Area parish decides altar-serving is for the boys

[Maranatha]

Area parish decides altar-serving is for the boys

Although most area Catholic churches follow the modern practice of using altar girls, a Norwalk parish recently reverted to a traditional boys-only policy and started a program for girls teaching them to sew, cook and arrange flowers for the altar.

The Rev. Greg Markey, pastor of St. Mary Church in Norwalk for three years, said he made the change to help deal with the shortage of priests. Girls who were altar servers before the change was announced last year were permitted to continue.

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[MrS]

great article to read…

some comments are insightful

some comments are inciteful

As for the priest…

 

[Catholic29]

I love this priest…

We could use alot more like him these days. I just hope many parishioners don’t jump ship on him over this change.

 

[FiremanFrank]

I love this priest…

We could use alot more like him these days. I just hope many parishioners don’t jump ship on him over this change.

I have no doubt whatsoever that certain parishoners will get crazy mad over this.

Because probably two thirds of the people in the pews don’t even know what are the Teaching’s of our Church.

If this priest continues in following his line of “good thinking,” then he better be prepared to become a martyr for his faith.

God Bless him …

 

[Dale_M]

The article mentions that both boys and girls enjoy being separated from one another.

Schenk agrees with Markey that boys and girls should be able to join separate clubs. “But why does it have to be altar servers?” she asked. “There are a number of ways that need could be met. I don’t know why we have to build up boys at the expense of girls.”

I guess I don’t understand why Schenk thinks being an altar server is more important than being a Handmaid of the Altar. Granted, the former is more visible, but the visibility of priests and deacons doesn’t come at the expense of women. Is she saying that women are devalued in the Church?

“Many priests got their inspiration through that road,” he said. “When it opens up to the girls, there’s a change. Boys don’t always like girls. If they perceive it as a girl thing, you kind of lose that very strong path to priesthood.”

I think there are two points there. Serving the altar helps boys realize if they have a priestly vocation. But it also points to the politically incorrect, but apparently real, feeling among many guys that it isn’t manly to be doing what women do. Allowing female altar servers accomodated the winds of change which feminism brought to Western society. But 40 years of feminism still hasn’t eroded that male disdain/revulsion/fear of being associated with things female. I don’t understand the attitude, but its been voiced in these forums many times and also in our culture at large.

Twenty-five years ago, I was strongly in favor of female altar servers. But perhaps the change has had a price.

 

[John_Higgins]

Chances are really good that I’d have flown out of this parish before that proclamation. As it is, that would have sent me running.

The argument that if girls are permitted to serve on the altar fewer boys will feel called to become priests is simply goofy. There’s no data behind this at all.

I’m sure many of you here will feel delighted, but realize that female altar servers are here to stay. Imagine that! A woman in the sanctuary, what WILL we do???

Goodness!

John

 

[dwc]

I just hope many parishioners don’t jump ship on him over this change.

You can bet on it. My family would be gone as soon as this goofy idea was announced – and my husband would be the one leading the exit. The premise is just ridiculous — having girl altar servers discourages boys from considering the priesthood. Never mind there was a steady and dramatic decline in priestly vocations for*** decades ***before girls were allowed to be altar servers. We wouldn’t want facts to get in the way of opinion, now would we? We wouldn’t want to consider there might be other causes when girl altar servers are such a convenient little excuse.

The article states that altar serving is a great way to show your love for God. Yet this is something only boys should be allowed to do? And girl altar servers deter boys from doing it because they have an “inherent disdain for anything girls do.” Well, I want to see some proof of this. The kids at our parish school work together on projects and such all the time and the boys don’t seem to have some inherent disdain for females.

And if boys don’t like sharing duties or responsibilities with girls, well oh my, they shouldn’t be required to have to interact with them or serve with them – it’s not like they’ll ever have to get along with them in real life or anything, right? I mean, male and female cooperation isn’t necessary in the workplace or marriage, right? Let’s just encourage the boys to disdain half of the human population. THAT will make the world a better place, for sure.

 

[CatQuilt]

What an excellent idea! I’ve printed the article out and will give it to our pastor.

