Thurifer Training

In preparations for the coming Christmas Masses at St. Paul’s parish, (the parish I grew up in and for nine years went to grade school at) I led a training session for all altar servers interested in being a thurifer. This is the altar server who gets to swing around the metal censer suspended with chains in which incense is burned during Mass. Incense. One of my favorite symbols within the Mass.

I took this opportunity to briefly catechize about what incense means, and why we use it. Of course, we then actively walked through the various parts of the Mass where incense is used and how we move around the Church and use the thurible at St. Paul’s. One young grade schooler's boredom caught my eye. Allison was in the seventh grade, although she looked like she could be graduating from high school. Her disinterest in the training was visible in her face, like the wrinkles on my grandmother. She yawned vigorously two times during the session. Probably more. Allison didn’t want to be there. Her mom, however, sat in the pew behind her, actively answering all of my questions as if she was the one wanting to be a thurifer.

After reflecting on Allison’s response to the thurifer training session, I kept having all sorts of doubts about how I held the training:

   What should I have done differently ?
   What did I say? (or not say?)
   Was I too boring?
   Should I have had chocolates as the reward for answering my no-wrong-answer questions?
   Can I change the way the session is presented for the next thurifer training session next week?

Then the evil spirit crept in (which he did in his usual way with me):
   You're not cut out for this!
   You can't do this ministry!
   Why are you wasting your time!
   Don't think you'll make any difference at all!

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Allison was a younger version of me when I was her age. I have to admit that altar serving wasn’t the first activity I wanted to do when I was her age on an early Sunday morning. If I were in her shoes, I probably would have acted the way she did and added on a few eye rolls. But somehow, by the grace of God, I came to love the Church...even her smells and bells.

I pray that all the Allison’s out there continue to open themselves up to the Holy Spirit, and that all of the mothers and fathers of all the Allison’s will continue to be persistent in the faith, because your reward will truly be great, and will bear much fruit!

When you encounter any Allison's in your ministry, know that, one way or another, they will hear the message of Christ. We are called to simply plant the seeds.