Altar Server Ministry

Paglilingkod sa
Dambana
A Seminar Workshop for
Altar Severs
Module I:

INTRODUCTION
 The Server
- You are an Altar Server. You are a
minister, a person who serves the
parish community.

- As a minister, you assist the

community to celebrate the sacred
liturgy, that is to worship God.
- While you mainly assist the priest to
lead the people of God in prayer, he
also helps the people in church to
pray and worship God. Through the
sharing of his talents and by the
graceful and reverent way that you
perform your tasks, you contribute
to the spirit of prayer and worship.
- Your work is important. Your work
for God is important. Thus, knowing
what to do is important.

- Your service is directed firstly to

God, secondly as help to the clergy,
and thirdly as assistance to the
people who have gathered for
worship.
- “Your actions are seen. You appear
in public, but you are never a
performer.”

- By your faithful duty, you remain

always a servant of Jesus Christ in
your communities and parishes.
- Saint Pope John Paul II says “you
are far more than helpers of the
parish priest. Above all, you are
servants of Jesus Christ the eternal
High Priest. Thus, you are especially
called to be young friends of Jesus.
You will discover that in Jesus you
have found a true friend for life.”
- Serving is more than helping others.
It is about who and what you are. It
is a living out of our baptism as the
people of God and those united to
Jesus Christ.

- Today in our world Jesus continues

his work through his body, the
church, which is all Christian people.
- Serving in the parish is a way of living
the new life of Jesus and of being Jesus
for others around us.

- Being baptized Christian is more than

what we do in church: it is the way we
live at home, school, and play; it is how
we treat and live with other.

- Serving in our parish church reflects

what we do all the time.
The Tradition of Serving
- Before the great temple was built by
King Solomon, boys were dedicated
to the service of God in certain holy
places.

- In 1 Samuel 2:3, we read of the boy

Samuel who served God in the
sanctuary of Shiloh.
- When the Temple was built at
Jerusalem, the men of the family of
Levi, the Levites, assisted their priest
in their duties of sacrifice, praise,
and blessing.

- From the underground Church,

persecuted in Rome, we have the
story of Saint Tarcisius, a young -
- -Christian given the dangerous
mission of secretly taking the Blessed
Eucharist to those in prison. He was
caught and tortured, but he did not
reveal the sacred Gift he was
carrying.

- The Church gave official status to

those assisting the clergy in worship.
- These assistants were called
“acolytes”, which comes from the
Greek word for “follower” or
“attendants”.

- Acolytes were ordained to this

office, a “minor order” as distinct
from the major orders: bishop,
priest, deacon.
- Gradually, the order of acolyte lost
its distinct role and became only one
of the steps towards the priesthood.
In recent years the ministry of
acolyte has been broadened. No
longer is it seen in terms of a step
towards priestly ordination but in
terms of service (ministry) within
the Church community.
- The ministry has now been restored to
the laity who exercised it in the early
Church.

- In document, Ministeria quaedam,

that which instituted the ministries of
the lector and the acolyte, it is offered
that these ministries may be assigned to
lay Christians. Hence they are no
longer to be considered as reserved to
- candidates for the priesthood.

- There were not enough deacons to

assist the bishop or priest in the
ceremonies of the Mass. Their role
was deputed to acolytes and other
clerics. But as the Church grew,
there were many places where the
only ordained man was the local
priest, so the assistant role of acolyte
- was deputed to men and boys, the
altar servers.

- You are to carry out sacred duties

which once were only entrusted to
ordained men. The Church is giving
you a serious responsibility- to take on
the sacred role of chosen men. This is a
great honor.
- In a real sense you reflect the sacred
role of one of the major orders of
ministry, the deacon.

- The word “server” has the same

meaning as “deacon”, a man who
serves God and his people.
- The Church expects you to know
what you are doing. It is terrible to
see servers of any age wandering
around the altar, uncertain, untidy,
irreverent.

