The dream of every altar server is to meet the Pope! These young altar servers from Malta and Gozo have traveled to Rome for a unique privilege: serving the liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica. A summer camp program where candidates undergo examinations before being selected, learning the responses to the Mass in Italian and English and even memorizing the basilica’s many altars. That knowledge was especially important when priests could celebrate private morning Masses throughout St. Peter’s and servers needed to guide them to the different altars. The experience remains one of service, formation and faith at the heart of the Church. After the General Audience on Aug. 26, a group of these young altar servers had a special encounter with Pope Leo XIV. Discover more at