Confessions of a jealous Altar Server

[SenorSalsa]

To add a little humor to all of our discussions of what should be done, I thought I would give you a list of things that make me jealous of the average layperson assisting at mass while I serve.

#1 (also known as, I wish I could face the same way as you): You get to meditate on the Crucifix during Mass. I get to meditate on…an exit sign.

#2 (also known as, I wish I could pray the Mass): You get to listen to the Epistle being proclaimed, I get to stand in a closet lighting charcoal for the incense.

#3 (also known as, I wish I could be pious): You get to do the three crosses at the Gospel, I get to hold a candle.

#4 (also known as, see above): You get to sign yourself at the final blessing, I get to hold a book

#5 (also known as, pick a hymn a know): You get a book with the music, I have to fuddle around awkwardly, all the while listening to Father trying to sing

That’s all I got for now. Just things that cross my mind as I serve. I love it, but it definitely makes the internal active participation much harder

 

[Charioteer]

To add a little humor to all of our discussions of what should be done, I thought I would give you a list of things that make me jealous of the average layperson assisting at mass while I serve.

#1 (also known as, I wish I could face the same way as you): You get to meditate on the Crucifix during Mass. I get to meditate on…an exit sign.

#2 (also known as, I wish I could pray the Mass): You get to listen to the Epistle being proclaimed, I get to stand in a closet lighting charcoal for the incense.

#3 (also known as, I wish I could be pious): You get to do the three crosses at the Gospel, I get to hold a candle.

#4 (also known as, see above): You get to sign yourself at the final blessing, I get to hold a book

#5 (also known as, pick a hymn a know): You get a book with the music, I have to fuddle around awkwardly, all the while listening to Father trying to sing

That’s all I got for now. Just things that cross my mind as I serve. I love it, but it definitely makes the internal active participation much harder

I serve Mass all the time…

#1 I focus on the word of God being proclaimed from the ambo or the Sacrifice taking place atop the altar.

#2 Use two briquettes of insta-light charcoal. Light only the top one 15-20 minutes before Mass. Between the two they will burn for nearly 3 hours.

#3 Even though I usually have a thurible (or sometimes a candle) in my hands at the Gospel I still make the 3 crosses. Learn to hold the candle with your left hand or simply move the candle while you cross yourself or simply set it down for a moment.

#4 You should have just closed the Sacramentary and transferred it to your left hand at that point in the Mass so you are free to sign yourself. If you lack the coordination, just set it down or sign yourself using the Sacramentary while holding it with both hands.

#5 If you are not the crucifer or a lucifer in the procession have a hymnal ready. Otherwise find out what’s going to be sung and memorize it before Mass.

If you take serving seriously it should in no way make “internal active participation” more difficult.

 

[SenorSalsa]

I’ll preface by saying the points were mostly out of jest and not too big of a problem, but I will refute with my experience

I serve Mass all the time…

#1 I focus on the word of God being proclaimed from the ambo or the Sacrifice taking place atop the altar.

Yeah, but during the in-between times, such as during the singing of the Psalm, or at/after the Homily, during Communion, its harder. I usually pick out a station along the wall and meditate on that

#2 Use two briquettes of insta-light charcoal. Light only the top one 15-20 minutes before Mass. Between the two they will burn for nearly 3 hours.

We do two at the start, and add one at the second reading just to be safe, and because we all like smoke. But additionally, the thurible stand is in the closet, so charcoal or not, I need to go in there anyways. Generally, I can hear the reading though, as im basically right behind the ambo

#3 Even though I usually have a thurible (or sometimes a candle) in my hands at the Gospel I still make the 3 crosses. Learn to hold the candle with your left hand or simply move the candle while you cross yourself or simply set it down for a moment.

setting our candles down is not an option, and our candles are kind of large to one hand

#4 You should have just closed the Sacramentary and transferred it to your left hand at that point in the Mass so you are free to sign yourself. If you lack the coordination, just set it down or sign yourself using the Sacramentary while holding it with both hands.

true if father uses the simple blessing, but many here opt for the solemn blessing, especially now in the Easter Season, for which they need the book

#5 If you are not the crucifer or a lucifer in the procession have a hymnal ready. Otherwise find out what’s going to be sung and memorize it before Mass.

Personally, I’m not a big fan of hymnals in the procession, or in the sanctuary.

If you take serving seriously it should in no way make “internal active participation” more difficult.

I disagree here. This was especially evident during Triduum services. There is a lot of remembering what comes next, both for myself and for Father, who usually relies on the servers to tell him where to go and when(there’s a reason the main server is also called the master of ceremonies). There’s a lot of “praying with your eyes open” as its put here, paying attention so that nothing goes wrong(the experience at last months EF comes to mind, where Father unveiled the Chalice only to find the Paten was empty). It is still very possible to do so. But serving does present unique challenges not experienced by the average person assisting in the pews

 

[Charioteer]

I disagree here. This was especially evident during Triduum services. There is a lot of remembering what comes next, both for myself and for Father, who usually relies on the servers to tell him where to go and when(there’s a reason the main server is also called the master of ceremonies). There’s a lot of “praying with your eyes open” as its put here, paying attention so that nothing goes wrong(the experience at last months EF comes to mind, where Father unveiled the Chalice only to find the Paten was empty). It is still very possible to do so. But serving does present unique challenges not experienced by the average person assisting in the pews

I thought you were pretty much joking with your first post. Then you changed your story with your second post.

