Girl Altar Servers?

[Nota_Bene]

A heart-warming Q&A from EWTN follows:

girl alter servers
Question from Joan Walsh on 01-29-2005: ewtn.com/images/printer.gifDear Father Levis, I’m 15 years old and an alter server at my church. I always took it for granted that I was allowed to be a part in the Mass. However, when I learned that it was only ten years ago that girls were actually allowed to be alter servers, I wanted to know why. I found out that it used to viewed as a sort of a training for the priesthood for boys and that some dioceses don’t allow it. While I trust the discretion of the Church, I sort of feel like its only adding to liberalism in the Church (which has really taken over my parish). I do like alter serving and I’m not sure if I should quit. Your thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much, your forum has been really helpful to me. God Bless, Joan

Answer by Fr. Robert J. Levis on 01-30-2005: Dear Joan, I think little girls are magnificent, all of them, and that God loves them all as jewels. But we have a problem in the Church. We need priests, very badly, and the Church always asked that little boys be given the great privilege of Mass serving as a kind of opportunity for them to consider becoming priests themselves. Today already, many American parishes have no boys at all serving anymore, just girls. Whatever can be done now, Joan? Fr. Bob Levis

 

[fix]

He is obviously a closed minded arch conservative. What about social justice?

 

[space_ghost]

Nota Bene:

A heart-warming Q&A from EWTN follows:

girl alter servers

Question from Joan Walsh on 01-29-2005: ewtn.com/images/printer.gifDear Father Levis, I’m 15 years old and an alter server at my church. I always took it for granted that I was allowed to be a part in the Mass. However, when I learned that it was only ten years ago that girls were actually allowed to be alter servers, I wanted to know why. I found out that it used to viewed as a sort of a training for the priesthood for boys and that some dioceses don’t allow it. While I trust the discretion of the Church, I sort of feel like its only adding to liberalism in the Church (which has really taken over my parish). I do like alter serving and I’m not sure if I should quit. Your thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much, your forum has been really helpful to me. God Bless, Joan

Answer by Fr. Robert J. Levis on 01-30-2005: Dear Joan, I think little girls are magnificent, all of them, and that God loves them all as jewels. But we have a problem in the Church. We need priests, very badly, and the Church always asked that little boys be given the great privilege of Mass serving as a kind of opportunity for them to consider becoming priests themselves. Today already, many American parishes have no boys at all serving anymore, just girls. Whatever can be done now, Joan? Fr. Bob Levis

put me down in the “FOR” column for girl altar servers…

http://www.sthelena.org/images/Alter.jpg

 

[Catholic2003]

It’s been over twenty years that female altar servers have been allowed.

 

[serendipity]

It didn’t seem like the question was answered,a nd I missed the “heart warming” part. Is it better in the priest’s opinion to have no altar servers than female altar servers?

While I think training at the altar may provide a good foundation for boys who may later wish to be priests, my obeservations have been that the priest needs to reach out more to the youth. I suppose every parish is diffrent, because everyone has different gifts and weeknesses. The level of religious education offered at this parish is deplorable, and being the only church in the county, there is no where else to go. I travel more than an hour to not attend the local service.

The local priest is more content on letting his friends, or good donators to the church teach religious education, rather than people with a good background of the cathechism. My sister’s confirmation class had an instructor who was verbally abusive, and didn’t teach them anything. She had attended a Catholic school until my parents moved here, so she was somewhat familiar with what a religion class should comprise, and when she was being misled. I am so relieved that I was confirmed elsewhere. Many parents compailned and some volunteered to replace the teacher.

The priest was adament that his horrible friend not be replaced. He told the parents that if they did not like the teacher that the could send their kids elsewhere to be confirmed (the next church is more than an hour away) and he would stop confirmation classes at the parish. He said they should be lucky that they even had a teacher…why should they be “licky”, when other people were volunteering with better credentials and more concern for the kids’ welfare. His atitude has been thatn chirlend are an annoyance and not an investment for the future. Probably why the congregation’s numbers have seriously dropped since he has been pastor. The only people left are old people and Central American immigrants. When he came there was one Spanish mas a week. Now there is only one English mass a week.

