Serve others with the love and compassion of God

May 02, 2016

By Norwin Edwin Biano
The second Altar Servers camp was organized by the Cathedral of St Mary Sandakan, where 77 altar servers from the Cathedral of St Mary, as well as other churches and chapels in the surrounding area participated.

The theme of the camp this year was Serve others with the love and compassion of God. After the registration, where the participants were welcomed by the Alter Servers from the Cathedral, they were invited to join in a familiarization session where everyone got to know each other. In the night session, Fr Sunny Chung, as the advisor, briefed them on the objectives of the camp, course content and camp rules. During that session, the facilitator was also introduced so that the participants would know who to go to, when necessary.

The next day, after morning prayers and Time of Life, the first session, Back To Basics, was conducted by Fr Sunny Chung. This session was about the very basic service performed by Altar Servers. After that session, the Altar Servers visited Bukit Maria. On the climb up the mountain, the rosary was recited and when they reached the top, Fr Sunny Chung celebrated Holy Mass.

The Altar Servers were also given the opportunity to share their experiences before climbing the mountain that afternoon. Many of the participants gained new experiences during the climb. Other than sharing their experiences, they also spoke about their challenges as Altar Servers. Later in the day, they participated in a Treasure Hunt. This outdoor activity was to help the participants work together as a team, to speak to one another to solve problems and learn to communicate with each other.

The night session was a happy social event where the Altar Servers could relax around a BBQ, together with representatives from the churches, chapels and the facilitator. A few religious sisters and members from the parish youth ministry also came by to join in the occasion.

On the last day of the camp, the participants learned more about Sts. Tarcisius and John Berchmans, patron saints of Altar Servers. The final session was a practical lesson on how to serve Mass. Fr Sunny informed all the Altar Servers that while the practical sessions that take place in the Cathedral are unlike any other church or chapel, the basics of serving are still the same. Thus, Altar servers must practise how to serve according to their own local church/chapel.

Before the session ended, Fr Sunny thanked all the Altar Servers. He hoped that they would become more dedicated and disciplined servers in their own churches/chapels. He emphasized that, to become an altar server, is not for ‘fun’ but to better understand the identity of being an Altar server — to serve with passion and to be always ready to serve others with love and compassion, according to the title Knights of the Altar.