What is it Like to Serve at Mass?

[Bl_Pope_Pius_IX]

How does one become a server?

Well, I became a Server about five years ago at an OF Parish not far from my home. I had responded to a bulletin at Mass that called for any volunteers to be Altar Servers.

However, at the EF Parish I also Serve I asked the Priest if I could have the pleasure of Serving the Altar. I did this after my Second time attending the EF.

How long have you been serving?

OF - Five years
EF - Around two months

Do you serve in the OF or EF?

Both.

What do you most like about serving?

Being able to assist the Priest in his Liturgical faculties, but also being a Squire in the Court of Christ of the King, so to speak.

Do you have a set time to practice? How often?

Well, since the EF Parish has slightly stricter rules, I usually request to practice a little bit after every other Mass (Once every two Masses I serve or attend)

Do you get nervous?

Only while carrying the paten on the Communion Line. Terrifying.

What is the primary thought in your mind while serving?

“I hope I’m not a distraction…” at my OF Parish, I was told I look too serious, too “Pious”. However on occasion my mind wanders (mostly during the OF).

Has serving helped you in your spiritual life?

Yes.

Has serving helped foster in you, or a server you know, the desire to become a priest?

Yes, I do intend to commit my life to the Church and to discern a Vocation. Sadly, this does not seem to be the case for most of my fellows.

Pius :knight1:

 

[mexilad]

How does one become a server?

When I was a boy, in fifth grade of Catholic school, I became an acolyte (AKA alter bot or server).

How long have you been serving?

I served from are 10 to age 17.

Do you serve in the OF or EF?

I don’t know what OF or EF stand for.

What do you most like about serving?

I really felt like I was doing something worrth doing. I truely felt I was serving a worthy, Godly purpose.

Do you have a set time to practice? How often?

I seem to remember a lot of reading material. Then you did your first mass with senior alter boy to walk through stuff. I still remember his name after over 33 years. Thank you David Brady.

Do you get nervous?

At first yes. Eventually, I only got nervous when my mom was at Mass. If you had an Irish mom, you’d understand.

What is the primary thought in your mind while serving

I was a boy. I thought about God, the meaning of life and profound exitential issues. I also thought or hoped the pretty girl in the congregation would see me serving Mass and want to talk to me after Church. Sadly, being an alter boy never helped me with the girls.

Has serving helped you in your spiritual life?

I would say yes, but it is difficult for me to explain how. I learned there is diginty in service.

Has serving helped foster in you, or a server you know, the desire to become a priest?

For me, no. I always knew I did not have the calling to be a priest. Sadly, I know of nobody from my Catholic school or who was an alter boy that became a priest or deacon or other religious. That is sad.

 

[ConstantineTG]

For those who serve or have served in the past:

For the first time I served this evening

How does one become a server?

Approach the priest and tell him you want to serve

How long have you been serving?

6 hours

Do you serve in the OF or EF?

Today I served in a Byzantine Rite Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. Will also be serving at Divine Liturgy in the future, and possibly other services.

What do you most like about serving?

That fact that you are serving at the Master’s table

Do you have a set time to practice? How often?

The priest just went over the motions quickly with me the night before, then today he’d give me queues on what to do next. Because of the variation of the services in the Byzantine Rite, its hard to get a feel of all of the services unless you’ve been attending them all for years. I’m kind of a neophyte in the Byzantine Rite as well. In the Roman tradition, the Mass is pretty much the same all year round.

Do you get nervous?

A little bit.

What is the primary thought in your mind while serving?

“This is awesome”

Has serving helped you in your spiritual life?

I am hoping that it will.

Has serving helped foster in you, or a server you know, the desire to become a priest?

I always thought, even the days I was a practicing Roman Catholic, that I want to learn how to serve, even though if I avoided it when I was younger. There is a separate thought on ordination that I believe any devout male would have entertained to some extent as one point in their life. If I really felt that I was called, I don’t think I need to serve the altar to realize that. On the other hand, I chose to serve also to know if I do indeed have a calling. So its the other way around.

Thanks for being patient with my curiosity.

No worries

 

[TrueLight]

For the first time I served this evening

That’s exciting!

The priest just went over the motions quickly with me the night before, then today he’d give me queues on what to do next. Because of the variation of the services in the Byzantine Rite, its hard to get a feel of all of the services unless you’ve been attending them all for years. I’m kind of a neophyte in the Byzantine Rite as well. In the Roman tradition, the Mass is pretty much the same all year round.

I’m not sure what the Byzantine Rite is like (I will look it up on Youtube soon), but I really thought the servers practiced a lot more. What type of cues does the priest give? Soft whispers? An arch of an eyebrow?

