The September-October 2023 issue of Catholic Herald magazine has been published. The theme for this issue is respect life. The digital edition of the magazine is available at https://catholicmagazines.org/magazine-archive/catholic-herald/sac0923

In preparation for Communion, there is a small yet significant ritual called the Fraction Rite or the Fraction of the Bread. The priest breaks the consecrated host and makes preparation for the distribution of Holy Communion, with the assistance of the deacon. While these rituals are conducted, the assembly recites or sings the simple — normally three-part — invocation to the Lamb of God: “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.” The last invocation ends with “grant us peace.” The text echoes the proclamation of John the Baptist made to his disciples as Jesus approached them along the banks of the River Jordan, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (Jn 1:29)

In photo above, Martin Wong with altar servers, left to right, Isabella-Marie P. Eulie, Tyler Parkpakorn and Nathaniel Garcia, before the altar inside St. John Vianney Church in Rancho Cordova.

In February 2022, when parishes throughout the Diocese of Sacramento got word from Bishop Jaime Soto that altar servers could return to the liturgy with some restrictions after the COVID-19 pandemic, many parishes found themselves rebuilding the typically youth-centered altar server ministry from the ground up.

“It became a formation opportunity,” says Martin Wong, chair of the pastoral council at St. John Vianney Parish in Rancho Cordova, who stepped up to lead and coordinate the remake of the parish’s altar server ministry about a year and a half ago.