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Well, Pholks, This Is It


PhuturePriest

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I'm going to bed and tomorrow morning I will hopefully get to Confession and then undergo a twenty minute crash-course in serving the Mass. I'll inform you guys if I trip over my robe and stumble into my spiritual director as he is administering the Eucharist, or better yet do an over-zealous bow and slam my head into the altar. Now that I think about it, Kujo should be there for this! I know it's Mass, but he would enjoy the comic effect, I think.

Edited by FuturePriest387
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[quote name='Nihil Obstat' timestamp='1348377561' post='2485615']
Which Mass are you learning to serve?
[/quote]

The Novus Ordo. There isn't one Extraordinary Form in my entire diocese. My spiritual director used to do them since he is super traditional, but the Bishop said he could only do them a few times a year, and each time he did he had to run it by him first. I think he only does it four or so times a year.

*Please note this was the previous Bishop, not the current one.*

Edited by FuturePriest387
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[quote name='FuturePriest387' timestamp='1348377940' post='2485619']
The Novus Ordo. There isn't one Extraordinary Form in my entire diocese. My spiritual director used to do them since he is super traditional, but the Bishop said he could only do them a few times a year, and each time he did he had to run it by him first. I think he only does it four or so times a year.

*Please note this was the previous Bishop, not the current one.*
[/quote]

I will tell you something. Twenty minutes is really all you need. If you understand the Mass, which I am assuming you do, it is just a matter of thinking about what is about to happen, and who needs to do what logistically to make it happen smoothly.
It may be cold comfort right now, but it is really not difficult. :) I did it for a really long time. :P And I only paid attention about half the time.
I wish I had been offered the opportunity to learn the traditional Mass instead though...

Edited by Nihil Obstat
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[quote name='Nihil Obstat' timestamp='1348381675' post='2485630']
I will tell you something. Twenty minutes is really all you need. If you understand the Mass, which I am assuming you do, it is just a matter of thinking about what is about to happen, and who needs to do what logistically to make it happen smoothly.
It may be cold comfort right now, but it is really not difficult. :) I did it for a really long time. :P And I only paid attention about half the time.
I wish I had been offered the opportunity to learn the traditional Mass instead though...
[/quote]

Well, I never pay attention to what is actually going on at the Mass and what the altar servers are doing. I've only started doing it just recently, and only for parts like the consecration, what they do during the offertory (Though I couldn't tell you what they do. All I remember is they collect it and then they do stuff on the altar like put a cloth in a pattern... Or is it the other way around?). This is because my family has for a long time always read through with the missals instead, and they almost never look at the altar except for the homily. I personally like watching the Mass, but these are people who can't watch a movie without subtitles, so you can't expect much.

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[quote name='FuturePriest387' timestamp='1348381915' post='2485632']
Well, I never pay attention to what is actually going on at the Mass and what the altar servers are doing. I've only started doing it just recently, and only for parts like the consecration, what they do during the offertory (Though I couldn't tell you what they do. All I remember is they collect it and then they do stuff on the altar like put a cloth in a pattern... Or is it the other way around?). This is because my family has for a long time always read through with the missals instead, and they almost never look at the altar except for the homily. I personally like watching the Mass, but these are people who can't watch a movie without subtitles, so you can't expect much.
[/quote]

As long as you know what is happening in the Mass itself, the server's parts will just sort of click for you. In the Pauline Mass your parts will be very simple and common sense. "When Father says X, I need to have the book open to the page he needs to read from." "When Father says this prayer, I need to take the X Y and Z off the credence table and to the altar."
Your first time might be a bit shaky because you will over-think things, but very very quickly it will just all make sense to you.

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[quote name='FuturePriest387' timestamp='1348377261' post='2485612']
I'm going to bed and tomorrow morning I will hopefully get to Confession and then undergo a twenty minute crash-course in serving the Mass. I'll inform you guys if I trip over my robe and stumble into my spiritual director as he is administering the Eucharist, or better yet do an over-zealous bow and slam my head into the altar. Now that I think about it, Kujo should be there for this! I know it's Mass, but he would enjoy the comic effect, I think.
[/quote]

I'm really not in favor of Altar Girls.

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Thanks everyone. In this one I will be a lone altar server, actually, so I'm pretty much left on my own except when he motions me to do everything. I will hopefully be on the way in fifteen minutes if my family is actually on time for once, so we'll just see how it goes.

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Alright, I am back from serving Mass and having lunch with my spiritual director. It was in the most perfect sense of the word, [i]a[/i]wesome. It just felt right. My spiritual director had me put on a cassock instead of the robe, and I walked around looking like a Jesuit as I prepared the altar for the Mass. I just felt so... right. Like I knew in my heart I would be wearing a cassock for the rest of my life. (And according to others with my skin tone the cassock looks really good on me, too. I had a white button-down dress shirt, and the color on it went above the neck-line of the cassock, so it looked like I had a Priest collar on!) Right before Mass I put on the surplice and grabbed the cross, we went around the Church, and Mass began. I only made one mistake, and that was not ringing the bell when he had his hands over the bread and wine, but I remembered to ring it three times each when he held the bread and the wine up, so that was good. It just felt so amazing being up there on the altar. It enhanced the experience so much, and I have no clue how I will ever go through another Mass without serving it. This whole experience has made me so much more certain of the Diocesan Priesthood. I can't even explain how [i]a[/i]wesome the experience was.

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That's so brilliant, FP! I'm really glad everything went well and that you came away with such a great feeling. I hope you get to serve at many more Masses in the future.
Blessings.

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[quote name='FuturePriest387' timestamp='1348434282' post='2485757']
My spiritual director had me put on a cassock instead of the robe, and I walked around looking like a Jesuit as I prepared the altar for the Mass. I just felt so... right.
[/quote]
Best feeling ever, just being in the choir in cassock :) It's a good thing that you put on the surplice only just before Mass begins, I do this too!

[quote name='FuturePriest387' timestamp='1348434282' post='2485757']
It enhanced the experience so much, and I have no clue how I will ever go through another Mass without serving it.
[/quote]
It feels really awkward when you attend Mass from now on without serving it. Believe me, I know.

Welcome to my world, FP, I totally recognise everything you said here :hehe2:

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