A Servers Thoughts
John Sellar, a server from Kendal, Cumbria, shares his experiences of serving from starting out in a south London parish, before moving to Westminster Cathedral and later to Kendal clocking up 71 years service to date. Our thanks to him for sharing this account.
I had the pleasure last night [20 November 2025] of attending the annual Lancaster Diocese dinner of the Archconfraternity of St Stephen (the altar servers for short) with Bishop Paul Swarbrick in attendance and some 60 servers and priests from around the diocese at the Castle Green Hotel, Kendal and a very pleasant time was had by all.
Servers present ranged in age from 8 years to 83 years and we had a short presentation by Keith Earnshaw from St Wulstan, Fleetwood who has served for 75 years. It brought back memories.
I started serving 71 years ago in the South London Parish of Our Lady of Lourdes and moved two years later to the parish of St Philip Neri a few miles away. At the time we had four Masses on Sunday morning 8am, 9:30, 10:45 and 11:45 with an evening Mass at 5:30 followed by benediction at 6:30 and we had a full turnout of servers at each service. You needed 5 for Benediction.
We also had a weekday rota for the Masses at 7am and 9:30 and there was a Mass at 8pm on Friday which I got into the habit of serving at over the years followed by buying 'Rock and chips with a wally' on my way home wrapped in newspaper. A wally was a good sized pickled cucumber by the way, and it all cost half a crown (12.5p).
The priest for the early mass during the week was Polish and ALWAYS except on the biggest feast days said the Mass for the Dead with Black vestments and included the Dies Irae: it was all Latin at this time: and was finished by 7:20 with about 25 in the congregation. I had time to get home, have breakfast and catch the bus to school for 9am start. In those days priests were allowed to say three Masses on All Souls day, it was usually half term so still finished by 8am.
Friday 22nd November 1963 stands out. I was serving at the 8pm Mass as usual but left home just as news was coming through that President Kennedy had been killed. Mass started as usual with about 30 in the church but by the end it was full and so silent. Still remember that.
The family moved to West London where my parents ran the residential Knights of St Columba Club and I was able to join the altar servers at Westminster Cathedral who were members of the Guild of St Gregory. I stayed there for some five years while at University until my Military duties took me elsewhere.
At the Cathedral we had High Mass every Sunday at 10:30 and Vespers and Benediction at 3:30pm with one Sunday a month Confirmation with one of the Auxiliary bishops presiding as Cardinal Heenan was elsewhere. Christmas and Easter were BIG, the Easter vigil began at 10:30pm and we finished after 1am and then had to get home and then back for 10:30am.
In 1978 my wife and I with three small boys moved to Kendal and after things had settled down I began serving again here in Holy Trinity and St George. Serving has given me the opportunity to be part of the Church and I hope a representative of the congregation without being obtrusive. I often feel that the server should almost be part of the furniture and fade into the background but ready to step forward for the next act of the Mass without fuss.
I always say to servers don't rush, look as if you are doing it right even if you then have to go back but as those of you who were at the Easter Vigil this year know I didn't follow that rule, rushed to the altar to turn out the lights and forgot about the step behind the altar. Pride before the fall I suppose but nothing broken.
While I intend to go on serving, getting up off the knees without support might become a problem! Tempus Fugit.
John Sellar
