Weddings and other special events... Community involved?

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Podo2004

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Just a quick question how many parishs have altar servers, EMC (Extraordinary ministers of Communion) at weddings or funerals? I think it makes the events more of a community event with the servers and EMC. Your thoughts?

:blessyou:
Podo The Hobbit
 
Never occured to me that there might not be altar servers and EMCs at weddings or funerals.
 
When I was younger (and still an altar boy) I think my parishes (school and home) made it optional to use them because we received a stipend like the priest for serving at them.
 
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Podo2004:
Just a quick question how many parishs have altar servers, EMC (Extraordinary ministers of Communion) at weddings or funerals? I think it makes the events more of a community event with the servers and EMC. Your thoughts?

:blessyou:
Podo The Hobbit
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When my sons were altar boys, they served both at funeral Masses and at nuptial Masses.

Not quite sure what you mean when you say you “think it makes the events more of a community event.”

Whenever the faithful gather to participate in the Mass, it is communal. We are gathering in communion with one another, as well as with all the Angels and Saints, and even all the souls in purgatory at every Mass.

Whether the priest celebrates Mass alone, or the altar is swarmed by laymen, every Mass is a form of communal worship.
 
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Podo2004:
Just a quick question how many parishs have altar servers, EMC (Extraordinary ministers of Communion) at weddings or funerals? I think it makes the events more of a community event with the servers and EMC. Your thoughts?

:blessyou:
Podo The Hobbit
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ALL Sacraments are celebrations of the Mystical Body of Christ, The Church. There should never be a “closed” or private celebration of a Sacrament. I have seen many parishes where the usual Lay ministries are used during Weddings, Reconciliation services (with individual Confession), and Funerals (which are not a Sacrament).
 
Andreas Hofer:
When I was younger (and still an altar boy) I think my parishes (school and home) made it optional to use them because we received a stipend like the priest for serving at them.
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I too, received a stipend whenever I served at weddings and funerals when I was young. I used two alterboys at my wedding; though not sure of EMHCs. What is the current stipend rate for weddings and funerals?
 
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Podo2004:
Just a quick question how many parishs have altar servers, EMC (Extraordinary ministers of Communion) at weddings or funerals? I think it makes the events more of a community event with the servers and EMC. Your thoughts?

:blessyou:
Podo The Hobbit
Click to expand...
Back in the old days, my dad was an alter boy. He would get out of class and go to serve at mass at noon…the only people there were him and the priest! LOL!!!😃 😃
 
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Podo2004:
Just a quick question how many parishs have altar servers, EMC (Extraordinary ministers of Communion) at weddings or funerals? I think it makes the events more of a community event with the servers and EMC. Your thoughts?

:blessyou:
Podo The Hobbit
Click to expand...
Back in the old days, my dad was an alter boy. He would get out of class and go to serve at mass at noon…the only people there were him and the priest! LOL!!!😃 😃 Several times too! LOL!😃
 
I thought you were going to bring up Baptisms and First Communions at regularly scheduled Mass. Since you didn’t, I will. In the parish where we used to live, the First Communion kids’ parents were upset because the parish switched and did First Communions in groups of 5 to 10 at each Mass over the course of a month or so. The parents didn’t like it, preferring the traditional special Mass for First Communion. Luckily, we moved before my daughter had her First Communion because I didn’t like it either. That diocese also did Baptism at Masses so the parish community could be involved. Most parishioners groaned when they saw the baby in his or her Christianing gown because it added 15 minutes to Mass! Surely those video camera toting relatives didn’t like getting your average Joe Mass attendee in his blue jeans immortalized in their child’s Christening video.
 
In our parish, the organist, altar servers, lectors/readers, and cantors are provided for funerals whenever possible. Sometimes no cantors (who are mostly adults with day jobs) are available on weekdays, and sometimes it’s hard to round up a full complement of altar servers on a Saturday (but on weekdays they’re just pulled out of class from the elementary school). But we do what we can.

We don’t usually have EMHC’s for funerals, unless maybe if a really large crowd is expected. The only large funeral I’ve attended here was for our organist’s father, who was himself an EMHC, so all the other EMHC’s attended. In fact, if I may say so, that was the most beautiful funeral I’ve ever attended. The full choir sang, and the Mass was concelebrated by our pastor and the deceased’s son (not our organist, the one who’s a priest!); our former pastor and weekend assistant also assisted at the Mass.

I’ve never been to a wedding in this parish, but I think it’s up to the bride and groom to make their own arrangements (although I’m not sure about the altar servers, but everything else is up to them). I don’t think they normally have EMHC’s then, either, because when my husband was one he was never asked to do a wedding.

I like when they do Baptisms during Mass, although I’m glad it’s not done too frequently – two or three times a year is enough.

Deborah
 
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