Bishop Gregory Parkes shared his appreciation, stating, "As your bishop, I want to thank you for your service to your parishes and for giving a good example to your parish and to those who serve with you."

The day began with a morning prayer led by Bishop Parkes, followed by the Altar Server of the Year Awards, lunch, and a fun field day. 

Samantha, an altar server at St. Matthew Catholic Church, was completely surprised when her name was called as her parish's Altar Server of the Year. 

"I was shocked when I found out I was named Altar Server of the Year," Samantha recalled. "I had been under the impression that one of the other servers was getting it, and it didn't even register until I opened the folder." 

Samantha joined the Catholic Church just last year at the Easter Vigil and quickly began training to become an altar server. 

"Seeing the other altar servers on the altar and hearing how much fun they had made me excited to be able to serve," Samantha said. "I love helping people and showing my devotion." 

Her favorite part of altar serving is getting to hold the book for Father. She added, "I get to hear prayers firsthand, and seeing the focus he puts into leading Mass is very inspiring." 

Samantha truly encourages others to try altar serving. "Altar serving is so much fun. Honestly, some of my best memories at church were made on the altar." 

If you're interested in becoming an altar server, contact your local parish for more information. 

The Office of Vocations is funded through gifts to the Catholic Ministry Appeal. To learn more about the Catholic Ministry Appeal or to make a contribution, visit www.dosp.org/catholicministryappeal.

To view photos from the event, click the arrows below.