Altar Servers for Tridentine Mass

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What is the age limit for altar servers in Tridentine Masses? Thanks!
 
sparc said:
What is the age limit for altar servers in Tridentine Masses? Thanks!
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There is no limit.

Quite a few of the servers at the ‘Indult’ Masses I go to are over 50, some maybe over 60.

However, priority must be given to younger servers. We must remeber one of the primary purposes for serving; which is to kindle vocations to the Priestgood. This purpose alone, is why ‘Altar Girls’ should never be used, and are ultimately wrong.
 
sparc said:
What is the age limit for altar servers in Tridentine Masses? Thanks!
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I think the lower limit is around nine or so, maybe 10. Upper limits well there are none. Here in San Diego they range from about ten I guess to the mid 30;s with most being in their teens. We do have quite a few though, we are lucky in that regard.
 
I am 53 and still serve. Most of the boys are in their teens. Some were 9 or 10 when they started.
 
I used to serve when I was in grade school in a Pauline Missal Mass. Now, I’m 28 and I attend indult Tridentine Mass every Sunday, I just thought that it would be good if I could also share in the community. I believe there are only 4 altar servers in the community, sometimes only 1 is able to serve.
 
There seem to be a lot more adult male servers in Traditional Masses–I’m not sure if this was a common thing before Vatican II or not. I’m 20 and I serve a couple times a month. I’ve seen children as young as 5 at the altar, and a man in his 90’s serving.
 
sparc said:
I used to serve when I was in grade school in a Pauline Missal Mass. Now, I’m 28 and I attend indult Tridentine Mass every Sunday, I just thought that it would be good if I could also share in the community. I believe there are only 4 altar servers in the community, sometimes only 1 is able to serve.
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You should go back to the sacristry after Mass sometime and tell them you want to serve! I’ve found that people in Traditional Mass communities are always eager to have additional servers.
 
Anima_Christi said:
You should go back to the sacristry after Mass sometime and tell them you want to serve! I’ve found that people in Traditional Mass communities are always eager to have additional servers.
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I guess its not too late.
 
palmas85 said:
I think the lower limit is around nine or so, maybe 10. Upper limits well there are none. Here in San Diego they range from about ten I guess to the mid 30;s with most being in their teens. We do have quite a few though, we are lucky in that regard.
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My FSSP parish has around 20 altar boys that are all 6-7 years old. They are rightfully named…the 6-7 year old Altar guild lol.

Than we have the actual archconfraternity of st. stephen the first martyr, which are our ‘real’ altar boys. Currently there are 26 (14-17 years of age).

We have a ridiculous amount of children available in our parish. Every married family seems to have at least 5 children (except the newly married).

Many of our altar servers are either to young, or their just isnt enough space, and so they kneel in the space between the pews and the altar rails.

😃
 
sparc said:
What is the age limit for altar servers in Tridentine Masses? Thanks!
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There isn’t any overriding age limit dictated, but back in the day 6th grade (age 11) was often the earliest age that altar boys were recruited from.

The memorized Latin responses, and the complex rules for serving mass, really make it impractical for younger kids except if they are truly proteges.
 
My childhood parish had a school, so the boys in 5th to 8th grade served all the masses. I don’t ever remember an adult or even teenager serving mass. This was in the years 1954-1961.

My grandfather was career Air Force and when I went to Mass with him on the Air Force Base, the altar boys were invaribly young enlisted men.
 
Way back in the Dark Ages, one received one’s traning during the summer after which one moved from the third to the fourth grade. One began one’s duties as an altar boy at the beginning of the fourth grade (but then I went to a Catholic school).

At 55, I could still serve but I would rather sing in the choir.
 
Im an alterserver and I started when I was about 7 or 8 and im now 15 and I dont know what a trinidine mass or what the other one you said was please enlighten me???
 
tman07 said:
Im an alterserver and I started when I was about 7 or 8 and im now 15 and I dont know what a trinidine mass or what the other one you said was please enlighten me???
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The Tridentine Mass or TLM is the Mass in Latin - the way it was said up until 1965 when the Church began moving to the Pauline Mass (Pope Paul VI) which is called the Novus Ordo or the “new” Mass by 1970. Eucharistic prayer #1 is a close translation of the TLM but, in my experience, is very seldom used.
 
Anima_Christi said:
There seem to be a lot more adult male servers in Traditional Masses–I’m not sure if this was a common thing before Vatican II or not. I’m 20 and I serve a couple times a month. I’ve seen children as young as 5 at the altar, and a man in his 90’s serving.
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Not all the time, but it happens often enough to mention, the reason you see some adult young men serving the mass is because they may be seminarians.
 
dumspirospero said:
Just a little FYI 🙂 There are only Altar Boys in the TLM 🙂 at least…to the best of my knowledge.
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Well now the Altar boys at the TLM in my parish are grandfathers…but I’m sure they will be quite happy to be considered young.
 
This is a very old thread that has been bumped, but that’s ok. Good topic.

Anyone wishing to serve the Gregorian Rite (TLM, EF, etc.) can find all you need here at this wonderful site…

sanctamissa.org/en/index.html

Any priests lurking ? Please check it out as well. 🙂
 
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