Were you an alter server when you were younger?

freshpopcorn

I was back in the early 2000's and I only had positive experiences with it.
So, were you ever an alter server?

Napper Hawkins

What are postie experiences?

michael999999

No op my arse is fine!

wazky

Napper Hawkins wrote: »

What are postie experiences?

Abbreviated term for post traumatic?

biko

Nope, I was not an altar server.

whatdoicare

I wasn't allowed (not that I wanted to) as back in the 80s girls weren't allowed be alter servers.

Changed their tune quick enough when boys stopped applying, now it's pretty much all girls serving.

Artful_Badger

I thought this was some old internet speak for hosting a chat room or something. As for Alter Boys* all the guys I know who did it hated it, they were forced into it by parents trying to get in good with the priest. Bet they all feel stupid now that the world sees it for nonsense it really was.

Sir Humphrey Appleby

Im a Pastafarian, we dont use alter servers:D

seosamh1980

I went through the whole "training" for it, made my mum get me the outfit etc, served one mass and decided it was boring and quit.

Menas

I was one back in The 70s. I enjoyed it and never had an issue bar banging the patton off one or two patron's chins.

Talib Fiasco

I was for about 5 years or so. Honestly it was fine. The priests were always genuine and sound. Always got money from them for Christmas, Easter, funerals and weddings etc. It was all pretty relaxed. They heard me curse like hell on the gaa pitch and I heard them curse on the sideline. I have fond memories of a saturday night on the alter with my friend when some young fella behind us let off an absolute ripper and we started laughing. The priest left out a giggle himself and then everyone did. Great craic in fairness.

Rosy Posy

Wasn't allowed because of my gender but I was in the choir. I liked the singing- it made mass less boring, I got to sit with my mates and we had cream soda and mikados afterwards. Little or no contact with the priests, they kept themselves to themselves.

Conmaicne Mara

Nope, I refused, think I was the only lad in the class that wouldn't do it. Never had much time for mass or much else to do with it.

Czarcasm

Trigger Happy wrote: »

I was one back in The 70s. I enjoyed it and never had an issue bar banging the patton off one or two patron's chins.

Myself and my brothers were all altar boys, and I'll never forget the one Sunday mass where three of us were on, what didn't go wrong!

It was like something out of the three stooges the way we fought over the bell and who was doing it wrong, because they were getting the timing wrong, even the priest prompting us didn't have us cop and we were just like "yeah that sounds about right to smack it now" - *SMACK*, eventually the priest came over and took the patton off us because the congregation were in stitches.

None of us had a clue what we were doing and when one brother was walking up to the priest with the bread and wine he was going grand, next thing he tripped on a step, splattered the priest with the wine and then just stood there not knowing what to do next!

We were never allowed serve mass between the three of us ever again, but we'd a ball at it, especially funerals and weddings when we'd get a few pound off the relatives for serving the mass.

I go to mass now and there are no altar servers, but I was talking to the priest a couple of weeks ago about it and he was saying he'd like to start it up maybe in September but there are all sorts of child protection issues that have to be looked at. Understandable I guess, but just a pity that the actions of a tiny minority have tarred the image of the majority.

Duggy747

Was handy getting an hour or 2 off school to do it, jackpot if you had a funeral to do plus you got a pound coin.....

....jaysus, I was easily entertained.

anncoates

Was pressganged into a choir for a while as a kid.

Not one priest found me attractive enough to drop the hand.

Rasheed

Yeah I was. I liked it and as somebody said, the funerals or stations were a bonus. Never got a wedding though.

Every year the parish priest would pay for a bus load of servers, readers and young choir members to go on a day trip somewhere like the zoo, good times.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

Yes, for a bit. I was never allowed ring the bell though cause I couldn't smack it hard enough with the stick.
And the very last time I did it, half way through mass I got really sick and had to practically run off the alter, and outside where I threw up in a bin, went back to where we changed out of the robes but the door was locked, and had to stand down the back of the church in my alter servers robe, smelling like vomit no doubt and probably green in the face. Some little kid thought I was god though, that made me laugh at the time.

