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The Fear of Altar Serving

The Fear of Altar Serving. By: Megan French. Christopher French Holy Spirit Catholic Church Sunday, November 14, 2010. Photo 1:.

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The Fear of Altar Serving

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  1. The Fear of Altar Serving By: Megan French

  2. Christopher French Holy Spirit Catholic Church Sunday, November 14, 2010

  3. Photo 1: In the Catholic Church young children have the opportunity to help during the Mass as altar servers. They accompany the priest and assist him when needed. It is preferred in some churches that children begin Altar Serving in middle school, but our church provides the opportunity in the fourth grade for those who feel ready and complete the training. One of the first tasks Christopher does upon arriving at church is to sign in signifying that he is present and ready for the tasks at hand. Chris tried his best to write neatly in cursive just as the others did, although, it was not nearly as clear as the others. His shaky hands, nerves, and young age all attributed to this.

  4. Christopher French Holy Spirit Catholic Church Sunday, November 14, 2010

  5. Photo 2: Chris’ next task is to get dressed in the appropriate altar server attire. This consisted of formal church clothes, preferably light in color so it does not show through, an alb, and a cincture, or small rope to tie around the waist. He had to choose which size alb to wear, making sure it was not too long to where he could trip over it, and not too short so it would show his ankles. He then looked in the mirror and checked the fit, the hood placement, and tied his cincture around his waist. The process of tying the cincture took several tries however. Still not well skilled in tying his shoes, he said the multiple attempts to tie the cincture “Only made me feel like I wasn’t supposed to be doing this.”

  6. Christopher French Holy Spirit Catholic Church Sunday, November 14, 2010

  7. Photo 3: • Before Chris leaves the dressing room, he stops to look at the sign posted on the door which reviews the steps he is to perform during Mass. He quietly recited them to himself several times through. When asked why he did this, he said “I was just checkin’ to make sure I don’t mess up.” An altar server often has to stand in front of the entire assembly in order to assist the priest, making them a prominent figure throughout. When told a little mistake probably wouldn’t be noticed, he said “I just don't want to mess up in front of my friends, because they would know, and that’s embarrassing.” His tone of voice changed slightly right before he said this as if it finally sunk in as to what he was actually going to be doing.

  8. Christopher French Holy Spirit Catholic Church Sunday, November 14, 2010

  9. Photo 4: The senior altar server requests that Chris light the candles before Mass begins. After some brief hesitation he agreed he would and asked for help in using a Bic lighter. He first lit the candle lighter and then proceeded to the front of the church where the candles were located. In order to prevent the light from extinguishing, he cupped his hand in front of it and walked very slowly. Anyone sitting in the church could sense his nervousness and anxiety during the long walk up the aisle. He said “I was just scared I would light my alb on fire, or trip, and set the whole room on fire! I didn’t really like doing it, but I guess I’ll get better at it someday.”

  10. Christopher French Holy Spirit Catholic Church Sunday, November 14, 2010

  11. Photo 5: After lighting the candles Chris sits down in his reserved chair to say a short prayer. He asked for guidance, and “to know what to do and when to do it.” He also prayed that the senior server he was serving with would help him and tell him exactly what to do. For Chris, altar serving was very outside of his comfort zone and made him feel very anxious, but he knew he was doing a good deed and he would “get better at it.” After a short prayer he headed back to the church entry to wait for the entrance procession or his big début.

  12. Christopher French Holy Spirit Catholic Church Sunday, November 14, 2010

  13. Photo 6: • Chris’ face has nervous written all over it as he plastered himself against the wall. The other altar servers were enjoying themselves, talking with their friends, and didn’t seem to be anxious at all. Chris, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He didn’t partake in any outside conversation, and his eyes were a slight shade of red from the previous meltdown he had, stating again that he just couldn’t do it. Once reassured by his parents, sibling, and other senior servers, he slowly began to ease up, but not very much.

  14. Christopher French and Anne Marie Pattison-Knutson Holy Spirit Catholic Church Sunday, November 14, 2010

  15. Photo 7: Little Miss Anne Marie arrives! Chris and Anne Marie had been friends since kindergarten and have assigned seats next to each other during class this year. Right after Chris’ meltdown, Anne Marie saw him and it couldn’t have been any better timing. She came over to Chris, made him laugh, and reassured him that everything would be ok. She said “Chris, I got to do this last week so if I can do it, so can you!” Chris found this uplifting and it helped ease his nerves before it was time to begin.

  16. Christopher French and Fr. Jerry Riney Holy Spirit Catholic Church Sunday, November 14, 2010

  17. Photo 8: • The time arrives for Mass to begin and Chris to walk up the aisle. He was quite reluctant to even get into position to walk forth, but with the gentle nudge of his parents and the priest, Fr. Jerry, he took his place. The church sounded with music and the assembly all joined together in song as they processed up the aisle. He turned back to glance at his sister with a nervous face, only to see a confident and confirming smile from her that he would be ok. Mass continued as usual and Chris accomplished everything he was required to do.

  18. Christopher French Holy Spirit Catholic Church Sunday, November 14, 2010

  19. Photo 9: Chris has minimal responsibilities this first time serving but feels very proud of his efforts. The two older altar servers did most of the work during the mass which helped Chris to relax a bit and observe. Before mass started there was no smile and he was almost in tears. After Mass, however, he was all smiles and very excited the whole thing was finished. He didn’t want to admit it, but his mom said she thinks he really enjoyed it, and liked being able to sit in the very front row.

  20. Christopher French Holy Spirit Catholic Church Sunday, November 14, 2010

  21. Photo 10: It is now time to remove the alb and cincture and put them away for the next Mass. Chris was a very proud little boy. He said “It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, and I guess I can do it again if I have to.” Little did he know, he was scheduled to altar serve again in three weeks. He still gets nervous before altar serving, but not nearly as much as his very first time. He says he will always remember his very first time altar serving, and his mom says she will too, especially the stubborn fit he threw before!

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