What I was trying to say is: don’t just think that dumping the altar girls and not do anything else to encourage them is the solution. You can’t just take something that important away and expect it not to hurt them spiritually if the church offers little in its place. This is not a grain of salt issue. I participated in handbells, choir, bringing up the gifts, and even organizing the books row by row. Serving the church in this way is all well and good. However none of these touched me near as much as altar serving did. Its two different ballparks, those experiences. The church is supposed to be one of the centers of our lives. We should encourage people to be involved in the greatest extent possible.
My altar serving days meant a LOT to me spiritually. It helped solidify my faith, being there so close to the Eucharist, and feeling that I’d contributed significantly and was doing God’s work. I was not sitting there thinking “why can’t I be a priest, I am confused about things” What was going through my head was pure and simply awe. (and to the poster above, perhaps the children who are confused about their role need either A: more education or B: to be older before become an altar server. Those questions will come up regardless of if they are altar servers or not.) With my church, there was room for 3 altar servers to participate. Every Sunday morning when I was not already serving, I would head around the back and make sure that they had an altar server. Many times they did not, and the priest would breathe a sigh of relief when they saw me. Interestingly enough it was a nun who taught all of the altar servers how to do our roles. She would not stand for anything but complete reverence in church. She influenced me a lot because of her reverence, not because of her gender. And I know she influenced the alter boys as well. Nuns can influence altar boys to become closer to God, and likewise be potential priests, and priests can encourage altar girls to become closer to God and potentially nuns.
It is just plain naive to assume that girls serving at the altar would promote the vocation of a Nun. In the first place it does not. Serving at the altar is not part of the vocation of a nun.
This is just so sad that you would think that being up at the altar, next to the priest who is holding the Eucharist up high, or helping hold the book so that the priest could read to the congregation would do nothing to solidify one’s faith and draw them closer to God as a nun (vs being in the pews or doing some other role). Each soul that comes closer to God is worthwhile and should be fought vehemently for. It DID promote the vocation of a Nun in me because it promoted my faith.
Did you read my post above.
Yes, I read every post here. My original post was not in response to you.
Were either Mother Theresa or Mary altar servers?
Well did you read my post?
I replied yesterday to this same question posted by Victorius. Obviously girls have not had the opportunity to be altar servers until very recently.
Yet somehow they achieved their spiritual heights without that, so why can’t girls of today follow in their footsteps in the same way, without altar service
Some can and do make it on their own. But that is not a reason to search out ways for both genders to participate in a higher level in the church. Its not that they have to be altar servers, its that they have to be encouraged and feel a special closeness to the church and to spiritual leaders by participating in a close, special way, not just feel like one of the masses.
Originally Posted by Aleii
The solution is encouraging both BOYS and GIRLS… in some way so that they reach their maximum potential.
Please realize that the entirety of my entire first post was in response to Mystified and the way he worded his post. I wanted to bring sensitivity to the issue of childhood weight in a blunt manner, and, reply to him that I disagreed with the idea that he seemed to be portraying: to encouraging boys while dismissing girls.
I know that my altar serving served to help others with their faith. I remember before school one day, I had one child timidly come up to me and ask if she could go to church with me before school and pray. I will always remember that, and know it happened because of my reverent example when I was serving at mass. I had people come up to my parents and comment on how moving my reverence was. How about we focus on teaching reverence to altar servers instead of just kicking out the females, or look for alternate ways that girls can contribute on a deep level? How about we focus on more education in general? What about looking into youth clubs that foster priestly vocations?
Intersting to note, his mom was never a EMHC, nor is she a reader. She’s just a very holy, traditional Catholic who made sure the boys were brought up according to the pious traditions of the Church.