 

[Lovemyfaith]

Pope John Paul II granted bishops permission for altar girls in 1994

If the Pope gave his permission, he must not have a problem with female servers. As for the argument that boys won’t do it if girls do, well I don’t notice a lack of boys joining in for sports teams, chess club and math club just because there are girls involved. In our parish, the reason given by most boys for not serving is because it interferes with sports teams. Their parents agree with them! Don’t get me wrong; some girls give the same reason. This leaves a very dedicated group of servers. I sometimes wonder if the pastors and priests were more aggressive in encouraging the students, which might inspire a child to become an Altar Server. Of course priests have told me they would never get involved for fear of the wrath of a parent telling them to stay out of raising their children.
If girls are going to serve Mass on the Altar, perhaps it will inspire them to serve Mass as a lector or Special Minister or cantor someday. We have no lack of women involved in those areas in our parish.

 

[MrS]

Pope John Paul II granted bishops permission for altar girls in 1994

If the Pope gave his permission, he must not have a problem with female servers. As for the argument that boys won’t do it if girls do, well I don’t notice a lack of boys joining in for sports teams, chess club and math club just because there are girls involved. In our parish, the reason given by most boys for not serving is because it interferes with sports teams. Their parents agree with them! Don’t get me wrong; some girls give the same reason. This leaves a very dedicated group of servers. I sometimes wonder if the pastors and priests were more aggressive in encouraging the students, which might inspire a child to become an Altar Server. Of course priests have told me they would never get involved for fear of the wrath of a parent telling them to stay out of raising their children.
If girls are going to serve Mass on the Altar, perhaps it will inspire them to serve Mass as a lector or Special Minister or cantor someday. We have no lack of women involved in those areas in our parish.

it may be only terminology to some… but that is part of the problem… when you don’t know what the misuse of a term implies… you already are mistaken.

As for JPII… he NEVER encouraged the use of girls as servers… he PERMITTED them in places where there was insufficient male envolvement… just as EMHC are supposed to be just that: Extra-Ordinary… not commonplace, and the norm.

And it is unfortunate that just about anything (sports too), have become more important than our faith, and serving it correctly.

.

 

[GregoryPalamas]

Chances are really good that I’d have flown out of this parish before that proclamation. As it is, that would have sent me running.

The argument that if girls are permitted to serve on the altar fewer boys will feel called to become priests is simply goofy. There’s no data behind this at all.

I’m sure many of you here will feel delighted, but realize that female altar servers are here to stay. Imagine that! A woman in the sanctuary, what WILL we do???

Goodness!

Altar serving is in part a preparation for the priesthood. Since this priest is Orthodox and isn’t following all the latest fads then it follows that there be altar boys and not altar girls. I like this priest.

CDL

John

 

[GregoryPalamas]

Chances are really good that I’d have flown out of this parish before that proclamation. As it is, that would have sent me running.

The argument that if girls are permitted to serve on the altar fewer boys will feel called to become priests is simply goofy. There’s no data behind this at all.

I’m sure many of you here will feel delighted, but realize that female altar servers are here to stay. Imagine that! A woman in the sanctuary, what WILL we do???

Goodness!

John

Since this priest is Orthodox and not heretical he wishes to promote the male priesthood and does not wish to follow a recent fad. Therefore, an all male crew of altar servers is the only logical choice he could make. This is a good priest.

CDL

 

[leonie]

I think that only boys should serve.

Why?

I think serving at the altar is one way that God prepares boys for the priesthood. Every time a girl is serving is a time a boy is not serving.

It has nothing to do with pushing girls away from the Eucharist. It has more to do with preparing boys for the priesthood and leadership in the Church.

I think we need more Religious women to interact with girls.

BTW, I think girls are much more competent than boys at this age (maybe until about thirty years ).

 

[love4mary]

I see no problem with this. Now that being said though, didn’t Pope John Paul the Great allow for Female Altar servers?

Another problem, at least in my parish. There are not enough boys to fill the void if the girls were excluded from serving. My 13 year old son is an Altar Server, but only wants to serve once a month. He wants to sit with us during Mass instead of always being at the Altar helping Father. Plus, he said he is tired of serving and is ready to give it up anyway.

There are 3 girls to every 1 boy who wants to be an Altar Server at my parish. Our priest would be hard pressed to impose a Boys Only rule on serving, unless of course he wants to do all the Altar Serving duties along with his priestly duties.

 

[dwc]

Since this priest is Orthodox and not heretical he wishes to promote the male priesthood and does not wish to follow a recent fad. Therefore, an all male crew of altar servers is the only logical choice he could make.

