ALTAR GUILD

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Liturgy begins and ends with the work of the Altar Guild. To care for the sacred vessels, the bread and the wine, the fair linens and hangings and the candles and torches used for worship in the Sanctuary is far more than a task, it is a true ministry​.
-Altar Guild Manual of Christ Episcopal Church, Georgia 

The Altar Guild is a volunteer group whose ministry is to care for the altar, vestments, vessels, and altar linens of the church. Altar Guild members prepare the sanctuary for services, and clean up afterwards. Altar Guild members frequently supervise the decoration of the sanctuary of the parish with flowers.  

The rector is the head of the Guild, but he or she cannot do all that must be done in preparation for all of the services.  The Altar Guild plays an important role and must be reliable and dependable. The rector sets the rules, the style, and the tone of the services by his or her preference for flowers, placement of the vessels used in the services, and whether to use incense or not. 

Visit the National Altar Guild Association Website

Most liturgical ministries are carried out in a very public way, for the entire congregation to see. The priests and deacons, the acolytes and readers, the musicians, the ushers, and almost all the rest do their work when everyone is there. The altar guild, however, is different. Most of the altar guild’s work happens in the days between Sunday and Sunday when no one is there to see.  -The Rev. Canon Patrick Malloy,  Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, NY (Posting on the National Altar Guild Association website)

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Altar Linens & Stoles

Currently, the Good Shepherd Women in Ministry (Wailuku, Maui) are sewing palaka stoles and shawls (shown at left), and Chris Omura from Good Samaritan (Honolulu, Oʻahu) has volunteered to sew purificators,  lavabos and corporals on request. For more information, pricing and details, contact Louise Aloy through the form shown above.

The following are excerpts from a 2014 "Ask the Bishop" article about Altar Guilds after Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick had attended a gathering of Altar Guilds from several Oʻahu congregations:

Altar guilds that function best have a congregational manual for local use with photos and detailed notes on customs and practices unique to the congregation. I do think it helpful to have a standard handbook to aid in preparation of a local congregational manual. These are two commonly used handbooks written for Episcopal Churches:

        a. The New Altar Guild Book by Barbara Gent (Morehouse Publishing, revised edition 1996)
        b. A Working Manual for Altar Guilds by Dorothy C. Diggs (Morehouse Publishing, third edition 1988)

It would be helpful for each altar guild to choose one of these handbooks and prepare a local congregational manual based on the principles in the selected handbook and in keeping with local practice.  READ 

I also suggested that it is helpful to have a couple of books on the self in every sacristy. In fact, these can be helpful for every Episcopalian to own and review to better understand our tradition:

        a. The Episcopal Handbook (Morehouse Publishing, 2008)
        b. A Dictionary for Episcopalians by John Wall (Cowley Publications, revised edition 2000)

These can provide some general answers to questions “Episcopalian” and they are relatively inexpensive. 

Additionally, I did recommend two books in the 2014 Bishop's Reading List that I think could be helpful to altar guild members and others involved in the worship ministry of the Church:
 
        a. Liturgical Sense: The Logic of Rite by Louis Weil (Seabury Books, 2013)
        b. The Liturgy Explained by James W. Farwell (Morehouse Publishing, new edition 2013)

Some congregations have had a change in clergy leadership and others are not always sure why things are done as they have been done. I suggested that it is helpful for each congregation to have a “customary.” This is a set of guidelines for local practice in a congregation’s worship.  It is a synopsis of the ceremonies. It need not be an absolute formulary and it should provide some flexibility.  It can provide the “standard” for instruction of worship ministers and aid in the planning of the Church year.  

I tend to use a series from Cowley Publication by Galley and Mitchell as my customary [the basis of my liturgical practice with some re-evaluation in light of Liturgical Sense: The Logic of Rite by Louis Weil noted above and augmented by insights from The Bishop Is Coming!: A Practical Guide for Bishops and Congregations by Paul V. Marshall (Church Publishing, 2007)]:

        1.a. The Ceremonies of the Eucharist: A Guide to Celebration by Howard E. Galley (Cowley Publications, 1989)
        1.b. Pastoral and Occasional Liturgies: A Ceremonial Guide by Leonel L. Mitchell (Cowley Publications, 1998)
        1.c. Lent, Holy Week, Easter and the Great Fifty Days: A Ceremonial Guide by Leonel Mitchell (Cowley Publications, 2006)

I have also found two newer works from Church Publishing by Malloy and Turrell to be helpful (with good illustrations):

        2.a. Celebrating the Eucharist: A Practical Ceremonial Guide for Clergy and Other Liturgical Ministers by Patrick Malloy (Church Publishing, 2008)
        2.b. Celebrating the Rites of Initiation: A Practical Ceremonial Guide for Clergy and Other Liturgical Ministers by James F. Turrell (Church Publishing, 2013)

It is helpful for teaching purposes to have a standard customary in each congregation.  Having heard from members of altar guilds and lay worship ministers, I think it would be helpful in every church in our Diocese. 

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