So the tradition of altar servers

[PLAT]

Does your parish have any girl servers? Even though the Pope has allowed doesn’t mean the diocese allows it. Even of the bishop does, that would not neccessarily mean every parish in that area allows it. e.g. the bishop allows it, but in churches I have been I have never seen a girl server.

Are there upper and lower limits of age as to who can be a server in your parish? Any other regulations? Discuss.

 

[GloriousOrder]

Our cathedral consistently uses two 10-12 year old girls as altar servers on Sunday Morning Mass. It never fails that these exact same girls are used. There seems to be an almost compulsive wish to show the world: “see? we think girls are equal to men!” Since it is the cathedral, of course, there are several grown men who serve at the altar.

Generally, the thurifer is a man, the cross-bearer is a man, and the two candles used in procession are held by the two girls. Perhaps it is a lack of altar servers; if so, I will gladly replace one of them and make a male presence after I’m baptised.

In other parishes of this diocese, I have seen altar women and altar girls most prominently. When there is an altar boy, it is almost always in conjunction with a girl or girls.

 

[Barbkw]

We don’t have any alter servers in the respect of there being young adult males or females to assist at Mass, the way it was in my youth (50 years ago).

We have Eucharistic Ministers and they all are adult men and women.

We have a family bring up the gifts of bread, wine and the collection. Young children assist their parents as greeters, handing out collection baskets, handing out the Church bulletin.

Older youths work the media (lights and sound).

 

[Barbkw]

I have to wonder if the sexual abuse scandal (and all the public jokes about priests and alter boys) have played their part in changing preteen and teen male participation at Mass.

 

[Angel_Bradford]

We have both boys and girls serving. They begin serving when they are in the 5th. grade and usually serve until they graduate from high school, although we have one young man who is a freshman in college who continues to serve.

 

[Angel_Bradford]

Our cathedral consistently uses two 10-12 year old girls as altar servers on Sunday Morning Mass. It never fails that these exact same girls are used. There seems to be an almost compulsive wish to show the world: “see? we think girls are equal to men!” Since it is the cathedral, of course, there are several grown men who serve at the altar.

Generally, the thurifer is a man, the cross-bearer is a man, and the two candles used in procession are held by the two girls. Perhaps it is a lack of altar servers; if so, I will gladly replace one of them and make a male presence after I’m baptised.

In other parishes of this diocese, I have seen altar women and altar girls most prominently. When there is an altar boy, it is almost always in conjunction with a girl or girls.

I fail to see the connection between young people who are willing to serve and a statement of equality. They should be congratulated for their willingness to serve and other young people should be encouraged to serve.

 

[Soldier_Of_God]

In our diocese, both girls and boys participate as altar servers and it has been this way for some time. Although I’m not an advocate of gender equality for the sake political expediency, it’s good to see a broadening of the laity spectrum that serve in this capacity.

 

[jmcrae]

Does your parish have any girl servers? Even though the Pope has allowed doesn’t mean the diocese allows it. Even of the bishop does, that would not neccessarily mean every parish in that area allows it. e.g. the bishop allows it, but in churches I have been I have never seen a girl server.

Are there upper and lower limits of age as to who can be a server in your parish? Any other regulations? Discuss.

Children in our Diocese of either sex are allowed to start training to serve at the Altar once they have received their First Holy Communion. They typically serve until their mid to late teens.

There are a variety of different tasks associated with Altar serving, progressing from simple to more complex tasks - older kids normally do the more complex tasks, and younger kids do the simpler tasks.

Anyone who has received Altar server training can be called upon to serve at Mass, if the scheduled servers are away for some reason, or even if the priest just feels like he wants more servers at a particular Mass.

We had one priest who would get every kid present at Mass to serve at the Altar whenever he was saying Mass - it was quite a sight, all those Altar servers surrounding him.

 

[TimothyH]

I belong to a large parish, 50th and 60th biggest in the world, Archdioces of Atlanta under Archbishop Wilton Daniel Gregory. St. Catherine of Siena in Kennesaw Georgia. I would not call the parish liberal by any means - Mass is always very reverent (but not stiff), incense is frequently used and the liturgy is not at all sloppy.

Saturday evening and the five Sunday Masses have between two and six youth altar servers at each, a mix of boys and girls. They must have made first communion to be altar servers and seem to range in age through high school. At least 100 kids are on the list and they fight over the chance to serve if someone is a no-show. We have recently (re)started an Arimathean ministry for funerals and weekday/weeknight Masses and about a dozen adult men and women serve.

A guest priest recently came, I think it was for a funeral, and told a woman that she could not serve. Our Pastor assured us that this would not happen ever again in his parish, that guest priests will abide by the rules of our parish which state that females can serve. I sense no pretense however, about showing off how progressive we are - everyone has a chance to serve and everyone seems to be OK with it, never been an issue. Everyone chips in - its just the way it is.

Last night was my first time serving - communion service with a deacon followed by St. Jude Novena and Bennediction. It was humbling. Both of my daughters are altar servers as well. I don’t know if it will ever happen but I would love to have my whole family serve together at the table of the Lord some day, or at least get a picture of us all together in cassocks .

-Tim-

 

[white_sheep]

I have to wonder if the sexual abuse scandal (and all the public jokes about priests and alter boys) have played their part in changing preteen and teen male participation at Mass.

No. From the beginning there have been girls serving at the altar to the exclusion of boys.

 

[jmcrae]

No. From the beginning there have been girls serving at the altar to the exclusion of boys.

