LENTEN STATIONS OF THE CROSS/BENEDICTION INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE ALTAR SERVERS (2014) Three altar servers are assigned for Stations/Benediction. During Stations AS 1 Candle Bearer #1 AS 2 Candle Bearer #2 AS 3 Cross Bearer During Benediction AS 1 No Items (and no specific job) AS 2 Humeral AS 3 Thurifer (Incense - Censor & Boat) Preparation: Arrive 30 minutes before the scheduled start of Stations and be ready for any changes from the presider. Do not be late! If you are late, the presider may assume you will not show up and assign new roles for the Stations/Benediction service. Wear Alb & Cincture (purple/blue). Light the altar candles 15 minutes before scheduled start of Stations. Remove Black Processional candles and their stands, from the small table to the left of the altar, and then place them in the Altar Server/Ushers room on the table beneath the altar server s bulletin board. Get the Brass colored Globe candles (they use wax candles), and check and ensure that there is an adequate amount of candle in the holder to last until Stations of the Cross service is complete. Make sure Humeral and kneeling cushions (3 maroon cushions for Altar Servers and 1 red cushion for Presider) are in the church and ready to be used. Use Standard Processional Cross Light the Brass colored Globe candles 5 minutes before the service starts. Use Brass colored Globe Candles for the Stations of the Cross. [Altar Server Instructions_Final Stations and Benediction, 9-March-2014.doc] [Page 1 of 9]
Items for context and understanding: Definition Eucharistic blessing: This is the high moment of Benediction. The presider goes to the altar, picks up the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament and blesses the people by making the sign of the cross with the monstrance. Remember this term! Note on the humeral veil: This is a rectangular piece of cloth. It goes over the presider s shoulders and fastens around his neck. The presider uses the humeral veil only for the Eucharistic blessing. You will find the humeral veil arranged on one of the altar server chairs. The two clips will be right on top. If you are the Altar Server responsible for handling the humeral veil, take it with one clip in each hand, walk behind the presider and hand the clips to him from behind, one clip over each of his shoulders. Later when he removes the humeral veil, take it and put it back on the same chair the same way that you found it. Note on the cushions for kneeling: There will be three maroon cushions for the altar servers and one red pillow for the presider on the first slate step in front of the altar. (Looking at the altar from congregation side), two maroon cushions will be to the left of the Presider s red pillow and one maroon cushion will be to the right. The server AS 3 Thurifer uses the cushion immediately to the left of the presider. The server AS 2 - Humeral (because they will be retrieving the humeral for the Presider) uses the maroon cushion immediately to the right of the presider. The server AS 1 No Items uses the maroon cushion to the left of AS 3 Thurifer. ALTAR (steps) maroon maroon red maroon AS-1 (No Items) AS-3 (Thurifer) Presider AS-2 (Humeral) During Benediction Thurifer the server with the incense: You assist the Presider in front of the altar with incense during the Benediction. When he kneels, you and both of the other servers also kneel. When the presider returns the censer to you, an usher will come to you. Give him the censer and boat. You should not have to get up. That is all you have to do until it is time to leave. Humeral Veil - #2-server: The presider signals you just before the Eucharistic [Altar Server Instructions_Final Stations and Benediction, 9-March-2014.doc] [Page 2 of 9]
blessing, then get the humeral veil, pass the two clips to him from behind, one over each shoulder. Then kneel again. When he is finished, you will take the Humeral from him and return it to the chair. Go back to your cushion and kneel. That is all you have to do during Benediction. #1-server: Once you are kneeling, you will stay there until the end of Benediction. Remain kneeling. There is nothing you have to do. [Altar Server Instructions_Final Stations and Benediction, 9-March-2014.doc] [Page 3 of 9]
STATIONS OF THE CROSS The Entrance Procession Starts with the opening hymn as on Sundays and proceeds down the center aisle. AS 3 Cross Bearer leads with the processional cross, followed by AS 1 Candle Bearer #1 and AS 2 Candle Bearer #2 carrying the processional candles. Process (SLOWLY) to the slate steps with the cross in the center of the aisle. The Candle Bearers follow two paces behind the cross, 15 inches apart shoulder to shoulder. Once at the steps, the Presider will bow (Servers do not bow because you are carrying the cross and candles.) When the Presider turns to face the congregation the Altar Servers also turn to face the congregation. Your positions at the end of the Entrance will look like this ALTAR ( Steps ) AS-3 Cross Bearer AS-2 Candle Bearer AS-1 Candle Bearer Presider When the music ends, the presider will begin with an opening prayer. When the opening prayer is complete then the Stations of the cross will start. The Start of Stations When the presider is ready to begin the stations, he will turn toward the altar servers. All three servers turn and proceed to the first station (which is located by the organ where the cantor sings). AS-3 Cross Bearer leads the procession to each station, and the candle bearers follow the cross bearer. In General, the formation and process for each station is: 1. The cross bearer stands directly in front of and facing the station, and about four feet from the station. The candle bearers stand flanking the station (on either side) and facing each other. (Cross and candles creating a triangle) 2. Maintain this formation until the readings and prayers are finished [Altar Server Instructions_Final Stations and Benediction, 9-March-2014.doc] [Page 4 of 9]
and the music begins. 3. Then process to the next station (cross leads and candles follow) and continue, counter clockwise around the church, doing the same thing at each station and until you reach the 15 th station. (Note: The 15 th station is right back where you started in front of the altar by the steps with the cushions.) 4. The 15 th station will be performed at the steps in front of the cushions and facing the altar. (Stand in the same formation as you did when you ended the entrance procession.) When the 15 th station is finished,. [Altar Server Instructions_Final Stations and Benediction, 9-March-2014.doc] [Page 5 of 9]