It is the attitudes of inconsideration for the youth that disillusion the youth from pursuing vocations. I was a Eucharistic minister in college, but he would not let me serve as a Eucharistic minister at that parish because I was “too young.” What incentive is there to become part of an intitution that never values you, except when you are unborn?

None of the kids confirmed seem to remain at the church. Most of their families leave as well. Being Catholic here is difficult enough with the pressure of people trying to convert you in the public schools (or library, or grocery store or anywhere). Meanwhile the Fundamental churches have activities that reach out to kids almost every night of the week.

 

[Defensor_Fidei]

As far as I understand, girl altar boys are not allowed everywhere and your local ordinary can allow it or not allow it.

We need to get these girls off the altar for several reasons and vocations is one big one.

More importantly as Dr. Dobson points out is that boys in this age are reluctant to participate in activities where girls are and it can be seen in local parishes concerning where altar girls are present.

This is not a social issue, this is a liturgical issue and a vocations issue.

-Ted

 

[space_ghost]

who knows, they may become nuns…

 

[katherine2]

I’m interested in a 15 year old girl that can’t spell altar but uses phrases like “I trust the discretion of the Church” and “liberalism in the Church (which has really taken over my parish.”

I have a suspicion the good father was taken for a ride.

 

[FenianMan]

The problem of women serving at the altar is, like so many difficulties in the Church in America, endemic. The permission to allow women to serve at the altar may have been a very valuable and practical solution to some particular issues being faced by missionaries and chaplains to all-women facilities (hospitals, prisons, cloistered convents, etc.), but it was a terrible mistake for the average suburban parish. The cultural mileu of late-twentieth and early twenty-first century Catholicism in this country is such that if one is not seen as (“actively,” that is physically participating in the liturgy then they are being passive (or as one poster put it, not being valued). This is a profound misreading of the council documents (which use the word “actuosa” instead of “activa” with regard to the liturgy), and which further presume that the real participation on behalf of the assembly is interior. Yes, obviously anybody who has been a pre-adolsecent boy knows that boys don’t like to play with girls at that age. Further, having girls serve at the altar generally adds confusion. When done properly a psychological bond occurs between a priest and his regular servers and it is very often this bond that fosters vocations to the priesthood. It is simply cruel to put young girls through the trauma of developing such a bond and having a natural tendency to seek to be like the priest when she is ontologically incapable of doing so. Further, if familiarity breeds contempt then we should limit, not open, as many church ministires as we can; not for the sake of casting people out, but for the good of the community as a whole that they might better reverence the mysteries which we celebrate. That being said, get unnecessary people out of the sanctuary. Only use EMHCs if there are more than two or three thousand communicants per priest, and have them be instituted acolytes. Limit reading to those few in the parish who do it exceptionally well and so add to the solemnity of the liturgy. Most of all, though, teach people to genuflect to the Blessed Sacrament and to bless themselves when passing a Church. Habiits build and are contagious. Let’s spread a little reverence today.

 

[fix]

FenianMan:

The problem of women serving at the altar is, like so many difficulties in the Church in America, endemic. The permission to allow women to serve at the altar may have been a very valuable and practical solution to some particular issues being faced by missionaries and chaplains to all-women facilities (hospitals, prisons, cloistered convents, etc.), but it was a terrible mistake for the average suburban parish. The cultural mileu of late-twentieth and early twenty-first century Catholicism in this country is such that if one is not seen as (“actively,” that is physically participating in the liturgy then they are being passive (or as one poster put it, not being valued). This is a profound misreading of the council documents (which use the word “actuosa” instead of “activa” with regard to the liturgy), and which further presume that the real participation on behalf of the assembly is interior. Yes, obviously anybody who has been a pre-adolsecent boy knows that boys don’t like to play with girls at that age. Further, having girls serve at the altar generally adds confusion. When done properly a psychological bond occurs between a priest and his regular servers and it is very often this bond that fosters vocations to the priesthood. It is simply cruel to put young girls through the trauma of developing such a bond and having a natural tendency to seek to be like the priest when she is ontologically incapable of doing so. Further, if familiarity breeds contempt then we should limit, not open, as many church ministires as we can; not for the sake of casting people out, but for the good of the community as a whole that they might better reverence the mysteries which we celebrate. That being said, get unnecessary people out of the sanctuary. Only use EMHCs if there are more than two or three thousand communicants per priest, and have them be instituted acolytes. Limit reading to those few in the parish who do it exceptionally well and so add to the solemnity of the liturgy. Most of all, though, teach people to genuflect to the Blessed Sacrament and to bless themselves when passing a Church. Habiits build and are contagious. Let’s spread a little reverence today.

