Girl Altar Servers

[Jane11]

OK, Men: Who’s willing to start a petition and/or politely go to their Bishop and/or Priest to ask that this practice be stopped? Who it willing to serve as altar servers until the boys step up once they see their dads doing it? Who wants to be a reader? Traditional Catholic women beg you to step up to the plate, politely take the bull by the horns and facilitate change in your parish and we want to actually hear what happened when you met with your priest and/or Bishop We all know that the current practices of altar girls and female readers is wrong and we are waiting for you to do something about it. Be men worthy of respect - please!

 

[Ockham]

The Mass I attend weekly has sufficient male altar servers and no need for laity readers (or EMHCs for that matter). Nice try though.

 

[SpiritusSanctus]

The problem with this logic is that the Church has changed many things over the last 2000 years. Such as going from the Aramaic and Greek into Latin, progressing to an all celibate priesthood, the uniting of the Latin Rite at Trent (although other forms were allowed even then). Tradition in the matter of faith and morals can not be changed. However, many things do not follow under that category. No previous pope defined all male altar servers as a matter of faith and moral. Thus, it is not a matter of immutable tradition. You do not have to ever except it and can always oppose it as not being right. That positition, however, is not the position of the Catholic Church.

Opposing what was wrong for so many years until it was suddenly declared ok is sticking with the Catholic Church and it’s teachings! If Tradition cannot be changed (which it can’t be) then why should we accept the change of Tradition from only male altar servers to both male and female altar servers?

 

[CDNowak]

OK, Men: Who’s willing to start a petition and/or politely go to their Bishop and/or Priest to ask that this practice be stopped? Who it willing to serve as altar servers until the boys step up once they see their dads doing it? Who wants to be a reader? Traditional Catholic women beg you to step up to the plate, politely take the bull by the horns and facilitate change in your parish and we want to actually hear what happened when you met with your priest and/or Bishop We all know that the current practices of altar girls and female readers is wrong and we are waiting for you to do something about it. Be men worthy of respect - please!

We need men willing to be Acolytes and Lectors, but in getting the Bishop to institute them we need women to stand with us to say they won’t feel left out.

Like Okham, and I suspect for the same reason, the Mass I attend is not in need of me stepping forward. However, I would attend more locally if tasked with the role of Acolyte.

 

[pnewton]

Opposing what was wrong for so many years until it was suddenly declared ok is sticking with the Catholic Church and it’s teachings! If Tradition cannot be changed (which it can’t be) then why should we accept the change of Tradition from only male altar servers to both male and female altar servers?

Sorry, but if you call female altar servers a Tradition, and say that such Tradition can not be changed, then reality itself proves you wrong, as this disciplinary practice has been changed.

 

[wisdomseeker]

Well, there are several possibilities:
Help girls feel included in the parish;

Promote women’s vocations, as mentioned in previous posts;

Send a message that the Church does not consider women to be second-class citizens except in matters reserved as a matter of faith to men, encouraging women estranged from the faith for that reason to reconnect;

Gain additional altar severs in parishes where there is a shortage;

Reduce occasions for sexual abuse by creating mixed-gender settings.

On balance, I favor boys only for altar servers for vocational reasons, and also to send a message that the Church isn’t afraid to be politically incorrect when it comes to liturgical and even pastoral matters. But there are plenty of perfectly respectable reasons on the other side of the issue beyond “appeasing the liberals.”

here is my experience. in my Parish of over 800 families the Altar servers are most girls, ocasionally one boy among the girls. many men in my parish yet women are readers of the Word, women takes care of the Altar. i went to a Latin Mass, it was a much smaller Church, yet i saw the priest had 4 Altar boys serving with him. the man would make the collection. no need for women to serve in teh Church. if the priest decide to substitute the men for women that is what he is going ended up with. believe when i say this to you, women are taking over the work of man in the Church just like she is doing in the world.