TRANSITION BETWEEN COMPLETING STATIONS AND POSITIONS FOR BENEDICTION (Note: An Usher will be waiting, with both censor (with lit coals) and boat, on the choir side, in the area by the side aisle where the lectors sit.) AS-3 Cross Bearer returns cross to cross stand, and the AS-1 & AS-2 Candle Bearers return Globe candles to the small table in front of the window to the left of the altar. AS-3 Cross Bearer now takes on a new responsibility and becomes AS-3 Thurifer. Once the cross is returned to the cross stand, AS-3 Thurifer goes to the usher and retrieves the censor and boat, then returns to their assigned cushion and remains standing. AS-1 & AS-2 Candle Bearers now take on new responsibilities and become AS-1 and AS-2 Humeral. Once the candles are returned to the small table, the two servers return to their assigned cushions, and remain standing. (Note: AS-1 has no responsibilities during the Benediction.) Your positions at the Start of the Benediction will look like this. (Note: AS-1 and AS-3 have switched positions because of there new responsibilities.) ALTAR ( Steps ) maroon maroon red maroon AS-1 (No Items) AS-3 (Thurifer) Presider AS-2 (Humeral) [Altar Server Instructions_Final Stations and Benediction, 9-March-2014.doc] [Page 6 of 9]
BENEDICTION (At all times (except when carrying something) Altar Servers will have their hands in a Prayerful Position. This means the servers hands are together, palm to palm, right thumb over left thumb, and fingers pointed up to God.) 1. The cantor will announce the Benediction Hymn and invite the people to kneel. 2. The presider will go behind the altar and place the monstrance on the altar, then re-join the altar servers. 3. The Thurifer will assist the Presider, in the standard fashion, with preparing the incense and executing incensing. (This is an Altar Server Building Block and not described in detail in this document.) Once incensing is complete, the designated usher (who has been waiting in the area by the side aisle where the lectors sit) will come to the Thurifer and take both the censor and the boat. 4. The Presider and Altar Servers will kneel. The Presider will recite a prayer; at the end of this prayer the Presider will signal the Altar Server (AS-2 Humeral) to retrieve the humeral veil. AS-2 Humeral will get the Humeral veil from the chair and bring it to the kneeling Presider, and then AS-2 kneels. 5. The Presider will stand and then go to the altar and perform the Eucharistic Blessing. When the presider makes the sign of the cross with the monstrance, then all three servers will make the sign of the cross. 6. When the Presider completes the Eucharistic Blessing, he will re-join the altar servers and all will be kneeling. 7. Once the Presider returns and kneels, AS-2 Humeral will then stand, retrieve the humeral from the Presider, return the humeral to the same chair and the same way that you found it, and then return to the steps and kneel. 8. Presider will pray the Divine Praises Altar Servers are expected to say the prayers along with the Presider. (See end of document for description of Divine Praises and historical perspective.) 9. The Presider will stand and then go to the altar and put the monstrance and Luna back to their appropriate locations. (This ends the Benediction.) [Altar Server Instructions_Final Stations and Benediction, 9-March-2014.doc] [Page 7 of 9]
10. The presider then re-joins the altar servers, and Presider will remain standing and signal servers to stand, and then all servers will stand up facing altar and bow when the Presider bows. 11. Servers and Presider together turn to face the congregation. The Closing Procession (Altar Servers will have their hands in a Prayerful Position. ) The closing Procession will NOT use the Cross or the Candles. All Altar Servers have Prayerful Hands AS-3 leads, followed by AS-1&2 (two paces behind, 15 inches apart shoulder to shoulder), all process (SLOWLY) to the statue of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in the narthex. ALTAR ( Steps ) Presider AS-1 (No Items) AS-2 (Humeral) AS-3 (Thurifer) When the service is complete Altar Servers will return to the nave (the main room where we all congregate to celebrate mass), extinguish all the candles (Globe candles and the Altar candles). Bring the Globe candles back to the Altar Server/Usher s room and place them on the table under the Altar Servers bulletin board, and then return the black processional candles to the small table to the left of the altar in the nave. End Stations of the Cross and Benediction Service instructions [Altar Server Instructions_Final Stations and Benediction, 9-March-2014.doc] [Page 8 of 9]
The Divine Praises (Historical perspective from the internet) The Divine Praises traditionally follows the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at Church when the priest and the worshippers pray it before our Lord (in the Host) is returned to the tabernacle following adoration. Luigi Felici, a Jesuit priest, composed the Divine Praises in a slightly shorter form in 1797, as a prayer to make reparation for blasphemy and profane language. You can recite it privately (or in group settings other than during the Benediction) for this purpose as a great way to show God, the Holy Family, and the Angels and Saints thanksgiving and praise. Blessed be God. Blessed be His Holy Name. Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man. Blessed be the Name of Jesus. Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart. Blessed be His Most Precious Blood. Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete. Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most Holy. Blessed be her Holy and Immaculate Conception. Blessed be her Glorious Assumption. Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother. Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse. Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints. Amen. (* Paraclete: the Holy Spirit as advocate or counselor (John 14:16, 26)) In an era when many people only refer to our Lord in an exclamatory fashion after some sort of accident, it is good for us to sing His Divine Praises here. As we say in the introduction to the Eucharistic prayer at Mass it is right to give Him thanks and praise! Saint Thomas Aquinas once noted that this can increase the fervor of our devotion to Him, and that thus we praise God not for His benefit but for ours. This prayer reminds us of the glories of the Trinity, and of the key role our Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, and the Angels and saints have played in our salvation as well. [Altar Server Instructions_Final Stations and Benediction, 9-March-2014.doc] [Page 9 of 9]