- Serving is a craft, which the Church

expects to be carried out well.
- The Church also expects something
deeper than knowing how to serve.
“Through your generous and conscientious
participation in the liturgy, which is the
heart of the Christian life and which is, as
the Council said, the climax to which all the
action of Church tends and the source from
whence her strength comes, we see that the
ideal of the Christian lay person, the ready
and active collaborator of the Catholic
priesthood, is realized in you.”
- Pope Paul VI 1967 in Rome during the Second International
Congress of Altar Servers.
- The word “ministry” means
“service”. By assisting the priest, the
Church today sees you carrying out
a ministry to God, a ministry to his
People.
“ Your commitment to the altar is not
only a duty but a great honor, a true
holy service, an authentic liturgical
service which puts you beside your
Bishops, priests, and deacons. “
- Saint Pope John Paul II, August 2001, during the general audience
with the altar servers.
Module II:

The 5 ideals of Altar

Server
Reverence
- Reverence for God and for the sacred
objects is most important when you serve.
Reverent actions, peaceful and dignified
behavior, should be seen by the people
when you stand at the altar.

- A server may feel reverent, prayerful, but

this is of little use if he behaves casually or
carelessly. He is not seen to be reverent. He
distracts people and disturbs them.
- One key to this ideal of reverence is the
memory. Always remember who you are,
what you are doing, then you will not get
careless. Remember how close you are to
the sacred mystery of the Eucharist. You
experience from close at the hand that
Christ is present and active in every
celebration of the liturgy.

- Remember that you are allowed to handle

and use sacred objects.
- Remember that even holding a book or
carrying a candle is a small part of great
and holy action of the liturgy.
- “Servers, lectors, and commentators…
ought to discharge their offices with the
sincere piety and decorum demanded by
so exalted a ministry and rightfully
expected of them by God’s people.
Consequently, they must all be deeply
penetrated with the spirit of the liturgy,
each in his own measure, and they must
be trained to perform their functions
correct and orderly manner.”
- Sacrosanctum Concilium paragraph 29
Obedience
- For the server there are two kinds of
obedience. Firstly, is towards the clergy,
master of ceremonies, head server, team
leader, obedience to people. Secondly,
towards the liturgical law of the Church,
obedience to correct procedures.

- The server always behaves with sense and

cooperation, and quickly carries out
practical duties, such as setting up the -
- -sanctuary before Mass, cleaning up the
sacristy after Mass. He never “does his
own thing”, because this disrupts good
liturgy and makes fool of him, which
helps no one.

- Faith always involves obedience. A strong

life of faith always involves self-discipline.
Discipline
- You must be trained to serve. Training
involves discipline. Therefore the officers
and the different committees of the
Ministry of Altar Servers should take
charge of the training of servers, the
planning of teams and rosters. People who
serve well should be encouraged.

- Those who do not cooperate should be

asked to leave the team. Part of the -
- -discipline of serving is teamwork. Even if
you have to serve the Mass on your own,
you are part of a team, priest and people.
It is more obvious in a solemn Mass when
precise teamwork helps make a great act
of worship more beautiful, peaceful and
prayerful.
Decorum
- A word which means “what is proper”.
Their costumes may have been proper for
a clown show, but not for Mass.

- Second Vatican Council requires not only

training for servers, but that servers have
a sense of this decorum.

- Fooling about in the sacristy, untidy or

lousy appearance, talking during Mass, -
- -these are examples of a lack of decorum,
a failure to see what is fitting for the
occasion.

- Decorum requires a sense of dignity. This

does not mean looking pompous,
marching around the sanctuary like a
proud pigeon. It means, behaving with a
quiet reverence, not pushing yourself
forward, but moving around confidently
and carrying out each action without-
- -fuss or great speed. It also includes
having the sense to cover up any small
mistake, remembering that most of the
people at Mass may not be aware that you
have made a mistake.

- Decorum is the way we help reverence to

be ‘seen to be done”. It shows how you
respect the presence of our Lord, in his
sacrifice, in his sacraments, in his people.
Piety
- It does not mean looking “pious”, walking
around with your eyes raised to heaven
like a saint in an old holy picture. A man
be sincerely pious without looking odd.

