This altar 'boy' still serving at 93

BY PAT PASTERNAK
STAFF WRITER

A few minutes before 7 a.m. each weekday, Vincent DeClementi prepares the altar and lights the candles at the Franciscan Shrine Chapel in Rensselaer.

During the half-hour daily liturgy, he stands to the right of the priest and, in that small space, leads the congregation of about 30 people in kneeling, sitting and standing.

He assists the priest with the bread and wine and rings the bell during the consecration. After Communion, he returns the altar cloths and chalice to their proper places. In reverence, he bows, then sits.

After Mass, he genuflects smoothly, snuffs out the altar candles, puts the lectionary away and locks up the chapel as he leaves.

None of these actions are unusual for an altar server -- except that this "altar boy" is 93 years old.

Mr. DeClementi has served at Masses "for just about 83 years," he told The Evangelist as he locked the outer door of the chapel. It's such a part of his routine that he claimed he doesn't think too much about it.

Keeping mum

In fact, he's nearly speechless on the subject, preferring to discuss another role: Mr. DeClementi is a retired Army brigadier general, a veteran of World War II and National Guard Civil Defense officer.

When pressed to discuss his ministry, Mr. DeClementi talked about the importance of the Gospel message, the future of the Catholic Church and his Italian family traditions.

Then he changed the subject to his National Guard years, when he spent nearly every weekend training other guardsmen in civil defense techniques, especially during "the Cold War years of the [19]50s."

What might seem to be a conflict of roles for the parishioner of St. Joseph's/St. John's in Rensselaer evaporates each day at Mass, where, for him, it all seems to fall into place.

"I survived World War II," he explained. "So many of our soldiers weren't lucky enough to come home. I decided to serve because I wanted to give something back in thanksgiving."

Upstate move

Mr. DeClementi and his wife, Dorothy, moved from Brooklyn to the Albany Diocese 22 years ago after he retired from the military. The home they purchased is across the street from the Franciscan chapel.

Growing up in Brooklyn after World War I, the son of Italian immigrants said that serving on the altar for most of his life has been the result of an upbringing fostered by traditional Italian family life, centered around the life of the Church.

"Things were very different in those days. Everyone went to church; everyone wanted to be there. It was our social community. It was the mid-1920s, and many boys wanted to serve on the altar because altar boys received 50-cent stipends for serving at weddings.

"That was a lot of money in those days. We all wanted to serve the weddings," he added with a laugh.

Mr. DeClementi also felt a desire to serve his country from an early age.

"When I was a Boy Scout, [aviator] Charles Lindbergh paraded through New York. The local Boy Scouts were put in charge of crowd control. I remember as Lindbergh rode past us, I had to work very hard to keep the crowd behind me. I knew from that moment that I wanted to be a soldier, someone that would protect people," he remembered.

Interfaith

Mrs. DeClementi, 89, doesn't attend daily Mass. She is Jewish but long ago agreed to raise their two children as Catholic.

"We raised our daughter and son as Catholic and gave them the choice to change [faiths] if they wanted to when they grew up. As it turned out, both decided to remain Catholic," she said.

Regarding her husband's altar service, she said, "He has a lot of energy and he loves to serve at Mass. I'm glad he does it."

Mr. DeClementi once again recalled his parents, who "were proud to be Americans and proud to be Catholic. I think that's why I joined the military and I know that's why I've served as an altar server for so long. It's what I do every day. I will continue as long as I can."

 (Mr. DeClementi enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1935 and was assigned to the 14th Infantry. During World War II, he served in the 771st Tank Destroyer Battalion. Later, he joined the National Guard, where he became one of the top Civil Defense Officers in New York State. His awards for military service include the Bronze Star, two Battle Stars for World War II Victory, the New York State Conspicuous Meritorious Service medal, the Commendation Medal and the Conspicuous Cross for Humanitarian Service. He is a Knight Templar of the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem, an ecumenical Christian organization that performs charitable works, and a retired electrician. The DeClementis have been married for 72 years. To mark their 70th anniversary, Pope Benedict XVI sent a congratulatory letter, which they framed and hung in their home.)

(07/10/08)