CATHEDRAL ALTAR SERVER CORPS
THE CATHEDRAL ALTAR SERVER CORPS
OUR SERVER CORPS
The server is a member of the assembly who assists the priest and deacon during the Eucharist and other liturgical ceremonies so that the liturgy can be conducted with grace and reverence.
Servers should be active and full participants in the celebration with the understanding that they are first and foremost members of the assembly. The server expresses this by singing, praying and keeping silence along with the rest of the assembly. Ideally, servers are fully initiated Catholics. Altar servers must have received the Sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist; youths who have not been confirmed may serve. Servers normally receive the Eucharist whenever they participate in the liturgy.
The minimum server age is roughly the third grade. Servers are expected to be appropriately prepared, committed to giving their time and talent to their parish community, and willing to serve God’s people. They should be able to understand the Eucharistic celebration and the other sacred rites.
OUR MISSION
We as the Cathedral Altar Server Corps desire to build a community of youth who strive towards excellence and reverence in the liturgy. Our goal is to carry out the duties of the Church with joy in order to create an environment conducive to encountering Christ.
We aim to do this through continual training and catechesis at all Sunday Masses.
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WHO ARE THE PONTIFICAL ALTAR SERVERS?
The 2004 Vatican instruction on matters concerning the Holy Eucharist, Redemptionis Sacramentum, issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship under the leadership of Pope John Paul II, stated that "It is altogether laudable to maintain the noble custom by which boys…, customarily termed servers, provide service of the altar after the manner of acolytes, and receive catechesis regarding their function in accordance with their power of comprehension. Nor should it be forgotten that a great number of sacred ministers over the course of the centuries have come from among boys such as these. Associations for them, including also the participation and assistance of their parents, should be established or promoted, and in such a way greater pastoral care will be provided for the ministers." [no. 47]
To that end, and with the bishops’ blessing and encouragement, the Pontifical Servers in the Diocese of Rapid City was created. The Pontifical Servers consist of a group of well-trained young men who serve at those sacred liturgies and other ceremonies at which the bishop presides at his home church, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The bishop and the cathedral are important because they signify Christ and the Mother Church, the center and model of liturgical life of the diocese.
One hope of Pontifical Servers' creation was that it will provide a means for young men to grow in their faith and love of both the Church and her Sacred Liturgy.
The Pontifical Servers wear the traditional black cassock and surplice in their service to undergird its important connection with the bishop's priesthood and help establish a strong esprit de corps among the young men. The cassock is a traditional indication that the young man is “standing in” for a cleric, and has long been associated, in conjunction with altar serving, with the goal of inspiring young men to think about priesthood.
Under the guidance of Saint John Vianney and, patron saints of parish priests, and Saint Tarcisius, patron saint of altar boys, the Pontifical Servers association is structured in such a way as to facilitate vocational discernment through closeness to the sacred mysteries of the altar.
It is our prayer that God will use this initiative as an avenue for bringing forth an abundance of good priestly vocations in the Diocese of Rapid City. In addition to an age requirement, Pontifical Servers will have received the sacrament of First Holy Communion, regularly receive the sacraments including Confession, have the permission of his parents/guardians (if he is below 18 years of age), an the recommendation of his pastor.
