30. Instructions for Serving Mass

General Orientation

1. If you have not served Mass before or have not served for many years, you will probably find it helpful to ask the director to arrange to provide some personal instruction. You can supplement that personal instruction with the written instructions below.
2. If you already have served Mass many times before, it will be good to read carefully the instructions below, to see if there might be some some details where you could improve. The instructions are much easier to understand if you already have experience serving Mass.
3. In either case, try always to serve with reverence and dignity, and be alert to assist the priest with any needs he may have.
4. When serving Mass, you should be appropriately dressed and present a neat appearance. Normally, it is good to wear a jacket and tie, and suitable trousers and shoes.

 Helping the Priest Vest

1. The server should go to the sacristy immediately after the meditation which usually precedes Mass, to help the priest vest. He should leave the immediate preparation of the altar, sanctuary, missals, etc. to others.  (If the Mass is not preceded by a meditation, he should be in the sacristy, ready to help the priest vest, at least 5 minutes before the scheduled start of the Mass.)  If he wishes to review before Mass the readings in the lectionary that he will be reading, he should do this before the meditation starts, not while the priest is vesting.
2. The priest first puts on the amice (the square cloth that he wears on his back and around his neck) and alb (the long garment that extends to his feet). The server then takes the cincture (the rope with which the priest girds the alb around his waist) in both hands, with the  tassels to the right, and gives it to the priest from behind when the priest has finished adjusting the folds of the alb. 
3. The server should help with the final adjustment of the alb. If there is a cross or other center design at the bottom, he should make sure that it is properly centered in the back.  The folds should fall symmetrically at the sides.  If the alb is not straight or well centered and the server is not able to adjust it properly, he should alert the priest so that the priest can adjust it himself.
4. When the priest puts the stole around his neck, the server should adjust it if necessary so that the cross on the stole is centered on the priest’s neck. At times it is necessary to pull the stole down an inch or two from the priest’s neck, so that it lays flat on his back. 
5. If the oratory has two altars, the server should ask the priest before leaving the sacristy where the priest wants to make the initial and final reverence to the altar (unless this is already clear, based on what the same priest has done on previous days). The most common practice is to make these reverences between the two altars, with the server standing at position 1 (see diagram, first page), as described in n. 11 below.  However, some priests prefer to make this reverence facing both altars, with the server at position X (diagram). 
6. Immediately before leaving the sacristy, the priest and server together bow slightly to the crucifix in the sacristy. The server walks to the sanctuary, two or three steps in front of the priest.

