The Ministry of Ushers is the oldest lay ministry in the Catholic Church. The ushers of today have descended from a long line of people of God who have gone before them. During the time of Christ, the doorkeepers of the temple numbered in the hundreds and were the forerunners of today's ushers. The more immediate predecessor of today's usher can be found in the clerical order of porter, instituted in the 3rd Century A.D. During those times, it was the duty of the porters or ushers to guard the door of the church against any intruders who might disturb the service. The porter duties were so important that they came to be included in the rite of ordination, where they were specified as: "to ring the bells, open the church and sacristy, to open the book for the preacher." In 1972 Pope Paul VI abolished the order of porter and this important task was given over to the laity.

While today's ushers don't ring bells or open the church, their primary duties and responsibilities include greeting and welcoming parishioners as they enter the church, help them to find seats, taking up the collection and wishing everyone a good day at the conclusion of the Eucharistic Celebration.

Our mission at St. Marguerite’s is to effectively serve the worshipping community with joy, dependability, kindness, reverence and helpfulness to prepare and assist our sisters and brothers for the joyous participation in the Eucharistic Celebration.

Who Can Be an Usher? 

The Ministry of Ushers is open to all - men, women, adolescents, couples, and families - and only requires parishioners who bring friendliness, warmth, commitment, and initiative.

Ushers are friendly people who welcome all ages and nationalities. Their faith enables them to see Christ's presence in individuals and in the gathered community of believers. Ushers are honest and dependable. They can handle emergency situations with courage and composure. They carry a dignity about themselves even when performing menial tasks. Those duties include:

Usually about 1 ½ hours per Mass and begins 10-15 minutes before Mass begins, includes duties during Mass, and 5 – 10 minutes after Mass for clean up of pews. Ushers serve on teams of 2 - 3 individuals that are assigned to specific Mass Times (e.g., Saturday 5:30PM, Sunday 9AM, etc.) or on a rotational basis. In addition, ushers are asked to support special Masses, such as Holidays. You have the choice of the Mass time you wish to be scheduled for or to go on a rotation that covers all Sunday morning Masses. With enough Ushers, scheduling would be between 16 – 20 Sundays per year. Ushers are not required to serve any length of time and because of the versatility of the schedule there are ushers available to fill in when it is necessary to be absent.

"On the job training" is provided by working alongside experienced Ushers