Altar Servers

[CarrieMG]

Our parish had a ministry fair and had a table for “boys or girls who have completed 3rd grade” to sign up to be altar servers. My daughter was very happy to sign up. A friend whom I respect told me that the church does not teach that it is okay for girls to be altar servers and in fact she had left her former parish over her daughters being required to be altar servers as preparation for confirmation. Our parish is very traditional and I was surprised that the parish would do something that is not in keeping with the laws of the church. Is this something that varies from diocese to diocese? My daughter is so happy about preparing to serve in Holy Mass, but I do not want her to do something wrong. Please lend me guidance.

 

[buffalo]

From the US Bishops site - What about altar servers?

 

[Tantum_ergo]

Carrie, it’s up to the bishop of the diocese to choose whether he wishes to have both girls and boys as altar servers, or boys only. I believe there are currently only two dioceses in the U.S. which have the “boys only” rule–one of them I believe is the Arlington diocese which is probably not far from you, and that may explain your friend’s confusion over whether girls may serve.

While there is some concern that having girls and boys serve together may make boys “opt out” (you know they always thought we girls had cooties, LOL), and other concern that girls may think of serving as a “steppingstone” to becoming woman priests (and what 8 year old thinks that unless there is some serious indoctrination going on by the heterodoxically inclined), the fact that your bishop permits it and your daughter looks on it as a way to “serve God”, not “womankind” or herself, and your own knowledge of your daughter, should be your guide, not even a "good friend"s OPINIONS. God bless.

 

[Catholic2003]

CarrieMG:

A friend whom I respect told me that the church does not teach that it is okay for girls to be altar servers and in fact she had left her former parish over her daughters being required to be altar servers as preparation for confirmation.

Here is the 1992 authentic interpretation that confirmed female altar servers are allowed under the 1983 Code of Canon Law:

Lay faithful, men and women, can fulfill certain liturgical functions (c. 230.2)

The doubt: Can service at the altar also be counted among the liturgical functions that the lay faithful, either men or women, can fulfill according to c. 230.2?

The response: Affirmative, in accord with the instruction to be given by the Apostolic See.

July 11, 1992
AAS 86 (1994) 541-542.

 

[prophetdaniel]

I am not sure on this one. The good of having children involved in altar servers is that they develop an understanding (and show it) of what kind of responsibilty one has to have to be involved in ministry. Otherwise, they will feel their role is purely just helping out on Sundays. From what I have witnessed, children who have gone through altar servers training are also keen to become leaders in other parish ministries. This also strongly depends on the current leadership team.

 

[Pariah_Pirana]

CarrieMG:

Our parish had a ministry fair and had a table for “boys or girls who have completed 3rd grade” to sign up to be altar servers. My daughter was very happy to sign up. A friend whom I respect told me that the church does not teach that it is okay for girls to be altar servers and in fact she had left her former parish over her daughters being required to be altar servers as preparation for confirmation. Our parish is very traditional and I was surprised that the parish would do something that is not in keeping with the laws of the church. Is this something that varies from diocese to diocese? My daughter is so happy about preparing to serve in Holy Mass, but I do not want her to do something wrong. Please lend me guidance.

While the Church certainly allow female altar servers (they were illicitly used for years) it’s wrong to do so given that serving at the altar is a prime way to foster priestly vocations in males. Note Redemptionis Sacramentum:

“[47.] It is altogether laudable to maintain the noble custom by which boys or youths, customarily termed servers, provide service of the altar after the manner of acolytes, and receive catechesis regarding their function in accordance with their power of comprehension.[119] Nor should it be forgotten that a great number of sacred ministers over the course of the centuries have come from among boys such as these.[120] Associations for them, including also the participation and assistance of their parents, should be established or promoted, and in such a way greater pastoral care will be provided for the ministers. Whenever such associations are international in nature, it pertains to the competence of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments to establish them or to approve and revise their statutes.[121] Girls or women may also be admitted to this service of the altar, at the discretion of the diocesan Bishop and in observance of the established norms.[122]”

It is my guess that this bit in RS is the first step in reversing the decision to allow female altar servers. I think the Vatican made the change because so many parishes were ignoring the Church’s ruling on the matter, and it now knows that it was wrong to give-in to placate the sexist/feminists agenda…

 

[Catholic2003]

Notice that Redemptionis Sacramentum calls for the encouragement of altar boys, which is a different thing altogether than the exclusion of altar girls. In other words, the sentence from RS and the following sentence:

It is altogether laudable to maintain the noble custom by which ONLY boys or youths, customarily termed servers, provide service of the altar after the manner of acolytes, and receive catechesis regarding their function in accordance with their power of comprehension.

mean two completely different things, and RS has this sentence without the word “ONLY”.