Altar Guild

Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with thy most gracious favor, and further us with thy continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy Name, and finally, by thy mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Book of Common Prayer

altar guild

Altar Guilds are groups of people in the Episcopal Church who take care of the altar. This tradition started a long time ago when only priests were responsible for the altar. Later on, other people were allowed to help too, including men and eventually women. Today, these groups are an important part of many churches and help keep the altar looking nice and clean.

The Altar Guild is a group of people who take care of important things used in religious ceremonies. They make sure everything is clean and ready for the beginning and end of the ceremony. This includes things like the special plates and cups used for bread and wine, as well as the tablecloths, candles, and other decorations. It’s not just a job, but an important way to serve the community.

The altar guild is a group that helps prepare all the things needed for important church events, like the Eucharist and other ceremonies. They follow instructions in special books called the Book of Common Prayer and the Book of Occasional Services.

Duties

Eucharist

  • Putting out the necessary vessels: wine, water, chalices
  • Placing the communion wafers and the priest’s wafer on the paten
  • Assembling the Eucharistic ensemble
  • After the service, collecting all the vessels, linens, candles, and other items and returning them to the sacristy.

Linens

  • Placing the appropriate linens on the altars
  • Putting linens on the tables at the rear of the sanctuary
  • Placing linens on the credence tables
  • Putting corporals on the altars
  • Laundering used linens

Responsibilities

  • Replacing the candles or filling them
  • Replacing individual votive candles
  • Placing the candles on the altar
  • Ordering supplies as needed
  • Light housekeeping of the sanctuary and sacristy

To learn more, visit the National Altar Guild Association