Altar Servers At Your Parish

[Archaeology cat]

The altar servers are mixed at my parish, usually grade-school age. I've no idea how many there are in the parish, as there are multiple Masses, but at the 8.00 Mass there's anywhere from 1-4. At daily Mass the altar server is an older gentleman. The kids wear albs when they serve.

[fides quarens intellectum]

[quote name='TeresaBenedicta' date='13 June 2010 - 07:21 PM' timestamp='1276474867' post='2128309']
I'm just curious as to what the "altar server" life is like at your parish. The poll wouldn't let me as anymore questions, so I'll ask them down here:

How many altar servers does your parish have total?
What sort of dress to your altar servers wear? (If cassock and surplus, are the girls included?)
What are the percentages of males-females who serve?
[/quote]

I would guess about 20 servers total - it is a rather grey-haired parish. Most of the servers are young - maybe two are beyond junior high.

The older boys wear black cassocks and white surplices; girls and younger boys wear white albs/robes. I would say half and half males-females.

We have to have four serving at each Mass, for the four patens, but now that summer is here and a lot of the servers are out of town, the priest is considering using extra EMOHCs to hold patens for Holy Communion.

[jeffpugh]

Isn't it [i]surplice[/i]?

[fides quarens intellectum]

[quote name='Sacred Music Man' date='14 June 2010 - 03:46 PM' timestamp='1276548375' post='2128761']
Isn't it [i]surplice[/i]?
[/quote]

I was using the plural, which I thought would be surplices. Is surplice also the plural, then?

[TeresaBenedicta]

[quote name='fides quarens intellectum' date='14 June 2010 - 06:34 PM' timestamp='1276551299' post='2128812']
I was using the plural, which I thought would be surplices. Is surplice also the plural, then?
[/quote]

I think he was referring to my post, in which I used the incorrect spelling "surplus."

There's a surplus of surplices!!

[jeffpugh]

I saw "surplus" a few times. Just thought I'd point it out before things started rolling down that road

[Cherie]

[quote name='TeresaBenedicta' date='13 June 2010 - 08:21 PM' timestamp='1276474867' post='2128309']
What sort of dress to your altar servers wear? (If cassock and surplus, are the girls included?)
[/quote]

Red cassock with white surplice -- Yes, the girls are included, and it looks UTTERLY ridiculous!!!


[quote name='TeresaBenedicta' date='13 June 2010 - 08:21 PM' timestamp='1276474867' post='2128309']
What are the percentages of males-females who serve? [/quote]

Probably 80% female, unfortunately. None of the boys want to serve ... maybe because they started letting the girls in?

Edited June 14, 2010 by CherieMadame

[zunshynn]

[quote name='Sacred Music Man' date='14 June 2010 - 05:36 PM' timestamp='1276558597' post='2128881']
I saw "surplus" a few times. Just thought I'd point it out before things started rolling down that road
[/quote]

Oh how humiliating! I can't believe I spelled it that way. I know better than that. Surplices.

[Nihil Obstat]

Someone should open a Catholic shop called Surplus Surplices and Such.

[laetitia crucis]

[quote name='Sacred Music Man' date='14 June 2010 - 07:36 PM' timestamp='1276558597' post='2128881']
I saw "surplus" a few times. Just thought I'd point it out before things started rolling down that road
[/quote]

Yeah... I noticed this spelling as well, and when I spelled out "surplice" I got paranoid of my own spelling... and decided to spell it the way I had seen others spell it.

Hahahaha!

[jeffpugh]

It's okay. We're all happy

[princessgianna]

Sadly at my home parish it is rare to see a guy serve.

[princessgianna]

Sadly at my home parish it is rare to see a guy serve.

[Theologian in Training]

When I got here at the parish, there were six, during the course of 4 years we have had as many as 32 and as few as 26, mixed, both girls and boys, wearing albs and having up to 4 servers at a given Mass to as few as 2. It seems they were all hanging out in the CCD classes and were not interested in serving...that was remedied

[Ed Normile]

I liked Nihils idea, Surplus Surplices and Such! Or they could call it Surplus Surplice Superstore.

I wonder if there is a church supply that makes these? I would assume that they could be made by any tailor, but I bet there is a catholic business that supplies these types of things, maybe they sell them hanging cloth poster like decorations you see around the altar, I can not seem to think if they even have a name or not, although we made them in catholic school as a child and they used them on the altar.

ed