Altar Boys Celebrate Their Day with Bishop Loverde

By Alfonso Aguilar
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the issue of 8/29/02)

LAKE FAIRFAX — This time they didn’t arrive in orderly groups of four or six, but by dozens and dozens until there were almost 300. They didn’t wear their traditional white vestments, but came in shorts, T-shirts and baseball caps. And they were not solemn, as is required when they perform their important role during the Mass. They were full of enthusiasm, shouting, laughing and celebrating the day the Arlington Diocese dedicates to them — the altar boys’ picnic.

Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde, dozens of priests and the families of the altar boys celebrated the 2002 Altar Server Picnic, which is organized by the Office of Vocations, headed by Father Robert Avella and assisted by Father Brian G. Bashista. Once again, the Knights of Columbus co-hosted the event.

The annual event was held last Thursday in Lake Fairfax Park in Reston. As in previous years the celebration included many sports — baseball, football, soccer and fishing, where priests and parents competed with the altar boys.

While many were playing or chatting about their various parishes or who their respective pastors were, two dozen members from six councils of the Knights of Columbus were preparing the picnic lunch and cooking hot dogs and cheeseburgers on a huge barbeque grill.

"We really enjoy this special day," said co-host Kerry Gorton who has attended the picnic for the last nine years. "I remember that at our first picnic we only had 60 or 70 altar boys, but now we have nearly 300 boys and their families," he said.

Among the many families was Lambie Renner and her sons Steven and Robby, both altar boys at Holy Spirit Parish in Annandale. Lambie said that the youngest, Robby, is very active in his parish and wants to be a priest.

"Yes, yes I want to be a priest," Robby, 7, said with determination.

Another altar boy from All Saints in Manassas, Connor Geiran, 12, was not yet sure that he would go on to be a priest, but he said he would like to serve at Mass two or three times a week rather than just once. "But not on the same day," he clarified.

The Altar Server Picnic concluded with a raffle. All the altar boys wrote their names on slips of paper and put them in a box. Prizes, which were gifts from the Knights of Columbus, included footballs and basketballs, backpacks and two grand prizes of $100 savings bonds.

There were nine prizes and thus only nine winners, but everybody enjoyed the raffle, including Bishop Loverde, who laughed when he withdrew a slip and was ready to announce the winner but couldn’t as the slip was blank.

"Do another one, please," the altar boys shouted.  

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