Ask Me Anything: Altar Servers and Two-Family Homes

Life seems particularly heavy lately and I felt like I had nothing to write about, but then I remembered I still have lots of unanswered questions from you guys! 

 Tricia asks "Can you talk more about the summer Altar Server Bootcamp? Hoping to do something at our parish and looking for more ideas how to fill the days. Thanks!"

Sure Tricia, we love our parish's altar server program.  I will give you the breakdown below from last summer's ABBC and I hope that helps!  I think it is very important to note that only boys can be altar servers at our parish, and there is a similar program for only girls who become sacristans.  A place for everyone and I think it's a reason why it's so successful.  Many parishes who use boys and girls for the same roles are desperate to find servers, and yet our parish is overflowing with these boys and girls clubs.  It builds a sense of comradery and ownership in their roles and has proven success.  

Bootcamp is held at the end of June after school gets out and is open to anyone who has received First Communion.  Breakfast, lunch and snacks are provided and the kids have a LOT of fun.  The pastor runs the program, and though we have had three different pastors during our time at this parish, they have all continued the program with help from seminarians and older altar servers.  Once the new kids are trained to be servers and sacristans, they are put on the schedule for masses.  At first the new altar servers don't do much, they just learn from the big guys until they are comfortable, which doesn't take long.

Altar Boy Boot Camp Schedule:

Day One

9:00am Holy Mass 

9:30am Breakfast & Talk 

10:00am Serving Practicum 

11:00am Sports activity 

12:00pm Lunch Break 

1:00pm Serving Practicum 

2:00pm Sports activity 

3:00pm End of Day 

Day Two

 9:00am Holy Mass

 9:30am Breakfast & Talk

10:00am Game: Running with Bells

11:00am Game: Fainting Servers

12:00pm Lunch Break

1:00pm Serving Practicum

2:00pm Sports activity

3:00pm End of Day

Day Three

Fieldtrip

This field trip always starts with something spiritual, like a tour of a beautiful cathedral, and then something really fun - trampoline park, go-carts, etc.

Sophia asks "How did you get all of your boys to serve as altar servers? Was it a requirement? Did some like it more than others? "

Being an altar server is encouraged by their church and school and a cool rite of passage once they receive First Communion, so we didn't have to push it at all. Phil was a server back in the day, and JP wanted to do it and the rest just followed suit. They serve at every mass that they attend at our parish, and our family gets called on often to serve funerals and weddings as there is usually at least one boy available!

JP served until he went to college, Andrew served until he turned 18, and Eamon, Xander and Declan currently serve. Brendan can start serving next summer, and he is already counting down the months. They are excited for the privilege and it's been such a wonderful role for them all. It builds confidence and responsibility and gives them a volunteer opportunity every week. When they ever have to answer the question of what they do to volunteer (like to get in National Honor Society, or for their graduation requirement or when applying to college) they have an easy answer! Maggie has also been a sacristan since age 8 and will continue to serve in that role until college.

Cheryl asks "How did it come about that your parents live below you? I think it's pretty cool. I do understand if that's something you do not wish to share."

We have an interesting setup for sure and I'm an open book, so I'll share away!  In this area of New England, two or three family houses are not uncommon.  When Phil and I were married with 2 little kids, my parents bought a two-family house that already had a renter on the first floor and rented the top "house" to us.  This helped us out tremendously when we were young and poor and couldn't afford to buy a house yet.  Well we're still poor-ish but not young-ish anymore ;)  

Our portion of the house has two floors, four bedrooms, two baths and is about 2000 square feet.  The downstairs has about 1200 square feet so it's a good size home.  My brother and his family eventually moved in below us when they moved back to the area and were building their home.  My parents decided to turn the two family home into condominiums so that my brother could buy his part and we could buy our part (we couldn't afford to buy the whole thing).  So now we own our condo and my brother owns the downstairs condo and rents it out.  In the past, we have had teachers (from the Catholic high school where Phil works) rent it out.  

When my parents decided to downsize and sell their house, they wanted to be close to family as they were also not getting any younger.  They remodeled the whole downstairs condo (my dad was a builder and always built their homes) to make it a nice final home for them, and now they rent from my brother.  Phil and I plan to buy my brother out in the future and then we will own the whole house and can sell it as a whole, or rent part or all of it out.  I love our home but I don't want to be 70 and going up and down stairs all the time.  I would actually love it if we could live downstairs and have one of our kids and their family live above us, but no pressure kiddos :)