By Adam Beeken
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October 26, 2026
Among the furnishings in our music area is a relatively simple stand that serves several important purposes during and before Mass. Commonly called our announcement stand, it might also be described as a cantor stand or lectern. While it may not attract much attention, its location and purpose reflect some important distinctions in Catholic worship. Historically, churches have used various types of lecterns and stands for reading, chanting, and leading music. In medieval churches, large music stands sometimes held the books used by groups of singers. Over time, separate stands became common for cantors, musicians, and those addressing the congregation. These allow different ministries to function without using the ambo, the Church's designated place for proclaiming the Word of God. At Mary Queen, our announcement stand was introduced when we moved into our current church building. As its name suggests, one of its primary purposes is for announcements made before Mass. It also provides a place for cantors to lead congregational singing, particularly the Gospel Acclamation. While we do not ordinarily use a cantor to lead every hymn or song, certain musical parts of the Mass benefit from this more direct leadership. The stand also serves our volunteers who lead the Rosary before our Saturday 4:00pm and Sunday 8:00am English Masses, as well as the Sunday 1:00pm Spanish Mass. A chaplet is also prayed before our 9:20am Spanish Mass. Why not simply use the ambo for all these purposes? The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM 309) reserves the ambo for the proclamation of Scripture, including the Responsorial Psalm and Easter Proclamation, while also permitting the homily and Universal Prayer. Its special dignity comes from its relationship to God's Word. Announcements, devotional prayers, and ordinary song leadership are therefore appropriately conducted elsewhere. Our priests ordinarily make their announcements from the presider's chair. Our announcement stand is positioned on a lower level than the ambo, near the music area. It is prominent enough for the congregation to see those leading prayer or song, but its angle also helps direct attention toward the altar rather than toward the individual speaking or singing. Like many of our liturgical furnishings, the announcement stand is designed to serve rather than draw attention to itself. Its purpose is to help the assembly participate more fully in prayer and song while preserving the special roles of the altar and ambo in our worship.
