Another altarboy thread

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slewi

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I did a call in show with priests from my local diocese a few weeks ago and the topic of the show was the lack of vocations. I asked “Since prisets have traditionally come from the ranks of altar boys, don’t you think we should be doing more to get boys involved in serving at the altar? Aren’t we making the problem worse by admitting girls to the service of the altar?”

They totally ignored my question, instead they wanted to know what I was doing to foster vocations. They said “that the church in her wisdom now sees that vocations come from so many other places such as lectors and cantors, that to limit it to altar boys is unwise…” I was flabbergasted!

I don’t know about y’all, but I don’t see too many lectors going on the priesthood these days!

And they also seemed to ignore that lectors were minor holy oders to begin with, and they were already on their way to the priesthood.

Just wanted to share that experience with all of you. I get so mad sometimes…:o

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Slewi,

I agree with you 100%. Common sense will tell you that an overwhelming number of priests began their service to the Church as altar boys. This is a fact that cannot be ignored by the honest thinker.

The problem is that most “liturgists” - including bishops and priests - tend to lean on the progressive side of most issues. They see the issue as a “social justice” one, and feel that women “deserve” to be altar servers just as much as men. They ignore tradition and the theological intricasies involved.

It’s easier for them to admit women for “fairness” reasons, than to explain in detail the theological reasons of retaining men only.
 
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slewi:
I don’t know about y’all, but I don’t see too many lectors going on the priesthood these days!
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I don’t see many child lectors either. My dad was an altar boy in the 50’s and came real close to entering the priesthood because being an altar boy fostered a love for serving at mass. I think girl altar boys are one reason for the lack of vocations.
 
As a former altar boy who is discerning the priesthood…

I never bought the claim that altar serving fosters vocations.
  1. God fosters vocations, whether the person altar served or not.
  2. Practically ALL boys of age do altar serving, at least at the parishes I’ve been at. Making this connection is about as reliable as saying that eating pizza fosters vocations. When was the last time you met a seminarian or priest who didn’t eat pizza?
That having been said, I agree that they blew off your question, and didn’t answer it honestly, and you deserved a better response then what you got.

Concerning lectors, the diocesan office of Lector, as a minor order, is distinct from the role of lector played at your day to day parish.

Josh
 
While I think ministries like altar serving help men discern the priesthood, it’s not the only way that God is going to call someone. Obviously girl altar servers are unable to use serving to discern the priesthood but that doesn’t mean that they can’t use altar serving to discern their own vocation.

God Bless,
Matt
 
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threej_lc:
As a former altar boy who is discerning the priesthood…

I never bought the claim that altar serving fosters vocations.
  1. God fosters vocations, whether the person altar served or not.
  2. Practically ALL boys of age do altar serving, at least at the parishes I’ve been at. Making this connection is about as reliable as saying that eating pizza fosters vocations. When was the last time you met a seminarian or priest who didn’t eat pizza?
That having been said, I agree that they blew off your question, and didn’t answer it honestly, and you deserved a better response then what you got.

Concerning lectors, the diocesan office of Lector, as a minor order, is distinct from the role of lector played at your day to day parish.

Josh
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There is no better way to foster a possible vocation to the priesthood or the permanent diaconate than to serve at the altar.

To suggest otherwise is to be in denial.

To suggest that “Practically ALL boys of age do altar serving” is to be wrong.

Readers are not “lectors.”
 
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AltarMan:
There is no better way to foster a possible vocation to the priesthood or the permanent diaconate than to serve at the altar.

To suggest otherwise is to be in denial.

To suggest that “Practically ALL boys of age do altar serving” is to be wrong.

Readers are not “lectors.”
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Pretty harsh with your comeback to Josh. As a former alter boy who is thinking about the priesthood, I believe his comments have validity.

He never said ALL boys of age are alter boys, period; he added at least where he has gone to church.

While I agree being an alter boy is probably a fairly common trait in the early lives of today’s priests, I’m sure it’s not universal.
 
Most men will avoid a wishy washy effeminate Church. Until orthodox teaching and practices return the Church will continue to suffer vocations. Until strong male men are welcomed vocations will suffer.
 
My older sons were altarboys before our diocese had girls serving on the altar. My youngest son wanted to follow in his brothers’ footsteps, but went to one meeting, where the majority of trainees were girls, and said he wouldn’t go back. So ended a family tradition.
 
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mikew262:
Pretty harsh with your comeback to Josh. As a former alter boy who is thinking about the priesthood, I believe his comments have validity.

He never said ALL boys of age are alter boys, period; he added at least where he has gone to church.

