Altar server training

[anamchara]

Hey everyone,

I’ll be training altar servers on Jan 27th and the parish I’m at has not had this ministry in a very long time so there’s nothing written up that I can use. Now I do have a manual from another parish and have gone to a few sites to get more info on proper training but I’d like to ask anyone in here if they have done this training or anyone who would like to share a good website on this subject.

My priest is wonderful and is letting me bring back some old traditions like the patens etc…so any advice is helpful.

Thanks.

 

[puzzleannie]

call your diocese usually office of catechetics, see if they have a media library, they might have some videos with study guides to get you started, most Catholic publishers such as Liguori, liturgical training publications (ltp.org) for instance have manuals for training servers. just for curiosity, why has your parish not had altar servers?

 

[anamchara]

call your diocese usually office of catechetics, see if they have a media library, they might have some videos with study guides to get you started, most Catholic publishers such as Liguori, liturgical training publications (ltp.org) for instance have manuals for training servers. just for curiosity, why has your parish not had altar servers?

Thanks Annie, I’ll check it out. I had forgotten about that! Our priest has had altar servers but in a very informal way. No scheduling or training. It’s a very small parish along a river, been there since the 1800s, just a farming community. But the parish is growing with more young families showing up so he wants to get back on track doing things right. He admits to not being a very good “parish priest” and needs to change this. He founded our local food bank and spent several years devoted to feeding the hungry. Anyway, he is 77 and has recently retired from the food bank and is looking to bring back some old traditions. Recently he told us he is going to start Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction which was a pleasent surprise. This parish is absolutely beautiful inside and very traditional.

 

[puzzleannie]

sounds like your priest has absolutely nothing to apologize for, and he is lucky to have people to step up to the plate and take on some of these responsibilities. good for you and God bless you.

 

[Cranch]

Don’t know if you’ve seen this. It seems thorough. Here’s my :twocents:: please consider (if you haven’t already )insisting the kids wear shined dress shoes. When I was an altar boy back in the day, we laundered and took care of our assigned cassock and surplice, but the church had a closet full of high-gloss patent leather shoes in a variety of sizes which we were expected to match to our feet and wear for mass!

 

[FrCorey]

Don’t know if you’ve seen this. It seems thorough. Here’s my :twocents:: please consider (if you haven’t already )insisting the kids wear shined dress shoes. When I was an altar boy back in the day, we laundered and took care of our assigned cassock and surplice, but the church had a closet full of high-gloss patent leather shoes in a variety of sizes which we were expected to match to our feet and wear for mass!

one priest I was in seminary with always wears black leather tennis shoes. bishop never said a word to him.

 

[anamchara]

sounds like your priest has absolutely nothing to apologize for, and he is lucky to have people to step up to the plate and take on some of these responsibilities. good for you and God bless you.

I don’t think he needs to apologize either Annie, he is a wonderful and devoted Priest. Thank you for your kind words.

 

[anamchara]

Don’t know if you’ve seen this. It seems thorough. Here’s my :twocents:: please consider (if you haven’t already )insisting the kids wear shined dress shoes. When I was an altar boy back in the day, we laundered and took care of our assigned cassock and surplice, but the church had a closet full of high-gloss patent leather shoes in a variety of sizes which we were expected to match to our feet and wear for mass!

Thank so much Cranch. This is something I am concerned about. I don’t want flip flops or those awful looking big boat tennies shoes the boys wear, I am going to encourage nice shoes but I felt bad asking parents to go out and buy really nice ones. But I’m sure they will come through. That’s interesting what you mentioned about assigned cassocks. My priest would like it if I can eventually do the same. I guess at one time this was done and it was the parent who take care of the cassock, making sure they were neat and clean. He even said there was altar servers who would recieve little pins or badges? Our priest really wants me to go all out and do it the way it used to be done. It’s going to be much more reverent, I hope when I’m done training them.

Any traditional things anyone else remember, please post them. I love learning about this stuff.

 

[anamchara]

one priest I was in seminary with always wears black leather tennis shoes. bishop never said a word to him.

I think this would be better then these huge oversized dirty looking shoes the kids wear now, especially the boys.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Hey everyone,

I’ll be training altar servers on Jan 27th and the parish I’m at has not had this ministry in a very long time so there’s nothing written up that I can use. Now I do have a manual from another parish and have gone to a few sites to get more info on proper training but I’d like to ask anyone in here if they have done this training or anyone who would like to share a good website on this subject.

My priest is wonderful and is letting me bring back some old traditions like the patens etc…so any advice is helpful.

Thanks.

One thing I have noticed is that many altar servers do not kneel during the Consecration and they should be.

 

[Karianne]

Hey everyone,

I’ll be training altar servers on Jan 27th and the parish I’m at has not had this ministry in a very long time so there’s nothing written up that I can use. Now I do have a manual from another parish and have gone to a few sites to get more info on proper training but I’d like to ask anyone in here if they have done this training or anyone who would like to share a good website on this subject.

My priest is wonderful and is letting me bring back some old traditions like the patens etc…so any advice is helpful.

Thanks.

This is amazing and it’s so kind of you to do so much for the parish.
I read about your priest and he sounds wonderful and it’s terrific that he’s trying to get more traditional since he’s getting a young parish.
This can’t be easy for you but I’m sure that you will completely enjoy doing it!

 

[anamchara]

One thing I have noticed is that many altar servers do not kneel during the Consecration and they should be.

Yes! and I will be going over that, he wants them to come around and face the front of the altar with thier back to us when this takes place. We have this old bell that is kind of big that’s never used anymore. I think the parish has a wealth of things like that can be used and are not. This old priest of mine is getting excited about bringing this stuff back. He is even going to get out some of his older vestments he hasn’t used in a very long time. Exciting.

