NBVM-SCIC Altar Servers Come Together for First Virtual Gathering

One was forced by his parents, one was scolded by a priest and one was only allowed to serve at an older age. These were the stories shared by the presenters as they reminisced about their past experiences during the first altar servers virtual gathering held over Zoom on Saturday, 29 May.

Moderated by Fr Konstend Gnanapragasam, the online event saw the attendance of more than 50 participants consisting of past, current and aspiring altar servers, and their parents. Four presenters took turns to share about what the call to serve at the altar is all about as well as how they have benefitted from their years of serving.

In his presentation titled ‘The Call to Serve as an Altar Server’, Fr Dominic Santhiyagu shared that those who serve at the altar have received a special calling from the Lord and thanked them for responding to that call. To better understand this call, he invited the attendees to reflect on the scripture passage from the Gospel according to St John, “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honour whoever serves me.” (John 12:26)

For Gerald William, a former head of NBVM Altar Servers, it was his parents forcing that led him to become an altar server. However, he shared, as he served more and more, he began to see the unique role that he was playing in the Eucharistic celebration. “I was not doing anything extraordinary, but the little things that I did to assist the priest helped towards making a smooth and beautiful celebration for all to encounter Jesus,” said Gerald. He added that he was nurtured to become a leader and saw the responsibility to lead the servers under his care closer to Jesus as a privilege. Here the seed for his vocation to married life was planted, where he realised his love for children and to bring them up to know God.

“When I think of altar servers, the first thing that comes to mind is the boy who offered Jesus his five loaves and two fish,” said Fr Louis Loi. “All he wanted to do was help and he gave everything he had.” Reiterating the previous presenters, Fr Louis emphasised that it is indeed a privilege to be an altar server. At Mass, the priest is an “Alter Christus” or “another Christ”, so it could be said that the altar servers are like the angels who surround Him in heaven. “However,” quoting Spiderman, Fr Louis added “With great power comes great responsibility, and this is something all who serve at the altar must keep in mind.” He added that while his experience serving at the altar was not particularly pleasant as he was scolded by a priest, it was still a great blessing and the more one serves, the more one will grow to love the Eucharist.

Next, Fr Martin Arlando shared about how his was a late response to the call to altar serving as his parents were concerned that it might distract him from his studies. Despite that, he was eventually elected as a head of NBVM Altar Servers and added that the skills that he learnt and built during that time was invaluable for him in many different areas of life. Now as a priest, Fr Martin shared that seeing the altar servers assisting him at Mass evokes a sense of humility within himself as he remembers how he was once like them. This encourages him to nurture and guide them the way he was nurtured and guided. He also added that it is important that those serving at the altar remember that they also serve as an example for the congregation at Mass, especially for the children, and therefore must remember to always serve with the right decorum.

While there are new procedures to adhere to for Masses during the current pandemic and the role of altar servers has to be adapted, Fr Dom called on the servers to find new means to keep their community alive and active and also encouraged junior servers to not be afraid of making mistakes while serving.