You obviously have a problem with women and social justice.

Just joking. You hit the nail on the head.

 

[serendipity]

FenianMan:

Yes, obviously anybody who has been a pre-adolsecent boy knows that boys don’t like to play with girls at that age. Further, having girls serve at the altar generally adds confusion. When done properly a psychological bond occurs between a priest and his regular servers and it is very often this bond that fosters vocations to the priesthood.

Maybe where you lived you had plenty of altar servers before they permitted grils to help out. You seem to imply that allowing girls in squeezed boys out. What I saw in my church was maybe there was a boy there at the most, some times two, but usually there was no one, Then there were girls and there were servers. Still there is the occasional boy or two. The number of boys does not seem to have changed. The only thing that has changed is that there are consistently servers now.

It’s somewhat insulting that you highlight only the importance for the priest to have bonds with boys to encourage vocations ot the prieshood. I’m sure the oversight is not intentional.

We need women to fulfill vocations too. The religious formation programs and schools would be better if they had the kind of teachers I did, who also happened to be nuns. Although when I was in school, there were very few nuns.

When my grandmother died, it was a nun who helped her and the family the most. And this was in upsate NY, where they have Catholic priests. Granted, it’s usually one priest divided between a few parishes. The nun visisted her in the hopsital and occasionally at the house. The nun helped us pick out the readings and songs for the mass. She spoke at the funeral home. She spoke at the grave. She cried with us. When I had to go back there to help close up the house, she visited me.

I can’t remember the priest’s name for the life of me, who came in said a mass and ran off, even though my grand mother attended mass every day of her 80-something years. But I will never forget Sr. Eva.

I am disgusted by how little people actually care if women are trying to discern a vocation. No one would talk to me. The priest said “call the dioscese.” I telephoned the dioscese said “send us an email.” I emailed but received no reponse. I called again. They said “send an email.” I said “I already did that” they said “we’ll have some one call you,” but no one does. People say that tradition has allocated women roles within the church that have responsibilties; apparently very few people think that these responsibilties are important enough to help or care if women have the resources to discern them.

 

[Nota_Bene]

FenianMan:

The problem of women serving at the altar is, like so many difficulties in the Church in America, endemic. The permission to allow women to serve at the altar may have been a very valuable and practical solution to some particular issues being faced by missionaries and chaplains to all-women facilities (hospitals, prisons, cloistered convents, etc.), but it was a terrible mistake for the average suburban parish. The cultural mileu of late-twentieth and early twenty-first century Catholicism in this country is such that if one is not seen as (“actively,” that is physically participating in the liturgy then they are being passive (or as one poster put it, not being valued). This is a profound misreading of the council documents (which use the word “actuosa” instead of “activa” with regard to the liturgy), and which further presume that the real participation on behalf of the assembly is interior. Yes, obviously anybody who has been a pre-adolsecent boy knows that boys don’t like to play with girls at that age. Further, having girls serve at the altar generally adds confusion. When done properly a psychological bond occurs between a priest and his regular servers and it is very often this bond that fosters vocations to the priesthood. It is simply cruel to put young girls through the trauma of developing such a bond and having a natural tendency to seek to be like the priest when she is ontologically incapable of doing so. Further, if familiarity breeds contempt then we should limit, not open, as many church ministires as we can; not for the sake of casting people out, but for the good of the community as a whole that they might better reverence the mysteries which we celebrate. That being said, get unnecessary people out of the sanctuary. Only use EMHCs if there are more than two or three thousand communicants per priest, and have them be instituted acolytes. Limit reading to those few in the parish who do it exceptionally well and so add to the solemnity of the liturgy. Most of all, though, teach people to genuflect to the Blessed Sacrament and to bless themselves when passing a Church. Habiits build and are contagious. Let’s spread a little reverence today.

Are you suggesting that we dis-band the Sioux-Nation sized gangs of EMsHC who climb up onto the sanctuary to be seen?

WE would then have to get ride of the “coordinators” who schedule these grangs of “eucharisitc ministers.”

Why that seems so devoid of social justice! It’s probably racist and sexist too! It also does not allow the people to be “involved” with the Mass!

(Please note the sarchasm.)

 

[CrusaderNY]

Right on Father Levis…by the way, anyone who would like to know we have Father Levis to thank for “saving” his co-host on “Web of Faith” from leaving the seminary after getting bounced around for close to 14 years, Father Trugillio, because he was considered “conservative” and “Orthodox” for reciting the rosary and adhering to the documents of V2 (as even this is to strict for many of the new seminarians and priests) and not believing in woman ordination, it was Father Levis who as a Priest at this time, kept this great future priest from leaving.

We dont need altar girls, we need more young altar boys who are shown how great the priesthood is. The only upside I can think of to altar girls is at least, by some accounts with more than 50% of the Priests who are homosexual wont be attracted to them and it could possibly limit the pedophilia.
Nota Bene:

A heart-warming Q&A from EWTN follows:

girl alter servers

Question from Joan Walsh on 01-29-2005: ewtn.com/images/printer.gifDear Father Levis, I’m 15 years old and an alter server at my church. I always took it for granted that I was allowed to be a part in the Mass. However, when I learned that it was only ten years ago that girls were actually allowed to be alter servers, I wanted to know why. I found out that it used to viewed as a sort of a training for the priesthood for boys and that some dioceses don’t allow it. While I trust the discretion of the Church, I sort of feel like its only adding to liberalism in the Church (which has really taken over my parish). I do like alter serving and I’m not sure if I should quit. Your thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much, your forum has been really helpful to me. God Bless, Joan

Answer by Fr. Robert J. Levis on 01-30-2005: Dear Joan, I think little girls are magnificent, all of them, and that God loves them all as jewels. But we have a problem in the Church. We need priests, very badly, and the Church always asked that little boys be given the great privilege of Mass serving as a kind of opportunity for them to consider becoming priests themselves. Today already, many American parishes have no boys at all serving anymore, just girls. Whatever can be done now, Joan? Fr. Bob Levis

 

[Defensor_Fidei]

serendipity:

Maybe where you lived you had plenty of altar servers before they permitted grils to help out. You seem to imply that allowing girls in squeezed boys out. What I saw in my church was maybe there was a boy there at the most, some times two, but usually there was no one, Then there were girls and there were servers. Still there is the occasional boy or two. The number of boys does not seem to have changed. The only thing that has changed is that there are consistently servers now.

It’s somewhat insulting that you highlight only the importance for the priest to have bonds with boys to encourage vocations ot the prieshood. I’m sure the oversight is not intentional.

We need women to fulfill vocations too. The religious formation programs and schools would be better if they had the kind of teachers I did, who also happened to be nuns. Although when I was in school, there were very few nuns.

When my grandmother died, it was a nun who helped her and the family the most. And this was in upsate NY, where they have Catholic priests. Granted, it’s usually one priest divided between a few parishes. The nun visisted her in the hopsital and occasionally at the house. The nun helped us pick out the readings and songs for the mass. She spoke at the funeral home. She spoke at the grave. She cried with us. When I had to go back there to help close up the house, she visited me.

I can’t remember the priest’s name for the life of me, who came in said a mass and ran off, even though my grand mother attended mass every day of her 80-something years. But I will never forget Sr. Eva.