 

[ConstantineTG]

That’s exciting!

I’m not sure what the Byzantine Rite is like (I will look it up on Youtube soon), but I really thought the servers practiced a lot more. What type of cues does the priest give? Soft whispers? An arch of an eyebrow?

Soft whispers. Most of what I had to do was put incense in the censer and hand it to him. Interestingly in the Divine Liturgy, lay people are not allowed at the altar/Holy Table. So unlike the Mass where you’d have altar servers preparing the books and even the scared vessels, you don’t do that in the Divine Liturgy. All these are done by the priest.

Certainly more training would have benefited me more. But at this point we just want to do the Liturgy with a server because the priest is usually alone in our parish and he doesn’t want to keep reaching for the censer as its used many times in the Liturgy.

If you want videos, I recommend this youtube channel of St. Elias Ukrainian Catholic parish:
youtube.com/user/tsyhan

 

[BouncingBall]

How does one become a server?
They put up a notice in the church bulletin that they were looking for more servers

How long have you been serving?
Only once so far, first one was at Palm Sunday vigil Mass

Do you serve in the OF or EF?
OF

What do you most like about serving?
being deemed worthy enough by God to serve at the altar. Like being a “holy waitress”.

Do you have a set time to practice? How often?
I watch altar server training videos on YouTube during the week.

Do you get nervous?
YES.

What is the primary thought in your mind while serving?
I hope that I am sitting up straight. I hope that I am not walking too fast in the procession. I hope I don’t drop this big brass crucifix.

Has serving helped you in your spiritual life?
Yes definitely.

Has serving helped foster in you, or a server you know, the desire to become a priest?
I’m a chick, so I can’t be a priest.

 

[TrueLight]

Soft whispers. Most of what I had to do was put incense in the censer and hand it to him. Interestingly in the Divine Liturgy, lay people are not allowed at the altar/Holy Table. So unlike the Mass where you’d have altar servers preparing the books and even the scared vessels, you don’t do that in the Divine Liturgy. All these are done by the priest.

Certainly more training would have benefited me more. But at this point we just want to do the Liturgy with a server because the priest is usually alone in our parish and he doesn’t want to keep reaching for the censer as its used many times in the Liturgy.

If you want videos, I recommend this youtube channel of St. Elias Ukrainian Catholic parish:
youtube.com/user/tsyhan

Thanks!

I took a look at some of the videos. I like the music. In the video below, is it the congregation that is singing or a choir? If it’s the congregation, I love that!

What is happening in the Dormition Liturgy?

 

[TrueLight]

What do you most like about serving?
being deemed worthy enough by God to serve at the altar. Like being a “holy waitress”.

LOL, hilarious. I also love the person who said it was like being a squire in the Court of heaven. Or something like that. Laziness prevented me from scrolling up.

 

[DrumMonkey316]

How does one become a server? The Parish I attended growing up had sign-ups and training sessions usually once or twice a year.

How long have you been serving? 1994-2002 as an Altar Server (when they first announced that girls could be), 2001-2002 as a Eucharistic Minister (senior year of high school & only for Youth Masses)

Do you serve in the OF or EF? altar server and Eucharistic Minister

What do you most like about serving? I enjoyed every aspect of it, but especially Liturgy of the Eucharist

Do you have a set time to practice? How often? Our Parish had it set for usually once a year, but sometimes two

Do you get nervous? Usually, but eventually I would feel a calming sensation (which I took to be the Holy Spirit)

What is the primary thought in your mind while serving? worship, reverence, and prayer

Has serving helped you in your spiritual life? It helped me to understand Mass and other celebrations much better

Has serving helped foster in you, or a server you know, the desire to become a priest? For me, it would have been a Nun (keep in mind girls/women can serve as well now). I took the idea much more seriously, but I felt a stronger pull towards married life. If things ever change more, and one can be Married to a spouse and to God (i.e. as a Nun or Priest), I would love to pursue it. I know the discussion happens, but nothing has changed yet. For the time being, I find other ways to pursue serving God more.

 

[BouncingBall]

I’d like to add one thing that came to mind while I was serving:

Psalm 123:2 – “Behold as the eyes of the servants are on the hands of their masters, As the eyes of the handmaid are on the hands of her mistress: so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until he have mercy on us.”

 

[ConstantineTG]

Thanks!

I took a look at some of the videos. I like the music. In the video below, is it the congregation that is singing or a choir? If it’s the congregation, I love that!

What is happening in the Dormition Liturgy?

