Altar Serving gone wrong...?

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If you’re still worried about this after two months, it might be prudent to consider whether this perfectionism might be a manifestation of pride. The humble person makes a mistake and gets over it.
 
Barbkw said:
Our priest said that under the Traditional Latin Mass, a priest who didn’t celebrate each detail of the Mass was committing mortal sin. I can’t remember the exact total number of mortal sins possible he mentioned, but it was in the high numbers, 80’s.

(Perhap’s the reason why the Latin Mass is not being welcomed back.)
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Perhaps that’s the reason why it should be.
 
japhy said:
I hope the concelebrants were not incensed that they were not censed! 😉
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Very good!

I’m surprised the Church didn’t burn down or someone go to the hospital with severe burns the first time I handled the thurible.

We were told to keep it out of the vestry when lit and one deacon forgot and set off the fire alarm. Luckily it was after Mass and not before. Everyone was leaving anyway but the parishoners all decided to head for the parking lot at the same time and fire trucks arrived just as the traffic jam exiting the Church was at its hight. And so firemen in full regalia are walking into the Church, Father is there fully vested telling them that it is a false alarm and the deacon is like, "I’m sorry… I’m sorry… "

Anyone who has not altar served might not be aware of the pressure that one is under when up there where Jesus Christ is being made present. If there is one place in all of space and time where it is appropriate to be a perfectionist, the liturgy of the Mass is it. I’ve done some public speaking but it’s different at the altar - there is something about it - especially for someone who has been in the pew his whole life. Sometimes I bring the bowl and flagon for the priest to purify his hands and being so close to the altar, seeing the bread and wine sitting there on the altar carefully arranged by the priest just moments before being turned into Christs body and blood, the sight of it actually scares me and I have to fight back emotion as I’m up there. I think, who am I to be so close?

Don’t worry about it PLAT. God teaches us humility in his presence in many ways. If I had a nickel for every mistake… 😊

-Tim-
 
EasterJoy said:
As I said, they have asked. It does make sense. Few young men doing a worthy service want to be described as “boys” any more, and if a parish that just happens to only have boys as servers calls them “altar boys”, it sounds parochial. The term “altar server” more accurately describes the situation in the whole of the Roman Catholic world. It is worth checking to find out which term your bishop uses, and teaching the young people assisting your priests at Mass to use that one.
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The OP is not under the USCCB, he his under the Archdiocese of Singapore.
 
TimothyH said:
Very good!
Anyone who has not altar served might not be aware of the pressure that one is under when up there where Jesus Christ is being made present. If there is one place in all of space and time where it is appropriate to be a perfectionist, the liturgy of the Mass is it. I’ve done some public speaking but it’s different at the altar - there is something about it - especially for someone who has been in the pew his whole life. Sometimes I bring the bowl and flagon for the priest to purify his hands and being so close to the altar, seeing the bread and wine sitting there on the altar carefully arranged by the priest just moments before being turned into Christs body and blood, the sight of it actually scares me and I have to fight back emotion as I’m up there. I think, who am I to be so close?

I used to envy the altar servers when we had the old Mass. They would be holding the hem of the priest’s chasuble at the Consecration. As a female, I could never do that. I thought how wonderful that they had that connection to Jesus’ coming down. Almost as good as the woman who was healed when she touched the hem of Jesus" garment in the gospels.
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My last message looks like it’s part of Timothy’s. I must have goofed somehow. Only the last paragraph is mine.
 
Cristiano said:
The OP is not under the USCCB, he his under the Archdiocese of Singapore.
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Server is the term used in Canon law for those laity performing the duties of instituted acolytes but without the institution into the order of instituted acolytes.

Servers is the preferred english term by Rome. I can’t recall which document it is, but His Holiness John Paul II directed that change.

One should note, however, that a “boy” in the 17th century was an assistant, not of need a youth, and that use persisted in part to the early 20th century. It still hangs on in the cinema industry - Best Boy is an electrical technician on a movie crew.
 
PLAT said:
Oh, has any one of you come across serving errors as altar boys?
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As my previous Assoc. Pastor says, “There are no mistakes in Liturgy.”

I was an altar server for seven years growing up, and I can remember making a few minor errors. It happens. I completely forgot the charcoal for the incense at a funeral once. Now THAT is embarrassing!
 
The best part about a “high” Mass in the OF (although there is not really a “high” or “low” Mass anymore) is that no one notices if you mess up. The effect is exaggerated during holy week and ordinations. 😃
 
SaintGobban said:
Perhaps that’s the reason why it should be.
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Perhaps the old Latin Mass placed way too much emphasis on silly little rituals that had absolutely nothing to do with the original Mass. Forgetting to follow the rite to the letter a sin? That’s abhorrent considering the point of the Mass isn’t to perfectly follow a ritual, but to but allow the Eucharist to transform the community into one body, more specifically, the Body of Christ.

Rites change. God doesn’t. Don’t forget the REASON for Mass. Don’t let the parts of a rite cloud the true meaning and true experience. To place so much emphasis on the rite and whether or not someone forgot to do something is to do God a disservice by focusing more on the rite than on the community being one with Him.
 
Di_bear said:
Perhaps the old Latin Mass placed way too much emphasis on silly little rituals that had absolutely nothing to do with the original Mass. Forgetting to follow the rite to the letter a sin? That’s abhorrent considering the point of the Mass isn’t to perfectly follow a ritual, but to but allow the Eucharist to transform the community into one body, more specifically, the Body of Christ.

Rites change. God doesn’t. Don’t forget the REASON for Mass. Don’t let the parts of a rite cloud the true meaning and true experience. To place so much emphasis on the rite and whether or not someone forgot to do something is to do God a disservice by focusing more on the rite than on the community being one with Him.
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The rite and the Sacred Liturgy is greater than one priest and his quirks. He should simply follow the rubics, respecting the venerable Roman Rite. To do that is humbling, otherwise it turns into the priest’s personal attempts at being relevant. The ‘rituals’ as you disparagingly call them are essential to the Holy Sacrifice, they are done for a reason.
Submitting yourself to the traditions of the Roman Church rather than your preferences truly honours God.
 
Plat I am going to tell you that myself and a friend of mine made a terrible mistake last night while at the nursing home. We are both EMHCs. After we serve the patients we all partake of the Eucharist. Well yesterday was a very trying day for me and one of my friends who is a widow knew what I was going through as it was the day of my divorce. Between him and I as he was serving me the host was dropped. We both hit the floor. I grabbed and immediately consumed Him. I tell you this to let you know we all mess up. The important part is that whether it is the mass or at a nursing home is that the Eucharist is treated with respect and reverence and that the mass is valid. There will be mistakes - we are human. God loves us anyway.
 
Di_bear said:
Perhaps the old Latin Mass placed way too much emphasis on silly little rituals that had absolutely nothing to do with the original Mass. Forgetting to follow the rite to the letter a sin? That’s abhorrent considering the point of the Mass isn’t to perfectly follow a ritual, but to but allow the Eucharist to transform the community into one body, more specifically, the Body of Christ.

Rites change. God doesn’t. Don’t forget the REASON for Mass. Don’t let the parts of a rite cloud the true meaning and true experience. To place so much emphasis on the rite and whether or not someone forgot to do something is to do God a disservice by focusing more on the rite than on the community being one with Him.
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While we should not be legalistic (and only legalistic) at our approach to the Mass, this seems like a excuse for making “pastoral” excuses to directly disobey church documents. I’ve heard similar arguments used many times.
 
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