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Altar Servers.

We have over 40 Altar Servers, children and adults, across the Catholic Parish of Guildford who have the honour of assisting the Priests in the celebration of the Mass and other ceremonies.

Altar Serving is a wonderful way to contribute to the worship of God and for children to come to appreciate at close quarters the mystery of the Mass, in which Jesus’s Body and Blood are made truly present under the guise of signs.
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NEW SERVERS

To become an Altar Server you must be registered with the parish and have made your First Holy Communion. We welcome servers  after they make their First Holy Communion, or any time after that (Children and Adults).

If you are interested in joining the team, please register your interest by signing the appropriate form below. We provide training to new servers, and hold training sessions for experienced servers.
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COMMITMENT

Sunday Mass is a weekly obligation for all Catholics. Additionally, serving is a skill that only comes with practice. Therefore, servers should be truly committed to taking part as often as possible, so as to gain a greater familiarity with their role, build confidence, and a sense of prayer, joy and responsibility in the liturgy.
All servers must arrive 30 minutes before Mass, with a parent/guardian so that they can...
  1. a) ...be checked in on the register by the responsible adult (and so we know their parents are present in the church – this is for safeguarding purposes)
  2. b) ...put on their vestments
  3. c) ...attend a brief rehearsal with the MC/priest of the tasks they will perform during Mass
We regret that, if servers arrive late, they would ordinarily not be able to serve that week, at the discretion of the MC/priest. Black (school) shoes must be worn.

SAFEGUARDING

The safety of all at Mass, children and adults, is important to us. For that reason, at this time, please be assured that children will not be allowed to enter the Sacristy at any point, so as to remain in full view of the congregation. They will vest and line up in an open place at each church.

Please make sure that you as parent/guardian are present the whole time your child is in the church. Additionally, it would be greatly appreciated if you were able to help your child to hang up his/her vestments after Mass.

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GUILD OF ST STEPHEN

St Stephen is the Patron Saint of Altar Servers. Servers enter the Guild of St Stephen when they are enrolled at the St Stephens Day Mass, a feast day that usually takes place on Boxing Day. Once they are enrolled they receive a medal. After 5 years, servers will receive a Certificate of Service and after 10 years servers will receive a Silver St Stephens Medal.
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Sign up Your Child to Altar Serve.

​If your child has received their first Holy Communion then we invite you to fill in the following parental consent form.

Sign Up as an Adult to Altar Serve.

All adults interested in becoming an altar server must complete a DBS check and child protection training provided by both the Diocese and the parish.
Serving on Sunday is very rewarding and I find spiritual connection during the Mass which is very special for me. I am fortunate to be a part of a committed group of servers who help assist the Priest (including my brother and sister). I especially enjoy serving at Christmas and Easter when we are asked to do additional tasks which help enhance the Masses. I have served for 10 years and continue to enjoy and learn new things. Adam
I like serving at Mass because you get to serve God and to do important things for Mass. It makes Mass more interesting for me.’ George, 8 years

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