VOICE NOVEMBER 2005

ALTAR SERVERS

AND MINISTRY AT EUCHARIST

"....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...." This little short direction from the General Instruction of the Roman Missal describes how altar servers are mandated to assist at the altar during the celebration of Mass.Since 1994, this ministry has been clearly open to boys and girls, men and women. There is no direction about age of altar servers. Here at St. Mary’s it has been the custom to invite youngsters in the fifth grade and above to be ministers of the altar. I must apologize to the kids in the fifth grade last year. I guess there never was a general invitation given to them.

We need altar servers. There are twenty to twenty five significant celebrations of Mass in our parish each month. These are Sunday Masses, Holy Day Masses, Funeral Masses, School Masses and other special Masses. We need servers. They contribute to the ritual and the order of the celebration.

I want to tell you that I am grateful to the young people and adults who assist in serving at the altar. I hope that all our young people have an opportunity to do ministry at the altar either as servers or as readers of the Word of God or as extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist.

After someone receives the sacrament of Confirmation and becomes a regular communicant in the sacramental life of the Church they are eligible to be participate in the ministries of the altar.

We try to prepare a schedule for Altar Servers a couple of months at a time and publish it. I am most grateful to parents who monitor their youngsters assignment for altar serving. But I am also aware that sometimes family necessities make it impossible for the youngsters to keep their appointment. That is not the end of the world. Our altar servers are really very good in filling in for one another. Ministry to the worship of God is not a place to develop a whole new level of guilt feelings and anxiety.

My principles about this ministry are very clear in my mind: 1) It is a privilege and a joy for our community to be served by our young people. 2) Altar servers by their presence enhance our worship. 3) The instruction of the servers should be simple and easy for them to understand and carry out. 4) Every server who does their best to be attentive and to assist the liturgy does a good job. 5) We are grateful to those who try to make their appointed schedule. 6) I lose no sleep when a full compliment of servers is not available. We have never not celebrated Mass because of a lack of servers. 7) I want everyone, youngsters and adults, men and women, to feel welcome to participate in the various ministries of service to the celebration of the Eucharist.

We need many more altar servers, lectors, Eucharistic ministers and musicians. You are welcomed. Please accept the invitation to participate in the celebration of the Eucharist at St. Mary’s Parish. Together we seek to celebrate our prayer and worship with great love and joy.