Altar Server's Attire

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hartleymartin

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What do you prefer to wear as an Altar Server? I note that some parishes use white albs and others have black cassocks and white surplices. I’m lucky that I happen to posses both. I do prefer to wear the black cassock though.
 
I really do think those serving at the altar should be attired in cassock and surplice; it makes the most sense and best imparts a clerical atmosphere about the ceremony. It also strikes me as a nice touch when parishes put their servers in red cassocks on occasions of high solemnity, and in purple cassocks during Lent or Advent.

When I notice that a server is wearing black dress pants and shoes, rather than jeans (or shorts) and sneakers, then I am all the more impressed. Few things are more annoying than dopey, mop-head altar boys who are only serving because they’re being forced to and who couldn’t care less care about their appearance or deportment. Better not to have servers at all than to have that sort.

I am not fond of seeing servers in albs, hooded or otherwise, be they white, off-white, brown, or oatmeal. They aren’t monks or ewoks, they’re altar servers, acting in the place of clergy.
 
Our altar serves are all boys. They wear a cassock and surplice supplied by the parish–we have about 100 in various sizes. I think it would be a bit much to expect families to keep growing boys in their own server attire no matter what it is.

That said, I prefer cassocks because they tend to look better–neater and more uniform. Albs are often difficult to keepclosed and belted properly, depending on how they are made and how they fasten. Also, they are often thin enough to allow the colors and designs of the clothes wore underneath to show and the graduations in shades of white (cream, offwhite, tan, etc.) are very obvious. Finally, it is harder to keep them clean.
 
Pregustator said:
Few things are more annoying than dopey, mop-head altar boys who are only serving because they’re being forced to and who couldn’t care less care about their appearance or deportment. Better not to have servers at all than to have that sort.
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Wow, your insight to the thoughts and feelings of our youth is incredible. Wrong, but incredible. One of our best altar servers (serves at Easter Vigil, Confirmation with the Bishop and other important Masses) happens to have a popular hair style. He is not forced into it. In fact, he drives himself. He is spiritual, polite, eager - and he has ‘cool’ hair. For that matter, I have never met a server that was forced into servitude. I suppose I should not mention that my daughter is a senior sever as well.

Give the kids a break.
 
Pregustator said:
When I notice that a server is wearing black dress pants and shoes, rather than jeans (or shorts) and sneakers, then I am all the more impressed.
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Nothing warms my heart more :clapping:
Few things are more annoying than dopey, mop-head altar boys who are only serving because they’re being forced to and who couldn’t care less care about their appearance or deportment. Better not to have servers at all than to have that sort.
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“Where charity and love prevail, then God is ever found…” Oops, wait, that’s a dopey folk-mass song… sorry. :blushing:
 
Pregustator said:
When I notice that a server is wearing black dress pants and shoes, rather than jeans (or shorts) and sneakers, then I am all the more impressed.
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When I served we were also required to wear a white shirt and tie as they show up even just a little above the collar of the cassock.
 
I personally dislike highly decorative surplices. Mine is a plain one gifted to me by a seminarian. I

During summer months I do often wear t-shirt, shorts and brown leather sandals. However, so do most of the priests in our parish. A humid Australian summer, with a mass at 35 to 40 degrees celcius (about 108 degrees Farenheit), no-one will administer harsh judgements on clergy or servers.
 
What an interesting thread…

The boys and men who serve where I attend Mass are quite uniform in their attire, I do not think they would get to the Sanctuary if they were wearing thongs, gym shoes, jeans or any bizarre attire, hair do or any such stuff. I know they get a dressing down if their liturgical attire is left on the floor rather than hung up…it is all about respect.
 
