St. Alban Altar Servers Guild

“Your commitment to the altar is not only a duty, but a great honor, a genuine holy service.” – Pope St. John Paul II

Altar Servers assist the priest with the celebration of the Holy Mass and in this ministry are themselves formed liturgically while serving to foster the liturgical life of the whole parish community.

Requirements for altar servers

Male Servers
In the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter the altar servers are male, upholding the noble, age-old tradition of having boys serve at the altar in order to encourage and foster priestly vocations.

Age
A boy may begin training as an altar server only after having received First Holy Communion.

Trying out Altar Serving

Short 30 minute trainings are normally scheduled for the first Sunday of the month from 9:30 AM – 10:00 AM. This is a relaxed opportunity for the boys to try out altar serving to see if this is a ministry that they and or their parents would like for the boys to serve. Training equips the boys to know and understand the gestures and prayers of the sacred liturgy so as to enter into the rites and be spiritually transformed by them. 

Training consists of:

• Learning how to pray vesting prayers
• Instruction on the Mass, its parts and meaning
• the names and usages of the various objects used in the liturgy
• how to perform the various functions of the server
• guidance on proper decorum and attire when serving at Mass or other liturgical functions. 

Once training is complete, the boy will receive a public blessing at Mass and be admitted as an altar server. Regular monthly altar serving practice continues after a boy is admitted as a server hone skills, to foster fraternity among altar servers, and to assist the boys in their formation and vocational discernment. 

About St. Alban

“I am called Alban and I worship and adore the true and living God.”

St. Alban lived during the third century in Britain in the city of Verulamium during the time of great difficulty for Christians. One day he gave shelter to a stranger fleeing from persecution who also happened to be a priest. While caring for the priest, he was inspired to learn about and become a Christian. Shortly thereafter the Roman authorities came to arrest the priest, but instead, Alban exchanged clothes with the priest and was arrested, thus allowing the priest to escape. Alban refused to renounce his beliefs and so was beheaded. He is honored as Britain’s first saint and his hillside grave quickly became a place of pilgrimage.