Body Language Speaks Loudly As you set up for Mass move a bit more slowly. The Altar Server is a boy or girl, a woman or man who is trained to help at the Mass so that it can be celebrated with grace and reverence. At the beginning of the Mass the altar servers process into the church with the Priest, and they bring religious symbols such as the cross or candles into the sacred space. Servers carry the cross, the processional candles, hold the book for the priest celebrant when he is not at the altar, carry the incense and censer, present the bread, wine, and water to the priest during the preparation of the gifts or assist him when he receives the gifts from the people, wash the hands of the priest, assist the priest celebrant and deacon as necessary. Begin praying so you may serve God more and be closer to him. When you first arrive at the church, be sure to remove any gum or candy you have in your mouth. Maintaining the atmosphere of prayer consists in having a proper decorum. %PDF-1.3 % xMk@@aRo) CAu; 2. If they are capable, a good altar server first studies it and volunteers later in such endeavors. Even if you are not discerning priesthood, by altar serving you learn so much more about the priest you work with. Senior Servers have usually completed the seventh grade and shown extraordinary service. start distribution to the altar servers and choir immediately). "k!Ub\pn "{utT) Hb```f`` @1pq L . As your friendship develops, youll end up having many friends who all share your faith and this can lead to some brilliant conversations and great memories. Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. To serve at the altar also means knowing Jesus whom we serve. He takes it up again at the end of the ceremony, to accompany the priest to kiss the altar, to put the Blessed Sacrament into the tabernacle, and during the final procession. Turn and process to the back of the church by walking up the main aisle. Experienced or past sacristans, or even priests or deacons are willing and happy to train a new sacristan. He is the patron saint of Altar Servers, bricklayers, casket makers and deacons and his feast day is celebrated on December 26. Why a Former Evangelical Loves the Rosary. If you would like to find out more information on how to altar serve correctly. Candidates should know how to make the sign of the Cross. The altar server retains a genuine and vital role in the liturgical assembly. i,BZDL ;R h`=sp rs!MZV#nl@>yn's:T4?5v1S Uh uh. The best preparation is to pray. endobj St. Stephen is often depicted with stones, a Gospel Book, a miniature church and a martyr's palm frond. Candidates should have made their First Communion. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Once they arrive at the altar, the Crocifero lays the cross next to him and sits down. Your role, through your actions and conduct, is to bring the assembly to a fuller understanding of the liturgy and a greater love of God. Servers respond to the prayers and dialogues of the priest along with the congregation. Servers should also receive appropriate guidance on maintaining proper decorum and attire when serving Mass and other functions. You Are Un-necessary - Whoa! 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 . You Are a Silent Witness As soon as you come to church twenty minutes before Mass starts and you put on your cassock and start to help set up for Mass you are saying by your actions to everyone at church, Look, its important to come early. So there were four servers on the schedule every week. sik\-J;%QrKh\q{ rPVe@E@P8R>0P!qM)} ~[{sev\| &Rr )EpJg=i Cz~JtQ)]X\-L_qRJ Communication, teamwork, perceiving what needs to be done and doing it, punctuality, self-confidence, and the list goes on. He takes it easy. Sign-Up to receive updated stories from OC Catholic. 5. 2 0 obj <> We live in an environment where we are constantly urged to say no to service, she notes. Ten Things You Should Tell Your Altar Servers. [1] Latin Church [ edit] On these occasions in particular, the role of the Thurifers becomes extremely important. Second, a good altar server maintains the atmosphere of prayer. The procession should therefore be done at a stately pace with solemnity and dignity. ALTAR SERVER TRAINING MATERIALS - 1 2015 ALTAR SERVER TRAINING . It doesnt mean that when you are the priests favorite, you are a good one. So have good posture and move easily and slowly. This is because we are live in a very fast paced life and to hear God we have to be silent and to go at Gods pace we have to slow down. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. 3. Here are ten things you should tell your altar servers: 1. <> 0000000966 00000 n endobj A sakristan must stand dignified while he is serving. The reason why he serves must be his relationship with God, his prayer life. Do not dump them on the floor of the cupboard, which is disrespectful to your church custodians. That is why in the ministry of altar servers there are meetings, practices, and formations. Even if you do something wrong, nobody in the congregation notices so basically its always a winning situation! Altar Servers. