A Wisdom Archive on Altar server - Roman Catholic altar servers

In the Roman Catholic Church, altar servers help the priest and deacon during the liturgy, especially the Mass. They have several supporting duties to carry out, such as carrying the processional cross and candles, carry the incense and thurible, holding the missal for the priest celebrant when he is not at the altar, assisting the priest when he receives the gifts from the people, washing the hands of the priest before the prayer over the gifts, removing items from the altar during communion, and assisting the priest celebrant and the deacon as necessary. ...

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• Altar server - Roman Catholic altar servers
• Altar server - Other Churches

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Unlike in several Protestant churches, in the Roman Catholic Church the term minister is not commonly used to refer to a member of the clergy nor as a common term of address. In some parishes of the Catholic church in the United States there are ministers of hospitality, music ministers, etc. There are also lectors who read scriptural passages to the congregation, altar servers and acolytes who assist the clergy at the altar, cantors who lead the singing, and ushers who direct the seating and procession of ...

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A thurible is a metal censer suspended from chains, in which incense is burned during church services. It is used in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglo-Catholic, Old Catholic and other churches. In Catholic and Anglican churches, the altar server who carries the thurible is called the thurifer. The workings of a thurible are quite simple. Heated charcoal is inside the actual metal censer. Incense, sometimes of many different varieties is placed upon the charcoal by the priest. This may be done several times duri ...

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Altar rails are a set of railings, sometimes ornate and frequently of marble or wood, delimiting the sanctuary in a church, the part that contains the altar. A gate, often of brass, at the centre divides the line into two parts. The sanctuary is a figure of heaven, into which entry is not guaranteed. Barriers of various kinds often mark off as especially sacred the area of a church close to the altar, which is largely reserved for ordained clergy. In the Armenian rite curtains are drawn to cut off that area during the holiest m ...

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The cassock, an item of clerical clothing, is a long, sheath-like, close-fitting, ankle-length robe worn by clergy members of some Christian denominations. The cassock derives ultimately from the tunic that was formerly worn underneath the toga in classical antiquity. The word cassock probably comes from the word "casaque" which means cloak; or cassaca, which means white. In older days, i ... Including:

• Cassock - Western practice Roman and Anglican
• Cassock - Eastern practice Orthodox
• Cassock - Non-clerical sixteenth century jacket

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A typical censer is a small metal or stone dish used for burning incense, often on small legs. In many cultures, burning incense has spiritual and religious connotations, and this influences the design and decoration of the censer. Designs vary from simple, earthenware bowls to intricately carved silver or gold vessels. In the Roman Catholic church a censer is often called a thurible, and used during important offices (benedictions, processions, important masses). A common design for a thurible is a metal container, about the s ...

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