The acolyte collaborates with the deacon or the priest.
Acolyte is a concept that is used in the field of the Catholic religion . This is the name given to the individual who, without having clerical orders , can act in extraordinary situations as a minister , administering the Eucharist and performing functions at the altar.
The mission of the acolyte is to collaborate with the priest or deacon in the mass and in other celebrations of the liturgy. Since the beginning of the Church , the acolytes were young people who escorted the bishops as they intended, later, to access the ecclesiastical world. In this way, they acted as messengers for the clergy and carried out different tasks during mass.
Acolytes and altar servers
Although it is usual for acolytes to be aspirants to clerical orders, lay people can also exercise the ministry . It is important to differentiate, however, between the acolyte (who is instituted) and the altar boy (any Catholic who has received first communion and who wishes to collaborate with the priest). Acolytes can instruct altar servers and, in special situations, give communion if there are a large number of communicants or if the minister is absent.
Beyond this distinction, the similar tasks that they can perform during the liturgy mean that the concepts of acolyte and altar boy are often used interchangeably. Sometimes an altar boy is even considered to be a “de facto acolyte,” since he is not instituted within the framework of a ministry but collaborates with the priest and serves at the altar.
Church Recommendations
The Church offers a series of recommendations for acolytes:
- Feel honored to have been chosen to carry out this position, and make every effort to carry it out with responsibility and fidelity.
- Pay special attention to the tasks of organizing the ceremonies, such as preparing the altar and lighting the turíbulo.
- Always show a deep love for the Lord through actions, such as visiting the nearest church regularly, praying the rosary every day and a prayer of thanksgiving after taking communion.
- Keep alive the bond of friendship that unites you with God. For example, go to the confessional when faced with any sin and avoid any occasion that could lead to behavior that is far from the path marked by religion.
- Accept any indication to improve with absolute humility , to open the doors to correcting your own mistakes.
- Act responsibly and seriously during the celebration of ceremonies, precisely carrying out orders and duties, paying attention to the minister's warnings and showing a discreet and inspiring attitude towards the faithful.
- Take care of the direction of your gaze and posture during masses, avoiding distractions by all means and staying upright.
The Acolytes are villains from the Marvel universe.
Acolytes in the Marvel Comics universe
In the Marvel Comics universe , on the other hand, a group of villains who answer to Magneto , and who consider themselves his fans, are known as the Acolytes . Their creation was led by Jim Lee and Chris Claremont and they debuted in the first volume of X-Men in 1991 .
At first, this group of mutants was desperately fleeing from the soldiers of SHIELD , an intelligence agency that is part of the Marvel Universe and is under the direction of the character Nick Fury. The first leader of the Acolytes was Fabian Cortez , another of the series' villains .
Throughout the story, the Acolytes cross paths with Magneto , who provides them protection on Asteroid M , the name of their space station, where they take refuge for a time. However, Cortez gets them to confront the X Men group and part of the Acolytes lose their lives on the battlefield.