Wrong. As I stated before and no one can disagree with, there was a dramatic decline in the number of priestly vocations decades before girls were allowed to be altar servers in the early 1990s. There is no factual correlation supporting your statement – it’s your speculation, and that’s all. This argument is used as an excuse to support some people’s desire to turn back the clock to a time when girls/women options were limited to very traditional roles (ie, this priest’s girls’ club teaching them to sew, cook and arrange flowers).

I think it’s also a preemptive strike against the constant onslaught of a fringe group that clamors for women priests. It’s like using a machine gun to kill a fly – these groups are persistent, annoying as he!! and delusional, but they are doomed to failure. Yet, some are willing to alienate good, faithful Catholic girls so that they can feel like they’ve made a statement that only men can be priests (as if anything more than our Pope’s pronouncements needed to be said).

For a thoughful analysis of the priest shortage, consider the article found at: www.nccbussc.org/vocations/articles/challenges.shtml.

In a recent survey conducted by the Secretariat for Vocations & Priestly Formation, **seminarians in North America were asked about what they thought were the obstacles to increasing the number of priestly vocations in our time. One seminarian responded: “Everything in our society says to live for yourself, not for others. We are a materialistic society.”
**
The challenges of today have impacted not only priestly vocations but also the professions of service. **It is not only priesthood in the United States that is experiencing fewer numbers – a number of professions of service have had their shortages, too. **These would include, for example, nurses, teachers, police officers and firefighters.

In addition to the professions of service, we also see fewer people stepping forward to serve as leaders in some religious institutions. The Church is aware of the fewer number of priests in the United States. Such statistics are well documented, and many have thought that it is a problem unique to the Roman Catholic Church. However this is not the case. A recent article in the Washington Post discussed the dwindling number of ministers that are present in the United States. For example, “in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America the number of pastors in active ministry has fallen from 13,841 in 1990 to about 11,100 today.” “In the 2.4 million-member Presbyterian Church (USA) about 4,000 of the 11,100 congregations are without pastors.” “In 1990 the United Methodist Church ordained 820 seminary-trained clergy. Ten years later that figure had dropped by 200, forcing churches to rely on ‘local pastors’ with less training.”5

Many have indicated that we are experiencing a priestly “vocation crisis” in the United States. However, it is possible, that among the reasons why we have fewer priests, two important factors may have gone unnoticed. We live in a culture that does not promote the benefits or fulfillment in serving others, and elements within society scoff at entering into a lifelong commitment. Marriage, priesthood and religious life are not always held in high esteem. We could be facing a “commitment crisis” in our country.

 

[buffalo]

Men Only - Effeminate Church Decor?

 

[leonie]

I see no problem with this. Now that being said though, didn’t Pope John Paul the Great allow for Female Altar servers?

Another problem, at least in my parish. There are not enough boys to fill the void if the girls were excluded from serving. My 13 year old son is an Altar Server, but only wants to serve once a month. He wants to sit with us during Mass instead of always being at the Altar helping Father. Plus, he said he is tired of serving and is ready to give it up anyway.

There are 3 girls to every 1 boy who wants to be an Altar Server at my parish. Our priest would be hard pressed to impose a Boys Only rule on serving, unless of course he wants to do all the Altar Serving duties along with his priestly duties.

Really, this is a problem.

At our parish, boys are turned away if a girl gets there first and suits up.

 

[Dandelion_Wine]

Jennifer Overthrow, 12, joined the Handmaids program but never got the chance to be an altar girl. She said she wishes she could be an altar girl and does not agree with the policy change.

“It’s profiling,” she said.

I’m sorry - that’s just TOO funny.

 

[grotto]

At last! Courage with wisdom! Encourage the boys/men!!

 

[Jennifer_J]

it may be only terminology to some… but that is part of the problem… when you don’t know what the misuse of a term implies… you already are mistaken.

As for JPII… he NEVER encouraged the use of girls as servers… he PERMITTED them in places where there was insufficient male envolvement… just as EMHC are supposed to be just that: Extra-Ordinary… not commonplace, and the norm.

And it is unfortunate that just about anything (sports too), have become more important than our faith, and serving it correctly.

.

I just thought I’d repost this for the repeat. Alter girls are permitted if there are not enough boys available. For some reason when the Vatican gives such a direction to the USA, it’s taken as a MANDATE to HAVE alter girls. Parents should encourage their boys into such service. I know the day will come when I’ll have to encourage my girls into something besides alter service, as I feel there are enough boys in our parish to fulfill this position. I dread that day, as my dh and I will become the ‘bad guys’ since other girls get to serve. Oh well, that’s parenthood.

Jennifer