Altar Girls

[avemaria40]

If a girl wants to serve at the altar, I don't see any reason why she shouldn't be able to. I have friends, guys and girls who were altar servers and the girls are more religious than the guys are

[Extra ecclesiam nulla salus]

more girls are relegious than guys. but it still is contrary to 2,000 years of tradition.

[Janana8706]

I was an alter server, and enjoyed it when i was younger. I wouldn't do it now b/c everyones about five years younger then I, but I see nothing wrong w/ it, as long as they wear appropriate clothing under the alb. I wouldn't know anything about my faith if it weren't for serving.
I say they should stay.

[Paphnutius]

[quote name='Janana8706' date='Nov 26 2005, 12:27 PM']I was an alter server, and enjoyed it when i was younger.  I wouldn't do it now b/c everyones about five years younger then I,[/quote]
Tell me about it. My pastor likes me to be emcee for big occasions when I am home. It is odd being the only altar server up there with facial hair.


Do not worry, I keep it quite short and neatly trimmed.

[Extra ecclesiam nulla salus]

at my parish we have 45 year old men and women serving at the Altar!

[toledo_jesus]

altar girls...


altar boys? find some...

His Holiness probably won't get around to this...He's got too much else to fix up.

[shortnun]

[quote name='Extra ecclesiam nulla salus' date='Nov 26 2005, 02:30 PM']  at my parish we have 45 year old men and women serving at the Altar!
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Does their serving prevent other (younger) people from serving?

[Extra ecclesiam nulla salus]

yes it does. no wonder the church has no vocations. maybe becasue girls and and old men and women are serving at the altar!

[shortnun]

[quote name='Extra ecclesiam nulla salus' date='Nov 26 2005, 03:20 PM']yes it does. no wonder the church has no vocations. maybe becasue girls and and old men and women are serving at the altar!
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I don't think that there is a vocation "shortage" per se. The Church (as it has been for the past 2000 years) is changing. The vocation to love and serve the Lord is a call that SO MANY people today are answering in their hearts and lives. And, I really don't know if there is proof that female altar servers correlate to the "lack" of vocations. (If anyone knows of such proof, please let us know.)

As members of the body of Christ, who are we to prevent people (i.e., by putting an age or sex limit/requirement on altar serving) from encountering the Lord face to face in the sacrifice of the Mass?

[Spiritual_Arsonist]

I wish to offer some general comments on Serving:

-Girl Servers, which are allowed should not wear the cassock and surplice, this is the equivalent of liturgical cross-dressing. The alb is the common dress of non-commissioned lay servers.

-Girl servers can in fact sway boys from not serving because of legitimate maturity factors. Servers should be scheduled as ALL boys OR ALL girls.

-Servers, no matter what sex should be mature and UNDERSTAND what they are doing and WHAT they are serving. Servers forced to serve by their parents are bad ideas.

[shortnun]

[quote name='Spiritual_Arsonist' date='Nov 26 2005, 03:30 PM']-Servers, no matter what sex should be mature and UNDERSTAND what they are doing and WHAT they are serving.  Servers forced to serve by their parents are bad ideas.
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Spiritual_Arsonist, I could not agree with you more. I firmly believe that right, thorough, and effective education is key to handing on our faith. Serving the Lord in any capacity should be a response of love to a divine call (as opposed to an obligation/chore we do to avoid nagging parents, etc).

[quote name='Spiritual_Arsonist' date='Nov 26 2005, 03:30 PM']-Girl servers can in fact sway boys from not serving because of legitimate maturity factors.  Servers should be scheduled as ALL boys OR ALL girls.
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As an supporter of single-sex education, I find Western culture to be underappreciative of what it has to offer today's youth. I wish to contemplate this thought you have offered as I am hesitant to think servers should be seperated by sex. My own views about education and the need for collaboration in today's Church lead me to present children I teach with the most authentic experience possible. These altar servers, some (if not all) of whom, will become active and involved in spreading the Gospel message. The work that we do in the Kingdom of God is not seperated men here and women there. They work [i]together[/i]. But still your comments give us all much to think about.

[Extra ecclesiam nulla salus]

ive seen a girl wear the roman collar.

[littleflower+JMJ]

[quote name='shortnun' date='Nov 26 2005, 02:42 PM']As an supporter of single-sex education, I find Western culture to be underappreciative of what it has to offer today's youth. I wish to contemplate this thought you have offered as I am hesitant to think servers should be seperated by sex. My own views about education and the need for collaboration in today's Church lead me to present children I teach with the most authentic experience possible. These altar servers, some (if not all) of whom, will become active and involved in spreading the Gospel message. The work that we do in the Kingdom of God is not seperated men here and women there. They work [i]together[/i]. But still your comments give us all much to think about.
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They should be separated because their focus while serving at mass should at the altar only and the duties they need to take care of.

For the boys and girls environment--you have that everywhere, especially in youth group and school

the altar is obviously something different than those

[Paphnutius]

[quote name='Extra ecclesiam nulla salus' date='Nov 26 2005, 02:44 PM']ive seen a girl wear the roman collar.
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So have I, but she was Episcopalian (sp?). It really shocked me....

Edited November 26, 2005 by Paphnutius

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='Extra ecclesiam nulla salus' date='Nov 26 2005, 02:44 PM']ive seen a girl wear the roman collar.
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a girl or a woman... ?

[Catholictothecore]

I think that their are certain forms of ministry. Young ladies of Christ need one, but not alter serving. Whether PBXVI will get rid of them or not, I have no clue.

[Extra ecclesiam nulla salus]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' date='Nov 26 2005, 02:57 PM']a girl or a woman... ?
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she was a teenager serving at the altar in a catholic church. I thought it was odd because it was the same parish that the tridentine mass was celebrated weekly.

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='Extra ecclesiam nulla salus' date='Nov 26 2005, 03:02 PM']she was  a teenager serving at the altar in a catholic church. I thought it was odd because it was the same parish that the tridentine mass was celebrated weekly.
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[fatboyluis]

i saw someone say that there are only girl altar servers in the US and Canada, we have them in the UK too and i do not see ANY problem at all, they are not selebrateing mass they are just altar serving, what does it matter if its a boy or a girl, the 2000 year tradition is just in those times all boys have had a little more priority than girls so the times are changing but i think that there is no problem with girl altar servers, and Pope Benedict i doubt would ban girls altar servers, as someone said "he has bigger things to worry about"

God Bless

[Extra ecclesiam nulla salus]

no offense but you have the same attitude as people who say that only men are priests because they had priority over women. the actually reason why only men served the altar for 2,000 years was because it certainly increased vocations (which only men becom priests) and it is more theologically sound to have men serving the altar.


God Bless,


sam