Female Altar Servers

  • Thread starter Thread starter whatevergirl
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
I understand well the tradition that only boys be used as altar servers. It seems there were a number of good reasons for this. But I think part of why this has changed is because there is less interest in serving among our young people (boys and girls) in many parishes. We would not have enough altar servers if we did not allow girls to serve.

It is my understanding that it is still encouraged to have only boys where it is possible? And also that it is up to each bishop to allow the priests in their diocese the ability to use girls as altar servers if they are needed.

I am personally grateful that our parish does so, as my oldest daughter is also an altar server. She, too, is considering a vocation to religious life. Though I don’t think this came about just because she is an altar server, allowing her to serve in this way certainly does help keep her attentive to mass which clearly helps feed her faith and her willingness to consider such a call. Of course, it would be nice to see enough of our young men filling that role that we no longer needed to call upon our girls, too.
 
As someone who has already been severely ‘blasted’ on other threads about female servers, it is great to read so many encouraging words from this one.
I am a 53 year old (young at heart) convert to this great faith, and for the past three years have been a senior server at our parish of Our Lady Star of the Sea, St.Annes Lancashire UK. I am part of a team of 35 servers (male and female) ranging in ages from 8years to 83 years.
Being a server has increased my understanding of the liturgy, and my love of the Mass has increased ten-fold. Those who are dead set against female servers, will never understand our reasons for being there, or our joy in serving the Lord. They very often try to bombard us with rules and quotations designed to ‘put us in our place’, and it can be very hurtful at times. Everyone seems to think we all want to become priests. Nothing could be further from the truth. There may well be a few ‘feminists’ in the ranks, but i’m certainly not one of them. Besides, that would be a whole different ball game, and not for this thread.
I have never been deterred though, and in July this year, with the backing and support of clergy and parishioners, i will be honoured to take on the role and responsibilities of Parish MC.
I have no idea if i am the first woman to take on such a position, but i hope it helps to raise the profile of female servers everywhere.

Gods Love and Blessings to you all:thumbsup:
 
Do you think we should encourage female altar servers? What is the reason for allowing female altar servers in the first place? In my diocese, female altar servers are not allowed, so I’m just curious.

I’m not trying to start a debate here, I just want to know. 🙂

Peace,
Vincent
 
OHHHHHH NOOOOO!!! Not this topic again…you just opened a whole can of worms. Sit back and watch the mud fly…😛
 
vince2paul said:
Do you think we should encourage female altar servers? What is the reason for allowing female altar servers in the first place? In my diocese, female altar servers are not allowed, so I’m just curious.

I’m not trying to start a debate here, I just want to know. 🙂

Peace,
Vincent
Click to expand...
My perspective comes from a religious educator’s point of view. Most families who bring their kids to CCD do not take them to Mass. When I ask who are the altar servers in my junior high classes and girls raise their hands I am very pleased. This is a great example for the other kids to see as a part of what it means to participate in our faith. Grant it, I’m well aware of the meaning behind having boys serve at Mass. It’s to increase vocations but there are those girls who might be drawn into other ministries stemming from this experience. In my large parish there are more girl altar servers than boys and there are always openings for more volunteers. So we are not excluding boys in accepting the girls. I did and sometimes still do have a hard time accepting this change as I am 48 years old and was an altar boy, with altar rails and the like. So, anyway, that’s my two cents. It is encouraging to see anyone’s hand go up when I ask,“Who serves at Mass?” and I see the girl’s hands go up when 2/3 of my class don’t even attend Mass…God Bless…teachccd:)
 
I can understand the whole “girl Altar servers can encourage female vocations to the religious life” argument, but it completely disregards one HUGE fact- through assisting at Mass, Altar servers are becoming acquainted with the role of the priest in the Sacrifice of the Altar. They are familiarized with the actions of the priest who is offering the Sacrifice in the person of Christ. There it is: they are being exposed to the actions of the Holy Priesthood and thus influenced by it. What good would this do for a female server who cannot be a priest? She is not being exposed to the roles of a Sister in the Church who she may aspire to be, but to the priest whom she could not ever be. In the worst case scenario, a female altar server might forget her place.
 
I don’t want to “fling mud,” but to offer my experience and understanding in the spirit of charity. Caesar, I see your point and would like to explain my perspective.
I can understand the whole “girl Altar servers can encourage female vocations to the religious life” argument, but it completely disregards one HUGE fact- through assisting at Mass, Altar servers are becoming acquainted with the role of the priest in the Sacrifice of the Altar.
Click to expand...
Altar servers, male or female, only assist the priest Mass. (Being privy to the quiet prayers of the priest and brings a deeper understanding and appreciation for his role *in persona Christi *– more fully than following along in a missal.)
They are familiarized with the actions of the priest who is offering the Sacrifice in the person of Christ. There it is: they are being exposed to the actions of the Holy Priesthood and thus influenced by it. What good would this do for a female server who cannot be a priest?
Click to expand...
While on active duty, I had the opportunity to assist at Mass, and it was an honor and a joy. I was told that I did quite well, and I have no desire to become a priest.