- Piety is the soul or spirit of all our

worship of God. It is an attitude. It is an
attitude which directs your whole life
towards God. In serving, piety helps us to
say to ourselves, “I’m doing all this for -
- -you, my God.” Piety is not some kind of
force we turn on and turn off, just to
cover the time spent in the sanctuary.
Piety runs through life which is why it is
one the gifts of the Holy Spirit in
confirmation.
- This keeps me humble before God. In
prayer I can adore Him, express sorrow
for my sins, thanksgiving for the good life,
petition for the needs of others and of
myself.
- This interior motive of piety is shown in
visible acts. When I share in the liturgy,
whether I am serving or not, I make an
act of living worship which springs from a
heart afire with the love of God.

- The altar server who accepts this ideal

wants to play his role in the liturgy
worthily and well.

- He will set out to practice a regular -

- Private devotional life, including daily
prayer, Bible reading, visits to the Blessed
Sacrament, frequent reception of the
sacrament of Penance and devotion to our
Blessed Mother. These practices nourish
the spiritual life and help you take part in
public worship “penetrated with the spirit
of the liturgy”, not allowing it to become
merely an empty ceremony.
- “Your service cannot be restricted to the
inside of a Church. It must shine out in
your every day life: at school, in the
family and in the different social contexts,
for those who want to serve Jesus Christ
in a church must be His witnesses
everywhere.”

- Saint Pope John Paul II

Brothers at the Altars
- Teamwork was mentioned as part of good
serving. In understanding how the
Church calls you to a special role in
worship, you also understand that you are
part of a larger group, a member of a
worshipping community.

- You do not serve on your own, as an

individual. You must always be aware of
other people when you serve.
- You will always be helpful when the priest
requires some small task of you. You will
be considerate, in such small matters as
holding the book so that he can easily
read from it, or not keeping him waiting
when you are to hand him the cruets.

- As you serve with various priests, you

come to know them as men of God. You
will find out that they are your friends
and that they are grateful for your work.
- Always, you will treat your priests with
respect and cheerful cooperation.

- As you serve you make many friends

among the others called to this ministry. It
is most important that servers help one
another, that they are friendly and kind to
one another, that there is never a spirit of
competition or pride.
- If a new server comes to your ministry,
you will help him, explaining procedures
and making him feel welcome. It is
interesting how a group of servers who
are friends can carry out their duties on
the sanctuary with a greater sense of
unity, purpose and efficiency.
- In his new command, our Lord told us to
“love one another as I have loved you.”
We put this Christian love into practice by
an ideal of true brotherhood and
friendship. We are united in the service of
God, a service of unity, which brings
together one people at the altar, which
makes us one through the eternal sacrifice
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Module III:

THE LITURGY
- The word “liturgy” comes from a Greek
word for a public duty, a service, a public
organization. Its original meaning was
some public action performed by a citizen
to benefit of other citizens. When the
word was adopted by the Church to
describe her public “services” of worship,
the meaning changed. In Christian liturgy
we are not talking about what we do,
rather we are talking about what God
does.
- As the Second Vatican Council points out
so clearly, the liturgy of the Church is the
action of Jesus Christ, an action of eternal
worship in which he involves us, the
members of his Mystical Body, the
Church. The Council teaching always
places the first emphasis on Jesus Christ,
the eternal High Priest. He is present and
active in his people, for he is risen Lord
whose perfect sacrifice is accepted by the
Father, in the Holy Spirit.
- This is why the priest, offering the Body
and Blood of the Lord, says or sings:
“Through him, with him, in him, in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and
honor is yours, almighty Father, forever
and ever.”
Christ is really present
- Vatican II indicated the ways in which our
Lord and Savior is present and active in
our liturgy: in the assembly of the people,
in the sacred minister (priest), in the
proclamation of the readings, in the
sacraments, in the Mass.

- In these supreme moments of the liturgy,

Christ the Priest involves the whole
Church with himself in glorifying-
- -his heavenly Father and making the
members of his Body holy. His presence in
our worship is dynamic, living, active. But
he involves us in his great action of
worship.

- He chooses us, and gives us special roles in

liturgy.
Your role in the liturgy
- The General Instruction introducing the
Roman Missal mentions servers,
describing them as “the ministers”.

- The GIRM makes it clear that there

should be at least one server to assist the
priest.

