Can an altar server become an acolyte?

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Hello. I am a teenage altar server.

Over the summer we had a seminarian work for our parish and he was an acolyte. He cleaned the sacred vessels after being used and wore the surplice and cassock during mass.

Just for a question, is it possible that I could receive the minor ordination of acolyte? Or is it only reserved for seminarians becoming priest?

– Side Question

Is the minor ordination of lector, acoltye, etc an indelible mark on the soul? Or is it just a church position granted to so and so.
 
JD27076 said:
Just for a question, is it possible that I could receive the minor ordination of acolyte? Or is it only reserved for seminarians becoming priest?
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Lector and acolyte used to be minor orders; since 1972 (I think), they are now not orders but rather ministries. It’s possible – but quite rare – for a lay man to be instituted as an acolyte (although, as you know, altar servers may be deputed for service in a particular parish).
Is the minor ordination of lector, acoltye, etc an indelible mark on the soul? Or is it just a church position granted to so and so.
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No, it is not a sacrament, so there’s no “indelible mark”; however, once instituted as a lector or acolyte, it is permanent (unless the Church formally removes the person from that ministry).
 
Alot of it depends on the dioceses. Most only institute lectors and acolytes as part of the formation to the diaconate (permanent or transitional). That being said my reading is that there is no reason that a Bishop can’t have persons permanently instituted purely for that purpose.

The major reason most won’t is that both are restricted to men. In my neck of the woods 85% of readers are female and if there were more instituted lectors they would be displaced. As far as I remember one is first a lector and then acolyte, but that might only be tradition.

Personally I would love to see wider use of instituted lectors and acolytes.
 
It is possible for a layman to be instituted as an acolyte, but it is unlikely. Most bishops reserve the ministries of lector and acolyte for those preparing to receive Holy Orders. Also: when pursuing any ministry or vocation, it’s important to pursue it because of the ministry, not the snazzy getup (although I’ll admit that the cassock & surplice is quite snazzy).

Check with your Diocese’s Office of Worship. They’ll be able to give the final say.
 
The minor orders started out as being vocations in themselves; however, at least in the Latin Church, they gradually became stepping stones to the priesthood. It has been this way for centuries and is not likely to change, especially since the minor orders are no longer in use by diocesan seminaries (again, in the Latin Church; I can’t speak for the Eastern Churches).

The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter and similar societies of apostolic life which use the old liturgy still preserve the minor orders, but they don’t grant them just to make a man, say, an acolyte as a vocation. If someone leaves the seminary midway, he retains his minor orders at whatever level he reached, but IIRC, any prerogatives and privileges pertaining thereto expire.
 
In my experience in the UK, it’s normally something that goes with being a Seminarian, but I don’t think there’s anything to stop a Bishop conferring the ministry on a lay man… Why not write to him and ask?

Surplices and cassocks are permissible for ‘ordinary’ altar servers too: it’s up to your priest how he wishes his servers to vest. Sometimes they’re simply in albs. A surplice-and-cassock combo is more ‘traditional’ and would be my preference - although whenever I’ve served, I’ve just worn a normal suit or smart trousers, shirt and tie on warm days (poor parish, nothing for us to wear!). Well, there was the one occasion when we buried a former organist of the Parish, and in honour of her service I borrowed our then deacon’s cassock and surplice (luckily we’re the same height/build, and don’t worry, he wasn’t present and left without vestments!) - and I felt much more at ease in my service while vested 🙂
 
When I was a boy, in the late 1940’s, the terms altar boy and alcolyte were sonymous.
What changed and when?
 
George_Stegmeir said:
When I was a boy, in the late 1940’s, the terms altar boy and alcolyte were sonymous.
What changed and when?
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While the the terms acolyte and altar server have long been used interchangeably, it doesn’t mean that the two were or are the same.

An acolyte was, in the 40s, a minor order with specific responsibilities during Mass. Because they were only seminarians, thus not in every parish, altar servers did many if not most of those things in their place so the name was applied to them. I have no idea if a true acolyte back then could do things that the average altar server could not.

Today an acolyte is no longer a minor order but, rather, an instituted ministry. One that can only be conferred on a man, after training. Most dioceses, and I’m inclined to say most countries, only institute men aiming to be deacons, whether transient or permanent. There are a few dioceses in the US which do institute permanent acolytes and readers. Lincoln is one that comes to mind but I believe there are a few more.

