Help writing a novel

[SMEDIA]

Hello, I’m writing a novel and because I’m not a Catholic myself, I was hoping to get some help with research.
In the novel, one character at the age of ten chooses to devote his life to the Church and starts off with being an altar boy.
I need info on stuff like:
How does the priest choose altar servers?
How many altar servers are there at a time?
How do the priest (or are there multiple priests in some places?) and altar servers interact?
How long may someone stay an altar server until they get too old for it?
What duties do the different altar servers do during Mass?

If anyone can help me out on this, I would really appreciate it

 

[Seagull]

Go to a Sunday mass - get the real deal !

I remember I was in the basement of the church - with 10 - 12 other boys - my age.
My previous brothers had been altar boys - now here I was -
well, a tough kid was there too - he had blue sunglasses on -
Priest told him to take them off -
I think the tough kid said " why " -
that was it - Priest told him to leave the church - he did.

well, 20 years later - I see a photo - in the weekly church bulletin -
8 kids - standing on the entrance steps of the same church -
two are wearing sunglasses - lol - and one was a girl wearing shades.
Three girls were in the photo -
so altar boys - maybe a old school term now -

 

[TheLittleLady]

How does the priest choose altar servers?

It depends on the priest, the parish and the era where your novel is happening.

How many altar servers are there at a time?

See above answers

How do the priest (or are there multiple priests in some places?) and altar servers interact?

Again, see above

How long may someone stay an altar server until they get too old for it?

We have altar servers who are in their eighties. All depends on the priest, the parish and the era.

What duties do the different altar servers do during Mass?

Again, this depends.

My suggestion is that you outline the era, is your book taking place in 1573 or in 2073 or somewhere in between?

What country?

You may find that joining the Catholic Writers Guild would help.

 

[Augustinian]

How long may someone stay an altar server until they get too old for it?

No limit- I was at a funeral last winter at a suburban Pittsburgh church. The priest mentioned that the deceased was a charter member of the parish when it was established in the 1960’s.

The altar servers were old enough to have served at the parish’s inaugural Mass.