FATHER CHARLES J. CARMODY 

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Learning to Serve 
A BOOK FOR NEW ALTAR BOYS 

Father Charles J. Garmody 

T H E B R U C E P U B L I S H I N G C O M P A N Y 
M I L W A U K E E 



NIHIL OBSTAT: 

ROBEHT J. CHISHOLM, Chancellor 
Censor librorum 

IMPRIMATUR: 

•I" THOMAS L . N O A 

Bishop of Marquette 
April 4, 1981 

© 1 9 6 1 T H E BRUCE PUBLISHING C O M P A N Y 

MADE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

DeaM&f 



C o n t e n t s . . . 

1. A Catholic Boy's Greatest Honor 

2. The Altar Boy's Ideals 

3. The Altar Boy Does His Very Best 

4. The Altar Boy Knows His Rubrics 

5. The Altar Boy Knows Himself 

6. The Altar Boy Recites His Latin Correctly, 
Clearly, and With Certainty 

7. The Altar Boy Is a Christian Gentleman 

8. The Altar Boy Is Respected by His Teachers 
and Neighbors . . . . . . 

9. The Altar Boy Shows Respect to His Superiors 
at All Times 

10. The Altar Boy Is Polite and Courteous to 
Everyone . . . . . . . 

11. The Altar Boy Is Always in Plenty of Time 
12. The Altar Boy Is Responsible for His Altar 

Appointments 

13. The Altar Boy Is Neat 

14. The Altar Boy Should Be a Minuteman of His 
Parish . . . . . . . 

15. The Altar Boy Is Truthful at All Times . 

16. The Altar Boy Respects the Holy Name 

17. The Altar Boy Loves Our Blessed Mother 

5 

10 
14 

17 

21 

25 

29 

34 

38 

44 

48 

53 

57 

61 
65 

69 

74 



18. The Altar Boy Receives Holy Communion 
Frequently . 7 8 

19. The Altar Boy Practices Catholic Action 83 

20. The Altar Boy Is Precise . . . . 89 
21. The Altar Boy Is Reverent in the Sacristy and 

Sanctuary . . 9 5 

22. The Altar Boy When Serving Is on Parade 100 

23. The Altar Boy Holds Serving as His First 
Loyalty 107 

24. The Altar Boy Knows the Mass . . 1 1 4 

25. The Altar Boy Has a Knowledge of the Altar 
and Sacred Things . 1 1 8 

Appendix 

Prayers and Responses With Rubrics Added . 124 

Check List for the Server Before Mass . . 1 3 4 

Some General Rules . . 1 3 4 

How to Carry Objects . 1 3 5 

Ringing of the Bell 137 

The Kiss of Peace (Pax) . 1 3 7 

In Choro . 1 3 8 

Serving Mass at a Side Altar . 1 4 0 

Holy Communion Outside of Mass . 1 4 2 

Asperges . . 1 4 3 

4 



Lesson 1 . . . 

A Catholic Boy's Greatest Honor 
I To be an altar boy is a great honor — the greatest 
I honor that any Catholic boy can win for himself. But 
I remember, being an altar boy is not easy. It's not just 
I a sideline or something extra for you to do. It's a pretty 
I big job. Before you begin, you should know that being 
I an altar boy is going to demand your interest and a 
I great deal of your time. Bemember this too — serving 
I must always come first. As time goes on, you will be-
I come interested in other things that will also take your 
1 time and your interest, but being an altar boy must 
I always be your first loyalty. It must never take second 
a place. You must understand this from the b e g i n n i n g . 



For these reasons, not just anyone can be an altar 
boy, but only those boys who make themselves worthy 
by prayer, long study, and all-round good behavior. If 
you are not ready to do all of these things, then you 
cannot be an altar boy. 

This book is going to help you to become a first-class 
server. The many lessons that follow will teach you 
what you must know to begin serving. LEARNING TO 
SERVE will also remind you of what kind of boy you 
must try to be. It will take a lot of effort to learn the 
lessons in this book, but if you have what it takes, you 
can do it. Anyone can quit when the going gets tough, 
but not everyone can see a hard job through to the end. 
Can you? Well, we shall see. 

Always remember, an altar boy must be a really 
good boy. Many years ago in Nazareth, our Lord Him-
self was once a boy just like you. Put yourself in His 
place. Try to think and act the way He did. But remem-
ber — you are not just putting on a big show. Absolutely 
not! You must really try to be like our Lord deep down 
inside of yourself. It takes a long time to get ready for 
the great honor of serving at God's altar. So get busy. 

To prepare yourself for the big job ahead, be certain 
to do three things: 

1. Say your prayers as well as you can each day. 
2. Go to Holy Communion more often. 
3. Always be polite and obedient at home, at school, 

and in your neighborhood. 

If you do these things, you will be on the right road. 

6 



YE OLD 

Latin 

Department 

Latin Department 
How do you do? Come in. This is the Latin Depart-

ment. Make yourself at home. You will be in here a lot. 
Do you know anything about Latin? Well, Latin is a 

very old language, and for many years it played a very 
important part in the history of the world. The Romans 
used Latin every day, just as we use English. For many 
hundreds of years, Latin was spoken in many parts of 
the world. Of course, this is no longer the case. Today, 
we call Latin a dead language, because no nation uses 
it as an everyday language. We also call Latin a dead 
language because it never changes. A language that 
is used in everyday speech, like English or German, 
changes all the time — new words are made up and 
old words change their meanings. 

After all these years, however, the Catholic Church 
still uses Latin as her official world-wide language. Since 
Catholics all over the world speak many different lan-
guages, it is necessary that we have some language 
that we can all use together. The Church's language 
should not be a language that belongs to just one people. 
It should be a language that belongs to everyone. Be-

7 



sides this, the Church needs a very exact language that 
doesn't change. Now Latin fills the bill perfectly. Be-
cause Latin is a dead language, it belongs to everyone. 
For the same reason, it never changes and is very exact. 
This is why the Church uses Latin as her official, world-
wide language; and, of course, this is why the Mass is 
in Latin. 

One of your chief duties as an altar boy will be to 
answer the priest at the altar in Latin. Now, even though 
you do not know Latin, you can still pronounce it cor-
rectly if you try. You will see. 

To begin with, say these familiar words aloud: 

odd cool spare coot see key 
trees cheap lay tee rot lay 
flea may tar bear clay bee 
knee doom loom cot tote moose 
cone day too you sock pair 
¡II pool ten forty knee ark 
in bay spear dough loud stay 
ray you me is glow said 

Perhaps you did not know it, but you were ji 
making Latin sounds. Even though Latin and English 
are two different languages, they both use the same 
sounds, and you know most of these sounds already. 

To make it easier for you, your Latin prayers will 
be written in the English word sounds that you use 
every day. It's something like the phonics that you use 
in school. We will write the words, not as they are 

8 



really spelled in Latin, but as they sound in English. 
For instance, the Latin word Deus means God. How 
would you pronounce it? Well, using English word 
sounds, it's written like this: Day-oose. How would 
you pronounce it now? The best part of all this is that 
we can do it with almost any Latin word and get it 
right. 

Remember, now, in your lessons even though you 
will be reading English word sounds, you will be speak-
ing in Latin. Get the idea? 

Things to Know 
1. Can just anyone be an altar boy? Explain. 
2. What do we mean when we say, "serving should 

come first"? Is this easy? 
3. How does a boy make himself worthy to be a server? 
4. Does an altar boy just act like a good boy? Who 

should an altar boy try to be like? 
5. When was Latin used more than it is today? Why 

does the Church still use Latin? 

Things to Do 
1. Be able to read all the words on page 8 without a 

mistake. 
2. Be able to tell the name of your book and how many 

lessons it has. 

3. Get a nice plastic bag to carry your book in. Write 
your name' and address on your book. 

9 



Lesson 2 . . . 

The Altar Boy's Ideals 
Do you know what this word means — ideals? Well, 
it means the goals that a person shoots for in his life. 
You must have high ideals. If your ideals are low, you 
will never be much good. Everyone needs high ideals, 
especially an altar boy. As we learned the first day, an 
altar boy must try to be as good as possible. If you pass 
this course, you will be chosen to serve in your parish 
sanctuary. This is a great honor and you must be sure 
that you live up to it. Just as the priest himself, altar 

10 



boys must be careful to give good example to the rest 
of the parish. But remember, remember, remember, this 
doesn't mean that you are supposed to put on a show 
and pretend to be something that you are not. It does 
mean that you must try to be the kind of boy our 
Lord wants you to be — not just a goody-goody or a 
sissy, but a good Catholic boy. 

We said that ideals are like goals to shoot for. Almost 
every game you play has a goal. Can you name some? 
Well anyway, before you play a game, you have to 
know what the goal is and where it is. Boys just don't 
run around a playing field for nothing; they are shooting 
for a goal. What would you think of a player who sud-
denly got the football in the middle of an important 
game and said, "Hey, what do I do now?" By the time 
he said it, he would be smothered by the other team. 
You have to know the goals in a game and you have 
to know the ideals in being an altar boy. 

In the lessons ahead, you will learn all about these 
ideals. Like any goals, the ideals of an altar boy demand 
a lot of hard work and trying. So pay close attention to 
what is expected of you. Don't be like the poor fellow 
on the football field who didn't know what to do. 
KNOW YOUR GOALS AND THEN SHOOT FOR 
THEM WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT. 

Latin Department 
Well, here we are in the Latin Department again! 

Are you ready? In the first lesson we learned that Latin 
and English use the same sounds. Remember? Well, 

11 



let's take a look now at the most important of these 
sounds. There are five of them: 

1. ah sounds — ah as in rah-rah 
2. ay sounds — ay as in lay 
3. ee sounds — ee as in see 
4. o sounds — o as in no 
5. oo sounds — oo as in moon 

The class must now go over these sounds many times 
until everyone knows them by heart. These are the 
sounds of the Latin vowels — a, e, i, o, u. (Notice how 
ee and oo are printed — ee and oo. We will use this 
special printing all the way through.) 

Now that we have seen the five most important 
sounds, we shall try to put them to work. Ready? 

ah sounds — ah, rah, sah, lah 
ah, kah, wah, kwah 
ah, aht, ahl, ahm 

Did you notice how the ah sound is always the same? 
Sometimes, we placed a consonant before the ah and 
sometimes after the ah, making different kinds of ah 
sounds. We shall do the same with the other sounds 
now. 

ay sounds — ay, lay, say, day, bay 
clay, ray, may, chay (ch as in chair) 

ee sounds — ee, see, lee, nee, mee 
ee, wee, kwee, tee, ree 

12 



o sounds — o, no, go, so 
o, cone, lone 

oo sounds — oo, noon, moon, loon 
loom, oom, too, pool 
oose, loose, coose, room, troom 

You must go over these sounds again and again. Only 
practice makes perfect. 

Things to Know 
1. What are goals? What are ideals? Are they the same? 

Explain. 
2. What is the big thing to remember about goals and 

ideals? 

3. What kind of a boy does our Lord expect you to be? 
4. Are altar boys expected to give good example? Why? 
5. How can you learn your sounds best? 

Things to Do 
1. Ask your parents what they think a "good Catholic 

boy" is. 
2. Learn the five most important sounds by heart. 
3. Visit your parish church and make a visit to the 

Blessed Sacrament. While you are there, look around 
and see how many objects you can name. 

13 



Lesson 3 . 

The Altar Boy Does His Very Best 
Did you ever notice that you do some things better 
than others? In school you are good in some subjects 
but poor in others. You even play some games better 
than others. The simple reason for this is that some 
things are easy for you, while other things are pretty 
hard. This is going to be true all through your life. 
This is the way that God made you. So, you might as 
well get used to it. 

The only trouble is that most people like to do the 
easy things but hate to do the hard things. Many people 
just do the things that they like to do and don't bother 
with the hard things. These poor people are called the 
"quitters" — when things get tough, they quit. You 
can't depend on them. In fact, you might say that they 
are cowards, always running away from their problems. 
They never finish anything they start. Always remember, 
boys, no problem is ever solved by running away from 
it. Everyone has problems. You just have to face your 
problems and solve them. You can't be a "quitter." 

Our Lord doesn't approve of a "quitter." He cer-
tainly wasn't a "quitter" Himself. He faced up to things 
right to the end. He doesn't want you to be a "quitter" 
either. Our Lord wants us to do our best in everything. 
He said so. He wants us to do the easy things perfectly. 
Remember, not just enough to get by with, but per-
fectly. What about the things we find hard to do? Our 

14 



Lord still wants us to do these things as well as we can 
possibly do them. So don't get discouraged when things 
get hard to do. Keep your chin up and put your best 
foot forward. Give the best you've got. This is what 
our Lord expects of you. 

Now, in learning to become an altar boy, some things 
will be easy for you — other things will be hard. So 
make up your mind right now to do the easy things 
perfectly and the hard things just as well as you can. 
Another thing —those in charge of your training will 
correct you many, many times. Don't pout when you 
are corrected or go over in the corner and feel sorry 
for yourself. You need to be corrected — everybody 
does. Pay attention to the corrections and put them into 
practice. Don't let them go into one ear and out the 
other. Above all, don't be a "quitter." REMEMBER 
YOU WILL NEVER, NEVER DO A GOOD JOB IF 
YOU CAN'T TAKE CORRECTION. So get ready — 
you're going to get a lot of it. That's it, boys — stick to 
it. Don't be a "quitter." Put your best foot forward 
and go to it. 

Latin Department 
Hello! Did you learn your five sounds? The five Latin 

sounds that we learned in the last lesson are so im-
portant that we must go over them again. Let each boy 
show the class how well he has learned them: 

ah is pronounced ee is pronounced 
ay is pronounced o is pronounced 1 

oo is pronounced 

15 



Now besides the ah, ay, ee, and oo sounds, Latin has 
four other important sounds. Here they are: 

air sounds — chair, tair, vair, sair 
aw sounds — saw, daw, naw, taw 
ez sounds — fez, rez, ez, tez 
en sounds — ten, men, en, sen, ven 

There are nine important sounds then. These nine 
sounds must be known perfectly and by heart. So be 
certain to have all nine sounds ready for the next class. 

Things to Know 
1. Why do we do some things better than others? 
2. Who are the "quitters"? Explain. 
3. Does everyone have problems? How do we solve 

them? 
4. What does our Lord want us to do? 
5. Who needs to be corrected? How should we take 

correction? 

Things to Do 
1. Keep reviewing the first five sounds over and over 

again. 
2. Learn the second four sounds by heart. 
3. Find out what your school principal thinks of 

"quitters." 

16 



Lesson 4 . 

The Altar Boy Knows His Rubrics 
I You have heard many times that the Catholic Church 
lis the same all over the world. No matter where you 
|go, Catholics believe the same things, have the very 
I same Mass and Sacraments, and all obey the Holy 
I Father in Rome. But it's important to remember that 
I in different parts of the world, Catholics offer the same 
• Holy Mass in many different ways. It all depends on 
I what rite you belong to. In the Catholic Church there are 
ja number of different rites. Each rite has its own lan-
Iguage and official way of praying, which we call liturgy. 
I This is a good word for you to remember— liturgy. 
I Most Catholics, including us, belong to the Roman Rite. 
I We use Latin in the Mass and other services. Many other 

17 



Catholics, however, belong to what we call Eastern 
Rites. They use Greek or some other language. Each 
rite has its own official prayer books written in its own 
language. We have five official prayer books and they 
are written in Latin. 

All these official prayer books are printed in two 
colors — black and red. The prayers are printed in 
black, but the rules that tell us what to do are printed 
red letters. Now the Latin word for red letters is ruhrica. 
Because the rules for serving are printed in red letters, 
they are also called rubrica. In English we use almost 
the same word, but we change the final "a" to an "s" 
and get rubrics. There it is. That's the word you have 
to know. Rubrics. Rubrics. Rubrics. Rubrics are the 
rules for serving. Rubrics tell us when to stand, sit, 
kneel, turn around, bow, and a lot of other things. 

Part of your job as an altar boy will be to learn the 
rubrics or rules for serving Mass and other services. 
But, get this straight from the start. You don't just make 
it up as you go along or wander around the altar like a 
wild buffalo. No indeed, you are supposed to serve ac-
cording to the rubrics. What's the word — everybody? 
That's right, the rubrics. 

Latin Department 
Greetings, come into the Latin Department. Well, 

you found out that you all belong to the Roman Rite, 
and the Roman Rite uses Latin as its official language. 
So, you can see that we're on the right track here. 

In the last few lessons, we learned nine important 

18 



YE OLD 

Latín 

Department 

Latin sounds. Now once more, let's go over them again. 
Each boy must have these sounds at his finger tips. 
Let's go over the sounds together a few times. Here 
they are: 

ah 
ay 
ee 

o 
oo 
air 

aw 
ez 
en 

Now that we have a pretty fair idea of the most im-
I portant sounds, let's put them to work for ourselves. 
I On one side, you will find the Latin word; and on the 
I other side, the same word written in English word 
I sounds. Ready? 

Latin words English word sounds 
Pater pah-tair 
Petrum pay-troom 
repulisti ray-pool-is-tee 
aeternam ay-tair-nahm 
terram tair-ahm 

These are some of the words that cause trouble. So 
if you learn them now, it will help you later on. 

19 



Things to Know 
1. What is the Roman Rite? How many different rites 

are there? 
2. Do you know what the word "liturgy" means? 

Explain. 
3. What are "rubrics"? Where does the wôrd come 

from? 
4. Are rubrics important? What would happen if we 

didn't have rubrics? 
5. What language does the Roman Rite use? What can 

you tell about the Church's language? 