 

[CDNowak]

here is my experience. in my Parish of over 800 families the Altar servers are most girls, ocasionally one boy among the girls. many men in my parish yet women are readers of the Word, women takes care of the Altar. i went to a Latin Mass, it was a much smaller Church, yet i saw the priest had 4 Altar boys serving with him. the man would make the collection. no need for women to serve in teh Church. if the priest decide to substitute the men for women that is what he is going ended up with. believe when i say this to you, women are taking over the work of man in the Church just like she is doing in the world.

Part of the reason “women are taking over the work of man” is the men are much less involved (although this then creates a feed back loop, as men are less likely to volunteer once women dominate).

 

[SpiritusSanctus]

Sorry, but if you call female altar servers a Tradition, and say that such Tradition can not be changed, then reality itself proves you wrong, as this disciplinary practice has been changed.

Where did I ever say female altar servers was a Tradition? I said male altar servers was a Tradition, not female altar servers. I told you I’m completely against females being altar servers. Either you meant to say male altar servers or you mis-understood.

And Tradition can’t be changed. It just can’t be.

 

[CDNowak]

Where did I ever say female altar servers was a Tradition? I said male altar servers was a Tradition, not female altar servers. I told you I’m completely against females being altar servers. Either you meant to say male altar servers or you mis-understood.

And Tradition can’t be changed. It just can’t be.

Can you make the argument that we should consider this an issue of Sacred Tradition and not just tradition?

 

[pnewton]

Where did I ever say female altar servers was a Tradition? I said male altar servers was a Tradition, not female altar servers. I told you I’m completely against females being altar servers. Either you meant to say male altar servers or you mis-understood.

And Tradition can’t be changed. It just can’t be.

I apologize. I meant to say you think male altar servers were a Tradition that is immutable. My point is that you are mistaken as this has been changes. So, are you mistaken or is the Catholic Church in apostasy over this one issue?

While many popes have spoke against women at the altar, it has never been defined as a doctrine of faith and morals. Such a definition would make it dogma and immutable.

 

[choy]

I believe that married women should stay at home with their families and not work outside the home unless they have to.

something we agree on finally

if life were much simpler economically, i would rather have my wife stay at home and have our kids be raised by their mother. rather that work ourselves to death so we can pay for daycare

my mom found other ways to make money while staying at home (home business) and i appreciate it grately now that i’m all grown up. there’s nothing degrading about a woman staying home to take care of the children. its more responsibility to shape the future leaders of our society than going to the office and slaving yourselves

 

[choy]

I apologize. I meant to say you think male altar servers were a Tradition that is immutable. My point is that you are mistaken as this has been changes. So, are you mistaken or is the Catholic Church in apostasy over this one issue?

While many popes have spoke against women at the altar, it has never been defined as a doctrine of faith and morals. Such a definition would make it dogma and immutable.

great point

i was trying to make the same point but you have said it a million times than i could have ever dreamed of

 

[Javl]

Females at the altar, CITH, etc., all started after Vatican II in which the Liberal wing of the Church took over “to bring the Church up to date in the world”. The Church was doing fine up to that point. Was it necessary to change everything in order to please the secular world?

I pray that we go back to our Church before Vatican II when Masses were crowded with standing room only, and priests were priests and honored their vow of obedience and there was an aura of sanctity at the mass. The bishops and the Popes should have listened to the Holy Spirit and followed that old saw: "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!".

PAX DOMINI

Shalom Aleichem

 

[SpiritusSanctus]

Females at the altar, CITH, etc., all started after Vatican II in which the Liberal wing of the Church took over “to bring the Church up to date in the world”. The Church was doing fine up to that point. Was it necessary to change everything in order to please the secular world?

I pray that we go back to our Church before Vatican II when Masses were crowded with standing room only, and priests were priests and honored their vow of obedience and there was an aura of sanctity at the mass. The bishops and the Popes should have listened to the Holy Spirit and followed that old saw: "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!".

PAX DOMINI

Shalom Aleichem

Fantastic post!

 

[wisdomseeker]

Females at the altar, CITH, etc., all started after Vatican II in which the Liberal wing of the Church took over “to bring the Church up to date in the world”. The Church was doing fine up to that point. Was it necessary to change everything in order to please the secular world?

