Altar Boys
Initiation
At St. Patrick parish, we are blessed to have well trained Altar boys. Our initiation is reception of First Holy Communion, and then we ask the boys their interest in becoming an Altar boy. We encourage only boys at St. Patrick parish to serve at the Altar of God because there’s always the possibility that some of them are called by our same Lord Jesus Christ to become one of His priests. Numerous priests share how their vocational journey to their ordination to the priesthood always involved them being an Altar boy.
Vision
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Holy Men
The number of Altar boys in proximity to the Altar of sacrifice at every Holy Mass is an enriching aspect of our parish. We always start our boys in what we term as a “holy man.” A “holy man” Altar boy is a fresh Altar boy that wears the cassock and surplice and joins the veteran Altar boys at Mass by sitting, standing, and kneeling with them with no other tasks assigned. Once they feel comfortable in the Sanctuary, we start giving them small tasks and build up to harder tasks as they show more competency.
Serving
The role of Altar boys at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is of such vast importance, and at St. Patrick parish, we are always excited when a new boy joins the ranks of the other Altar boys. Their parents are proud, and over time the boys start taking on the responsibilities with gusto, such as “Who’s doing the book? The bells? Processional Torches? Offertory?, etc.”
Fraternity
The more Altar boys the better. It enriches everyone’s experience of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass when a Sanctuary is dominantly filled with Altar boys (which is not uncommon at St. Patrick parish), all seeking to assist by their tasks at Holy Mass. A blessing as well is the fun camaraderie the Altar boys have with each other as they get to know each other by their frequent assistance as Altar boys at Holy Mass. It develops good friendships among other Catholic boys similar in age.
