Male Servers Lead to Priests and Deacons

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There is no question that serving at the altar fosters vocations to the priesthood and permanent diaconate. Absolutely none – at least based on the two parishes I attend.

Why don’t more parishes just work-through the excuses and make the commitment to identify, recruit and train males who might just possibly have such vocations from God to serve at the altar? Yes, it might take a huge effort – an effort long handled by sisters and nuns teaching in our schools who are often no longer around.

You want to increase priests? This seems like it would be one sure step…
 
Spiller said:
There is no question that serving at the altar fosters vocations to the priesthood and permanent diaconate. Absolutely none – at least based on the two parishes I attend.

Why don’t more parishes just work-through the excuses and make the commitment to identify, recruit and train males who might just possibly have such vocations from God to serve at the altar? Yes, it might take a huge effort – an effort long handled by sisters and nuns teaching in our schools who are often no longer around.

You want to increase priests? This seems like it would be one sure step…
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Where I grew up, we had multiple priests and deacons, who had the time to nurture altar boys and try to encourage a few toward the priesthood.

But the pedophilia scandal, as well as overworked priests, has undermined that path to the priesthood.

How to change that? Who knows. But let’s face it. Anymore, if you see a priest as much as hug a teenager, your radar (if only subconsciously) goes up. Sad but true.

One thought might be, to heavily increase altar server practice sessions, done by a lay member of the parish, that focused very heavily on the Mass, and what each part of the Mass represented. It could even be pointed out where in scripture so many of our prayers come from.

Perhaps said person could be titled “vocations advocate” or something like that. But so many parishes now are lucky if they have altar server practice even quarterly.
 
agr4028 said:
Where I grew up, we had multiple priests and deacons, who had the time to nurture altar boys and try to encourage a few toward the priesthood.

But the pedophilia scandal, as well as overworked priests, has undermined that path to the priesthood.

How to change that? Who knows. But let’s face it. Anymore, if you see a priest as much as hug a teenager, your radar (if only subconsciously) goes up. Sad but true.
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True enough. Most parents won’t even let the children alone with the priest in the reconciliation room which is why first confession is always in public view and will probably be last confession for most.

In our parish, Fr. doesn’t want to train altar servers, parents don’t really want their kids involved unless two adults are present at all times and so kids aren’t made to feel that it’s an important thing to be. Not to mention the fact that those kids who do train to be have parents who don’t come to church consistently so you might lose an altar server for the entire hockey or soccer season.
 
agr4028 said:
Where I grew up, we had multiple priests and deacons, who had the time to nurture altar boys and try to encourage a few toward the priesthood.

But the pedophilia scandal, as well as overworked priests, has undermined that path to the priesthood.

How to change that? Who knows. But let’s face it. Anymore, if you see a priest as much as hug a teenager, your radar (if only subconsciously) goes up. Sad but true.

One thought might be, to heavily increase altar server practice sessions, done by a lay member of the parish, that focused very heavily on the Mass, and what each part of the Mass represented. It could even be pointed out where in scripture so many of our prayers come from.

Perhaps said person could be titled “vocations advocate” or something like that. But so many parishes now are lucky if they have altar server practice even quarterly.
Click to expand...
In my small eastern parish with scant resources we have an ARMY of altar boys. Now that such a foundation has been set, the training is done by the senior servers probably from 18-21 years old. And in the eastern churches the servers do A LOT. It’s remarkable to see a 5-6 year old boy vest-up (sorta like a Latin Rite priest – the moms and nanas make the vestments) at least a few times a year to get a feel of being an altar boy before actually joining the ranks. There is a definite esprit de corps.

That’s a world away from my Latin Rite parish where new servers get (maybe) 30 minutes of training and are scheduled to serve with others they don’t know by someone who is clueless about serving.

IT TAKES AN BIG INVESTMENT of time and energy to build a strong altar boy program that will ameliorate any excuses of “we just don’t have enough boys willing to serve”, etc. Some are unwilling to make that commitment. Others will not make that commitment – and dissuade others from doing so for ulterior motives.
 
