Have you noticed a drop in altar servers in your parish?

[stbruno]

I recently took over the job of training of new altar servers for our parish. This year when trying to recruit new servers from the upcoming class of children at our parish school…I got 2 kids, who cannot make a complete committment. Not only that, the current servers have dramatically stopped serving at their appointed times. They just don’t show up. And most of it is due to the lack of parental support. However, even the kids who could get out of class to serve the daily morning mass do not come unless its for a funeral where they know they will receive a monetary stipend for their service. it is so sad!

My spouse and I wonder if there is a link to the drop in priestly vocations to the drop in children becoming involved with the church? In our diocese, next week when our Cardinal ordains 14 men…13 are from foreign countries, not American born!

My heart just cries!

 

[church_child]

A big trend in my parish is a HUGE increase in girls serving and a HUGE decrease in boys serving. I’m not sure why that is, but you’d be hardpressed to find a boy serving mass at any of the Sunday masses now. Could anyone explain the Church’s stance on altar servers? Does She frown on female altar servers?

 

[stbruno]

At our parish it’s a drop in both boys and girls. I wish I had an answer.

 

[maryjk]

I have seen a few new ones at Mass.

We don’t have a Parish school, so the only time Father has an altar server for daily mass is when a home schooled child comes forward. I think my son is tired of doing it every week. I keep telling him how wonderful it is for Father to have a server.

 

[Anne1964]

We have on average 12-16 altar boys serving at both Sunday Masses. It’s quite a crowd and Msgr. finds something for each of them to do.

 

[anna1978]

In our parish the school provides altar servers, and we’ve never had a problem. We have about 10 boys and 3 or 4 girls.

Anna x

 

[puzzleannie]

I recently took over the job of training of new altar servers for our parish. This year when trying to recruit new servers from the upcoming class of children at our parish school…I got 2 kids, who cannot make a complete committment. Not only that, the current servers have dramatically stopped serving at their appointed times. They just don’t show up. And most of it is due to the lack of parental support. s!

exactly and it is the same in every parish around me. for one thing, we used to recruit servers from those who had recently made first communion. Since this group has now become older as a whole, 5th grade and up, they should be the ideal age, but parents who delayed bringing their children to CCD and the sacraments seldom keep bringing them to CCD after communion, and also are the same parents who have not been coming to church, and won’t even be bringing them to church after communion, no matter how strenously we warn them about this. If they are not in church obviously they are not going to serve.

we now have adult servers trying to fill the gap but sadly, the adults in this and other ministries are also non-committed, don’t show up, and scheduling is a nightmare. We have never had girls as servers in this parish, and won’t with this pastor, but the only parishes I know who have no problem with servers have both girls and boys.

 

[stbruno]

I wish there was some remedy to this problem that seems to worsen every year. In fact, I have posed the offer to our teen club members who have been past servers if they would be willing to step up the challenge at mass on Sunday when they see that there are no servers on the altar. Some responded yes and other’s reply, no Thank you.

I wish there was a way to nudge their Catholic consciences like the good nuns did when I was in school. And then nudge their parents as well.

But what I have found is that people give what is left over not give to God first. The first commandment is seriously being broken daily without any remorse or even recognition of that fact.

 

[Genesis315]

It’s true. Kids have so many other activities to do–the kind that look good on college apps and that earn scholarships, that they don’t have time to serve at the Holy Altar.

 

[Sr_Sally]

Nope, we always have 3 or 4 at every Sunday mass. Usually 2 at the noon daily mass (not sure about the earlier ones). Our parish only has boy servers. We are also a big parish with a K-8 school. Theye are usually about 200 in the confirmation class, for example.

I do not schedule servers and my son is not one yet (although he’ll start in the fall), so I’m not close enough to know if the same boys serve every week (I don’t pay enough attention to them during mass to notice), or if more boys are scheduled and only 3 show.

 

[Titus]

Our numbers are pretty stable, and even on the up. I am the sacristan and a young guy, and since I have taken over (1 year ago) it has given me great joy to train 5 new boys to serve on the altar. It may have helped that the previous sacristan was 70, so few boys wanted to be trained by him…

 

[stbruno]

God bless you Titus. I wish you well and that your ministry spreads to many other young people. Perhaps you will even spark vocation among them.

 

[duskyjewel]

A big trend in my parish is a HUGE increase in girls serving and a HUGE decrease in boys serving. I’m not sure why that is, but you’d be hardpressed to find a boy serving mass at any of the Sunday masses now. Could anyone explain the Church’s stance on altar servers? Does She frown on female altar servers?

No, the Vatican allows female altar servers at the discretion of each Bishop in his own diocese.

I am not intimately involved, but I have noticed no drop in our numbers, nor lack of commitment among the young people we do have. I may know more soon, though, as my daughter would really like to become one.