I pray that we go back to our Church before Vatican II when Masses were crowded with standing room only, and priests were priests and honored their vow of obedience and there was an aura of sanctity at the mass. The bishops and the Popes should have listened to the Holy Spirit and followed that old saw: "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!".

PAX DOMINI

Shalom Aleichem

Amen to that.

here you can see what it was and what it is now, the Altar before and after. just scrow down a little.

stjohnsvaldosta.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html

 

[BernadetteM]

We all have our own opinions on whether there should be altar girls. Up until now I really haven’t said much on the subject, but after attending Mass at two large parishes in the past three weeks I just wanted to say that I also feel that women have taken over the sancturary.

The first Mass had only women and girl altar servers. The two priests and deacon just sat on the side of the altar/table. The Pastor went up and down the church before Mass and shook hands and conversed with the parishioners. Everyone was talking, there were no moments of quite where anyone could prepare for the Eucharist.

The priest asked all newcomers to stand up and everyone appaulded for them. During the sermon, it was mostly chit chat and jokes. I found it very sad.

The second Mass was also a large parish and only women and altar girls. The women took the consecrated hosts after Mass to a side tabernacle and placed the hosts in it. There were very few people, maybe 150 at this Mass, and a woman also distributed the hosts and it was not the Sunday Mass. The excuse that there were too many for one priest to handle doesn’t ring true. The priest in his sermon mentioned he had just been in Italy and went on and on about the beautiful statues, paintings, the incorruptible bodies that he saw and then mentioned that there weren’t too many statues etc. in this church. You could tell that he had been spiritually fed while in Italy and was comparing the difference.

I noticed in both cases plenty of men in attendence and young boys. I don’t know if it is allowed for women or even laymen to handle the Blessed Hosts or not after distributing communion. It surely didn’t seem appropriate for anyone to place the consecrated hosts in the tabernacle other than the priest or a deacon.

I do attend a lovely traditional parish, yes all the Masses are OF except for one EF Mass. When your in my parish you know that you are in a Catholic Church. The difference is like night and day.

I have been to many protestant churches over the years, and to be honest these other parishes feel not too different than some of the none liturgical ones.

What is the problem with men today that they won’t serve at the altar or encourage their sons to?

There was something else that really bothered me, but I don’t feel I should bring it up.

Converts are looking for something other than where they came from and these parishes would not attract many protestants with playing down the reverence and beauty of the Mass. The OF can be celebrated in a beautiful manner, but I have rarely seen it done in my area.

Maybe the parishes could offer OF liturgies with one having only altar boys and men lectors and another Mass could have altar girls if there is such a divide in what people want.

I understand that many feel these are not huge problems it is a matter of one’s opinion, but what I see it leading to is just as many Catholics believe in abortion today and birth control and don’t follow the teachings of the Church, these things which did start as innovations will lead the Church down the path of TEC. It is a slippery slope.

I understand that most Catholics today have no idea of the beauty that can be the Mass, as what goes on today in many parishes is the only way they have seen it celebrated and just accept that this is how it must be done. All I can say is the difference is like having prime rib vs. hamburger. Sorry about using this anology, but that is how I see it.

I think many who are for these innovations really consider themselves able to follow their own teachings rather than what the Church teaches. We now have a strong Pope and it appears he is trying to bring back the reverence and belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist which has been lost I feel due to the irreverence shown towards His Body and Blood.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette

 

[choy]

I know I’m entering this at about the 410th post, but I was under the impression that the position of altar server was supposed to be one way to foster vocations?

Since Jesus cleary and incontrovertably established an all-male clergy for his Church, what good does having a female altar server do other than to appease the liberals?

nuns?

 

[choy]

there are many things that women can contribute to the Church, they don’t have to become priests. not all boys who become altar servers become priests anyway. some of them do continue in Lay Ministry, readers, choir members, leaders of the various church organizations, etc.

 

[dizzy_dave]

I have seen girl servers in Novus Orde Masses.

This is common at about every Mass at my parish (Diocese of Youngstown). I am against it myself, but its not up tp me.