Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-08-13
FROM ALTAR BOY TO PRIEST.
The Young Catholics Life from tho Time
He Serves Mass Until He Celebrates 1t.
DonGhos's NrglztRs.

|
He Serves Mass Until He Celebrates 1t.
| Donqhos's NrgastRa
The childhood shows the man
AS the morning shows the day.
A familiar eKemplifcation of this
early foreshadOwing of a future career
is afforded by that not always lnsignih-
cant, If occasionally dim!nutive, mem
Der Of every Catholic parish, the altar
boy. II the child is father OF the man.
the server Of the mass is father OF the
celebrant. Not that every altar boy
! inevitably enters the priesthood, but
! the priest Is almost invariably devel-
opment OF the altar boy. The
sedate and dignifed mlddle-agea nastpr,
whom the younger members Il his flock
never dream O. cssociating with con-
crete bcvAoou at all, need only revisit
his natal parish to be greeted by many
an old resident who remembers him as
a little lad serving mass for Father
John-the Lord be merciful TO his soul, }"
and who very probably reminds the
ouoIdam server Of particular occa-
sion when he came TO grief by cracking
/ the bell, upsettng the cruit stand. or
| tumbling down the altar steps In his
| hurry 10 "change the book" Compar-
atlYely few, perhaps, are familiar with
the different phases OF the evolution
that develops "young Mike Mccarthy"
! into "his Reverence, Father Michael"
1t should be promised, at the outset,
that the typical altar boy Is prominent
ly the good boy OF the parish. This
statements does not at all imply that he
is gooody. goody little prig, with down
cast eyes aud a couDtenance prefer
naturally demure, or that mischievous
tricks and FRANKS do not appeal to his
sympathies with force not always re-
| sistible. To be ION the altar" Is, In
deed, distinction which every Catho-
| lie boy rightly prizes as the equivalent
OF an exceptionally good certificate OF
character, and privilege Of which
misconduct would certainly deprive
him; so that his Office proves
not only a strong deterrent from
the practice Of boyish vices,
but a potent incentive TO the cultiya-
ton of exemplary habits. An altar boy
| addicted TO truancy, or given to quar-
| relling, deceitfulness, Incidence, or the
use OF improper language would be an
anomaly too great to prove enduring;
and, as matter OF fact, In the average
altar boy these unloyely qualities are
conspicuously wanting.
The decade aud half OF years that
usually interyenes between the happy
lay when the young Catholic first serves
mass, and the incomp arably happier one
when he first celebrates that adorable
sacrifices, is divided into three distinct
eras: his boyhood spent at home; his
youth, In college, and his dawning man
hood, In the seminary. The first period
comprises some five or six years. Ad'
mitted TO the sanctuary In his eighth or
ninth year, he serves an apprenticeship
OF varying length before attaining the
dignity OF serving mass 'ali by his own
self"
For months he is spectator OF the
| different ceremonies aud functions,
rather than an active participant there
! ip-his duties consisting mainly In
wearing his little red cassock and white
surplIce with becoming gravity; in
standing, kneeling and bowling, " not
with notable grace. Of least without
! conspicuous awkwardness; and 10 ocea-
sionally ringing the bell, holding the
basin while the priest is washing MS
fingers, or carrying to and from the
sanctury a candlestick considerably
taller than himself
Rapidly mastering the details OK the
acolyte's various movements and more
gradually accomplishing the laborlous
task OF learning by heart the Latin re-
sponses, he finally hazards the opinion
that he Is competent to serve low mass
alone: and. being allowed to try, he goes
through the ordeal triumphantly. and Is
| henceforth a full-1edged altar boy.
True. there may still be some drawback
10 his perfect happiness. For instance,
his inches may be toe few and bis lit
I ing power too limited 10 warrant his at
tempting 10 move the missal from one
side TO the other. There used 10 be, 10
the "old chapel" down In ST.
George, y. B., about quarter
| OF a century ago. missal stand
and missal against which the writer
remembers having had, during
his early days as altar boy, q distinct
grievance. In the first place, the altar
was a pretty high one, and be had 10
| wait a good many months after his In
stalIatlon in the sanctuary before grow
ing tall enough, even OF standing on
his tiptoes TO take good hold OF the
stand. When that desirable eonsumma-
ton was at last achieved be discovered
that while, by eIerting al his strength,
he could raise stand and book from the
altar. IL would be q periIous nndertax-
ing 70 try 10 carry such losrseyen Tor
dozen steps. That missals have
weighed more than Weoste Fna-
tionsl dictionary, and wheu pas
sive square stand was az 7-