What if your pastor announced that from now on all altar servers will be adults?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Leopard
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
I’ll mention it to our deacon. Maybe they would train me and let me serve in the daily morning masses. As it stands, it’s only him and Father.
 
Leopard said:
Upon seeing various forms of undesirable behavior from both boy and girl altar servers, your pastor thinks this is not an effect of sex but of maturity. He decides that from now on all altar servers will be adults. Discussion?
Click to expand...
We have adult servers at times; I don’t mind it. But instead of the pastor making adult servers a permanent fixture I would rather that he just have altar boys.
 
From the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :
“100. In the absence of an instituted acolyte, lay ministers may be deputed to serve at the altar and assist the priest and the deacon; they may carry the cross, the candles, the thurible, the bread, the wine, and the water, and they may also be deputed to distribute Holy Communion as extraordinary ministers.”

The conference of bishops determines the age at which a man can be instituted as an acolyte (Ministeria quaedam, VIII b). However they are men, rather than boys. So the ideal situation is to have instituted acolytes.

The decision on who replaces instituted acolytes is made by the parish priest. From the 2002 GIRM:
“107. The liturgical duties that are not proper to the priest or the deacon and are listed above (cf. nos. 100-106) may also be entrusted by a liturgical blessing or a temporary deputation to suitable lay persons chosen by the pastor or rector of the church. …”.

I find it confusing when altar boys seem to be encouraged, rather than instituted acolytes. For example this letter of 27 July 2001 by Cardinal Medina Estévez, then Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments:
“… In accord with the above cited instructions of the Holy See such an authorization may not, in any way, exclude men or, in particular, boys from service at the altar, nor require that priests of the diocese would make use of female altar servers, since “it will always be very appropriate to follow the noble tradition of having boys serve at the altar” (Circular Letter to the Presidents of Episcopal Conference, March 15, 1994, no. 2). Indeed, the obligation to support groups of altar boys will always remain, not least of all due to the well known assistance that such programs have provided since time immemorial in encouraging future priestly vocations (cf. ibid.) …”.

It seems to say that boys as altar servers is more important than men as altar servers to encourage “future priestly vocations”. Then why instituted acolytes? The full lettter is at adoremus.org/CDW-AltarServers.html .
 
We went to vigil Mass tonite, and I spoke to Fr. Kevin outside and mentioned my interest in being a 61-year-old altar boy. He laughed and said he might come pull me out of pew some morning at daily Mass (I’ve been going almost every day). He’s usually assisted by Deacon Michael, but he said that sometimes he’s unable to come. Fr. Kevin is semi-invalided, and it’s tough enough for him under normal conditions, let alone when he has to do all the fetching and carrying himself. I would be pleased to help out, but now I’m just a little bit nervous. Where’s the chewing-the-fingernails smiley?
 
John_Lilburne said:
It seems to say that boys as altar servers is more important than men as altar servers to encourage “future priestly vocations”. Then why instituted acolytes? The full lettter is at adoremus.org/CDW-AltarServers.html .
Click to expand...
The instituted Acolyte is a very different thing from an altar server – for one, he (for it can only be a man) is a permanent EMHC and he can purify the vessels. He would also be the preferred person to lead the Sunday Celebration of the Word, when there is no priest and a deacon is not available.
 
I’ve never really heard of adult altar servers, but that’s because I get the death glare from my mom if there’s nobody serving and I’m not already halfway up to the altar to volunteer. Even if I’m singing in the choir loft like I usually do, if there’s no servers, my brother and I are expected to go down and serve.
 