I have to answer “what good it did” to me. I didn’t feel that I was representing my gender on the altar. (The Mass is no place for such thoughts.) What it did do was to bring me closer to serving the whole body of Christ and the awesome responsibility and blessing of being that physically close to Our Lord… Assisting at the Mass was the highest honor I could get before I stepped back into the role of liturgist.

I was humbled to have been asked, and since I had studied from the pew for many years, I was at least competent.

And I never, for a moment, thought that I could ever fill the shoes of a priest. I was neither jealous nor threatened that the priest was a man and I was not. I never felt an elusive goal in front of me: to be a priest. Did I recite the doxology? No, as I was not the priest. However, I did hold a makeshift paten under many chins that morning. I was actually responsible for the tiniest particles of the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord and I wouldn’t trade that for the world. Who *wouldn’t *be both excited and humbled by that, male or female?
She is not being exposed to the roles of a Sister in the Church who she may aspire to be, but to the priest whom she could not ever be. In the worst case scenario, a female altar server might forget her place.
Click to expand...
As I grew up in a more traditional NO parish, females didn’t get to be altar servers (though they can, now). I believe that female altar servers are more fully dedicate to the service of the Church and her people by assisting at Mass, and her participation in this role does not blur the lines between clergy and laity – unless that’s how the child is instructed.

An alter server - male or female - would only forget his or her place if not properly instructed / guided / formed / catechized.

Again, it all comes down to training and proper formation. I do not wish to sound confrontational, but “her place” is not only limited to arranging flowers and washing altar linen.
 
The reason for allowing female altar servers was disobedience which influenced people to push for the Pope to approve female altar servers. So the people pushing female altar servers in the first place were doing an evil act by disobeying the Church and pushing for the female priest agenda.
Sexual deviants, Female Priests and non-celibate priests are behind the agenda initially pushing for female altar servers. Now people who have good intentions have sometimes jumped on the bandwagon under the desire to help out and participate.

Yes this sounds harsh, yet our obedience is one of the most crucial points in our relationship with God. Lack of obedience is the cause of the fall of man. The sin of Adam is placing mans desire above obedience.

There is absolutely no good reason for female altar servers to continue to exist except for feelings. We should always be mindful of the feelings of the poor girls who are used in this way.

I have two little girls and I would never use my girls or manipulate them in this way. They are special the way they are and they do not need to be like boys to be special. Some silly lady was encouraging my little girl to be an altar server last week and when I asked why, she couldn’t give a good reason. There is no good reason unless you want to make girls feel bad by thinking they need to emulate boys.

Many “modern” women seem to like to make other women feel bad instead of allowing women to enjoy being women.

In Christ
Scylla
 
scylla said:
The reason for allowing female altar servers was disobedience which influenced people to push for the Pope to approve female altar servers…
Click to expand...
You sure seem angry and confused.

I don’t think anyone held a gun to Pope JPII’s head. He wasn’t forced to allow them…
 
In Christ, there is no male or female. Or do many of you deny scripture? I can’t imagine what the big deal is all about. Where women present at the food of the Cross? Hmmm , you gotta wonder.
Next the church will return to mumbo jumbo days of pre- Vatican II. All those silly smells, bells and whistles. I’ll have to bet many of the Priest’s prefer boys for a special dialogue.
 
EDIT

I am pretty sure no one put a gun to his head, yet they insisted and pushed for quite a while all the while there were people disobeying the fact that Altar Girls were forbidden. Our beloved Pope was a very nice man and did bend a lot to please people.

I am certainly not confused feel free to read these links,
catholic.com/thisrock/1993/9305fea2.asp

God Bless
Scylla
 
:nope: I’m female, and I was an Alter server for two years.I see no difference.If girls want to serve on God’s Alter, they should DEFINITELY be allowed.God loves girls just as much as boys, and they should have equel oppurtnity to serve Him.

Galations 3:28- ‘There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’

That means that EVERYONE should be allowed to serve Jesus.
 
Thank you for the article link Scylla, pretty much clears things up.
Now I’m glad my younger sister chose to go to a public science high school instead of my exclusive girl’s school alma mater where they recently have an altar server’s club! :eek:
At least, I haven’t seen anything like that in the parishes here in our country… well not yet anyway.
I’m praying that the order of nuns who run my alma mater can see the light!
🙂
 
Teeliumtrozzle said:
:nope: I’m female, and I was an Alter server for two years.I see no difference.If girls want to serve on God’s Alter, they should DEFINITELY be allowed.God loves girls just as much as boys, and they should have equel oppurtnity to serve Him.

Galations 3:28- ‘There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’

That means that EVERYONE should be allowed to serve Jesus.
Click to expand...
Yes, we are all equal in God’s eyes. But men have special roles which women should not perform and women have special roles that men cannot perform. If men were real men, they would not allow females to take their roles. A female should not challenge a male because God gave men authority over women. But a man should love/treat a women like he loves/treats himself.