Things to Do 
1. Have the nine most important sounds at your finger 

tips. 
2. Be able to name the other Catholic churches in your 

city or deanery. Are they all of the Roman Rite? 
3. Be able to tell your bishop's full name and the full 

name of your pastor and other parish priests too. 
Can you find a picture of your bishop? Do you have 
a picture of the Holy Father? 

20 



Lesson 5 . . 

The Altar Boy Knows Himself 
No one is perfect. It's too bad, but it's true. We are all 
a bundle of strong points and weak points. Did you 
know that? Well, ever since our first parents, Adam and 
Eve, committed original sin it's been that way. Since 
that time, we all have a hard time controlling ourselves. 

I The strong points and weak points are always fighting 
I to see which will get the upper hand. Which will win? 

Well, it's up to us. Will we turn out to be strong or 
I weak? It depends on which set of points gets control. 
I Just what are your strong points? What are your weak 
I points? Do you know? You should. 

Many hundreds of years ago, a great and wise man 
I named Socrates said, "Know yourself." He was right, 

21 



too. We can never control ourselves unless we under-
stand our strong points and our weak points. With our 
Lord's help, we can improve ourselves; but first, we 
must find out where we need the improving. 

In the days ahead, study yourself very well. See if 
you can pick out your strong points and weak points. 
Ask your parents and teachers to help you. Sometimes, 
they know you better than you know yourself. At any I 
rate, see if you can figure yourself out. 

GOOD NEWS 
Latin Department 

Good news. Today we are ready to learn the first I 
Latin responses that you will use at Mass. They are I 
called responses because they are your answers to the I 
priest's prayers. As you remember, the Mass opens with I 
the priest and servers saying the Prayers at the Foot I 
of the Altar. Here is the first one of these responses. I 
Who can read it right off? 

Ahd Day'-oom kv/ee lay-tee'-fee-kaht/ 
yoo-ven-too'-tem may'-ahm. 

There it is — the first response (answer). You have I 
often heard that practice makes perfect, and this is I 
very true. IT IS ONLY BY GOING OVER THESE I 
PRAYERS AGAIN AND AGAIN THAT YOU WILL 
LEARN THEM. 

22 



Now, two last things. You know that words are made 
up of parts called syllables. One of the syllables is hit 
by your voice. We call this the accent. Notice now that 
where the mark ' appears at the end of a syllable. This 
is where the accent is placed. Hit that one syllable when 
you say the word. Another thing, too, when you see the 
mark / pause there before going on — not too long 
though. 

Today's Rubrics 
Now that we know what the rubrics are, we can 

begin to study them. In each lesson, we will study a 
new rubric. By the time you have finished with LEARN-
ING TO SERVE, you will know all of the most important 
rubrics. Some of the Church's ceremonies aré very 
simple; others are very difficult; but in every ceremony, 
no matter how simple or how difficult, we use the same 
rubrics. 

Today, we shall look over some of the official 
prayer books of the Roman Rite where the rubrics are 
written down in red letters. Here they are: 

Roman Missal — This is the large book used at Mass. 
Besides the big missal which contains everything, 
there is also a smaller missal which contains only 
the Masses for the dead. There is also a special 
missal for use in Holy Week. The bishop also has 
a special book for use at Mass called the Canon. 

Roman Breviary — This is the Church's daily prayer 
book. It contains the Divine Office. You have often 
seen the priest with his office book or breviary. 

23 



Roman Ritual — This book contains the Church's 
blessings and the ceremonies for the Sacraments. 

Roman Pontifical — This is a special book used by the 
bishop. It contains the ritual for Confirmation, 
Holy Orders, etc. 

Ceremonial of Bishops — This is another very special 
book for the use of the bishop. 

These then are most of the official prayer books of 
the Roman Rite. You should remember at least the 
first three. 

Things to Know 
1. Who said, "Know thyself"? What does it mean? 

Explain. 
2. What are "responses"? Are "responses" prayers? 
3. How can you learn your Latin prayers best? 
4. What is a "syllable"? What is an "accent"? 
5. Name some of the official prayer books of the Roman 

Rite. 

Things to Do 
1. Make a list of your strong points and weak points. 

Ask your parents and teachers to help you make your 
list. 

2. Keep reading over your first response until you can 
read it without a mistake. 

3. Say a special prayer tonight that God will help you 
be a good and faithful altar boy. 

24 



Lesson 6 

The Altar Boy Recites His Latin Correctly, 
Clearly, and With Certainty 

To recite his Latin correctly and clearly, an altar boy 
must learn to articulate and to project his voice. Pretty 
big words, aren't they? Well, let's take them one at a 
time. 

Articulate — say it together. Ready? Ar-ti'-cu-late. 
This word means that when you speak you use all of 
your speaking equipment. God gave you a tongue, lips, 
teeth, and a palate to speak with. If you don't articulate 
or use all of this speaking equipment, you will never 
speak correctly. Instead, you will swallow your words, 
mumble them, or slur over them, and you will not be 
understood. Sometimes, it is necessary to exaggerate or 

25 



to overspeak to get into the habit of articulating. This is 
especially true when speaking Latin. In Latin the end-
ings of the words are very important. So remember, be 
careful to speak each Latin word slowly and exactly. 
You must learn to articulate — articulate — articulate. 

An altar boy must also project his voice. This means 
that he must speak out loudly and clearly, but without 
shouting. To do this, you must breathe properly. You 
must learn to breathe from the lungs, as all great singers 
and speakers do. When you are in bed tonight, lie on 
your back and notice how slowly, evenly, and deeply 
you are breathing. This is the proper way to breathe. 

So remember, an altar boy must articulate and project 
his voice. He answers for all the people at Mass. His 
Latin responses must be made correctly, clearly, and 
with certainty. During the Mass, the priest uses two 
tones of voice. When the server makes his responses, he 
should be careful to use the same tone of voice that the 
priest is then using. Ordinarily, the people kneeling in 
the church should be able to hear the altar boy's re-
sponses. If the server articulates and projects his voice 
properly, he will be heard without shouting. So please, 
no swallowing of words, no mumbling, no slurring. 
Learn to articulate — use all of your speaking equip-
ment. Learn to project your voice. For goodness' sakes, 
don't be a mumbler. 

Latin Department 
Hello! Did every boy learn the first response (an-

swer)? If so, we can go on to the second response. 

26 



Remember, you have to keep going over these prayers 
again and again. This is a long one, and so, you probably 
cannot learn it in just one class. 

Kwee'-ah too ez Day'-oos/ 
for-tee-too'-doe may'-ah/ 
kwah'-ray may ray-pool-is'-tee/ 
et kwah'-ray trees'-tis in-cha/-doe/ 
doom ah-flee'-ghit may in-ee-mee'-koos. 

Each boy should be careful to observe the pauses 
marked with / . By the way, boys always seem to have 
difficulty in the third line of the response because there 
are three ay sounds in a row. Be careful that you get 
all three of them in. Practice makes perfect. 

Today's Rubrics 
You have seen the priest in different colored vest-

ments many times. Do you know how many colors the 
Church uses? Well, there are five. Here are a few things 
for you to remember about them: 

White —used in Masses of our Lord, the Blessed 
Mother, and saints who are not martyrs. 

Red —used in Masses of martyrs and the Holv 
Ghost. 7 

Green —used on most Sundays of the year (Sun-
days after Pentecost). 

Violet — used in Lent and Advent and Masses of 
Penance. 

Black — used in Masses for the dead. 

27 



There are three other colors that may be used at 
times: 

Rose — may be used on the third Sunday of Advent 
and the fourth Sunday of Lent. 

Gold — may be used in place of white, green, or 
red. The vestments must be made of gold wire 
and not gold-colored cloth. 

Silver — may be used in place of white only. Silver 
vestments must be made from silver wire. 

The color blue is used at certain shrines of the Blessed 
Virgin in Spain. 

Things to Know 
L What do we mean by the words "to articulate" and 

"to project the voice"? 
2. How does a first-class server make his responses? 
3. Name the five colors the Church uses in the liturgy. 
4. Be able to name some other colors the Church some-

times uses. 

Things to Do 
1. Be able to tell what color vestments the priest wore 

last Sunday and during this week. 
2. Ask two of your neighbors to write letters of recom-

mendation for you, proving that you will be a credit 
to your parish as an altar boy. 

3. Review your first response. Keep reading over the 
response for this lesson until you can read it with-
out a mistake. 

28 



Lesson 7 . . . 

The Altar Boy Is a Christian Gentleman 
We use the term gentleman pretty freely nowadays. 
Everyone gets called a gentleman, but not everyone is 
a gentleman — far from it. Do you know what a gentle-
man is? Well, he is a kind and gentle person who tries 
to be good and kind to other people. A gentleman re-

Ispects other people, their property, their feelings, and their good name. 
Now, our Lord wants all of us to be gentlemen 

Christian gentlemen. He wants us to be good to one 
another and get along with one another as well as we 
can. It isn't easy though —is it? We often talk back, 
have loud arguments, and sometimes real fights. Besides, 
we all know some fellows who get us mad just to look 
at them. 

29 



Well, no one is perfect and we all get on each other's 
nerves once in a while; but the important thing is to 
try to get along and help one another in spite of it. 
Keep this in the back of your mind: our Lord wants 
me to be a gentleman — a Christian gentleman. He 
wants me to respect other people, their property, their 
feelings, and their good name. 

A gentleman tries to be very careful about teasing 
other fellows or poking fun at them. Sometimes, we do 
more harm than we realize. Maybe some boys have big 
ears or funny teeth. Some boys are taller than we are, 
or shorter, or heavier, or maybe they stutter, or wear 
glasses, or can't run very fast. Is this any reason to tease 
them and make them feel foolish? After all, take a good 
look in the mirror sometime — maybe you look funny to 
some people, too. Besides, if someone is different than 
you are, that's his business, not yours. So mind your own 
business. You have enough wrong with yourself without 
making fun of other people. Some boys can be very 
cruel and mean without knowing it. Trying to be funny, 
they hurt other people's feelings and cause them a lot 
of sorrow. So be kind to each other. This is what our 
Lord wants. He wants you to be a gentleman — a Chris-
tian gentleman. See that you make yourself just that — 
a Christian gentleman. 

Latin Department 
Come in, boys. Here we are in Lesson 7 already. Well, 

you know the second part of the next response. So this 
one should be easy for you. 

30 



Et in-tro-ee'-bo ahd ahl-tah'-ray Da/-ee/ 
ahd Da/-oom kwee lay-tee'-fee-kaht/ 
yoo-ven-too'-tem may'-ahm. 

Remember, the o sounds in these responses are pro-
nounced as o in no. Be careful in the oo sounds to give 
nice round oo's. Make sure that you keep repeating 
the responses we learn over and over until you have 
them down perfectly. Remember, the first-class server 
makes his Latin responses correctly, clearly, and with 
certainty. 

Today's Rubrics 
The difference between a good altar boy and a 

scarecrow is his stance. Likewise, the difference be-
tween a good altar boy and a yo-yo is his stance. This 
simply means that an altar boy doesn't stand stiff like a 
scarecrow or doesn't bob up and down like a yo-yo. 
The altar boy has a definite position which is called 
his stance. YOU CAN ALWAYS TELL A WELL-
TRAINED SERVER BY HIS STANCE. 

Here is the stance — your position of attention: 
Head — the head is kept straight, with the eyes 

lowered. 
Body — the body is held erect and the shoulders 

thrown back. 

Feet — the feet are kept together, except when in 
motion. 

Hands — the palms and fingers are joined to a 
point before the breast. They are pointed out. 

31 



Be careful not to have the hands too high or 
too low. Don't let them droop and don't put 
them near your mouth. Always keep the fingers 
fully extended and joined; never fold them one 
over the other; never interlock them. The right 
thumb should be over the left thumb. A good 
server always keeps his hands in the correct 
position. 

After each boy has learned the proper stance, he 
should practice walking. WALK SLOWLY AND 
EVENLY. Don't wobble like Barnacle Bill the Sailor. 
Remember, head up, eyes down, shoulders back, hands 
in place, and slow, even steps. 

32 



Things to Know 
1. What is a gentleman? What does our Lord expect 

of us? 

12. How can an altar boy be a Christian gentleman? Discuss fully. 
3. Sometimes we can be cruel and mean without know-

ing it. Explain. 
4. What s the altar boy's "stance"? 
5. What special points must an altar boy remember 

about his hands? 
6. How can you tell a well-trained server? List his 

qualities. 

Things to Do 
1. Be able to show the proper stance of an altar boy. 

I 2. Be able to articulate your full name, address, tele-
phone number, and the name of your school and 
parish. 

3. Be able to read the first three responses without 
a mistake. 

33 



Lesson 8 . . . 

The Altar Boy Is Respected by His 
Teachers and Neighbors 

We have spoken a good deal about being a gentleman 
and about doing your work. Well, school is a marvelous 
place to do it in. Certainly an altar boy should be a 
leader in his class. He doesn't have to be the smartest 
boy, but he should be one of the best behaved and 
most willing boys in the class. His character grades 
should always be high. No boy with low character 
grades should be permitted to serve on the altar. In 
fact, any boy that is always in trouble with his teachers 
does not deserve the honor of being a server. Your 
teachers have a very thankless job. They must educate 
you and hold you to your duty. For this reason, they 

34 



are not very popular. It is a strange thing, but we don't 
always like the people who do the most good for us. 

This is also true in your neighborhood. An altar boy 
should have a good reputation on his block. He doesn't 
have to be perfect, but his neighbors should agree that 
he is a good boy and not a rough, sassy, or bold boy. 
A boy who serves in God's sanctuary should have great 
respect for other people's property and privacy. Need-
less to say, an altar boy should never have to be cor-
rected by the police. Don't dishonor your cassock and 
surplice by being a sorrow to other people. Be sure to 
co-operate with your teachers and neighbors. 

BUT REMEMBER, BOYS, IN ALL OF THIS 
DON'T BE A HYPOCRITE. PLEASE DON'T PUT 
ON AN ACT. DON'T JUST SEEM TO BE A GOOD 
BOY —BE A GOOD BOY. 

Latin Department 
Come in. Let's get busy. We have a pretty long 

response to learn here today. The funny thing is that 
most boys learn it quite easily. Will you? Here it is: 

Spay'-rah in Day'-o/ 
kwo'-nee-ahm ahd'-hook/ 
cone-fee-tay'-bor ill '-eel 
sah-loo-fah'-ray vool'-toos may'-ee/ 
et Day'-oos may'-oos. 

Today's Rubrics 
The altar boy must be very careful about the Sign 

of the Cross. It is used in almost every ceremony. You 

35 



IN THE NAME OF THE AND OF THE AND OF THE 

FATHER, SON, HOLY GHOST, AMEN. 

have been making the Sign of the Cross for many years, 
but many of you do not make it correctly. You make it 
carelessly, not fully enough, or much too quickly. Re-
member, the Sign of the Cross is a prayer. Make it well. 

To make the Sign of the Cross properly, do this: 
a) Disjoin the hands from their folded position. 
b) Place the left hand fully extended just under 

your breast. Keep the fingers and thumb together. 
c) Keep the right fingers fully extended. Place your 

thumb in the palm. 
d) Now slowly trace the Sign of the Cross in broad 

full strokes. Be careful not to bring the right 
hand below the left in the second stroke. Be care-
ful to touch the end of each shoulder in the third 
and fourth strokes. 

e) After you have finished, rejoin the hands in front 
of your breast. 

36 



Each boy should practice making the Sign of the 
Cross correctly. Sometimes it is better to count the 
strokes than to say the words in practicing the correct 

way. Like this: 

1 

3 4 

2 

Things to Know 
1. What do we mean when we say the altar boy must 

be a leader in his class? 
2. Do we always like the people who do the most 

good for us? Explain. 
3. How should an altar boy behave in his neighbor-

hood? Why is this important? 
4. Many people make the Sign of the Cross incorrectly. 

Explain. 
5. How often do we make the Sign of the Cross? What 

points should we keep in mind about making the 
Sign of the Cross? 

Things to Do 
1. Pick out a good large mirror at home in front of which 

you can practice. Be certain to ask if you may use it. 
2. Practice making the Sign of the Cross before your 

mirror slowly and carefully. 
3. Keep reviewing your responses. Pay special attention 

to the one in this lesson. 

37 



Lesson 9 . . . 

The Altar Boy Shows Respect to His 
Superiors at All Times 

The next time you see a baby, notice how helpless he 
is. A baby really can't do anything for himself except 
make a lot of noise. Everyone has to wait on a baby. 
You were just like that once too; and if you really want 
to be honest with yourself, you must admit that in many 
ways you still depend on others. Often someone else has 
to do something for you. Just think what a terrible world 
this would be if God didn't have our mothers and fathers 
and a whole lot of other people waiting to help us. We 
would never get along. 

38 



We depend on our families to feed us, clothe us, give 
us a home. We need the priests and the Sisters to help 
us lead good lives and save our souls. We need our 
teachers in school to educate us. We need the police, 
the firemen, the postmen, our family doctors, and so 
many people to help us. The funny thing is that many 
times we act very shamefully to these people who 
help us. 