The Sunday Mass I attend has a married couple who serve at the altar together- and they are seasoned citizens.
 
dandn5000 said:
I’ve never really heard of adult altar servers, but that’s because I get the death glare from my mom if there’s nobody serving and I’m not already halfway up to the altar to volunteer. Even if I’m singing in the choir loft like I usually do, if there’s no servers, my brother and I are expected to go down and serve.
Click to expand...
My dad got married at the age of 39 and he was still serving Mass at that age, had been since he’d been 12, and always for the same pastor. He served again after he retired until he could no longer navigate the steps into the sanctuary.
 
dandn5000 said:
I’ve never really heard of adult altar servers, but that’s because I get the death glare from my mom if there’s nobody serving and I’m not already halfway up to the altar to volunteer. Even if I’m singing in the choir loft like I usually do, if there’s no servers, my brother and I are expected to go down and serve.
Click to expand...
I’ve always heard them called – respectfully and affectionately – “senior servers.”
 
Daprato said:
In some cases it might not be a bad idea. This Sunday will be the fourth Sunday of the month. The first 3 I have attended this month have been impeccably served by adults.

This Sunday however we will be treated to a brother and sister duo who would rather not be there. He will wear shorts and loud sneakers under his alb. She will be preoccupied with her hair. They will both stand and sit vacant-eyed with no idea what to do. They will sit-down during the consecration and likely forget the lavabo altogether. We’ll be lucky if they remember to set-up the altar.

Neither they nor their parents are open to any (name removed by moderator)ut or training. It shouldn’t matter at this point anyway – they have been serving for 2-3 years and should have enough real experience to do things right.
Click to expand...
Parishes that take altar serving seriously (like mine and I am the server coordinator) would take those two kids off the list. In the case of the girl? she wouldn’t have been there in the first place…
 
I dont think theres anything wrong with adult altar servers our neighbouring parish only has adult men, our church has seven children serving on a saturday and five on a sunday two of which are girls the rest boys my son included.
Full training is given to all the children they join in with all hymns and prayers and are very good at what they are meant to do, in fact my son likes to push himself and do a different job each week if he can, including the big bell and carrying in the cross.
I think its important for children to be given the opportunity to learn and be given the responsibility of something so important at church my son loves serving and never misses a week.
At easter and christmas there is an adult server with the children also but he must only be about 22 obviously at these masses there is a lot more to do that sometimes the children cant manage.
 
Ideally males who might just have a vocation to the priesthood or permanent diaconate should fill all the server slots. Why? Because few things foster such vocations better than serving at the altar.

You say you don’t have enough males (or interested males) to serve all your Masses? How much effort are you putting into recruiting and training such males to serve Mass?

A great deal of attention and resources should be devoted to using this ministry as a means to foster possible vocations to the priesthood and permanent diaconate.
 
My parish would cease to exist as I know it. I am an altar server, and if the Pope saw some of the things adults do during our Masses, he would have a heart attack. I would be pretty angry, personally.

ALTAR SERVERS ROCK!
 
spellinggirl said:
My parish would cease to exist as I know it. I am an altar server, and if the Pope saw some of the things adults do during our Masses, he would have a heart attack. I would be pretty angry, personally.

ALTAR SERVERS ROCK!
Click to expand...
I think people of all ages can do some inappropriate things things at mass not just adults or young people in our neighbouring parish there is only adult servers and they do a great job as do the children in our parish my son included.
If the powers that be said adult servers only would that stop you going to church altogether? im curious to know if you couldnt serve would that mean you wouldnt go to church?
 
Leopard said:
Upon seeing various forms of undesirable behavior from both boy and girl altar servers, your pastor thinks this is not an effect of sex but of maturity. He decides that from now on all altar servers will be adults. Discussion?
Click to expand...
It might not be all about the children’s immaturity, but about his own inability to** select and effectively** **train **the altar servers. My current parish priest is phenomenal in his training of altar servers. We usually have eight boys for each Sunday morning Mass, and it’s a very reverent NO Mass. Our priest trains the altar servers regularly at retreat getaways for the guys.
 
Spiller said:
Ideally males who might just have a vocation to the priesthood or permanent diaconate should fill all the server slots. Why? Because few things foster such vocations better than serving at the altar…
Click to expand...
I would be disturbed if he selects women altar servers over young males who want to serve.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top