Procedures at St Luke's Church, Hudson 4/8/2001, 1/26/2002 s assist the celebrant during worship. They provide support during the service and add dignity to worship. Good acolytes are not noticed. s are expected to serve once every 2 to 4 weeks. s must arrive at least fifteen minutes before the scheduled start of the service. If you are unable to attend on your scheduled date, please find a replacement. If you are unsuccessful, please notify Bill Carnes at (978) 562-4344. This is important because many people depend upon you. positions - Server (all services) - Crucifer: carries Cross - Torch bearers (formal services) - Chaplain: attendant to bishop or visiting dignitary - Thurifer: responsible for censer during formal services General Rules: Clothing: - Wear dark shoes or boots, do not wear sneakers Note: During very hot weather in the summer, dress may be more relaxed. Service: - Stay alert and awake - see hints - When standing idle, hold your hands together - Avoid talking during service - Be prompt and maintain your schedule - Do not chew gum - In general move slowly and deliberately - Follow and participate in the service - "Square" your turns - Maintain an "L" shape when kneeling, do not sit on your ankles - Generally you should follow the lead of the celebrant as to your posture (but kneel during the confession!...) Altar: - Whenever passing in front the Cross on the altar, turn and bow except when carrying the Cross or altar rail. Proper dress (vestments) Older acolytes wear white cassocks, and rope (girdle) around the waist. Younger acolytes wear a white cassock with a white vest and a cross. Candles Light the taper and light candles starting at the right (the Epistle side) and ending at the left. Light the altar candles first. There is a chart for this in the sacristy.
This is usually done at 10 to 5 minutes before the start of the service. At 10 AM service light all candles, other services light only the 2 on the altar. The Christ candle (the one on the left corner of the altar) must never stand alone. To extinguish, start at the left, extinguish the altar candles last, try to minimize smoke. Beginning of service 8:30 AM Celebrant and acolyte enter at start of service from side entrance. leads, both reverence the Cross, acolyte goes to right side of altar. 10:00 AM Procession Crucifer takes Cross to back of church to top of stairs. At start of service, crucifer (with torch bearers if present) leads choir down center aisle of church, during singing of the opening hymn. Torch bearers follow crucifer side by side making sure that candles are held at same height. Cross must be held front forward and straight. Crucifer must walk very slowly to prevent choir from "stringing out". Server and celebrant follow choir. Crucifer stands at the front of the pews until choir has passed and celebrant has bowed. Torches, if present stand at the side The server taps or whispers to the crucifer. The crucifer places the Cross in the stand so that cross design faces out. Make sure the cross does not touch the brick. The crucifer goes to the right side of the altar. Follow and participate in the service. Offertory (9, 10 AM service) Server or acolyte on left side of altar takes plates and goes to spot in front of altar rail. Ushers arrive. (If plates are at altar, give ushers plates.) If oblations are brought up, take bread and place on altar; then take wine and water and place on altar. Return to place. At the last verse or end of the offertory hymn as indicated by the organist or celebrant, take large offertory plate to spot. Ushers arrive and place collection plates in large plate. All three bow. Carry large offertory plate around (or over if you are tall) the altar and hand to celebrant. Return to position. The server may be asked to help the celebrant put on the chasuble. Preparation for Communion - Lavabo If oblations are on credence table, pick up the bread container and assist the celebrant in counting out wafers. Remove the top of the cruets. Pick up the wine and water cruets by the necks with the water in the left hand. After the celebrant takes the wine cruet, move the water cruet from left hand to the right hand. Take the wine cruet from the celebrant in left hand and give the water cruet to the celebrant. Once again move the wine cruet to your right hand. After receiving the water cruet in left hand, return the cruets to table. Note: Be sure to always wipe the spout on a towel so that nothing drips. Take the lavabo towel and place it over the left wrist. Pick up the lavabo bowl