Remember, every time you have food on the table or 
a new pair of shoes or money in your pocket — it is 
because your father went out and earned it for you. 
Every time you have clean clothes and nice meals, and 
a lot of love and attention — you have your mother to 
thank for it. You can read and write and do a lot of 
other things because your teachers in school spent so 
much time and patience to teach you. Do you ever thank 
them? Probably you complain that you don't like school 
and that it's too hard. When are you going to wake up? 
Without all the help you get from your family, friends, 
teachers, and a whole lot of other people, you would 
never be able to grow up. We should all be very 
grateful to these good people who work so hard to help 
us. Show your gratitude by being obedient and polite. 
Co-operate at all times. You will never be able to repay 
your parents, the Sisters and priests, your teachers, the 
police, and all the others who have done so much for 
you. The least that you can do is not to increase their 
troubles by becoming a problem. Save the back talk 
too. They don't need it. If suddenly you didn't have all 
of these good people to help you and train you, how far 

39 



do you think you would get? Be grateful to your parents 
especially, because they are your most loyal friends. 

Latin Department 
My, most of you are doing pretty well. Keep up the 

good work. Go over your Latin again and again. Here 
is the next response. Go to it: 

See'-koot ay'-raht in prin-chee'-pee-o/ 
et noonk et sem'-pair/ 
et in say'-koo-lah say-koo-lo'-room. Amen. 

Notice where the accent is in ay'-raht — it's not 
ay-raht'. Also notice the accent in say'-koo-lah. By the 
way, do you study LEARNING TO SERVE at home every 
night? 

Today's Rubrics 
In this lesson, we shall learn how to bow and genu-

flect correctly. These are very important rubrics. 
In general, the server should know three kinds of 

bows: 

a) Head bow — only the head is bowed. The should-
ers are not moved. Be careful not to jerk the head, 

h) Shoulder bow — both the head and shoulders are 

bowed slightly. Not too deeply, but slowly. 
c) Deep bow — also called the profound bow. It is 

made from the waist. If your hands were not 
joined before your breast, they would touch the 
knees in this bow. 

40 



Single genuflection Double genuflection 



The genuflection is even more important than the 
bow. It should be learned correctly from the beginning. 
There are two kinds of genuflections — the single and 
the double. The single is made with one knee and the 
double with two knees, plus a deep bow. Some boys 
have a lot of trouble in genuflecting, so be careful. 

The single genuflection is the most common of the 
two. When genuflecting, keep these points in mind: 

a) Keep the body and head erect. 
b) Keep the hands in place. 
c) Slowly bend the right knee to the floor. The knee 

should reach a position opposite the left heel. 
d) After the knee touches the floor, slowly, but im-

mediately rise and take your stance. 
e) In all genuflections, go straight down and straight I 

up. Don't jack-knife. Don't pop up and down. 
Don't place your hands on your knee, and, above 
all, don't wobble. 

The double genuflection is made by slowly kneeling 
on both knees (first the right and then the left) and 
slowly making a shoulder bow. When this is finished, I 
rise and take the proper stance. Remember, it's always I 
done slowly and evenly. Some boys look like they're 
falling apart when they make a double genuflection. 
Sometimes the server is called upon to genuflect while I 
standing on a step. This requires some care. However, I 
remember that the genuflection should be made on I 
the step on which you are standing. That means your I 
knee should touch that step and not the step above. 

42 



Things to Know 
1. How many things can you do for yourself? Make a 

list? 
2. Why do we need older people to help us? What do 

they do for us? 
3. Can we ever really repay our parents and others 

who help us to grow up? What can we do? 
4. How many kinds of bows should a server know 

how to perform? 
5. What points should we remember about the genu-

flection? 

Things to Do 
1. Practice making the three bows before your mirror. 

Remember not to jerk the head. 
2. Practice making both kinds of genuflection carefully. 

Remember to make a deep bow with the double 
genuflection. 

3. Pay special attention to the response of this lesson. 
Watch the accent on ay'-raht and say'-koo-lah. 

43 



Lesson 10. 

The Altar Boy Is Polite and Courteous 
to Everyone 

We talked of respect in the last lesson. Well, very often 
we show our respect for a person by being polite. Polite-
ness means giving people the respect and reverence they 
deserve. We can be very free and easy with our friends 
and playmates, but we should be polite with older 
people. You and your friends are very close. You are 
equals. It's all right to say "hi" to them, and even "yah" 
and "okay." You can even kid them along and poke a 
little harmless fun at them. This is fine with your friends 
and equals, but don't try this with your parents, teach-
ers, and older people. It isn't proper. When sneaking 
to them, you must be very polite. To them, it must 

44 



always be —"yes, sir; no, sir; no, ma'am; yes, ma'am; 
good morning, Father; good afternoon, Sister; hello, 
Mr. Smith; yes, Mrs. Jones." Such words as "thank you 
— please — I beg your pardon — excuse me" should 
always be found in your everyday language with older 
people. NEVER BE SHORT OB FAMILIAR WITH 
OLDER PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO 
HAVE CHARGE OF YOU. YOU ARE NOT EQUAL 
TO THEM, SO DON'T ACT AS IF YOU ARE. 

Finally, be very careful of joking with older people. 
They may joke with you, but be careful about joking 
back. Sometimes, young boys don't know how to joke 
with older people and they say things that should not 
be said. If you don't want to put your foot in your 
mouth, be careful how you joke with those above you. 

One last thing, always greet the priests, Brothers, or 
Sisters when you see them. Always tip your hat and say 
hello even if you don't know them personally. They 
have given up their families and their friends for us. 
It is only right for us to be friendly and respectful to 
them. It is a mark of a real Catholic boy always to 
greet God's servants wherever he meets them. 

Latin Department 
Greetings! We have two responses in this lesson, but 

one of them is an old friend. It would be nice if you 
could know all of your responses as well as you know 
this one: 

Ahd Da/-oom kwee lay-tee'-fee-kaht/ 
yoo-ven-too'-tem may'-ahm. 

45 



The next one is short but some boys have difficulty 
with it: 

Kwee fay'-chit cha/-loom et tair'-ahm. 

Notice the ch sounds are pronounced as ch in chair. 
That word tair'-ahm causes trouble. Please notice that 
it is tair'-ahm, not tair'-nahm. 

Today's Rubrics 
Rising, sitting, and kneeling are three different move-

ments. Some altar boys think that the three are all one. 
They slide up and slide down. In fact, they look like the 
cowboy's "tumbling tumbleweed." Rising, sitting, and 
kneeling all must be done separately. If you remember 
this, you will never pop up or collapse.'You will never 
take off from a genuflection like a jet rocket and you 
will never come sliding into your kneeling place looking 

46 



like "Kelly" sliding for home base. Finally, when sitting 
you must never slide off or back up onto the bench. Each 
time you must rise and stand before you sit or kneel. 
Remember, too, when seated your hands fully extended 
should be placed flat on the thighs. 

Going up and down steps is a problem, too. Watch 
where you are going, especially if you are carrying 
something. Sometimes, your cassock gets tangled up in 
your feet when you go to get up. Be sure to remove your 
cassock from your shoes before you stand. In fact, be 
careful that your cassock is not too long. Otherwise, you 
will have a great deal of trouble with it. 

Things to Know 
1. What is the difference in the way we speak to our 

friends and to older people? 
2. Why should we be careful about joking with older 

people? 

'3. What should Catholics do when they see a priest, a 
Sister, a Brother? Why? 

4. How does an altar boy rise, sit, and kneel? Explain. 
5. What should you remember about your cassock when 

you serve? 

Things to Do 
1. Practice rising, sitting, and kneeling at home. 
2. When you see your pastor, ask him what he thinks an 

altar boy should be like. 
3. Learn your response Kwee fa/-chit. Then spend the 

rest of the time reviewing ones you have already 
been taught. 

47 



Lesson 1 1 . . . 

The Altar Boy Is Always in Plenty of Time 
If there is one thing that the altar boy must watch, it 
is being prompt. This doesn't mean just being on time 
— it means being in plenty of time. You can't wait until 
the last minute and then expect to do a good job. You 
don't have to camp in the sacristy the night before, but 
be there at least 15 to 20 minutes before the service. 
In this way, you will have plenty of time to get vested 
and get things ready. To get vested, prepare the altar, 
fix the wine and water, and light the candles takes a 
good deal of time. See that you have it. 

You should time yourself. See how long it takes you 
to get ready at home. Then see how long it takes you 

48 



to get from your home to church. It will always take a 
little longer in bad weather. With this important infor-
mation, you will be able to plan on just how much time 
you need to be prompt. 

History is full of many important things that hap-
pened because one man was late, or one man fell 
asleep, or one man forgot to give a signal on time. So 
remember, it is important to be where you are supposed 
to be when you are supposed to be there. DON'T JUST 
BE ON TIME. BE IN PLENTY OF TIME 

Latin Department 
Well, today we begin a rather long response. We are 

still on the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar. They reach 
their highest point in the Confiteor, which is said by 
the priest first and then by the servers. After the priest 
has prayed his Confiteor, the server answers with this 
prayer. Let's read it through slowly: 

Mee-say-ray-ah'-toor too'-ee/ 
ohm-nee'-po-tens Day'-oos/ 
et dee-mee'-sis pay-kah'-tis too'-is/ 
pair-doo'-kaht tay/ 
odd vee'-tahm ay-tair'-nahm. 

Watch the word ohm-nee'-po-tens. Be careful of this 
one. It's easy to get it mixed up with another word just 
like it later on. 

Today's Rubrics 
One of the altar boys ideals is that he knows his 

rubrics. The good server not only knows his rubrics 

49 



but is careful never to get careless with them. When a 
server performs his rubrics correctly and smoothly, we 
say he has good "altar-presence." Altar presence is what 
separates good servers from poor ones. If you have a 
big mirror at home, practice in front of it. Don't let 
yourself get rusty. You must always check up on your-
self to keep your rubrics fresh and exact. 

Now that we know many of the simple rubrics, the 
time has come for the whole class to practice them 
together. We call this group action — that is, action 
done by the whole group. Remember, when two or 

50 



| more of you serve together, you serve as a group. You 
must be careful that all your actions and rubrics are 
done together. 

Let's line up now two by two. If possible, every boy 
should have a partner. Partners should be about the 
same height. When you are given your partner and 
place in line, keep it. When the call Fall in is given, 
you and your partner should meet in the place assigned. 

When you are lined up in order, you form a proces-
sion. Remember, when in procession, you are on parade. 
Your main duty is to look dignified and prayerful. You 
are there to add beauty to the ceremony. Be certain to 
walk with head erect, eyes cast down, and hands prop-
erly joined. Always walk evenly with your own partner. 
Keep directly in back of the boy in front of you and 
stay at least one arm's length behind him. When you 
turn, make a square turn. 

At solemn ceremonies, listen for the signals and per-
form all of your actions together. When sitting in the 
pews or in the sanctuary, be careful not to slouch or 
grow careless. Don't gawk around. Rise, stand, and sit 
as you have been instructed to do. Good altar-presence 
is very important in procession. 

The altar boy can have a regular manual of arms. 
It goes like this: 

Attention — Immediately stop whatever you are 
doing and listen. 

Fall in — You take your place in procession. 
Take stance —You take the proper position of 

attention. 

51 



Single genuflection 
Double genuflection 
Sign of the Cross 
Head bow 
Shoulder bow 
Deep bow 
Process 
Right turn 
Left turn 
Halt 
Fall out 
(Other commands may be added.) 

If you practice this manual of arms often, your ru-
brics will be perfect, and you will improve your altar-
presence. 

Things to Know 
1. What does "being prompt" mean to an altar boy? 
2. How long before the service should the altar boy 

arrive? Why? 
3. What is "altar-presence"? What is "group action"? 
4. How can a server keep his rubrics fresh and exact? 
5. How should an altar boy march in procession? 

Things to Do 
1. Be able to give the server's manual of arms. 
2. Time yourself to see how long it takes you to get 

ready in the morning. How long does it take you to 
walk to church from your house? 

3. Read over the Mee-say-ray-ah'-toor again and again 
until you can read it smoothly and without mistakes. 

52 



Lesson 12. 

The Altar Boy Is Responsible for 
His Altar Appointments 

Have you ever heard the expression, "Joe responsible 
for it"? Well, this means that Joe must answer for it. 
The job is his — no one else's. It's on his shoulders and 
he is the one who must do it. 

Responsibility is a big word but it has a simple mean-
ing. It means this — know what your job is and then 
do it. An altar boy must be a very responsible person. 
He must know his job and then do it. No one else should 
have to do it for him. 

When an altar boy is assigned to serve, he receives 
his "altar appointment." When you are given an altar 
appointment, the church depends on you to be there. 
You are responsible for it. It's your job. The appoint-
ment is on your shoulders. You must answer for it. To 
help yourself, be sure that you know exactly when you 
are appointed to serve. Even though your family should 
be interested in your serving, don't depend on Mother 
and Dad to remind you. Remember your altar ap-
pointments yourself. Why? Well, simply because it's 
your job and not theirs. You are responsible for it. A 
little rain or snow shouldn't bother you either. After all, 
you aren't a cream puff, are you? In very bad weather, 
your family should arrange for you to get to church 
and help you keep your appointments. But otherwise, 
try to keep your appointments on your own. If, for some 
reason, you cannot keep one of your altar appoint-

53 



ments, give yourself plenty of time to get a proper 
substitute. A proper substitute means a boy of your own 
height and ability. In emergencies, altar boys should 
be ready to serve for one another on short notice. An 
altar boy's family should help him get to church on time 
for such emergencies. If, in an emergency, you cannot 
get a proper substitute, phone the rectory and report 
that you cannot take your appointment. Such a situation 
should be very rare, however. REMEMBER — BE 
RESPONSIBLE — KNOW YOUR JOB AND THEN 
DO IT. 

Latin Department 
Come in and settle down. You are in for a long ses-

sion. If you can say all the responses we have had so 
far smoothly and with no mistakes, you are ready to go 
on to the longest prayer of all — the Confiteor. It is 
divided into five parts for you to learn more easily. 
Many of you know this Confiteor in English. Who can 
say it in English without a mistake? Well, here is the 
first part in Latin: 

Cone-fee'-tay-or Day'-o ohm-nee-po-ten'-tee/ 
bay-ah'-tay mah-ree'-ay sem-pair veer*-gee-nee/ 

Be careful of the o sounds. Keep the o nice and oval 
as o in note. Please remember to keep reviewing your 
Latin over and over again. Only practice makes perfect. 

Today's Rubrics 
Candles are a very important part of our liturgy 

(who remembers that word?). They remind us of our 

54 



Lord who is the Light of the World. You can't get along 
in the darkness without light and you can't get along 
in your life without our Lord. 

In all ceremonies, the Chinch uses candles made 
chiefly of beeswax, but not always the same number of 
candles. Here are some rules for you to learn: 

Number of Candles 
Two candles for a low Mass (sometimes four, if 

the Mass is for some special occasion or offered 
by a bishop) 

Six candles for a high Mass 
Twelve or more candles for Benediction 
Twenty candles for 40 Hours' Devotion 

(From Easter to Ascension Thursday, the large paschal 
candle is also lighted during the Sunday Masses and 
very often the weekday Masses in most churches. How-
ever, the paschal candle is never lighted during a Mass 
offered in violet or black vestments. In some churches a 
special candle, called a Sanctus candle, is lighted before 
the Consecration of a low Mass and is extinguished after 
the Communion. It is usually placed in a wall bracket 
on the Epistle side.) 

Rules for Lighting the Candles 
The Epistle side is always lighted first (if a server 

lights alone). 
The top row is always lighted before the bottom 

row. 
In any row the candle next to the tabernacle is 

lighted first. 

55 



Rules for Extinguishing the Candles 
Candles are extinguished backward; that is, just 

the opposite of the way in which they were 
lighted. 

The last candle lighted is the first one to be put out. 
The first candle lighted is the last one to be put out. 

We shall hear more about lighting and extinguishing 
candles in another lesson. In the meantime, learn the 
rules given above. 

Things to Know 
h What does "responsibility" mean? Explain fully. 
2. What is an "altar appointment"? How should a server 

accept his altar appointments? 
3. How can you make sure to keep your altar ap-

pointments? 

4. What is a "proper substitute"? How do you get one? 
5. Why does the Church use candles in divine services? 

How many candles are used, and when? 

Things to Do 
1. Draw a picture of an altar with candles. Practice 

with a pencil and eraser "lighting" and "extinguish-
ing" the candles you have drawn. Be careful not to 
me real candles or fire in your home. You may cause 
a serious accident with real fire. 

2. Make a list of the other Catholic churches in your 
area. 

3. Study the first part of the Confiteor well. The Con-
fiteor is easily mixed up. So be careful. 

56 



Lesson 1 3 . . . 

The Altar Boy Is Neat 
In the past lesson, we learned about promptness. Today 
we will discuss another very important quality of the 
altar boy — neatness. WITHOUT NEATNESS AND 
CLEANNESS, AN ALTAR BOY'S SERVICE IS NOT 
COMPLETE. An altar boy should always be neat, but 
when he serves, he must be especially neat. As people 
say, he must be immaculate or just as if he stepped out 
of a band box. 

When you present yourself to serve, be certain that 
your face and hands are scrubbed clean — no high-
water marks either. Brush your teeth, too. Your.finger-
nails must be clipped and cleaned. Your hair must be 
cut and carefully combed. Your shoes must also be 

57 



polished. All this cannot be done in five minutes. Give 
yourself plenty of time to get ready. In fact, most of 
all this should be done the night before. Try to have a 
clean handkerchief in your pocket, too. 

To be neat and clean, you must have the right kind 
of equipment. Every altar boy should have a hand and 
finger brush, a fingernail file, a good comb, and a good 
toothbrush. Sometimes, ordinary soap doesn't do a good 
job on the hands either. You will need some sort of 
stronger soap for removing stains and grease. Have a 
bar of stronger soap handy when the ordinary face 
soap doesn't do the job. Another point — always shine 
your shoes before you wash your hands; otherwise, you 
will have to wash them over again. 

