What is an Acolyte?
Acolyte means an attendant or follower and Samuel (Samuel 2:18-21) is one of the first examples of an assistant to a priest. As an acolyte you assist the celebrant (the priest in charge of a worship service) and enhance the worship service to help glorify God. The actions you take should be done respectfully and in a dignified manner; the goal is for the attention of the congregation to be on the liturgy and not on the ministers. Serving, as an acolyte, is a commitment of your time and talent to the Lord’s service, which is greatly appreciated.
In the Episcopal church, acolytes are servers, torchbearers, crucifers, thurifers, banner-bearers and light the candles. Overall responsibilities for acolytes are listed below. It is important to know your duties and be confident in your abilities. Do not worry about mistakes–they are bound to occur (even the Celebrant makes mistakes). Always act as if everything you do is supposed to happen that way and most people will never know whether a mistake was made or not.
An acolyte’s responsibilities include:
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serving the priest at the altar
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helping to get the church ready for worship (e.g., lighting candles)
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understanding the different parts of a worship service; knowing what is supposed to happen and when
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knowing the specific responsibilities of the assigned position (e.g., crucifer)
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performing actions carefully and with reverence and maintaining a neat appearance
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helping lead the congregation in worship by joining in prayers and singing and kneeling or standing at appropriate times
Anyone can be acolyte… young or old, male or female. Have you ever considered the ministry of being an acolyte? Be an acolyte at St. John’s!
