As an Altar Server, I know the importance of my job: to assist others in Serving the Lord at Mass or Holy Hour. Others may claim that servers aren’t necessary to Mass at all. Personally, I believe that they are necessary to the Catholic Church. It allows the Youth to be closer to God by being on the Altar and being Active at Mass which in turn allows them to learn more about their faith. Altar Serving is potentially a stepping stone to religious life. Altar Serving is a part of the Ancient History of the Catholic Church. Altar Serving comes with many benefits that counter what others may say about serving.
Just like any other job or volunteer job, Altar Serving comes with Prerequisites. One of which is a very obvious one: Being Catholic. According to an article by LA Catholics, it states: “Ideally, servers are fully initiated Catholics. Altar servers must have received the Sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist; youths who have not been confirmed may serve.” (LA Catholics Paragraph 5). In other words, Servers must be Baptized at some point in their life. They must have received their First Communion, which is the very first time you receive the Body of Christ. One of the prerequisites is to be confirmed. This is when you receive the Holy Spirit into your life. Although, this isn’t necessarily as required as the other two are. The article continues to state: “Servers normally receive the Eucharist whenever they participate in the liturgy. The minimum age and scheduling procedures are left to the pastor’s discretion. Recommended minimum age for youth is roughly the fifth grade.” (LA Catholics Paragraph 6).What this means is that they must be at the 5th grade level although this can vary from Parish to Parish. For example, I know of two servers at my Parish who were in the fourth grade as well as some of my friends who were installed as fourth grade Altar Servers many years ago. If you have these requirements, you are able to become a Server.
Altar Serving’s history dates back to the second century. According to a handbook by the Owensboro Diocese, Altar Servers have existed since the second century and were originally all male since this would be a stepping stone to be a priest. (Altar Server Guidelines Paragraph 2). What this meant is that there were no Female Altar Servers in this era since women weren’t, and still can’t, become priests. In the modern era, this is not true anymore. Altar Servers can be female or male. Altar Serving, while still a potential stepping stone to Seminary, doesn’t necessarily mean Priesthood or Religious life. Nowadays, you can be a Server to learn about your faith or to add involvement into your life. In my experience, I became an Altar Server because I needed involvement in my life. I then turned to Altar Serving because I felt like I would experience the greatest involvement out of any other choice. I still serve to this day because I have learned about my faith as well as because I feel involved at Church. Overall, Altar Serving’s history started as a definite stepping stone to the Priesthood, it has changed to be more inclusive and as a place for the Youth to learn.
Many people don’t really know what exactly Altar Servers do. They believe that we are there for no real reason and therefore don’t really add anything to Mass. However, a manual by Thomas M. Dousa, Ceremonies Explained for Servers: A Manual for Altar Server, Acolytes, Sacristans, and Master of Ceremonies, says otherwise. In his manual, he claimed that Altar Servers assist in the celebration of Mass. They do this by serving God with piety, discipline, and reverence (Dousa Page 1). What this means is that servers are supposed to act like God is in their presence. For Catholics, we do believe that God is in our presence everytime we celebrate Mass. It would only make sense for an Altar Server to act like God is in their presence. He does briefly imply that there is symbolism with Altar Servers. He stated that: “The second chapter offers a panoramic overview of the liturgy, stressing the importance of its symbolism, enumerating the different kinds of agents involved in liturgy, and outlining the rhythm of the liturgical year.” (Dousa Page 1). What this means is that there is symbolism in being an Altar Server. One can even imply that this means that God himself wanted Altar Servers. Some may ask why we need Servers, when in reality we are needed not only in the eyes of tradition but in the Eyes of God himself.
Some people’s first hand experience of Altar Serving gives a really good interpretation of what a Server actually does. An article titled: “Altar Boys” by David Beresford discusses his experiences as an Altar Server, He stated: “I recall the excitement that I felt when it was my turn to ring the bells or walk with the priest carrying the bucket as he sprinkled holy water on the congregation. But the greatest thrill of all was the incense.” (Beresford Paragraph 2). This gives us an insight to what servers really do. An Altar Server is in charge of the bells which symbolizes the Holy Spirit coming to the Church and into the Eucharist. The reason it is a Bell is to draw attention to the front of the Altar. As he mentioned, the Server is in charge of holding the Bucket containing the Holy Water. This is used by the priest to bless the Congregation present. In his eyes, the incense was his most favorite item to use. The incense comes from a vessel called the thurible that is literally an extremely small barbeque pit except it has no grill. The sole purpose is also to bless but with smoke with a very floral fragrance. The author also goes into detail of what his life was like as a Server. He stated: “My favorite Mass to serve was the 7:15 on weekday mornings. The other two daily mass times were 8:10 AM and 5:20 PM. The 5:20 was for people coming home from work, with most of these either on foot or riding bicycles.” (Beresford Paragraph 3). This does give the reader an idea of the schedule of an Altar Server. Personally, I serve at 3 different Mass Times as well as a Holy Hour service on Thursdays. I have continued to Serve not only because I feel involved because I have been allowed to do things such as the Incense and ring the Bells. The reason why this is so special is because I feel a sense of importance where I feel like I actually am helping God himself by helping the Priest serve Mass. What both my personal and the author’s experience states is that there are multiple times a Server actually serves. In his era, he was allowed to skip class to serve at Mass. He also mentioned how Priests would come to his school to request a server. He also mentioned how there was a time that Serving was on the decline but made a comeback with his two sons which brought back many memories. He even mentioned how his kids are now able to do things he was never able to do like pray certain Latin hymns. What this whole article demonstrates is how when a Server learns about their faith, they are willing to stick by it for a very long time and in some cases influence their children to join the ministry. This means that we could potentially see generations of Altar Servers from one family!