The world is going upside down , where women want to become priests, dominate politics, have the right to choose whether their child should live or die. Women think it more important to have a career than to have children. (this is a culture of death)

The world is losing meaning in everything it does because wherever God is absent, the devil rules. The devil wants men to lose their muculine characteristics.

God give all of you peace and special blessings and may the Holy Spirit give all of you the courage to do God’s will and not your own.
 
I was there when it was all boys…there were over 60 of us in the “corps”. Each year the boys were instituted into a confraternity and given the speech by the priest as to the SOLE reason for altar boys was to lead them towards a consideration for the priesthood. There was definately a connection with the priesthood…at least for me and my freinds. My parish at the time had two boys considering the vocation (seniors in high school) that left the ranks the very day the girls showed up. This was at my childhood parish. Now at this parish there is only ONE male altar server and he is brand new in 4th grade. Each year the knights of Columbus took the Altar boys to a pro baseball game. One of the mothers of the girls complained that it wasn’t appropriate for girls to be forced to go to a game…so that very long tradition was killed too. People need to investigate the history of the tradition and meaning of Altar boy and the reason for the popes extreme reluctance to “allow” them. It was certainly an agenda driven “lobby” behind the push for Altar Girls.
 
*My parish at the time had two boys considering the vocation (seniors in high school) that left the ranks the very day the girls showed up. *

When I think of the adversities of some saints who became priests, I really don’t think a few girls showing up would be that big of a deal for someone with a strong conviction. It is my understanding that a pastor decides who may serve in his parish. If those boys had a desire to become a priest, perhaps they could have someday instructed their parishes of what they believe to be true catholic doctrine.

I see so many examples of boys not being put off by girls, chess club, elective honors courses, in fact when a girl wanted to play travel soccer on the boys team, and was one of the best players on the team, not one boy quit. If a boy really wants to do something no one person will keep him from it.

I have talked to so many priests about this topic. Never once has one of them said they mind female servers. The most I could get was if there were limited spots and there were enough boys, the boys should get the spots. By the way the priest that told me that also told me it shouldn’t be a problem to have more than two servers at any given Mass; anyone who wants to serve should be invited.
 
Women and men ARE equal! But, we are NOT the same. And I don’t just mean biologically, our very souls are Male and Female, God created us that way for a purpose! We both reflect very different -but equally important- parts of God

Men are built differently and think differently from women, and Men need other Men to lead then into the ways of Mature Manhood. On every leve, but ESPECIALLY on the spiritual level. Being an Alter Server in the past was like a “right of passage”; a masculine activity that led young men into the closeness to the liturgy that was reserved only for Holy Orders. Just like the little girl who plays “babies” with her dolls or “baking” with her modeling clay, this role of Alter serving was a step to help young men be formed in the ways of Priesthood.
It’s an awful pity that young men no longer see this role as being “Masculine”. It has removed the desire to be involved for many, in hope of finding something more “Masculine” somewhere else. The alters in our Diocese don’t have many young men; just very small boys and lots and lots of older girls. We also are very short on vocations! It seems that dioceses that have only male alter servers do not have quite the same problem.
 
Pat_the_Cat said:
Women and men ARE equal! But, we are NOT the same. And I don’t just mean biologically, our very souls are Male and Female, God created us that way for a purpose! We both reflect very different -but equally important- parts of God

Men are built differently and think differently from women, and Men need other Men to lead then into the ways of Mature Manhood. On every leve, but ESPECIALLY on the spiritual level. Being an Alter Server in the past was like a “right of passage”; a masculine activity that led young men into the closeness to the liturgy that was reserved only for Holy Orders. Just like the little girl who plays “babies” with her dolls or “baking” with her modeling clay, this role of Alter serving was a step to help young men be formed in the ways of Priesthood.
It’s an awful pity that young men no longer see this role as being “Masculine”. It has removed the desire to be involved for many, in hope of finding something more “Masculine” somewhere else. The alters in our Diocese don’t have many young men; just very small boys and lots and lots of older girls. We also are very short on vocations! It seems that dioceses that have only male alter servers do not have quite the same problem.
Click to expand...
Next time I want to say somthing I am just going to have you write it…very well said. I wish I could have said it that well but you read my mind on this topic. This whole thing about changing the “roles” of men and women and boys and girls is nothing more than Deconstructionism or an attempt of it.
 
My church has female altar servers. I had no clue this is such a debatable topic. So much conflict within the Church lies in supposed gender roles. 😦
 
THurifer2 said:
I was there when it was all boys…there were over 60 of us in the “corps”. Each year the boys were instituted into a confraternity and given the speech by the priest as to the SOLE reason for altar boys was to lead them towards a consideration for the priesthood. .
Click to expand...
That is exactly how my parish is NOW.

We have about 70 altar BOYS. Before each Mass, Father leads them in a prayer asking for enlightenment on a vocation to the priesthood.

And it’s working too.

Out of a parish of about 800 families, we have 6 men in the Seminiary right now, and have had 6 other men from our parish Ordained to the priesthood in the last 10 years.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top