Description of Ministry:
The server is a member of the assembly who assists the priest and deacon during the Eucharist and other liturgical ceremonies so that the liturgy can be conducted with grace and reverence. Servers should be active and full participants in the celebration with the understanding they are first and foremost members of the assembly.
Mission/Purpose Statement:
The mission of altar servers in the Catholic Church is to assist the priest and deacon during the Holy Eucharist and other liturgical ceremonies, enhancing the reverence, dignity, and smooth flow of sacred rites. They act as a "guard of honor" to the Eucharist and facilitate full participation of the assembly.
Key Contact Person:
Rev. Benjamin Ross 219-942-6441
Meeting Frequency:
Scheduled Mass Times
Membership Requirements:
Altar servers must have received the Sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist; youths who have not been confirmed may serve. Servers normally receive the Eucharist whenever they participate in the liturgy. The minimum age and scheduling procedures are left to the pastor’s discretion.
Seven Reason Why You Should Be An Altar Server
You learn why we do everything in Mass.
By becoming an altar server, you begin to learn these things and it makes all the symbols of the Mass so much more understandable and interesting.
You get fully involved in the Mass and get more out of it.
By serving at the altar, you pay more attention to the whole Mass to help you remember where your part fits in. By focusing and understanding what’s going on, the Mass can then lead you into a much deeper relationship with God and make you feel the impact of Mass far greater!
You make some great friends.
By becoming an altar server, you’ll be meeting up with many of the same people every time you serve at Mass. With a great range of ages and experiences, you’ll meet nowhere else. As your friendship develops, you’ll end up having many friends who all share your faith and this can lead to some brilliant conversations and great memories.
You learn some fantastic life skills.
Communication team works, perceiving what needs to be done and doing it, punctuality, self-confidence, and the list goes on. Serving on the altar is a great place to start building these skills.
You’re supported by all your fellow servers, you have quite a large responsibility and rules to guide you even if you do something wrong nobody in the congregation notices so basically, it’s always a winning situation!
You become more involved in the community.
By taking up a responsibilities at Mass you start to recognize more and more people in the Church in general. This slowly changes your experience of the church community from a group of random people you stand next to at Mass, to a large and diverse family who you can meet and chat with every time you go and make you feel truly at home in Church.
It helps you discern your vocation better.
Far and away the best reason to do altar serving is that it helps you discern your vocation better. Every vocation (whether marriage, consecrated singlehood, religious life or priesthood) is awesome and leads us to a greater and deeper understanding and relationship with God. Altar serving is a great way to begin to see that beauty more fully in booth priesthood and religious life.
It gives you a greater appreciation of the priesthood.
Even if you are not discerning the priesthood, by altar serving you learn so much more about the priest you work with, this is great because it allows you to both fully appreciate much more the sacramental grace he’s been given in Holy Orders!
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