St. Elias has a choir, although its expected that the entire congregation would sing. In our parish we normally would have a cantor. So its just one person who’s sole purpose is to lead, not sing solo. Everyone should follow his lead and sing.

In the Dormition Liturgy you linked, the priest is anointing the congregation with Myrovannya. Its festal anointing with blessed oil. Its done at the end of Divine Liturgy for Great Feasts. Then they take some Artos which is blessed bread. Artos is different from Antidoron as Antidoron is the portion of the Communion bread that is not consecrated. Although the whole bread is blessed at the beginning, only a portion is cut and brought to the altar for consecration. Artos, the entire bread is meant to be blessed and distributed as part of the celebration of a Feast. None of that bread is consecrated.

 

[TrueLight]

St. Elias has a choir, although its expected that the entire congregation would sing. In our parish we normally would have a cantor. So its just one person who’s sole purpose is to lead, not sing solo. Everyone should follow his lead and sing.

In the Dormition Liturgy you linked, the priest is anointing the congregation with Myrovannya. Its festal anointing with blessed oil. Its done at the end of Divine Liturgy for Great Feasts. Then they take some Artos which is blessed bread. Artos is different from Antidoron as Antidoron is the portion of the Communion bread that is not consecrated. Although the whole bread is blessed at the beginning, only a portion is cut and brought to the altar for consecration. Artos, the entire bread is meant to be blessed and distributed as part of the celebration of a Feast. None of that bread is consecrated.

Interesting. Thanks for the education!

 

[MissRose73]

I served as a minister of hospitality and also a Eucharistic minister from the time I was confirmed at age 17 till I graduated from university then moved away from home at age 23.

I did fill in on those ministries as needed when I returned home a few years later to start at a different job. Its more of a substitute role but not on the regular schedule.

The hospitality thing did get me out of my shell some, and I did assist my mother who still does that ministry to this day. I did help with it before confirmation.

Eucharistic ministry (mainly one of the ministers of the Cup), I took on sometime after Confirmation. I last did that at Christmas when I visited at my parents’ church where many of those who are in charge of various things know my mother & some have known me since I was a teen.

For both things, it was serving others - male and female, young and old, married, single, widowed, etc and doing good for others.

 

[Te_Deum]

How does one become a server?

A priestly friend gave me a phone number to get in contact with the fellow who trains servers in my area.

How long have you been serving?

Easter Sunday with be my seventh Sunday serving.

Do you serve in the OF or EF?

Extraordinary Form.

What do you most like about serving?

I am ministering at the altar of God, what’s not to like? It’s also allowed me to come to a deeper understanding of the traditional liturgy.

Do you have a set time to practice? How often?

My trainer believes in baptism by fire. I spent Septuagesima, Sexagesima and Quinquagesima Sundays “officially” observing and started on the First Sunday of Lent. For the first few Sundays I basically followed him around doing what he did.

Do you get nervous?

First time, yes. Now? Only about tripping over my soutane .

What is the primary thought in your mind while serving?

Honestly? Right now just making sure I am getting all the forms right. I am sure as I get more relaxed and accustomed to serving I will be able to focus more on the Mass its self than the formalities of what I am meant to be doing.

Has serving helped you in your spiritual life?

Yes as it has made sure I get to the Extraordinary Form all the time now, instead of my on-and-off practice for the last couple of years. And the Extraordinary Form is absolutely essential to my spiritual life.

Has serving helped foster in you, or a server you know, the desire to become a priest?

It is my desire to be a priest that has fostered in me a desire to be an altar server .

 

[kurtmasur]

Here is my experience:

I was an altar server for a about 7 years during the 90s. Shortly after receiving my First Communion (age 11), my family encouraged me to become an altar-server. One day our parish announced that it was holding an altar-server training session and that anyone interested in becoming one should just show up, and so I did.

This was for OF of the Mass.

Practice? There was some practice at the initial training sessions, but the real practice came from serving in the actual Masses. I was nervous at first when starting out because I was concerned if I was doing everything right or not. But afterward it became very natural. I loved serving so much that I volunteered to do even extraordinary Masses whenever possible (eg. weddings and funerals, especially during the summer).

Yes, definitely it helped me spiritually. I had already wanted to become a priest before becoming an altar server, so no, it didn’t instill the desire for the priesthood in me, since I had already had it.

