Do parish priests have the right to use only boy altar boys?

[Lepanto]

Do parish priests have the right to use only boy altar boys?

Even if a bishop allows girl altar boys to be used in his diocese, does a priest have the canonical or liturgical “right” to use only boys if he so wishes?

(If so, I realize that the bishop may frown upon and harass such a priest, but that’s a separate issue.)

If you believe that a priest does have such a right, please cite your sources.

Thank you!

 

[MusicMan]

This is a pretty well discussed and well concluded topic around the Forum. You may wish to do a search of the threads for the answer to your question. I won’t cite sources, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that whether or not girls may be Altar Servers is up to the pastor, assuming that the Bishop allows girls to be Altar Servers in his diocese.

 

[John_Lilburne]

Do parish priests have the right to use only boy altar boys?

Even if a bishop allows girl altar boys to be used in his diocese, does a priest have the canonical or liturgical “right” to use only boys if he so wishes? …

From the 2002 General Introduction to the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :
“107. The liturgical duties that are not proper to the priest or the deacon and are listed above (cf. nos. 100-106) may also be entrusted by a liturgical blessing or a temporary deputation to suitable lay persons chosen by the pastor or rector of the church. [footnote 89: Cf. Pontifical Commission for interpreting legal texts, response to dubium regarding can. 230 § 2: AAS 86 (1994), p. 541.] All should observe the norms established by the Bishop for his diocese regarding the office of those who serve the priest at the altar.”

Are there restrictions on these Norms from the bishop?

Cardinal Medina Estevez wrote in a letter at adoremus.org/CDW-AltarServers.html of 27 July 2001 about what a bishop can authorize:
“, In accord with the above cited instructions of the Holy See such an authorization may not, in any way, exclude men or, in particular, boys from service at the altar, nor require that priests of the diocese would make use of female altar servers, since “it will always be very appropriate to follow the noble tradition of having boys serve at the altar” (Circular Letter to the Presidents of Episcopal Conference, March 15, 1994, no. 2).”

Does it give the priest a “canonical or liturgical right”? I am not certain, but I have my doubts. Consider the priest’s duty.

Say a priest has a “males only” policy. There are no volunteers, he has 200 days of Mass without an altar server. A female is ready, willing and able to do this but the priest refuses to allow her to be an altar server.

I think she could reasonably complain to the bishop, “The priest has a policy resulting in a failure to follow the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal, for example “142. After this, as the minister presents the cruets, the priest stands at the side of the altar and pours wine and a little water into the chalice, saying quietly,* Per huius aquae* (By the mystery of this water).” Also “145. After the prayer In spiritu humilitatis (Lord God, we ask you to receive us) or after the incensation, the priest washes his hands standing at the side of the altar and, as the minister pours the water, says quietly, Lava me, Domine (Lord, wash away my iniquity).” He does not use altar servers so he is not following the directions in the GIRM.”

I think the bishop could reasonably direct the priest to change his selection criteria so that it would be more likely that there were altar servers available at Mass.

A case where a bishop’s norms could be not followed would be if they inconsistent with another part of the GIRM. Only men can be instituted acolytes. They are the “ordinary ministers” for this, others are “extraordinary ministers”. As it has in 2002 GIRM:
“100. In the absence of an instituted acolyte, lay ministers may be deputed to serve at the altar and assist the priest and the deacon; …”.

So if, for example, there are 100 instituted acolytes are available then a number should be selected from these men. No females should be considered, regardless of what a bishop might direct as a norm.

 

[MusicMan]

Nowhere is the priest compelled to use Altar Servers. For liturgical duties not proper to a priest or deacon, lay people may be deputized to assist. It never says they must be.

Furthermore, the priest is always properly deposed to serve all of the liturgical functions at Mass, and the deacon is required as function of his ministry to perform any liturgical functions available to the laity at Mass, should those lay ministers be absent.

In light of this, the example of GIRM 142 doesn’t wash with me. The “minister” referred to in that could easily be the priest.

If the priest doesn’t want female Altar Servers and is unable to recruit sufficient male ones, then he will be compelled to handle that ministry himself. The bishop has no authority to make him recruit female Altar Servers, and I disagree with your ascertation that the priest is in vioation of GIRM 142.

 

[John_Lilburne]

Perhaps if the priest held a bowl between his knees he could pour water on one hand at a time! Clearly the GIRM intends that there be altar servers. It is absurd to suggest that a priest presenting cruets to himself is following the liturgical book’s intention.

 

[MusicMan]

All it says is that the minister presents the cruets. It doesn’t say to whom. Does he present them to the priest or the people?

