What side does the Altar Server wear the cincture?

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On what side does an Altar Server wear the cincture (over the alb)?
 
hamburglar said:
On what side does an Altar Server wear the cincture (over the alb)?
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I dont think there are any rubrics for this. Today, for some reason, Altar Servers wear funny-looking albs. In the past, and in some churches today, servers wear the cassock and surplice, where they dont need a cincture.
 
I usually put mine on the left hip.
But my friend does his up with “stole loops” like a priest does (I think that is silly as he has nothing to secure)
Though of course this goes out the window if we wear cassocks and surplices
 
Brain said:
I usually put mine on the left hip.
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That is the side I usually have my altar servers wear them on. As far as I know, there isn’t anything written stating which side they are to wear them on. The only thin I ask is that they all wear them on the same side, so they don’t look sloppy.

Now, if I can only get them to wear them at their NATURAL waist level - but that’s a different subject entirely! :rolleyes:
 
As far as I know there is no rule on this one. I am working to get the kids just not to play with them during mass, instead keep their hands folded when they are not doing any other action in the church.
 
The altargirls around here don’t wear them. Their attire looks more like (usually) white monk’s habits that just hang loose.
 
It’s been a while, but I think I wore mine of whatever side it was easiest to secure as a rightie… :o

If wearing cassock and surplus, doesn’t matter because no one can see it (It is needed if you have long cassocks and small servers 😉 )
 
cassocks and surplices are the way to go but the problem arieses when the altar server corps are girls…then the attire should be albs…cassocks are surplices are male attire (clerical and preclerical) but that horse has beaten so many times…I believe when I was a young man we wore cassocks and surplices and when the girls showed up we switched to albs and from what I can gather the left hip was where the cincture “knot” should be.
 
THurifer2 said:
cassocks and surplices are the way to go but the problem arieses when the altar server corps are girls…then the attire should be albs…cassocks are surplices are male attire (clerical and preclerical) but that horse has beaten so many times…I believe when I was a young man we wore cassocks and surplices and when the girls showed up we switched to albs and from what I can gather the left hip was where the cincture “knot” should be.
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One interesting way this was handled when I was served was that we guys would wear the cassock and surplus and the girl would wear an alb with a black cross type thing… It was like a black ‘surplus’ that just covered her shoulders and then dropped down her front and back to her waist. She would also then be the cross bearer as it was in a cross shape and it would look odd to have us in any other arrangment (as it was always 2 males to 1 female, or just 3 males in all cassock/surplus). I honestly don’t know what it was called though, or if it was just made by one of our nuns…
 
See, I thought that there was something like wear the Priests always wore them on the left side, but no one else was permitted to wear it on the right side, so I was supposed to wear it on the right side. I saw this somewhere else on the internet, as well. Of course, the internet has known to be wrong before.👍

Actually, I am serving at my College next Friday because we have a new President so a Mass will be celebrated for the Inauguration. I’m pretty sure the Bishop will be there (I’m excited!) and there will be a master of ceremonies plus three other servers, so I can just follow along there.
 
I am an altar server, and we decided that the first person who arrives for serving at Mass gets to choose the left or right side for him/herself and the other altar servers. Everyone almost always chooses the left.

As long as it’s not on the back, I’m fine with either. After all, as a beginning altar server who witnessed someone with it on the back of his robe, I said to my friend, “Why does he wear his cinture like that? He looks like he has a tail!”

And, much to my humiliation, that guy was referred to as
“Tail-Boy” for a long time after that. He had no idea why…

:o 🙂 :o 🙂 :o 🙂 :o 🙂
 
I don’t know which side the Servers at our parish have their knot on, but I do know that if they fail to put their cincture on, the Dominican nun who is principal of the church school comes back and reprimands them without a moment’s hesitation.
 
Caesar said:
I dont think there are any rubrics for this. Today, for some reason, Altar Servers wear funny-looking albs. In the past, and in some churches today, servers wear the cassock and surplice, where they dont need a cincture.
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Sorry to nitpick :D, but the surplice itself traces its origins to the alb, which became smaller and smaller by cutting. Of course, in some non-Roman rites, they wore, or wear, albs instead of surplices. I myself was not used to servers wearing ‘server albs’, though. The first time I saw one, I was thinking, ‘Why are the servers wearing habits?’ due to the ‘hood’ on their albs, which no doubt is inspired by the Amice (which Servers wearing actual albs in other Liturgical Rites also wore, if I’m not mistaken). Until then I assumed that all albs are hoodless. :o

As for the cincture, I think either left or right side is fine.
 
my son wears a white alb with a hood on:D and the cincture to the left the children call their alb and cincture their whites and ropes though they do know the proper names for them of course, i am forever washing candle wax from my sons alb 🙂 and it shows up the slightest mark but their easy to clean really and the children actually like to wear them.
x
 
I think, when I was an altar boy, I kept the cincture tied on the left side; I might be applying reasoning after the fact, but I would guess the reason is because the thurifer holds the thurible in his right hand, and it’s best not to have anything dangly on that side.
 
japhy said:
I think, when I was an altar boy, I kept the cincture tied on the left side; I might be applying reasoning after the fact, but I would guess the reason is because the thurifer holds the thurible in his right hand, and it’s best not to have anything dangly on that side.
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I agree with that, never thought of the thurible point… although I always tie my knot on the left anyways.

I think I remember reading somewhere that deacons did that because their stole goes to the right, and seminarians followed suit because they may be deacons in the future.

I’ve never worn a cassock and surplice, and the fascia is on the left side as well

In Christ,

-Raph-
JMJ!
 
This is an old tradition, but only clerics were permitted to wear the fascia and only on the left side. Non clerics (alterboys, laymen, etc.) were not permitted to wear the fascia at all.

If I were to make a suggestion. If albs are worn, the cincture should be secured on the right side only.

After VII most of these distinctions were regretably thrown out the window.

Here is some more detailed information: vergessenheit.multiply.com/journal/item/7
 
One sacristan at my parish cares which side they are on, and the other really doesn’t. I usually put set it on my left side, but sometimes I’m told to set it on my right side.
 
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