By Richard Clark, Acolyte Warden
Cathedral Church of St. Luke

The Orlando acolyte crew at National Cathedral

It was my pleasure to take 11 of our acolytes to the 35th annual National Acolyte Festival in Washington, D.C. We were joined by 675 acolytes from 92 churches throughout the United States. One of the highlights of this service is the Grand Procession, with acolytes carrying processional crosses, banners, torches, flags, thuribles, and liturgical umbrellas. Our Presiding Bishop, Katherine Schori was the presiding officer and homilist of this glorious festival Eucharist. Our acolytes renewed their vows of commitment as acolytes which, I feel ,draws us even closer. We spent most of the day touring and enjoying our National Cathedral. While in Washington, we were able to visit several historic places in our nation’s capital. On Sunday morning, we attended a glorious Solemn High Mass at St. Paul’s, K Street. This was an awesome trip for our teenagers as well as for the adults. This pilgrimage really binds us together. We go to the National Acolyte Festival every other year by raising money through car washes and some financial support from our parishioners.

This is a pilgrimage that I recommend all acolytes attend.