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Acolyte (Altar Server) Guidelines

Directions for Altar Serving

NOTES:
• Dress: pants, decent shoes (no flip-flops); be attentive to length of alb

• Posture, attentiveness: hands folded together and held up in front of chest
“Their serving is more important than anything else that’s going on in the world.” Fr. Mark

• In most cases, bow to the altar and tabernacle when entering and leaving the sanctuary.

• You will sit in the first pew next to the side aisle so you can use the kneelers along the side of the sanctuary (by the ambo and chairs).

Before Entrance Procession
Line up in back of Church: CROSS first, CANDLES behind, Deacon and Father last
Father will give a blessing immediately before the procession begins.

Entrance Procession: When music begins,
• CROSS lead down aisle, CANDLES follow
o Be aware of spacing and pace. It is neither a race nor a leisurely walk down the aisle.
• Stop at sanctuary steps: CANDLES go to corners of the first step, CROSS at center – wait until Father and Deacon bow (deacon on right, priest on left)
• CROSS leads up the steps. CROSS and CANDLES go directly to stands and wait. After Father kisses the altar, place cross and candles in stand.
• CROSS and CANDLES exit straight down the stairs. Head bow at the bottom of stairs.

Introductory Rites:
• CROSS: when you come down from the sanctuary, pick up Sacramentary and hold it ready to be carried to Father

--Greeting
--“I confess”
--“Lord have mercy”, “Christ have mercy”, “Lord have mercy”

• Opening Prayer: When Father says: “Let us pray”, CROSS carries Sacramentary to center stairs, makes head bow before entering sanctuary, walks up to Father, returns with Sacramentary when Father is finished praying

Liturgy of the Word
--First Reading
--Responsorial Psalm
--Second Reading

• Gospel: When Alleluia music begins, CANDLES walk to center stairs and head bow before entering sanctuary.  When the deacon picks up the Book of the Gospels (or when Father bows to the altar on a weekday), pick up CANDLES and go directly to the sides of the ambo, CANDLE on far side should walk in front of the altar (no head bow along the way)
o After Father says “Gospel of the Lord” and the People respond “Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ,” walk back to stands and replace CANDLES (CANDLE on far side walks in front of the altar without stopping to head bow). Walk down stairs, head bow together and return to pew

--Homily
--Creed
--Intercessions

Liturgy of the Eucharist
• Bow when re-entering the sanctuary and not during preparation of the altar. CROSS prepares altar: carry up Sacramentary to altar, put book stand and Sacramentary on altar; place (corporal?,) chalices, bowls, and purificators on altar

• CANDLES walk to center aisle. Stand facing the offertory procession on either side of Father. Take gifts from Father. Carry them up to altar. Place hosts on the center corporal and wine container on the other corporal.
o Stand reverently by credence table.
o When Deacon/Father has prepared the chalices, one CANDLE walks behind altar to remove wine and water pitcher and place on credence table.
o When Father lifts of the chalice in blessing, CANDLES pick up water, bowl and towel and walk to Father (as Server, you go to Father—he does not come to you!)
o After the washing of hands, replace water, bowl, towel.
o Walk down stairs, bow together upon leaving sanctuary, and return to pew.

--Eucharistic Prayer
• Holy, Holy, Holy
• Kneel at kneelers (BELL RINGER at far kneeler close to bells)

• Epiclesis: BELL RINGER: Ring bell once when Father says “send your Holy Spirit” and places his hands over the bread and chalice

• Words of Institution: After Father says, “Take this, all of you, and eat it: this is My Body, which will be given up for you” and he holds up the host,
BELL RINGER: Ring bell three short rings

• After Father says, “Take this, all of you, and drink from it: this is the cup of My Blood…Do this in memory of me” and he holds up the chalice,
BELL RINGER: Ring bell three short rings

• Stand for the Our Father, REMAINING where you are (do not go up to the altar); after “For the kingdom, the power, the glory…” all servers walk to railing by ambo

• When Father says “Let us offer each other the sign of peace”, all servers walk up stairs and stand in a line at left of the altar (facing the altar) with hands folded. Father will come over to offer the sign of peace.
o CROSS: after giving Father sign of peace, pick up the bowls/patens and place on altar, remove book stand and Sacramentary, place book stand on shelf of credence table, carry Sacramentary with you back to the left side of the altar
o CANDLES: wait for CROSS to return with sacramentary and depart sanctuary together making a head bow at the bottom of the stairs

--Communion

• When Father, Deacon, and Extraordinary Ministers come down to distribute Holy Communion, CROSS and CANDLES line up in front of center aisle. Return to kneelers after you receive Holy Communion.