Another Article that dives deeper into the day to day lives of servers is “Altar Servers: Servants of Jesus” We look at Altar Servers who are aiming to be priests someday. They reside in the Vatican and are tasked to serve at St. Peter’s Basilica. Two servers are to take each Mass. What is uncommon about this is that the servers live together because after all they are planning to join the Priesthood. Some of them even come from outside Italy and reside in the Seminary. This is a full display of Altar Serving being a Stepping Stone to the Priesthood. I like to make the analogy that Altar Serving is the internship to Priesthood as you are essentially watching the Priest do his job like you would at an internship. This has the ability to motivate you to become a Priest. I once had an experience where I did think Priesthood was for me and I attribute that to being on the Altar. This story is very common with Altar Servers around the world. While some may follow this pathway, some may not and choose another pathway. The point is that this allows the youth to consider Priesthood and the benefits that come from it.
Altar Serving is very unique and it follows the tradition of the Church. Serving dates back to the second century and were originally all male since this would be a stepping stone to religious life. While this is not necessarily true in the modern era, it can still be true for some.
Servers are there to help others celebrate being in God’s presence. We do this by ringing bells, using the incense, and holding a bucket for the Priest to spray Holy Water. Those that do join the priesthood still serve to some capacity like those seminarians that serve in the Vatican. While experiences vary from person to person, the bottom line is that it allows the youth to be active at Mass. It can be fun because you get to do things that you would otherwise not be allowed to do. This can make you keep returning to Church and eventually your youth may join serving as well. This shows the connection you formed through serving. Anyone who has completed the prerequisites to serve are given the privilege to join in the Ancient Tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. As Servers we must display piety, reverence, and respect because we know that we are in the presence of our Creator which gives us a sense of importance that what we are doing is wonderful in the Eyes of the Lord and that is all that a Server can ever ask for.
Works Cited:
Dousa. (2020). Ceremonies Explained for Servers: A Manual for Altar Servers, Acolytes, Sacristans, and Masters of Ceremonies [Review of Ceremonies Explained for Servers: A Manual for Altar Servers, Acolytes, Sacristans, and Masters of Ceremonies]. The Catholic Library World, 91(1), 50–51. Catholic Library Association. https://cuny-cc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=cdi_proquest_journals_2447004516&context=PC&vid=01CUNY_CC:CUNY_CC&lang=en&search_scope=IZ_CI_AW&adaptor=Primo%20Central&tab=Everything&query=any,contains,altar%20servers&mode=basic
“Altar Servers: Servants of Jesus.” (2002). Momentum (Washington), 33(4), 71–.https://cuny-cc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=cdi_proquest_miscellaneous_2100253781&context=PC&vid=01CUNY_CC:CUNY_CC&lang=en&search_scope=IZ_CI_AW&adaptor=Primo%20Central&tab=Everything&query=any,contains,altar%20servers:%20servants%20of%20jesus&offset=0 [Assessed 16 October 2022]
Go-gale-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu. 2022. Shibboleth Authenti cation Request. [online] Available at: <https://go-gale-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=cuny_ccny&id=GALE|A322903110&v=2.1&it=r> [Accessed 16 October 2022].
LA Catholics | Archdiocese of Los Angeles. 2022. Altar Servers | LA Catholics. [online] Available at: <https://lacatholics.org/altar-servers/> [Accessed 16 October 2022].
Holyart.com Blog. 2022. The roles of Altar Servers – Holyart.com Blog. [online] Available at: <https://www.holyart.com/blog/religious-items/roles-altar-servers/> [Accessed 16 October 2022].
Altar Server Guidelines – Diocese of Owensboro. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2022, from https://owensborodiocese.org/wp-content/uploads/Altar_Servers.pdf
This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
