Introduction to Alter Service Ministry

Welcome!

Do you want to be a member of a very special group of young men in our parish who have answered God’s call to ministry? As a St. Thomas the Apostal Altar Server, you would be one of the liturgical ministers of our parish and have special tasks to perform during the liturgies, especially during the celebration of the Eucharist during mass. Serving at mass will involve learning some new words and terms. Altar Servers will also be asked to perform some very specific duties. It is important to realize that their role is to serve God by helping with prayers and with the Eucharist.

This guide covers the main details of serving at mass. This guide will help you understand the responsibilities involved in being an altar server. It should help you become more comfortable and refined if you choose to serve God in this way.

Requirements

To be an altar server, you must be a boy, at least 10 years of age and entering into the 4th – 12th grade, have received your First Holy Communion, know how to genuflect properly, and how to make the sign of the cross. You must attend mass regularly, be a member of St. Thomas the Apostal Parish or a student at St. Thomas the Apostal Catholic School, and have a strong desire to serve at the Altar of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You must have this desire and not be serving because anyone is pressuring you. An Altar Server must attend a training session and then normally “shadow” an experienced server before being allowed to serve at Mass.

Expectations

As an altar server, you would be involved in the holiest and most sacred events of Catholic worship. As you assist the priest, you help make worship more reverent, efficient, and beautiful. Altar servers are very important!

At the altar, your service is directed firstly to God, secondly to help the clergy, and thirdly as assistance to the people who are gathered by God for worship. Your actions are visible and public, but you are never a performer. A good server is not only skilled in craft or duty at the altar but also a humble and sincere person. A good server is a member of a team working together in harmony with others, serving for the glory of God. The good server is careful and reverent. 

Altar serving developed out of the temple servers of the Old Testament and, as the church evolved, developed from the order of the acolyte. When there were not enough deacons to assist the bishop or priest in the Mass, their role was deputed to acolytes. Altar serving is part of a noble tradition that has developed in the Church and is a serious responsibility.

The following is to help you become “imbued with the spirit of the liturgy. Altar servers “must be trained to perform their functions in a correct and orderly manner.” The three ideals of a server are discipline, decorum, and piety.

Discipline

You must be trained to serve. Training involves discipline. Discipline requires teamwork. You are always part of a team when serving. Precise teamwork makes a great act of worship more beautiful, peaceful, and prayerful. It draws people deeper into worship. 

Discipline involves obedience. Obedience to the clergy, obedience to the master of ceremonies, obedience to the sacristans, obedience to the team leader, obedience to the coordinators, obedience to the law of the Church, obedience to correct procedures.

Decorum

Decorum means “what is proper.” It is important that you, as an altar server, be attentive and sensitive to the presence of God during the Mass and afterward. God calls us to respond to his great love and mercy with a sense of reverence and gratitude. We must all help each other remember to show reverence to God at all times, especially when you are serving. You are expected to show reverence during mass by:

  1. Sitting still, be calm and settle your nerves
  2. Only speaking when necessary, no talking
  3. Responding with the congregation at the appropriate times
  4. Doing your best to enter into the spirit of the celebration – sing with God’s family
  5. Keeping your movements smooth and slow (not sluggish though!)
  6. Using Prayer hands and demonstrate reverence at all times
  7. Wearing the proper clothing
  8. Being neat and orderly in appearance and movement.

Decorum also means displaying a sense of dignity and reverence. It shows how to respect the presence of the Lord.

Piety

Piety is the soul or spirit of all our worship of God. It’s an attitude that directs your whole life toward God. It conveys, “I’m doing this for you, my God.” Sincere piety recognizes that God created me, that I came from God, and that I am going back to God. This keeps one humble. Piety is an attitude of adoration, sorrow for sins, thanksgiving for our lives, and interceding for others.

Interested in knowing more?

For further information, please contact:
Mariash Steele
707-478-8413
Email: polishprincez1@yahoo.com