“From the beginning” of what? Those jokes have been around for decades - certainly a lot longer than there have been girls serving at the Altar. (The jokes in fact assume male-only Altar servers.)

 

[laszlo]

I my territorial parish there are mostly altar girls. parish was one of the pioneers even before it was permitted

In the parish what I attend there are only altar boys. Some of them seems to be candidate for the priesthood.

Traditionally being altar boy was the first step toward the priesthood. This should be restored.

 

[ProVobis]

I have to wonder if the sexual abuse scandal (and all the public jokes about priests and alter boys) have played their part in changing preteen and teen male participation at Mass.

Could be. But you could probably include women EHMC’s, women speakers, and women cantors in that mix as well.

 

[white_sheep]

“From the beginning” of what? Those jokes have been around for decades - certainly a lot longer than there have been girls serving at the Altar. (The jokes in fact assume male-only Altar servers.)

Really? I hope you aren’t seriously asking “from the beginning of what?”. If so, the obvious answer would be: since the beginning of time.

Otherwise, your answer would be:
Since the indult allowing for girls to be altar boys.

 

[dmorgan]

Sorry ladies, but this is more “spirit of V-II” tripe pushed into the Church by the liberal modernist crowd. Alter Boys should be Alter Boys! This leads to the potential of a formation into the Priesthood. EMHCs should only be used out of necessity/ emergency and then should be male. Blurring the gender lines to hopefully achieve female priests was the reasoning behind this and the error continues.

Wake up and smell the incense.

 

[JReducation]

Sorry ladies, but this is more “spirit of V-II” tripe pushed into the Church by the liberal modernist crowd. Alter Boys should be Alter Boys! This leads to the potential of a formation into the Priesthood. EMHCs should only be used out of necessity/ emergency and then should be male. Blurring the gender lines to hopefully achieve female priests was the reasoning behind this and the error continues.

Wake up and smell the incense.

Acutually, that’s not entirely accurate. The use of female altar servers had nothing to do with Vatican II. In fact, it began in the 1980s, about 20-years after the revision of the Code of Canon Law in 1983. It was written into the Code by Pope Paul VI in 1978 and promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1983. The Code makes provision for female altar servers, without denying the fact that having male altar servers has always been a means for young boys and teens to be closer to priests and hopefully be inspired to discern the priesthood. In other words, the canon recognizes the value of having male altar servers.

That being said, the canons also make it quite clear that being an altar boy is not part of the journey to Holy Orders. It is a ministry, not an order. The canons make provisions for permanent acolytes. These must be males. But they are not in orders either, because in the Roman Church, the order of acolyte was suppressed by Pope Paul VI.

As to the EMHC, the canons do not say that they must be male. The canons do specify how and when they should be used. It is true that there is often an over use. The conons do not use the word emergency, either. But EMHC are not part of the OP.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[PLAT]

What’s with the “minor orders”? Are they actually sacraments?

 

[ProVobis]

Acutually, that’s not entirely accurate. The use of female altar servers had nothing to do with Vatican II. In fact, it began in the 1980s, about 20-years after the revision of the Code of Canon Law in 1983. It was written into the Code by Pope Paul VI in 1978 and promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1983. The Code makes provision for female altar servers, without denying the fact that having male altar servers has always been a means for young boys and teens to be closer to priests and hopefully be inspired to discern the priesthood. In other words, the canon recognizes the value of having male altar servers.

That being said, the canons also make it quite clear that being an altar boy is not part of the journey to Holy Orders. It is a ministry, not an order. The canons make provisions for permanent acolytes. These must be males. But they are not in orders either, because in the Roman Church, the order of acolyte was suppressed by Pope Paul VI.

As to the EMHC, the canons do not say that they must be male. The canons do specify how and when they should be used. It is true that there is often an over use. The conons do not use the word emergency, either. But EMHC are not part of the OP.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

JR, what you say is correct and if I could I’d like to add a couple of tidbits here. The altar server role was severely undermined post Vatican II. Many of their Latin responses (read, Prayers at the Foot of the Altar which took quite a few hours to memorize) were eliminated, the number of Solemn High Masses, benedictions, novenas, etc. were reduced significantly, and by the time the new Mass was promulgated many of their duties were abolished and replaced by much simpler rubrics, not counting candle-holding. In pre-Vatican II no woman could enter the sanctuary but afterwards, this barrier was removed and women readers and cantors were allowed in without much restriction. And the servers sometimes sat in the pews. I don’t want to say today’s altar server role is more symbolic than not, but I do see increasing numbers of Masses said without any servers and no one seems to miss them in the Masses I attend, even in the EF. Well, maybe a little in the EF, but I think you get the point.

 

[Purple_Junebug]

It is okay for girls to be altar servers. There are plenty of them in my church, I’d say there are an equal number of boys to girls but the boys are usually younger than the girl altar servers. For my church the age minimum is 10 years old and goes until you are 18. One of my friends in high school is still an altar server

 

[laszlo]

What’s with the “minor orders”? Are they actually sacraments?

Those are sacramentals (blessing) only.

Traditionally there were porter, lector, exorcist, and acolyte; also sacramental only the subdeaconate; all transitory as preparation to priesthood

From this the lector and acolyte was retained after Vatican II. Laymen (only males) can receive these sacramental in permanent basis (Can 230) but either gender can serve as lector or extraordinary Eucharistic minister.

In my opinion it would be useful to reestablish the office of porter for altar servers, and give the blessing of the sacramental (after required substantial instruction) to the lectors and Extraordinary Eucharistic Ministers. The obligatory curse and the official acceptance would give some distinction and honor to these functions.