Youth, Teen Altar Servers Say Faith Grows Stronger

By Joe Pisani

Joseph DeDomenico has had many passions in his young life — from sports to scouting to CrossFit. The sophomore at Woodland Regional High School is a quarterback on the football team and competes in USA Powerlifting, where he holds four state records. But among his many interests, one has a special, spiritual prominence — since fourth grade he has been an altar server at St. Anthony Church in Prospect.

Joseph is one of the 44 youth servers on a team that Volunteer Coordinator David Byrne has developed over the past decade.
“It means a lot to the younger boys in the parish to see this strapping kid on the altar,” Byrne says. “He is an amazing server who puts so much into his faith. It sends a great message to the younger kids and encourages them to join the program.”
Of the 44 youth servers, 20 are “senior servers,” who are in ninth grade or older, Byrne says. On average, there are five servers on a team, which includes younger and older students.

When Joseph was a shy fourth-grader, his parents, Alexis and Joseph, signed him up for the program.
“When I was coming up, I would always do the candles,” he recalls. “I tried to help out as much as I could. As I got older, I started serving at the Christmas Eve Mass and the Easter Vigil and Holy Week.”

He serves every third Sunday, along with an eighth-grade girl and two fourth-grade boys.
“I love it,” he says. “What you get out of it is positive and good. You get closer to God and you’re right up there at the Sacrifice of the Mass.”

His mother, Alexis, says, “Because of Joseph, my faith has grown stronger. In January, he made a resolution that he wasn’t going to miss Mass. We aren’t a perfect family, but church is a priority in our home, and Joseph has come to share that priority. I’m just so proud of him.”

She said that he recently brought a friend to church, which “is not always a cool thing to do.”
“I always say to him it only takes one person to make a difference,” Alexis said. “If you just mention Jesus, you never know the effect it will have.”

Ashley Harlow, a senior at The Westover School in Middlebury, is another one of David Byrne’s committed altar servers, who began in the fourth grade, carrying the incense during the Triduum liturgies, which she has taken part in for the past nine years. Being on the Triduum team is a special honor with great responsibility because it requires participation at all three services during Holy Week, along with three hours of rehearsal.

“Becoming an altar server has been a wonderful way to teach me all the intricate details of Mass,” she says. “Because I have that in-depth knowledge of what’s happening, I feel much more connected to religious holidays and the meaning of what we do and why.”
Church is a special place for her, where she feels free from other concerns like school and work. “I can be present in myself and Him, and this provides a feeling of tranquility. It allows me the opportunity to solidify my faith and be confident in my decisions, knowing that through Him I can get through anything,” says Ashley, who will be attending Siena College in the fall and studying applied physics.

Her mother, Lindsay, believes teenagers need to be active in their parishes because of the pressures they face in society, from studies, sports, social media and the stress of feeling they need to be the best at everything.

“Teenagers often feel overwhelmed and inadequate in comparison to their peers,” she says. “Church can serve as a place where all of that goes away and they can reflect on what is really important. It gives them a place to find peace in being themselves.”
At St. Anthony’s, Ashley and her younger sisters, Sarah and Julia, who are servers, say they feel comfortable being among other young people who share their faith and values and commitment to the Church.

David Byrne understands firsthand the benefits that come from serving at an early age. He became an altar boy in the third grade in the late 1950s at Immaculate Conception Church in Norfolk. To master the Latin responses and prayers, he attended sessions with other boys at the convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph. He would serve at weekday Masses and then walk to Norfolk Center School, which was next to the church.

There were eight children in the Byrne family, and his Irish Catholic father wanted his five sons to be altar servers.
David joined St. Anthony in 1990 and over the years trained young altar servers and developed a handbook for them. He also serves as Master of Ceremonies at special liturgies in the parish.

“Back then, we didn’t have a lot of servers at St. Anthony’s, and I thought the numbers should be increased,” he recalled. Today, 28 families participate in the program, and eight families have two or more children who are servers. (David and Marianne Byrne’s daughters Reagan and Taylor were both altar servers.)

The benefits are numerous, he says. Children develop self-confidence, they stay active in the Church after First Communion and Confirmation, they meet others their age who share their values, and they learn about the fundamental importance of the Mass and the Eucharist to their faith.

“It is important to reassure them and let them know they can do this and no one will fault them,” he says. “When you are dealing with the kids, you have to be patient and encouraging and kind … and never embarrass them.”
And never underestimate the role of parents. “They must be supportive and reliable because they are as important to the success of the ministry as the kids are,” he says.

That view is shared by Cherri Novack, whose teenage daughters, Veronica and Mary, have been altar servers at Holy Rosary Parish in Ansonia since seventh grade. She and her husband, William, are the parents of six children and have been parishioners at Holy Rosary for 27 years.

“I wanted them to join the altar server program because I believe it really helps them stay strong with the challenges they face at school and in the community,” she says. “It’s a tough world we live in, but being active in church and a part of the Mass keeps them focused on their faith and morals and the Ten Commandments.”

Veronica, who is a student at Gateway Community College studying landscape architecture, has been recognized for her community service at homeless shelters and food pantries. She responded to a call for altar servers and signed up for the training five years ago.

“I just kept doing it because it felt so natural,” she says. “It makes Mass more enjoyable to have a role in it. I also believe I receive more of God’s grace when I’m serving.”

Her younger sister, Mary, who is a junior at Seymour High School, wanted to join Veronica when the opportunity presented itself.
“I signed up and joined the program,” she recalls. “I became more confident with myself and found a peace. I believe it helped me grow a lot and made me a stronger person. It also taught me about the Mass, and I’m in awe when the priest holds up the Eucharist.”
Father Jeff Gubbiotti, pastor of Holy Rosary Parish, says, “Altar servers are a wonderful help in the liturgy, not only to logistically aid the priest in the sanctuary, but they add to the reverence we desire to cultivate for Jesus in the Eucharist by providing an example of worship for the rest of the congregation.”

(Joe Pisani is a freelance writer from Orange. He can be reached at joefpisani@yahoo.com.)