Altar Servers
  • bwhitmore
    Posts: 5
    What level of musical participation do you see in your parishes' altar servers? Are they given hymnals, worship aids, etc. to follow when they are not occupied? Are they encouraged to participate? Do they stand as mute (hopefully prayerful) witnesses? Just curious.
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,782
    Well in the EF our boys (numbering 15!) need to do the responses, whether the Mass is Sung or Low. Most of the boys serve twice a week and some including my three serve five days a week. Half the boys know the latin responses by heart and some are using sheets or booklets.

    Oh and the ages 6-14, we don't usually give them missals / handouts with the text of the Readings, and if they have been given out they do not alway look at them.

    Some boys are studying Latin so should understand the readings anyway.

    The 14 year old server this year was singing Lessons to the prophecy tone at the Easter Vigil etc.

    In the EF there is plenty for them to do particularly at the Sung Mass so there is not too much time to read from booklets.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,982
    Ours (OF) don't juggle hymnals and worship aids. They are busy, though, doing other things even if only standing, sitting, or kneeling respectfully. They hold patens during communion so don't attempt to sing communion music. They don't sing recessionals but stand in front of the altar waiting for the priest and deacons to begin the procession out.
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,415
    At Walsingham our servers sing all the ordinary and all the dialogue and responses. Sometmes during communion, etc. they will sing the hymns if they are not otherwise occupied, but not normally, unless it is one they know by heart - which often happens
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,501
    At Walsingham our servers sing all the ordinary and all the dialogue and responses. Sometmes during communion, etc. they will sing the hymns if they are not otherwise occupied, but not normally, unless it is one they know by heart - which often happens


    The children who are encouraged to sing at home or have some music education outside of school participate in the same way at my parish.
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
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