A Manual for Acolytes - Dennis G. Michno

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and reverently; don’t rush and don’t lag behind! Keep the pace set by the celebrant or the congregation.

      6 WalkingAlways walk slowly and with dignity when serving at the altar. Your movements should never appear rushed or hurried. But at the same time, stiffness must be avoided. Military steps, square corners, and quick turns are all out of place.

      7 Holding a BookIf you are instructed to hold a book for the prayers of the celebrant, for the reading of the Gospel, during a baptism, wedding, funeral, or a blessing, do so in the following way:HOLDING BOOKa. Make sure the book is opened to the right page.b. Standing in front of the person who is to read, hold the book open.HOLDING BOOK ON FOREHEADc. The bottom of the book should rest in the palms of your hands, but make sure that your fingers are not blocking any of the print. The top of the book should be just below your chin (if you are short and the reader is tall, rest the top of the book on your forehead). The book should be slightly tilted for easy reading.d. If the reader hands you the book unopened, let the reader open it! Hold as above.When carrying a book do so in a dignified way—even if it is only your hymnal or prayer book. Hold it above your waist, not down at your side.

      8 What do I do with my eyes?When one is serving, eyes should always be focused on the action at the altar, on the reader, or on the preacher. It is very distracting to have a server staring into the congregation or at the ceiling. If you don’t know where to look, the best thing is to keep your eyes lowered and look at the floor.

       Chapter 4

      The Vesting of Servers

      Those who serve at the altar are regularly vested in either cassock and surplice, amice, alb, and cincture, or cassock-alb.

      a. The cassock is worn over street clothes, and should be of such length as to come to the top of the shoes. The surplice, white, with full sleeves, and at least mid-calf in length, is worn over the cassock.

      CASSOCK

      SURPLICE

      b. The amice is worn over the cassock. The alb, a long, white, sleeved garment, is worn over the cassock and amice. The cincture, a long rope, is tied around the waist with a slip knot, and any extra length of rope allowed to hang down the side.

      AMICE

      AMICE TIED

      ALB AND CINCTURE

      c. The cassock-alb is a single garment incorporating the amice and alb. Again, it is of such length as to come to the top of the shoes. The cassock-alb is worn with or without a cincture. However, the cincture is desirable for holding the garment properly in place and taking up any extra length.

      CASSOCK-ALB AND CINCTURE

      d. On festive occasions, the crucifer may be vested in a tunic. This colored, sleeved vestment is worn over the cassock-alb (or alb and amice) and cincture—not over a cassock and surplice. It may either match the vestments of the ministers or be of a different color.

      TUNIC

      e. It is not advisable that the thurifer be vested in a tunic. The sleeves of this garment are easily caught in the chains or in the thurible itself! For safety and ease of movement either the cassock-alb or cassock and surplice are better.

      Neatness is always in order: combed hair, polished shoes (preferably not sneakers or running shoes!), and clean hands and fingernails. Remember, your appearance should not distract the congregation.

      Always be vested at least fifteen minutes before the service is to begin. This will leave you time for last minute preparations and instructions.

       Chapter 5

      The Lighting of Candles

      The traditional manner for lighting the candles is as follows:

      1 Always be vested before lighting the candles. They should be lighted ten minutes before the service.

      2 Make sure the taper in the candle lighter is long enough.

      3 Bend the taper slightly in case the wick of a candle is down.

      4 Light the taper in the sacristy, before you go to the altar. (During the Fifty Days of Easter, the taper should be lighted from the Paschal Candle. If this candle is not already burning, it is always lighted first.)

      5 Reverence the altar at the center. Then proceed to light the candles on the altar before any others.a. If there are two candles on the altar, the one on your right as you face the altar is lighted first. Bow again at the center and light the one on the left.b. If there are six or more candles on the altar, start with the one on your right nearest the center and continue with the others, going to your right. Go back to the center, bow, start with the one on your left nearest the center, then light the others, going to your left.c. Other candles in the church should be lighted accordingly. (In some places the tradition is observed that at the main Eucharist on Sundays or feast days, all the candles on chapel or side altars are lighted.)

      6 After you have finished lighting all of the candles, pull the lever on the pole to extinguish the taper and then immediately push it up again so that part of the taper is visible. This is done so that the wax on the taper does not melt inside and clog the tube.

      7 Reverence the altar at the center and return to the sacristy.

      8 On certain occasions, such as the Great Vigil of Easter or when the Order of Worship of the Evening is used, the candles are not lighted before the service but during it. Check with the celebrant before lighting candles on special days.

      9 If two people are assigned to light the candles, the procedure basically is the same. However, after reverencing the altar together, they light the candles nearest the center first (each taking a different side) and work outward. This should be done in a dignified and quiet way.

      10 In some places a wreath of fresh greens with four candles may hang in the chancel or some other place during the weeks of Advent. The candles are lighted as the weeks progress: one on the first Sunday, two on the second Sunday, and so on until all four candles burn on the Fourth Sunday of Advent. It is traditional to light those candles first.

       Chapter 6

      The Extinguishing of Candles

      After the celebrant finishes the prayer in the sacristy the candles are extinguished.

      1 Take the candle lighter, go to the center of the altar and reverence. The candles are extinguished in the reverse order from the way they were lighted. Those on the main altar should be extinguished first.a. If there are two candles, the one on your left as you face the altar is extinguished first. Go to the center, bow, and extinguish the other.b. If there are six or more candles on the altar, start with the one on the left farthest from the center and work toward the center. Then bow, and start with the one on the right farthest from the center and work toward the center.c. All other candles are extinguished after those on the main altar.d. During the Fifty Days of Easter, if the Paschal Candle does not burn at all times, it should be extinguished last.e. During Advent, it is traditional to extinguish the candles on the Advent Wreath

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