On Being an Altar Server

By Gabriel Herrera

On Being an Altar Server

Written by Gabriel Herrera ’25

Pope Francis said that being an altar server is “ a call to prayer and a mission,” like a miniature vocation. For me, it was a chance to do whatever my brothers did. Since my two older brothers, Nicolas and Jackson, had already been altar servers for four and two years, respectively, I decided to join the altar boys as soon as I was old enough.

My parish, St. Theresa Catholic Church in Ashburn, invites boys to become altar servers when they get to fourth grade (I know other parishes allow girls to be altar servers, but mine does not). The priest, Father Thomas, led a special training session where he taught me and several other boys how to prepare for the Mass, how to execute the Mass, and how to ensure everything is properly back in order afterwards. He showed us all the equipment: ciboria, chalices, cruets, everything else that can be seen in the sanctuary, and more. He showed us all the steps in the process of serving, how to bring the equipment to the priest, and pretty much everything one needs to know to help the priests run the Mass.

The first ever Mass I served came as a surprise to me. In 2016, my uncle got married. Upon arriving at the ceremony, my brothers and I were told to get ready and help with the Mass. No prior warning had been given to me.

Naturally, I was beyond nervous to serve for the first time that day. The wedding and the Mass both went well, quite unlike the next Mass I served.

My elementary school, St. Theresa Catholic School, let the altar servers serve the school-wide Masses, and I became a part of that a few weeks into the year. All I remember from that experience was that it was a disaster, filled with many mistakes and embarrassments. I could say some cliche like serving in front of so many people helped me to build confidence, but it didn’t; I still get nervous before every Mass I ever serve to this day.

What I can say is that being an altar server has greatly strengthened my relationship with God and my parish community. When serving the Mass, it’s important to pay attention; this has allowed me to really listen to the prayers, readings, and homilies without getting distracted as distractions would lead to messing up, which might lead to public embarrassment. I try my best to avoid that!

On a serious note, paying such close attention to the Mass really allows me to deeply understand the words and prayers better. As a server, I’m supposed to set an example for the congregation by praying and singing out loud, as opposed to allowing my mind to drift. This allows me to genuinely pray and sing out loud, which has helped me grow closer to the Lord. Overall, altar serving has been a wonderful experience for me in a spiritual and social sense, and it is a path that I recommend everyone to pursue.