The thurifer may or may not be attended by a boat boy. If a boat boy is present, he always stands on the thurifer’s right, except when incense is prepared on the footpace. Then the boat boy stands on the thurifer’s left to facilitate presenting the boat to the deacon. The thurifer needs to prompt the boat boy when to accompany him, how to present and receive the boat, and when to return the boat to the vestry.
Before mass, the thurifer vests in a cassock and prepares the thurible.
The thurifer should double-check that the boat is well-stocked with incense.
He should check that four coals are ready in the ceramic dish
Fifteen minutes before mass, he should light three coals and place them in the thurible.
Before going with the other servers to the sacristy for the preparatory prayers, he puts a surplice over his cassock.
For the entrance into the church, the thurifer leads the procession, when the singing begins, at a slow and stately pace, in keeping with the tempo of the processional hymn.
After genuflecting at the foot of the altar, he goes to the Epistle side and stands ready for the censing of the altar.
When the celebrant and deacon step up to kiss the altar, the thurifer steps up to the footpace and stands ready to present the thurible
He or the boat boy presents the boat to the deacon and he opens the thurible.
After the blessing and imposition of incense, he hands the thurible to the deacon.
During the censing, he waits at his place at the altar step.
The thurifer receives the thurible back from the deacon and takes it to the vestry, putting the thurible on its stand, outside the vestry door.
The thurifer moves to his place in the chancel pews.
After the Gradual Psalm, but before the Epistle begins, the thurifer/boat boy join the torch bearers in exiting quietly into the vestry to prepare for the Gospel procession. There might be a bit of time spent in the vestry at this point, and so it would be a good idea to stand in the outside doorway with the thurible so as not to smoke up the room, setting off the alarm.
As the Alleluia/Gospel Acclamation begins, he moves to the footpace in the center of the chancel, and stands ready for the boat to be presented to the deacon for the celebrant to lay on incense.
If the Bishop is present, then the thurible is presented to him at his cathedra
As soon as the incense is blessed, he goes [without the boat boy] to the front of the chancel to lead the Gospel Procession.
At the first pew, the thurifer turns off to the right (the Gospel side) and waits for others to pass, then follows them to the center of the nave.
During the Gospel, he waits gently swinging the thurible. standing behind the deacon.
After the Gospel, the thurfier leads the party back toward the chancel, again peeling off in front of the first poew allowing the others to pass.
The thurifer hands the thurible to the deacon for censing the celebrant before the homily. (If the deacon is the homilist, the thurifer censes him with two double-swings).
Once the homilist has passed by on his way to the pulpit, the thurifer takes the thurible to its stand, outside the vestry door.
Toward the end of the homily, he slips into the vestry and places a fresh coal in the thurible.
At the Offertory, he brings the thurible to the footpace, Epistle-side for the second censing of the altar.
After the censing is done, the thurifer waits for the acolyte’s cue to move to the center of the footpace, across from the acolyte, where he receives the thurible from the acolyte, and incenses him with one double swing.
He goes then goes to the foot of the altar, genuflects, and then moves to the chancel gate. He censes people at the chancel gate, one single swing in the center, to the left, and to the right.
He walks then to the choir stall, Epistle side, while the celebrant says "Pray brethren."
After the response, when the celebrant turns back to the altar, he moves to the center of the foot of the altar, where he genuflects with the torchbearers and goes to the vestry.
As the torchbearers get their torches, the thurifer quickly lays on a little more incense in the thurible.
As the celebrant says “Therefore with angels and archangels…” with the torch bearers he returns to the foot of the altar and remains standing as the torch bearers kneel.
He kneels after the Benedictus.
The thurifer bows profoundly at the Consecration, rising when the bell rings to cense the Sacred Species: one triple-swing at each genuflection, at each elevation, and then at the genuflection -- three triple-swings for the Body and for the Blood.
At the Lord's Prayer, the thurifer rises with the torchbearers, genuflects, and puts the thurible away, on its stand, outside the vestry door.
He returns to the foot of the altar and kneels at the cushion on the Epistle side, where he communicates.
After the ministers move to communicate the people, the thurifer leads the other servers in moving to their places in the chancel pews, where they kneel.
After the Dismissal, when the recessional hymn begins, he waits for the crucifer and torch bearers to move into place before moving himself [with the boat boy] to a place between them and the sacred ministers for the recessional. If there is not boat boy, he stands next to the MC.
The thurible is not processed out, as this is not truly a procession at all (processions are toward some sacred place), but rather an exit. Incense is brought as a gift to the altar of God, and so is left there as such, and not taken away; unless, of course, there is to be a proper procession (e.g. – to the shrine) following the mass.
In the narthex, the thurifer kneels with the other servers to receive the celebrant’s blessing.
In the vestry, he takes the stand inside and sets the thurible on the stand, making sure to leave the thurible open and allowing any remaining smoldering coals to go out on their own. He makes sure also that the boat sits atop the stand.