Fr Antonio Pineda
On 12 March 2023, we celebrated the 90th anniversary of our parish’s affiliation with the Guild of St Stephen. Here’s Fr Antonio’s message to all our altar servers on that occasion.
ne of my biggest regrets as a Catholic is that I did not choose to become an altar server when I was a child. In truth, the first time I served was when I started seminary in 2011. Even then, I did not choose, but rather I was required to. We seminarians were expected to take it in turns to serve. I can still remember how nervous I was, knowing that my seminary formators were always watching and taking mental notes. But as I grew more confident, I began to see the beautiful thing that altar serving does: it opens the eyes and heart to God.
How could I have not fallen in love with altar serving when it made me understand the Eucharist more? How could I have not seen it as a privilege being so close to the Real Presence? How could I have not been awed knowing that I was serving not just the priest, but God Himself?
Now that I am a priest myself, I am often asked what I enjoy most about being a priest. I could tell you that I enjoy everything about being a priest and I wouldn’t be lying. But I can also tell you—equally truthfully—that working with altar servers brings me the sort of joy that no other part of my priesthood gives. I feel joy in people young and old serving at the altar. I feel joy when they make mistakes because they’re mistakes made for the Lord and it makes them want to do better. I feel joy when they are enrolled to the Guild of Saint Stephen and they become a member of something great. I feel joy when I see joy on their faces as they see Jesus at the altar.
As we celebrate the 90th anniversary of our parish affiliation with the Guild, I want to thank all our altar servers for the gift of themselves. I applaud them for answering the Lord’s call and not be put off by those who do not see it as “cool”. I rejoice at the witness that they make that says, “I am Catholic and I want to serve God!”. Our altar servers are true treasures of our parish and, like with all treasures, we should never stop valuing them.
So yes, I regret not seeking out the ministry of altar serving when I was a child, but the ministry eventually found me and it brought me closer to God. I pray that our altar servers feel the same and will also see a little bit of what their patron saint saw as he served: the glory of God. Saint Stephen, pray for us.