and hold it in the left hand and hold the cruet of water in the right hand by the handle. Pour water over the celebrant's fingers and catch the run off. After drying, both bow and the server places the towel, bowl, and water back on the table. Place the cruet tops back on. If chalice bearer has arrived, setup altar rail. Do not setup rail during prayers. Make sure that the rail is installed with correct side up and that the chalice bearer is inside first. The "X" side goes down, otherwise the rail is not level. Often the rail won't be set up until just before communion starts. When the rail is set, place the two large kneelers down in the middle under the rail. The pattern should be form a full box. Chimes During the consecration of the Elements, the chimes are rung with a short, quick twist (except during Lent (and sometimes Advent)). The places for this are marked in some Prayer Books. Ring just after the Word has been spoken. Ring during the first "Holy Holy, Holy", "Bread", "Eat", "Me", "Wine", "Drink", "Me" and at the last Amen. Communion Receive communion. During communion remain standing and be ready to assist the celebrant or chalice bearer as needed. Do not stare at communicants, but be alert for unexpected situations. Count the number of people who receive communion including the celebrant and acolytes. Also separately count those who don't receive communion. Make sure the count is written down for the celebrant at the end of the service. Ablutions At the completion of communion, remove altar rail. The server picks up the water cruet as before. The celebrant approaches with the chalice. Pour enough water in to rinse it. Return cruet and insert top. (Sometimes wine is also used to rinse the cup.) Conclusion of service After the Blessing, the server extinguishes the candles starting at the left and ending at the right in opposite order that they were lit in. Make sure that candles are out and not smoking. Lead choir out (Crucifer) At the start of the closing hymn, get the Cross. When the choir starts the second verse (or at some other pre-arranged point such as the third or 2 nd to last verse) start walking very slooowly down the isle towards the back of the church. If no one is yet behind you, wait at top of the stairs. Listen for the choir singing right behind you. Proceed slooowly down the aisle keeping the Cross straight. After the dismissal, take the Cross downstairs through the undercroft and return it to the stand on the altar after the service. Make sure the cross never touches the bricks and is parallel to the wall.
Formal Services - additional actions Gospel Reading Server (crucifer if present) takes Book, bows with celebrant and walks slowly ahead to 3rd pew and turns around. The Book is opened to the page with marker and held for the reading of the Gospel. Torch bearers follow and stand facing each other between the celebrant and server so as to illuminate the Book. After the reading of the Gospel, the torch bearers follow the server back to altar. Gospel book is placed on left side of altar. Go to front pews of church for sermon. After the sermon, just before the creed, return quickly to altar positions. Hints During long periods of sitting or standing, it is natural to become restless or fatigued. Squeeze your knees together as hard as you can. Move your feet up and down to keep legs from going "to sleep". Recover from mistakes as gracefully as possible. There are special services that require changes from the normal procedure. These include baptisms and confirmations. If you make a mistake, recover, ignore it and just do what you need to do. Terminology: - ablutions: the cleaning of vessels after the Eucharist - cassock: long garment or robe - chalice: cup of wine - credence table: small table where communion vessels are kept - cruets: containers of communion water (aqua) or wine (vino) communion - elements: bread and wine - lavabo bowl: bowl used for washing hands before the Eucharist - oblations: bread and wine - paten: round flat plate for holding consecrated bread - sanctus: " holy holy holy", ie sanctus bells - thurible: a vessel for incense; sometimes called censer or boat Advanced words - chasuble: long sleeveless robe worn over alb during - ciborium : storage box for communion bread - alb: long white robe worn by celebrant during communion Locations - aumbry: storage box for consecrated elements - chancel: where choir sits - lectern: place where lessons are given: right side - narthex: church entry way - pulpit: place where sermons are given: left side - sacristy: room for housing vestments - nave: where congregation sits
- sanctuary: area where altar is +--xx-------------xx--+ Aumbry Credence Sacri- +------+ Table stry Altar - +------+ Sanctuary - +---------------------+------+ ---+ Rail Chancel Organ Chan (choir) pipes cel door steps Baptismal font +- - -------+ Pulpit Lectern X +------+ +-------+... Pew +-------+ Nave... Pew Stairs +-----------+ Narthex +--+ Doors - entrance 10/15/95
Communion Element Handling 1) Celebrant Give Wine to Celebrant in Right hand / \ Water Wine 2) Celebrant Move water to right hand Wine / _\ Water 3) Celebrant Take Wine in left hand, give water in right / \ \ / Wine Water 4) Celebrant Move wine to right hand Water / _\ Wine 5) Celebrant Take back water cruet, return both cruets to table, install tops \ / Water Wine