The Acolyte

The Acolyte

Acolyte is a concept that is used in the field of the Catholic religion . Acolyte is called to the individual who, without having clerical orders , can act in extraordinary situations as a minister , administering the Eucharist and fulfilling 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. From the beginning of the Church , the acolytes were young people who escorted the bishops because they wanted, later, to access the ecclesiastical world. In this way, they acted as messengers of the clergy and carried out different tasks during the mass.

Although it is customary for acolytes to be aspirants to clerical orders, lay people can also exercise ministry . It is important to differentiate, in any case, between the acolyte (who is instituted) and the altar boy (any Catholic who has received the 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 can be exercised during the liturgy make the concepts of acolyte and altar boy usually used in an indistinct way. Sometimes even an altar boy is considered an "acolyte in fact" , since he is not instituted within the framework of a ministry but collaborates with the priest and serves the altar.

In the universe of Marvel Comics , on the other hand, the Acolytes are known as a group of villains who respond to Magneto , and who consider themselves their fans. Its creation was in charge of Jim Lee and Chris Claremont and debuted in the first volume of X-Men of the year 1991.

At first, this group of mutants fled desperately 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 villains of the series.

Throughout history, Acolytes intersect with Magneto, who provides protection in Asteroid M , the name of their space station, where they take refuge for a while. However, Fabian Cortez gets them to confront the group of Men X and part of the Acolytes lose their lives on the battlefield.

* feel honored to have been chosen to take this position, and make every effort to carry it out responsibly and faithfully;

* pay special attention to the tasks of arranging the ceremonies, such as the preparation of the altar and the lighting of the thurible;

* Always show a deep love for the Lord through acts, such as visiting the nearest church regularly, pray the rosary every day and a prayer of action of thanksgiving after Communion;

* keep alive the bond of friendship that unites them with God. For example, go to the confessional before any sin and avoid any occasion that may lead to behaviors that are far from the path marked by religion;

* accept any indication to improve with absolute humility , to open the doors to the correction of one's mistakes;

* act with responsibility and seriousness during the celebration of the ceremonies, fulfilling with precision the orders and duties, paying attention to the notices of the minister and showing a discreet and inspiring attitude towards the faithful;

* take care of the direction of the gaze and posture in the Masses, avoiding by all means the distractions and staying upright.