What I liked most about serving was being at the forefront of where the Mass was happening. I think I also enjoyed ringing the bells during the Eucharistic Prayer…as a child at that time it gave me a certain pride

What was I thinking while serving at Mass? I don’t really know. Mostly nothing since I remember always being on alert for what would happen next. However, on rare occasions it so happened that funny thoughts were running in my head and I was trying really hard NOT to laugh, especially during the homily when I could sit back and relax a little. As I was fighting the laugh, the most that may have come out was a smile…I was even asked afterward by a relative if I had indeed wanted to laugh and if yes, what it was that was going through my head:-D But this was just an exception. Most of the time I only concentrated on the Mass.

Anecdote: One time our parish had an ultra-conservative priest who didn’t like having females at the altar. (apparently females were not allowed on the altar pre-Vatican II). So he had me read the intentions of the Universal Prayer (the one said after the Creed), rather than the lady who would have otherwise read them. At the time I thought that reading the intentions as an altar server was something odd and out of my scope of duties, but thanks to that I later became a lector during my post-altar server years (btw, a lot of people supported that priest. Many appreciated that he was very conservative and traditional, as priests of that type were a rare species, especially for a time like the 90s, when the post-Vatican II modernism was at its pinnacle. Thanks to our Holy Father, Pope Benedict, I get the impression that we are experiencing a return to more traditional and reverent liturgical practices).

 

[PA650]

For those who serve or have served in the past:

How does one become a server?

**I was able to serve with the permission of my parish’s deacon.
**
How long have you been serving?

**For at least half a year since I started serving. **

Do you serve in the OF or EF?

**Only the OF at this point. **

What do you most like about serving?

The honor of serving at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Do you have a set time to practice? How often?
**
I only received hands-on training shadowing a fellow altar server. Since then, I gained much more experience and knowledge through familiarizing myself with the rubrics intended for inferior ministers of the Extraordinary Form.
**
Do you get nervous?
**
Not so much anymore. At times, I felt nervous when ringing the ‘sanctus bells’ during the consecration of the Body and Blood of Christ.**

What is the primary thought in your mind while serving?

**To serve reverently with any mistakes being as little as possible.
**
Has serving helped you in your spiritual life?

**It has helped. I originally started serving since I embarked on the path for discernment regarding the diocesan priesthood. **

Has serving helped foster in you, or a server you know, the desire to become a priest?
**
Well, I originally started serving due to discernment regarding the diocesan priesthood. The only other servers I have served with were older males and a few older females who are not eligible for the priesthood.
**
Thanks for being patient with my curiosity.

You’re welcome. God Bless.

 

[Dicerning]

For those who serve or have served in the past:

How does one become a server?
How long have you been serving?
Do you serve in the OF or EF?
What do you most like about serving?
Do you have a set time to practice? How often?
Do you get nervous?
What is the primary thought in your mind while serving?
Has serving helped you in your spiritual life?
Has serving helped foster in you, or a server you know, the desire to become a priest?

Thanks for being patient with my curiosity.

I have been serving off and on for 35 years…(since childhood). I am entering into the final phase of (permanent) deacon formation and have been in the sanctuary quite a bit the last few years. Usually every weekend I am serving. The more you do it the more comfortable you feel. I have served for every type of Mass (well almost) and basically emcee now. The more you do it the more you know. As I served more I became more interested in the litrugy documents and have become quite familiar with the GIRM and Missal. The most difficult Mass to servie is the Easter vigil. I spent last week preparing for the vigil. There is nothing more elegant than a well prepared easter vigil. If properly prepared the Priest should never need to gesture for anything. The only mistake at our vigil was our young altar servers (under my direction) were flow to light the altar during the gloria.

 

[Dicerning]

Anecdote: (apparently females were not allowed on the altar pre-Vatican II). ).

Actually females were not allowed officially until march 15 1994.

 

[Dicerning]

especially for a time like the 90s, when the post-Vatican II modernism was at its pinnacle. Thanks to our Holy Father, Pope Benedict, I get the impression that we are experiencing a return to more traditional and reverent liturgical practices).

Actually the pinnacle of modernism was around 1975-1980. THings started to get much better in the 1990s

 

[kurtmasur]

Actually the pinnacle of modernism was around 1975-1980. THings started to get much better in the 1990s

Oh I see. Considering I wasn’t around then, I wouldn’t have ever realized that. But if I compare the Church in the 90s to what we have now under Pope Benedict, I would definitely say there has been an improvement.

Btw, returning to the subject of the conservative priest in my anecdote, needless to say he didn’t make a lot of the affected ladies happy. They actually made a collective effort and complained to the relevant authorities and the priest was eventually ousted. It was a sad day in our parish when the priest suddenly announced he was leaving, or more accurately, forced to go. It was politics at play by them ladies and unfortunately we lost a very good priest.