“Can I ring the bells?” “Can I light the candles?” I’ve never heard kids so excited to be at Mass than I have when a boy or girl serves as an Altar Server. And isn’t that what we want to instill in our kids – a love for the Mass?

As a priest, I know it’s tough to keep kids’ attention at Mass, especially when the world around them encourages multi-tasking and constant movement. It’s hard to believe, since I’m bald, but I was a kid once too, and I’d often get distracted at Mass in the pews. But when I started as an Altar Server, that changed. I had to pay attention, or I would miss my cues to ring the bells or bring up the book (and my classmates would never let me forget). It was here that I also developed a love for the Mass and the seeds to my vocation to the Priesthood were sown.

Would you like your son or daughter, from third grade on up, to develop a love for the Mass? To be excited to go to Mass? Perhaps Altar Serving would benefit their Spiritual Life. If so, our parish will soon be training Altar Servers as we enter the post-COVID restrictions world. Sign your children up – we want them to be involved, and if you desire them to grow in their faith in a completely different way, consider this awesome opportunity!