Tools and Useful Resources

How to serve at the altar

This page is for anyone who has been asked to serve Mass, or would like to: a boy or girl after First Communion, a parent helping a child learn, or an adult coming back to the altar after many years. The first part walks through serving a Low Mass in the traditional Latin rite, step by step, with the server's Latin answers and an English translation beside them. The second part, shorter, sets out the main duties at the ordinary form of Mass. The last part says how to start.

Serving Low Mass in the traditional Latin rite

A Low Mass is the simplest form of the traditional Mass: one priest, usually one server, nothing sung. The server's task is to answer the priest in the name of everyone present, to bring him what he needs, and to keep the small ceremonies of the altar in good order. The Missal itself calls the server the minister and describes his duties in its rubrics (the instructions printed in red). What follows keeps to the 1962 Missal, the edition authorised for the traditional Mass today. Customs differ a little from church to church, so the priest's own way of doing things always comes first.

A few rules that hold all the way through

• When your hands are not busy, keep them joined before your breast.
• Make the sign of the cross whenever the priest makes it on himself.
• Genuflect every time you pass the middle of the altar, and at the beginning and end of Mass.
• Your usual place is kneeling on the lowest step, on the side opposite the book. When the book moves, you change sides.
• At Low Mass the server never opens the Missal or turns its pages; the priest does that himself.
• Say the Latin clearly and at an even pace. Do not start your answer before the priest has finished.

Before Mass

1. Arrive in good time, at least ten minutes early, and keep silence in the sacristy (the room where the priest vests).
2. Put on your cassock (the long black garment) and then your surplice (the short white one over it).
3. Unless the sacristan has done it, set out on the credence table (the small side table on the Epistle side, the right as you face the altar) the two cruets of wine and water, the dish and towel for washing the priest's hands, the small bell, and the Communion paten (a small gilt plate with a handle).
4. Check that the stand for the Missal is at the Epistle side, with the Missal on it, closed. Light the two candles, starting with the one on the Epistle side.
5. Back in the sacristy, help the priest to vest if he wishes. When he is ready, bow with him to the crucifix in the sacristy and walk ahead of him to the altar. In many churches the server rings a bell at the sacristy door as Mass begins.
6. At the altar, take the priest's biretta (his square cap) and put it on the credence table. Genuflect as he arrives at the altar, then go and kneel on the floor at the foot of the altar on the Gospel side, the left as you face it.

The prayers at the foot of the altar

The priest comes down to the foot of the altar and the two of you say these prayers in turn. Make the sign of the cross with him at the start, at Adiutorium and at Indulgentiam. Bow your head at the Gloria Patri. While the priest says his Confiteor, kneel upright; turn slightly towards him to say Misereatur tui; then bow low towards the altar for your own Confiteor and stay bowed until he has said Misereatur vestri. At the words tibi, pater and te, pater, turn your head towards the priest. Strike your breast three times at mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Bow slightly from Deus, tu conversus until the priest goes up the steps.

In Masses for the dead, and in the Masses of the season from Passion Sunday to Maundy Thursday, the psalm Iudica me and its Gloria Patri are left out: after the first Introibo and its answer, the priest goes straight on to Adiutorium nostrum.

P. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.	P. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
P. Introibo ad altare Dei.	P. I will go in to the altar of God.
S. Ad Deum qui laetificat iuventutem meam.	S. To God who giveth joy to my youth.
P. Iudica me, Deus, et discerne causam meam de gente non sancta: ab homine iniquo et doloso erue me.	P. Judge me, O God, and distinguish my cause from the nation that is not holy: from the unjust and deceitful man deliver me.
S. Quia tu es, Deus, fortitudo mea: quare me repulisti, et quare tristis incedo, dum affligit me inimicus?	S. For Thou, God, art my strength: why hast Thou cast me off? and why go I sorrowful whilst the enemy afflicteth me?
P. Emitte lucem tuam, et veritatem tuam: ipsa me deduxerunt, et adduxerunt in montem sanctum tuum, et in tabernacula tua.	P. Send forth Thy light and Thy truth: they have led me and brought me unto Thy holy hill, and into Thy tabernacles.
S. Et introibo ad altare Dei: ad Deum qui laetificat iuventutem meam.	S. And I will go in to the altar of God: to God who giveth joy to my youth.
P. Confitebor tibi in cithara, Deus, Deus meus: quare tristis es, anima mea, et quare conturbas me?	P. I will praise Thee on the harp, O God, my God: why art thou sad, O my soul? and why disquietest thou me?
S. Spera in Deo, quoniam adhuc confitebor illi: salutare vultus mei, et Deus meus.	S. Hope in God, for I will yet praise Him: the salvation of my countenance, and my God.
P. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.	P. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
S. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper: et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.	S. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
P. Introibo ad altare Dei.	P. I will go in to the altar of God.
S. Ad Deum qui laetificat iuventutem meam.	S. To God who giveth joy to my youth.
P. Adiutorium nostrum in nomine Domini.	P. Our help is in the Name of the Lord.
S. Qui fecit caelum et terram.	S. Who made heaven and earth.
The priest bows low and says his Confiteor.	The priest bows low and says his Confiteor.
S. Misereatur tui omnipotens Deus, et, dimissis peccatis tuis, perducat te ad vitam aeternam.	S. May Almighty God have mercy on thee, and, forgiving thee thy sins, bring thee to life everlasting.
P. Amen.	P. Amen.
S. Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, beatae Mariae semper Virgini, beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Ioanni Baptistae, sanctis Apostolis Petro et Paulo, omnibus Sanctis, et tibi, pater: quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo et opere:	S. I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever-virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the Saints, and to thee, Father, that I have sinned exceedingly, in thought, word, and deed,
mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.	through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.
Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Virginem, beatum Michaelem Archangelum, beatum Ioannem Baptistam, sanctos Apostolos Petrum et Paulum, omnes Sanctos, et te, pater, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum.	Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever-virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, all the Saints, and thee, Father, to pray to the Lord our God for me.
P. Misereatur vestri omnipotens Deus, et, dimissis peccatis vestris, perducat vos ad vitam aeternam.	P. May Almighty God have mercy on you, and, forgiving you your sins, bring you to life everlasting.
S. Amen.	S. Amen.
P. Indulgentiam, absolutionem et remissionem peccatorum nostrorum tribuat nobis omnipotens et misericors Dominus.	P. May the almighty and merciful Lord grant us pardon, absolution, and remission of our sins.
S. Amen.	S. Amen.
P. Deus, tu conversus vivificabis nos.	P. Turn Thee, O God, and quicken us.
S. Et plebs tua laetabitur in te.	S. And Thy people shall rejoice in Thee.
P. Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordiam tuam.	P. Show us, O Lord, Thy mercy.
S. Et salutare tuum da nobis.	S. And grant us Thy salvation.
P. Domine, exaudi orationem meam.	P. Lord, hear my prayer.
S. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.	S. And let my crying come to Thee.
P. Dominus vobiscum.	P. The Lord be with you.
S. Et cum spiritu tuo.	S. And with thy spirit.
P. Oremus.	P. Let us pray.

From the Introit to the Gospel

1. As the priest goes up to the altar, stand. You may lift the front of his alb a little so he does not trip. Then kneel again, this time on the lowest step on the Gospel side. From now on you always kneel on that bottom step.
2. When the priest comes to the middle after the Introit, answer the Kyrie with him in turn (see the table further down).
3. Answer Amen at the end of the prayers (the Collects).
4. When the Epistle ends, answer Deo gratias. The priest often gives a small sign, such as lifting his left hand. On some days in Lent and on Ember days there are several readings, each followed by a prayer; answer Deo gratias to each, and if the priest says Flectamus genua, answer Levate. Wait in your place until the last reading is over.
5. Then rise, genuflect in the middle, and go round to stand at the Epistle corner of the altar, a little behind the priest on his right, without stepping on the top platform (the footpace).
6. When the priest goes to the middle of the altar, take the Missal on its stand, come down, genuflect in the middle, and carry it to the Gospel side. Set it at the corner, turned slightly towards the middle.
7. Stay standing by the book and answer the greeting. When the priest announces the Gospel, sign yourself with your thumb on the forehead, lips and breast, as he does, and answer Gloria tibi, Domine.
8. Go back across to the Epistle side, genuflecting in the middle, and stand at the foot of the steps there while the Gospel is read. If the priest genuflects during it, genuflect too.
9. At the end of the Gospel answer Laus tibi, Christe, and kneel. If the Creed is said, stay kneeling and bow at the words Et incarnatus est.

