Liturgical Ministry

Our young altar servers have returned in full force and beautiful reverence at our Sunday, 10am Masses. Our seminarian catechist, August Horner, has been helping everyone get retrained. If there are families that would like their children and teens to participate as altar servers (acolytes) at the noon Mass, Diane Hart and Deacon John Feeley are helping new servers assist them. If there are adults who would like to learn how to serve or return to altar service, please contact Deacon John Feeley. Altar servers are also needed at funeral masses, so having a group of trained altar servers, both youth and adult servers, is important.

Our next tentative training date is  Fall of 2022.  Please contact us to get on the training list and confirm the date:

Deacon John Feeley, (202) 526-8754 or [email protected]
 
Altar Servers assist the priest in leading the people at Mass to worship God.  Serving at Saint Anthony's is a special privilege that requires reverence, teamwork, prayer, commitment, responsibility, and a willingness to be a leader of God’s people.  Saint Anthony's strives to have the best altar servers!  This excellence requires their dedication, special training, and diligence.

They assist the sacristans before and after the Mass; they lead the liturgical processions; they accompany and assist the priests during the Mass and serve at the altar as candle-bearers, cross-bearers and as incense-bearers. 

Boys and girls who have received their First Holy Communion and are in the 3rd grade or older are invited and encouraged to become altar servers. Many servers continue in this ministry throughout their high school years. High School Altar Servers serve the Midnight Mass at Christmas, the Easter Triduum services, and Corpus Christi.

Altar Servers should be practicing Catholics who attend Sunday Mass each week and all Holy Days of Obligation, go to Confession regularly, and strive to live a moral and faithful life.

They should be mature enough to understand their responsibilities and carry out them out with appropriate reverence.

The servers are required to attend training sessions and occasional meetings.

If you are interested in joining us and learning more, please contact the parish office

It is expected that all servers have completed the Altar Server training program and are familiar with the guidelines for St. Anthony's Altar Servers and Words to Know.   Please review the Guidelines and Words to Know prior to serving, if necessary.  These Guidelines contain information on the requirements and dress code for serving at St. Anthony's.