I am disgusted by how little people actually care if women are trying to discern a vocation. No one would talk to me. The priest said “call the dioscese.” I telephoned the dioscese said “send us an email.” I emailed but received no reponse. I called again. They said “send an email.” I said “I already did that” they said “we’ll have some one call you,” but no one does. People say that tradition has allocated women roles within the church that have responsibilties; apparently very few people think that these responsibilties are important enough to help or care if women have the resources to discern them.

If there not enough boys in the 11-14 year old range the parish should fill this with young men into college years as servers and even train these younger men to be MCs. The pre-teen boys seeing some older boys up there would probably be more inclined.

The position of altar boy is not the proper position to foster vocations for nuns.

-Ted

 

[INRI]

My parish priest was talking at our young adults meeting last night when the subject of his vocation came up. We asked him how he came to become a priest. His answer was that he had two very loving and holy parents, an aunt and and uncle who were VERY active in the local church and politics (were working on the pro-life cause in Maryland even before Roe v. Wade), and that he attended a residential all-male high school located in a Benedictine monastery. He found it natural to consider the priesthood as he worked side-by-side with the monks and priests every day as his teachers and that he could see the joy in their lives and their service to others. Incidentally, even with this great environment, he still felt the need to do a stint in the Marines to “straighten myself out”.

My point in bringing this up is that the effect of having role-model priests in the fostering of vocations cannot be underestimated. It is probably the case that female altar servers can do the job as well as or better than the male altar servers; that is not the point of having them there. Priests can get by doing the mass with no altar servers if need be. The point of altar servers is to introduce young men to the life of the priesthood and to foster in them an appreciation of religion and religious life. I have yet to hear a convincing case that having altar girls fosters female vocations. Instead it serves to foster confusion among the girls serving as evident by this letter in the OP. Incidentally, I live in one of 2 dioceses in this country that doesn’t allow female altar servers; we also have no vocations crisis.

To foster male vocations, there needs to be a lot of contact between young men and the priesthood. To foster female vocations, there needs to be a lot of contact between young women and nuns. This isn’t rocket science. It is no coincidence that vocations to the priesthood have dried up when it became fashionable to have suburban “mega-parishes” with banal art, banal architecture, and banal homiles from feel-good priests who, like as not, would abandon their clericals once they set foot off of parish grounds. How could a young man get a good sense of the power and the mystery of the holy priesthood from that? It is also no coincidence that female vocations have dried up at the same time that nuns have ditched the habit and the communal life. At my previous parish, it took me months to recognize that there were nuns sitting in the back of the chapel at the daily mass. They looked like everyone else. The only difference was that they insisted on using gender neutral language during responses.

The vocations crisis in the priesthood is also artificially created by radicals in charge of vocations offices and seminaries. Good, orthodox young men are rejected for being “rigid”. Those who show devotion to Our Lady, attendance at eucharistic adoration, and regular prayer of the Rosary are at risk of being shown the door. The vocations stories of Fr. John Trugillio and Fr. John Corapi illustrate this problem. The goal is create a drive for married priests and women priests by destroying orthodox vocations. And no, I am not exaggerating.

Back to point: the use of female altar servers is at best a stop-gap; it will not help the vocations crisis and may, in fact, only make it worse.

 

[fix]

INRI:

My parish priest was talking at our young adults meeting last night when the subject of his vocation came up. We asked him how he came to become a priest. His answer was that he had two very loving and holy parents, an aunt and and uncle who were VERY active in the local church and politics (were working on the pro-life cause in Maryland even before Roe v. Wade), and that he attended a residential all-male high school located in a Benedictine monastery. He found it natural to consider the priesthood as he worked side-by-side with the monks and priests every day as his teachers and that he could see the joy in their lives and their service to others. Incidentally, even with this great environment, he still felt the need to do a stint in the Marines to “straighten myself out”.

