Verger

A verger (or virger, so called after the staff of the office, or wandsman in British English, though archaic)[1] is a person, usually a layperson, who assists in the ordering of religious services, particularly in Anglican churches.

In former times, a verger might have needed to use his virge to keep back animals or an overenthusiastic crowd from the personage he was escorting or even to discipline unruly choristers.

Historically, vergers were responsible for the order and upkeep of a house of worship, including the care of the church buildings, its furnishings, and sacred relics, preparations for liturgy, conduct of the laity, and grave-digging responsibilities.

Some vergers see their role as one of welcoming or hospitality, encompassing duties such as arranging weddings and funerals or meeting important visitors such as bishops.

[6] The office of the verger has, for the most part, disappeared in the Catholic tradition, the closest function being that of the sexton or the head or senior usher, particularly in those churches (usually large establishments, like St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City or the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC) that have a formal, organized corps of ushers.

In British popular culture, the BBC sitcom Dad's Army featured a bumbling caricature of a verger named Maurice Yeatman, played by Edward Sinclair.