Vincen de Paul Saint
catholic church | seward, nebraska
Altar Server
Providing a Valuable Serv
O
ver the past year, a global health crisis has changed countless things about the way we live and worship. With many of our ministries on hold, we have gained a new understanding and appreciation for the various ways that parishioners serve the Church and our parish here at St. Vincent de Paul. The young men who assist with the celebration of the Mass as altar servers have been dearly missed in the times when this ministry had to be suspended, demonstrating just how valuable their presence and service at the altar truly is! Terry Wehrs has been helping with our Altar Server Ministry for over 10 years now. He sees this ministry as a great benefit to both the priests and the altar servers. “It facilitates the priest in having a respectful Mass,” Terry says. “He doesn’t have to get all of the accouterments up to the altar, and it shows the reverence of his position as a priest because he has helpers. For the young men, it could be a stepping stone to a vocation. It’s a different aspect of the Mass for them and they can see the priest in a different light.” New altar servers are trained through a simulated Mass, where they are walked through each step of the process of serving. They start in the sacristy, where they learn to put on the cassock and surplice, and how to light and carry the candles. Next, they practice processing in and assisting with various parts of the Mass, including carrying the water and wine up to the altar for the priest to prepare the chalice, bringing up the water for the priest’s ritual cleansing, and holding the paten during the distribution of Holy Communion. For many servers, a favorite moment of the Mass
Altar serving provides young men in the parish with an opportunity to participate more fully in the Mass.
occurs when they get to ring the bells during the epiclesis and the raising of the chalice and the Host. Parishioner Paul Hughes began helping Terry with altar server training a little over a year ago. As someone who served in this way as a young man himself, Paul knows firsthand the blessings this ministry brings to our altar servers. “I was an altar server until I was about 16, and I liked being of service,” Paul says. “If the altar servers pay attention and really care, they learn that the Mass is holy and that Christ is actually there. You can see some of them being very reverent during the Mass. It’s going to touch their hearts and their spirit and help them become better men continued on page 5
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