Before you leave the house, then, check on these 
points: 

face * hands * nails * teeth * hair * shoes 

Latin Department 
Welcome! If you are ready, we can take the second 

section of the Confiteor today: 

bay-ah'-toe Mee-kah-ay'-lee ark-cshn'-jay-lo/ 
bay-ah'-toe Yo-ahn'-ee Bop-tees'-tay/ 
sonk'-tis ah-po'-sto-lis Pay'-tro et Pov/-lo/ 

Please notice that Pov/ is pronounced as in the Indian 
word vow-wow. Keep reviewing the first section too. 

58 



Today's Rubrics 
The hat that the priest uses in church is called a 

biretta. Can everyone say it? Most priests wear one that 
has three fins and a large fuzzy ball called a pom-pom 
on the top. A good altar boy always knows how to 
handle the biretta. Here are a few rules: 

When you receive the biretta, you may take it any 
way you wish. When you present the biretta to the 
priest, however, hold it by the front fin. The idea is 
that the priest can take it by the middle fin. (You can 
tell the middle fin because the opposite side is flat.) 

At the beginning of Mass, the biretta is received at 
the foot of the altar, a genuflection is made, and the 
biretta is taken to the sedilia (the altar bench). 

During the Mass, when you accompany the priest 
to the sedilia, you pick up his biretta first. Then you 
help him get seated, being careful to put his chasuble 
over the back of the sedilia or in the slot if it has one. 
After the priest is seated, you give him his biretta. (Be 

59 



sure he gets the middle fin.) After the priest puts on his 
biretta, you bow to the altar and then to him. After 
this, you sit with him. Remember when you sit there, 
keep your head erect and your hands fully extended, flat 
on top of your thighs. 

When the priest rises, take his biretta, place it on the 
sedilia, and accompany him back to the altar. 

At the end of Mass, the biretta is given to the priest 
as he leaves the altar. When you genuflect at the Last 
Gospel, you go to the sedilia, get the biretta, and give 
it to the priest when he comes to the floor. After he 
gets the biretta, all genuflect and proceed back to the 
sacristy. 

Things to Know 
1. When should an altar boy get ready to serve? 
2. When is an altar boy's service not complete? Explain. 
3. What are some of the things every altar boy should 

have to be neat? 
4. What points should a server check before leaving 

the house? What is a "high-water mark"? 
5. What is a "biretta"? How should the "biretta" be 

handled? 

Things to Do 
1. Practice giving and taking the "biretta" at home by 

using an old hat. 
2. Ask your family to take you on a visit to some of the 

Catholic churches on the list that you made. 
3. Keep spending your time on the Confiteor — it is 

very important. 

60 



Lesson 1 4 . . . 

The Altar Boy Should Be a Minuteman 
of His Parish 

Do you remember reading about the minutemen in 
American History? They played a very important part 
in the war for our independence back in 1776. These 
patriots promised to spring into action against the Brit-
ish at a minutes notice — that's how they got their 
name. When Paid Revere, spread the news that the 
British were coming, the minutemen dropped whatever 
they were doing and picked up their muskets, ready to 
fight. Their readiness to serve when they were needed 
did much to win our independence. 

Every altar boy should be a minuteman in his parish. 
Just like the patriots of 1776, he should be ready to 
spring into action at a minute's notice. You will usually 
know your altar appointments well in advance so that 
you can plan on them. In fact, ask your mother to write 
your appointments on the kitchen calendar or in her 
reminder book when the serving schedule comes out. 
Thus, the whole family can help you to remember. Once 
in a while, you will be asked to serve on short notice 
for some sick boy or for some unscheduled Mass. When 
the time comes — be a minuteman. Don't be selfish. 
Don't think up all sorts of lame excuses. Hear the call 
of duty — spring to action — be ready to serve. WIN 
FOR YOURSELF THE REPUTATION OF NEVER 
REFUSING. Be a real altar boy — a minuteman of 
your parish. 

61 



Latin Department 
How do you do? Are you ready to begin the third 

section of the Confiteor? Well, here it is. There are some 
hard words in it. So be careful. 

ohm'-nee-boos sonk'-tis/ 
et tee'-bee pah'-tair 
kwee'-ah pay-kah'-vee nee'-mis/ 
ko-gee-tot-see-o'-nay vair'-bo et o'-pair-ay/ 
may'-ah kool'-pah/ may'-ah kool'-pah/ 
may'-ah mahx'-ee-mah kool'-pah/ 

It would be well for you to remember that at the 
words et tee'-bee pah'-tair you turn toward the priest, 
since you are speaking to him. Then at the three may'-ah 
kool'-pah's you strike your breast three times, as a 
sign of sorrow for your sins. To strike the breast prop-
erly, you place the left hand just below the breast and 
strike your breast with the right hand. The hand is not 
clenched but kept flat with the thumb in the palm. Do 
these things when you practice the Latin so that you 
will remember them. 

Today's Rubrics 
For some reason or other, changing the missal at Mass 

gives many boys trouble. It is really very simple if you 
remember a few rules. 

The priest will signal you in some way to come and 
get the missal. In some places he extends his hand, in 
others he looks around. Get the signal used in your 
parish straight. 

62 



When the priest gives the signal, you say Day'-o 
graht'-see-ahs (Thanks be to God). Then go up and 
stand beside the priest, facing the altar with hands prop-
erly folded. When he leaves the missal, you step onto 
the predella (the altar platform), bow, and pick up the 
missal. Be sure that you have a good grip on the missal , 
stand. Don't try to rush but move slowly. (If your 
cassock is too long, you will get into trouble here.) 
Hold the missal out somewhat; by looking under it you 
can see where you are going. You can't look over it. 

In most parishes, the missal is changed in a V-shape 
movement. The altar boy goes down diagonally to the 
floor, genuflects, and goes up diagonally to the Gospel 
side. Here he places the missal on the mensa (altar 
table) and turns it toward the priest. 



Several times during the year, the priest genuflects 
after the Epistle or during the Gospel. The servers genu-
flect with him at these times. The server on the step 
should be careful to genuflect properly on the step on 
which he is standing. 

In the next lesson we shall speak about the cross that 
the servers makes at the reading of the Gospel. 

Things to Know 
1. Who were the "minutemen"? How can a server be 

a minuteman? 
2. What kind of reputation does a first-class server 

have? 
3. What are the "predella" and the "mensa"? 
4. How do you strike your breast during the Conftteor? 

How do you genuflect while standing on a step? 
5. When you change the missal, how should you hold 

it? Explain. 

Things to Do 
1. Practice changing the "missal" at home on a table 

with a large book. 
2. When you next attend Mass, notice how the priest 

gives the signal to change the missal. 
3. Keep going over the Confiteor. Practice and only 

practice makes perfect. 

64 



Lesson 1 5 . . . 

The Altar Boy Is Truthful at All Times 
One of the greatest gifts that God gave mankind is the 
gift of speech. Even the most gifted animal is not able 
to speak. In a way, speaking makes us like God. So, a 
human being should use his gift of speech to praise God 
and to speak the truth. When we tell the truth, what we 
say agrees with what we think. Truth should be a big 
thing in our lives. Lying is an easy way out and drags 
down the person who uses it. The devil is the father of 
lies — don't follow him. If you do something wrong, 
admit it like a man and take your punishment on the 
chin. Don't feel sorry for yourself. You have it coming. 
Tell the truth and everyone will admire you for it. No 
one trusts a liar. 

Above all, don't get out of trouble by blaming some-
one else. Men don't lie and tell tales on each other to 
save themselves. Only cowards do that. If you are 
getting blamed for what someone else did, you can 
politely say that you didn't do it, but don't lie. If some-
one is getting blamed for a thing that you did, have the 
courage to stand up and take the blame yourself. Also, 
if you should ever find it necessary to disagree with 
someone older than yourself or someone in authority, 
be certain that you are right before you speak — nine 
times out of ten they are right. But if you find it neces-
sary to disagree, say something like, "I beg your pardon, 
but that is not right," or "Excuse me, Father, but I 

65 



didn't do that." WHEN YOU POLITELY DISAGREE, 
YOU GET A HEARING. 

Latin Department 
Hello. Well, we go into the fourth part of the Con-

fiteor today. Are you being careful with the endings 
of all these Latin words? Remember, the endings are 
very important because they change the meanings of 
the words. Here is the fourth section of the Confiteor. 
Ready? 

ee'-day-o pray'-kor/ 
bay-ah'-tahm Mah-ree'-ahm sem'-pair 

veer'-gee-nem/ 
bay-ah'-toom Mee-kah-ay'-loom ark-ahn'-jay-loom/ 
Even though the last part of the Confiteor is much 

like the first part, it is different just the same. You 
can easily mix up the same sounding words if you are 
not careful. Please be careful of your word endings. By 
the way, are you being careful of the accent marks, too? 

Today's Rubrics 
In the past lesson, you learned how to change the 

missal; today, we will go over the Gospel cross. 
After the server has turned the missal toward the 

priest, he steps off the predella to the first altar step. 
He waits there with hands folded. When the priest 
comes to the missal he says Dominus vobiscum (The 
Lord be with you). The server answers Et koom 
spee'-ree-too too'-o (And with thy spirit). 

66 



The priest then signs the missal and says Sequentia 
Sancti Evangelii secundum Matthaeum, or Marcum, 
or Lucam, or Joannem (Continuation of the Holy Gos-
pel according to St. Matthew, or Mark, or Luke, or 
John). The server answers Glow'-ree-ah tee'-bee 
Daw'-mee-nay (Praise be to Thee, O Lord). 

At the same time, the priest and server make the 
Gospel cross in this way: 

1. Disjoin the hands. Place the left hand on the 
breast. 

2. Keep the right hand extended flat. 
3. Use the inside of the thumb (not the side but the 

inside) to make a small Sign of the Cross on the 
forehead, and the closed lips, and the breast. 

67 



4. When finished, rejoin the hands as before. 
When the priest pronounces some form of the holy 

name of Jesus, make a head bow and return to your 
place. If, after a few lines, the holy name is not said, 
then return to your place but without a bow. 

At the end of the Gospel (the priest usually kisses 
the missal), say this response: Louse \ee'-hee Kree'-stay 
(Praise be to Thee, O Christ). 

Things to Know 
1. What is truth? Why is truth a big thing in our lives? 
2. If we must disagree with our superiors, how do we 

go about it? 
3. What must we do if we are wrongly accused? 
4. Name the four Evangelists (writers of the Gospels). 
5. Why are the endings of Latin words so important? 

Things to Do 
1. Practice making the Gospel cross very carefully be-

fore your mirror at home. 
2. Review the Sign of the Cross, the bows, and genu-

flections in Lessons 8 and 9. 
3. Practice the fourth part of the Confiteor very care-

fully. Keep reviewing, too. 

68 



Lesson 1 6 . . . 

The Altar Boy Respects the Holy Name 
A Catholic boy, especially an altar boy, should be 
known for his cleanness of speech. He should learn to 
say what he means without swearing or cursing. Some 
people think it's smart to use bad language. Well, it 
isn't. It only shows that those people are really dumb. 
Only smart people can express themselves with the 
right words at the right time. Only ignorant people 
have to swear to get the point across. Remember, slang 
is one thing, but swearing and cursing is quite another. 

ABOVE ALL, THE CATHOLIC BOY SHOULD 
SHOW THE GREATEST RESPECT AND REVER-
ENCE FOR THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS CHRIST. 
St. Paul tells us that at the name of Jesus, every knee 
should bend. For this reason, good Catholic boys always 
bow their head when they hear the holy name. Do you? 

Never kick the holy name of God around like a foot-
ball in your language. It is the most sacred of all words. 
You wouldn't spit on the crucifix certainly. So, never 
drag the name of Jesus Christ around in the dust of the 
streets. If you hear someone misuse our Lord's name, 
bow your head and say very quietly, "Blessed be the 
name of Jesus." In this way, you will be making up for 
the insult offered to our Lord. Sometimes we do not get 
very good example from grownups on this point. They 
should know better. Let's not listen to such bad example, 
but let's do what is right. After all, we must learn to 

69 



stand on our own two feet. Maybe none of us are as 
good as we should be, but at least we can be loyal to 
our Lord's holy name. 

Latin Department 
Come in, boys. Here we are at the fifth and final 

section of the Conftteor. Let's go into the home stretch: 

bay-ah'-toom Yo-ahn'-em Bop-tees'-tahm/ 
sonk'-toes ah-po'-sto-loes Pay'-troom et Pow'-loom/ 
om'-nes sonk'-toes et tay pah'-tair/ 
o-rah'-ray pro may ahd Daw*-mee-noom Day'-oom 

nav/-stroom. 

Once again now, be careful of the endings and don't 
mix this part up with section two. Remember to turn 
toward the priest at et tay pah'-tair. 

After the server finishes his Confiteor, the priest 
says two prayers. The server answers Amen after each 
prayer. These Amens should be clear and firm. 

Today's Rubrics 
The wine and water cruets are presented twice 

during Mass and the priest's hands are washed once. 
The first time you present the cruets is at the Offertory. 
This is called the first ablution. Here are some rules 
to remember (these are the directions to follow when 
you serve alone): 

1. Remove the stoppers, if there are any, and place 
them on the credence. 

2. Hold the wine cruet in the right hand — the 

70 



handles of both cruets turned toward the priest. 
Hold the cruets about the level of your chin — 
high enough for the priest to take it. Once the 
priest has taken the wine cruet, switch the water 
cruet to your right hand. You receive the wine 
cruet in your left hand. After the priest takes the 
water cruet, you switch the wine cruet back to 
your right hand. You then receive the water cruet 
with your left hand. 

3. Strictly speaking, the cruets should be lightly 
kissed at the base of the handle as they are pre-
sented. The water cruet is kissed after it is blessed. 

4. The priest pours enough wine for one mouthful 
and up to eight drops of water. For this reason, 

71 



the cruets should not be filled to the brim — this 
makes them too difficult to use. 

After the cruets are returned, the priest's hands are 
washed. This is called the Lavabo. In ancient times, the 
priest's hands would be soiled from receiving the gifts 
of the early Christians at this time in the Mass. Today, 
a collection of money is taken up instead of foodstuffs 
to help the parish carry on its work. But the priest still 
washes his hands to symbolize a spiritual cleansing. 

When washing the priest's hands, hold the dish high 
enough so that the priest need not stoop over. Be careful 
to trickle the water and not dump it. The priest is also 
given a finger towel to wipe his hands. Sometimes the 
priests folds the towel before returning to the server; 
if not, the server should fold it before placing it on the 
credence table. 

BY THE WAY, DO YOU USE YOUR SUNDAY 
ENVELOPES? It is very important that every member 
of the parish use the Sunday envelopes every Sunday. 

Things to Know 
1. Why do some people swear? What is one of the 

things a Catholic boy should be known for? 
2. How should a Catholic boy treat the holy name? 
3. What should we do if we hear our Lord's name taken 

in vain? 
4. How much wine and water does the priest take at 

the first ablution? 
5. Why is a collection taken up at Mass? 

72 



Things to Do 
1. Practice using the "cruets" at home with old cups. 

Also practice washing the priest's hands. See if you 
can get someone to help you. Be sure to practice 
over the sink. 

2. Check over your Sunday envelopes. Have you used 
them all to date? 

3. Keep practicing the final section of the Confiteor. 
Pay close attention to the word endings. Remember 
how important the endings are. 

73 



The Altar Boy Loves Our Blessed Mother 
An altar boy should be very devoted to the Blessed 
Virgin Mary. After all, we who wear the scapular of Our 
Lady of Mount Carmel are dedicated to her in a special 
way. She is our Mother and we should honor her in 
our daily life. Every altar boy should have a statue or 
a picture of the Blessed Mother in his bedroom. Every 
altar boy should have his own rosary. He should always 
carry it in his pocket, if not in his play trousers, at least 
in his school and dress-up ones. Did you know that you 
get a special blessing just for carrying your rosary with 
you? Well, you do. But no altar boy should be content 
just to carry his beads. He should say them as well. If 
possible, you should plan to say your rosary at least 
once a week in the church before the statue of our 
Blessed Mother. 

74 



Our Blessed Mother is a great lover of purity and 
she expects her altar boys to be very pure in their lives 
too. Certainly bad talk and bad books are out of the 
question for an altar boy. THE SERVER SHOULD 
SHOW EVERYONE IN HIS NEIGHBORHOOD 
HOW A BOY CAN BE A REGULAR FELLOW AND 
A PURE, REVERENT BOY AT THE SAME TIME. 
Our Blessed Mother will help you do this. So, be sure 
that you pray to her every day. She will help you be 
the kind of boy you want to be. 

Latin Department 
Come in, boys. Well, we are almost finished with the 

Prayers at the Foot of the Altar. This means we have 
seen most of the Latin. Isn't that good news? The 
Prayers at the Foot of the Altar end with four short 
responses to the priest's prayers. Watch them — they 
are tricky. 

1. Et plebs too'-ah lay-tah-bee'-toor in toy. 
2. Et sah-loo-tah'-ray too'-oom dah no'-bis. 
3. Et klah'-mor ma/-oos ahd tay va/-nee-aht. 
4. Et koom spee'-ree-too too'-o. 

Keep going over your Conftteor and the other re-
sponses you have learned. Remember, you must repeat, 
repeat, repeat. See you next time. 

