Boy only alter servers

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You misspelled “alter.” Should read altar. Also, I agree with the article, but the decision in this area is left to the priest saying Mass and his bishop, not lay people like myself.
 
MJford said:
You misspelled “alter.” Should read altar. Also, I agree with the article, but the decision in this area is left to the priest saying Mass and his bishop, not lay people like myself.
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Ugg darn. I KNOW how to speel altar, I just did that too quickly. Lol ooops.

And true, true. Most bishops assume that all genders are to be included, and most pastors I know do as well. Do pastors have a say or is it all up to the bishop on this issue?
 
ialsop said:
Ugg darn. I KNOW how to speel altar, I just did that too quickly. Lol ooops.

And true, true. Most bishops assume that all genders are to be included, and most pastors I know do as well. Do pastors have a say or is it all up to the bishop on this issue?
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If the Bishop allows both girls and boys to serve at the altar, it is then up to the priest whether he wants to have both.

If the Bishop says all boys, the priest no longer has a choice.
 
“It’s just like the altar servers, Father. Once the girls were admitted, the boys lost interest.”

Gee, I wonder if this “girls are doing it so boys won’t/will lose interest” excuse works for other things. Ice cream? No, I can’t think of any boys who have given up ice cream because they saw a girl liked ice cream. Hmm, Halloween and candy? Darn, that’d be a no as well. Watching TV? Another no. Video games? Nope. Going outside and playing? Boy I need to find a new way of saying no.

Well gee…maybe I should take another approach. I do know of boys who have used the excuse that “girls do that” to get out of stuff. Like doing housework, cooking, helping decorate the church for religious holidays, etc. YES! That works. “Boys lose interest in doing something they really didn’t have any interest in or desire to do in the first place because girls are doing it.”

Now I guess the only other part to discuss is the implication in the above that children are supposed to be the ones dictating what they do or don’t do in regards to their faith instead of the parents. “Oh Billy it’d be so nice if you would serve at the altar; but I’m just your Mom/Dad and it’s not my place to instruct you in how to practice and participate in the faith.”
 
oldcatholicguy said:
“It’s just like the altar servers, Father. Once the girls were admitted, the boys lost interest.”

Gee, I wonder if this “girls are doing it so boys won’t/will lose interest” excuse works for other things. Ice cream? No, I can’t think of any boys who have given up ice cream because they saw a girl liked ice cream. Hmm, Halloween and candy? Darn, that’d be a no as well. Watching TV? Another no. Video games? Nope. Going outside and playing? Boy I need to find a new way of saying no.

Well gee…maybe I should take another approach. I do know of boys who have used the excuse that “girls do that” to get out of stuff. Like doing housework, cooking, helping decorate the church for religious holidays, etc. YES! That works. “Boys lose interest in doing something they really didn’t have any interest in or desire to do in the first place because girls are doing it.”

Now I guess the only other part to discuss is the implication in the above that children are supposed to be the ones dictating what they do or don’t do in regards to their faith instead of the parents. “Oh Billy it’d be so nice if you would serve at the altar; but I’m just your Mom/Dad and it’s not my place to instruct you in how to practice and participate in the faith.”
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??
Except unlike ice cream, altar boy serving was a manly, priestly way to express your manly faith. And when only girls do it sunday after sunday, well when i was young that was enough for me to see it as “sissifying” if you know what I mean. The manliness was GONE. The whole faith has been sissified to an extent that many guys I talk to at my high school dont take their faith seriously because they say it is “a girly thing”. No wonder we have a vocational crisis. No wonder we have few men at church.

And “boys never had an interest in the first place”? Have you seen a TLM? Or perhaps you are unaware of the past 2000 years of altar BOYS.
 
A few weeks ago, our parish had only male altar servers at Mass. Three of them. One teen boy, and two very cute little blond brothers about 8 or so. We usually have a boy and a girl. The boys looked so nice up there. I really noticed the difference in the “feel” of the Mass watching the priest and the three boys. I would prefer to see all boys at Mass. After all, it is training for the priesthood. 🙂
 
boomerang said:
A few weeks ago, our parish had only male altar servers at Mass. Three of them. One teen boy, and two very cute little blond brothers about 8 or so. We usually have a boy and a girl. The boys looked so nice up there. I really noticed the difference in the “feel” of the Mass watching the priest and the three boys. I would prefer to see all boys at Mass. After all, it is training for the priesthood. 🙂
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Im discerning priesthood, so I figure I SHOULD go do altar serving, but Im already 14 so I dunno…it would be weird to serve with a bunch of 9 year old girls all the time…
 
ialsop said:
??
Except unlike ice cream, altar boy serving was a manly, priestly way to express your manly faith. And when only girls do it sunday after sunday, well when i was young that was enough for me to see it as “sissifying” if you know what I mean. The manliness was GONE. The whole faith has been sissified to an extent that many guys I talk to at my high school dont take their faith seriously because they say it is “a girly thing”. No wonder we have a vocational crisis. No wonder we have few men at church.

And “boys never had an interest in the first place”? Have you seen a TLM? Or perhaps you are unaware of the past 2000 years of altar BOYS.
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Well when I was that young my parents actually acted like parents and didn’t let me do or not do something based on how “sissified” I thought it was and didn’t let me wander around with the silly notion that “manliness” is somehow based on “stuff girls can’t/don’t get to do.”

