Has St. James ever considered listing the reading number on the song board too? (Question shortened for brevity’s sake)

As with many things in our Catholic faith the suggestion you propose has some implications that must be considered.  In our Diocese, and in most Catholic dioceses, the Liturgy of the Word is taken literally. In this setting of the liturgy The Word of God is meant to be “heard” if at all possible. In other words the faithful are called to “listen” to the Word during this part of the Mass.

At the same time, we understand that some members of our congregation may not physically be able to hear as well as others.  We are also called to make the liturgies accessible to as many people as possible giving assistance to those who need it. Our current Gather hymnals contain both hymns and the readings for the Mass.  This was a conscious decision based upon this very idea of giving assistance to those that may require it. Very soon we will also have hearing assistance devices for those who need them.

We announce the number of the reading at the beginning of Mass as a courtesy to those who need the assistance.  We feel if we post the reading numbers then we end up encouraging everyone to turn to the readings and read along with the lector.  Our diocese wants us to avoid that situation if possible. We hope our lectors proclaim the Word of God in such a way that most can sit and be filled with the Holy Spirit without the distraction of reading something written in the hymnal.

In the bulletin for that week we will also be publishing the list of songs.  Please look for a graphic that should look something like this: