Thursday, July 17, 2008 FEATURE Southern Cross, Page 3 Steps to the : a photo of 1960s altar servers stirs memories

f you wanted to become an altar boy in the Iearly 1960s, books such as Father Charles J. Carmody’s Learning to Serve: A Guide for New Altar Boys were available to help you along your path to the altar. Undoubtedly a better source of instruction was that offered by parish priests such as Monsignor T. James McNamara and his assistant Father (now Monsignor) Lawrence Lucree at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist. A 1960s-era photo recently furnished by Lucree showing the iconic Monsignor Mc- Namara and a youthful Father Lucree in the company of a cherubic group of altar boys offers some insight into the steps and ritual then involved in becoming an . A note Monsignor Lucree sent along with the photograph explains some nuances of altar boy

training of that time. “The little fellows in A. courtesy of Monsignor Lawrence Photo Lucree. white cassocks, red capes and sashes were Pictured in a 1960s photo in the Cathedral’s lower church are Father (now Monsignor) ‘white’ altar boys and began their training in Lawrence A. Lucree (center), Monsignor T. James McNamara (below Father Lucree) Latin responses in the 2nd grade,” Lucree and a host of Cathedral altar servers. wrote, adding: “These often served at High Masses and Pontifical Masses as ‘bat boys’ a priest of the Savannah Diocese—also appears Father Ben Dallas, recently assigned to the (torch bearers). One would also serve as a in the picture. church, is expected to work with the Covinos ‘train bearer’ on those occasions when the bish- Among others identified in Monsignor when the new school year commences. “It’s the op would enter and leave the Cathedral in pon- Lucree’s photo are: (back row from left) Joe kids,” Bob Covino says, when asked about the tifical regalia and would put on/take off Sheahan, Eddie Berry, Tom Groover, Eddie most rewarding part of altar server training. at the throne. The ‘train bearer’ Roy, Jimmy Sheahan, Terrell Courey, Chris “We really enjoy working with them.” would sit on the bottom step of the throne. Schreck, Tom Walsh, Andrew Pigman, Tony Co-ordinator Patty Hahn is in charge of altar With the exceptions of officers and older Koncul, Kurt Balcom, Joe Heitman, John servers at Savannah’s Saint Peter the Apostle servers (who wore Roman collars) all oth- Cowart and Paul Kaluzne. Known names of Church. The church’s Web site states that ers wore ‘Buster Brown’ collars with those on the middle row include Pat servers “are volunteers who are trained to assist white bows. Servers with a red sash Rossiter, Tony Brasili, Joe Murphy, the priest during the celebration of the Eu- over their right shoulders were offi- Tommy Rochefort, Father (now charist and at weddings and funerals in the cers.” Monsignor) Lawrence Lucree, Tommy parish. They are usually from fourth through In a recent telephone conversation Stacey, Michael Ferraro, Michael eighth grades of both the parish school and Monsignor Lucree recalled “a small Rochefort, Michael Burke, Joe Conners, Religious Education Program.” Training of book with a red cover” that provided Gerry (now Father) Schreck, and Danny servers usually takes place in the spring of each potential servers with Latin terms and Muller. Front row identification is year. Rita H. DeLorme their pronunciations as well as an sketchier, with Monsignor sitting in the Many churches in the diocese now post altar illustrated book from the Saint John midst of younger altar boys including: Larry server schedules on their Web sites. Saint Anne Berchman’s Society that explained the rubrics Shinnall, Matthew Dunn, Richie Rochefort, Church, Columbus, currently offers an online and rituals of the Mass. Earlier, in his note Karl Holman and Danny Brown. If you can July-through-September schedule to keep accompanying the altar boy photo, Lucree provide any further identification, please e-mail servers on track during busy summer months observed that boys who faithfully studied these me at [email protected]. when families are traveling. According to the books and attended training classes every Much has changed since photographer Carroll Web site of Saint Teresa Church in Albany, Saturday morning were treated to annual out- Burke snapped the picture in the chapel of the altar servers are members of teams appointed to ings at a local theater or trips to Disney World, Cathedral close to a half century ago. The serve on designated dates. Saint Teresa servers the Okefenokee Swamp or “Six Flags over young boys proudly posing with their “Knights are required to be present 20 minutes before Georgia.” of the Altar” certificates have long since settled Mass. A fairly rigid dress code specifies types Introduction to priestly life into their lifetime roles. Female altar servers of clothing they should wear when they report The picture of altar boys that Lucree cap- are now permitted. The vernacular Mass of for duty as servers. tioned “Cathedral Knights of the Altar” projects today, with the priest facing the congregation, The boys who gathered to have their photo a sense of preparation and readiness to serve. and with its lay readers and minis- taken in the long-ago picture submitted by Unmistakably, the boys photographed wearing ters, could never have been envisioned by the Monsignor Lucree probably would have been cassocks and neatly ironed were boys in the1960s photograph. surprised by such a code, theirs being a time receiving, besides reverence for the Mass and Serving today when no one wore jeans or flip-flops to Mass. all pertaining to it, an introduction to the priest- The current method of training servers might On the other hand, today’s servers are probably ly life. Standing in the back row of the photo is also interest them. A sampling of practices relieved that memorizing and enunciating Latin one who followed up on this introduction, parishes now use for altar server training responses is no longer one of the requirements Father (now Monsignor) Chris Schreck. (By reveals that, often times, lay co-ordinators for becoming an altar server. coincidence, Father Lucree was invested as a assist with it. At the Church of the Most Columnist RITA H. DELORME monsignor on June 29, 2008, at the same time Blessed Sacrament in Savannah, Robert Covino and wife Lisa, working with the church’s is a volunteer in the Diocesan as Father Schreck, his former altar boy.) Archives. She can be reached Monsignor Schreck’s brother, Gerry—now also parochial vicars, have been recruiting, training and organizing schedules of servers for years. at [email protected].