The Celebration of the Holy Mass

1. The server, followed by the priest, walks from the sacristy, goes directly between the two altars to position 1 (diagram), faces the front altar and bows toward the altar together with the priest. If during the course of the Mass the server needs to cross in front of the altar, he should bow (not genuflect) to the front altar, and not genuflect or bow to the altar with the triptych in front of the tabernacle.
2. In general, the server should maintain a tone of dignity and reverence in all his movements, avoiding any awkward or inappropriate posture or gestures. For example, if the priest should need to pass in front of the server, the server should step back to allow the priest to do this easily, and not make the priest walk around him.  In general, the server should try to move at a dignified pace, without rushing, and he should avoid keeping the priest waiting.  He should not walk backwards, but rather turn first to the direction in which he is going. 
3. After bowing to the front altar together with the priest, the server goes to the side of the lectern (or ambo), standing at position 2 for the opening prayers of the Mass and facing the priest or the altar. Throughout the Mass, the server should normally have his arms extended down, with one hand on top of the other.
4. If the position of the lectern is such that the server is standing near the credence table during the opening prayers of the Mass, he should quietly check during the opening prayers to make sure that the cruets in fact have wine and water in them, and that the ciborium (similar to the chalice, but with a lid) has hosts in it. (It is not necessary to take the chalice veil off the chalice to make sure that it has a large host on the paten.)  If the ciborium does not have hosts in it, he should count the number of people in the oratory, including himself, and put that number of hosts in the ciborium.  (The hosts are stored in a separate container that is on the credence table; sometimes the container has large hosts on top and small hosts in a separate bottom compartment.)  If it should be necessary to get something from the sacristy, he should alert someone in one of the first pews to get the missing item from the sacristy, rather than to go to the sacristy himself. 
5. Depending on where the altar missal is placed before Mass starts, the priest may pray the opening prayers standing either at the main altar or at the lectern. If the priest reads the opening prayers standing at the lectern, then after the Collect prayer, the server will move the altar missal from the lectern to the credence table.  He will then place on the lectern (either from the credence table or from a shelf in the lectern itself) the lectionary book, which has the readings.
6. Usually the server reads from the lectern (at position 3) the first reading, the responsorial psalm, the second reading if there is one and the alleluia verse. (In some cases, the priest may read these readings instead of the server.)  The server then stands at position 2 while the priest reads the Gospel.
7. If the priest gives a homily, the server should sit, either on a bench within the sanctuary, if there is one, or in one of the front pews with the people.
8. Depending on the preference of the priest, either the priest or the server reads the prayers of the faithful. If the server reads the prayers, the priest prays the introduction and final prayer. 
9. After the prayers of the faithful, if the altar missal is not already on the main altar, the server immediately brings the altar missal stand and altar missal to the altar, placing them in the position shown in the diagram. (In some cases, the altar missal and stand will have been placed on the altar before Mass begins.)  It is not necessary to move the lectern against the wall.
10. After bringing the altar missal and stand to the altar (if necessary), the server, in two separate trips, brings the chalice and then the ciborium to the altar from the credence table, setting them close to the priest. He should bring the chalice and set it down on the altar in such a way that the front of the chalice veil is toward the people.  While he is serving Mass, it is not necessary that the server handle the chalice or the ciborium with a cloth.  When he brings the ciborium to the altar, he may also bring with him the finger towel. In this way, once he has placed the ciborium on the altar, he will have both hands free to lay out the finger towel on the altar as shown in the diagram.
11. The server waits at the altar, at position 4, for the priest to remove from the chalice the burse (the square item on top of the chalice veil) and the chalice veil. If the priest has not already folded the chalice veil, the server folds it and brings it and the burse to the credence table.  (Note: some priests may put the burse and/or chalice veil on the opposite side of the altar, by the missal stand, rather than to place them next to the server; in this case, the server does not bring them to the credence table.)
12. After setting the burse and chalice veil on the credence table, the server takes the cruets (the tray with the water and wine) from the credence table. Standing at position 4, he places them on top of the finger towel which he previously laid on the altar, as shown in the diagram.  He places the little spoon on the finger towel as shown.  If the server did not previously bring the finger towel to the altar when he brought the ciborium, he will need to first set the finger towel on the altar and then place the cruets on top of the finger towel.
13. The server should not set the cruets directly on the altar cloth while he opens and spreads out the finger towel.  He should either hold the cruets in one hand while he spreads the finger towel on the altar with the other hand; or—recommended for inexperienced servers—he  should make two trips from the credence table to the altar:  one with the finger towel only, so that he will have two hands to spread it out, and then a second trip with the cruets.  Or, as mentioned in n. 20 above, he could also have brought the finger towel to the altar when he brought the ciborium.
14. He offers the priest the wine cruet, holding it with the handle toward the priest in such a way that the priest may eas­ily take hold of the handle. The priest pours the wine and hands the wine cruet back to the server, who places it on the tray.
15. When the priest uses the little spoon to take water from the water cruet, the server lifts up the water cruet by the handle and holds it closer to the priest. After the priest lays the spoon down on the finger towel, the server puts the spoon back on the tray and brings everything back to the credence table.  At the credence table, he dries the little spoon with the finger towel.
16. The server then picks up the basin with one hand (the left hand, for a right-handed person), places the extended finger towel over that same arm, picks up the water cruet with the other hand, goes to position 5 and stands facing the priest.
17. As the priest approaches, the server bows his head to the priest and then pours the water, being careful to catch what falls in the basin. After pouring the water, the server turns his arm to offer the priest the finger towel.  When the priest is finished drying his hands, he places the finger towel back on the server’s arm.  Some priests will bow to the server at this point; if the priest bows, the server should simultaneously bow to the priest.  Other priests will not bow to the server; in this case, the server should not bow a second time, but simply return to the credence table with the basin, finger towel and water cruet.