 

[kage_ar]

It DOES require committed parents. The parents need to feel this is more important than soccer or catillion or softball or (name the activity).

When the parents are the group who tells kids “after Confirmation you don’t have to go to CCD or youth group anymore” - can you really expect them to think serving is important

 

[whatevergirl]

A big trend in my parish is a HUGE increase in girls serving and a HUGE decrease in boys serving. I’m not sure why that is, but you’d be hardpressed to find a boy serving mass at any of the Sunday masses now. Could anyone explain the Church’s stance on altar servers? Does She frown on female altar servers?

That’s interesting…My son said he would ‘never’ serve…when I asked him if he would–and my daughter is an altar server, and is looking forward to doing it in our new parish, to where we are moving to…For my son–it has to do with being in the spotlight. He doesn’t like being ‘on stage’ and doesn’t like feeling scared that ‘he might mess up.’ I decided not to push…it’s his choice.

But, we have more boys than girls in our parish…maybe a 60% 40% split. I think that it’s decreasing, in general. Maybe it has to do with the decline in families attending mass. If mom and dad don’t go–then the kids are not going to be interested.

I also think it has to do with the decline in Catholic school enrollment…

 

[Lepanto]

No, the Vatican allows female altar servers at the discretion of each Bishop in his own diocese.

I am not intimately involved, but I have noticed no drop in our numbers, nor lack of commitment among the young people we do have. I may know more soon, though, as my daughter would really like to become one.

The US bishops sought, and received, an indult (an exception to the rule) to allow girl servers in 1994. Boys are still the norm, although girls are allowed in the US. However, the Vatican still prefers boys to serve. Also, although bishops can allow it in a diocese, my understanding is that a pastor has final discretion whether or not to allow it in his parish.

In my parish, about 75% of the boys dropped out within 3 months after girls were admitted. About 90% of the servers now are girls. My perception is that boys want nothing to doing with serving now that it’s essentially become a “girl’s job.”

 

[pawel15]

10 years ago at our church in melbourne, we could boast up to 20 altar servers, 15 being regular at Polish mass, however their are only 2-3 left who arn’t even attending on a regular basis because of other committments. (the Polish community isn’t that large)
So their are some Sundays when the priest is on his own, but their are acolytes who help him. These acolytes are men who are 45+ in age. We only ever had 1 girl who became an altar server, but she lasted only 2 weeks.

Back during the early 90’s, you were cool among your polish friends to be an altar server.
This drop in numbers i blame on the parents, because they are the ones who arn’t attending mass regularely themselves, also the priests (we have a rotation of priests every 8 years), don’t get actively involved with the youth anymore. This can lead to young people to be afraid to ask in the first place.

 

[lak611]

In my parish, the boys and girls who are not related tend to be absent more than those who are related. When 2 brothers, a brother and sister, or 2 sisters are scheduled to serve, they are always there. Which leads me to think it is due to commitment on the part of the whole family, starting with the parents.

 

[pawel15]

In my parish, the boys and girls who are not related tend to be absent more than those who are related. When 2 brothers, a brother and sister, or 2 sisters are scheduled to serve, they are always there. Which leads me to think it is due to commitment on the part of the whole family, starting with the parents.

You are right, my brother and I were both altar servers for over 10 years,and becasue i went he went or vive versa. We had alot of relations amongst our altar servers which was why we had such a high number in the first place.
I felt really bad when telling the priest i was too old to be an altar server, but i felt i did my time, (not that i felt it was a punishment efcourse)

But I feel our new priest can fix this problem, and reach out to the youth,

 

[gcc_catholic]

That’s interesting…My son said he would ‘never’ serve…when I asked him if he would–and my daughter is an altar server, and is looking forward to doing it in our new parish, to where we are moving to…For my son–it has to do with being in the spotlight. He doesn’t like being ‘on stage’ and doesn’t like feeling scared that ‘he might mess up.’ I decided not to push…it’s his choice.

That sounds a lot like my situation when I first had the opportunity to serve. My sister was chomping at the bit to be able to serve after First Communion (that would have been about 1994) and I wanted no part of it.

‘Never’ for me has ended though. I volunteered to join as an ‘adult’ altar server at my parish partly because we’re running very short, and partly because I will need to when I begin seminary studies in the fall. Giving him that choice is a good thing provided he has a good reason (and from someone who has been there, he does).

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On a more general note, the problem at my parish seems to be a combination of having few families with kids combined with the parents not bringing them to Mass. Sometimes the only time you would see any of them at Mass would be when the kids served; about two years ago. The decline has been evident for awhile though, as my sister and others began going to college, some families drifted out of the parish for a number of reasons, and we have lost a couple of servers to illness/death.

We have about 12 (boys, girls, and adult men) for two Masses a week, and at least two of us are going back to college in the fall. We used to have 15-18 boys and girls.