3 minute read
Altar Servers: Beginning a Lifelong Journey with the Mass
Throughout the years, Deacon Michael Tateishi has witnessed the profound impact that serving Our Lord at the altar has made in the lives of our young parishioners.
“It really instills in them an appreciation for service and a sense of comfort with the Mass,” he says. “Most of them seem to have really great memories of serving. Sometimes they will come back to me and say things like, ‘Remember me? I was altar serving at that Easter Vigil when no one else was around!’ It is so nice to see so many of them returning to Church, getting married and wanting their children to be baptized.”
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“Our altar servers represent the parish on the altar, and their role is very important,” Deacon Paul Friedrich adds. “By being reverent and responsive, they give everyone a good worship experience.”
Our parish altar servers are now hard at work again after not serving for a while due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They are students in the fifth through eighth grade and are currently being coordinated and trained by Deacon Tateishi.
“They are starting up slowly but surely,” Deacon Tateishi says. “Most of them seem happy to be back at it. The fifth and sixth-graders have a special appreciation for serving because it is new for them. We just trained a new group for the first time in about two years.”
The servers are usually trained during the spring of their fourth-grade year and are assigned to serve after the school year ends. In addition to receiving formal training, they learn by shadowing more experienced servers as well. “During the training, we teach them how integral they are to the Mass,” Deacon Tateishi says. “Without their assistance, Father has a very difficult time, especially when it comes to the Liturgy of the Eucharist. They really help keep things moving along in a nice, orderly fashion. We tell them to be aware of this fact while they are on the altar, but not to overthink things. We encourage them to relax, observe what others are doing, and ask us if they have any questions.”
Michael assists Fr. Eduino.
The main duties of our parish altar servers are to arrive 15 minutes before Mass; make sure the altar and credence tables are prepared, and prepare them if they are not; assist the priest at the very beginning of Mass; hold the liturgical books during the Liturgy of the Word; prepare the altar and respond to the prayers during the Liturgy of the Eucharist and help the priest during Communion.
Altar server David assists at Mass.
Barrett is one of our altar servers.
Brothers Brody and Grant serve at Mass.
Overall, the Altar Server Ministry is a beautiful way to bring to life the stewardship vision in our midst.
“Service is such an essential part of our parish life, and it is so important to teach our young people the value of it,” Deacon Tateishi says. “Altar serving helps do this.”
Ultimately, by encouraging our young people to serve at the sacred altar, where Christ offers His life for us with infinite mercy, we are encouraging them to give their lives generously in return.
“When you become an altar server, you begin a lifelong journey with the Mass,” Deacon Friedrich says. “Serving helps you grow closer to the Mass, understand it better, and take it with you. Hopefully, serving will help our young people become more involved in their faith in the future, such as with other ministries, or by entering the consecrated life or the priesthood.”