COYW

whatdoicare wrote: »

I wasn't allowed (not that I wanted to) as back in the 80s girls weren't allowed be alter servers.

Why were girls not allowed to be alter servers? If the could allow them to do it so easily when the number of boys dwindled, it wasn't a church rule obviously.

Reading this thread, there seems to be a lot of good memories from RC church life.

Benny_Cake

Went through all the training involved in it but didn't follow through for two reasons: my crippling shyness, and 8am Mass, which is just wrong. I can remember being jealous when my mates were making a few pounds at weddings though.

I sang in the church choir for a year though, which I really enjoyed. Then my voice broke and that was it!

freshpopcorn

Napper Hawkins wrote: »

What are postie experiences?

Well in general you severed mass at the weekends. It allowed you mix with people in the community who might have being in the church after mass/weddings/etc. So if you were a but shy it helped with your social skills.It allowed you to see that not all priests were bad guys. You also got to get time of school and got payed for funerals and weddings also at Christmas and Easter you would always get selection boxes or Easter eggs. During the Summer months I lived a couple of miles away from our local town but used always get a drive into town to serve mass. This allowed me to meet up with my friends. Seeing the fact it was also kind of a job. It helped people I know to get their first job because local business owners could remember you being an alter server.

The Backwards Man

Is this the R.C. forum or wha?

lertsnim

I applied to get the half day from school but never bothered.

Christ the Redeemer

I was indeed.

WilyCoyote

Christ the Redeemer wrote: »

I was indeed.

You must be pretty anaemic by now with all your blood being gulped

mikemac1

15 punts for a wedding was the going rate. About 5-10 punts for a funeral

Quite a sum of money to a youngster. Three of us in the parish had this gig wrapped up. When it was summertime and the weddings were on regularly we did them all.

Can of coke was 32p and bag of crisps was 12p.

Good times

WilyCoyote

Was for about 4 years. Good craic if you didn't take things too seriously. My first time witnessing a power struggle. The job of ringing the "sanctus" bell was one step lower that the first wine and two steps under the second wine. This was '58 - '62 so Latin was the lingo. The local priest would give us money at Easter, Christmas and on the local saint's feast day. Also visiting priests, saying mass later in the day would get you off an hour class and maybe give you a 10/- note.
Only good memories of it. But had begun to see through the whole palaver by the time I was 16. Apart from weddings/funerals and christenings, the last mass I attended was 1967.

wandatowell

Had no interest in wasting my time at mass.

WilyCoyote

mikemac1 wrote: »

15 punts for a wedding was the going rate. About 5-10 punts for a wedding.

Quite a sum of money to a youngster. Three of us in the parish had this gig wrapped up. When it was summertime and the weddings were on regularly we did them all.

Can of coke was 32p and bag of crisps was 12p.

Good times

Honestly mikemac1! Have you been at the altar wine again?

Sir Osis of Liver.

No,even growing up in the 80"s there was all kinds of stories going around school about what was going on in the local church anyway.

wandatowell

WilyCoyote wrote: »

Also visiting priests, saying mass later in the day would get you off

branie

mikemac1 wrote: »

15 punts for a wedding was the going rate. About 5-10 punts for a funeral

Quite a sum of money to a youngster. Three of us in the parish had this gig wrapped up. When it was summertime and the weddings were on regularly we did them all.

Can of coke was 32p and bag of crisps was 12p.

Good times

How much is that in Euros?

blinkey 101

yep I was an alter boy back in the 80s whitefriar street church.

the good auld days. funny I loved the smell of the church incense burner weird I know :rolleyes: .

Sir Osis of Liver.

What does a Catholic priest have in common with a pint of guinness?

If you get a bad one, they both have serious repercussions for your arse.

Czarcasm

WilyCoyote wrote: »

Honestly mikemac1! Have you been at the altar wine again?

