Altar Servers

The Altar Sever is a very important part of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and other parish Liturgies, such as funeral, weddings, and Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction.  Being a Server means serving Our Blessed Lord and His people.  That is what makes serving Mass worth doing and worth doing well.  As a Server you will be a model and a leader

Pope John Paul II once told a group of servers who came to visit him, “Serving at the Eucharistic table and at the various celebrations, you draw directly ‘from the wells of salvation’ the strength necessary to live well today and then also to face the future more energetically.”

We are all called to serve the Lord with the gifts He has given us.  Being called to serve is not something you do, but something you ARE.  Being an Altar Server at St. Mary Mother of the Redeemer Catholic Church is a privilege – not a right.

Special thanks to Brian and Margaret Freese for allowing us to use their St. Joseph Catholic Church Altar Servers Manual as a template to develop St. Mary Mother of the Redeemer Catholic Church Altar Server Training Manual.  In addition, Linda Salmons for allowing us to take excerpts from her Instructions for Children and Youth Serving at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church and St. Mary Mother of the Redeemer Catholic Church.

Many Blessings,

Deacon Jack Bleile

Our Parish is deeply grateful for your acceptance and commitment to be Altar Servers. Your service and dedication are important parts of our Parish life. The place of the altar Server in liturgical celebrations remains one of prominence and distinction. As you are destined in a special way for the service of the altar, you should learn all matters concerning liturgical worship and strive to grasp their inner spiritual meaning.

The altar Server retains a genuine and vital role in the liturgical congregation. Your role, through your actions and conduct, is to bring the congregation to a fuller understanding of the liturgy and a greater love for God. You have a place of honor at Mass, because you assist Father in many ways. Your behavior and accomplishment are signs of your faith and your love for God and God’s people.

Altar Servers are chosen from the faithful who display a desire to participate in a more intimate way during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is an extreme privilege to kneel so close to the altar as our loving Savior, Jesus Christ, becomes truly present, body, blood, soul and divinity. In the presence of Our King it is both wise and necessary for you to perform all assigned duties with attention, dignity and reverence. Also keep in mind to attend to every action of the Divine Liturgy as a team, all serving the Sacred Mass in the same manner and style as your companion Altar Servers.

As you participate as instructed, you will enter into a fuller participation in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass while assisting Father. Therefore, it is imperative that all Servers do their assigned tasks in the prescribed form and manner.  I hope that your service provides you with the same wonderful memories that I have from when I served more than 35 years ago.  My years of being an altar Server and Acolyte were a wonderful time of closeness with Our Lord – as I hope they are for you.

Many Blessings,

Deacon David Rospert

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