Altar servers prepare the table for the Eucharist

You’ve often said that celebrating the Altar Server of the Year Mass each year gives you a lot of joy. Can you share why you feel that way?

Yes. I get so much happiness at the Mass because these young people – which amazingly enough includes many teenagers who continue their altar serving in high school and beyond – are living out an important ministry of the church. It’s always edifying to see young people serve our Lord and our communities this way. The Serra Clubs of Greater New Orleans have sponsored this annual Mass and awards ceremony for decades, and they work with our Vocations Office to make it memorable for the altar servers and their families. Last week, we honored 80 altar servers who were selected individually by their respective parishes.

There was a special moment when you presented the parents of the late Harmony Waller with her Altar Server of the Year medallion.

Harmony was a faithful altar server for many years at Mary Queen of Peace Parish in Mandeville, and she was still serving the 8 a.m. Mass every Sunday at the age of 19. She was tragically killed in a car accident in December while driving back to Mandeville to attend the farewell Mass for Bishop-elect John Tran. I was able to present Harmony’s parents with her Altar Server of the Year medal and assured them of my prayers for their consolation and healing.

In your homily, you tied together the love of New Orleanians for food and the story of the Last Supper.

Yes. Very often when we travel, people will ask, “Where are you from?” And when we tell people we’re from New Orleans or south Louisiana, they often respond by saying, “Well, you all love to eat!” That’s one of the things we’re known for. We’re known for our good food and our hospitality. So were the people in the time of Jesus. They loved to eat. Not only did they get together to feed their stomachs and make sure they had nutritious food, but for them, a meal was an event to show other people how much respect they had for them. To invite others to share food at the table with them was a privilege in the time of Jesus. We see in the Scriptures that Jesus is often sharing meals with friends, with tax collectors, with sinners, with many different people. We see that Jesus was at table many times with his friends. We also remember that special meal – the Last Supper – which is what we celebrate at every Mass: Jesus becoming present to us, with the bread and wine becoming his Body and Blood. One thing I’ve often wondered about is who set the table at the Last Supper. Who did the dishes when it was over? And, we don’t know. The Scriptures certainly don’t tell us. However, when we go to Mass, we know who sets the table; we know who does the cleaning up – it’s the altar servers. Altar servers do other important things: they lead the procession and tell people by their very presence and by the cross and candles they carry that something important is about to happen. They bring the book to the priest, helping him in prayer. At the time of the presentation of the gifts, they accompany the priest and take those gifts to the altar and help the priest set up the altar. They wash the priest’s hands as he prepares to celebrate the Eucharist. They ring bells to tell people that something very important is happening. And, at the end, they clear the table. We might say they do the dishes. At the end of the celebration, they process out and help us go out to the world together and be a witness to what we just heard in the Eucharist. They are not just altar servers. They are leaders who have served with distinction and integrity and have been an example to other servers.

How important are their parents?

I thank God for the parents because they are the ones encouraging their sons and daughters to become altar servers, and they make sure they are always there for Mass. Their commitment is to be cherished, and we honor them for that.

Questions for Archbishop Aymond may be sent to [email protected].