And yes, a priest is quite capable of washing his hands one at a time. Set the bowl on the altar, and wash away.

 

[wynd]

All it says is that the minister presents the cruets. It doesn’t say to whom. Does he present them to the priest or the people?

And yes, a priest is quite capable of washing his hands one at a time. Set the bowl on the altar, and wash away.

I would not say “on the altar,” but rather on a separate table. And yes, there is no requirement of servers.

 

[Brendan]

Per adoremus.org/CDW-AltarServers.html a bishop, nor any other person (other than the Holy See) may NOT force a priest to celebrate Mass with female altar servers.

The use of girls in this role is an Allowance, it is allowed to happen, it is not mandatory.

So yes, a priest may legitimately refuse to use girls in this role, even against this wishes of his bishop ( because the bishop has no right to command in this case)

And John, yes the GIRM allows for no server to be present.

 

[hilde_the_dog]

Our diocese recently began to allow femaile alter servers. But the parish priest was to petition the Bishop in order to allow this. My parish priest has not asked for permission and as I understand it he will not.

 

[Michael038]

Our parish has both male and female servers. i see nothing wrong with the female server, my little daughter wants to be one when she is old enough and i’ll support her as well.

 

[cue]

I see nothing wrong with the female server

From a pastoral perspective, two issues arise.

1. For many priests, serving Mass was pivotal in discerning their call to the priesthood. Every time a girl servers, she is displacing a boy (or the possibly of a boy serving). Particularly today, a pastor must do all he can to foster vocations. This may seem like such a small detail, but to a boy deciding what to do with his life, it is a priceless experience.
2. The feminization of the liturgy and Catholicism. We can see that, in many places, mostly women have stepped up to these ministries and the result is that the younger generation has come to believe that church is for women, not men. Allowing girls to serve destroys a reason for boys to serve. It becomes a normal activity, rather than a special opportunity that they are uniquely invited to seize.

While female altar servers are allowed, the pastoral situation demands that they not be employed. Allowing girls to serve discourages boys to serve and therefore enacts, on the parish level, a vocational suicide. In a world that is shouting its loudest to tell them that priesthood is worthless, their one safe-haven, the Church, needs to provide a place that recognizes and encourages young men to serve at her altars as priests. Of course, God can overcome the obstacles that the feminists, etc. would like to place in the way and he reach the heart of a young man. Why don’t we try to help him out?

 

[MusicMan]

No priest I know of is discouraging boys from service at the altar.

The vocations crisis is not caused or rooted in the allowance of female altar servers. The vocations crisis is caused by growing immoral secularism in the US and poor parenting. Vocations to the priesthood and religious life should be fostered by MOM and DAD, not by being allowed to serve at the altar.

My diocese allows female altar servers. My parish allows female altar servers. None of the boys see this as discouraging, in fact pretty much all of the youth in our parish spend time in the ranks of the altar servers. We also have at least one man from our parish now in the seminary, and it looks like there will be two more soon.

I must point out that these young men were all good altar servers, but their vocations were fostered by their parents. And their parents being good parents is what enabled these young men to be good servers too.

 

[John_Lilburne]

…And John, yes the GIRM allows for no server to be present.

From the 2002 General Introduction to the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :
“254. Mass should not be celebrated without a minister or at least one of the faithful, except for a just and reasonable cause. In this case, the greetings, the introductory or explanatory remarks (monitiones), and the blessing at the end of Mass are omitted.”

So yes, it is allowed, but note the exceptional nature of it, the need for a “just and reasonable cause”. That it what the priest would need to consider and others could legitimately confront him about.

 

[cue]

I must point out that these young men were all good altar servers, but their vocations were fostered by their parents. And their parents being good parents is what enabled these young men to be good servers too.

This is an excellent point. However, on the parish level (not the parental level) we need to examine if the parish (pastor) is sending the message that men are wanted and needed for service at the altar (priesthood) by expressing that on the next lower level (altar serving). A policy of having boys serve is the time-tested and proven way to do this. If a parish allows girl servers, they may not be discouraging vocations, but they are not seizing a valuable opportunity to foster them. My point is that we cannot afford to neglect this opportunity.

The vocations crisis is not caused or rooted in the allowance of female altar servers.

Perhaps I was unclear. I do not believe female servers caused this crisis, but explained the boy servers are the surest means of remedying the situation on the parish level.

Although, the feminization of ‘church stuff’ in general (including serving) exaggerates this crisis.

 

[MusicMan]

From the 2002 General Introduction to the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :
“254. Mass should not be celebrated without a minister or at least one of the faithful, except for a just and reasonable cause. In this case, the greetings, the introductory or explanatory remarks (monitiones), and the blessing at the end of Mass are omitted.”

