In my parish, we have Stations of the Cross every Friday evening in Lent. One year I noticed a young lad following me round at each station (our stations are one the wall of the nave so most people just stay in their place as I go round - this is OK for the indulgence.)After a couple of weeks, I invited him to serve, I don't normally allow servers to start until they have made their first Communion but if they turn up for Stations or Benediction, I stretch a point. Things have gathered apace. This evening, we had three new young servers (soon to make first Communion) who tagged along with the older ones, keeping their hands joined reverently throughout.
Afterwards we had a little practice, going through how to genuflect together and then kneel down in unison. Brick by brick...
10 comments:
Tiny servers doing co-ordinated genuflecting is one of the things that make me very happy to be Catholic :)
I hear many men of my father's age fondly recalling their server days, happening more than fifty years ago! The importance of a good server programme is probably hard to overestimate.
(Also, the ability to navigate stairs, backwards, in a slightly too-long cassock, with your hands full, is a very important life skill that's hard to come by!)
Just curious -- what is the liceity of lay woman leading people around the stations with the parish priest in tow?
Gosh Father, you’re “going my way”. Or rather, as I suspect, I’m going ‘your’ way. Yes, proper genuflection by altar boys enhances the beauty of the worship of Almighty God and does not distract the penitent soul from pious devotions.
Can you say if the Friday Stations follow the method of S Alphonsus de Liguori and please kindly put the time of your Friday Stations on the parish website.
Nat - usually St Alphonsus or the alternative in the old "Manual of Prayers". 7.30pm Friday.
Rich - I think it is licit.
Out of interest, Fr Tim - have there been any vocations from your parish ?
Bernadette.
Also just a small suggestion. I have found that many people can be put off By St Alphonsus's Way of the Cross.(I prefer it to many of the others and I have tried many.) This can be for pefectly understandable reasons: abuse in their own lives etc, and maybe because they are not able to unite that suffering with the cross at that moment.. I have found a wonderful breakthrough to be "Mary's Way of The Cross." It does not detract from any of the reality of Calvary but simply puts a perspective on that devotion which really does help many people to accept it and practice it.
I think the book (mine is very old) is widely available.
I have a reprint of the 1931 American "How to serve low Mass". It explains that Ad Deum qui laetificat juventum meam is pronounced Odd day'um kwee lat-tee'fee-cot you-vent-too'tem.
"The mastery of this little book, combined with your own faithfulness, cleanliness and good manners, will make you a most desirable altar boy."
I think that English has moved on and the last bit would be phrased differently today. The Latin remains constant.
Well done Father.
Bernadette - I have a copy of Mary's Way of the Cross and it is very good. The St Alphonsus one is a model, though - as is the other one in the manual of prayers. We have not had any vocations in the parish for many years but now we have one young man applying. As a result of the TLM, I confidently expect a number of others to follow in due course.
Peter - I have a few copies of that for the altar servers.
Hi Peter
I am one of the blessed mothers of 2 of the aspiring alter servers. Your book may have been printed in 1931 however the sentiments still hold true. At the moment as they are only 7 years old I can safely vouch for their cleanliness,but not necessarily all the time.
So many good people in the parish are supporting them in their journey to be faithful. As to good manners .....as parents we do try to instil some good manners but with any young boys this can be a challange!!
It was so lovely on Friday to see the 3 children serve during the Stations of the Cross, who better to teach them how to show reverence to God, Fr Tim is such a good teacher. Please do pray for all 3 of them that they make their communion in May and continue on this path.
Wendy
We attended the Stations of the Cross at Blackfen on Friday and the three novice altar servers brought tears to my eyes. Such reverence from ones so young, my three girls, still in early teens, were impressed with their impeccable behaviour. Mums you should be so proud of your little cherubs. With a priest like Father Tim in Blackfen I know God will bless us with vocations.
The Stations of the Cross remind us what Lent is all about, and that to follow in Christ's footsteps we need to pick up our cross and accept that our ways may not be those of God's. There is no way we can avoid the cross and skip straight through to the resurrection.
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