The training course for Parish Lectors (Ministers of the Word) is a course that helps those who are presenting for the ministry to appreciate the call they have received to proclaim the Word of God in the community.  It is structured to give the Lectors an understanding that, when they read to the gathered parish community, they are not merely reading words on a page but are serving their parish by proclaiming the Word of God.  God is present to the community through the Word proclaimed.

The training course often takes place over a series of three evenings, although it is also offered to parishes as a full one-day course. As with any of the courses pertaining to liturgical ministries, there is an element of catechesis on the Mass, which is incorporated into the training course.
 
Elements within the training course for Ministers of the Word:

- Concept of ‘parish ministry.’
-  Inter-connectedness and relationship between the different elements of the Liturgy of the Word.
- Self-preparation required each time one is actively participating in the Liturgy.
- Understanding the Church’s liturgical cycle.
- Accessing resource materials that support understanding of the texts we proclaim.
- Relevant Church documents.
- Practicalities of voice production and use of amplification systems.

New Ministers of the Word are commissioned within a Celebration of the Eucharist in the parish.

A monthly meeting takes place in Thornhill Centre that gives support to the co-ordinators of parish Ministers of the Word.  Here the themes of the readings for the following month are presented.  Background materials and resources are provided to assist those who gather in understanding the dynamic between the readings and the particular concern of the texts that belong to the Liturgy of the Word in the coming weeks.