I forgot to include it in my last post but mike couldn't have been more confused than myself and the two brothers trying to look to each other for what to do next, and failing miserably! It was like a game of whackamole the way we didn't know when to sit, stand or kneel and we were trying to take our cues from the congregation who didn't look like they had any better idea either! :pac:

At one stage two of us stood up (I followed the other brothers lead) and the other brother was slipping into a kneeling position from his seat and the whole congregation were still sitting!

who the fug

mikemac1 wrote: »

15 punts for a wedding was the going rate. About 5-10 punts for a funeral

Quite a sum of money to a youngster. Three of us in the parish had this gig wrapped up. When it was summertime and the weddings were on regularly we did them all.

Can of coke was 32p and bag of crisps was 12p.

Good times

Stations 1/2 day off school and as there were four parishes in the valley I grew up in, so ten stations a year was good earner.:D

Always got more money for a funeral that a wedding

blinkey 101

mikemac1 wrote: »

15 punts for a wedding was the going rate. About 5-10 punts for a funeral

Quite a sum of money to a youngster. Three of us in the parish had this gig wrapped up. When it was summertime and the weddings were on regularly we did them all.

Can of coke was 32p and bag of crisps was 12p.

Good times

Hang on you got paid? fkuc I never got a shilling we were swizzed back then

the thieving priest no wonder he was always drunk :mad:

Rasheed

blinkey 101 wrote: »

Hang on you got paid? fkuc I never got a shilling we were swizzed back then

the thieving priest no wonder he was always drunk :mad:

The priest wouldn't pay you, the family would.

Galwayguy35

No, only because I went to a different school to the parish where I lived, no girl servers at that time but it seems to be an even mix these days.

Ruu

No, my two brothers were. Always wondered why they were rubbing their hands gleefully when a funeral came around.

forumlover

Nope not me, I couldn't take all the kneeling, sitting & standing up.

I wish the priest would just pick a position & fcuk me!!!

Frankie Boyle...........Genius:)

Jester252

Was one of the last in my parish. When the now PP moved in he just stop all the lay people involvement in the church. Quite a turn for the last PP who tried to get everyone involved and helped out in the local area.

Sala

I was. Not because I was religious, mainly because I wasn't allowed as a girl, and me and my best friends insisted they allow girls, and won!

kerry4sam

freshpopcorn wrote: »

I was back in the early 2000's and I only had positive experiences with it.
So, were you ever an alter server?

Yes I was an alter-server. Was always the one out up-front leading the procession and carrying the cross to the alter and fupping praying each time the damn thing would slot in nicely when I reached the alter

Oh nightmares about this one nun who was simply vicious - everything had to be pure perfection; everything including the gown we'd wear which we had no control over in terms of quality or length; but became our problem on every mass night if she decided she was in the humour for words

Served for fupping years too so I did & always leading the procession!

Aka Ishur

Had plenty of girls serving in Donnybrook, was the reason I stayed serving myself for so long....

keith16

Man, serving a wedding was brilliant, guaranteed at least 10 pound, if not 20 from the family. Seemed like an enormous amount of money at the time.

But yeah, nothing ever untoward happened and even for regular masses, the priest would throw you a few quid afterward and were always absolutely sound.

Vincent Vega

I was never an altar boy but I was pretty much made sing in a choir at the local parish during primary school in the early-mid 90s.
Was this the norm around the country?

Sulla Felix

Nope, never was. From a fairly young age, Mum gave up trying to get us to go to mass regularly.

--LOS--

Nope I was the only one in the class that didn't do it, but I had already shut the door on religion then

bnt

Yes - in a small town in South Africa. It was a "flying parish", so the priest drove in, did the mass, then went home. No hanging around to play with the altar boys. It was a lot like being in a stage show, which is what a Catholic mass is, I suppose.

KTRIC

bnt wrote: »

Yes - in a small town in South Africa. It was a "flying parish", so the priest drove in, did the mass, then went home. No hanging around to play with the altar boys. It was a lot like being in a stage show, which is what a Catholic mass is, I suppose.

Ah you missed out there :rolleyes: