Separate Male and Female Altar Servers

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ElaineMarie

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Does anyone know if there is a specific rule requiring altar servers to be segregated by sex when serving at Mass? Within the past year at my parish only all males or all females serve at each Mass. If a server doesn’t show up, it is requested that only a server of the same sex volunteer. Previously it was boys and girls together. Just curious.
 
Interesting practice. In our diocese boys and girls serve together. The only problem that we have in our parish is that there are not enough volunteers, except for our one Mass in Spanish. Parents use to encourage their children to serve. There use to be lists of servers in parishes. Maybe the abuse problems that have surfaced are discouraging some. A friend of mine visited Italy some time ago and said that all the altar servers were women. He said that few men go to church there.

Lord that we may be one as you and the Father are one.
Deacon Tony SFO
 
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ElaineMarie:
Does anyone know if there is a specific rule requiring altar servers to be segregated by sex when serving at Mass? Within the past year at my parish only all males or all females serve at each Mass. If a server doesn’t show up, it is requested that only a server of the same sex volunteer. Previously it was boys and girls together. Just curious.
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I personally think it’s a great idea. I see this being done at the more “orthodox” parishes. After all, boys can one day study to become Priest, girls can not.
Boys who are serious about a vocation would prefer to serve with other boys, and even those who are not. By doing this, your Parish may be fostering a vocation without even knowing it.
Why we even have girl servers is beyond me. This is where girls get the idea that they can become Priests one day.
 
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Hudsonite:
I personally think it’s a great idea. I see this being done at the more “orthodox” parishes. After all, boys can one day study to become Priest, girls can not.
Boys who are serious about a vocation would prefer to serve with other boys, and even those who are not. By doing this, your Parish may be fostering a vocation without even knowing it.
Why we even have girl servers is beyond me. This is where girls get the idea that they can become Priests one day.
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They should be separate. Boys in the sanctuary. Girls in the pews praying for more boys in the sanctuary.

Mrs
 
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MrS:
They should be separate. Boys in the sanctuary. Girls in the pews praying for more boys in the sanctuary.
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No, I’ve got a better idea, let’s have the women all sit together in church in a segregated area. Wait, there’s already a group or two that does that…AND IT ISN’T US!

John
 
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MrS:
They should be separate. Boys in the sanctuary. Girls in the pews praying for more boys in the sanctuary.

Mrs
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The consent to Alter Girls is just another abuse that has become a norm.
 
The consent to Alter Girls is just another abuse that has become a norm.
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The Church gives bishops and priests the ability to use female altar servers, but they are not forced to do so.
 
John Higgins:
No, I’ve got a better idea, let’s have the women all sit together in church in a segregated area. Wait, there’s already a group or two that does that…AND IT ISN’T US!

John
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Instead of being sarcastic and attempting to deflect the attention away from a wonderful idea, why not ponder the idea for a moment or two?
 
Crusader, I ALWAYS ponder wonderful ideas; this simply is not one.

John
 
John Higgins:
Crusader, I ALWAYS ponder wonderful ideas; this simply is not one.
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I agree. There was not a “new idea” proposed. Just the same personal opinion that girls should not be altar servers, despite the fact that the church allows them to serve.
 
In reply to the original situation, it is a very interesting idea.

We couldn’t do that in our church, though. Each Mass has a senior altar server (MC) who is ALWAYS male.

We have a group of female servers who lurk around the sacristy before Mass. If the assigned server isn’t there when the altar boys start putting on their albs, they jump in. I have seen altar boys who arrived late (but well before Mass) only to find themselves bumped by one of these girls. I wonder if you could have a rule that subsitutes be of the same gender even in a mixed group of servers.
 
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