John Lennon said, “When you do something beautiful and nobody noticed, do not be sad. For the sun every morning is a beautiful spectacle, and yet most of the audience still sleeps.”
Those who appreciate the beauty of a church service, the liturgy and the ordered way in which things seem to effortlessly unfold, may unknowingly echo Lennon’s sentiments, especially during the holiday season, when they owe a debt of gratitude to a quiet group of unsung heroes.
Altar societies, sometimes called altar guilds, are ministries of service, often taken for granted and under appreciated by those who don’t know what all goes in to tending the beauty, peace and tranquility of worship. Behind the scenes, altar society members help prepare the church altar year round, but especially with cleaning and preparation for Christmas, Easter and other religious holidays.
The Rev. Chris Duncan of St. James Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge said that, though altar society members serve behind the scenes, they are the glue that holds everything together.
The Rev. Chris Duncan of St. James Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge said that, though altar society members serve behind the scenes, they are the glue that holds everything together.
“This group of dedicated women and men help ensure everything is how it needs to be. Their ministry is truly a gift to the larger congregation, as it affords everyone the opportunity to simply come, be present in the moment and worship the living God,” Duncan said.
When she was a child, Heather Sterling, who lives in Lafayette, helped her mom, Charlotte, with altar society duties in the church. In her mind, she felt like these activities afforded her a secret passageway to the church that no one else knew about.
When she was a child, Heather Sterling, who lives in Lafayette, helped her mom, Charlotte, with altar society duties in the church. Heather, right, 4, is pictured with her brother Christopher, 5, dressed in their children’s choir robes to perform for Christmas at St. James.
Now Sterling serves on the altar society at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Lafayette and as a parent volunteer at Episcopal School of Acadiana. Her mother has served as the head of the altar guild at St. James Episcopal Church in Alexandria since the early 1990s.
“It was always very fun to help my mother. I felt important. I felt involved,” Sterling said. “When I had the opportunity as an adult to help with the altar guild, that made me feel more connected to my mother in a lot of ways.”
Both Sterling and her mother help prepare their churches for the Advent and Christmas seasons through a variety of tasks. For example, in Alexandria, Charlotte Sterling explained that she helps arrange Christmas trees, poinsettias and garland to “green” the church. They also set the altar, wash and iron linens and clean the church.
Heather Sterling remembers watching her mother iron the altar veils when she was younger. Her mother would stretch them out across the dining room table for the task. For the record, the altar at St. James is 9½ feet long.
Heather Sterling remembers watching her mother iron the altar veils when she was younger. Her mother would stretch them out across the dining room table for the task. For the record, the altar at St. James is 9-and-a-half feet long.
“For me, being an Episcopalian, the altar is the center of our church,” Heather Sterling said. “The altar is where we get replenished and renourished, where we come together and celebrate the life of Christ.”
Many altar societies act as a way to nurture and deepen an individual’s faith. Though, when Nancy Jurasinski, now of Baton Rouge, was in Catholic school in New Orleans, the eighth grade girls at her school were responsible for keeping the flowers in front of Mary’s statue fresh during the month of May.
Jurasinski was so pleased with the task that she began to question who officially had the job. To which she was informed: the altar society.
Since 2014, Jurasinski has been a part of the altar society at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Baton Rouge. The idea of preparing flower arrangements drew her in initially, but the job has also given her a deeper appreciation and understanding of her faith.
At St. Agnes, she helps to assemble the crèche, which represents the scene of Jesus Christ’s birth, and the Christmas trees for the altar. Jurasinski explained that the miniature trees that surround the crèche are adorned with angel ornaments. Each week in Advent, a child picks a virtue, pledges to work on it in the week ahead and puts it in a basket. Then, the trees slowly fill up with angels, which have different virtues written on them.
Nancy Jurasinski explained that the miniature trees that surround the crèche are adorned with angel ornaments. Each week in Advent, a child picks a virtue, pledges to work on it in the week ahead and puts it in a basket. Then, the trees slowly fill up with angels, which have different virtues written on them.
“That’s something that I’ve really loved because it not only gets the kids involved, but the parents love it,” Jurasinski said. “There are some moms who will say, ‘Oh, look at this one, obedience, that’s the one we’re gonna work on this week.’”
Jane Christensen, of St. James Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge, also emphasized the importance of involving the next generation. However, she said that they don’t always seem to understand the value of an altar society.
Without one, Christensen said, the service almost wouldn’t happen.
In order to prepare for church services, Christensen and her team are responsible for cleaning the vessels, changing the hangings to reflect the Christmas season, making sure enough bread and wine are available and more.
“I’m not ready to give it up,” Christensen said of her duties with the altar guild. “It’s been a very special part of me. I have a quiet day all on my own. I talk to God while I’m there and anything that’s going on I can say, ‘Well God, help me with this.’”
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