July 30, 2006
Where has the summer gone? August is here already and soon school will begin again! Fr. Chuck asked me to work with Elaine King and Christine Chapman to welcome and train new young people to serve at Mass. Serving at Mass is a great privilege and honor; to carry the processional cross and lead the entrance procession, to hold the Sacramentary for the Priest and Deacon, to receive the gifts from God's people, to prepare the altar and wash the hands of the priest! By helping the priest and the people carry out the actions of the Mass, altar servers are really serving God. All of these duties require commitment, reverence, attention and devotion to the different parts of the Mass and to Jesus, present in our midst.
Not everyone is called to this ministry of service at the altar, but certainly some boys and girls will want to serve the Lord in this special way. It is awesome to participate as part of our parish family in the Mass as an altar server, but also to do important work of God's people. I recall my own training as an altar server in Watkins Glen. Before we could enroll in Altar Server practice sessions, we had to know by heart all the responses and prayers of the Mass which was celebrated in Latin. The nuns (Sisters of St. Lucy Filippini) would rehearse these prayers with us until we said them all correctly. The hardest prayer for me to learn was the "Confiteor" ("I confess"), which was part of the prayers at the foot of the altar. Now it is part of the penitential rite. I did finally learn it!
Serving Mass today is much simpler; but it is a responsibility and a wonderful gift from the Lord, drawing young people closer to Jesus. As another school year begins, we are inviting girls and boys to help serve on weekends and at the monthly school Masses. We count on parents to encourage and invite their fourth graders and older daughters and sons to consider being Altar Servers. As kids grow, their personalities emerge. We want to offer them the best opportunities to grow spiritually as well as intellectually and emotionally. There is no better way to learn about Jesus and our faith than by participating in the Mass, hearing God's Word and receiving the Bread of Life. It is at Mass that the true Christian Spirit is formed. Altar servers are the closest ones to draw strength directly from the "Spring of Salvation, Jesus, in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass."
Part of the ministry of the server is to "set the pace" for others participating. What servers do and how they do it can assist the people to understand the Mass better. Servers try to become very involved with the Mass, so that the people will become more involved also. People will take more interest in the Mass if they see that the servers are also interested. Being an altar server means serving God and His people at Mass. That is what makes serving Mass worth doing and worth doing well. Good altar servers should want to do their best.
Why does the Priest need servers to help him celebrate the Mass? From the early days of the church, people have thought that the priest should not do everything at Mass and so other people helped out: Deacons, readers, acolytes, etc. Today, altar servers do the same tasks that acolytes did in the past. In times past, altar servers were often young men studying to be priests. Today, altar servers need not be interested in becoming priests, although as you know, there is a great need for more priests in our church today, and many priestly vocations come from serving Mass. In 1994, the rule that only boys could be servers at Mass was changed. Girls are also welcome to assist the priest and deacon at Mass and we encourage the service of our girls and boys at the altar here at St. Rita Church. Why not give it a try? If you have any questions or an interest in this ministry please call Elaine King at 671-4930, Christine Chapman at 671-0346 or me at 671-1100 x 21.
Peace,
Fr. Bob
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