The Offertory: the cruets and the washing of hands

1. When the priest has said Dominus vobiscum and Oremus and uncovered the chalice, go to the credence table. Take the wine cruet in your right hand and the water cruet in your left, and stand at the Epistle corner of the altar.
2. When the priest comes, bow, and hand him the wine. Take back the wine cruet when he returns it and hand him the water. By old custom the server kisses each cruet as he hands it over; follow the priest's preference.
3. When he has used the water, put the wine cruet down. Take the dish in your left hand and the water cruet in your right, with the towel over your arm or laid on the altar.
4. The priest comes to wash the tips of his fingers (the Lavabo). Hold the dish under his hands and pour a little water over his fingers. Offer him the towel, take it back, bow, and return everything to the credence table.
5. Kneel again on the lowest step on the Epistle side.

The Preface, the Sanctus and the Consecration

1. When the priest turns and says Orate, fratres, wait until he has turned back to the altar, then bow and say the Suscipiat. Answer the dialogue that opens the Preface.
2. At the Sanctus, ring the bell three times. In churches where it is the custom, light the third candle on the Epistle side now; it stays alight until after Communion.
3. Shortly before the Consecration, ring the bell once to warn the people. Many servers do this when the priest spreads his hands over the chalice.
4. Take the bell, go up and kneel on the edge of the footpace on the Epistle side, close to the priest.
5. At each elevation, of the Host and then of the Chalice, lift the back hem of the priest's chasuble a little with your left hand, so that it does not pull at his arms, and ring the bell with your right, three times or continuously.
6. After the second elevation and the priest's genuflection, go back down to your place on the lowest step at the Epistle side and kneel.

From the Our Father to Communion

1. Answer at the end of the Our Father, and answer the greeting of peace (see the table below). At the Agnus Dei, strike your breast with the priest.
2. Bow low while the priest receives Communion. In some churches the bell is also rung at each Domine, non sum dignus; this is a custom, not a rubric, so do what is done in your church.
3. If anyone is to receive Communion, ring the bell once to warn the people. The 1962 Missal does not prescribe a Confiteor at this point. In some churches, however, the server still says it by long custom, bowing low at the side of the altar; the priest will tell you which he expects.
4. If you are receiving Communion yourself, you usually receive first, kneeling on the edge of the footpace or at the step.
5. Take the Communion paten from the credence table and go with the priest to the altar rail. Hold the paten flat under the chin of each person as he gives them the Host, moving with him along the rail. When all have received, hand the paten back for the priest to purify, because tiny particles may have fallen on it.
6. Whenever the tabernacle is open, stay kneeling until it is closed.

The ablutions and the end of Mass

1. When the priest has received from the Chalice (or has come back from the rail), take the cruets again and stand at the Epistle corner. When he holds the chalice towards you, pour in a little wine until he makes a sign. Then he holds his fingers over the chalice: pour wine and then water over them. Bow, and put the cruets back.
2. Put out the third candle if it was lit.
3. Carry the Missal back from the Gospel side to the Epistle side, genuflecting in the middle each way, and set it as it was at the start of Mass. Then kneel on the lowest step on the Gospel side.
4. Answer the greetings and the Amens of the prayers after Communion, and the dismissal.
5. Kneel for the blessing and make the sign of the cross.
6. For the Last Gospel, stand at the Gospel side and answer the opening, signing your forehead, lips and breast as before. Then cross to the Epistle side and stand facing the priest. Genuflect with him at Et Verbum caro factum est, and answer Deo gratias at the end. If the priest leaves the Missal open after the prayers after Communion, it means there is a special Last Gospel: carry the book back to the Gospel side first.
7. In many churches the priest then kneels at the foot of the altar for short prayers after Low Mass, said aloud with the people. Kneel at the Epistle side and join in.
8. Hand the priest his biretta, genuflect with him, and walk in front of him to the sacristy. There, bow with him to the crucifix and help him to unvest if he wishes.
9. Put out the altar candles, take the cruets back to the sacristy, and only then take off your surplice and cassock.

