Girl Altar Servers?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nota_Bene
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
40.png
Sean.McKenzie:
I don’t understand what the argument is all about, Pope John Paul II explicitly says only boys may serve at the altar, what is so hard about understanding this. It has been a church tradition, SO STOP!!, pure and simple. Would you label Pope JPII as a “sexist”, and being “socially unjust”
There really is no argument, it apparently ha been brought up by JPII as you can see, and he has made a string point of it, no need for interpretation and bickering.
Click to expand...
Can you imagine if the Pope of Rome actually mandated that only males serve at the altar? HATRED, no, HATRED would spew forth from a great many sexist-feminists who claim to be Catholics. I can just imagine the 20’ columns of blue-flamed HATRED that would shoot out of the bottoms of this group. Almost scary to consider.

There would also be a great deal of these same people simply disregarding the order – as they do on other things today, and as they did on this matter in the past where they defiantly placed altar girls/women in the sanctuary.

Then again, as things change, there might also be a strong sector of Catholics that would rise to the challange and ensure that the Pope’s directive was followed in this case…

Sexist-feminist HATRED is an evil, nasty, pernicious thing…
 
Nota Bene:
Can you imagine if the Pope of Rome actually mandated that only males serve at the altar? HATRED, no, HATRED would spew forth from a great many sexist-feminists who claim to be Catholics. I can just imagine the 20’ columns of blue-flamed HATRED that would shoot out of the bottoms of this group. Almost scary to consider.
Click to expand...
The hatred that might spew out over something the Pope might theoretically do might almost be as nasty as the hatred that has spewed out over something he HAS done – allowing women to serve!!
 
Nota Bene:
Sexist-feminist HATRED is an evil, nasty, pernicious thing…
Click to expand...
The best way to combat hatred is with love, not more hatred.

I do not find your hypothetical situation relevant to the posters here. Those on both sides of this issue (and most issues) are obedient to the Holy Father.

If the situation changes and a new order comes forth from the Pope, give the faithful a chance before you condemn them.
 
I attend a small rural parish… We don’t have much choice but to use girl Altar Servers sometimes, even adults… But, my priest insists on using male Altar Servers first and formost… This, from what I understand, is an exception, since we don’t have much choice…
 
I’ll say it once and again. “Enough already”! Here in the Toledo diocese, our sister parish will probably close, along with 17 other parishes. I imagine they wish that all they had to worry about is whether girls serve Mass. It’s simple in our case. No parish, no Mass. I think a lot of people are making mountains out of molehills. They say that within 8 years, we will only have one parish and one priest in the whole county. I certainly wish and pray that female altar servers were the only problem we have here. That would be great. On a list of problems in the church, I believe female altar servers would be almost on the bottom. God bless and pray for vocations.
 
I have worked in a Cathedral where thankfully the Altar servers are boys. When we had visiting schools having there Masses there often they would through us a bunch of untrained girls, some not even Catholic, to serve; It was always mayhem, we even had one girl serving in pink stilettos!!
Most parishes, here in Australia anyway, are attached to schools, there they can get boy servers to be trained. It is uneccesary to have girls and they are often used by liberals to undermine tradition. (not the girls fault)
There are plenty other things girls can do; choir, Lector etc
I believe only Boys should serve as it is a chance for vocation. at our Cathedral I know of 3 boys who are now in the seminary with 4 more contemplating as we speak, Our Archbishop was an Altar server!
There is something not quite right seeing a girl in soutane and surplice watching the Priest vest in the Sacristy.
I am not sexist but I am proud to be politically incorrect
 
I have always found girls to be bettet altar servers. They are respectful and dignified,and don’ t fool about and grin foolishly at their pals as boys are inclined to do.
 
netmil(name removed by moderator):
As the mother of girls, the Godmother of girls, and the Aunt of girls, I can tell you that none of the girls I am in contact with have Altar Boy envy. Our girls have a place, they sing in the choir. None of the boys are allowed there. It is their place in the liturgy. And a fine place it is.

I bet my four year old can beat anyone singing the Kyrie, in Greek I might add!

We have female lectors. We have enough Priests and Deacons that we don’t need EEMs. My girls see me volunteering for the Altar and Rosary society, the Welcoming committee, set up for Fish Fry and leading the Rosary before mass. I even launder linens for my old parish. They never see me saying mass and never will.
If you think that I as a woman do not have a very important place in our church, you need to visit us and tell it to our Slovak ladies. They will set you straight.
And none of it has to do with serving on the Altar.

I think we need to look at this issue the other way. Those poor boys will never give birth. It’s something no man will do (God willing- barring psycho technology) Let them be special. Let them do something the girls don’t. And maybe we will get more Priests.
Click to expand...
Thank you! I couldn’t have said it better. I agree 200%

Blessings!😉
 
40.png
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.
Click to expand...
Katherine,

Sounds to me like she was homeschooled and has a wonderful vocabulary!😉

Helen
 
40.png
homeschoolhelen:
Katherine,

Sounds to me like she was homeschooled and has a wonderful vocabulary!😉

Helen
Click to expand...
Are you saying homeschooling is good for vocabulary but flawed for spelling?😉 😉
 
As the father of a female alter server, or serviette, as I get in trouble for calling her, I really can’t see what all the fuss is about. My daughter and the other serviettes, it seems to me, do a splendid job in our church with a great deal of dignity and gravitas. They are completely accepted by the congregation in our church. My daughter takes charge of the thurible and she is good at it.

