Acolyte: Encyclopedia II - Acolyte - Roman Catholicism

Acolyte - Roman Catholicism

Until the Second Vatican Council, the acolyte was the highest of the minor orders, having as duties the lighting of the altar-candles, carrying the candles in procession, assisting the subdeacon and deacon, and the ministering of water and wine to the priest at Mass. Acolytes wore either the alb or the surplice. While acolytes did not receive the sacrament of Holy Orders, they were considered part of the clergy, and were a required step on the way to Holy Orders.

After the reforms of the minor orders in 1972, the acolyte survived but became a lay ministry instead of an order, with its conferring rite renamed from ordination to institution to emphasize this. It was still confined to men alone but was de jure now open to all men, even those not going into seminary. However, since altar servers can do just about anything an acolyte can do, very few men outside of seminary are formally instituted. An instituted acolyte, though, does have some special faculties: he is a permanent extraordinary minister of the Eucharist and can also be entrusted with celebrating Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

The term acolyte may also refer to ordinary non-instituted altar servers, with both of those terms being preferable to the term altar boy. One reason why the phrase altar boy has ceased to be standard is that recently girls can also serve in this capacity. Also, in some parishes adults will often serve in this capacity as well.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Roman Catholicism", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki