Almost every time we go to Mass we see altar servers in the sanctuary, but do we really understand their purpose there? Can we say we really appreciate the importance of their ministry? This brings up the question of whether or not the servers themselves understand their role in the Church.

This year, the Trinidad and Tobago Altar servers’ Council (TTAC) held its first ever Altar servers’ conference on October 28 and 29, at Holy Faith Convent in Couva. The purpose of the conference was mainly to discuss issues related to servers and their ministry, in order to get a better understanding of a way forward for altar serving in the archdiocese.

For this event, representatives from each parish were invited to attend, including senior and junior altar servers, parents, as well as lay ministers who are also seen as being stakeholders in the ministry.

The conference began on Saturday morning with registration. The official programme began at around 9:30 a.m., with Anthony Alexander, the chairperson for the conference delivering a brief introduction.

The president of the TTAC, Courtney Lezama, then delivered his address on behalf of the Council. During his presentation, he introduced a young man, from the Couva area, who performed a very moving monologue on rising to the challenge.

At the end of Mr Lezama’s presentation, the chairperson again explained what was expected from the conference, before introducing the first speaker, Kendall Hypolite.

Mr Hypolite, an altar server for seventeen years, spoke about the challenges and experiences he faced as an altar server. He emphasised that it was important for servers to keep asking questions in order to gain a better understanding of their ministry.

The next speaker was Fr Derek Anton, parish priest of Our Lady of Mt Carmel, Carapichima. He spoke on the topic of vocations and being called to serve.

During the break participants were able to obtain refreshments from the bar or visit the display booth which showcased a number of items and facts related to the ministry and proved to be most interesting and informative.

The lunch period was once again an opportunity to view the booth and socialise with one another.

After lunch the next speaker, Mrs Khelawan, the mother of a former altar server, began her presentation. She began by quoting one of her favourite greeting cards, given to her by one of her children. She then went on to speak about her experience of being a server’s parent and the joys and challenges that came along with it.

Following this presentation, the President of TTAC once again took the stage, this time to give an overview of the organisation and its role and intentions. This session proved to be rather interactive with a lot of feedback coming from the crowd.

The audience was then divided into five groups for a group discussion. The discussion in the groups covered a number of topics ranging from standardising serving practices, to problems faced by servers, to the attitudes of some servers as well as parishioners. Praying a decade of the rosary brought the day to a close.

The next day, Ayanna Theodore filling in for Sr Kathy of the Youth Secretariat, who was not able to be present, delivered a moving talk about what it truly meant to be a disciple of Christ.

Following this, the people were once again divided into groups for a final discussion. Anthony Alexander then delivered the closing address formally ending the official programme of the conference.

The conference then moved across the road to the St Paul’s Church for the closing Mass. Fr Anton presided. At the end of the Mass, the young lady who designed the logo for the conference was presented to the congregation.

In all the conference proved to be most informative to those who attended and most expressed an interest in attending future conferences.