Altar Servers Day will feature faith, food, fun

MADISON  Altar servers in the Diocese are invited to Altar Servers Day at the Evangelization Center at St. Paul Inside the Walls here on Saturday, Sept. 17, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., which will end with a Mass and Eucharistic procession led by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney. This event is designed help young people grow in their appreciation of the Eucharist and of their role at Mass and help them start to think about their vocation, during a day that mixes faith, food, and fun.

Altar Servers Day will start at 11 a.m. with an opening prayer and a 30-minute video about the Eucharist. Father Cesar Jaramillo, a parochial vicar of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson and Defender of the Bond of the diocesan Tribunal, will give the altar servers a teaching on Holy Communion. At 12:30 p.m., the Paterson Federation of the Knights of Columbus will provide lunch. It will be followed by sports and games on the palatial grounds of St. Paul’s, weather permitting, also organized by the Knights, said Father Ed Rama, director of the diocesan Office of Vocations, which is coordinating the event.

At 2 p.m. participants will gather for vocations presentations. Delivering a talk for the boys will be Rev. Mr. Starli J. Castaños Rodríguez, a diocesan seminarian, who was ordained to the transitional diaconate in May by Bishop Sweeney. He anticipates being called to be ordained a priest of the Diocese next year. The talk for the girls will be given by Sister Elfie Del Rosario, the new vocations director for the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, also known as the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco, in North Haledon. The talks will be followed by question-and-answer periods, Father Rama said.

Altar Servers Day will close with a Mass at 2:30 p.m. celebrated by Bishop Sweeney followed by a Eucharistic procession. At 3:15 p.m., participants will be able to play games and sports and have a snack before they depart.

“The day is for young people to strengthen their faith by gaining a deeper understanding of the gift of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and by giving witness to his Presence. We also want them to realize the gift of their service at the altar so close to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with the priest,” Father Rama said. “We also want to inspire the young people to start considering what God is calling them to be in their vocation. We also want them to have fun,” the priest said.

The day takes place during the Year of the Eucharist, which Bishop Sweeney officially launched in the Diocese on Jan. 9. Throughout the year, Catholics are encouraged to deepen their understanding of and devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist and strengthen their relationship with him through various activities on the diocesan and parish levels through practices on diocesan and parish levels. Those include Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction, Eucharistic processions, and faith formation.

Michael Vaclavicek, past president of the Paterson Federation, has been coordinating the lunch, snacks, and games for Altar Servers Day, which he called “fantastic.”

“We will show the young people appreciation for what they are doing by having a day not only of spirituality, but also of fun. We need to be involved with these youth to encourage them to stay in the Church,” Vaclavicek said.

Parents and parish priests and altar-server coordinators are invited to attend. Altar Servers Day is a free event.

Register by visiting the web page of the Vocations Office 
or call the office at (973) 777-8818, ext. 711.