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Sunday, November 05, 2006

An Altar Server's Guide to the Liturgies


Samuel ministered unto the Lord
girded with a linen ephod.


I don't know whether anybody else has come across this. I have found this to be quite useful. It gives all of the rubrics for servers alongside the text of the Divine Liturgy so the user knows where he is up to without the priest having to point and whisper all the time. The only problem is that the text is the people's text and not the priest's text. Really, one has to use it alongside the priest's rubrics in order to for it to be fully useful, as the server needs to know what he is doing in relation to the priest - not the people - for it is the priest whom he is assisting.

That said, I suppose I can understand that the compilers didn't want to cause confusion by cluttering the margin with too many rubrics but by so doing, they have compromised the usefulness of the book. Perhaps it's something to bear in mind for a second edition. The glossary of terms at the back is also a good thing, especially for somebody like me, accustomed only to the terminology of the western tradition.

Overall, I would say that this is a worthy attempt at supplying guidance for new servers, and I commend the effort, especially as there is a notable absence of this sort of thing. Certainly, in my searching, I was unable to find anything else. I hope that many others may find it useful.

1 comment:

Anaxagoras said...

I have a copy myself and have penciled in extra rubrics that aren't in the original (like a small chart that I drew on the back detailing what times the curtain and royal doors should be opened and closed in services outside the liturgy).