About 300,000 children, adolescents, and young people serve as altar servers in Germany. This is the finding of a recent analysis conducted across German dioceses and presented today at the Forum for Altar Server Ministry in Wiesbaden. The proportion of female altar servers nationwide stands at around 54%. “Altar servers represent one of the strongest and most visible forms of church youth ministry in Germany”, explains the Auxiliary Bishop of Osnabrück, Monsignor Johannes Wübbe, president of the Commission for Youth Ministry of the German Bishops’ Conference. “Those who serve at the altar do more than simply learn the liturgical order. Young people actively shape their own religious lives and have unique experiences of faith. This is youth ministry in its most authentic sense: close to young people and connected to the life of the Church in their local communities”. The figures were presented at the Forum on youth ministry, which ended today after three days of work. Some 60 diocesan leaders, together with representatives from academia, training institutions and pastoral areas, noted that despite the decline in Mass attendance and in the number of young Catholics, serving at the altar remains one of the most popular pastoral commitments among young people.