Today's Rubrics 
Important actions in the Mass are signaled by the 

ringing of the altar bell or hand bell. The altar boys 

75 



should know how to ring the bell. Even though the 
rules for ringing the bell at Mass differ from parish to 
parish, here are some rules to remember: 

1. When you ring the bell, your ring should be firm 
and clear and not choppy. 

2. Don't pick up the bell before it is time to ring it, 
otherwise, it will give off a tinkling sound. 

3. Don't smother the bell by placing it down too 
quickly. Let the bell tone fade off before replacing 
the bell on the step. 

After the Gloria of the Mass on Holy Thursday until 
the Gloria of the Mass on Holy Saturday, the altar bell 
is not used. Instead, the server uses a wooden clapper. 
In general, an altar bell is not used at Masses offered 
at the side altar. First-class servers know how to ring 
the hell. 

76 



Things to Know 
1. How should an altar boy honor our Blessed Mother? 

Give examples. 
2. What can you tell about an altar boy and his rosary? 
3. Can you be pure and reverent and a regular fellow 

too? Explain. 

4. What are three rules to remember in ringing the 

bell? 

5. How do you learn your Latin responses? 

Things to Do 
1. Make certain you have a scapular or scapular medal 

to wear about your neck. 2. Keep going over the four Latin responses in this lesson. 

77 



Lesson 1 8 . . . 

The Altar Boy Receives Holy Communion 
Frequently 

Holy Communion is the food of our souls. Just as your 
body needs good nourishing food to grow strong and 
healthy, you need Holy Communion to lead a good and 
holy life. No Catholic can really be good without going 
to Holy Communion often. 

WHEN POSSIBLE, THE ALTAR BOY SHOULD 
RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION WHENEVER HE 
SERVES. This is quite easy with the fasting rules we 
have now. The server should receive Holy Communion 
for three reasons: 

1. He needs the help that our Lord gives in Holy 
Communion. 

78 



2. He takes a fuller and more active part in the Mass 
when he receives Holy Communion. 

3. When the server receives Holy Communion, he . 
also gives good example to the people. 

The server should get ready to receive Holy Com-
munion when he is scheduled to serve. If the server 
feels that he should go to confession, then he should 
take time and go. If you could not get to confession 
before Mass, do not be afraid to ask the priest to hear 
your confession when you meet him in the sacristy. 
This may take a little courage, but after all, we go to 
confession to tell our sins. You can't tell the priest any-
thing new. The priest will think more of you for your 
honesty and courage, no matter what you confess to 
him. On the other hand, if you don't feel that you should 
go to Holy Communion, then do not receive Holy Com-
munion. Don't care what anyone thinks — never commit 
a sacrilege. It doesn't make any difference if it's Mid-
night Mass and the church is packed. After all, it's a 
matter between God and yourself. Do your best to re-
ceive Holy Communion frequently though — you need 
it — everyone needs it. 

Latin Department 
Hello there! You should be happy to know that you 

are over the hardest part of the server's Latin by this 
time. The next responses are not so long or hard. Who 
remembers about the different kinds of rites? Well, 
even in the Roman Rite we have some Greek. The next 
response is the only Greek left in the Mass. Centuries 

79 



ago there was much more. Who knows what it mean«? 

Kee'-ree-ay ay-lay'-ee-sawn (3 times). 
Kree'-stay ay-!a/-ee-sawn (3 times). 
Kee'-ree-ay ay-lay'-ee-sawn (3 times). 

The server and the priest take turns saying these nine 
lines. Practice it the correct way with one another. One 
boy be the priest, and the others the servers. Try saying 
it in English with one another, too. 

Another important rubric for you to learn is how to 
assist at the Consecration. This is the way it is done in 
most parishes. 

When the priest extends his hands over the chalice, 
the bell is rung once. The servers then go to the center, 
genuflect, and ascend to the predella (altar platform). 

80 



They then kneel to the right and the left side of the 
priest. The first server brings the altar bell with him. 
Each time the priest makes a genuflection, the servers 
make a deep bow. When the priest elevates the Sacred 
Host and Chalice, the servers lift the priest's chasuble 
slightly with the hand closest to the priest. Altogether, 
they bow four times, and lift the chasuble twice. It 
goes like this: 

Bow — lift chasuble — bow 
Bow — lift chasuble — bow 

The first server rings the bell once at each genuflec-
tion and Elevation. It should go very smoothly. Be 
certain to let go of the chasuble when you make your 
bows. After the last bow, get up slowly, turn to the 
priest, come down to the floor, genuflect, and return to 
your places. During the Elevations, the servers should 
say to themselves, "My Lord and my God." 

If the altar bell cannot be moved, the first server 
remains kneeling by the bell. The second server ascends 
to the predella for the Elevations, where he kneels to 
the left of the priest and lifts the chasuble with both 
hands. All else is the same. 

Things to Know 
1. What are the fasting rules for Holy Communion? 
2. Why should the server receive Holy Communion at 

the Mass he serves? 
3. What if the server is not in the state of grace? 
4. What are "rubrics," "rite," "liturgy"? 
5. Why is the Mass in Latin? 

81 



Things to Do 
1. Practice assisting at the Elevations at home. Hang a 

towel on a chair or from the dresser drawer and pre-
tend it is the priest's chasuble. Remember in all your 
practicing at home to be reverent. These are sacred 
actions. 

2. Ask your parents about the old fasting rules. Who 
changed the rules and made it'easier for us to re-
ceive Holy Communion more frequently? 

3. Carefully practice the Kyrie eleison. 

82 



Lesson 1 9 . . . 

The Altar Boy Practices Catholic Action 
Catholic Action is a word that has a lot of meanings, but 
for the altar boy it can have its own meaning. Catholic 
Action means doing good things to spread the cause 
of Christ on earth. 

WITH HIS TRAINING AND HIS SKILL, THE 
ALTAR BOY CAN BE A GREAT FORCE FOR 
GOOD IN HIS PARISH — I F HE ISN'T SELFISH. 
In fact, there is always some good thing that he can 
do. When the altar boy is generous with his time and 
his energy for some good cause, he is practicing Cath-
olic Action. 

The altar boy can be a great help to the priest and 
the Sisters. He can help the old people, sick people, and 
poor people of his neighborhood. Emergencies come to 
every family and a lot of help is needed. If you know 
about an emergency, you should be Johnny-on-the-spot 
to offer your help. Just think of how many wonderful 
things that you can do for people who need your help. 

I You can shovel snow, empty garbage cans, rake leaves, 
run errands, and any number of other things — all with-
out seeking any pay or tips. How proud our Lord will 
be of you when you help people who need help. 

Now, it is very possible that some people will take 
advantage of your goodness and ask you to help too 
often. If you are asked at a bad time, ask if you can 
do it later. If you feel that you are getting too much to 

83 



do, speak to the priest about it and he will advise you 
what to do. But remember, our Lord loves the boy who 
isn't selfish with his time and energy. He is proud of the 
boy who practices Catholic Action. Look around you and 
see all the good you can do. 

Latin Department 
Come in. We are really getting there. Before long you 

will be finished. Today, we will do a little reviewing 
The priest says Dominus vobiscwn many times in 

the Mass. As you know, it means "The Lord be with 
you." This is an ancient greeting of the early Christian 
days. It is always answered by Et koom spee'-ree-too 
too'-o. Actually, this means "And with thy spirit," but 
in everyday words, it means "May the Lord be with 
you, too." 

Almost all the prayers in the Mass end with the same 
words. Per omnia saecula saeculorum. This means "for-
ever" and refers to the fact that our Lord with the 
Father and the Holy Ghost rule forever. These words 
are always answered with a good loud clear Amen, 
which means "So be it." 

In Lesson 14 we learned about the responses used at 
the changing of the book; perhaps we should review 
them in this lesson, too. 

Da/-o graht'-see-ahs. 
Glov/-ree-ah tee'-bee Daw'-mee-nay. 
Louse tee'-bee Kree'-stay. 

84 



Today's Rubrics 
Assisting the priest to distribute Holy Communion is 

a great privilege and an important responsibility. Make 
sure that you do it with the greatest reverence possible. 
Strictly speaking, the people should pass the paten for 
themselves; but for safety's sake, the altar boy usually 
does it for them. Here are ten rules for correctly assist-
ing the priest. You should know these rules so well that 
the priest will never have to tell you what to do when 
the time comes to use them. 

1. You are performing a most sacred duty. Never 
smile or recognize anyone you know at the Com-
munion rail. Also, be very careful never to strike 
anyone in the throat with your paten through 
carelessness. 

85 



2. Hold the paten in the right hand extended — 
place the left hand on the breast as usual. Be 
careful to keep a proper distance from the priest. 
Never bump into him. 

3. A paten, once used, must never be tinned or 
drooped. It must be held perfectly level. A paten, 
once used, must not be set anywhere except on 
the corporal. Once used, a paten must always be 
purified (carefully cleared of all sacred particles). 

4. If a Host or some small particle of a Host should 
fall on the paten —hold it perfectly level and 
the priest will remove the Host or else he will 
take the paten and tap it gently over the 
ciborium. 

5. If a Host should fall on the floor or somewhere 
else, the priest will pick it up. But you should 
cover the exact spot immediately with some 
finger towel, or pall, or even a clean card. After 
Mass, the priest will wash the floor where the 
Host fell. 

6. Sometimes, little children cause a problem, since 
there is no room between their chin and the 
railing for you to place the paten. Such children 
should be taught to stand at the Communion 
railing. If they remain kneeling, however, there 
is nothing for you to do but step back and wait 
for the priest to give Holy Communion unaided. 

7. In going from one end of the Communion rail to 
the other, try to keep up with the priest. If he 
does not pause, however, you will not be able to 

86 



assist him with the first person. Don't try to leap 
into place — it can't be done. If he doesn't wait 
for you, it isn't your fault. So wait to assist with 
the second person. 

8. Sometimes people, but mostly children, kneel 
with their hands by their»mouth or under their 
chin. By gentle pressure of the paten, push their 
hands down. 

9. After Holy Communion, the priest will take the 
paten from you and carry it to the altar to purify 
it. If the priest doesn't take the paten, however, 
then go up with him to the predella (altar plat-
form) and place it on the corporal yourself. 

10. The purified patens should be removed from the 
mensa (table) of the altar when the second wine 
and water is finished. Otherwise, you will have 
trouble replacing the missal. 

Things to Know 
1. What is Catholic Action? How can an altar boy 

practice Catholic Action? 
2. What if some people ask you to do too much? 
3. What should be an altar boy's attitude in helping 

the priest distribute Holy Communion? 
4. If a paten is once used for Holy Communion, where 

is it placed? 
5. What should the server do if a sacred Host falls on 

the floor? 

87 



Things to Do 
1. Make a list of Catholic Action for use in your own 

neighborhood. 
2. Be able to demonstrate the ten rules for assisting at 

Holy Communion. 
3. Practice the Latin »responses in this lesson used at 

the Epistle and Gospel. Review the "Gospel Cross" 
in Lesson 15. 

88 



Lesson 2 0 . . . 

The Altar Boy Is Precise 
Precision, precision, precision — there is an important 
word. Precision means exactness. When you are given 
an assignment, you must carry it out exactly as it is 
given to you. You must be precise. Half-done assign-
ments, poorly done assignments, misunderstood assign-
ments, all mean the same thing — no precision. 

Before you can be precise, you must first know exactly 
what is expected of you. When you are given directions, 
don't half-listen — give your full and complete attention. 
If you do not understand directions, ask that they be 
repeated or be put in simpler language. Sometimes, 
older people speak too fast or use words that you do 
not understand. If this happens, tell them. NEVER 
START ON AN ASSIGNMENT WHEN YOU DO 
NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. If you do 

89 



not understand the directions, ask that they be repeated. 
Even if they are repeated ten times and you do not 
understand them say, "I'm sorry, but I do not under-
stand." If you are asked to deliver a message that you 
will not be able to remember, ask that it be written 
down. It doesn't make any difference if you are called 
a "dumbbell" or a "boob." If you don't understand the 
assignment, say so. 

Once you are given an assignment and you fully 
understand it, then do it in the way you are told to do 
it and not your own way. Remember, precision, pre-
cision, precision. Here are a few examples to test your 
precision: 

TELL THE LADY WITH THE PURPLE HAT IN 
THE THIRD ROW TO CLOSE THE WINDOW 
UNDER THE SECOND STATION OF THE CROSS. 

Which lady? Where is she sitting? What is she sup-
posed to do? Which window? Where is it located? Get 
the idea? 

Here are some more: 
GO TO THE SACRISTY AND GET ME THE TAB-

ERNACLE KEY IN THE THIRD DRAWER ON THE 
LEFT. IT IS IN A PINK BOX MARKED "KEYS." 
THE TABERNACLE KEY HAS THE LONGEST 
CHAIN ON IT OF ALL THE KEYS IN THE PINK 
BOX. 

Go where? Why? What drawer? On the right or left? 
What color box? Which key? How do you know which 
key? 

LIGHT THE SIX CANDLES ON THE LOWER 

90 



GRADINE OF THE ALTAR, THEN EXTINGUISH 
THE VIGIL LIGHTS IN FRONT OF THE STATUES. 
LEAVE THE VIGIL LIGHTS IN FRONT OF THE 
BLESSED VIRGIN'S STATUE LIGHTED. 

How many candles? Where? What then? What vigil 
lights are left lighted? 

Remember, get the message straight. Know what is 
expected of you and then do it with precision, precision, 
precision. 

Latin Department 
Well, boys, here we are. This is the last long response. 

If you get this one, you have it made. After you have 
presented the cruets for the first time and washed the 
priest's hands, you return to the center and kneel. The 
priest turns and says Orate Fratres — you answer: 
Soo-shee'pee-aht Daw'-mee-noos 

sock-ree-fee'-chee-oom/ 
day mah'-nee-boos too'-is/ 
ahd loud'-em et glow'-ree-ahm naw'-mee-nis 

s oo'-eel 
ahd oo-tee-lee-tah'-tem kwo'-kway naw'-strahm/ 
tote-see-oos'-kway ay-clay'-zee-ay soo'-ay sonk'-tay. 

There are some hard words in here but with prac-
tice you can do it. Remember, watch the endings. 

Today's Rubrics 
After the Communion, the cruets are presented again 

for the second ablution (washing). This time the servers 
do the pouring. Remember these six rules: 

91 



1. Hold the cruet as before — but this time by the 
handle. You do the pouring. Hold the cruet with 
your right hand. Your left hand is on your breast. 

2. When the priest extends the chalice, pour the wine 
slowly until he raises the chalice as a signal for 
you to stop. Hold the cruet about an inch above 
the chalice to prevent hitting it. Then turn right 
and return to the top step of the predella. Turn 
and face the priest. Wait until he comes to the 
side for the washing of his fingers. 

3. When the priest comes to the side, pour in only 
a little wine. He will signal when to stop pouring 
by raising the chalice slightly. Be careful not to 
touch his fingers with the cruet. Pour the water 
generously over his fingers, but do not dump it 
out all at once. Again, be careful not to touch his 

92 



fingers or bang the chalice with the cruet. (When 
serving alone, after pouring the wine, hang the 
wine cruet by the handle on the little finger of 
your left hand. Switch the water cruet to your 
right hand, and pour the water over the priest's 
fingers.) 

4. Remember, when the priest has had enough wine 
or water, he will slightly raise the chalice — this is 
your signal to stop. Be alert and watch for it; if 
you don't see the signal, you will pour too much. 

5. Remember to bow before and after presenting 
the cruets. 

6. Remember to remove the purified patens from the 
mensa. 

At the end of the Mass, the missal is changed again. 
In many parishes, the two boys who are serving change 
the chalice veil and missal together, after the second 
ablution. This is a difficult movement, so keep these 
points in mind: 

1. After the second ablution, the servers go to the 
center and genuflect. Then each goes up to the 
predella the long way. 

2. They bow together to the tabernacle — pick up 
the object — turn toward the priest — go down 
the short way and genuflect together. 

3. Then each goes up the short way — the missal 
first. Each places the object down — they bow 
together to the tabernacle — turn to the altar — 

93 



return the long way to the center — genuflect — 
return to their places. 

When the book is replaced on the Epistle corner, it 
is not turned but is replaced as it was found earlier in 
the Mass — straight. This rubric requires a lot of prac-
tice to run smoothly. 

Things to Know 
1. What is "precision"? How can an altar boy prac-

tice it? 
2. How should you carry out an assignment? 
3. What if you don't understand an assignment? 
4. Is there a difference in the position of the missal 

on the Gospel side from its position on the Epistle 
side? Explain. 

5. How do you know when the priest has had a sufficient 
amount of wine and water? 

Things to Do 
1. Ask the family to test your precision by giving you 

complicated things to do and to remember. Show 
them the lesson for examples. 

2. Be able to explain the five rules for the second 
ablution. 

3. Study the Soo-she'-pee-aht by reading it over again 
and again. 

94 



The Altar Boy Is Reverent in the Sacristy 
and Sanctuary 

An altar boy must realize that the sanctuary of his 
parish church is the most sacred place on earth for him. 
Each time he genuflects, it should be a real act of 
adoration to the Blessed Sacrament. The server's rubrics 
must be polished, his Latin perfect, and he must be 
neat and clean. The altar boy must be serious in his 
serving. He must be very devout and exact in the 
sanctuary. 

It is very important to remember that silence and 
good behavior must be the rule in the sacristy as well. 
Some altar boys who would never dream of acting up 
in the sanctuary are not so careful in the sacristy. 

95 



We all like to laugh and fool around. We wouldn't 
be human if we didn't, but, after all, there is a time and 
place for fooling and a time and place to be serious. 
We have said this before — it's a wise boy who knows 
the difference. It would be an awful mistake if any 
altar boy or group of altar boys thought that the sacristy 
were some sort of private playground. 