While I agree being an alter boy is probably a fairly common trait in the early lives of today’s priests, I’m sure it’s not universal.
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His comments were inaccurate. As an example, I would guess far less than 10% of young males serve Mass at my parish.
 
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buffalo:
Most men will avoid a wishy washy effeminate Church. Until orthodox teaching and practices return the Church will continue to suffer vocations. Until strong male men are welcomed vocations will suffer.
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Sadly, people do not want to face the truth you just mentioned. VERY non-PC.
 
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oldfogey:
My older sons were altarboys before our diocese had girls serving on the altar. My youngest son wanted to follow in his brothers’ footsteps, but went to one meeting, where the majority of trainees were girls, and said he wouldn’t go back. So ended a family tradition.
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I think what you describe is a very common occurance…
 
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threej_lc:
As a former altar boy who is discerning the priesthood…

I never bought the claim that altar serving fosters vocations.
  1. God fosters vocations, whether the person altar served or not.
  2. Practically ALL boys of age do altar serving, at least at the parishes I’ve been at. Making this connection is about as reliable as saying that eating pizza fosters vocations. When was the last time you met a seminarian or priest who didn’t eat pizza?
That having been said, I agree that they blew off your question, and didn’t answer it honestly, and you deserved a better response then what you got.

Concerning lectors, the diocesan office of Lector, as a minor order, is distinct from the role of lector played at your day to day parish.

Josh
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I have to agree with Josh on this…All the available boys at my parish do alter serve and they are also called to usher when they hit high school
We do have girls too…people jokingly call my daughter and son the summer alter serving team because so many kids just don’t show up or find replacements.

I think it is a shame that there aren’t more vocations, but let’s try to look at it another way…it isn’t girls that are limiting boys from serving and it isn’t like boys don’t have an opportunity to serve if they want. Let’s look at the parents of these boys, are they encouraging vocations or are they being worldly or selfish and pushing their sons into high paying jobs, or prestigious positions in their communities instead of truly serving their communities? Are they fostering the love of our Lord as they should be? For that matter, are they fostering the same love into their girls in hopes that they will become religious. I think it is us parents that are to blame for the lack of vocations not the rules or the church. Sorry to sound preachy but I am sick of hearing how having girl alter servers is the cause of our lack of vocations!
 
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BlestOne:
Sorry to sound preachy but I am sick of hearing how having girl alter servers is the cause of our lack of vocations!
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Boy, ain’t that the truth!! 👍
 
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arieh0310:
Who said it was the cause? I think it is hard to deny that it is **a **cause.

Interesting article
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If it’s become a cause, then I blame the parents, as well as, the heads of the alter server organization. If these folks present the proper rationale for alter servers, the need for them, etc. without any boy vs. girl bias (and correct any bias that currently exists) then I think the boys would be more receptive. Boys and girls in elementary school participate in a variety of activities together, it should be no different here.
 
Ya know, from re-reading the article I posted above, it looks like girl altar boys are contrary to canon law. Am I reading that right? If I am reading the article right, has canon law changed in this regards since the article was written in 1993?
 
I never understood the whole altar server / priest connection. I remember being very disappointed when I was told I couldn’t serve because I was a girl. I never had any aspirations of becoming a priest - couldn’t be mom if I was a priest. Neither of my brothers served - but I guess that can’t be blamed on there being girls - since there were none at the time.

My boys both serve. I’ve thought that from an early age, one of them might be a priest. I’d be highly surprised if the other one was called in that direction (although he does say that he wants to be just like Fr. Paul). Time will tell…
 
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arieh0310:
Ya know, from re-reading the article I posted above, it looks like girl altar boys are contrary to canon law. Am I reading that right? If I am reading the article right, has canon law changed in this regards since the article was written in 1993?
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The Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts (PCILT), which is a part of the Vatican, has the responsibility for interpreting, but not changing, the Code of Canon Law. In 1992, the PCILT made an authentic interpretation that canon 230 §2 allows for female altar servers. This authentic interpretation was not published until 1994, so that the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (CDWDS) could issue liturgical guidelines for the proper use of altar girls.

The 2000 New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, published by the Canon Law Society of America, states that this authentic interpretation is retroactive to 1983 under canon 16. The prior 1985 Commentary on the Code of Canon Law had already stated that canon 230 §2 applied to female altar servers.
 
I think I have heard somewhere that while altar servers can now be of either gender, installed acolytes must be male.

And by the way, let’s not “alter” boys; it could be painful.

But altar boys are OK!
 
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