Unlike altar servers, instituted acolytes are ex officio EMHCs, so to speak. If there is really a need for an EMCH they should be the first person designated. They are also allowed to purify the sacred vessels, something which altar servers and EMHCs are not allowed to do.
 
Father John Hardon’s Modern Catholic Dictionary:

ACOLYTE. A ministry to which a person is specially appointed by the Church to assist the deacon and to minister to the priest. His duty is to attend to the service of the altar and to assist as needed in the celebration of the Mass. He may also distribute Holy Communion as an auxiliary minister at the Eucharistic liturgy and to the sick. An acolyte may be entrusted with publicly exposing the Blessed Sacrament for adoration but not with giving benediction. He may also, to the extent needed, take care of instructing other faithful who by appointment assist the priest or deacon by carrying the missal, cross, candles, and similar functions. The ministry of acolyte is reserved to men and conferred by the bishop of the diocese or, in clerical institutes of religious, by the major superior, according to the liturgical rites composed for the purpose by the Church. Women may be delegated to perform some of the functions of an acolyte. (Etym. Greek akolouthos, attendant follower.)

ALTAR BOY. Server at the altar at the Mass, Vespers, and other liturgical functions. Also called acolyte.
 
The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston has instituted acolytes. There is good information about the duties and expectations of instituted acolytes on the AGH website: archgh.org/Worship/Instituted-Acolytes/. The archdiocese’s guidelines allow instituted acolytes to serve in either suit & tie or alb.
 
George_Stegmeir said:
When I was a boy, in the late 1940’s, the terms altar boy and alcolyte were sonymous.
What changed and when?
Click to expand...
Same here. The altar boys who carried the candles in the entrance procession were known as the acolytes
 
DexUK said:
In my experience in the UK, it’s normally something that goes with being a Seminarian, but I don’t think there’s anything to stop a Bishop conferring the ministry on a lay man… Why not write to him and ask?

Surplices and cassocks are permissible for ‘ordinary’ altar servers too: it’s up to your priest how he wishes his servers to vest. Sometimes they’re simply in albs. A surplice-and-cassock combo is more ‘traditional’ and would be my preference - although whenever I’ve served, I’ve just worn a normal suit or smart trousers, shirt and tie on warm days (poor parish, nothing for us to wear!). Well, there was the one occasion when we buried a former organist of the Parish, and in honour of her service I borrowed our then deacon’s cassock and surplice (luckily we’re the same height/build, and don’t worry, he wasn’t present and left without vestments!) - and I felt much more at ease in my service while vested 🙂
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All our servers wear a cassock and cotta while serving. There are even specific vesting prayers for servers on the wall in the sacristy.

For the Cassock:
Code: 
   Dominus, pars hereditatis meae et calicis mei, tu es qui restitues 
   hereditatem meam.

   O Lord, the portion of my inheritance and my chalice, You are He 
   who will restore my inheritance.


   For the Cotta or Surplice:

   Indue me, Domine, novum hominem, qui secundum Deum creatus est in 
   iustitia et sanctitate veritatis.  Amen.

   Invest me, O Lord, as a new man, who was created by God in justice 
   and the holiness of truth.  Amen.
 
What is the difference between Altar Server and Acolyte?

In the Anglican Church Altar Servers are the Acolytes if it is their turn to carry the candles that week as such. It’s whoever is there that Sunday amongst the Servers as part of the Serving Team rather than additional role. It part of the Altar Team rather than a seperate entity. Another difference between the two, a subtle one because am sure in the Roman Catholic Church I have been to they are the Altar Servers rather than Acolytes per se.
 
Englishredrose: It is not a matter of duties. An altar server can be anyone, but an acolyte is an adult male specifically instituted by a bishop for the purpose of serving at liturgical functions and acting as sacristan and sometimes as master of ceremonies. Some bishops have recently started programs for the training of instituted acolytes and readers so that more parishes will have them.
 
Jimmygill88 said:
Same here. The altar boys who carried the candles in the entrance procession were known as the acolytes
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Although I believe that technically the candle-bearers used to be designated “lucifers,” despite the negative connotations of that word. Certainly some of the altar boys I served with fit that description!
 
No, officially the acolyte is given to men who are studying for the priesthood. There are several of states one has to Clive, depending on the diocese or seminary, it can range from: lector, acolyte, candidacy, transitional diaconate and priesthood. However, some dioceses are installing men as acolytes; for instance, the Archdiocese of Galvenston-Houston.
 
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