Please remember, you are in the sacristy and sanc-
tuary on business — the most serious business of all. 
You are there to worship and praise God. ANY 
ALTAR BOY WHO LACKS THE PROPER SPIRIT 
OF REVERENCE IN SACRED PLACES WILL BE 
DISMISSED. 

Altar boys must also try their best to keep the 
sacristy in proper order. After Mass, the cards and mis-
sal should be removed from the mensa of the altar and 
the altar covering put on correctly. Cassocks and sur-
plices should be carefully hung (not thrown) in their 
proper places. All drawers and cabinets should be shut. 
Altar boys should see to it that all lights are put out 
when they leave (unless someone else does this). THEY 
SHOULD ESPECIALLY CHECK TO SEE THAT 
THE CANDLES HAVE BEEN PUT OUT AND THAT 
NONE ARE LEFT BURNING. IF THE CENSER 
HAS BEEN USED, THEN CHECK TO BE SURE 
THE LIGHTED CHARCOAL HAS BEEN PUT OUT. 
Otherwise, a fire may start. 

Before leaving the church, altar boys should always 
make a brief visit to the Blessed Sacrament. Do all these 
things and your service will be complete. 

96 



Latin Department 
Hello, boys. It's a good thing you got over the 

Suscipiat. The most important part of the Mass is called 
the Canon. The Canon is introduced by the great prayer 
of praise, called the Preface. You will make these re-
sponses to the priest: 

PRIEST SERVER 
Per omnia saecula sae- Amen, 

culorum. 
Dominus vobiscum. Et koom spee'-ree-too 

too'-o. 
Sursum corda. Hah-bay'-moos ahd 

Daw'-mee-noom. 
Gratias agamus Domino Deen'-yoom et yoo'-stoom 

Deo nostro. est. 

It should be pointed out that sometimes servers do 
not make these responses and other short responses 
very well. ONE OF THE REASONS IS THAT SOME 
BOYS LET THEIR ATTENTION WANDER DURING 
MASS. Make sure that you pay strict attention and give 
each and every response in a good, brisk, and clear 
voice. You represent the people. Remember to articulate 
and project your voice. 

Today's Rubrics 
The general position of the server is kneeling. At 

certain times, however, he stands and even sits. His 
position differs in various Masses. Memorize these ru-
brics and you will know what to do. 

97 



1. Low Mass — Kneel all through the Mass. Stand 
only for the two Gospels. If there is a sermon, sit 
at the sedilia. Remember to stand facing the 
tabernacle during the reading of the English 
Gospel. 

2. Requiem High Mass — In Masses offered in black 
and purple vestments, kneel all through Mass. 
Stand only at the two Gospels and the Preface. 
(Sit with the priest, if there is a Sequence.) To 
be very correct, however, in Masses offered in 
black or purple vestments, you should rise at 
Dominus vobiscum and kneel at the Oremus that 
immediately follows. 

3. Festal High Mass —In all other sung Masses, 
stand each time the priest sings. Sit with the 
priest at the sedilia dining the Gloria and Credo. 
Remain standing between the Pater noster and the 
Pax Domini. Kneel at all other times. 

During the Gloria and Credo, the priest removes his 
biretta at certain sacred phrases. The servers should rise 
and bow to the priest at these phrases; turn to the altar 
as they are sung; and then, turning back to the priest, 
bow and be seated. These sacred phrases are: 

Gloria Credo 
Ah-doe-rah'-moos tay 
Graht-see'-ahs ah-gee'-

Jay'-soom Kree'-stoom 
See'-moo\ ah-doe-rah'-

moos tee'-bee 
Ya/-s oo Kree'-stay 
Soo'-shee-pay day-pray-

Et in-car-nah'-toos est . . . 
et ho'-mo fahk'-toos 

toor 

98 



kot'-see-o-nem naw' 
stram 

est (kneel for this) 

In glow'-ree-ah Day'-ee 
(return to altar) 

Et vee'-tahm ven-too'-
ree say'-kool-ee (re-
turn to altar) 

When sitting at any time, keep the hands flat on the 
thighs and the feet together. 

Things to Know 
1. What is required of an altar boy in the sanctuary? 

In the sacristy? Explain. 
2. How can the sacristy be kept in good order? List 

the points to be watched. 
3. What would be an awful mistake for any altar boy 

to make? Explain. 

4. What points are especially important for a server to 
check? Why? 

5. What makes an altar boy's service complete? Give 
examples. 

Things to Do 
l*t Memorize the rules for rising, sitting, and kneeling 

at Low Mass, Requiem High Mass, Festal High Mass. 
2. Review the material on rising, sitting, and kneeling 

in Lesson 10. 
3. Study the responses used in the Preface. Very often 

altar boys have trouble remembering these responses. 
So, study them well. 

99 



Lesson 2 2 . . . 

The Altar Boy When Serving Is on Parade 
A visitor to West Point recently was watching the 
cadets out playing different games. Dressed in their 
old clothes, they shouted and jumped and pushed one 
another around. It was a loud, laughing, and pretty 
dirty-faced bunch of boys that filed past him on the 
way back to the barracks. 

Later, the visitor watched the same cadets on dress 
parade. What a difference! It was hard to believe that 
it was the same group of young men that he had seen 
in the morning. Each face was scrubbed clean. Each 
uniform was pressed and spotless. The highly polished 
brass glittered in the sun. In complete silence and abso-
lute attention, the cadets marched in perfect formation. 
It was marvelous. 

100 



Why such a change in the same group of young 
men? Well, the first time they were at play; the second 
time, they were on parade. They knew the difference. 
Do you? 

IT'S A SMART BOY WHO UNDERSTANDS THAT 
THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS TO ACT AT DIF-
FERENT TIMES. There is a time to talk and a time 
to be quiet. There is a time to play and a time to be 
serious. There is a time to relax and a time to be on 
parade. 

When you serve, you are on parade just like the West 
Point cadets. Never make the mistake of thinking that 
you can dress and act as if you were out playing games. 
Never!!! You must have what we call altar-presence. 
Soldiers have what is called a military bearing — you 
must have altar-presence. When you get vested in cas-
sock and surplice, you are in the uniform of the Church. 
You are God's honor guard on parade. Serve with silence, 
correctness, and dignity. Have your mind on your rubrics 
and your Latin. No fooling, no giggling, no careless 
serving — see that this is your rule. There is a big, a very 
big difference in playing and parading. See that you 
remember it when you serve. Have altar-presence. 
You are on parade. 

Latin Department 
My goodness, we are just about finished. Aren't we? 

Well, let's get busy. After the Canon, the priest begins 
the Communion with the Lord's Prayer or "Our Father." 
He ends with these words Et ne nos inducas in tenta-

101 



tione— (And lead us not into temptation). The server 
answers Said lee'-bair-ah nos ah mah'-lo (But deliver 
us from evil). The priest then adds the "Amen." 

After this the priest breaks the large Host and drop-
ping a Particle into the chalice he says: 

Per omnia saecula sae- Amen, 
culorum. 

Pax Domini sit semper Et koom spee'-ree-too 

These two responses just about finish things. Be cer-
tain that you are reviewing each day. Remember the 
first-class server recites his Latin correctly, clearly, and 
with certainty. 

Today's Rubrics 
Before we begin, let's review what we learned about 

candles in Lesson 12. The altar boy must exercise great 
care and attention with the candles. Here are a few 
general rules for you to keep in mind. 

Candle Lighter .; 
The candle lighter-extinguisher is carried in the right 

hand, with the left hand placed on the breast as usual. 
The lighter should be held in the middle of the pole at 
about a 50-degree angle ( / ) . BE CAREFUL NOT TO 
BANG THE FLOOR WITH THE POLE WHEN YOU 
GENUFLECT. 

PRIEST SERVER 

vobiscum (May the 
Peace of the Lord be 
always with you). 

too'-o (And with thy 
spirit). 

102 



Lighting the Candles 

In lighting the candles, you must keep in mind not 
to drop sparks or grease on the altar cloth. REMEM-
BER, NEVER ADJUST THE LIGHTED TAPER 
OVER THE ALTAR CLOTH. Always adjust it over 
the predella. In that way, you can stamp on any sparks 
that drop. 

To light the candles quickly and properly, you must 
keep a hook about one inch long on the burning end 
of the taper. Be certain to hold this flaming hook right 
into the brass follower on top of the candle. The larger 
the candle — the longer it takes to light. Hold the 
flame steady and keep the hook in the follower. The 
flaming taper must be pushed up and bent into a hook 
again and again, but never over the altar cloth. If a 
candle does not seem to light, step back and make sure 
that it isn't lighted. Try again and if it doesn't light 

103 



then, it must be taken down and the candle wick 
pulled up. If you cannot do this, tell the priest. 
Extinguishing the Candles 

Remember, you extinguish the candles backward. 
What does that mean? Extinguish the candles slowly 
and carefully. Never blow them out. This spills or 
spatters the wax. Use the extinguisher. It is important 
to smother the flame. Don't mash out the flame. BE 
CAREFUL NOT TO SQUASH THE CANDLE 
WICKS —this makes the wicks hard to light again. 
After you extinguish one or two candles, smoke col-
lects in the extinguisher and this helps to put out the 
flame more easily. 

Care of the Lighters and Extinguishers 
First-class servers always check the tapers before 

every service. If a taper looks too short to do the job, 
it should be replaced with a new taper. After the 
candles are lighted, the taper should be pulled into 
the tube and extinguished. HOWEVER, THE TAPER 
SHOULD THEN BE IMMEDIATELY PUSHED OUT 
OF THE TUBE. Otherwise, the warm taper will stick 
to the sides of the tube and jam. If through someone's 
carelessness, the taper becomes stuck in the tube, take 
a lighted taper and hold it, briefly, to the part of the 
tube where the taper is stuck. Then pull the taper down. 
When it comes loose, push it forward all the way out 
of the tube. Keep the taper out of the tube until it is 
cooled. 

The bell-like part of the extinguisher also requires 
attention. It should be cleaned out after being used with 

104 



a cloth or paper towel. This prevents grease and black 
wax from collecting in the bell. If grease collects in the 
extinguisher bell, it will drop in big black spots on the 
altar cloth when you are extinguishing candles. 

A Word of Caution and Safety 
You know what great care and attention that you must 

pay to this important job. You understand that it can 
be dangerous. Well, sometimes, no matter how careful 
you are, accidents are bound to happen. If your surplice 
should ever catch on fire, remember: 

DO NOT RUN —DO NOT RUN —THIS WILL 
SPREAD THE FLAME. 

Do not be afraid to shout for help if you catch on 
fire, even during services. Roll around on the floor until 
the flames are smothered — above all, don't run. IN 
EVERY SANCTUARY AND SACRISTY, THERE 
SHOULD BE A SMALL HAND FIRE EXTIN-
GUISHER WHICH EVERY BOY THERE SHOULD 
BE TAUGHT TO USE. It is very important that you 
never play with this or any other fire extinguisher. What 
a terrible thing if a fire extinguisher would not work 
in time of fire because you played with it. 'What if some 
boy is burned badly or the church is greatly damaged 
because you were fooling with the extinguisher! Years 
can go by without any fire accidents, but they can hap-
pen — be prepared. 

Things to Know 
1. What did the visitor to West Point find there? What 

does this mean to a server? 

105 



2. What is one of the things a smart boy understands? 
Explain. 

3. What is altar-presence? How should an altar boy 
serve? 

4. What are some important things to remember about 
lighting candles? 

5. How should you care for the lighter-extinguisher? 

Things to Do 
1. Talk over fire safety with your-parents. Explain to 

them what safety measures you have learned in this 
lesson. 

2. Look around your school, church, and even your 
home. How many fire extinguishers do you find? Do 
you know how to use them? Perhaps some of you 
could call on your local fire department and ask for 
advice about fire safety. 

3. You know the responses in this lesson already. Spend 
your time reviewing the ones you have trouble with. 

106 



Lesson 2 3 . . . 

The Altar Boy Holds Serving as 
His First Loyalty 

Remember the very first day you began to study L E A R N -
ING TO SERVE? YOU were told that serving must be your 
first loyalty. Now that you are just about finished with 
the course, you should think about this a great deal. 
When you become an altar boy, your duties as a server 
come first — everything else comes second to it. Serving 
must be your first loyalty. There is no reason at all why 
you cannot be active in other things, too. Most of the 
time, there should be no conflict. You should never be 
put into a position where you have to choose between 
loyalties. Howevei, there are times when this happens. 
You should get help at those times to make the proper 

107 



choice, but remember, serving is your first loyalty — it 
should come first. As you grow older, you will be active 
in many more things than you are now. You will want to 
do more things. Just remember where your first loyalty 
belongs. If any boy doesn't intend to make serving his 
first loyalty, he should not accept the cassock and 
surplice. History and literature are full of examples of 
great people who heard the call of duty and followed 
their first loyalty. They left everything else behind. 
WHEN THE TIME COMES FOR YOUR LOY-
ALTY TO BE TESTED, REMEMBER WHERE IT 
BELONGS. 

Latin Department 
Well, come in for the last time. You certainly have 

learned a lot in the months that you have been dropping 
in here. Let's hope that you remember it. Are you ready 
for the very last responses? Here they are: 

At the end of the Mass, the priest usually gives a 
blessing. Before the blessing, he turns to the people 
and says: 

PRIEST SERVER 
Dominus vobiscum. Et koom spee'-ree-too 

too'-o. 
Ite, missa est (Go, the Mass Day'-o graht'-see-ahs 

is ended). (Thanks be to God). 

Around Easter two Alleluias (Praise the Lord) are 
added by the priest and the server: 

108 



PRIEST SERVER 
Ite, missa est. Alleluia, alle- Day'-o graht'-see-ahs. 

luia. Ah-lay-loo'-yah, 
ah-lay-loo'-yah. 

After the priest gives the blessing, the server answers 
a good and clear Amen. 

In Requiem Masses, the priest says Requiescat in 
pace (May he [or she] rest in peace). The server 
answers Amen. 

If a procession is to follow the Mass, the priest does 
not say the Ite, missa est and does not give the blessing. 
Instead he says Benedicamus Domino (Let us bless the 
Lord). The server answers Day'-o graht'-see-ahs. 

The Last Gospel on Palm Sunday is said only in 
Masses at which the palms are not blessed. In these 
Masses the Last Gospel is read from the missal and not 
the altar card. In these cases, the priest will give the 
regular signal as at the Epistle. The book is changed in 
the same way as before. The only difference is that the 
server waits at the foot of the altar with the missal. He 
kneels for the priest's blessing, answers Amen, and then 
goes up the short way with the missal, just as at the 
Gospel. 

Today's Rubrics 
The censer or thurible is used to give incense in 

solemn ceremonies, some blessings, and Benediction. 
The censer-bearer or thurifer carries the censer and 
incense boat (it was formerly shaped like a boat). Some 

109 



servers never learn to handle the censer properly. Read 
over these rules and keep them in mind. 

1. The censer is carried in the right hand with the 
arm extended out and with the elbow at the side. 
The incense boat is carried in the left hand, resting 
on the breast. 

2. When genuflecting, be careful to lift the censer so 
as not to bang it on the floor. 

3. Opening the censer is always a problem. There are 
many different kinds of censers. Each kind is 
opened differently. Learn how to open your par-
ish censer quickly and correctly. 

4. When presenting the open censer for incense, be 
certain to hold it high enough and close enough 
for the priest to reach it. The incense boat should 
be held right next to the open censer. 

5. When incensing someone, bow before and after 
you incense. When bowing, the censer is held in 
the right hand; the left hand is on the breast. 

6. To incense anyone or anything — place the top 
of the chain in your left hand and keep it on 
the breast. With your right hand, grasp the bottom 
of the chain near the censer. Now lift the censer 
to a height just below your eyes, then swing.it 
toward the object or person in a double or single 
swing. Remember to lower the censer after each 
double or single swing. Be careful of the chains 
or you will get all tangled up. 

7. In incensing, there are two kinds of swings — the 

110 



double swing and the single swing. The double 
swing is given: swing, swing, down. The single 
swing is given: swing, down. The single and 
double swings may be given in sets of one, two, 
or three. Here are the swing patterns: 

DOUBLE SWING: 

3 doubles: swing, swing, down; swing, swing, 
down; swing, swing, down. 

2-doubles: swing, swing, down; swing, swing, 
down. 

1 double; swing, swing, down. 

SINGLE SWING: 
3 singles: swing, down; swing, down; swing, 

down. 
2 singles: swing, down; swing, down. 
1 single: swing, down. 

Different objects and different officers in the Mass 
are incensed with different swings. When rehearsing 
for a service, you will be told what pattern to use. The 
main thing for you to do now is to learn how to give the 
different swings. 

Along with learning to use the censer, you should 
learn how to light the charcoal. Remember, anything 
that requires fire is somewhat dangerous. So be careful. 
There are different kinds of charcoal. Each is lighted 
differently. You need experience to light the kind that 
is used in your parish. 

To be most useful, the lighted charcoal should be a 

111 



red-hot coal — not half-lighted. This means that the 
charcoal should be lighted at least fifteen minutes before 
it is to be used. BUT IF YOU HAVE BURNING 
CHARCOAL IN A CENSER, BE CAREFUL TO RE-
MOVE THE TOP ON THE CENSER. Otherwise, it 
gets too hot to handle. 

After the service, the charcoal should be carefully 
emptied from the censer in a safe place. Many sacristies 
have a pail with water for this purpose. If you are not 
careful when you empty out the charcoal, you may start 
a fire. SOMETIMES FIRES START IN CHURCHES 
AT NIGHT AFTER EVERYONE IS GONE BE-
CAUSE SOME ALTAR BOY WAS CARELESS WITH 
LIGHTED CHARCOAL OR FAILED TO EXTIN-
GUISH A CANDLE. 