My point in bringing this up is that the effect of having role-model priests in the fostering of vocations cannot be underestimated. It is probably the case that female altar servers can do the job as well as or better than the male altar servers; that is not the point of having them there. Priests can get by doing the mass with no altar servers if need be. The point of altar servers is to introduce young men to the life of the priesthood and to foster in them an appreciation of religion and religious life. I have yet to hear a convincing case that having altar girls fosters female vocations. Instead it serves to foster confusion among the girls serving as evident by this letter in the OP. Incidentally, I live in one of 2 dioceses in this country that doesn’t allow female altar servers; we also have no vocations crisis.

To foster male vocations, there needs to be a lot of contact between young men and the priesthood. To foster female vocations, there needs to be a lot of contact between young women and nuns. This isn’t rocket science. It is no coincidence that vocations to the priesthood have dried up when it became fashionable to have suburban “mega-parishes” with banal art, banal architecture, and banal homiles from feel-good priests who, like as not, would abandon their clericals once they set foot off of parish grounds. How could a young man get a good sense of the power and the mystery of the holy priesthood from that? It is also no coincidence that female vocations have dried up at the same time that nuns have ditched the habit and the communal life. At my previous parish, it took me months to recognize that there were nuns sitting in the back of the chapel at the daily mass. They looked like everyone else. The only difference was that they insisted on using gender neutral language during responses.

The vocations crisis in the priesthood is also artificially created by radicals in charge of vocations offices and seminaries. Good, orthodox young men are rejected for being “rigid”. Those who show devotion to Our Lady, attendance at eucharistic adoration, and regular prayer of the Rosary are at risk of being shown the door. The vocations stories of Fr. John Trugillio and Fr. John Corapi illustrate this problem. The goal is create a drive for married priests and women priests by destroying orthodox vocations. And no, I am not exaggerating.

Back to point: the use of female altar servers is at best a stop-gap; it will not help the vocations crisis and may, in fact, only make it worse.

Yes, but what about social justice?

 

[Sean.McKenzie]

space ghost:

who knows, they may become nuns…

Yes, while that may be true, Nuns (sisters) cannot consecrate the host, they cannot take on the duties of a priest it is simply not alllowed By allowing girls to be altar servers, it is kind of like a tease. Maybe the Church’s should start a program that teaches girls how to be part time sacristans. I don’t understand why priests and parishes let the feminists movement of our culture, usurp their instructions and requirements, morover why do they allow these kind of ideals and actions to infest our Holy MOTHER Church, note: how abou this for the ultra feminists, the Church is referred to as a Mother. Motherhood is one of the greatest gifts.

 

[itsjustdave1988]

I was an altar boy and *never *understood the role to be a priest-in-training role. Even if that might have been the intent, this was not at all conveyed to us. Neither is it conveyed today to our altar servers, either boys or girls. I don’t see it as a *“tease” *for the altar girls, as none of them in our parish aspire to be a priest one day.

BTW, our diocese, which allows altar girls, does not have a vocation crisis either.

I think when I was a kid, being an altar server moved me away from being a priest, as being “closer” to the *mean *priest didn’t really stir the desire to be just like him.

 

[_veritas]

You know, don’t get me wrong, I think girls as altar servers is not a particularly good idea and I would be ok with a return to male-only serving (speaking as a womam myself here!).

However. The tone on some of these posts is decidedly pessimistic – and I don’t think that is fair. There are plenty of orthodox dioceses that allow girls to be servers, who also do not have a vocations crisis - my own Archdiocese (St. Paul/Minneapolis) for one. We have 15 men being ordained to the priesthood this spring! Look at Denver, St. Louis, Atlanta… all of them have strong vocations outlooks. Where orthodoxy is, vocations follow.

For the record, as a woman, who does serve at Masses a few times a month, my own discernment to possibly entering religious life has come about, I feel, partially because of my building a bond (as was said earlier) with the priests at our parish. Without these priests, I would not have heard about the holy and orthodox women’s religious orders (Nashville Dominicans, Sisters of Mary, Sisters of Life, Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, etc).