Phemie said:
True enough. Most parents won’t even let the children alone with the priest in the reconciliation room which is why first confession is always in public view and will probably be last confession for most.

In our parish, Fr. doesn’t want to train altar servers, parents don’t really want their kids involved unless two adults are present at all times and so kids aren’t made to feel that it’s an important thing to be. Not to mention the fact that those kids who do train to be have parents who don’t come to church consistently so you might lose an altar server for the entire hockey or soccer season.
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I would not attend a parish where I did not trust the priest. No way.
 
This is logical.

However, let’s put things into a bit of perspective.

Do female altar servers serve at the expense of male servers? We have a strong corps of servers, male and female at my parish. Neither gender serves at the expense of the other, nor, as Fr. Bob Levis on EWTN likes to assume, do the boys have a problem with serving with the girls.

Has allowing female servers led to an increase in vocations to religious life?

Has it led to a decrease?

Has allowing female servers led to a decrease in male vocations to the priesthood and diaconate?

Are the answers to any of these questions simply an example of post hoc ergo propter hoc?
 
IF there was that much of a ‘guarantee’ that one leads to another we we would have been hip deep in clergy for decades.
 
Spiller said:
In my small eastern parish with scant resources we have an ARMY of altar boys. Now that such a foundation has been set, the training is done by the senior servers probably from 18-21 years old. .
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That is pretty much what it’s like in my Latin Rite parish.

Virtually every boy from age 5 to 19 is an altar boy. If a boy is present at Mass, he serves, there is no schedule.

It makes it really easy on the parents, as they don’t have to plan their Mass schedule around when their son has been scheduled to serve.

All the training is done by the boys themselves.

The 10 year olds train the 5 year olds on how to carry the swing torches, where to stand and, most importantly how to behave. Little boys very much want to be a part of the group, and very quickly learn by observation that all the ‘cool’ boys sit quietly with their hands on their laps, and walk with their finger tips together.

the 14 year olds train the 10 year olds on when to ring the Sactus Bells, when to go up to assist the priest in the reception of the Offetory gifts, and when to get the patens for Communion.

The 16 year olds train the 14 year olds on when to turn the pages of the Sacramentary for the priest, and when to place and remove the pall on the chalice.

the boys older than 16 read the readings and the prayers of the faithful, so they get comfortable in reading in public and proclaiming Scripture.

THis serves them really well if they go into the priesthood ( as about 1/4 of the senior altarboys do. Which makes sense, as they have spent almost every Mass since they were 5 serving at the altar.

The end result is that we have 6 men in the seminary, 6 ordained to the preisthood in the last 10 years, and 3 men in formation to the Diaconate. ( plus 4 women in postulant
ovice programs)

I have yet to see a parish that has altar girls match this vocations rate, though I know of a three other 'altar BOY" parishes that have.

Here is a post I made earlier that has a video of a typical Sunday Mass procession.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=232019
 
Brendan said:
That is pretty much what it’s like in my Latin Rite parish.

Virtually every boy from age 5 to 19 is an altar boy. If a boy is present at Mass, he serves, there is no schedule.

It makes it really easy on the parents, as they don’t have to plan their Mass schedule around when their son has been scheduled to serve.

All the training is done by the boys themselves.

The 10 year olds train the 5 year olds on how to carry the swing torches, where to stand and, most importantly how to behave. Little boys very much want to be a part of the group, and very quickly learn by observation that all the ‘cool’ boys sit quietly with their hands on their laps, and walk with their finger tips together.

the 14 year olds train the 10 year olds on when to ring the Sactus Bells, when to go up to assist the priest in the reception of the Offetory gifts, and when to get the patens for Communion.

The 16 year olds train the 14 year olds on when to turn the pages of the Sacramentary for the priest, and when to place and remove the pall on the chalice.

the boys older than 16 read the readings and the prayers of the faithful, so they get comfortable in reading in public and proclaiming Scripture.

THis serves them really well if they go into the priesthood ( as about 1/4 of the senior altarboys do. Which makes sense, as they have spent almost every Mass since they were 5 serving at the altar.

