April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
SENIOR SERVER
On the altar for 69 years
Mr. Gizzi has been an altar server since he was 12, and it's time for the Stations of the Cross at nearby St. Francis of Assisi parish.
"When I was in school, my friends and I used to bug the nuns to put us in the Mass as servers all the time," he told The Evangelist with a smile. "It's just something I've always loved to do."
Mr. Gizzi has spent much of his life on the altar, assisting priests and making sure each liturgy runs as smoothly as possible.
Unbroken streak
When people ask why he still serves after 69 years, his answer is simple: "I've never turned down serving a Mass, even if that means doing two or three in one day - and it's given me a good relationship with so many priests. They know they can rely on me and I know I can trust them."
That's a good thing, too: Because there isn't currently a permanent pastor assigned to St. Francis of Assisi, Mr. Gizzi has had to adjust his "altar serving technique" to accommodate the many different priests who come to celebrate the Mass.
Making adjustments
"There's a drawer on the altar of St. Francis, and if you open that drawer you see my sheet of paper with 19 priests' names on it," he confided. "And for each of those 19 names you'll see how they like things to be for the Mass: the size of the host they use; whether or not I am to purify the chalice; if I wash it or they do; and whether they use incense for funerals."
Although that seems like a lot to remember, the fact that Mr. Gizzi serves at Masses every weekend has made getting to know the preferences of 19 priests easier.
Besides, he notes, consider the number of priests he has served since 1942.
"I'll do everything I can to make sure the Mass runs smoothly," Mr. Gizzi added. "That might mean making sure the wine is warm or cold and it might mean dirty work - but that's fine, I'll do it."
Even when the father of three was serving in the Army during the Korean War and was stationed in Iceland for a year, he took on the role of chaplain's assistant and altar server overseas.
Mr. Gizzi still remembers putting together the Army-commissioned chalice - which was in pieces for easier travel - and falling asleep once while the chaplain said Mass.
He used to bring his missal with him everywhere, so that even if he was at sea and could not attend Mass, he could still meditate on the readings.
Never miss
"I don't care what I have to do to get to Mass - I won't walk out the door the next day without having been to Mass the day before," the proud Catholic declared. "When I'm on vacation and walking into a new hotel, the first question I ask is, 'Where is the nearest Catholic church?'
"I'm just a fiend for the Mass," the senior server concluded. "I'll stop altar serving when I die."[[In-content Ad]]
250 X 250 AD
250 X 250 AD
Events
250 X 250 AD
Comments:
You must login to comment.