I am not alone either. By our priests reaching out to the young adult crowd, of both genders, there are many possible vocations emerging. Diocesean offices should not be the only place a person looks for vocation information, some offices are orthodox and some are not (for the record, the St. Paul/Minneapolis vocations office is GREAT! Visit www.10000vocations.org for more info, anyone who is considering a vocation!).

Also – one thing that I have noticed happening in our Archdiocese is that some parishes are separating the girls from the boys for serving (having two girls serve the morning Mass, and two boys serve the evening Mass, or vice versa). It seems to me, from my experience, that the parishes that use this method have little trouble finding enough servers of either gender – hey, if you can serve with your buddy instead of a girl (or a boy), then a kid’s probably (as noted) more likely to want to serve.

Here’s to the day when thing settle down, and women serve only when necessary (at convents etc), and there are huge numbers of fervent and faithful young men coming up to answer the call to serve.

+veritas+

 

[Sean.McKenzie]

INRI:

My parish priest was talking at our young adults meeting last night when the subject of his vocation came up. We asked him how he came to become a priest. His answer was that he had two very loving and holy parents, an aunt and and uncle who were VERY active in the local church and politics (were working on the pro-life cause in Maryland even before Roe v. Wade), and that he attended a residential all-male high school located in a Benedictine monastery. He found it natural to consider the priesthood as he worked side-by-side with the monks and priests every day as his teachers and that he could see the joy in their lives and their service to others. Incidentally, even with this great environment, he still felt the need to do a stint in the Marines to “straighten myself out”.

My point in bringing this up is that the effect of having role-model priests in the fostering of vocations cannot be underestimated. It is probably the case that female altar servers can do the job as well as or better than the male altar servers; that is not the point of having them there. Priests can get by doing the mass with no altar servers if need be. The point of altar servers is to introduce young men to the life of the priesthood and to foster in them an appreciation of religion and religious life. I have yet to hear a convincing case that having altar girls fosters female vocations. Instead it serves to foster confusion among the girls serving as evident by this letter in the OP. Incidentally, I live in one of 2 dioceses in this country that doesn’t allow female altar servers; we also have no vocations crisis.

To foster male vocations, there needs to be a lot of contact between young men and the priesthood. To foster female vocations, there needs to be a lot of contact between young women and nuns. This isn’t rocket science. It is no coincidence that vocations to the priesthood have dried up when it became fashionable to have suburban “mega-parishes” with banal art, banal architecture, and banal homiles from feel-good priests who, like as not, would abandon their clericals once they set foot off of parish grounds. How could a young man get a good sense of the power and the mystery of the holy priesthood from that? It is also no coincidence that female vocations have dried up at the same time that nuns have ditched the habit and the communal life. At my previous parish, it took me months to recognize that there were nuns sitting in the back of the chapel at the daily mass. They looked like everyone else. The only difference was that they insisted on using gender neutral language during responses.

The vocations crisis in the priesthood is also artificially created by radicals in charge of vocations offices and seminaries. Good, orthodox young men are rejected for being “rigid”. Those who show devotion to Our Lady, attendance at eucharistic adoration, and regular prayer of the Rosary are at risk of being shown the door. The vocations stories of Fr. John Trugillio and Fr. John Corapi illustrate this problem. The goal is create a drive for married priests and women priests by destroying orthodox vocations. And no, I am not exaggerating.

Back to point: the use of female altar servers is at best a stop-gap; it will not help the vocations crisis and may, in fact, only make it worse.

My Gosh, i thought is wsas the only one out there who felt this way, Thanks Be to God, that we have people out there like you who are willing to stand up and defend Holy Mother Church. You have spretty much touched on every subject that has been, getting me down, about the abuses giong on during the Sacred Liturgy. I will be writing a book, along with two other individuals about all the things you and i are writing about. I am fed up with the Liturgy abuses i am fed up with the feminists usurping the Priests decisions i am fed up with feel good, kumbaya Catholicism. Contrary to popular belief Vatican II was not a council that was designed and contructed to give free reign and liscnse to liberalism in the Church!!! Get it out!!