A Manual for Acolytes: The Duties of the Server at Liturgical Celebrations

by Dennis G. Michno

Book Overview

A valuable, illustrated handbook for the server at all liturgical celebrations that details all the responsibilities and duties of the acolyte.

When serving at the altar, one is doing just this: actively assisting the celebrant in the worship of God. This manual is designed to described duties expected of a server. There are basic directions that apply, governed either by The Book of Common Prayer or tradition. The Handbook will...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0819212725
• ISBN13: 9780819212726
• Release Date: June 1991
• Publisher: Morehouse Publishing
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

How things are done...

When I was the acolyte master and senior sacristan for my old parish, I developed a manual for teaching the service participants their roles in the liturgy. I wished for a more complete manual to give them, so that they could learn more about standard practices and all the possible service parts (our parish had a streamlined liturgy most of the time); Michno's 'Manual for Acolytes' fulfills that desire. It is a good, useful guide for illustrating the different parts of the standard services, as well as some of the not-so-standard ones.Michno begins by giving some simple prayers and movements that acolytes of any age can easily memorise and enact in their practices. It also teaches the basics of vestments (how to dress for success in the liturgy) and the various things necessary for service preparation. A lot of things are for information purposes, rather than practice -- most acolytes will not actually set the altar or table in a service, but knowing the parts of the chalice set-up can be helpful. Michno has brief sections for each of the major service positions -- acolyte, crucifer, thurifer; other server functions such as altar position and processional/recessional set-ups are explained, including line-art drawings and Book of Common Prayer sections relevant to the parts. In addition to the basic eucharistic service, Michno gives brief outlines for Morning and Evening Prayer, weddings, funerals, baptisms, and major processional services. This book does not take the place of actual, in-person training. Particularly with positions such as thurifer, hands-on training with an experienced person is a must (any time you are going to be twirling burning coals over the heads of dozens of people, training is a good thing). Training is important also because no matter how good and complete a service manual may seem, each parish and congregation is different, with minor variations in service tone, style and choreography that need to be learned independent of any manual. Michno concludes with several appendices. In the first appendix, there is a reprinted Service of Commissioning, taken from the Book of Occasional Services (a companion to the Book of Common Prayer). In the second appendix, there is a chart of liturgical seasons. The third appendix is a glossary of terms; not as complete as the Dictionary for Episcopalians, this glossary will nonetheless go a long way toward making the reader who learns these terms aware of the complexity and beauty of the liturgy. Indeed, the glossary is longer than any of the chapters. Michno's book is written in an engaging style, and includes helpful hints scattered throughout -- for instance, the admonition to acolytes that they should be ready 15 minutes prior to the service appears during the description of the various vestments. Despite the complexity and careful detail with which Michno presents this material, he concedes that there is no absolutely right or wrong way to do the liturgy (there are th