The age of the Latin Mass altar server

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CyrilSebastian

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For the Tridentine Latin Mass, what is the youngest age that a boy can be an altar server?
 
Peggy_in_Burien said:
In my TLM parish, I believe the boy needs to have made his First Communion.
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I believe the same holds true for mine. There tend to be, at least in my experience, many more altar boys at an EF High Mass (we have 12, I think) than at an OF Mass (we have 1 or 2). As such, the younger boys have distinct roles they can serve in at Mass.
 
I know boys that started before the first communion both in the OF and in the EF even if the first communion seems to be the general limit. But I find the EF more difficult for altar servers, particularly the young ones, because of the huge amount of little details and also because the structure of the mass is not as clear (you must always be focused on the priest’s movements). However, unlike PietroPaolo, I am used to see much more altar servers in the OF.
 
At our EF Mass we have set the age at 10 because they seem to be a little more attentive.

We do have one 10 y.o. that is a little heavy who tend to be somewhat unstable on his feet and almost falls over. (not to mention terrifies folks when he “attacks” with the communion paten) lol! :knight2: But he is there every Sunday.👍
 
corsair said:
At our EF Mass we have set the age at 10 because they seem to be a little more attentive.

We do have one 10 y.o. that is a little heavy who tend to be somewhat unstable on his feet and almost falls over. (not to mention terrifies folks when he “attacks” with the communion paten) lol! :knight2: But he is there every Sunday.👍
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Corsair, your reference to the altar boy with the paten reminds me of my youth. In our parish, the altar servers would “flirt” with a girl by bobbing her in the adam’s apple with the paten. The girls were not impressed, but outraged by the sacrilege of the whole idea!:eek:
 
Not having been to an EF Mass in decades (I’d have to travel about 1000 miles to get to one) I have to imagine it’s different today from what it was in my day. Today it seems that most EF Masses are dialogue Masses. <Cue shaky, feeble voice & trembling hand> In my day a boy had to be old enough to be able to memorize all those Latin responses before he could serve at the altar.😃
 
Phemie said:
Not having been to an EF Mass in decades (I’d have to travel about 1000 miles to get to one) I have to imagine it’s different today from what it was in my day. Today it seems that most EF Masses are dialogue Masses. <Cue shaky, feeble voice & trembling hand> In my day a boy had to be old enough to be able to memorize all those Latin responses before he could serve at the altar.😃
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Many priests saying the EF Mass these days usually say the server’s parts, if the servers are very young and the congregation unresponsive.
 
All of the Latin Masses I’ve attended, a few servers have been as young as 8 or 9 (and recently received 1st Communion) but I’ve seen them range in age from elementary school ages to those men who are senior citizens/retired.
 
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