Among those assisting at St Mary's Altar
are our very own Vergers.
The office of verger is one of the ancient lay offices of the Church of
England. The verger is, as the title implies, a person who carries a
virge or rod of office. There are several different "rods" that you
will see carried by the verger: a virge (typically a shorter stick with
end ornamentation) or a beadle stick (longer stick with a cross or other
symbol on the end). Basically, the verger is seen in cathedrals and in
parish churches preceding and symbolically clearing the way for choir
and clergy as they enter the church at the beginning of the service,
guiding lesson readers and preachers at the appropriate times to lectern
and pulpit. When the service ends the verger leads the procession back
to the vestry.
A verger may undertake various roles as circumstances dictate. A
verger will be involved in the "ministry of welcome" as people approach
requesting information and advice. The verger should have a working
knowledge of the history of the church as well as an understanding of
the practical issues of the church such as locations of facilities,
information about services, etc. Sometimes the verger functions as the
parish clerk with responsibilities for the security of the church
building, church safe, and handling of money.
At St. Mary's, the verger assumes a ceremonial role in leading the
clergy in and out of the church. The verger is also responsible for the
acolyte ministry and to assure that the "flow" of the service proceeds
in its intended manner. Often the verger is called upon to perform
impromtu readings when the assigned lay reader does not appear. The
verger often is a "backup" for administering the chalice during
communium. Often you will see the first acolyte functioning as a verger
during the gospel procession.
To learn more about vergers Click here to look at the web page for The Vergers' Guild of the Episcopal Church.
Because this is an external "link" you must use your browser's back button to return to St Mary's pages.
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