From Associated Content:
"August 2010 was the next designated time for Coetus Internationalis Ministrantium to organize its famous event, affectionately nicknamed the International Pilgrimage of Altar Servers, which happens every five years.
The Vatican's L'Osservatore Romano estimated in the weekly news release for August 4, 2010 that over 53,000 altar servers gathered in St. Peter's Square to meet and listen to Pope Benedict XVI. This year was unlike previous events. This year, the girls outnumbered the boys 60 to 40..."
h/t to Thomas
1 comment:
The real problem is that in the Novus Ordo Mass (the Vatican II Mass) there is absolutely nothing for the server to do. They pretty much walk in, sit down, and then walk out at the end. Who would want to do that? And it's not much of a reason to want to become a priest.
Before Vatican II, the servers set up the altar, lit and extinguished the candles and attended the priest directly as he celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. They recited the responses to the priest's prayers. They copied his every moves, they moved the Mass Missal for him, they watched for his moves as signals as for when to genuflect and ring the bells. They attended him at Holy Communion with a paten, placing it under the chins of communicants to prevent sacred hosts from falling to the floor. Servers were an important part of the celebration of the Mass.
I know of at least parish in my archdiocese with a very large grade school that doesn’t use any servers at all in most of its Masses. And the priest gets along just fine, to the detriment of possible future priestly vocations.
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