- Mass is not to be celebrated without a

server, except for grave necessity.
- If there is only one server, he may carry
out all the various ministries required, but
the emphasis on roles makes it clear that
this is not desirable. There should be
several servers at least, performing such
roles as carrying the cross, bread, wine,
water, and thurible.
- The servers and acolytes are a kind of
direct link between the people and the
priest. On behalf of the people they assist
the priest, representing the people in the
sanctuary area.
Your role in the liturgy
- The General Instruction introducing the
Roman Missal mentions servers,
describing them as “the ministers”.

- The GIRM makes it clear that there

should be at least one server to assist the
priest.

- Mass is not to be celebrated without a

server, except for grave necessity.
The Server is a sign
- The server is a visible sign, an instrument
through whom God acts. We may even say
that the priest and server as God’s
“actors.” Through words and actions,
through the objects we use, God gives the
message of his love.

- If you understand what you are doing,

and do it well, the people are helped to
understand what God is doing in the-
- -saving action of the liturgy. They find it
easier to worship God.

- If you do not understand the meaning of

ceremony, or if you carry it out carelessly,
you irritate and distract the people. You
hinder the message of Christ, and make it
harder for the people to worship God.

- As a server, you are part of the signs and

symbols of the liturgy, able to help or
hinder the meaning and power of
worship.
Liturgical Time
- The Church recalls and celebrates the
whole Mystery of Christ, his coming and
birth, his ministry, his saving death and
resurrection, his ascension and the
sending of the Holy Spirit and our lives in
Him, as we await the second coming.
- Sundays and solemnities begin with the
evening of the preceding day. Thus, we
have those so-called Anticipated Masses
on Saturday evenings.
- Easter is the greatest Solemnity , the
climax and the original feast of the
liturgical year. Every Sunday is like a
“little Easter”, when the Church
celebrates the day of the resurrection, the
“Lord’s Day”.

- In the course of the year, days are set

aside to honor Mary, the Mother of God,
the martyrs and other saints.
Four kinds of liturgical observance

1. Solemnities- including all

Sundays, the days of greatest
importance, which begin in the
evening of the preceding day, with a
special vigil Mass for some
solemnities.
2. Feasts- which are celebrated within the
limits of a calendar day.
3. Memorials- which are either
obligatory (M) or optional (m), with only one
memorial celebrated when more than one
optional memorial falls on the same day.
3. Ferials- on which there may be an
optional memorial, and when the priest may
select a Mass of his own choice, unless
otherwise directed by the calendar.
Four great seasons of liturgical
Year

1. Advent season- the beginning of the

Church year, celebrates the two-fold
coming of Christ (Incarnation and Final
Judgment). With Christian joy, we
celebrate His first coming. In Christian
Hope, we await his second coming. The
color is violet. Advent has 4 weeks.
Including the 9 days of Simbang Gabi
2. Christmas Season- celebrates Jesus’
Birth, the incarnation, God becoming Man.
There are 2 focal points: 1. Christmas Day
with its octave (8 days), including several
feasts and concluding with the Solemnity of
Mary, Mother of God (January 1), 2. The
Solemnity of the Epiphany (including the
Baptism of the Lord, which is also the First
Sunday in Ordinary Time.) The color is
white or gold.
[Link] Season- when we give
ourselves to prayer and penance, to hearing
the Word of God and to acts of charity. We
prepare for Easter and we recall the grace of
Baptism. It runs from Ash Wednesday until
the Mass of the Lord’s Supper exclusive (on
Holy Thursday, color white). The color is
violet. The Sundays of Lent have priority
over all solemnities and feasts of the Lord.
All weekdays of lent take precedence over-
- -all obligatory memorials (M). The sixth
Sunday of Lent marks the beginning of
Holy week, also know as Palm Sunday
(color is red). Holy Week recalls the
sufferings of Our Lord.
4. The Easter Triduum- the three days
of the passion, death, and resurrection of
Christ is the highest point of the whole year.
What Sunday is to each week, the Solemnity
of Easter is to the whole liturgical year. The
triduum begins on Holy Thursday with the
Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper,
continues through Good Friday with the
solemn commemoration of the Lord’s
Passion and death, and reaches its high point
in the celebration of Easter Vigil.
- The Triduum closes in the evening of
Easter Sunday. The color is white, but red
on Good Friday.
4. Easter Season- covers the 50 days
between Easter Sunday and Pentecost. These
days are celebrated as feast days, but the
first 8 days after Easter Sunday are called
the Easter Octave and are celebrated as
solemnities of the Lord. The color is white.
On the 40th day after Easter, the Church
celebrates the Ascension of our Lord to
heaven. In the days after the Ascension to
the Saturday before Pentecost, we prepare
for the coming of the Holy Spirit. The color
is -
- - white. On Pentecost Sunday, we
celebrate the sending of the Holy Spirit to
the Church. The color is red.
6. Sundays in Ordinary Time- fall
into 2 groups: a) Sundays between the
Epiphany and Ash Wednesday, b) Sundays
between Pentecost and Advent. The color is
green. The last Sunday of the liturgical year
is the Solemnity of Christ the King. (The
color is white.)
The Liturgical Setting

