I Will Serve: Altar Boys Need To Learn How To Use The Missal
I would like to make this post especially addressed to altar boys serving at the Novus Ordo Mass. One thing that really needs to come back is altar servers actually learning how to use the missal during Mass. And no, this is not just about looking more “traditional” or trying to imitate the old rite. This is about reverence, attentiveness, and actually assisting the priest the way altar servers are supposed to. Right now, what does server training look like in most parishes? You learn to carry the candle. You ring the bell. You bring up the cruets. You hold the little towel for the lavabo. Boom. You're an altar server. But nobody is teaching these young men how to actually follow the Missal.
They don’t know when to move it, and they certainly don't know how to turn the pages properly during the prayers.
This is a massive loss. Because here’s the deal: once a server figures out the flow of the Mass in the Missal, everything …More