Altar Servers ... a Long Tradition

Dear Friends, ​

Reflecting on the past and looking to the future. Nine years ago my wife Catherine and I visited Turkey. We spent several days in an area called Cappadocia which has one of the most surreal and strange landscapes on earth, formed by thousands of years of erosion. This area has more than six hundred so-called “cave churches,” hollowed out from the volcanic rock formations. We had the privilege to celebrate a liturgy in one of these very small churches that date back to the second century. While sitting around the small stone altar, I wondered what it would have been like to serve Mass in the early church.

In the very early church, Christians gathered to celebrate the Supper of the Lord in the larger homes of the towns and villages. With flickering oil lamps and a few wooden benches, the altar was a table normally used for the daily meals. What was an ordinary dining table became the altar of the Lord. The altar servers, girls and boys, helped the deacon to prepare the altar with fine linens and the sacred vessels. These young Christians understood table etiquette and would have been very helpful in many different roles: washing hands, lighting oil lamps, preparing the bread, and placing the sacred vessels. When it was time for the readings, they would have helped keep the scrolls from rolling up thus providing a firm platform for proclaiming the word. At the Last Supper, someone had to set the table and prepare the meal. Servers are not mentioned in the gospels, but unquestionably, the very first Eucharist would have relied on servers, both girls and boys.

Today, the altar servers can influence the atmosphere of prayer by their presence in the assembly around the altar of Our Lord. Rest assured that the assembly definitely admires the altar servers. As trained young ministers, they come to the altar of God to be close to our public prayer life. As I mentioned above, this ministry goes all the way back to the early church.
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Serving is a privilege and with a privilege comes responsibility. Our altar servers have been called to serve during our liturgies. Padre Serra Parish is grateful that they have responded to this call with a real sense of dedication. They help the entire community celebrate the Eucharist by their humble service. They help the assembly thank God, and in doing so they show their love 

At Padre Serra, we have 65 dedicated young ministers, ranging in age from 10 to 20. Half are high school students and there is an equal mix of girls and boys. It is my hope that our altar servers will spend a lifetime serving the Church in many other ways and remember this ministry as a time when God gave joy to their youth.

In Christ,

Bob Shadduck
Altar Server Ministry Director


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​Come to the 9:00 am Mass on Sunday, November 20, for our annual Altar Server Installation! 

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