Meet Altar Server Brady Hunter: Growing in Understanding of Liturgy

When Brady Hunter was in fourth grade, he was first drawn to be an altar server because helping out the priest and being up in the front of the church looked like such an interesting job. Now Brady is going into his senior year of high school and serving at the altar is a service to which he has committed a great deal of time. As the school year came to an end, in addition to serving at Sunday Masses, Brady served the Baccalaureate Mass for the senior class at Washington Catholic and the Mass for the eighth-grade graduation.

“Now serving is a part of me and I feel I should continue doing it,” Brady says.

When he was first trained as an altar server, Brady was walked step-bystep through the Mass and every task was explained in detail. Tyler Underhill — now in seminary — helped to train Brady and was there to help Brady out until he got the hang of things.

“It probably took a couple months to get used to it,” Brady says. “After that, I really wasn’t nervous. I felt comfortable with what I needed to do.”

Serving prompted Brady to dig a little deeper into his faith and it changed the way he participated in the Mass. Brady has to be attentive to details and notice when something is missing. While serving, he can see things that most of us don’t see from the pew and it has inspired curiosity about the liturgy.

“Before serving, I would just go with the Mass,” Brady says. “But after serving, it made me question why we would do some things and I started asking those questions and figuring them out.”

There are always new things to learn along the way. Some Masses, such as the Easter Vigil, are more complex and Brady has to prepare for them differently. Other times, the bishop has visited and the servers adjust and take on more jobs, like holding the bishop’s mitre.

Overall, Brady likes the experience of being close to the altar and having a direct view of what is happening during the Mass. He knows that his job is important to the priest and makes the Mass go smoothly. Altar serving is a refreshing change from experiencing Mass from the pews. He has gotten to know Fr. Paul better and has made friends with the other servers. When new servers join, Brady is there to get to know them and help them out along the way. He encourages others to try serving and not to be nervous to try something new.

“Just go for it,” Brady says. “It’s such a different experience when you’re up in the front of the church and serving next to the priest.”

Boys and girls are welcome to be trained as altar servers. To find out more, please call the parish office at 812-254-2883.

Serving on the altar prompted Brady Hunter to dig a little deeper into his faith — changing how he participated in the Mass.

Brady Hunter appreciates the experience of being close to the altar and having a direct view of what is happening during the Mass.

Brady Hunter encourages others to try serving and not to be nervous to try something new.