Servers at Stations and Benediction

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I am the new Altar Server director at our parish. During Lent this year we will have servers assisting at the Stations of the Cross followed by the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

I plan on using two servers. During the Stations; one as Cross bearer and the other as book bearer.

For the Benediction they will assist the presider (probably a Deacon). One as thurifer and the other a boat bearer then helping with the veil.

Is it OK not to have candle bearers?
I’d be interested to hear how others have handled these ceremonies.

Also, is it proper for an experienced server to incense the Blessed Sacrament from in front of the altar during the Benediction? It is mentioned in Peter Elliot’s books but I’ve never seen it done.

New to the forum, and appreciative of all advise.

Dave
 
I think if you can get enough servers for candle bearers it is nice to have then, I don’t think its essential though and it can be difficult to get enough to turn up. I think for incensing its probably more appropriate for the celebrant to do it, otherwise the lines can become a bit blurred. I think the last time in my parish a server swung the thurible until the priest had finished then he took the thurible to incense the altar before giving it back to the thurifer until it was needed again.
 
I’m a first year graduate student at Notre Dame and have been serving for the past 14 years and have been serving weekly Benediction for about 3 1/2 years. In my experience, the priest does incense the Blessed Sacrament during the Tantum Ergo. When it comes time for the Eucharistic blessing, the server incenses the Blessed Sacrament (usually with three triples), while the priest is moving it in the shape of the cross. Additionally, I have only served Benediction by myself. I do think that having at least two servers is a little more helpful than just one, but it can be done.
 
stanthonyserver said:
…
Also, is it proper for an experienced server to incense the Blessed Sacrament from in front of the altar during the Benediction? It is mentioned in Peter Elliot’s books but I’ve never seen it done. …
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I have often seen it done, but I believe it is wrong.

The liturgical book, Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass, has:
“99. … He makes the sign of the cross over the people with the monstrance or ciborium, in silence.” (The Rites Volume One, Liturgical Press, 1990, ISBN: 0-8146-6015-0, page 676).

The altar server swinging the censer is not going to be silent. There are instructions for the priest or deacon to incense the blessed sacrament, but that is earlier, before a prayer is said, then the benediction.
 
During the actual benediction, yes, the thurifer incenses the Sacrament with a triple ductus.

That’s the way it’s always been done, pedantry aside.
 
That’s the way I have seen it done , and sometimes done it, for over 60 years.
 
At my parish, 2 Candles 1 Cross and the priest doing the Stations holds his own little booklet. I think the reason to schedule three is it is expected at least one will not show at night (stations are on Friday’s at 7 p.m.)
 
right or wrong, our lenten stations service is totally handled by the lay people; readings, cross and candle bearers. we only have adoration, not the benediction.
 
Actually, you might be in look because solid parish CCD programs may require the students to attend all parish activities, especially the Lenten Stations of the Cross. This also includes youth groups. Your servers may be participants in both, so, you can be sure that someone will be there.

Having three for the Stations is a good practice, as two are candle bearers and one is the Cross bearer. As far as benediction is concerned, my gut feeling is to go with Alex V and his comments. He is very solid in his suggestions and is most reliable. He is also a very good resource.
 
Thank you all for your thoughtful comments.

We do indeed have several of our senior servers up for confirmation and I will be calling on them for certain.

We do have younger servers but I am concerned about them being able to carry the candles for the time it takes to complete the Stations.

I am going to approach Father about having a Server incense the Eucharist. We’ll see what he says.

Thanks again all!

David
 
servers can incence.HOWEVER if your parish has an insitituted acolyte THEY should be the ones doing it. We only use boys (AMEN) for such activiteis. I am in charge of my parish servers and we are gradually reintroducing the use of servers for such activities…we are also (much to the delight of many) phasing out girls.
 
During the actual benediction, yes, the thurifer incenses the Sacrament with a triple ductus.

That’s the way it’s always been done, pedantry aside.
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Negative, it has ben done with three double swings. There is no triple swing.
 
