"Little Altar Boy" is a song by the popular group The Carpenters

The Carpenters

Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...

. Its B-side was "Do You Hear What I Hear", a song released on the An Old-Fashioned Christmas

An Old-Fashioned Christmas

An Old-Fashioned Christmas is a Christmas album from The Carpenters, released in 1984 after the death of singer/drummer Karen Carpenter.The album project had its genesis in several unused tracks from the Carpenters' previous Christmas album, 1978's Christmas Portrait. Richard Carpenter took these...

album in 1984. This single was a promotional single for the album and did not receive any chart status. There was no music video shot for this song.

History

"Little Altar Boy" was written in 1961, first a hit by vocalist Vic Dana

Vic Dana

Vic Dana is an American dancer and singer.Discovered by Sammy Davis, Jr., Dana was an excellent dancer , and was encouraged by Davis to move to Los Angeles to further his career. With the decline of dancing as a form of entertainment Dana initiated a singing career. He is best known for his 1965...

. In an introspective moment, this quiet song appears in the 1962 film Don't Knock the Twist

Don't Knock the Twist

Don't Knock the Twist is a 1962 film starring Lang Jeffries. It is the sequel to the 1961 film Twist Around the Clock-Plot summary:Many twist dancers' meet in preparation for the TV variety show called "The Twist." While the special is still in the production stages, jealousies lead to problems -...

. Andy Williams

Andy Williams

Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...

 and Glen Campbell

Glen Campbell

Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...

recorded the song on 1960s Christmas albums.
Little Altar Boy was written by Howlett P. Smith who recently changed the title to, "Little Holy Child", due to the situation in the Catholic Church as it pertains to priests and altar boys.