On Saturday 4 October, over 320 altar servers gathered at St Chad’s Cathedral for their annual Mass of Thanksgiving.

It is thought to be the best ever attendance to the annual Mass for the Guild of St Stephen, which was celebrated by Bishop David Evans.

Altar servers, family and friends from parishes across the Archdiocese filled the cathedral to capacity.

Twelve priests and four deacons also attended and this year’s altar servers on the Sanctuary were from St Margaret Mary parish, Perry Common.

The Mass is an opportunity for servers to come together as we give thanks for their faithful service. Together, the Diocesan Prayer for Vocations was prayed, and Altar Servers made a renewal of their promises.

The Guild Promise:

I offer myself to God almighty,
To Blessed Mary our Mother
And to our holy patron, Saint Stephen,
And I promise to do my best
To serve regularly with reverence and understanding,
For the glory of God, the service of his Church
And my own eternal salvation

Mass Booklet

The annual event is organised by the Diocesan Vocations Office, led by Fr Craig Szmidt, Diocesan Director of Vocation. 

Feedback from Saturday’s event was positive, with particular praise for the beautiful liturgy and quality of the music.

At the end of Mass Fr Craig announced the next Called to Serve young altar servers' retreat, a collaboration between the Diocesan Vocations Office and the Kenelm Youth Trust (KYT), will take place from Friday 27 February - Sunday 1 March 2026.

Called to Serve information

The Guild of St Stephen is an international organisation of altar servers, founded in England in 1904.

Altar servers take Saint Stephen - one of the first seven deacons chosen to assist the apostles in service (Acts 6) and the first martyr of the Church - as their patron.

The objectives of the Guild are:
•    To encourage, positively and practically, the highest standards of serving at the Church's liturgy and so contribute to the whole community's participation in a more fruitful worship of God.
•     To provide altar servers with a greater understanding of what they are doing so that they may serve with increasing reverence and prayerfulness and thereby be led to a deepening response to their vocation in life.
•    To unite servers of different parishes and dioceses for their mutual support and encouragement

The Guild of St Stephen for the Archdiocese of Birmingham is administered by the Diocesan Vocations Office. If you are interested in the priesthood or permanent diaconate and would like to know more, please visit the Vocations Office website