ABOVE: Those who become altar servers are part of an important ministry in our parish. For most, it’s the child’s first chance to volunteer and serve the church and grow in their faith. Most youngsters remain servers through their Confirmation. Many older servers return for special occasions such as Holy Week, Easter Vigil and Christmas.
By FRAN PERRITANO
Being an altar server is a wonderful way to practice faith and serve our parish. It also can be particularly challenging.
In this age of kids on the go — involved in soccer, gymnastics, hockey and other sports and activities — the servers and their families encounter difficult decisions.
It’s a delicate balance.
“I allowed my child to be an altar server to grow her up to be active in her church,” said Marie Golding about her daughter Madison. “My child enjoys and responds very well to being a server at church. We feel there is nothing more important than to participate in church. It strengthens your faith in God. We don’t have conflicts of being available to attend Mass due to we don’t plan any other events at that time. To have your child serve is such a wonderful experience. There is nothing more important to teach our children.”
Pamela Smoulcey said she wanted her son Dominic to become more involved in the church to show him that there is more to our parish than just attending Mass and Faith Formation.
“Dominic truly enjoys participating in Mass,” she said. “He has become more confident and is proud to share with his peers that he volunteers and encourages them to do the same.”
Pamela said planning is a key to balancing serving and other activities.
“It can be challenging to juggle all of the outside activities while being an altar server,” she said. “We are fortunate that the rotating schedule is created well in advance, which allows us to make appropriate arrangements.”
In interviews with parents, they all agree that serving at Mass is important for their children’s faith development.
Tricia Zegarelli said he allowed her daughter Gia to become a sever “because I wanted her to become part of the Mass and have a deeper understanding of God and her Catholic faith. I knew this was the perfect opportunity to do just that. Gia really looks forward to serving when she can. She has a very demanding schedule but looks forward to getting to church and serving Mass with her friends.”
Gregory Sacco said he and his wife wanted his son Dominic to learn more aspects of the church and to feel like he was a part of the services.
“We also feel like it will help him to strengthen his faith in God,” he said. “Dominic loves it! He really looks forward to going to Mass each week. We believe that it’s a great way to give back to a place that’s been so very good to us. I also feel like it will strengthen his faith in God, and it will teach him accountability and how to give back to his community.”
What about conflicts that arise?
“We work around other activities,” Gregory said. “As I mentioned before, accountability is important. We always tell him than when we commit to something, we follow through.”
Jodie George is a catechist in first-grade Faith Formation and thought serving would be a great way for her son David to also get involved with our parish.
“He loves helping others,” she said. “David enjoys serving. He gets a chance to see Faith Formation classmates, participate in the Mass, and especially enjoys Father Cesta’s jokes. It helps to teach him the liturgy, prayer and the rich culture of the church.”
How does Jodie handle conflicts between serving and other activities?
“We work to make serving and attending Mass the priority,” she said. “It certainly takes some creative scheduling, but we always try to make it work.”
Experience counts
John Reale might be most familiar with altar servers. He was one during his time attending Mount Carmel grammar school and into high school. His two sons are servers, and John trains news servers and conducts practices for Christmas, Holy Week and Easter.
“Celebrating Mass is very important to us as a family,” John said. “(He and his wife Jean) want to instill in our boys the importance of going to Mass and to participate and not just sit there waiting for it to be over. It is so important for us to teach them how special the Mass is, and participating as altar servers makes the Mass that much more special.”
Like other parents, John and Jean believe it is important for their sons, Matthew and Christopher, to be active members of the parish.
“Being an altar server was a good place for them to start and experience the Mass beyond the pews,” said John. “At first Matthew was a bit hesitant but now he enjoys it, especially serving with Father Cesta. Both of our boys especially enjoy serving during Holy Week, specifically the Easter Vigil Mass. They never give us a hard time when they are scheduled to serve, and many times will fill in when needed.”
