Byzantine Rite+women at the altar

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ByzCatholic

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I’m a convert to Catholicism and a member of Byzantine (Ruthenian) Rite of the Church. I’m concerned about my parish, because we are the only one in our archieparchy to have women serving at the altar. A member of another board tells me that the ruling on female altar servers for the Eastern Rites is found in the liturgical law for the various rites. I can’t afford to purchase a copy of the liturgical law for my own Rite, and wondered if anyone here has access to solid information about this issue. I would greatly appreciate any help!
 
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ByzCatholic:
A member of another board tells me that the ruling on female altar servers for the Eastern Rites is found in the liturgical law for the various rites.
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BC,

The CCEO doesn’t contain any reference to the use of female altar servers. The subject is addressed in the Particular Law of the Byzantine Ruthenian Metropolitan Church sui iuris of Pittsburgh, which applies to both the Metropolitinate and its suffragn Eparchies.
Canon 707 §8. Women are prohibited from serving at the altar.
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Particular Law of the Byzantine Ruthenian Metropolinate

Many years,

Neil
 
David,

I just clicked both the one in my post and the one in your quote of me - both worked. :confused:

Many years,

Neil
 
Irish Melkite:
David,

I just clicked both the one in my post and the one in your quote of me - both worked. :confused:

Many years,

Neil
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It works now… 👍
 
It is my understanding the only occassion for a woman to go behind the iconostasis is when an older woman serves the alter by cleaning it. Older ususally means someone whose children are grown and most that I have known of were widows.

Please NO women or girls serving at the alter!

Pani Rose
 
Pani Rose:

Slavi Iesu Christu!

In this country, its altar.

I have heard that out on the West Coast some of our churches use female altar servers. Canada too. I also heard that they are in processions, but not behind the iconistas.
 
Pani Rose:
It is my understanding the only occassion for a woman to go behind the iconostasis is when an older woman serves the alter by cleaning it. Older ususally means someone whose children are grown and most that I have known of were widows.

Please NO women or girls serving at the alter!

Pani Rose
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I just can’t understand why people object to females serving at the altar. Because it’s a preparation for priesthood? Of the sixteen boys I served with (I was a girl altar server and cross bearer), not ONE chose to enter a seminary. In fact, only two of these boys continued to be active in the Church after high school. Six converted to Protestant denominations and one became an athiest.
 
Since we are talking about the Byzantine Rite, let us put things into context. We tend to follow ancient Hebrew and Jewish prescriptions a little more closely, but with modifications that reflect a post-messianic anthropology. First, the Christian Temple is a very sacred space. Like the Jerusalem Temple, the sacredness varies by degrees, with the Narthex being the least sacred of the building (corresponds to the court where women worshipped, now is where lesser services are held, and non-Catholics or Orthodox are supposed to worpship if present), next most sacred space is the naos (corresponds to the men’s court, and where the Altar of incense was, now where the Priesthood of Believers exercises its ministry and sacrifice of praise, both during the Divine Liturgy and the Divine Praises-what has changed is that women are permitted and are shown to be equals to men in worship, hence they stand on one side, men on the other), and the most sacred of spaces is the Altar (corresponds to the Holy of Holies). This refers to the area enclosed by the Ikonstas/Chancel screen. No body except clergy has any business in this area (although minor clergy stand-ins are also permitted). The place is so sacred, that only those properly trained and disposed are permitted here, and not all the time, but only when prescribed to the celebration of the Divine Services. If there are not enough clerics, or servers, then we do without, so long as there are at least three people for a service: a priest, and cantor and someone to pray.

I hope this is helpful,

In Christ,
Adam
 
It is tradition not to let females into the sanctuary during Mass. The priesthood argument is also a good one but not the true reason. Was it altar females in 5 century Rome? NO. Was it altar females in 16th century Rome? No
Also Katie Mack, if 1/16 of Catholic men became priests our seminaries would be full and overflowing. 1/16 of Catholic men becoming priests means that 3.125 percent of Catholics would be priests. That would mean about 31 mllion priests in the world. Now there are about 400,000 priests in the world.
 
Adam thanks for the claification. Are you in college there, or from there? Steubenville is our home. Though we are in Irondale Al we are from Wintersville, and still own a home there. 😃 Maybe someday to return.

Do you go to one of the Eastern Rite Churches around there? Toronto, Weirton, or Mingo Junction?

Katie, the Eastern Churches are very strong in their traditions for the most part. As Vatican II stated so clearly, it is necessary for to go back to our own traditions, especially in the United States. Unfortunately, that is one of the things(female altar servers) that has occured because of Latinization in so many churches. Many Roman Bishops were insistant on statues instead of icons, or required confessionals to be built, when confession was done in front of the Icon of Christ. We had no need for them, but they were done in obedience. Just as our married clergy was forced to leave this country by Roman Bishops. Clebate clergy alone is not part of our tradition, we had both. As we continue to heal and restore or different rites, those things will cease and are ceasing.

Adam is right, if your read the Book of Litvitcus you will see the altar of the Byzantine Church. We feel the same way, behind the iconostasis is the Holy of Holies. And to bypass the laws of God just to satisfy women is not part of our tradition.

Also, Katie our celebration of the Divine Liturgy in the Byzantine or Greek Catholic Churches that of St. John Chrysostom and St. Baisl the Great, comes from the Divine Liturgy of St. James the Apostle, it was just organized and added to slightly in the forth century. In our monasteries the Liturgy of St. James the Apostle is celebrated daily in some and on a regular basis in most of them. So our tradition in Liturgical Worship has not changed in over 2000 years. Maybe this help you understand part of the reasons we hold so tightly to our ways.

Pani Rose
 
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