The Altar- As a server, it is your

privilege to be in the “holy place”, the
sanctuary.
- You serve at the most important point or
part of the church building the altar.
- This place of sacrifice, which is what
“altar” means, is also the table of the Lord,
where He feeds us with His body and Blood.
- It is the center of our celebration,
thanksgiving, intercession, and offering.

- It is made of stone or wood or some

other durable material. It is arranged
so that the priest may celebrate Mass
facing the people and so that it is the
focus of attention in the church. If it is a
permanent fixed altar it is consecrated
by a bishop and holy relics of a martyr
or other saint are sealed within it or set
under it.
- The altar is adorned with at least one
cloth. It may also be adorned with an
antependium or colored frontal, which
changes according to the season.

- Candles, two four or six, on or near the

altar are lit for liturgical celebrations.

- A cross is placed on the altar, or near it

or above it. This may be a large
crucifix, for example on the wall, or it
may be processional cross.
The Lectern- It is the place reserved
for the readings of the Word of God and
usually for the homily.
- It is also called the Table of the Word
(while the altar is the Table of the
Eucharist).
- There should only be one lectern and
like the altar, fixed and permanent. It is not
correct to use a small lectern in front of the
chair of the presider. The server holds the
book at the chair.
- Another term for the lectern is “ambo”.

- It should not be used for commentator

or choirmaster for they should use a
portable reading stand in some other
place.

- In some churches the Lectionary is set

up on a stand in front of the lectern to
remind us that this is the focus for the
liturgy of God’s Word.
The Chair- It is also a point of
importance in worship, where the server
assists the priest.
- The chair is a sign of the priest’s role
presiding over the assembly during the
Liturgy of the Word and in the concluding
rite of the Mass.
- It should not look like a throne,
because that form of chair is reserved for
the bishop in his cathedral.
The Cathedra- is the raised throne of
a bishop in the early Christian basilica.
When used with this meaning, it may also be
called the bishop's throne.
The Tabernacle- Because of the
reverence required to the reserved Blessed
Sacrament, servers should be aware of the
place of reservation in your own church.
- There is to be one fixed tabernacle in
each church. It may be located in the
sanctuary or near it.
- There is a sanctuary lamp or vigil
lamp that burns day and night near the
tabernacle as a sign that the Blessed
Sacrament is reserved there.
Sanctuary Lamp- Burns day and
night near the tabernacle as a sign that the
Blessed Sacrament is reserved there.
The Credence Table- The servers
use the credence table usually to the left of
the altar viewed from congregation.
- This should be a convenient table of
reasonable size and normal weight, not a
small stand or a wall bracket.
- In the renewed form of the liturgy, the
credence table plays an important role.
- it should be covered with a cloth during
mass. A second credence table may be used
for some big occasions in the parish.
The Sacrarium- A basin or sink, with
a separate drainpipe directly to the earth for
the disposal of water used for sacred
purpose as when washing chalices, or altar
linens.
- The ashes of blessed, burnt objects such
as oils used in the Sacraments are also
washed down this drain.
- This is usually located in the sacristy.
Place of the servers- Servers sit in
some convenient place on the sanctuary. But
it is not correct for them to sit facing the
people or beside the priest, as this is the
position for the priest, and concelebrants, a
position of presiding.
Choir Loft- Servers sit in some
convenient place on the sanctuary. But it is
not correct for them to sit facing the people
or beside the priest, as this is the position for
the priest, and concelebrants, a position of
presiding.
The Liturgical colors
White- is used for festive occasions, times
of joy and glory. (e.g. Christmas, Easter,
feasts of the Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Angels, and saints.)
- It is also used in blessing religious
articles, vehicles, new home or places,
exposition and benediction of the Blessed
Sacrament, Sacrament of Baptism and
Sacrament of Matrimony, and Holy first
communion.
Red- may stand for blood or for the fire of
the Holy Spirit and thus used for Palm
Sunday, Good Friday, Pentecost,
commemorations of the Lord’s Passion, on
days celebrating the martyrs of our faith.
used for festive occasions, times of joy and
- It is also used in administering the
Sacrament of confirmation.
Green- is used during Ordinary Time. It
is the color of growth.
Violet- is as sign of sorrow for sin and
waiting for the Lord, or may be a sign of
mourning It is used during Advent, Lent, or
Masses for the dead and funerals.
- Color Black may be use for Masses
for the dead and funerals.
Rose- a soft pink, is used for the third
Sunday in Advent and the fourth Sunday in
Lent, as a sign of rejoicing as the great feasts
draw near.
Gold- is used for festive occasions, times of
joy and glory.
The House of God
- The server treats the church building with
utmost respect. This even extends to the
sacristy.

