Expert: Fr. Michael - 9/7/2005

Question
Dear Father, could you tell me if there are any latin/ english vesting prayers for altar servers, a prayer for putting on the cassock, and one for the surplice, and if so could you write them down for me, or send me a link?
thankyou!
God Bless You,
Greg

Answer
ADVICE TO ALTAR SERVERS
By Fr. Moderator

                          TRADITIO Traditional Roman Catholic Internet Site   
                       E-mail: traditio@traditio.com, Web: www.traditio.com
   Copyright 1997-2002 CSM.  Reproduction prohibited without authorization.
                                                     Last Update:  10/02/02


       You have been given a divine privilege above all earthy honors in
being permitted within the sanctuary to serve at the Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass, at which the Church gives to God, officially and in the name of
all, the worship that is due to Him alone.

       In earlier times, only ordained acolytes, that is, clerics in the
fourth minor order conferred upon candidates to the priesthood, were
permitted to serve at Mass.  Today, when the number of clerics in minor
orders is smaller, custom has tolerated specially-selected laymen to
substitute in these duties.

       As an altar server, you should reflect the same attitude as the
priest in celebrating Holy Mass.  Specifically, you should perform your
liturgical duties "digne, attente, devote," that is worthily, attentively,
and devoutly, in body, mind, and heart.  Your sacred duties require of
you the greatest reverence in the sanctuary, the deepest attention to
your duties, and the most zealous preparation of all your liturgical
actions.

       You should always conduct yourselves worthily in your position, a
position to which even the angels of heaven cannot aspire.  If you serve
with care and devotion, you will edify the congregation, who look to you
as an example for the proper disposition of assisting at Mass.  If,
however, you perform your duties with haste, carelessness, and
inattention, you will degrade "the most beautiful thing this side of
heaven," the worship of Almighty God in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

       In and around the church, in the sacristy, and especially around the
altar, you should show by your demeanor the holiness of the duties that
you are performing.  Even your exterior cleanliness should be a mark of
your interior purity of heart.  You should, of course, avoid any levity,
irreverence, and idle talk in the presence of Our Lord in the Blessed
Sacrament.  Before Mass, when you are waiting for the procession to the
altar, you should be preparing your mind and heart for the sacred duties
upon which you are about to enter.  At the altar your movements should
be stately and dignified, not hasty or affected.

       The vestments that you wear, the cassock and the surplice, are
actually clerical vestments that by exception those specially-selected laymen
assisting at the altar are permitted by custom to wear.  You should
always put them on prayerfully, with your attention on the sacred duties
that you are about to enter upon.  It is laudable to say a prayer before
putting on these vestments:

       For the Cassock:

       Dominus, pars hereditatis meae et calicis mei, tu es qui restitues
       hereditatem meam.

       O Lord, the portion of my inheritance and my chalice, You are He
       who will restore my inheritance.


       For the Surplice:

       Indue me, Domine, novum hominem, qui secundum Deum creatus est in
       iustitia et sanctitate veritatis.  Amen.

       Invest me, O Lord, as a new man, who was created by God in justice
       and the holiness of truth.  Amen.


       Devout altar servers have been the cause of conversions to the faith.  
On the other hand, careless servers have been the cause of the failure
of souls to come to the faith.  It is said that the American poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was kept from the Faith by the irreverence he
witnessed of altar servers near the presence of Our Lord in the
Tabernacle.

       The French poet, Paul Claudel, on the other hand, was won
back to the Church when he observed the reverence of those at the altar
in Notre Dame Cathedral.  "It was the most profound and grandiose poetry,
enhanced by the most august gestures ever confided to human beings.  I could
not sufficiently satiate myself with the spectacle of the Mass."

       May you at all times conduct yourself worthily, attentively, and
devoutly, and by your actions and example at the altar bring glory to
God and many souls to the one true Church.