An example of the effects of grace at Mass

Here's a great example of what God's grace from attending Mass, specifically serving at Mass, can yield.  

James does have two strikes against him though: 1. He's a Red Sox fan and 2. He stole my pope name.

Bells

One of the--dare I say it?--fun parts of being an altar server is ringing the bells.  Ringing the bells is really the only time you can get away with making a loud noise in the sanctuary.  However, it's easy to tell when a bell ringer messes up, so it's important to know how and when to use them.

During your typical High Mass, there are generally a total of three times a server has to use the sanctuary bells.  The first time is during the epiclesis (or Hac Igitur), the part of the Prayers at the Consecration when the priest calls on the Holy Spirit to make the gifts of the bread and wine into sacrificial matter.  At this time, the deacon (or priest if no deacon is present) will remove the pall from atop the chalice and kneel.  What the celebrant actually says varies depending on which Eucharistic Prayer he uses.  You should become familiar with what the words are for each of the prayers so that you won't be caught off guard.

Eucharistic Prayer 1 (Roman Canon) 

Bless and approve our offering: make it acceptable to you, an offering in
spirit and in truth. Let it become for us the body and blood of Jesus Christ,
your only Son, our Lord.

Eucharistic Prayer 2

Lord, you are holy indeed, the fountain of all holiness. Let your
Spirit come upon these gifts to make them holy, so that they may
become for us the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Eucharistic Prayer 3

And so, Father, we bring you these gifts. We ask you to make them
holy by the power of your Spirit, that they may become the body and
blood of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at whose command we
celebrate this Eucharist.

Eucharistic Prayer 4

Father, may this Holy Spirit sanctify these offerings. Let them
become the body and blood of Jesus Christ our Lord as we celebrate
the great mystery which he left us as an everlasting covenant.

The server should ring the bells for the entirety of each of these passages.

Thenext instance the server uses the sanctuary bells is during the consecration of the bread and wine.  I should note that there are several ways to ring the bells at the consecrations, and I will describe a few.

• One ring as the priest elevates the host and chalice
• Three separate rings as the priest elevates the host and chalice
• One ring as the priest elevates the host/chalice, one ring when the places them on the altar, and one ring as he genuflects.  

One should keep in mind the speed at which the celebrant usually elevates and places the species back on the altar.  Sometimes the priest will wait for the rings, other times you'll have to time the rings just right.  Know your priests.

In extraordinary circumstances sanctuary bells are used (or not used).

1. During the Gloria on Holy Thursday, the bells are rung from start to finish.
2. After the Gloria on Holy Thursday, NO bells are used, even at the Consecration.  Instead of bells, a wooden clapper is used.  Bells are not used again unitl the Easter Vigil.
3. During the Gloria of the Easter Vigil
4. Bells are generally used in processions, except during the procession to the Altar of Repose on Holy Thursday.  At this time, the clapper should be used.

While not technically used during the liturgy, if you have sacristy bells to signal when the procession is leaving the sacristy, use them!

So, bells add to the reverence of the Mass if they are used properly, and it can be really noticeable if not done properly.  Memorize when they should be used and practice using them!

Important Prayers for Altar Servers

Prayer is essential to faithfully serving at Mass.  One of the most opportune times to remember this obligation of prayer is while vesting.  I've found two prayers--one for the cassock and one for the surplice--that are worth remembering in the sacristy.

For the cassock:

Dominus, pars hereditatis meae et calicis mei, tu es qui restitues hereditatem meam.  Amen

O Lord, the portion of my inheritance and my chalice, You are He who will restore my inheritance.  Amen.

For the surplice:

Indue me, Domine, novum hominem, qui secundum Deum creatus est in iustitia et sanctitate veritatis.  Amen

Invest me, O Lord, as a new man, who was created by God in justice and the holiness of truth.  Amen.

And in the Beginning...

Hello, and welcome to this little experiment of mine.

First, a little information about me.  I am a senior history student at American University in Washington, DC.  On weekends I'm a lay altar server at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic Church in North America.

I started this blog mainly for two reasons: 1. As a sort of practical guide for serving Mass with some theological insight (if anyone ends up reading this), and 2. as an exercise for my own benefit.  Just as it is up to priests to ensure the reverence of the Mass, an important issue in this era, servers also have a large part in portraying a sense of the sacred.  

If you are like me, you have noticed that sometimes altar servers in local parishes leave something to be desired.  Some don't pay attention, aren't dressed appropriately, and don't know where they should be or what they should be doing.  In other cases, servers believe that they are merely actors in some sort of religious entertainment that they are performing for the audience.  Perhaps one of the most telling things I've heard about this came out of a young altar server's mouth after Mass.  To his mother this server said, "Boy, it's hot up there on stage."  How unfortunate that this boy thought he was on stage rather than knowing he was in the same sanctuary as his truly present Lord, or that he played a role in the sum total of man's ascension toward God.

While a server must be mindful and proud of this very important role in the liturgy, one must not let pride become a  barrier to the true worship that all owe to God.  A good altar server will always execute his duties accurately, but a great altar server will execute his duties accurately without ever drawing undue attention to himself.  The server must be an example to the congregation of self-denial and the offering of oneself with Christ on the altar.  For this reason, the altar server should always ask for God's grace to perform his duties while still preserving the"awe of transcendence."  

With that introduction out of the way, I will make every effort to post as frequently as I can.  Please feel free to leave comments of encouragement, critique, questions, or anything (well, almost anything) that comes to mind.  I hope you enjoy reading and that you learn a little something in the process.