It’s all about preparation and concentration. Your eyes should almost always be on the celebrant and not a station (or earlier a clock.) Get those down and being that much closer to the sacrifice should be all the more intense. There’s no martyrdom in serving Mass…

 

[SenorSalsa]

I thought you were pretty much joking with your first post. Then you changed your story with your second post.

it was, but I thought you gave serious responses, so i responded, I even reiterated the joke nature in the second post, so we’ll chock this up to a misunderstanding

 

[Cluny]

In the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, there is a petition “for those who serve [meaning the priests, deacons, and altar servers], those who sing, and all the people here present…”

Fiddling with candles, books, torches, and charcoal is just as much participation.

 

[Cavaille-Coll]

In the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, there is a petition “for those who serve [meaning the priests, deacons, and altar servers], those who sing, and all the people here present…”

Fiddling with candles, books, torches, and charcoal is just as much participation.

We could really use a petition in the Latin Rite for those who sing, especially those anywhere near a microphone.

 

[John_Lilburne]

…#4 (also known as, see above): You get to sign yourself at the final blessing, I get to hold a book …

At the beginning of Mass all should make the Sign of the Cross. From the rubics in the Roman Missal:
“After the entrance song, the priest and the faithful remain standing and make the sign of the cross, as the priest says:
**In the name of the **…”
And in the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal: “50. When the Entrance chant is concluded, the priest stands at the chair and, together with the whole gathering, makes the Sign of the Cross.”

But there are no such instructions at the end of Mass. The priest is blessing, the people receive the blessing.

From the 2002 GIRM: “167. … The priest, joining his hands again and then immediately placing his left hand on his breast, raises his right hand and adds, Benedicat vos omnipotens Deus (May Almighty God Bless you) and, as he makes the Sign of the Cross over the people, continues, Pater, et Filius, et Spiritus Sanctus (the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit). All answer, Amen. …
A Bishop blesses the people with the appropriate formula, making the Sign of the Cross three times over the people.”

Should the people make the Sign of the Cross three times when there is a bishop? Of course not, the bishop is blessing them. Should the people make it once when the priest does it? No again, the priest is doing the blessing. They are just instructed to answer “Amen.”

An exception to this is given an explicit instruction. This is when the deacon is blessed for the Gospel. From the GIRM “175. … The priest blesses him, saying, Dominus sit in corde tuo (The Lord be in your heart). The deacon signs himself with the Sign of the Cross and responds, Amen.”

 

[Charioteer]

At the beginning of Mass all should make the Sign of the Cross. From the rubics in the Roman Missal:
“After the entrance song, the priest and the faithful remain standing and make the sign of the cross, as the priest says:
**In the name of the **…”
And in the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal: “50. When the Entrance chant is concluded, the priest stands at the chair and, together with the whole gathering, makes the Sign of the Cross.”

But there are no such instructions at the end of Mass. The priest is blessing, the people receive the blessing.

From the 2002 GIRM: “167. … The priest, joining his hands again and then immediately placing his left hand on his breast, raises his right hand and adds, Benedicat vos omnipotens Deus (May Almighty God Bless you) and, as he makes the Sign of the Cross over the people, continues, Pater, et Filius, et Spiritus Sanctus (the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit). All answer, Amen. …
A Bishop blesses the people with the appropriate formula, making the Sign of the Cross three times over the people.”

Should the people make the Sign of the Cross three times when there is a bishop? Of course not, the bishop is blessing them. Should the people make it once when the priest does it? No again, the priest is doing the blessing. They are just instructed to answer “Amen.”

An exception to this is given an explicit instruction. This is when the deacon is blessed for the Gospel. From the GIRM “175. … The priest blesses him, saying, Dominus sit in corde tuo (The Lord be in your heart). The deacon signs himself with the Sign of the Cross and responds, Amen.”

There is a final blessing just before the dismissal of Mass. It takes one of three forms, options A, B, or C. Each one of those options include the words:
**
Priest:** “May almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

I’m not sure if the rubrics officially direct the faithful to cross themselves during that blessing or not. I can say that I have never seen anyone NOT cross themselves during that blessing NOR is doing so in any way a liturgical “abuse” or irregularity.

 

[John_Lilburne]

There is a final blessing just before the dismissal of Mass. It takes one of three forms, options A, B, or C. Each one of those options include the words:
**
Priest:** “May almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

I’m not sure if the rubrics officially direct the faithful to cross themselves during that blessing or not. …

The rubrics do not direct the faithful to cross themselves during the blessing. Note that the words of the the blessing are not the same as for the Sign of the Cross. There is no “In the name of”.

 

[Charioteer]

The rubrics do not direct the faithful to cross themselves during the blessing. Note that the words of the the blessing are not the same as for the Sign of the Cross. There is no “In the name of”.

It’s still neither a liturgical “abuse” nor irregularity if we do cross ourselves at that point in the Mass.

 

[Sr_Sally]

I realize you meant this too be funyy, but it is a good reminder to me that my son does not always want to serve Mass. And it is not so much because he dislikes serving–he does not–but because he wants to be in the pews with us expereincing Mass as part of his family and not having to remember what to do next. He is a young boy and not an adult or older teen server.

 

[rpp]

I thought this was supposed to be a light-hearted thread.

 

[SenorSalsa]

I realize you meant this too be funyy, but it is a good reminder to me that my son does not always want to serve Mass. And it is not so much because he dislikes serving–he does not–but because he wants to be in the pews with us expereincing Mass as part of his family and not having to remember what to do next. He is a young boy and not an adult or older teen server.

I often joke that I have never attended an Extraordinary Form Mass which I have not served. I don’t know what you guys are talkin about, I hear almost every word the priest says

I thought this was supposed to be a light-hearted thread.

yeah well…you can only try so hard