Altar Servers: Performing Prayerful Service For God And Parish

One of the blessings of serving in the church is that you can always do so prayerfully. Altar server Isaac Fleck has learned this directly through his service during Mass.

“Altar serving has broadened my definition of prayer,” Isaac says. “Being a server, doing my job on the altar is a form of prayer.”

Isaac began as an altar server when he was in fifth grade.

“My Sunday school teacher passed out a paper to go to a training to become an altar server,” he says. “Before that, I had always wanted to be up on the altar, so I jumped at the chance. I’ve served for the past seven years. And I’ve loved every minute of it!”

Through serving on the altar, Isaac has found himself drawing closer to the Lord, and to the members of the Church.

“Altar serving has inspired me to learn everything about my faith,” he says. “I’ll admit that in the past, I have been more interested in filling my head with knowledge rather than my heart. But recently I’ve learned that interior conversion comes from sharing love with others.”

Isaac points to an experience he had at a Catholic camp that helped further deepen his appreciation for altar serving.

“Meeting the wonderful, amazing, spiritually-filled people there has truly transformed my heart,” he says. “Their love for the Gospel was so infectious. While there, I got the opportunity to serve and I’ll tell you, that Mass was one of the most moving experiences I’ve ever had. Those people made the Mass what it should be — a country coming together to worship, not just praying in the same place, but to become one to praise God.”

When asked to describe what being an altar server is like, Isaac offers a powerful reflection.

“Being an altar server is nothing short of heavenly,” he says. “I love being on the altar. I love blending in and serving the community around me, learning to look out and love everyone just for being at Mass, and participating in such a holy act, receiving the grace of God. It fills my heart with joy.”

Altar servers assist the clergy, both priests and deacons, in the Celebration of the Mass. Their responsibilities include carrying the cross and candles, assisting with setting the altar and receiving the offertory gifts, as well as ringing the bells during the Eucharistic prayer.

“The best part of altar serving is definitely ringing the bells when the priest is holding up the Host,” says Evan Fleck, Isaac’s brother, who is also an altar server. “Everyone in the church is quiet and the bells make a really nice ringing sound.

“I wanted to get involved because it was something that I had never done and wanted to do,” he adds. “I thought that being an altar server was going to be a really hard job because I thought everyone was going to be looking at me. They weren’t.”

Like Isaac, Evan has found serving in this way to be a spiritually enriching experience.

“It has set me on a new direction to experience God in a way I have not before,” he says. “I think it has brought me closer to God and it has also deepened my faith.”

An annual training session for altar servers is typically offered around September. At St. Monica, any boy or girl regularly receiving the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation and in fourth grade or older can serve.

If you would like to participate, please contact Fr. Vinny or Deacon Bob at the parish office 317-253-2193.

(From left) Evan, Isaac and Andrew Fleck