Altar servers of Yamato Catholic Church: Fr Nagasawa explains
A way of keeping the faith alive amongst youngsters
YAMATO (Tokyo): 21st September 2005 -- When I was assigned to Yamato Catholic Church, I thought that there would be an urgent need to have children (from 4th to 6th grade) participate in the Mass as altar servers. So I tried to start a group of altar servers at once (To be precise, though, it is only the activation of something which already existed).
One Saturday in July we organised an “Over-night gathering” and trained altar servers. Approximately twenty children gathered. As the nuclear family is increasing in Japan, it is very attractive for children, especially those who have few brothers and sisters, to stay overnight with their friends. The first order of business was to memorize The Lord 's prayer, The Hail Mary, and The Apostles' Creed, whose phrases have been drastically changed recent1y, in Japanese. Subsequent1y, I trained servers how to hold the candle, the incense burner and the Cross. A certificate is given to children who can perform three movements without a mistake. Thanks to the children's enthusiasm for learning, they passed through the complicated movements without difficulty. Upon receiving the certificates from the president of our Church on Sunday morning the following day, their faces beamed with happiness.
The reason why pastors of the Church in Japan have made efforts to make children altar servers is that they know that it is an important means to help young people adhere to the Church and to give religious education to them. The Catholic Church of Japan and especially parents of each Christian family are worried that children, up to the 4th grade, have difficulty going to Church and taking part in the Mass on Sundays. The reason is that club activities (soccer, baseball,and tennis) require children to attend games or practices at public, private, and other schools on Sundays. Youngsters must attend these practices and games as a duty and responsibility, contingent on their team membership. Another reason why children have fallen away from Church is that most children attend cram school before entering private middle school, but mock exams are usually conducted by cram school on Sundays. Under these circumstances it is difficult for children to go to Church. However we have a great mission to attract children’s attention to Church, stop them leaving Church and foster young people who will support the Church of tomorrow.
Fr. Dominic Savio Yukio Nagasawa, Pastor,
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