GUIDELINES FOR ALTAR SERVERS

ST. MARY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION PARISH

REVISED 08/04/2011 BY FR JEREMY GRIES

AS YOU PLAN TO SERVE: Please be attentive to combing your hair and having a clean face and hands prior to arriving at church. Boys should wear dress shoes or nice tennis shoes and dress pants. Girls should wear dress shoes or nice tennis shoes with a skirt, dress, or pants. **Jeans, shorts, or flip-flops should not be worn when serving Mass.** Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the beginning of Mass. BEFORE MASS: 1. Check in with the Priest as soon as you arrive. 2. Wash your hands. 3. Dress in the alb and cincture (rope). Alb should reach your ankles, but should not be touching the floor in the front. You may ask the priest what color cincture to wear. 4. Light the candles if not already lit. 5. Remain in the Sacristy until a few minutes before Mass then proceed to the back of church. One server needs to carry the cross. 6. Servers, lectors, and priest will say a short prayer in the narthex before Mass begins. GATHERING RITES: 1. One server leads the procession while carrying the Processional cross. They may begin walking once the first words of the hymn are sung. 2. Remaining Servers go follow the lector and immediately in front of the priest in the procession. Two servers are side-by-side and the third server walks in front of the priest in the middle. 3. Hands should be folded in front of the server at all times, except when sitting, when they should be on the servers lap. 4. As the procession reaches the altar area, the servers should spread at the lower step, leaving room for the priest to stand in the middle. All bow together to the altar, then move to their respective chairs. 5. When the priest says, Let us pray, the server on whose chair the red book is located picks up the book and carries it to the priest. The book should be carried with the hands at the bottom of the book with the top of the book leaning against the servers chest. When he/she reaches the priest, the side with the ribbons should be pointed toward the priest, right side up. At the end of the prayer, the book is closed and the server returns to his/her chair.

Altar Server Guide

LITURGY OF THE WORD: The servers listen attentively to the readings and join in the responses. OFFERTORY RITE: 1. After the Prayers of the Faithful (Petitions) are completed, when all are seated, one server takes the Roman Missal (red book) to the altar, placing it on the left side. Two other servers go to the credence table. One takes the presiders chalice with purificator, pall, and corporal. The other brings over the two additional chalices with their purificators. One then returns to get the remaining paten of hosts. 2. The first server opens the corporal on the center of the altar with the cross in the middle toward the server. Then the same server places the chalice in the center of the corporal. The purificator is placed to the side and the pall is placed back on the chalice. The Roman Missal (red book) is placed center of altar between chalice and back.

Paten of Hosts Candles

Candles Priest Chalice 2 Small Chalices Purificators Red Book

3. Two servers join the priest at the foot of the altar to receive the gifts. The collection is place in front of the altar. The server with the wine should stand next to the altar holding wine. The third server should bring the water to the altar. 4. The server not holding the water or wine should gather the bowl and towel for the washing of hands. 5. The two servers should stand directly to the side of the priest for the washing of hands. The water should be poured in a steady flow over his hands. Once the towel is returned to the server, all should bow to the priest and return the items to the credence table, and then move to their chairs. EUCHARISTIC PRAYER Stand and kneel with the congregation. Servers will kneel in front of Altar. During the Epiclesis (calling down of Holy Spirit hands held over the gifts), the elevation of the gifts, and Great Amen, two servers will ring the hand bells. Servers are in front of assembly, so they need to remember to act properly with hands folded, attentive and prayerful.

Altar Server Guide

COMMUNION RITE: 1. Stand for the Our Father on right side (next to processional cross) in front of bench seat. 2. At the sign of peace, the servers come up to offer the priest the sign of peace. 3. Receive Holy Communion alongside the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. 4. When the priest leaves his place at the foot of the altar, the server who handled the water at the offertory should go to the credence table and bring the water to the priest at the altar. Another server should join him at the altar. 5. The priest will use the water to purify (clean) the bowl and the chalice. He will then hand the chalice, the bowl, the corporal, purificator and pall to the two servers who are to return them to the credence table. The third server should then remove the red book from the altar. 6. When the priest says, Let us pray, bring the red book, using the same procedure as the opening prayer. After the prayer, return to your chair. CLOSING RITE When the priest stands up, all servers proceed to the foot of the altar. The servers should join the priest on either side. They will bow together, then follow the cross and lector out. The two outside servers should go first, and the third server should walk in the middle, in front of the priest (again, if there are four servers, the third and fourth servers are side-by-side behind the first two). AFTER MASS: 1. Extinguish the candles using the snuffer. 2. Remove robes, hanging up the alb and buttoning the top snap. Cincture should be placed in the box.