Altar Servers' Requirements

[Brendan]

FYI, in our parish, our pastor will generally invite a boy at about age 5. From that point on, they will generally serve at every Mass that they attend, up through early college.

We have about 70 altar servers at a given Sunday Mass.

The older boys train the younger boys.

 

[1ke]

1ke, thanks. The reason for the question is precisely because a pastor with a parish of 3 churches wants to do exactly that.

He’s the pastor. He can do that.

May not be prudent. But he can do it.

 

[Bill.Y]

It’s not a matter of prudency. It’s about ‘ right form’. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass must be performed with dignity and reverence. This can only be achieved if integrity is maintained. Those serving on the altar who have not attained the age of reason are little more than a fancy dress party for the entertainment of the children involved.
Anyway, thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut; I’ll take my lead from the bishops’ conference. Despite the problems surrounding the episcopate at the moment I’ll continue to defer to their guidance on this issue.
Vale!!