|
Serving at the altar and assisting as an altar server during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is a privilege and honor. The attention, reverence, and prayerful assistance you provide not only helps you to grow in perfection and holiness, but also is a model for the members of Christ’s faithful who make up the congregation. Your service at the altar is a great help to the priest and deacon, in whose ministry you share when you serve. The following document is meant to serve as a manual for our servers so that they might be certain and decisive in their service, habituated to a common way of serving Mass according to the norms of the Church, and free their minds from any anxiety so that they might better pray during their service.
Who Can Serve?
• Any person who, having received first Holy Communion, expresses a desire to serve and whose parents support their obligations as a server (especially bringing them to their assigned Mass on time).
• Any person who is capable of fixing their attention on the Mass for the duration of the Sunday Mass.
• Any person who has completed a training session or, at the discretion of the parish priest, grown in ability and readiness through frequent shadowing of experienced servers. After a training session, a server will begin shadowing for 3 to 4 Masses or until the server is comfortable to carry out the responsibilities.
• Preferably, one able to receive Holy Communion at the Mass at which they serve (they have fasted for one hour prior to receiving Holy Communion and are not conscious of any grave sins that have not been confessed sacramentally prior to receiving Holy Communion).
| 