Being inclusive helps build the church. Exclusion gives young people the message that they are not important. My daughter was not encouraged to become an alter server. She chose to take on the role. It was entirely her idea. Altruism is a wonderful thing! If young men get the message that there are expectaions of people who take on the role, no wonder there is sometimes a shortage of male alter servers! She has no expetctations that her role will lead to anything other than that she will have “served” and helped out her priest and the congregation. Seem to remember that Martha and Mary have something to teach us also.
 
40.png
homeschoolhelen:
Katherine,

Sounds to me like she was homeschooled and has a wonderful vocabulary!😉

Helen
Click to expand...
Thank you for your blessings, Helen!
The same to you and your family.
Isn’t it amazing that we as homeschool parents can do spelling drills until our children fall over but when they get on the typewriter, those fingers fly and they spell phonetically??
We do a CD ROM based curriculm. If I don’t print it out, my seven year old gets points off for misspelling. BTW, she starts 4th grade next month (just a little mom brag there!)
 
netmil(name removed by moderator):
Thank you for your blessings, Helen!
The same to you and your family.
Isn’t it amazing that we as homeschool parents can do spelling drills until our children fall over but when they get on the typewriter, those fingers fly and they spell phonetically??
We do a CD ROM based curriculm. If I don’t print it out, my seven year old gets points off for misspelling. BTW, she starts 4th grade next month (just a little mom brag there!)
Click to expand...
df

Go on with yo’bad self!! 😃 Good for her!!!
 
Defensor Fidei:
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
Click to expand...
I was training altar boys in my former parish. Was doing it for a few years. And when the assistant pastor told me that from now on they would have girls serve mass also I RESIGNED. Many of the young boys also stopped serving Mass because of it. Now all who serve are 99 percent girls, all the Em’s and Lectors are also women.

The REASON for the Altar Girls is pressure from those in the Church who want women priests, pure and simple. No matter what they say to all of us for social reasons or whatever.

Isn’t it true that the Liturgy is an expression of our Catholic Faith? What is called “Lex Orendi - Lex Credendi” - thus the Liturgy should show the Roman Catholic Faith that is believed by the Roman Catholic Church.

So what do Altar Girls represent and teach us in our liturgy?

Ken
 
40.png
Pianoman:
As the father of a female alter server, or serviette, as I get in trouble for calling her, I really can’t see what all the fuss is about. My daughter and the other serviettes, it seems to me, do a splendid job in our church with a great deal of dignity and gravitas. They are completely accepted by the congregation in our church. My daughter takes charge of the thurible and she is good at it.

Being inclusive helps build the church. Exclusion gives young people the message that they are not important. My daughter was not encouraged to become an alter server. She chose to take on the role. It was entirely her idea. Altruism is a wonderful thing! If young men get the message that there are expectaions of people who take on the role, no wonder there is sometimes a shortage of male alter servers! She has no expetctations that her role will lead to anything other than that she will have “served” and helped out her priest and the congregation. Seem to remember that Martha and Mary have something to teach us also.
Click to expand...
So you think we should have female priests–priestesses, rather??

Why or why not??
 
40.png
JakeW:
So you think we should have female priests–priestesses, rather??

Why or why not??
Click to expand...
The whole point of my post was that my daughter serves for purely altruistic reasons. She has no ambitions or expectations arising from her service. She will serve at church tomorrow. Her sister will be playing the flute. Her dad (me) writes Christian songs for children* for use at mass and will be leading the children’s choir. Mum will be in the congregation making her contribution from there. We all contribute in our own ways and this is just one of them. People do not always have to have motives or ambitions in order to give.

To answer your question, no not yet. I can forsee a time when it may have to be considered but I think that is a long way off. My daughter will probably be involved in a whole other life and making her contribution to her church in some complely different way by then. There are many ways in which we can serve our church.

*www.patamb.supanet.com
 
40.png
JakeW:
So you think we should have female priests–priestesses, rather??

Why or why not??
Click to expand...
The poster said nothing about female priest. Girl altar servers and female priest are two entirely unrelated questions. One is okayed by the Vatican, though not prefered. The other is a theological impossibility. Continually tying these two together is senseless and misleading.
 
40.png
pnewton:
The poster said nothing about female priest. Girl altar servers and female priest are two entirely unrelated questions. One is okayed by the Vatican, though not prefered. The other is a theological impossibility. Continually tying these two together is senseless and misleading.
Click to expand...
We’ll have to agree to disagree then. 🙂

Why do you think it is not prefered??? Any idea???

Explain the theological significance of male priests (as opposed to female ones). This is not just a one-line answer and it is important for all Catholics to know. There are definite theological ramifications for who is on on the altar. Then afterwards, segue into your explanation of the apparent theological insignificance of girls on the altar.
 
40.png
katherine2:
Successors to the Apostles that they are.
Click to expand...
Many bishops also covered for pedophiles, too, “Successors to the Apostles that they are…”
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top