At a Requiem Mass the server leaves out all the kisses, answers Amen to Requiescant in pace, and does not kneel for a blessing, because none is given.

The server's responses during the rest of Mass

P. Kyrie, eleison. S. Kyrie, eleison. P. Kyrie, eleison.	P. Lord, have mercy on us. S. Lord, have mercy on us. P. Lord, have mercy on us.
S. Christe, eleison. P. Christe, eleison. S. Christe, eleison.	S. Christ, have mercy on us. P. Christ, have mercy on us. S. Christ, have mercy on us.
P. Kyrie, eleison. S. Kyrie, eleison. P. Kyrie, eleison.	P. Lord, have mercy on us. S. Lord, have mercy on us. P. Lord, have mercy on us.
P. Dominus vobiscum. S. Et cum spiritu tuo.	P. The Lord be with you. S. And with thy spirit.
P. … per omnia saecula saeculorum. S. Amen.	P. … world without end. S. Amen.
P. Flectamus genua. S. Levate.	P. Let us kneel down. S. Rise up.
After the Epistle: S. Deo gratias.	After the Epistle: S. Thanks be to God.
P. Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum N. S. Gloria tibi, Domine.	P. A passage from the holy Gospel according to N. S. Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
After the Gospel: S. Laus tibi, Christe.	After the Gospel: S. Praise be to Thee, O Christ.
P. Orate, fratres: ut meum ac vestrum sacrificium acceptabile fiat apud Deum Patrem omnipotentem.	P. Brethren, pray that this my Sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the Father Almighty.
S. Suscipiat Dominus sacrificium de manibus tuis ad laudem et gloriam nominis sui, ad utilitatem quoque nostram, totiusque Ecclesiae suae sanctae.	S. May the Lord receive the Sacrifice from thy hands, to the praise and glory of His Name, and to our benefit, and that of the whole of His holy Church.
P. Per omnia saecula saeculorum. S. Amen.	P. World without end. S. Amen.
P. Dominus vobiscum. S. Et cum spiritu tuo.	P. The Lord be with you. S. And with thy spirit.
P. Sursum corda. S. Habemus ad Dominum.	P. Let us lift up our hearts. S. We do lift them up to the Lord.
P. Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro. S. Dignum et iustum est.	P. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. S. It is meet and just.
End of the Canon: P. Per omnia saecula saeculorum. S. Amen.	End of the Canon: P. World without end. S. Amen.
P. … Et ne nos inducas in tentationem. S. Sed libera nos a malo.	P. … And lead us not into temptation. S. But deliver us from evil.
P. Per omnia saecula saeculorum. S. Amen.	P. World without end. S. Amen.
P. Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum. S. Et cum spiritu tuo.	P. May the peace of the Lord be ever with you. S. And with thy spirit.
P. Ite, missa est. S. Deo gratias.	P. Go, Mass is ended. S. Thanks be to God.
Or: P. Benedicamus Domino. S. Deo gratias.	Or: P. Let us bless the Lord. S. Thanks be to God.
At Requiem Mass: P. Requiescant in pace. S. Amen.	At Requiem Mass: P. May they rest in peace. S. Amen.
P. Benedicat vos omnipotens Deus, Pater, et Filius, et Spiritus Sanctus. S. Amen.	P. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. S. Amen.
P. Initium sancti Evangelii secundum Ioannem. S. Gloria tibi, Domine.	P. The beginning of the holy Gospel according to St John. S. Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
After the Last Gospel: S. Deo gratias.	After the Last Gospel: S. Thanks be to God.

In the Easter octave the priest adds alleluia, alleluia to Ite, missa est, and the server adds the same to his Deo gratias.

