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Office of the verger
The Office of Verger (Virger, Custos, Sub-Sacrist, Serjeant of the
Vestry, or even ‘Church Mouse’) is an ancient one and means ‘He who
carries the Virge before the procession’. The ‘Verge’ is the rod of
office (Latin - Virga; Old French-Vergier), and was used to ensure that
the many processions were not impeded during worship. This was an
important duty in the Middle Ages, and on important festivals two
Vergers were on duty.
However, the Verger’s duties have developed over the centuries, and now
combine tasks which were often carried out by other individuals.
Today, Vergers continue to have an important ceremonial role, but add management responsibilities, with the care of people and a variety of other duties , including the behind-the-scenes management of worship and the care of vestments, plate and other valuable objects.
Vergers are committed Christians dedicated to serving Our Lord Jesus Christ and his Church. Their work brings them into contact with a whole spectrum of people who visit our churches and cathedrals, and they must be sensitive to the widely varying needs of these visitors. Many will be seeking historical information or just the time of the services, but others may be in emotional or spiritual distress, and to these the verger must offer a sympathetic ear, guiding them towards appropriate counselling if required.
At a practical level vergers will often bear the immediate responsibility for the care and security of the building and - particularly in many parish churches - the presence of the verger guarantees that the building can remain open outside service times as a place of prayer and of Christian witness to the local or wider community.
Click on the audio bar below to hear what BBC radio 4 has to say about life as a verger.
All content copyright © 2009 by SuMor for The Guild Of Vergers, all rights reserved.
