

This ministry is ideal for folks who would rather do behind the scenes stuff. It is the opportunity to prayer experientially with the vessels and linens and wares that we use each and every Sunday. It is a ministry that requires lots of people to make the work light. The altar guild, sets up, cleans up irons and helps keep the clergy of this place in line—it’s a big job but they do it all with love and grace. We also give people flexibility in their schedule so that we can have as many people helping as possible. If this is a ministry that tugs at your heart, I invite you to contact Pam Crockett, the Altar Guild Director or Vicar Georgi.

Come join us for the best seat in the house!