Where to learn more

• Adrian Fortescue, The Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described (1918), free on the Internet Archive. Chapter X, "The Manner of Serving Low Mass", is the classic serving manual in English. It predates the 1962 Missal, so it still has the server's Confiteor before Communion and the Communion cloth instead of the paten.
• Edward J. Murphy, Latin Pronounced for Altar Boys (1915), also free on the Internet Archive: every response spelt out syllable by syllable, with short directions. A good help for a beginner's tongue.
• The Missale Romanum of 1962, the official Latin edition, with its Ordo Missae and rubrics.
• Low Mass with One Server, a filmed tutorial from SanctaMissa.org, run by the Canons Regular of St John Cantius in Chicago.
• How to Serve Low Mass and Benediction, a short modern textbook for the 1962 rite, with diagrams and the Latin in phonetic form, sold by the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales.
• The Guild of St Stephen, the Archconfraternity of St Stephen for altar servers, founded at Westminster Cathedral in 1905 and raised to an archconfraternity in 1906. Its motto is Cui servire regnare est, "to serve Him is to reign". Parishes affiliate free of charge and enrol their own servers with the Guild medal. See also Westminster Cathedral's page on the Guild.

Serving at the ordinary form of Mass

At the ordinary form, the Mass of the Missal of Paul VI that most parishes celebrate, the server's duties are fewer in words and more in movement. The people make the responses themselves, so the server does not answer on their behalf but joins in with everyone else, clearly, as a good example. The responses are those of the current English Missal; ask for a card or booklet if you do not yet know them by heart. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (the official guide at the front of the Missal) describes the server's tasks, and many parishes share them among two or more servers.

• Dress. Usually an alb (a long white robe), or a cassock and surplice, as the parish provides.
• The entrance. One server may carry the processional cross and others the candles. They set them down in their places near the altar and go to their seats.
• The book. At the opening prayer and the closing prayer, a server may hold the Missal open in front of the priest at his chair.
• Preparing the altar. After the Prayer of the Faithful, servers bring the corporal (the square white cloth), the purificator, the chalice and the Missal from the credence table to the altar, unless a deacon is present to do it.
• The gifts. They help the priest receive the bread and wine from the people, bring the cruets of wine and water, and then pour water over his hands at the washing of hands, with the dish and towel.
• The bell. Where it is the custom, a server rings the bell shortly before the Consecration and at the showing of the Host and of the Chalice.
• Incense. At more solemn Masses, a server carries the thurible (the censer) and the boat of incense, and may incense the Host and Chalice at the elevations.
• Communion. In some parishes a server holds the Communion plate. Afterwards servers help to carry the vessels back to the credence table.
• The end. The servers lead the procession out in the same order as they came in.

Posture follows the people: stand, sit and kneel with them, from a place where you can easily reach the altar and the priest's chair. In the ordinary form, girls and women may serve at the altar where the diocesan bishop permits it, as the Holy See confirmed in 1994. At the traditional Latin Mass the server is a boy or man, in keeping with the law in force when the 1962 Missal was issued.

How to become a server

1. Ask your parish priest. Speak to him after Mass, or ask the sacristan or the person who runs the servers' rota. For the traditional Latin Mass, ask the priest who celebrates it; there is often a senior server or master of ceremonies who trains newcomers.
2. Be ready in the usual ways. Irish parishes generally take children as servers once they have made their First Holy Communion. Adults are welcome too, and in many places adult servers are much needed.
3. Fill in the forms. For a child, the parish will ask a parent or guardian and the child to sign a server's form. Irish dioceses follow child safeguarding policies, so there will be a sign-in register in the sacristy, at least two vetted adults supervising, and a code of conduct to read together. Adults who supervise child servers are Garda vetted.
4. Come to the training. Expect a few practice sessions in the church, then serving alongside an experienced server before going alone. For the Latin Mass, learn the responses above at home first, a few lines at a time, reading them aloud until they come without the card.
5. Keep the commitments. Arrive at least ten minutes before Mass. Let the rota keeper know in good time if you cannot come. Keep quiet in the sacristy, turn off your phone, and move calmly in the sanctuary.
6. Pray. Say a short prayer before serving and a word of thanks afterwards. Serving at the altar is close to the heart of the Mass, and the reverence of a server is often noticed by the people more than any ceremony.