Becoming an Altar Server at St. Pat’s is a great opportunity for stewardship for the young people of our parish. This ministry offers a special chance to become intimately involved in the Mass by assisting the priest and fulfilling a unique role during the liturgy. 

Our altar servers are present at all Masses and liturgical services here at St. Pat’s, including First Communion, Confirmation, funerals, and weddings. Most servers do an average of 23 Masses per year, all of it volunteer time.

Those who wish to become altar servers meet once a week for about six weeks with priests and adult trainers. The sessions explain the correct terminology for each part of the Mass, religious articles used during Mass, actions occurring during Mass, and even how to move about the sanctuary properly. Mindfulness of the solemnity of the ministry and reverence for the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament is heavily stressed.

Prior to the early 1990s, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia limited altar serving to young men, but after Pope John Paul II decreed that each bishop may allow girls to serve, Cardinal Bevilacqua granted permission to do so. Since then, our altar server group at St. Pat’s has been fairly evenly divided between boys and girls. The ministry is open to any student registered in the parish who is in the fifth grade or higher. The group is always in need of more members. 

Interested parishioners can inquire at the parish office (610-444-4364) or contact Mrs. Barbara Kitching at (610-347-0586) or all5paks@aol.com.