The Ministry of Altar Servers (MOAS), formerly Knights of the Altar (KOA), is a parish organization composed of young men, assigned in assisting the clergy and parish as the community worships God. Serving at the altar is not just a responsibility but also a privilege as Altar Servers are the closes to the priests and the symbols that carry God’s presence. The Ministry of Altar Servers is a minist
ry under Sta. Clara de Montefalco Parish- Pasay City. It is comprised of young Catholic men ages nine (9) and above and who are dedicated to serving at liturgical events in their parish and to promoting Christian Brotherhood through prayer, service, and formation, driven by its core values of FAITH, LEADERSHIP, COMMITMENT and DISCIPLINE. It is of utmost importance to choose the right type of young man to serve at the altar. Our Lord said to His Apostles, “It is not you who chose me, but I who chose you.” (John 15:16) so too we believe with altar servers.
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HISTORY:
In the Old Testament, Serving at the temple of God was done by men consecrated to God. One of the notable figures int he bible was Samuel, a young boy who served in the temple of Shiloh, and had an encounter with God in his sleep (1 Samuel 3:10). In the feeding of five thousand, a miracle made by Jesus; a young boy was of service to Him. The boy provided Jesus with five loaves and two fish (John 6:1-14). Before the Last Supper was held, Jesus ordered Peter and John to secure a particular upper room and prepare the room for the passover feast (Luke 22:8)
When Jesus ascended to heaven, the Apostles continued evangelizing the Gospel to the ends of the world as Jesus instructed them (Matthew 28:19-20). After the Pentecost, they chose seven Deacons that will assist in their celebrations with the first Christian Community (Acts 6:1-7). One of the seven was St. Stephen, who was also known as the First Martyr of Christianity. He was killed by Saul, also known as St. Paul before he was converted and became one of the founding figures of early Christianity along with St. Peter (Acts 7:54-60)
In the past centuries, only the priests or those ordained to the office of Acolyte were allowed beyond the Communion rail to assist in the Worship of God. As seminaries grew, the Order of Acolyte became for the seminarian a step toward the goal of Priesthood, thus, not as many remained Acolyte to assist priests in the Sacred Services. Therefore, the church allowed laymen to perform the duties of that office. As it became more necessary for men to work steady hours to fulfill their duties as fathers and breadwinners, and young men were called to serve in wartime, boys were taught to take on the responsibilities of assisting the priests in their service of God. Dominic Savio and another boy Joseph Bongiovanni were close companions at St. John Bosco’s Oratory. Together they founded the Immaculate Conception Sodality for the purpose of frequenting Holy Communion. He and Joseph exchanged ideas for a special sodality for servers before Dominic’s death in 1857. Joseph shortly thereafter formed and served as the first president of an auxiliary of the Blessed Sacrament Sodality, the Knights of the Altar. Don Bosco recorded in his publication, Catholic Letters that the new sodality of the Knights of the Altar served their first Mass on January 31, 1858, on the occasion of the feast day celebration of St. Francis de Sales. Don Bosco celebrated the Mass and officially commissioned the Knights of the Altar in Divine Worship on February 2, 1858. Clara De Montefalco Parish Pasay was established in 1864, the church later then adopted the Knights of the Altar for the lay altar boys. In 2004, the Knights of the Altar in Sta. Clara de Montefalco Parish - Pasay City was reformed as the Ministry of Altar Servers.
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PATRON SAINT:
St. Tarcisius
During the 3rd Century AD, a young boy lived out his youth in serving God and the Holy Eucharist. Tarcisius died while holding the Blessed Sacrament in his chest, as he was beaten to death by a mob that wanted to take the Blessed Sacrament from him.
