How to incense a priest and the people of God correctly

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analtarboy

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I was the thurifer this sunday and after mass a priest/liturgist told me that I incensed the him and the people wrong (he was always strict with the liturgy with us and taught at a seminary) but he didn’t give me the details to how I did it wrong cause he was in a hurry to say mass at another parish.

When I incensed him i incensed him 1 by three swing then same to the people.

So here I question how should I incense the host at and chalice during the elevation should it be three by three swings or 1 by three swings?

Even our parish priest once complained, but he just doesn’t have enough time to teach us.
 
If you are asked to do it again, say you have been told in the past that you did not do it to the priest’s satisfaction and can only agree to do it if you are taught to do it as the priest wants to have it done.

If there is a single right way to do it, there will still be little things that individual priests want to see. I have no idea why a priest who had no time to teach you what he wanted would tell you he was dissatisfied after the fact. It accomplishes nothing but to harm the server’s confidence and (depending on how it is said) perhaps sound ungrateful for the effort the server offered.

Someone who has no time to be clear about what they want has no room to complain they don’t get what they want. They have to live with what they have time to achieve.

I have never seen incense used at the showing, so I don’t know what the priests wanted. Your parish priest ought to teach you what he wants, even if by writing it out or having a deputy who knows how to do it explain it to you for him. No server is a mind reader.
 
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Well he has 2 chapels in his hand and his vicar forane, so he usually have meeting with other parish priests, but he tried to squeeze some effort by teaching us some bits other priest wants to see and other priest will scold you for doing.

Especially the priests from a seminary near by some are very strict some are very understanding by telling you how you did something wrong.

The liturgist just didn’t have time this time he was really in a hurry but he didn’t rush mass fortunately.
 
Well we get used to it being told off at the sacristy but not to the point that the he yells or anything he just talks to you nicely. The reason I asked that question is cause here we value the liturgy very much I don’t know if non traditional parishes in the states still makes altar boys use patens to catch small particles from the host during communion but we definitely do and will always do (I hope)
 
The correct way to incense a priest is two sets of three swings straight up the middle.

The correct way to incense the people is to swing center, left, then right.

Hope that helps!
 
It just that if he cannot see to it that you are trained correctly himself he ought to mention it to whoever who needs to see to it that the altar servers are trained, rather than complaining to you. It isn’t fair to you to complain to you without being able to give you the help to do what he wants.

As I said, if you are asked again in the future, mention that you have been told you are insuffiently trained. It will be up to those planning the liturgy to explain how to do it. It won’t help for someone here to explain how it is done somewhere else because there are even priests who don’t do it to the satisfaction of other priests. Someone who is particular ought to teach what they are particular about personally.
 
Thanks for the advice! They messeged me that I would be trained next Saturday for it as one of our seniors would be training not only me but other incoming senior
 
Hmmm would love to hear from a priest on this. I was taught that only the Blessed Sacrament gets 3 swings; that the priest and incensing the Gospel gets 2 swings, repeated either 2 or 3 times.
 
Incidents such as this are exactly why I quit altar serving. Everyone has some “special way” to do everything and you’re usually doing it wrong.

Basically, you get the same rubbish at work but at least you’re being compensated. I give people the benefit of the doubt. I’ll let them show me and explain their reasoning. However, I’ll question them if it doesn’t make sense.
 
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Oh, my bad. You’re right. It’s three sets of two for the Priest.
 
According to the General instruction (#277), both priest and people get three double swings.
 
There actually is no such thing as a triple swing, even in the Extraordinary Form. It’s double swings for the Blessed Sacrament, for the sacred ministers and bishops/priests in choir, and for images.

-Fr ACEGC
 
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