Wow, your insight to the thoughts and feelings of our youth is incredible. Wrong, but incredible. One of our best altar servers (serves at Easter Vigil, Confirmation with the Bishop and other important Masses) happens to have a popular hair style. He is not forced into it. In fact, he drives himself. He is spiritual, polite, eager - and he has ‘cool’ hair. For that matter, I have never met a server that was forced into servitude. I suppose I should not mention that my daughter is a senior sever as well.
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Give the kids a break.
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Wow, your reaction to my post bears no relationship to what I said, at all. Incredible. Nowhere in my post did I lament “one of your best altar servers”, his cool and popular hairstyle, his spirituality, his politeness, his eagerness and the fact that he is serving Mass at your parish voluntarily; neither did I mention your daughter.

If I re-read my remarks–which I encourage you to do–I see that I offered a suggestion with respect to the sort of attire I prefer servers to don, and then I lamented the presence of mopheaded altar servers with slovenly clothes and comportment who execute their functions poorly because they don’t even want to be there. Now, that sounds like the exact** opposite** of the server you described, then, doesn’t it? You described an altar server who is careful, who is cool, who is eager, and who performs his role well, didn’t you? Sure you did. And I, on the other hand, complained about what? I complained about the opposite sort of server, then, didn’t I? Yes. Yes I did.

Have a nice day, Dave.
 
Cassock and surplice, here.

Black cassock only. Red and purple are for cardinals and bishops. Wouldn’t be a fan of the see-through lacey variety; today it looks like negligee.

I think what’s great about them is they provide a de-personalising uniform; good for the servers and good for those in the pews. Les distacting and another sign that ‘Something Important Is Happening Here’.
 
Zacdecat said:
What an interesting thread…

The boys and men who serve where I attend Mass are quite uniform in their attire, I do not think they would get to the Sanctuary if they were wearing thongs, gym shoes, jeans or any bizarre attire, hair do or any such stuff. I know they get a dressing down if their liturgical attire is left on the floor rather than hung up…it is all about respect.
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I wouldn’t wear thongs on the Altar. Brown or black shoes is normal, and occasionally I wear brown leather sandals in warmer weather (or when I have run out of clean socks:shrug:)
 
Pregustator said:
I complained about the opposite sort of server, then, didn’t I? Yes. Yes I did.

Have a nice day, Dave.
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Thanks for your clarification. I see your intention now. I was just standing up for the mop-headed boys out there who I thought you were casting into the same pot - branding them all as deviants. Along those line, we have a mop-headed priest with more hair than any of the boys. He is a wonderful priest and all of the kids love him.

I was a mop-headed boy once as well - way back when it was popular the first time.

PAX!
 
the boys at our church wear the cassock and the surplice , the girls just wear an alb.
 
Agree with the general consensus: men and boys serving at the altar are fulfilling clerical roles, so they should wear cassock and surplice (choir dress).

They are not acting in the roles of higher orders (e.g. reading the Epistle or Gospel, etc, mimicking a deacon, etc.), and so they should not wear vestments. An alb is a vestment.

They are also not religiously professed, and so they should not wear anything like a habit.

Obvious exception: if you ARE religiously professed, your habit is part of your choir dress, so wear it with joy :-).
 
newyorkcatholic said:
Agree with the general consensus: men and boys serving at the altar are fulfilling clerical roles, so they should wear cassock and surplice (choir dress).

They are not acting in the roles of higher orders (e.g. reading the Epistle or Gospel, etc, mimicking a deacon, etc.), and so they should not wear vestments. An alb is a vestment.

They are also not religiously professed, and so they should not wear anything like a habit.

Obvious exception: if you ARE religiously professed, your habit is part of your choir dress, so wear it with joy :-).
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Except that while an alb is a vestment, it is proper wear for anyone who is Baptized, representing as it does the Baptismal garment. Its use is not limited to the ordained.
 
I really prefer the Black and white over the dull, boring white alb. To bad I attend a parish that has only does the white alb, and allows female altar servers:(
http://www.jesuitnola.org/jesdata/Formation_Altar_Servers.jpg
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

It seems to me that Cardinal Arinze in this video sees altar servers in a way that I’ve never noticed them before. It was really,really inspiring. Who knew that altar servers were looked upon as ‘little clerics’?
 
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