The end result is that we have 6 men in the seminary, 6 ordained to the preisthood in the last 10 years, and 3 men in formation to the Diaconate. ( plus 4 women in postulant
ovice programs)

I have yet to see a parish that has altar girls match this vocations rate, though I know of a three other 'altar BOY" parishes that have.

Here is a post I made earlier that has a video of a typical Sunday Mass procession.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=232019
Click to expand...
:clapping:
That’s absolutely awesome! Anyone who would tell me your program does not help to foster vocations is someone I would not listen to.
 
MusicMan said:
This is logical.

However, let’s put things into a bit of perspective.

Do female altar servers serve at the expense of male servers? We have a strong corps of servers, male and female at my parish. Neither gender serves at the expense of the other, nor, as Fr. Bob Levis on EWTN likes to assume, do the boys have a problem with serving with the girls.

Has allowing female servers led to an increase in vocations to religious life?

Has it led to a decrease?

Has allowing female servers led to a decrease in male vocations to the priesthood and diaconate?

Are the answers to any of these questions simply an example of post hoc ergo propter hoc?
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Read posting #8. It must have taken a great deal of effort to get that program going. It still must take a great deal of internal effort amongst the boys along with a great deal of support for vestment purchases, laundry, etc. Most parishes are not willing to make that investment.

So yes, in that parish and in my own Eastern parish, if altar girls were forced on the parish, it WOULD be at the expense of the male servers.
 
And that brings us back to my post. Is that a post hoc ergo propter hoc or not?
 
I believe we were hip deep in clergy until about the 60’s and 70’s when the big push came for female priests. This led to male priests being insulted, looked down upon and generally discouraged as desirable. People also pushed female altar servers for the specific purpose of leading to female priests.

It is the mindset and the desire of those who initially pushed through female servers to result in less male priests and ultimately female priests. (now many these days support female servers because they want to be nice to girls so they do not have this malicious intent)

God Bless
Scylla
 
Spiller said:
We WERE…
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In some areas (where it is a good vocation for those with no hope of getting an inheritance, wish to go to college where it is not the norm or other less than religious reasons) they still are.

Many things have changed and that is reflected in the number of priests.

Back to this topic - God never limited his call to those who are/were altar servers.
 
Eilish_Maura said:
In some areas (where it is a good vocation for those with no hope of getting an inheritance, wish to go to college where it is not the norm or other less than religious reasons) they still are.

Many things have changed and that is reflected in the number of priests.

Back to this topic - God never limited his call to those who are/were altar servers.
Click to expand...
Are you saying that we were hip deep in priests because all those priests were men who had no hope of getting an inheritance, or could not go to college?

Scylla
 
As a teacher of 6th grade Religious Ed, I spot a couple of special boys each year and ask them if they’ve ever considered becoming priests. I make sure they know that I do NOT say that to ALL the boys. Then I encourage them to sign on for altar service . . .

Who knows, in 20 years, maybe we’ll be calling these boys “Father.”
 
MusicMan said:
And that brings us back to my post. Is that a post hoc ergo propter hoc or not?
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I don’t think so. It’s very clear to me (through serving myself) that serving at the altar truly does foster any vocation to the priesthood or diaconate a male might have been given by God in a very special way. I have no question about this.

The graces extend beyond the sanctuary as well. In many parishes, altar boys are treated with special care and attention that also helps to foster a possible vocation.

It logically follows that it would ultimately have an impact on the number of priests and deacons. Can I quantify it? Nope.
 
mercygate said:
As a teacher of 6th grade Religious Ed, I spot a couple of special boys each year and ask them if they’ve ever considered becoming priests. I make sure they know that I do NOT say that to ALL the boys. Then I encourage them to sign on for altar service . . .

Who knows, in 20 years, maybe we’ll be calling these boys “Father.”
Click to expand...
Beautiful…
 
mercygate said:
As a teacher of 6th grade Religious Ed, I spot a couple of special boys each year and ask them if they’ve ever considered becoming priests. I make sure they know that I do NOT say that to ALL the boys. Then I encourage them to sign on for altar service . . .

Who knows, in 20 years, maybe we’ll be calling these boys “Father.”
Click to expand...
God has special places of honor in heaven for people like you. 👍
 
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