Things to Know 
1. What is an altar boy's first loyalty? Explain. 
2. How do different loyalties sometimes clash? Give 

examples. 
3. How is the missal changed for the second time? What 

about the priest's blessing? 
4. When is lighted charcoal most useful? Explain. 
5. If you burn charcoal in the censer, what are some 

things to remember? 

Things to Do 
1. Make a censer at home out of a piece of rope and a 

coffee can. Be careful not to cut yourself on the can. 
Ask your mother to help you. 

112 



2. Practice your censer swings at home with your home-
made censer. Do not make a fire in it. 

3. Study the final responses in this lesson. Be certain 
to learn the different responses and when they are 
used. Remember to practice a good and clear Amen 
for the blessing. 

113 



Lesson 2 4 . . . 

The Altar Boy Knows the Mass 
Every altar boy should know the various parts of the 
Mass. You probably know already that the Mass has 
two general divisions — the Mass of the Catechumens 
and the Mass of the Faithful. The first part is named 
after those who studied the catechism before they were 
baptized — the catechumens. The first part of the Mass 
acts as sort of a preparation for the second and more 
sacred part of the Mass. 

Here are the parts of the Mass of the Catechumens. 
If you memorize these parts, you will be helped a great 
deal when you come to learn how to serve. 

Mass of the Catechumens 
1. Prayers at the Foot of the Altar — in which the 

priest and people admit their sinfulness. The Con-
fiteor is the high point. 

2. The Introit — this is the opening prayer of the 
Mass. It changes with the Mass. 

3. The Kyrie — the ninefold prayer for mercy. 
4. The Gloria — the prayer of praise — not said in 

every Mass. 
5. The Collect — the special prayer of the day. It 

changes with the Mass. Sometimes there are other 
Collects called Commemorations. 

6. The Lesson — a reading from the Old or New Testa-

114 



ment, usually taken from the Epistles. It changes 

with the Mass. 
7. The Gradual and Tract or Alleluia — hymns sung as 

the book is changed from the Epistle to the Gospel 
side. These change with the Mass. 

8. Sequence — a long prayer in verse form. There are 
five sequences. The sequence rarely appears in the 
Mass. The most common one is the Dies Irae which 
is found in the Requiem Mass. 

9. Gospel — a reading from the life of Christ as written 
by one of the four Evangelists. It changes with the 
Mass. 

10. Sermon — the sermon explains the Epistle and 
Gospel. It is not always given. 

11. Credo — the Credo or Nicene Cred is a prayer of 
faith much like the Apostles' Creed. It does not 
appear in every Mass. 

If you can memorize these parts, it will be a fine help 
to your serving. If you can explain the parts and under-
stand them, it will greatly improve your knowledge of 
the Mass. 

Mass of the Faithful 
The second part of the Mass is called the Mass of the 

Faithful. It receives its name from the fact that in the 
early Church only the baptized or the "faithful" could 
remain for it. The catechumens had to leave. The early 
Christians attached a great air of mystery and secrecy 
to the Mass. 

This second part of the Mass has four movements — 

115 



(1) Offertory, (2) Canon, (3) Communion, and (4) 
Postcommunion. 

1. In the Offertory, the priest takes bread and wine, 
blesses them, and offers them to God. The servers 
assist him by presenting wine and water and wash-
ing his hands. 

2. In the Canon, the priest changes this blessed bread 
and wine into the Body and Blood of our Lord. 
The most sacred part of the Canon is called the 
Consecration. During the Consecration, the priest 
raises the Host and Chalice for all to see. This is 
called the Elevation. 

3. In the Communion, the priest and people receive 
the Body and Blood of Christ, called the Holy 
Eucharist, as food for their souls. 

4. In the Postcommunion, the priest and people give 
thanks to God for the blessings received at Mass. 

If you have memorized the outline of the Mass of 
the Catechumens, and if you memorize this outline, 
you will know the whole framework of the Mass. 

Another thing that you should remember is that some 
parts of the Mass never change — these parts are called 
the Ordinary of the Mass. Some parts change in every 
Mass — these parts are called the Proper of the Mass. 
Also, the Church Year has two Mass cycles: the Sunday 
Cycle and the Weekday Cycle or the Cycle of the Saints. 
The Sunday Cycle is divided into a number of seasons. 
These are: (a) Season of Advent, (b) Christmastide 
which includes the Season of Christmas and the Season 

116 



of Epiphany; (c) Season of Septuagésima; '(d) Lenten 
Season which includes the Season of Lent and Passion-
tide; (e) Paschaltide which includes the Easter Season, 
Ascensiontide, and the Octave of Pentecost; (/) Season 
pen annum (throughout the year) which runs from 
January 14 to Septuagésima Sunday and from the first 
Sunday after Pentecost to Advent. 

The Weekday or Saints' Cycle runs through the year. 
Weekdays are generally dedicated to feasts of our Lord, 
our Blessed Mother, the Apostles, and other saints. 

Things to Know 
1. What are the two general divisions of the Mass? How 

do they receive their names? 
2. How many parts are there in the Mass of the 

Catechumens? 
3. What are the four movements in the Mass of the 

Faithful? 
4. What feast day is it today? What day is your patron 

saint's feast day? 
5. What Sunday of the Church Year was last Sunday? 

What about next Sunday? 

Things to Do 
1. Be able to list all the parts of the Mass of the Cate-

chumens and the Mass of the Faithful. 
2. Name the seasons of the Church Year. 
3. List some of the great feasts of the Church Year. 

117 



Lesson 25 . 

The Altar Boy Has a Knowledge of the 
Altar and Sacred Things 

The altar is a symbol of Christ and on it the Holy 
Sacrifice of the Mass is offered. Your parish altar is a 
big thing in your life. An altar boy should know all 
about the altar and the sacred things around it. 

The church building is divided into several parts. 
The largest is the body of the church or nave where the 
people sit. The part where the altar stands is called the 
sanctuary. It is separated from the body of the church 
by the altar railing and altar gates. The rooms or room 
off the sanctuary is called the sacristy. The area around 
the sanctuary inside the altar railing is called the 
chancel. 

The altar must be of solid stone, usually marble. It 
must contain the relics of saints and martyrs in a small 
compartment called the sepulcher. The altar must be 
consecrated, usually by the bishop. It is marked with 
five crosses — one in the center and one on each corner. 

There are different kinds of altars. There is the per-
manent altar made entirely of stone. In the United 
States, this kind of altar is rather rare. We use the port-
able altar — a small square consecrated stone usually 
set in a very large and highly decorated wooden or 
stone frame. We usually refer to the whole frame as the 
altar and the small consecrated stone as the altar stone. 
But it is important to remember that the so-called altar 

118 



I, ALTAR CANOPY OR BALPACHIN. / 
i! / iV\ /A\ * 

cMpieencKe 

ALTAR. 

CRAPINE5 
OR SHELVES of THE 

ALTAR \ 

ALTAR CROSS. 

POSSAL CURTAIN, 
OR IF wOOP, ] 

I REREPOS-

TABERNACLE 
i /TA0ERMACLE VEIL 

SANCTUARY 
LAMP 

MENSA OF 
TABLE OF 
THE 

ANTEPENPIUM J | | 

CREPELLA OR PLATFORM OF THE ALTAI?. 

CANPELABRA. 

PULPIT 
LECTERN. 

119 



stone is the real consecrated altar. All the rest, no matter 
how large, is only a frame. 

The main altar is called the high altar. Other altars in 
the church are called side altars. As you look at the 
altar, the right side is called the epistle side and the 
left side the gospel side. 

The high or main altar is usually set on a platform 
with three steps. The table part of the altar is called 
the mensa. The platform of the altar is called the 
predella. The sanctuary floor on which it all sets is 
generally referred to as in piano. The shelves very often 
found on the altar are called gradines. 

A large canopy, called a baldachin, should hang over 
the altar. A dossal curtain often hangs from the canopy. 
If the background of the altar is carved wood or stone 
it is called a reredos. Every altar must have a crucifix 
which is called the altar cross. 

In the United States, almost every high altar has a 
tabernacle in which the Blessed Sacrament is kept. The 
tabernacle is covered with a tabernacle veil. This is a 
sign that the Blessed Sacrament is present. The sanc-
tuary lamp is also kept burning for the same purpose. 
The altar is covered with three altar cloths. The top 
cloth should reach the floor on either side of the altar. 
Many times the front of the altar is covered with a 
decorated cloth called an antependium, or frontal. The 
antependium and tabernacle veil are usually the color 
of the Mass being offered. When the altar is not in use 
for a number of hours, the mensa is covered with a 
cloth called the altar cover or vesperale. 

120 



The altar boy should also know by name all the 
sacred vestments, vessels, and furnishings, and be able 
to identify each. 

Sacred Vestments 
Amice Cassock Chasuble Stole 
Alb Cincture Dalmatic Tunic 
Burse Maniple Surplice Cope 

Biretta 
Chalice veil 
Humeral veil 

Corporal 
Purificator 

Sacred Linens 
Pall 

Altar cloths 

Sacred Vessels 
Chalice and paten 
Communion paten 

Pyx 
Ciborium 

Ablution towel 
Finger towel 

Monstrance 
Lunette 

Sacred Furnishings 

Candelabra Altar cross Altar cover 

Altar cards Antependium Missal stand 

Credence Tabernacle veil Lavabo dish 

Vesting case Holy-water Cruets 
Reliquaries container Censer and boat 
Announcement Holy-water Missal 

book sprinkler Processional 

English Gospel Ablution cup cross 

book Ambry Acolyte candles 
Prie-dieu Pulpit or lectern Vesperale — 

Sedilia Altar benches altar cover 
Sanctuary lamp 

121 



ALTAR 

CRUETS 

CORPORAL 

LAVABO 

ALTAR CARPS 

122 





Append i x 

Prayers and Responses With Rubrics Added 

Mass of the Catechumens 
Prayers at the Foot of the Altar: 

(On several occasions during the year, the Prayers 
at the Foot of the Altar are omitted altogether. In 
Requiem Masses and Masses of Passiontide they are 
shortened, going immediately from Introibo ad altare 
Dei to Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini.) 

Priest: In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. 
Amen. 
(The priest and the server make the Sign of the Cross 
together.) 

Introibo ad altare Dei. 

Server: Ahd Da/-oom kv/ee lay-tee'-fee-kaht/ 
yoo-ven-too'-tem may'-ahm. 

Priest: Judica me Deus et discerne causam meam de 
gente non sancta; ab homine iniquo et doloso 
erue me. 

Server: Kwee'-ah too ez Day'-oos/ 
for -tee-too -doe may'-ah/ 
kwah'-ray may ray-pool-js'-tee/ 
et kwah'-ray trees'-tis in-chay'-doe/ 
doom ah-flee'-ghit may \n-ee-mee'-koos. 

Priest: Emitte lucem tuam et veritatem tuam; ipsa me 
deduxerunt et adduxerunt in montem sanctum 
tuum et in tabernacula tua. 

124 



Server: Et in-tro-ee'-bo ahd ahl-tah'-ray Day'-ee/ 
ahd Day'-oom kwee lay-tee'-fee-kaht/ 
yoo-ven-too'-tem may'-ahm. 

Priest: Confìtebor tibi in cithara, Deus, Deus meus; 
quare tristis es anima mea, et quare conturbas 
me? 

Server: Spay'-rah in Day'-o/ 
kwo'-nee-ahm ahd'-hook cone-fee-tay'-bor 

WV-ee/ 
sah-loo-tah'-ray vool'-toos may'-ee et 

Day'-oos may'-oos. 

Priest: Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto. 
(The priest and server make a deep bow together.) 

Server: See'-kooì ay'-raht in prin-chee'-pee-o/ 
et noonk et sem'-pair/ 
et in say'-koo-lah say-koo-lo'-room. Amen. 

Priest: Introibo ad altare Dei. 

Server: Ahd Day'-oom kwee lay-tee'-fee-kaht/ 
yoo-ven-too'-tem may'-ahm. 

Priest: Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. 
(The priest and the server make the Sign of the Cross 
together. ) 

Server: Kwee fay'-chit chay'-loom et tair'-ahm. 

Priest: Confiteor Deo, etc. 
( The priest makes a deep bow and prays the 
Confiteor. ) 

Orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum. 

125 



Server: (The server makes a shoulder bow, and turning toward 
the priest prays:) 

Mee-say-ray-ah'-toor foo'-ee ohm-nee'-po-tens 
Day'-oos/ 

et dee-mee'-sis pay-kah'-tis too'-is/ 
pair-doo'-kaht tay/ 
odd vee'-tahm ay-tair'-nahm. 

Priest: Amen. 

Server: (The server now turns straight ahead and making a 
deep bow prays:) 

Cone-fee'-tay-or Day'-o ohm-nee-po-ten'-tee/ 
bay-ah'-tay Mah-ree'-ay sem-pair 

veer'-gee-nee/ 
bay-ah'-toe Mee-kah-ay'-lee ark-ahn'-jay-lo/ 
bay-ah'-toe Yo-ahn'-ee Bop-tees'-tay/ 
sonk'-tis ah-po'-sto-lis Pa/-tro et Pov/-lo/ 
ohm'-nee-boos sonk'-tis/ 
et tee'-bee pah'tair (turning to the priest) 
kwee'-ah pay-kah'-vee nee'-m\s/ 
ko-gee-tot-see-o'-nay vair'bo et 

o'-pair-ay/ 

may'-ah kool'-pah/ (Striking the breast three 
may'-ah kool'-pah/ times) 
may'-ah mahx'-ee-mah kool'-pah/ 
ee'-day-o pray'-kor/ 
bay-ah'-tahm Mah-ree'-ahm sem'-pair 

veer'-gee-nem/ 
bay-ah-toom Mee-kah-a/-!oom 

ark-ahn'-jay-loom/ 
bay-ah'-toom Yo-ahn'-em Bop-tees'-tahm/ 



sonk'-toes ah-po'-sto-loes Pay'-troom et 
Pow'-loom/ 

om'-nes sonk'-toes et tay pah'-fair (turn-
to the priest ) 

o-rah'-ray pro may ahd Daw'-mee-noom 
Day'-oom naw'-stroom. 

( The server remains bowing deeply. ) 

Priest: Misereatur vestri omnipotens Deus et dimissis 
peccatis vestris, perducat vos ad vitam ae-
ternam. 

Server: Amen. 
Priest: Indulgentiam absolutionem et remissionem pec-

catorum nostrorum, tribuat nobis omnipotens 
et misericors Dominus. 
(During this prayer, the server returns from his deep 
bow and kneeling in a straight position makes the Sign 
of the Cross with the priest.) 

Server: Amen. 
(The priest and server now make a shotdder bow 
during the following responses.) 

Priest: Deus tu conversus vivifìcabis nos. 

Server: Et plebs too'-ah lay-tah'-bee-toor in tay. 
Priest: Ostende nobis Domine misericordiam tuam. 

Server: Et sah-loo-tah'-ray too'-oom dah no'-bis. 
Priest: Domine exaudi orationem meam. 

Server: Et klah'-mor may'-oos ahd tay 
vay'-nee-aht. 

Priest: Dominus vobiscum. 

Server: Et koom spee'-ree-ìoo too'-o. 

127 



Priest: Oremus. 

(When the priest says Oremus, both he and the server 
. straighten from the shoulder bow. The priest ascends 

the altar steps and the server goes to his place. The 
priest kisses the place of the cdtar relics and goes to 
the Epistle side where he reads the Introit from the 
missal. After this, he returns to the middle of the altar 
for the Kyrie.) 

Priest: Kyrie eleison. 

& Kee'-ree-ay ay-lay'-ee-sawn. 
Server: Kyrie eleison. 

Kree'-stay ay-1 ay'-ee-sawn. 
Christe eleison. 

Kree'-stay ay-lay'-ee-sawn. 
Kyrie eleison. 

Kee'-ree-ay ay-lay'-ee-sawn. 
Kyrie eleison. 
(The priest now recites the Gloria in excelsis Deo, if 
there is one in the Mass. In sung Masses, the priest 
and servers usually sit at the sedilia while the choir 
sings the Gloria. After this, kissing the altar, he recites 
the Collect.) 

Priest: Dominus vobiscum. 

Server: Et koom spee'-ree-ioo too'-o. 

Priest: Oremus. 

(The priest now recites the Collect.) 

Per omnia saecula saeculorum. 

Server: Amen. 
(If there are Commemorations, the priest begins them 
and ends them in the same way as the Collect. The 
server answers — Amen.) 

128 



Priest: (Tfte priest now reads the Lesson, or Epistle. At the 
end of the Lesson, or Epistle, he extends his hand.) 

Server: Day'-o graht'-see-ahs. 
(The priest now reads the Gradual and Tract or 
Alleluia. The server comes to the missal to change 
it to the Gospel side of the altar. At a high Mass, if 
there is a Sequence, the priest and the server usually 
sit at the sedilia until it is finished before the missal 
is changed. On ember days and several other days, 
there is more than one lesson. The server answers 
D a y - o g r a h t ' - s e e - a h s at the end of each lesson, but 
changes the missal only at the end of the last lesson. 
The priest should arrange some special signal for the 
last lesson.) 

Priest: (The priest now pauses in the center of the altar and 
prays before he reads the Gospel. After this, he goes to 
the side of the altar where the missal has been placed 
and begins the Gospel.) 
Dominus vobiscum. 