- In the sacristy servers behave quietly and

efficiently, willing to help prepare what is
to be used during a celebration of worship
and waiting to put away objects which
have been used after celebration.
- The Church is the house of God, the house
of God’s people, the center for prayer and
worship. Our churches are not only used
during the time of Mass or the
sacraments.
- They usually open during the day so that
people may make a visit to our Lord in
the Blessed Sacrament, or spend time in
prayer or meditation, in particular
devotions, for example, the Stations of the
Cross.
- The server should be careful not to get
casual about this behavior in church. It is
said that “familiarity breeds contempt.”

- There is a danger that as we become

familiar with sacred places and sacred
objects so we can become careless or even
irreverent.

- There is also the danger that we imagine

that we only need to come to church when
our serving duties require our presence.
- The faithful server always visits his
church for a quiet prayer when he
happens to be passing by. He may be
helped by other sign and symbols in the
church, for example the sacred images,
statues and pictures of our Lord and the
saints.
- In particular, he ought to visit that special
place in every Catholic Church, the shrine
or image of Our Lady. She is the Mother
of the Church, our Mother, and has a -
- special care for those who assist in the
liturgy of her dear son.
The Matter of the Most
Holy Eucharist
Unleavened Bread
- The bread used in the celebration of the
Most Holy Eucharistic Sacrifice must be
unleavened, purely of wheat, and recently
made so that there is no danger of
decomposition. It follows therefore that
bread made from another substance, even if
it is grain, or if it is mixed with another
substance different from wheat to such an
extent that it would not commonly be
considered wheat bread, does not constitute
valid matter for confecting the Sacrifice and
the Eucharistic Sacrament. 
 -  It is a grave abuse to introduce other
substances, such as fruit or sugar or honey,
into the bread for confecting the Eucharist.
Hosts should obviously be made by those
who are not only distinguished by their
integrity but also skilled in making them
and furnished with suitable tools.

- Redemptionis Sacramentum Paragraph 48

Grape Wine
- The wine that is used in the most sacred
celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice
must be natural, from the fruit of the grape,
pure and incorrupt, not mixed with other
substances. During the celebration itself, a
small quantity of water is to be mixed with
it. Great care should be taken so that the
wine intended for the celebration of the
Eucharist is well-conserved and has not
soured. 
 -  It is altogether forbidden to use wine of
doubtful authenticity or provenance, for the
Church requires certainty regarding the
conditions necessary for the validity of the
sacraments. Nor are other drinks of any
kind to be admitted for any reason, as they
do not constitute a valid matter.

-Redemptionis Sacramentum Paragraph 50