Institution of Acolyte

The acolyte has things to do at the liturgy, assisting the priest and deacon: “it is his duty therefore to attend to the service of the altar and to assist the deacon and the priest in liturgical celebrations, especially in the celebration of Mass”. He needs to ensure that everything has been properly prepared, helps the deacon to prepare the altar for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. and may assist in the distribution of Holy Communion  when there are not enough priests and deacons.

The acolyte also has things to do in the community and all of them flow from his service of the Eucharist. So he may take communion to the sick and housebound,  he is an appropriate person to  prepare altar servers and others who assist in the liturgies,  not just showing them what to do but helping them to understand the significance of what they are doing. He may also, in the absence of a priest or deacon, expose the Blessed Sacrament for adoration.

The Church encourages acolytes to deepen their devotion to the Eucharist and to acquire an ever more profound understanding of it. The acolyte is to be ‘in the temple an example to all by his serious and respectful comportment’. His service of the sacramental Body and Blood of Christ ought to stimulate in him ‘a sincere love for the mystical body of Christ, or the people of God, especially the weak and the sick’.

For clerical brothers of religious institutes, as for seminarians, being instituted as an acolyte is a step towards ordination (God willing). It enables them to take a more active role in the sacramental and pastoral service of the community.