Even though Will has been serving at the TLM for 2 years, we signed him up for a class offered through our local Catholic homeschool support group. I can't emphasize enough how much more seriously boys take Mass when they are serving at the altar. While Will is much more likely to become an engineer than a priest, it really is the best recruiting opportunity for the priesthood.
From National Catholic Register:
The altar servers at Holy Family Catholic Church in St. Louis Park, Minn., are a sight to behold. In their white surplices and black cassocks — red for special feasts like Christmas and Pentecost — six carry candles, while others process in with the cross, Sacramentary and incense thurible and boat. Between 12 and 20 altar servers assist at every Mass, every Sunday. On special feasts, the head count jumps to more than 30.And the most astonishing facet of the scene: All of the altar servers are boys.
Holy Family Church is one of a number of parishes that, after deciding to go with an all-boy corps of altar servers, have seen a notable increase in the number of boys participating in the life of the parish. At Holy Family, the decision was made 10 years ago, when only a few boys were servers. The surge was on immediately. Today, more than 60 boys stand at the ready. What’s happened is: The younger boys can’t wait to get on the altar,” says parishioner Bob Spinharney. “And the older boys, to their great credit, stay on even beyond high school age. So the younger boys always have role models to look up to.”
“And, clearly, reverent worship of God the Father through Jesus Christ in the liturgy is a calling card for vocations,” adds Father Dufner. In fact, one of the two current seminarians from this parish — from which four men have been ordained in the last 10 years — was an altar server. Both seminarians come back often to help the youngsters on Sundays, as do server alumni like Spinharney’s college-age son Jordan. The alumni become mentors.“Boys 7 and 8 are glued to the Mass, watching their friends and brothers,” says Rode. “They can’t wait.”
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I couldn't agree with you more! Our parish in Maryland is the only one I know of that only allows boys to serve. We boast 100 altar boys and they are reknowned throughout the Washington Archdiocese for their outstanding preparation and service. Not to mention the number of vocations that have come from these boys.
Our 13 year old has been serving for 4 years now and he takes every opportunity offered to him to serve. He'd rather serve than sit with us at Mass. I'm not 100% positive that is a good thing ;-)
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