That aside, I’m glad to see the lack of vocations mentioned. I was afraid that this generalized and poorly supported assumption would not be present in a conversation about the gender of altar servers. Now someone just has to mention girls being altar servers being a feminist plot to make female priests and I’ll win Catholic forums internet bingo.
 
oldcatholicguy said:
Well when I was that young my parents actually acted like parents and didn’t let me do or not do something based on how “sissified” I thought it was and didn’t let me wander around with the silly notion that “manliness” is somehow based on “stuff girls can’t/don’t get to do.”

That aside, I’m glad to see the lack of vocations mentioned. I was afraid that this generalized and poorly supported assumption would not be present in a conversation about the gender of altar servers. Now someone just has to mention girls being altar servers being a feminist plot to make female priests and I’ll win Catholic forums internet bingo.
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I am not saying that is how i base things. Goodness. Calm down. I am telling you the general attitude of catholic male teens today.
Of corse, I am NOT a general catholic teen male.

No need to imply I have bad parents. That seems a bit immature…

And, are you even aware that altar serving IS supposed to be training for priesthood???
Im guessing you didnt even KNOW that.

It seems then, that vocations are a very good subject in this discussion…why wouldnt they be?

AND please be more charitable. Nobody is attacking you, quit flailing around defensively.
 
ialsop said:
Im discerning priesthood, so I figure I SHOULD go do altar serving, but Im already 14 so I dunno
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This isn’t about the boys/girls thing, but I am also wanting to become an altar boy. I am also in my mid-teens so is it too late or should I go for it? I know almost all of the guys and girls doing it so that wouldn’t affect anything. I’m just wondering if it’s too late or not. Thanks and God bless! :gopray:
 
gocardsgo11in11 said:
This isn’t about the boys/girls thing, but I am also wanting to become an altar boy. I am also in my mid-teens so is it too late or should I go for it? I know almost all of the guys and girls doing it so that wouldn’t affect anything. I’m just wondering if it’s too late or not. Thanks and God bless! :gopray:
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Not sure. 🤷 Thats what I want to know as well. Anybody here know?
 
ialsop said:
I am not saying that is how i base things. Goodness. Calm down. I am telling you the general attitude of catholic male teens today.
Of corse, I am NOT a general catholic teen male.

No need to imply I have bad parents. That seems a bit immature…

And, are you even aware that altar serving IS supposed to be training for priesthood???
Im guessing you didnt even KNOW that.

It seems then, that vocations are a very good subject in this discussion…why wouldnt they be?

AND please be more charitable. Nobody is attacking you, quit flailing around defensively.
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-The position of altar server isn’t supposed to be training for the priesthood. That would another position that, unlike altar server, isn’t open to women.
-I’ll be more than happy to increase how charitable my posts are. I apologize for them being somehow uncharitable. I just assumed you wished to engage in this discussion in a “manly” manner and assumed that if I conversed with you the way I would with a woman you’d lose interest in the discussion.
 
gocardsgo11in11 said:
This isn’t about the boys/girls thing, but I am also wanting to become an altar boy. I am also in my mid-teens so is it too late or should I go for it? I know almost all of the guys and girls doing it so that wouldn’t affect anything. I’m just wondering if it’s too late or not. Thanks and God bless! :gopray:
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It shouldn’t be to late for you to be an altar server. The easiest way to find out would be to contact your parish’s church office and ask.
 
gocardsgo11in11 said:
This isn’t about the boys/girls thing, but I am also wanting to become an altar boy. I am also in my mid-teens so is it too late or should I go for it? I know almost all of the guys and girls doing it so that wouldn’t affect anything. I’m just wondering if it’s too late or not. Thanks and God bless! :gopray:
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It’s never too late. I am an Altar boy at my parish. It’s one of the best things you could do to learn about your faith and really learn about the mass. You also become very good friends with the fellow boys who serve with you.
 
Discerning13 said:
It’s never too late. I am an Altar boy at my parish. It’s one of the best things you could do to learn about your faith and really learn about the mass. You also become very good friends with the fellow boys who serve with you.
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Thanks! I love mass so I think that this will be a great thing to do. 🙂
 
oldcatholicguy said:
-The position of altar server isn’t supposed to be training for the priesthood. That would another position that, unlike altar server, isn’t open to women.
-I’ll be more than happy to increase how charitable my posts are. I apologize for them being somehow uncharitable.** I just assumed you wished to engage in this discussion in a “manly” manner and assumed that if I conversed with you the way I would with a woman you’d lose interest in the discussio**n.
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LOLOLOLOL HAHAHAHAHA!!! 😃 Whew thanks for the laugh…

Manliness is notg about bruteness and rudeness. No wonder my generation has few real men. They are given a flase picture of manliness, one that is piggish and brutish and uncivilized, one that should be locked away ans replaced with femenism.

That is not manliness. Masculinity is striving to love God above all else and lead others, spouses, children, girlfriends parishoners, to Heaven. Being a fearless LEADER. A warrior for God. That is manliness. As you clearly do not know.

And to assume that charity is only for women? LOL…wow. Nope.
 
Discerning13 said:
It’s never too late. I am an Altar boy at my parish. It’s one of the best things you could do to learn about your faith and really learn about the mass. You also become very good friends with the fellow boys who serve with you.
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Bold-This is exactly why I would love to become one.

Underline-I actually dont know a single male in real life who altar serves at my parish. How sad. 😦 Come to think of it, I dont know anybody over the age of eleven who does it in my parish…
 
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