MIAMI
| As a preschooler, Christopher Morales, 20, already knew what he wanted to be
when he grew up. Like other kids he would play make believe and imitate the
adult he looked up to. The adults he admired most weren’t police officers,
airplane pilots or sports stars. They were priests.
Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
Listening to the homily at the Serra Club's annual Altar Server Awards ceremony, April 30, 2023, from left: Elisabeth Klug-Pulido, Daniela Pulido, Maria Fernanda Castellanos, and her son and altar server, Mateo Otero, 12, and Maria Pilar-Nunez.
Miami Auxiliary Bishop Enrique Delgado celebrated Mass and handed out the awards along with Father Matthew Gomez, archdiocesan vocations director, at St. Raphael Chapel on the campus of St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami.
“Sitting
in the pew with my parents, I admired priests and how they celebrated Mass,”
said Morales, a sophomore at St. John Vianney Seminary in Miami. “I thought
they were very important. At home, I would play priest. A blanket would be my
vestments. A piece of bread served as the host and Coca-Cola poured into a cup
was the wine. I put them on a table and then I would go through the motions of
celebrating Mass. My parents went along with it.”
While
attending San Juan del Rio School in Jacksonville, Morales signed up to become
an altar server. According to surveys, about 80 to 85% of current priests were
altar servers, said Sharon Utterback, Miami Serra Club president, at the annual
Serra Club Altar Awards ceremony, held April 30, 2023 at St. John Vianney
Seminary’s St. Raphael Chapel.
The
organization is named after Father Junipero Serra, an 18th century
Spanish missionary whose work among Native Americans in California earned him
the title “Apostle of California.” Archbishop Coleman Carroll introduced the
Serra Club to Miami when he established St. John Vianney Seminary in 1959.
Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
Altar server Gia Chau, 14, second from left, poses with his grandmother, Hien Nguyen; father, Choung Nguyen; mother, Thi Nguyen; and sister, Khanh Bang Nguyen, 7, after the annual Mass and Altar Server Awards ceremony sponsored by the Miami Serra Club. It took place April 30, 2023, at St. Raphael Chapel on the campus of St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami, with Auxiliary Bishop Enrique Delgado presiding along with archdiocesan Vocations Director Father Matthew Gomez.
Each
year, the Serra Club, whose mission is to promote the priesthood and religious
life, sends letters to parishes in Miami-Dade and Broward counties asking
pastors to send two outstanding altar servers to receive an award at the
seminary on Good Shepherd Sunday. This year, the ceremony coincided with the
World Day of Prayer for young men and women to hear and respond to the Lord’s
call to religious and priestly life.
“About
30 parishes replied sending about 60 altar servers to the event,” said Utterback.
“We understand the importance of new vocations. Two years ago, we were only 12
members, now we have grown to 154 members. We’ve done parish outreach, membership
drives at parishes, and promoted the Vocation Prayer Chalice program, where
parishioners at various parishes take home a chalice and pray for vocations.”
Father
Matthew Gomez, archdiocesan vocations director, said the Church needs good shepherds.
“I’m
the vocations director and I need to go fishing for good shepherds to lead the
flock,” he said. “The Lord calls and people of God answer that call. The awards
are always a great event. The altar servers come with their friends and family
and enjoy the lunch in the seminary cafeteria after Mass.”
Serran
Victor Rocha, who helped at the annual event, received his altar server award
in 1968 when he served at Miami’s St. Mary Cathedral.
“It’s
nice to see the joy of the people here today,” he said. “The Holy Spirit is
truly at work here. If there aren’t any priests, then there isn’t a Eucharist.”
He
noted how much the Serra Club has grown in Miami. In fact, it will host Serra International's USA Rally here, Jan. 24 and 25, 2024.
Gia
Chau, 14, received an altar server award for his participation at St. Louis
Church in Pinecrest. The Palmetto Middle School student arrived in the United
States five years ago with his family from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where
they attended Tan Thai Son Church. Gia is following in the footsteps of his
father, Choung Nguyen, as an altar server. He came to the event with his
parents, grandmother and little sister. His family have always been devout
Catholics, he said. Being an altar server is a family tradition.
“My
mother wants me to help the church,” Gia said.
Auxiliary
Bishop Enrique Delgado, who celebrated the Mass, talked about the importance of
altar servers.
“I
always say that serving on the altar is a privilege that allows children to
grow up in the knowledge of the Lord,” he said. “A Mass with altar servers
always inspires me. When I was a pastor, the sacristan always asked me how many
altar servers will you allow on the altar? And my answer always was, the more,
the merrier. All are welcome.”
Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
Father Matthew Gomez, archdiocesan vocations director, jokingly takes a selfie as altar servers pose for a group photo with their awards at the conclusion of the annual Mass and Altar Server Awards ceremony sponsored by the Miami Serra Club. It took place April 30, 2023, at St. Raphael Chapel on the campus of St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami, with Auxiliary Bishop Enrique Delgado presiding.