Server: Et koom spee'-ree-too too'-o. 
Priest: Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum (Mat-

thaeum, Marcum, Lucam, or Joannem). 
(The priest and server make the Gospel cross to-

gether. ) 

Server: Glow'-ree-ah tee'-hee Daw'-mee-nay. 
(At the end of the Gospel, the priest usually kisses the 
missal. The server answers.) 
Louse tee'-bee Kree'-stay. 
(The priest returns to the middle of the altar. If there 
is a sermon, it is given at this point. Otherwise, the 
priest recites the Credo in unum Deum. During the 
Credo, the server genuflects with the priest at the 
words —Et incarnatus est. The servers genuflect with 
the priest. In a sung Mass, the priest and servers sit 

129 



at the sedilia while the Choir sings the Credo. The 
servers kneel at the Et Incarnatus Est. After the 
Credo, or if there is no Credo, the priest again kisses 
the altar and turns to the people.) 

Priest: Dominus vobiscum 

Server: Et koom spee'-ree-too too'-o. 

Priest: Oremus. 

Mass of the Faithful 
Offertory: 

(The priest reads the Offertory verse. After this he 
uncovers the chalice. The server goes for the wine and 
water. The priest offers the bread. Then taking the 
chalice to the Epistle side, he pours in wine and water. 
As the priest offers the chalice, the server prepares to 
wash the priest's hands. As the server washes his hands, 
the priest recites the Lavabo. After this both the priest 
and server return to the center of the altar for the 
Orate Fratres.) 

Priest: Orate Fratres, etc. 

Server: Soo-shee'-pee-aht Daw'-mee-noos 
sock-ree-fee'-chee-oom/ 

day mah'-nee-boos too'-is/ 
ahd loud'-em et glow'-ree-ahm 

naw'-mee-nis soo'-ee/ 
ahd oo-tee-lee-tah'-tem kwo'-kway 

naw'-strahm/ 
tote-see-oos'-kway ay-clay'-zee-ay soo'-ay 

sonk'-tay. 
Priest: Amen. 

(The priest reads the Secret prayer and then begins 
the Preface.) 

Per omnia saecula saeculorum. 

130 



Server: Amen. 

Priest: Dominus vobiscum. 

Server: Et koom spee'-ree-too too'-o. 

Priest: Sursum corda. 

Server: Hay-bay^-moos ahd DavZ-mee-noom. 

Priest: Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro. 

Server: Deen'-yoom et yoo'-stoom est. 
(The priest sings or reads the Preface which ends with 
the Sanctus and Benedictas. The priest then begins the 
Canon of the Mass. ) 

Canon: 

(During the Canon, the server makes no responses 
but assists during the Elevation of the Host and 
Chalice. ) 

Communion: 

(The Communion of the Mass begins with the Pater 
noster. ) 

Priest: Per omnia saecula saeculorum. 

Server: Amen. 

Priest: Oremus. . . . Et ne nos inducas in tentationem. 

Server: Said lee'-bair-ah nos ah mah'-lo. 
Priest: (The priest then breaks the Host and prays:) 

Per omnia saecula saeculorum. 

Server: Amen. 

Priest: Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum. 

131 



Server: Et koom spee'-ree-too too'-o. 
(The priest then recites the Agnus Dei, the three 
prayers before Communion and the Domine non sum 
dignus. At this time the server goes for the Com-
munion paten and returns. The priest raises the small 
Host to the people and prays the Domine non sum 
dignus three times. After this, he distributes Holy 
Communion with the aid of the server. After Com-
munion, the server gives the priest the Communion 
paten, and goes for the wine and water. After the 
priest has taken the second ablution, the server 
changes the missal, and sometimes the veil. He then 
returns to his place.) 

Postcommunion: 
(The priest now reads the Communion prayer. This 
is followed by the Postcommunion prayer and any 
Commemorations to be made.) 

Dominus vobiscum. 

Et koom spee'-ree-too too'-o. 

Oremus. . . . Per omnia saecula saeculorum. 

Amen. 
Dominus vobiscum. 

Et koom spee'-ree-ioo too'-o. 
(Having come to the middle of the altar, the priest 
now dismisses the congregation. This prayer may differ 
from Mass to Mass. The server should be careful to 
give the correct response.) 

1. Ite, missa est. 
2. Requiescant in pace. 
3. Re, missa est, alleluia, alleluia. 
4. Benedicamus Domino. 

Priest: 

Server: 

Priest: 

Server: 

Priest: 

Server: 

Priest: 

132 



Server: 1. Day'-o graht'-see-ahs. 
2. Amen. 
3. Day'-o graht'-see-ahs ah-lay-loo'-yah 

ah-lay-loo'yah. 
4. Day'-o graht'-see-ahs. 

Priest: (In most Masses, except Requiem Masses, the priest 
gives a blessing.) 

Benedicat vos omnipotens Deus, Pater, et Ei-

lius, et Spiritus Sanctus. 

Server: Amen. 
(On Palm Sunday, the missal is changed again for a 
second time to the Gospel side. The server makes the 
changes after the Postcommunion prayer in the usual 
way. However, he waits at the bottom of the steps 
where he kneels, for the blessing before taking the 
missal to its place on the Gospel side.) 

Priest: (The priest begins the Last Gospel or the special 
Gospel of the day if the missal has been moved for 
a second time.) 
Dominus vobiscum. 

Server: Et koom spee'-ree-too too'-o. 

Priest: (Once again, the priest and the server make the 
Gospel cross together.) 
Initium Sancti Evangeli i secundum Joannem. 

Priest: (The priest reads the Last Gospel. When he has 
finished, the server answers: 

Server: Day'-o graht'-see-ahs. 

(Several times during the year the Last Gospel is 
omitted altogether.) 

133 



Check List for the Server Before Mass 
Before Mass, check these points to make certain each 

is done: 

altar uncovered 
altar cards set up in correct position 
missal in place — open side to tabernacle 
both cruets filled on credence 
Lavabo dish and towel on credence 
Communion paten and bell in place 
altar book or card in place 
candles lighted — proper number 

Some General Rules 
No matter how complicated a ceremony becomes, it 

is still built upon simple rules. If you know these simple 
rules by heart, it will help you greatly in any ceremony 
at all. 

1. In serving, all actions are performed slowly and 
smoothly and as noiselessly as possible. 

2. In serving, one action is always fully completed 
before a second action is begun. Rising, sitting, and 
kneeling are three separate movements. 

3. In serving, always move forward. Never walk side-
way or backward. Never pop up or down. Never 
slide into a kneeling position. 

4. In serving, the eyes are always lowered. Never 
stare into the congregation or gaze absently around 
the altar. 

5. In serving, partners must perform all actions to-

134 



gether. When turning, they turn toward each other. 
Groups of servers must be very careful to perform 
their actions smoothly and together. 

6. In picking up objects, bow before you pick it up 
and bow after you put it down. Objects are gen-
erally presented with the right hand and received 
with the right hand. 

7. Unless being used, the hands are always properly 
folded. In serving, when one hand is occupied, the 
other hand is always on the breast. When seated, 
the hands are extended flat on top of the thighs. 

How to Carry Objects 
From time to time you will be called upon to carry 

the acolyte candles, torches, the processional cross, and 
holy-water bucket. Here are a few tips for each one: 

Acolyte Candles 

The candle carried by the acolyte is the symbol of 
Christ — the Light of the World. Therefore, the acolyte 
candle should be held high, firm, and erect. Be careful 
not to tip it or hold it crooked. If you do, wax will drop 
on the floor and on your cassock. In holding the candle-
stick, place your outside hand (the farthest from your 
partner) high on the shaft of the candlestick. Place the 
inside hand on the base of the candlestick, grasping the 
bottom. When the acolytes accompany the cross with 
their candles, they do not genuflect; otherwise, they do 
genuflect. 

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Torches 

In solemn ceremonies there are torchbearers. The 
server should carry the torch in his outside hand. He 
must be careful not to wobble it and not to bang it on 
the floor when he genuflects. All the torches should be 
held at the same height and perfectly straight. 

Processional Cross 

The processional cross is the sign of our salvation and 
should be held aloft proudly. Place both hands on the 
shaft of the cross. Place the right hand high on the shaft 
and the left hand lower on the shaft. Keep the figure of 
our Lord facing forward. If you hold the cross out from 
you a little bit, you will not kick it or bump it as you 
walk. Carry the cross slowly and with great dignity. 

Holy-Water Bucket 

The holy-water bucket is carried in the right hand 
with the left hand on the breast. Be careful not to spill 
the holy water. Present the sprinkler to the priest with 
your left hand. Be careful not to let the bucket hang 
carelessly. 

Missal to the Altar 

In some parishes the server carries the missal to the 
altar before the priest. The server should be careful 
to carry it resting against his breast with both hands sup-
porting the underside. The open side of the missal 
should be to the altar boy's left. When placed on the 
altar, the open side always faces the cross. 

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Censer and Boat 

See pages 109-112. 

Ringing of the Bell 
While the bell is rung in each parish according to 

custom, usually it is rung six times during the Mass. 
Here we distinguish between long and short rings. This 
difference is not mentioned in the rubrics, but it seems 
proper. If you can memorize the rules that follow, they 
will help you greatly: 

1. When the priest uncovers the chalice — 1 long ring 
2. When the priest says Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus — 

3 long rings 
3. When he extends his hands over the chalice — 1 

long ring 
4. At the elevation — 1 short ring for each genuflec-

tion and 1 long ring for each elevation 
5. At Domine non sum dignus — 3 long rings (if 

Holy Communion is to be distributed) 
6. When the priest holds up the host before Com-

munion — 3 short rings (one at each Domine non 
sum dignus) 

Please note numher 5 — it is easy to get mixed up. 
Remember the priest says Domine non sum dignus and 
not Agnus Dei when you ring. Please note: the bell is 
rung here only if Holy Communion is to be distributed. 

The Kiss of Peace (Pax) 
One of the very ancient and beautiful rubrics is the 

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kiss of peace in which those on ceremonies embrace one 
another. This is done to show how Christians should 
love one another, as our Lord commanded us to do. 
Here is how the Pax is given: 

1. Turn toward one another. 
2. The one who is receiving the Pax bows. 
3. The one who is giving the Pax then places his 

hands on the shoulders of the one receiving; the 
one receiving places his hands under the elbows 
of the one giving the Pax. In this position they 
both embrace — each one inclining to the left 
shoulder of the other. 

4. The one giving the Pax says: Pahx tay'-koom; the 
one receiving answers: Et koom spee'-ree-too too-o. 

5. After this, they both separate, bow, and turn away 
back to their positions. 

6. The Pax is passed from one end of the line to the 
next. 

In Choro 
In more solemn ceremonies a group of vested altar 

boys assist to add dignity and beauty to the service. We 
say these boys are in choro. The one who leads them is 
called the Magister Chori or 3rd Master of Ceremonies. 

Boys in choro usually enter in procession, sit in a 
group, and receive Holy Communion in a body. Keep 
these points in mind: 

When walking in procession remember that you are 
on parade. Your main duty is to look dignified and 
prayerful and to add beauty to the ceremony. Be certain 

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to walk with head erect but eyes cast down, and hands 
properly joined. Always walk evenly with your own 
partner and keep directly in back of the boy ahead of 
you. All genuflections are made to the signal of the 
Magister Chori, who also signals all other changes in 
position. When assisting, be careful not to slouch or 
grow careless, but rise, stand, and sit as you have been 
instructed. 

At Holy Communion time, those in choro receive in a 
body. Observe these directions: 

1. When the Magister Chori signals — all stand and 
go into the aisle in rows four abreast. 

2. At the signal all kneel for the Confiteor. 
3. After the priest presents the Sacred Host three 

times, all rise. 
4. Each row then advances in its turn to the bottom 

step, genuflects, and ascends to the predella where 
all kneel. 

5. The Communion paten is passed from one to the 
other. 

6. After the last boy in each row has returned the 
paten to the priest, all rise — turn left and go 
down to the floor — then turn right, back facing 
the priest, all genuflect and return to the pews. 
The two middle boys in each row lead back to 
the pews. 

This skill takes some time to master, because some 
boys always want to turn the wrong way. However, 
practice until you can all do it perfectly. 

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Serving Mass at a Side Altar 
From time to time, you will be asked to serve Mass 

at the side altar. Most of the time, this will be a last-
minute arrangement. Here are ten points to remember: 

1. Side altars do not always permit complete free-
dom of movement. Therefore, the server must 
sometimes abbreviate his method of serving. 

2. The server must make the altar ready for Mass 
by first removing all flowers and decorations from 
the mensa (table) of the side altar. Remove the 
vesperale as well ( altar covering placed over the 
altar cloths). 

3. Stand the three altar cards on the mensa. The 
large card is placed in the center; the other two 
on the sides. The card whose first word is 
LAVABO is placed on the Epistle corner. The 
card whose first word is INITIUM is placed on 
the Gospel side. 

4. Place the missal and stand on the Epistle corner 
of the mensa, with the open side of the missal 
facing the cross. 

5. Place the filled cruets (be sure the water cruet is 
filled), the Lavabo dish and a finger towel on 
the credence. If there is no credence at the side 
altar, then use some flat but sturdy surface on the 
Epistle side. If this is not possible, then place the 
cruets, etc., on the gradine (shelf of the altar), 
or as a last resort on the mensa itself, but behind 
the missal if possible. 

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6. Be certain to have a card or a book available con-
taining the prayers to be said after a low Mass. 

7. If you wish to receive Holy Communion at the 
side altar Mass, tell the priest. He will consecrate 
a small host for you at Mass. In this case, place a 
Communion paten on the credence you have 
prepared. 

8. After all is done, light the candles on the side 
altar (light the proper number) and return to the 
sacristy. If there is a light over the side altar, turn 
it on. If you do not know where the switch is, tell 
the priest. 

9. If the quarters are cramped at the side altar, do 
your best to stay out of the priest's way. You must 
serve as well as you can under the circumstances. 

10. During the Mass, keep the following points in 
mind: 

a) Only the missal is changed. When you serve 
alone, the veil is not changed. 

h) The bell is not used at the side altar during 
40 Hours' Devotion or when Mass is being 
offered at the main altar. 

c) At the Labavo, open the towel and place it on 
your left arm for use of the priest. 

d) At the Consecration, kneel on the top 
step at the celebrant's right and assist at 
the Elevations. 

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Holy Communion Outside of Mass 

Whenever Holy Communion is given outside of Mass, 
the following points should be kept in mind: 

1. The altar cover should be removed and two 
candles should be lighted on either side of the 
tabernacle. 

2. The Communion paten should be placed on the 
credence. Check to see that the ablution cup and 
ablution towel is next to the tabernacle. 

3. The server accompanies the priest to the foot of 
the altar where both genuflect. If the priest wears 
a biretta, the server places it on the altar steps. 

4. When the priest goes up to the predella, the 
server goes to the side and recites the Confiteor 
adding the two Amens that always follow. 

5. The server then assists the priest to distribute 
Holy Communion in the usual manner. 

6. The server gives the priest the used paten or re-
turns it himself to the corporal. 

7. The server kneels on the bottom step for the 
priest's blessing. 

8. The priest and server then return to the sacristy 
in the usual way. 

9. The server extinguishes the candles, returns the 
paten to its proper place and covers the altar 
or arranges it for Mass, as he is instructed. 

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Asperges 

The parish high Mass on Sunday should begin with 
a ceremony called the Asperges in which the celebrant 
of the Mass sprinkles the people with holy water. While 
a very simple ceremony, servers sometimes get mixed 
up in the Asperges. Here are a few rules to remember: 

1. In the sacristy stand on either side of the priest 
if he blesses the holy water. Assist the priest as 
he puts on the cope. The altar gates should be 
opened. 

2. Proceed to the altar in the usual way. The gospel-
side server acts as holy-water bearer. When all 
three reach the foot of the altar, the epistle-side 
server takes the priest's biretta. All genuflect and 
kneel. The biretta is placed on the altar step by 
the server who opens the altar book to the 
Asperges ceremony. The holy-water bearer hands 
the priest the sprinkler. 

3. The priest then rises to sing Asperges Me (Vidi 
Aquam in the Paschal season) but the servers 
remain kneeling. The priest then sprinkles the 
altar, himself, and then the two servers who bless 
themselves. The servers then rise and genuflect 
with the priest. All turn to the people. The servers 
are careful to turn toward the priest. As the priest 
leaves the sanctuary, the servers on either side 
hold the edges of the cope back to give the priest 
freedom of movement. The cope edge is held with 
the inside hand; the outside hand is placed on the 

143 



breast as usual. In larger churches, the gospel-
side server should take the holy-water container 
with him since the priest may wish to dip the 
sprinkler in it again. 

4. The priest and servers walk slowly down the aisle 
together, unless the aisle is small. Then the serv-
ers, still holding the cope, walk a little behind the 
priest. The priest sprinkles the people on both 
sides. As the choir sings Gloria Patri, the servers 
release the cope edges and turn with the priest 
to the altar and bow as deeply as he does. After 
this all turn and resume the sprinkling, the servers 
taking again the cope edges. 

5. At the end of the aisle, the servers release' the 
cope edges and all turn. The servers are careful 
to turn toward the priest. All then return to the 
altar. The servers still hold the cope edges as 
before. 

6. At the foot of the altar all genuflect. The epistle-
side server presents the altar book, or card, to the 
priest who then sings the prayer or oration. After 
this, the server returns the book, or card, to the 
altar step and all genuflect. The priest is given 
the biretta in the usual way. All then proceed to 
the sedilia or return to the sacristy where the 
servers help the priest to vest for Mass. The altar 
gates should be closed for Mass. 

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