Then the men are not doing what God called them to do! Isn’t our faith strong enough to become leaders and role models of our community? Are we chicken to teach the young boys what the expectations are for them? We should not blame our weakness on the women. Bishop Fulton Sheen gave a great speech on how a man should behave like a man, because that it is the way he was created.
At 11 or 12 YOU BET! Not weak but growing and awkwardly going through puberty, and they fear the rejection of their peers more than anything else.
I won’t put my son into that role merely because I am just too careful with who my son is alone with. But secondly he would be the only male altar server in my Parish and would look foolish. He’ll stick with baseball and football instead.
I can understand your point of better being safer than sorry. My parish avoids the problem by having more than one person working with the kids in any ministry. I would never leave my son alone and that it is why my wife or myself are always present at all the activities (Church or social) where he participates.
I think it’s a gross misinterpretation of what I said actually. No you don’t understand me at all apparently, try reading everything I’ve written. Try looking at this through the eyes of a 12 year old boy.
What a shame. If children who have apprehensive parents are unable to look up to a priest as a role model, but instead as an object of fear, why should they ever wish to be one themselves?
I didn’t create this disaster it was the guilty priests and guilty Bishops that allowed it to happen that created the environment, I’m merely another victim of it.
Actually, I like boys. I like men. And I haven’t met very many who are intimidated by women or girls. (This seems to be limited to hypothetical 12 year old boys on the Internet who are avoiding altar service because they are frightened of the girls - or whatever.) In real life, I’ve never actually seen that happen. We have both boys and girls at our parish, and I’ve never heard of a boy leaving because there were girls there.
I really can’t see how. No more than being allowed to help serve cookies after Mass would cause a boy to think that he could grow up to be a mother.
It’s good to hear a first-hand account of what I have always suspected to be true.
Didn’t you read decn2b’s post?
I don’t agree at all, any Parish I’ve been to that had only boy altar servers had a plethera of altar boys. Any other Parish around me makes it a point to have half girls at least. So that means boys who could very well be future priests are turned away in the interest of political correctness. (is it a coincidence that the vocations shortage happened around the same time as female altar servers? I don’t know it’s definitely possible).
What does baseball have to do with Church and God?
That makes it sound like there is some kind of arbitrary limit on the number of altar servers there can be.
Well that it what appears to have just happened in my parish. However, I do not hink that it is a common problem at all. I am alsof happy that it happened from the point of view that it indicates that there are a lot of kids and families that believe in the importance of serving the Church.
Amen to dat. I am an altar-boy and the ‘population’ of servers in my parish is about half and half between boys and girls. I believe that it is a discerning process, but I don’t know if it’s intended for girls. I hope I don’t offend anyone by saying that. But, I don’t really have a problem with them serving.
Now, you don’t mind if they serve but if there was, say, an altar boy society at your parish which was more like club exclusive to boys, what would you think about that? Basically, which would you prefer? Would you prefer a group of guys that served on the altar and also did extra-Mass things dads and priests like backpacking trips, football games, etc. or would you like an altar servers group that has more co-ed activities? You may be fine with both but I’d assume that you’d have a preference.
Umm. I wasn’t referring to the baseball part of his post. I played fastball for 17 years, in BC and Alberta, and believe me, it has nothing to do with the Church or God!