So yes, it is allowed, but note the exceptional nature of it, the need for a “just and reasonable cause”. That it what the priest would need to consider and others could legitimately confront him about.

Actually, what this portion is saying is that Mass shouldn’t be celebrated by a priest alone except for a just and reasonable cause. It doesn’t give any requirement for a minister to assist, only that a minister or at least one of the faithful should be present.

 

[zuzu]

From a pastoral perspective, two issues arise.

1. For many priests, serving Mass was pivotal in discerning their call to the priesthood. Every time a girl servers, she is displacing a boy (or the possibly of a boy serving). Particularly today, a pastor must do all he can to foster vocations. This may seem like such a small detail, but to a boy deciding what to do with his life, it is a priceless experience.
2. The feminization of the liturgy and Catholicism. We can see that, in many places, mostly women have stepped up to these ministries and the result is that the younger generation has come to believe that church is for women, not men. Allowing girls to serve destroys a reason for boys to serve. It becomes a normal activity, rather than a special opportunity that they are uniquely invited to seize.

While female altar servers are allowed, the pastoral situation demands that they not be employed. Allowing girls to serve discourages boys to serve and therefore enacts, on the parish level, a vocational suicide. In a world that is shouting its loudest to tell them that priesthood is worthless, their one safe-haven, the Church, needs to provide a place that recognizes and encourages young men to serve at her altars as priests. Of course, God can overcome the obstacles that the feminists, etc. would like to place in the way and he reach the heart of a young man. Why don’t we try to help him out?

 

[zuzu]

It’s a strange equation

Altar Boys = More Priests (vocations)
Altar Girls = Less Altar Boys
Therefore
Altar Girls = Fewer Vocations

You may be interested to now that here in the UK, the decline in vocations began well before the introduction of female servers. Many seminaries have closed completely. It is beyond irrational to equate this with the introduction of female altar servers.
Vocations to the priesthood are more often than not, fostered at home. Being an altar server only reinforces this calling. I would argue then, that if a young boy/man has a genuine call to the priesthood, he is not likely to let the presence of a female servers to put him off becoming a server himself.

God bless you
Suze

 

[johnpaul2_fan]

I think that while girl alter servers are not necessarily the cause of the “vocation crisis,” that alter serving only for boys can be used to encourage vocations to the priesthood.

I think that people forget there aren’t less vocations, God is still calling people to the priesthood and religious life. There crisis is that people aren’t open to discerning God’s will, or spiritually mature enough to consider God’s will. It’s a crisis in faith. (At least that’s my 2 cents.)

I think one of the best things that I have seen done, in a parish that was used to having girl and boy alter servers, was to have girl alter servers wear a different alter serving garb than the boys. With the girl alter servers only serving together, and boy alter servers only serving together.

Before this was implemented there where more girl alter servers than boys, now there are consistently many more boys alter serving than girls.

 

[Brendan]

From the 2002 General Introduction to the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :
“254. Mass should not be celebrated without a minister **or at least one of the faithful, **except for a just and reasonable cause. In this case, the greetings, the introductory or explanatory remarks (monitiones), and the blessing at the end of Mass are omitted.”

So yes, it is allowed, but note the exceptional nature of it, the need for a “just and reasonable cause”. That it what the priest would need to consider and others could legitimately confront him about.

Have a priest and one person in the pew would fulfil this requirement completely. There would be at least one member of the faithful present.

 

[Brendan]

It’s a strange equation

Altar Boys = More Priests (vocations)
Altar Girls = Less Altar Boys
Therefore
Altar Girls = Fewer Vocations

You may be interested to now that here in the UK, the decline in vocations began well before the introduction of female servers. Many seminaries have closed completely. It is beyond irrational to equate this with the introduction of female altar servers.

Zuzu,

If a person had cancer, and then began to take arsenic, it would, of course, be ‘beyond rational’ to claim that the decline in health of the person was entirely attributable to the arsenic.

But that doesn’t rule out telling the person that stopping the arsenic consumption would improve their health.

The addition of altar girls didn’t cause the loss of vocations, but’ like the arsenic’ only servers to accelerate the problem.

Zuzu,

As I have mentioned before, my parish of 800 families currently had 6 men in the seminary. We have had 4 men ordained from our parish in the last 6 years.

The 1% of parishes in our diocese that have male only altar boy programs produce 20% of the men currently in the seminary.

I would like you to ask the following question.

Since Vocations come from God, why is God calling men from male only altar boy programs at MUCH greater rates than other parishes?