qualities of an altar server

This is their expression of their love to Mama Mary. The Altar Servers therefore carry out various tasks in the context of the Mass, and are named after them, to distinguish themselves from each other. 1 0 obj E ye contact. So if you help with altar servers, or you have kids who are altar servers, or you think the altar servers in your parish could use some spit and polish why not learn these ten things to tell your altar servers. <> Stephen Doktorczyk, Subscribe 0000001287 00000 n The role of Altar Servers is particularly delicate if we think of them as representing a point of union between those who celebrate the Mass and the believers who have gathered to hear it. Servers respond to the prayers and dialogues of the priest along with the congregation. 13280 Chapman Ave. >Kl gd}fC]~]#yP!h'hHA7rf4 This means they are called to serve as prayer leaders within their families. What this means is that you are doing something in the liturgy which is MORE than just useful. Maintaining the atmosphere of prayer consists in having a proper decorum. Act as if everything is going on as normal as the congregation will not notice. The reason why he serves must be his relationship with God, his prayer life. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. We constantly hear that there are too many demands on us. The priest and deacon will usually stop at the entry of the church to talk to the congregation as they leave. T[tL)AJ+B Uh uh. news, news about Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Catholic prayers, Catholic Mass Times and a church directory for This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. A good altar server must recognize that the Holy Mass should be translated into action as a way of offering up our lives in real life. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. These are fruits of my reflections as an alumnus of the Ministry of Altar Servers of our Parish, a former pontifical server of San Carlos Seminary, and now, an ordained priest presiding the liturgy at the altar. 0000004606 00000 n The ministry of altar server is present for young men to develop their relationship with God but an altar server must be able to go an extra mile in spending time, praying alone with God. God saunters. Servers are required to arrive early to each Mass in order to determine their roles, prepare items and dress in their albs. Servers should be mature enough to understand their responsibilities and to carry them out well and with appropriate reverence. In addition to contributing their support to the liturgical celebration, altar servers develop certain qualities through their service, Dawson notes. c'FV8C-"k7f8 A good altar server may not come by age. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Everything you do should focus attention on the altar not the altar server. Altar Servers, more commonly known as altar boys, are children or teenagers who assist a priest during Mass. n|x]'j VMntVE"_I m"c~^fs!]+>U@"; J5Q^s!?kT >uKzsmdx9{ When should I get the book for the priest to read? We live in an environment where we are constantly urged to say no to service, she notes. Even if you do something wrong, nobody in the congregation notices so basically its always a winning situation! By focusing and understanding whats going on, the Mass can then lead you into a much deeper relationship with God and you feel the impact of Mass far greater! Servers should receive proper formation before they begin to function. Garden Grove, CA 92840 In 1994, the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments said that a bishop could allow women and girls to be altar servers, though that role is distinct from . 0000040363 00000 n Put on your alb correctly by buttoning it up or zipping it up all the way. Which I think was a beautiful time where it was tradition to have men serving along side boys and/or . Nowadays, the Servers mainly use it at the time the bread and wine is consecrated, or during processions to announce the blessing is imminent. Sure, swinging the censer (the smelly incense thing) is kind of fun but why is it that we do it? As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Contact your parish priest. Most priests' first memories of serving the Lord are as altar servers. We explore seven of them and look at why becoming one might be one of the best things you could do. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". % <> 27) Sometimes they dont seem to take pride in their job because maybe no one has told them why theyre so important. Candidates should have made their First Communion. <> He must recognize that he moves within the atmosphere of prayer. 12 0 obj << /Linearized 1 /O 14 /H [ 758 229 ] /L 77975 /E 57718 /N 2 /T 77617 >> endobj xref 12 16 0000000016 00000 n The procession is you leading the people of God through the wilderness into the promised land. A good altar server should always be ready to lead a prayer. Since my mom serves as the Worship Commission head at our parish, she volunteered myself to become an altar server of our parish to which my parish priest accepted. Very much linked with the last point, when you start to understand why we do something you get so much more from it. Brown boots? The place next to the priest is normally reserved for the deacon. They wait for signs and even words from the prayers or songs to do this and that. Girls tie your hair back neatly. S mile. One needs to appear clean because as the saying goes, cleanliness is next to godliness. Third, a good altar server spends time with Jesus. These are the candle holders who bear the candles. Another Altar Server who cant be missed out, particularly during the most important processions and celebrations, is the Ceroferario or rather, the Ceroferari, because they usually move in pairs. Candidates should know how to make the sign of the Cross. endobj 10. Catholic churches and information about Catholic schools within the London and Hertfordshire area and in the <> Editors note: The United State Conference of Catholic Bishops website includes an 11-point list of requirements potential altar servers must fulfill before service. Never rush. If young, the server is commonly called an altar boy or altar . Orange County Catholic Newspaper, E-updates and alerts from Orange County Catholic, 2022 orange county catholic-allrightsreserved orange county catholic is the officialnewssource of the romancatholicdioceseoforange, ALTAR SERVER ISAIAH KOSS, 10, HOLDS A COMMUNION PATEN AS FATHER JOHN GIROTTI DISTRIBUTES COMMUNION DURING MASS AT THE SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF GOOD HELP IN CHAMPION, WIS., AUG. 15, 2015, THE FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION. Heres an idea: print out this post and give it to the person who trains your altar servers or make copies for the kids and their parents. What should I do if I forget what to do in the middle of mass? Serving at the altar, the pope told the young people, is a privileged way to draw closer to Jesus, which in turn enables you to open yourselves to others, to journey together, to set demanding goals and to find the strength to achieve them.. During the procession, their position is behind the Thurifer and at the sides of the Crociferi, the priest charged with carrying the cross. Thats why sometimes they show up late or dont show up at all. Wearing smart clothes is not imperative as the congregation cannot see what you are wearing. If you will be serving, you should be prepared in knowing what to do.". Communication, teamwork, perceiving what needs to be done and doing it, punctuality, self-confidence, and the list goes on. A good solution would be to check with what the senior servers are doing and follow suit. Come properly dressed. They know to step in when an item is misplaced and smooth out any rough edges during the Mass. If young, the server is commonly called an altar boy or altar girl. At that time two servers were scheduled for a two week shift; the first week we served the 6:30 Mass, the second week we served the 8:00 Mass. Requirements for Altar Serving Candidates, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d3\/Be-an-Altar-Server-in-the-Catholic-Church-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Be-an-Altar-Server-in-the-Catholic-Church-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d3\/Be-an-Altar-Server-in-the-Catholic-Church-Step-1.jpg\/aid378464-v4-728px-Be-an-Altar-Server-in-the-Catholic-Church-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"