18. Many oratories have a cushion for the server to kneel on. If this was not already placed at position 1 before Mass started, the server may move it to position 1 when he returns from the credence table after the Offertory.  He then remains standing at position 1 until the Sanctus.  During the Sanctus, the server takes the bell from the credence table and sets it down in front of himself on the altar platform as he kneels down at position 1 after the Sanctus, being careful not to ring the bell as he does so.
19. He rings the bell for the first time when the priest extends his hands over the chalice. (Note that this comes quickly if the priest prays the third or especially the second Eucharistic Prayer.)  He does so again during the elevation of the Host and of the chalice and during the genuflections of the priest which follow each elevation.  Thus, there are five times in total when the server rings the bell during Mass.  (The server no longer rings the bell before the Communion.)  The server should ring the bell in a dignified way, avoiding extremes of excessive timidity or excessively long ringing.
20. At the Communion, immediately after the priest has consumed the Sacred Host, the server picks up the bell, being careful not to ring it, and leaves it at the credence table. He takes the finger towel from the credence table, opens it and extends it on the altar, in the position shown.  Then, he places the cruets on the extended finger towel.  As mentioned in n. 23 above, he should either make two separate trips from the credence table to the altar (one to spread the finger towel with both hands, and then a second trip to bring the cruets), or he should hold the cruets with one hand while he puts the finger towel on the altar with the other.  At the Communion, there is no need to put the little spoon on the finger towel.
21. Then, after setting the cruets on the altar, he returns to the credence table, removes the Communion plate from its cover and kneels down at position 5, holding the Communion plate.
22. If the tabernacle is to be opened for Communion, the priest will normally mention this to the server before Mass starts. In this case, instead of kneeling down with the communion plate, the server sets the communion plate down on the altar, goes to the back altar, moves the triptych away from the front of the tabernacle (to a side credence table if that is the normal storage place for the triptych) and extends the corporal on the altar in front of the tabernacle.  Then he kneels down facing the tabernacle, while the priest removes the Blessed Sacrament.
23. If the priest closes the tabernacle and covers it again with the veil, then as soon as the priest begins to return to the front altar, the server folds the corporal in front of the tabernacle and moves the triptych back in its place, in front of the tabernacle. Then he kneels down at position 5 with the Communion plate.  In the more common case in which the priest leaves the tabernacle open during the distribution of Communion, the server does not move the triptych back until after Communion but instead kneels down at position 5 with the Communion plate.
24. If the server is going to receive Communion, he kneels at position 5 and holds the plate under his chin. Then, after receiving Communion, he stands up immediately and goes to stand to the left side of the priest, standing at position 6 while the priest distributes Holy Communion.  (Depending on whether a given priest chooses to go around the front altar to the left or the right, the server will either need to precede the priest or follow him.)  During the distribution of Communion, the server should see to it that the Communion plate catches any particles of the Host that may fall (or the entire Host, should this be the case), moving the Communion plate from the paten or ciborium to the chin of the communicant, in such a way that the plate is always beneath the Sacred Host.  When a person wishes to receive Holy Communion in his hand, the server does not use the Communion plate for that person.
25. After Communion, the server sets the Communion plate on the altar near the priest. If the priest is going to consume extra Hosts or leave the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle, the server kneels at position 5 while the priest does this.  Otherwise, he remains standing at position 5, ready for the ablutions described below.  If the priest does go to the tabernacle to leave the Blessed Sacrament, then as soon as the priest closes the tabernacle, the server stands up, goes to the altar with the tabernacle, folds the corporal that the priest may have left spread in front of the tabernacle and moves the triptych back in front of the tabernacle.  The triptych should not be set on top of the corporal.
26. When the priest has finished purifying the Communion plate and the ciborium, he will bring the chalice toward the end of the altar. The server, at position 4, should first pour wine directly into the chalice, stopping immediately when the priest raises the chalice or otherwise signals that enough wine has been poured.  Then, after the priest has consumed the wine, the server pours water directly over his fingers into the chalice, until the priest either signals that enough water has been poured or until the water cruet is empty. To prevent any water or wine falling outside of the chalice, he should turn the cruet upright before withdrawing it.  (Note:  some priests will not want wine poured during these ablutions, or will want wine poured twice during these ablutions; in these cases, the server should follow whatever the priest indicates.  In the usual case in which the priest makes no indications, the server should pour the wine once, and then the water, as indicated above.)  After the ablutions, he then puts back on the credence table the cruets, finger towel, ciborium, Communion plate and any other item that the priest may indicate.
27. The server then picks up from the credence table the chalice veil and the burse. He sets the burse down on the altar, with the open side facing the priest.  Then he takes the chalice veil by its two upper corners, with the cross at the bottom, and holds it in such a way that the front of the veil faces the people.  He then hands the veil to the priest when he is ready to put it on the chalice.  After the priest has put the burse back on top of the chalice, the server takes the chalice back to the credence table and sets it down, with the front of the chalice veil facing away from the wall.  Then he returns to position 1 and remains standing.
28. After the final blessing the server stands to the right of the priest at position 1 and both bow to the front altar. Then the server goes directly to the sacristy, with the priest following him.  (As indicated in n. 9 above, if the particular priest prefers to make the final reverence in front of both altars, the server should precede the priest to position X, standing on the priest’s right side. They then bow together toward the altar.) 
29. In the sacristy, the server bows to the crucifix with the priest and helps him re­move the vestments. He spreads them on the table as the priest hands them to him or helps him fold them. The server should stay in the sacrsity with the priest until he finishes unvesting.