"Official" guide for Altar Serving

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When I was a youngun, we used a book from the Knights of the Altar. We were tested on the material prior to learning the practical elements. You can still find it on ebay on occasion.
 
JPUSC said:
You mentioned holding the paten and incensing the altar which suggests you belong to a traditional parish which still does these things…
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No, not a “traditional parish” – just a Catholic parish. Not all of our Masses have all the accouterments – certainly not our EF Mass (we generally have low Masses), but at these Masses where the servers are willing and capable we have “the bells and smells.”

I think a big reason for a lack of the “bells and smells” is that it does take a lot of training to serve a Mass like they do on EWTN…
 
Stewmont said:
LOL!! :rolleyes: That’s not true. Here is what I do when I serve the Pauline Mass.

Prior to Mass:
  • Position sanctus bells
  • Position Sacramentary in sanctuary
  • Position Book of Blessings (if required) in sanctuary
  • Prepare thurible/incense and position in sanctuary
  • Prepare aspergillum and aspersorium and place in sanctuary
  • Prepare/light altar candles
  • Prepare processional torces
Then during the Mass:
  • Carry processional crucifix, thurible or torch in procession.
  • Assist celebrant with rite of sprinkling
  • Assist celebrant with incensing of altar/sanctuary
  • Hold Sacramentary for opening and closing prayer
  • Flank one end of ambo with torch during Gospel reading
  • Dress/prepare altar
  • Assist celebrant with receiving gifts
  • Assist celebrant with preparing the gifts for the altar
  • Assist celebrant with incensing the gifts
  • Incense celebrant and faithful if no deacon is present.
  • Assist priest with lavabo
  • Ring sanctus bells
  • Place additional purificators on altar for use at communion
  • Place ablution cup and towel on side of altar
  • Hold communion paten for celebrant
  • Assist celebrant with purification of sacred vessels
  • Help clear the altar
  • Hold Book of Blessings for special prayers
I am sure there are other things I do as a server – these are at the top of my head. It’s not a trivial thing to execute the ministry of a server in a complete and militarily precise manner which is my goal. It’s even more difficult to quickly adapt when something unplanned does happen. I often take on MC duties which requires me to make the above happen through others servers which is even more challenging.
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I would love to be a server at whatever parish you are talking about. But, I’m a student at a “Catholic” college, and I serve at the Mass.

What I do at Mass is this:

Before Mass:
  • vest in alb and cincture
  • put Sacramentary near my seat
During Mass:
  • Carry processional crucifix
  • hold the Sacramentary for the opening and closing prayers
  • prepare Altar
  • assist with receiving the Gifts (hands the wine to me, then I give it to him)
  • give water to Priest for mingling
  • pour water over Priest’s hand
That’s pretty much it
 
It is great to see so many actual altar servers responding to this thread especially those that are continuing their ministry in college.👍

I think that the variety in the level of responsibility as servers may be a further indication of the point that I wanted to make earlier. Many parish priests sadly do not have the time that it takes to fully utilize their servers. When given the opportunity it has been my experience that even the youngest servers will rise to the challenge.

In our parish my youngest servers vie for the honor of serving as crozier bearer and miter bearer when the bishop is here.🙂 The senior servers (a designation we award to our best and brightest) vie for the honor of serving on theTriduum Team which requires several rehearsals and participation in all the Triduum liturgies.

And, I’m sorry, but no church should settle for In my college chapel, the servers didn’t even have cassocks, just their regular clothes, often with flip-flops, even at a Confirmation Mass with the bishop unless they can not afford even a simple alb.

I firmly believe that an altar server ministry at any church is what you make of it. In my case it has given me, a member of the laity, a special opportunity to assist in the liturgy.

yours,
David
 
stanthonyserver said:
…I firmly believe that an altar server ministry at any church is what you make of it. In my case it has given me, a member of the laity, a special opportunity to assist in the liturgy.

yours,
David
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So very true. When I began there was a great deal of resistance to adding all the accouterments. Not from the celebrants for the most part, and certainly not from the people in the pews but mostly from the “lay liturgists.”

Hold fast though and don’t give in. Instead they did…
 
Stewmont said:
No, not a “traditional parish” – just a Catholic parish. Not all of our Masses have all the accouterments – certainly not our EF Mass (we generally have low Masses), but at these Masses where the servers are willing and capable we have “the bells and smells.”

I think a big reason for a lack of the “bells and smells” is that it does take a lot of training to serve a Mass like they do on EWTN…
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When I use the term “traditional”, I don’t mean “traditionalist” (aka SSPX).

Many parishes have abandoned the use of the paten and other traditional practices and I only know of one parish that uses a paten and altar rail for the Pauline Mass.
And, I’m sorry, but no church should settle for In my college chapel, the servers didn’t even have cassocks, just their regular clothes, often with flip-flops, even at a Confirmation Mass with the bishop unless they can not afford even a simple alb.
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I’m sorry about this too, but this is how it is. I don’t know whose bright idea it was to make Catholic chapels in college campuses casual. In one college campus, this is the “Crucifix” they use in their sanctuary, but that’s a whole other topic:

http://www.saint-marks.net/mural2.jpg
 
JPUSC said:
I’m sorry about this too, but this is how it is. I don’t know whose bright idea it was to make Catholic chapels in college campuses casual.
http://www.saint-marks.net/mural2.jpg
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No need for you to apologize, I congratulate you on continuing as an altar server. It is clearly the powers that be that decide these things.

You have a good point however. I’m not sure why college pastors think that students won’t enjoy or wouldn’t appreciate a liturgy that is more traditional, and I mean in the relevant Modern Roman Rite.

Back in the early 70s I went to school in Boston and attended Mass at the Paulist Center on the Common. I shudder when I remember slides being projected on to the back wall during the Mass. A live band in the sanctuary. :eek: Bread crumbs on clay plates, wine in clay cups, people wandering thru the aisles for 10-15 minutes during the sign of peace. 🤷 I’m no stick in the mud, but looking back it didn’t resemble a Mass in any form. We could have been wicans for all I know. I haven’t been back in years so I have no idea what their liturgy is like now.

Keep up the good work

David
 
JPUSC said:
When I use the term “traditional”, I don’t mean “traditionalist” (aka SSPX).

Many parishes have abandoned the use of the paten and other traditional practices and I only know of one parish that uses a paten and altar rail for the Pauline Mass.

http://www.saint-marks.net/mural2.jpg
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My parish really isn’t all that traditional but some of us do push to make use of all the bells and smells.

I would respectfully suggest that making use of all the accouterments is not really a traditional practice but a reverent or solemn practice

A lot of parishes have more than one Mass these days. It would be nice if teams of adult males would approach their pastors with a plan to serve one Mass with all the bells and smells. Once everyone is trained and things are running smoothly, boys could be introduced to the program, or not…

I think a lot of pastors would appreciate this and it does have an impact on the faithful.
 
 
bpbasilphx said:
A lot of it is local use. The Altar Servers are there to assist the ordained ministers, and they will know what kind of help they want, and when.
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And a large part (though not the entirety) of the reason for local variation is that the liturgical books do not regulate the behavior of servers (i.e. acolytes whose places servers fill) to the same extent as those of the priest. So while a rubric or section of the GIRM might say that the server “carries the book” local guides will step in to say “here’s how he holds it, here’s how he stands, here’s how he gets from here to there, etc.”
 
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