 

[Karianne]

Yes! and I will be going over that, he wants them to come around and face the front of the altar with thier back to us when this takes place. We have this old bell that is kind of big that’s never used anymore. I think the parish has a wealth of things like that can be used and are not. This old priest of mine is getting excited about bringing this stuff back. He is even going to get out some of his older vestments he hasn’t used in a very long time. Exciting.

I hope that you’re able to get candles, and Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent as well.
How many Masses can be said at your parish, do you just have the one priest or is there an assistant?

 

[anamchara]

This is amazing and it’s so kind of you to do so much for the parish.
I read about your priest and he sounds wonderful and it’s terrific that he’s trying to get more traditional since he’s getting a young parish.
This can’t be easy for you but I’m sure that you will completely enjoy doing it!

No it is NOT easy a bit intimating actually. Thanks Karianne I’m telling you this priest is so sweet, he worked so hard with the poor for so long. My own daughter 12yrs has worked down at the food bank a few times, 6hour shifts! It was awesome experience for her. I think it’s good for these kids to see what life can be like for some. Puts things in perspective for everyone.

 

[anamchara]

I hope that you’re able to get candles, and Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent as well.
How many Masses can be said at your parish, do you just have the one priest or is there an assistant?

We do have stations of the Cross on Fridays durning Lent but it’s not well attended. I’d like to help chance that as well. We only have one priest and we have three masses, two on Sunday and the one on Saturday afternoon. Oh and the daily ones The one that bugs me is he doesn’ do incense, so I’ve been needling him about that for about a year, I think he is coming around. It’s become a bit of a joke between us.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Yes! and I will be going over that, he wants them to come around and face the front of the altar with thier back to us when this takes place. We have this old bell that is kind of big that’s never used anymore. I think the parish has a wealth of things like that can be used and are not. This old priest of mine is getting excited about bringing this stuff back. He is even going to get out some of his older vestments he hasn’t used in a very long time. Exciting.

I would caution however to make sure that changes are not all made at once. That they are well announced in print, bulletin inserts. That their meanings are explained.

 

[anamchara]

I would caution however to make sure that changes are not all made at once. That they are well announced in print, bulletin inserts. That their meanings are explained.

I plan too thank you Br. Rich. but don’t even have bulletins though something else that he wants to change. There’s so much.

 

[gefiam]

You may want to think about having them attend the altar boy instructions for a period of time before they are even allowed on the altar. For this particular role I am not a friend of ‘learning by doing’ as it can be very distracting to the congregation if the boys don’t know where to go and what to do and are constantly directed throughout the liturgy.
It’s also not fair to them as they must be feeling uncomfortable stumbling around and trying to figure out when to go where and to do what.

I think a good way to start is have a few lessons on basics, e.g. what are the names of all that can be found in the Sacristy, what are the parts of the Mass and what do they mean, also have them memorize all the prayers of the faithful (Gloria, Creed, etc.). Turn it into a class that requires some sort of studying/homework and have them take a test they need to pass in order to move on to the class teaching them specifically how to serve on the altar.

This way those boys who want to serve simply because ‘it’s better than sitting in the pew with the parents’ will probably drop out because they are not particularly interested in putting much work into this. In some places I have seen altar boys slumped in their chairs, playing with their fingers, yawning, not having their hands folded. It did appear as if they’d rather been somewhere else.

Teach them how important their role is, that they have a big responsibility and privilege as they can bring people back or closer to God simply by the way they are serving.

They can be either a distraction or an inspiration for the congregation, there is no gray zone in the middle.

Teach them how to bow, how to genuflect (not like a jumping jack…).

If you can weed out the ones that are not serious about it early on, you can do wonders with the ones that actually are serious. It will make the liturgy so much more beautiful and reverent.

I have also seen boys who served so reverently that it did touch people and inspired them to pay more attention to the Mass.

It does make a world of a difference having boys who serve well and are serious about the special role they have.

There are also good books on serving available at good Catholic bookstores. They will give you an idea too.

I wish you success for this undertaking

 

[anamchara]

You may want to think about having them attend the altar boy instructions for a period of time before they are even allowed on the altar.

Thanks for the advice gefiam you make good sense. I plan on having more than one training and will be adding in some education as well. The Father is planning on coming to talk with the kids as well. He is going over several things with me personally before the training. I am actually using altar girls as well, sorry, I know that is a touchy subject we won’t get into that on this thread…please :nope:

For this particular role I am not a friend of ‘learning by doing’ as it can be very distracting to the congregation if the boys don’t know where to go and what to do and are constantly directed throughout the liturgy.

 

[MSJoan]

I found the booklet “Called to Serve: A Guidebook for Altar Servers” (Nevin - Our Sunday Visitor) very helpful. It also has a nice section on the vessels and vesting. It’s not that expensive and can be ordered in bulk so each server has their own.

As for their posture - I have seen quite a few calisthenics on the altar It may help to suggest they keep their hands together (fingers straight, right thumb over left, pointing upward) whether they are standing, kneeling, or sitting; feet together (flat on the floor when standing and sitting); and their left hand on their chest when their right hand is appropriately busy. It cuts down on the squirm factor since its almost impossible to fidget in this position.

Whether they are boys or girls - hair pulled back, no nail polish and no earrings (or any other piercings).

You may also want to have them sign a written agreement - a few sentences acknowledging their important role and duty - particularly to be reverent and to be there when scheduled, volunteer if needed and no one is there, and to try their best to find a replacement if they can’t be there when scheduled.

My prayers for success and patience!