Archconfraternity
est: 1904
News & Events
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Welcome!
Welcome message on the occasion of our new website from the Guild President.
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AGM Meeting
The 2024 AGM of the Guild will be held St Aloysius Church, Phoenix Road, Somers Town, London. All members welcome and encouraged to attend.
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Flame 2025
The Guild will be present and participating in the CymFed ‘Flame’ youth event at the OVO Arena Wembley in London, we hope you’ll be able to join us.
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National Mass 2025
The National Mass 2025 will be held in Lancaster in May 025
About Us
The Guild of St Stephen is the International Organisation of Altar Servers founded in England in 1904 by Father Hamilton McDonald when he formed a Society of Altar Servers at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in London.
In 1905, Pope Pius X gave his approval to the canonical establishment of the Guild at Westminster Cathedral and in 1906, the Sacred Congregation of Rites made the Guild an Archconfraternity prima primaria enabling all the parish branches to be linked with it.
The Guild spread, and in 1934, Pope Pius XI enabled all Guilds of Altar Servers throughout the British Commonwealth to be affiliated with the Archconfraternity at Westminster.
Patrons
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St Stephen
Stephen’s name means “crown”; he was the first disciple of Jesus to receive the martyr’s crown. Stephen was a deacon in the early Christian Church. The Apostles had found that they needed helpers to look after the care of the widows and the poor, so they ordained seven deacons. Stephen is the most famous of these.
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Our Lady
Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is also known as the Mother of the Church. Therefore she must also be the mother of all altar servers.
All through her life Mary served others. That was why she was chosen to be the Mother of God. We should pray to her to help us be better servers.
When Mary knew that she was to become the mother of Jesus, she said ‘My soul glorifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour. He looks on his servant in her lowliness’.
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Saint Thomas More
Thomas More was born in London in 1478. His father was a judge and Thomas followed in his footsteps. He married, had children, and was so good at his profession in the Law that he was appointed Lord Chancellor by King Henry VIII.
Thomas More however, fell out with the king and resigned. The trouble started when Henry wanted to divorce his wife. The Pope refused to allow it and Thomas was loyal to the Pope. Eventually he was arrested by the king, tried and beheaded at the Tower of London in 1535.
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Pope Saint Pius X
This saintly Pope is also a secondary patron of the Guild of St Stephen. He gave the Guild the Church’s highest approval in 1906, so we have much to be grateful to him for. However, that is not the main reason why he is a patron. Pius X did a great deal for the liturgy.
He encouraged greater participation in the celebration of the liturgy, especially by singing; most of all he made Catholics realise how the important the Mass is, and how important it is to receive Holy Communion regularly at Mass.