• CANDLE (NOT BELL RINGER): After the Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion have finished, follow them up to the altar, stand by the altar ready to receive vessels from Father, and place vessels on credence table.
(Do not stack bowls. If there is no more space on the tray, put them on the side of the table. Be careful not to stuff purificators inside chalices.)

--Announcements/Meditation by Father
• CROSS and CANDLES leave kneelers and sit in pew when the People sit
• CROSS holds Sacrementary, ready to carry it to Father

--Concluding Rite
• When Father says, “Let us pray,” CROSS carries Sacramentary to center aisle, makes a head bow before entering the Sanctuary, and walks up to Father. When Father closes the book, walk to credence table, place Sacramentary on book stand, and move to stand by cross.
• After, “Mass is over…Thanks be to God,” CANDLES walk to center aisle, make head bow before entering the sanctuary, and walk to places.
• After Father kisses the altar, pick up cross and candles. CROSS leads candles down stairs to center aisle.
• After Father bows, CROSS leads out of Church.

 
First Friday Mass (follow above directions except for the following):

Exposition (morning)
• At beginning of Mass, Thurifer (incense bearer) stands in front of CROSS and leads the entrance procession. (Depending on the celebrating priest, there may or may not be incense in the entrance procession and/or incensing of the altar.)

• After Father venerates altar, Thurifer hands Father the incense boat and opens the censor, Father places incense in censor, Thurifer closes censor, receives the boat and gives Father the censor; when Father finishes incensing the altar, Thurifer receives censor and places it on the stand

• [Usually, the priest does not do choose to do this at First Friday Mass]
 At Gospel, Thurifer goes up to altar with Candle bearers, picks up boat and censor
o If Deacon is reading the Gospel, thurifer goes to Father and repeats above procedure for Father to fill the censor—then walk behind altar and stand near ambo
o If Father is reading the Gospel, thurifer picks up incense boat and censor, walks behind altar and stands at ambo, Father fills and incenses before reading Gospel
o Father/Deacon will incense Lectionary after he says “the Gospel according to …”
o Thurifer gives Father/Deacon the censor, receives it back when finished and stands near ambo until “Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ”, walks behind altar to replace censor and boat on stand, walks down center stairs and head bows with Candlebearers, return to pew

Concluding Rite
• When Father says: “Let us pray”, CROSS carries Sacramentary to center aisle,  head bow to tabernacle, walks up to Father, when Father closes the book, carry Sacramentary down to pew near center aisle, pick up cushions for kneelers (3 if no deacon, 4 if deacon is present), place cushion on bottom stair (Father has center kneeler, then deacon, if no deacon then thurifer, then Cross)

• After “Mass is over…Thanks be to God”, Thurifer walk to center aisle, head bow to tabernacle, walk up steps, pick up censor, incense boat, Father’s prayer books (white book and hymnal located on table by chair), walk down stairs and kneels, places books on step above Father’s kneeler

• CANDLES kneel by bells

• After Father exposes the Blessed Sacrament, he will kneel and incense (same procedure for filling censor, unless there is a deacon—thurifer hands censor to deacon and deacon holds for Father to fill)
• When Father is finished, he will stand up—at this signal, CANDLES walk to center aisle and all servers bow with Father (do not get cross or candles, leave them at altar during Adoration)
o Thurifer picks up censor before bow, then leads procession out of Church
Benediction (afternoon)
• Before:        Make sure cushions (if needed), bells, and humeral veil are in place.

• CROSS and Thurifer (incense bearer) process in with Father and kneel. Incense using same procedure as morning.

• CROSS picks up humeral veil and helps Father to put it on by handing him the metal clasps on either side.

• At Benediction, Bell Ringer rings three times as Father lifts the Blessed Sacrament in each direction (thurifer does not incense the Blessed Sacrament, Deacon may if he prefers).

• After Father finishes, CROSS helps Father remove humeral veil, folds it, places it on pew, and returns to kneeler.

• When Father is finished, he will stand up—servers bow with Father then lead the procession out of Church.