Aubre Sullivan’s children — Kiernan and Addison — have been serving for several years and have trained new servers over that time- span. She said her children take serving seriously, wanting to make sure they are in the right place at the right time, making the Mass run smoothly.
“Serving Mass is important because it makes them feel included and part of the church community,” Aubre said. “As far as handling conflicts, we believe it is important for both kids to be well rounded. Sometimes, we have other activities, but I think they both ask, ‘Well, we have Mass and are supposed to serve, so let’s try and do both.’ They always think and try to plan so as to not let anyone down.”
Servers’ opinions
So, what do the kids think about serving?
- Gia Zegarelli: “What I like most about being a server is that I am able to be on the altar with my friends and I enjoy helping Father Cesta with Mass. I also really enjoy serving the Christmas Eve Mass and the Easter Vigil and being part of Mount Carmel Church.”
- Dominic Smoulcey: “I like being able to help Father Cesta prepare for communion during Mass. It’s funny when he makes jokes when people bring up the gifts and while he is washing his hands. Father Cesta makes church fun. Being on the altar helps me pay attention better than sitting with my mom.”
- Dominic Sacco: “I like the feeling of helping Father Cesta serve the people at church.”
- Madison Golding: What she loves most about serving is that she feels closer to God and her faith.
- Christopher Reale: Likes being able to help Father Jim during the Mass and he looks forward to serving holidays such as Christmas and Easter.
- Matthew Reale: Likes to serve Mass because he feels he is taking a more active role in Mass rather than just sitting there in the pew. He also enjoys the special Masses for Christmas and Easter as well because he said they are very beautiful, including the Mount Carmel festival procession in July.
- David George: He said he loves to be in God’s presence and to able to carry the cross at the start of Mass.
- Addison Sullivan: What she likes about serving is helping out the priest and making sure things go smooth.
- Kiernan Sullivan: He likes to see the kids he trained do the job well and pay attention to what the priest needs.
Parental advice
Despite the challenges, the parents believe that having their children serve their parish is a great building block in their development. They urge other parents to allow their children to become part of the ministry. Though the parish now only has two weekend Masses, more servers are needed, especially for major services.
“I would absolutely recommend parents allow their children to serve Mass,” said Tricia Zegarelli. It was Gia’s friend Addie (Sullivan) who first asked her to join. If it weren’t for her, I’m not sure Gia would have done it on her own. That push she got really helped her. My advice would be have your child try it. I guarantee they will enjoy it and feel important and special. They are part of something much bigger and they don’t even realize it.”
Gregory Sacco concurs.
“Let your children feel like they’re giving back to the church. Their faith will grow exponentially.”
Jodie George added, “It’s such a great experience for kids to serve. It not only gives them a greater understanding and respect for the Mass, it gives them skills, connections and memories they will keep for a lifetime.”
John and Jean Reale said they would encourage parents to talk to their child about serving and how special it is for them to take a more active role in Mass.
“If (the parents) make the time commitment and sacrifice to bring their child to other activities, they should show equal or more importance to bringing them to serve Mass,” John said. “Serving Mass can also help to reinforce what they learn in their Faith Formation classes, especially the scriptural readings of that Sunday. It is also a good way for parents to get their children involved in giving back to their community not just in treasure, but of time and talent.”
Pamela Smoulcey said our parish is rooted in deep tradition and it’s so important to expose and encourage children to experience all that it has to offer while creating a deeper relationship with God.
“Dedicating one hour of your week to being an altar server has so many benefits,” she said. “If they start volunteering at a young age, just think of what they can do as they get older!”
How to become a server
It’s easy to become an altar server. Here’s what you need to know:
- Your child must be at least in third grade and have received First Communion.
- You can choose to serve the 8 or 11 a.m. Sunday Mass.
- Two-month schedules are sent out well in advance via email, so you can work around other activities.
- If your child wants to join this ministry, send his or her name, Mass preference, your email address and cellphone number to Fran Perritano at fperritano@syrdio.org. (Cellphone numbers and email addresses will not be shared.)