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. His fingernails must be well trimmed. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". wikiHow is a wiki, similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. The altar server must not open the Missal nor turn over its pages. 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.. Therefore, the best preparation is not just to do it with counts and steps. Prior to communion, EM's should notify you of the location of persons in the middle two sections who need As time progressed and the lack of male acolytes the Church in her wisdom opened the door to Altar servers to fill the roll. JEq:j,]U0$"bG[|s6>"d~]; (YqR$W\\RY%?~R{Z`8XA>X6@N}PD{z|akfu^hV~\dNn.Q& }P1Cs> .. INTRODUCTION These guidelines are intended to assist both new and experienced altar servers in understanding the important role that the altar server plays in the holy celebraon of the Mass.The dues and responsibilies of the server must be taken seriously. Everything you do should focus attention on the altar not the altar server. Msgr. 0000000758 00000 n They should consider whether they ought to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation ahead of time, and, if needed, make appropriate arrangements. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Punctuality. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Servers are required to arrive early to each Mass in order to determine their roles, prepare items and dress in their albs. One needs to appear clean because as the saying goes, cleanliness is next to godliness. Punctuality. One needs to appear clean because as the saying goes, cleanliness is next to godliness. The ministers serving the altar also have to prepare the water and purificator with which the celebrant washes his hands. <> They know to step in when an item is misplaced and smooth out any rough edges during the Mass. You Are Un-necessary Whoa! Which I think was a beautiful time where it was tradition to have men serving along side boys and/or . We use cookies to make wikiHow great. 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. (How to Serve pg. 11 0 obj A parish can create an atmosphere of reverence and duty at Mass that reinforces in young people the joy of serving the Lord. Phillippe Angelo Garcia My vocation to become a priest was enriched when I became an altar server at St. Mary's Academy of Caloocan City. This article has been viewed 198,811 times. LMYWx~8X=5o_? 9cMo6]#5aE3k{V. The Altar Server responsible for the books takes them from the altar to the pulpit, which is the raised structure for readings, and from the pulpit to the altar. If young, the server is commonly called an altar boy or altar . That is why, recently, when I was asked by an altar server seeking advice from my Tiktok account, I shared to them two things, First, Maintaining the atmosphere of prayer consists in having a proper decorum. The Eucharistic Prayer states. A good solution would be to check with what the senior servers are doing and follow suit. |zeG`zWz(+!Ju8CR4 G{@rwByiT. My vocation to become a priest was enriched when I became an altar server at St. Marys Academy of Caloocan City. Take pride in being a servant of the altar of the king! Pope Francis acknowledged the important role of altar servers during a special evening meeting and prayer that drew 9,000 youth from throughout Europe to St. Peters Square in early August 2015, according to the National Catholic Reporter. The suggested guidelineswhich predate the Apostolic Letter motu proprio Spiritus Domini (2021), opening the instituted ministry of acolyte to womenhave been slightly revised according to the third edition of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal. Anyone who has received their First Holy Communion and is trained can be an altar server. In addition to contributing their support to the liturgical celebration, altar servers develop certain qualities through their service, Dawson notes. 5 0 obj 0000000987 00000 n Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. The Altar Server retains a genuine and vital role in the liturgical assembly. 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. He is a member of Team Saint Pedro Calungsod, a group of young people whose mission is to serve the poorest of the poor in the urban and rural areas. The server must be able to understand the Mass as well the server's role in the celebration. Some turned out to be frontliners of the Church in distributing ayuda to the poor and helping out in the Social Action Initiatives of their respective parishes. Since the role of server is integral to the normal celebration of the Mass, at least one server should assist the priest. 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