Yes, there is. The Rituale Romanum speaks of three triple swings.

The priest at Mass gets three double swings, as does the altar cross.
 
AlexV said:
Yes, there is. The Rituale Romanum speaks of three triple swings.
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That’s interesting! All this time I was labouring under the same impression as Chatter. Where exactly does the Rituale say this?
 
John_Lilburne said:
I have often seen it done, but I believe it is wrong.

The liturgical book, Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass, has:
“99. … He makes the sign of the cross over the people with the monstrance or ciborium, in silence.” (The Rites Volume One, Liturgical Press, 1990, ISBN: 0-8146-6015-0, page 676).

The altar server swinging the censer is not going to be silent. There are instructions for the priest or deacon to incense the blessed sacrament, but that is earlier, before a prayer is said, then the benediction.
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Perhaps it means that the celebrant should be silent? On holiday I went for a sparsely attended first Friday where the priest incorrectly gave a blessing while moving the monstrance.
 
I remember three (double) triple swings when I was senior altar boy. Click - click; click-click; click-click pause and so on. Click-click being the sound of the censer striking the censer chain.
 
I remember three (double) triple swings when I was senior altar boy. Click - click; click-click; click-click pause and so on. Click-click being the sound of the censer striking the censer chain.
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The sound that you remember was that of three doubles–Click - click (1st double swing); click-click (2nd double swing); click-click (3rd double swing).

There is no such thing as a triple swing. This is a common misconception. Fortescue explains it nicely in the Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described:

“There are two ways of incensing: with a SIMPLE swing (ductus simplex) and with a DOUBLE swing (ductus duplex) [capitalization in the original]. The simple swing is made in this way; lift the right hand to the level of the breast only, at the same time swing the thurible out towards the object of person to be incensed, letting it fall at once towards one’s self. The double swing is made by raising the thurible to the level of one’s face, then swinging it out towards the object or person to be incensed, repeating this outward swing, and then lowering the thurible.”

Later in the book Fortescue puts it succinctly: “There is no such thing as a triple swing.”

O’Connell gives this subject more elaborate treatment in The Celebration of Mass, where he has an entire chapter on incensations, including a section on single and double swings, and how they evolved through the centuries, receiving official recognition in the latter half of the 19th century. He explains how the rubrics of the missal use the term triplici ductu refers to three double swings. He quotes the Sacred Congregation decree of 1900 declaring the priest, like the altar cross and the Blessed Sacrament, receives three doubles.
 
Quote:
Yes, there is. The Rituale Romanum speaks of three triple swings.
That’s interesting! All this time I was labouring under the same impression as Chatter. Where exactly does the Rituale say this?
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It does not, considering that the Rituale Romanum contains directions for neither Mass nor Benediction.
 
Chatter163 said:
It does not, considering that the Rituale Romanum contains directions for neither Mass nor Benediction.
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I agree, there is nothing in the Rituale Romanum about three triple swings.
But the liturgical book “Holy Communion and the Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass” is part of the Rituale Romanum. This is clear from the title page in the Latin edition:
RITUALE ROMANUM
EX DECRETO SACROSANCTI OECUMENICI
CONCILII VATICANI II INSTAURATUM
AUCTORITATE PAULI PP. VI PROMULGATUM
DE SACRA COMMUNIONE
ET DE CULTU
MYSTERII EUCHARISTICI
EXTRA MISSAM
EDITIO TYPICA

So the Rituale Romanum does contain directions for Benediction.
 
Fortescue et al. are interpreters of rubrics where there is a dubium.

The fact is the Latin “ductus” is VERY ambiguous. It can mean either the familiar clink-clink, or each clink of the clink-clink, etc.

That’s where the triplex ductus problem arises.

Experts like Fortescue rely on clarifying documents, or the example of major and respected churches.

I have seen three and two swings. In respected churches.

This does of course start to descend into pedantry very quickly, as Fortescue himself notes, just as he is also good medicine for those who thing everything in the liturgy is precisely defined.
 
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