Altar Girls

[Ora et Labora]

[quote name='Socrates' date='Nov 25 2005, 10:55 PM']True.
I have no idea if Pope Benedict will rule on this, but I hope he gets rid of them!  (Altar girls are probably somewhat far down on his priority list, though.)

There was a thread on this before.  Altar girls go against nearly 2000 years of Church tradition.
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I am 100% with Socrates!

[Aloysius]

I hope the bishops will step up and start at least encouraging all-boy altar serving teams that have more liturgical responsibilities, altar servers have nothing to do anymore (I used to just play with my little rope that was tied around the white robe I had on)-- THAT is the breeding ground for vocations to the priesthood and the allowance of girl altar servers is extremely harmful to the vocational pool.

every individual bishop has the option on whether or not to allow female altar servers, they're only supposed to allow them in cases where there cannot be found enough boy altar servers.

anyway, Mother Theresa was against the idea of altar girls, FYI

[ardillacid]

[quote name='shortnun' date='Nov 26 2005, 02:29 PM']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?
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Please don't tell me that we don't have a vocations shortage, my church has been experiencing it firsthand

As for female alter servers, i would dare to say that they do have an affect on the priest shortage. I will give an example: The church I live near (which I won't name for its own sake) has alter-girls. They haven't had a seminarian for decades. Another parish that I go to once in a while, St. Agnes, has only male servers, and they have people pouring into the seminary. that is just one example, there is a multitude of examples like this all over the archdiocese here

[djc08]

[quote] Altar girls go against nearly 2000 years of Church tradition.[/quote]

If we were to discuss everything that happens in the Church today that goes against some of the oldest traditions of the church we would be here all week. For example women lecterns (readers), extraordinary ministers (communion ministers), not to mention the women who serve in high positions in both local churches and dioceses as well as the Vatican itself. My diocese's chancellor is a nun.

I personally see no problem with it. My church has had just male for a while and now we have female and male and we still haven't produced a seminarian as long as anyone can remember.

Oh well I don't think we should be worrying about this as much as the other problems the church has and I hope His Holiness Benedict XVI feels the same.

[Extra ecclesiam nulla salus]

those things that you are listing are only supposed to be allowed in extreme cases when the priest can't find a man to do it.

[tojo]

My home parish doesn't have any ALTAR (not ALTER) girls, but we do have both female and male readers, EMoHC, and administrative staff. We produce the most vocations per capita in our diocese.

[avemaria40]

That's awesome!

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='tomasio127' date='Nov 26 2005, 06:17 PM']My home parish doesn't have any ALTAR (not ALTER) girls,[right][snapback]800993[/snapback][/right]
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Yes, please refrain from altering both the boys and the girls. Thank you.

[Philosopher]

[quote name='tomasio127' date='Nov 26 2005, 07:17 PM']My home parish doesn't have any ALTAR (not ALTER) girls, but we do have both female and male readers, EMoHC, and administrative staff. We produce the most vocations per capita in our diocese.
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Good point.

I visited a parish in Columbus that only has male altar servers. They not only have the most priestly vocations, but also the most Female religious vocations.

The only reason young boys and men were bright to serve at the Altar was to inspire young men to think about a Priestly vocation. Parishes today that practice this tradition hold the most vocations by far.

[djc08]

Oh this is so off topic. Extra ecclesiam nulla salus I really like your signature. It made me laugh. The other day my friend (who is Catholic) and I were asked (from a non-catholic) if we were saved and without missing a beat he said "I didn't know he was lost"

Tried to personal message you but it wouldn't let me.

Pax

[Extra ecclesiam nulla salus]

[quote name='djc08' date='Nov 26 2005, 06:39 PM']Oh this is so off topic.  Extra ecclesiam nulla salus I really like your signature.  It made me laugh.  The other day my friend (who is Catholic) and I were asked (from a non-catholic) if we were saved and without missing a beat he said "I didn't know he was lost"

Tried to personal message you but it wouldn't let me.

Pax
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thanks lol i think its quite witty. yeah i do not have pm privleges anymore because i was a ultra-traditionalist catholic. but i went to confession today and confessed my sins and am now technically Catholic again.

God Bless,

Sam

[djc08]

Congrats and welcome home. Maybe you can get PhatMass to change the PM thing for you. Oh and my Latin is is very rusty but what does your name mean?

[Extra ecclesiam nulla salus]

Thanks, im glad to be back. My PM name means "outside the church there is no Salvation". It takes a while to get your title changed. it is a lot easier to lose trust than to build trust. so i expect it to be awhile yet.

[Ora et Labora]

[quote name='Aloysius' date='Nov 26 2005, 04:31 PM']I hope the bishops will step up and start at least encouraging all-boy altar serving teams that have more liturgical responsibilities, altar servers have nothing to do anymore (I used to just play with my little rope that was tied around the white robe I had on)-- THAT is the breeding ground for vocations to the priesthood and the allowance of girl altar servers is extremely harmful to the vocational pool.

every individual bishop has the option on whether or not to allow female altar servers, they're only supposed to allow them in cases where there cannot be found enough boy altar servers.

anyway, Mother Theresa was against the idea of altar girls, FYI
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[/quote]

YOU go Aloysius! Your right, she is! And your right also when you say its confusing the vocations...

Whats the point of altar girls??

[Socrates]

[quote name='Extra ecclesiam nulla salus' date='Nov 26 2005, 12:24 PM']more girls are relegious than guys. but  it still is contrary to 2,000 years of tradition.
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One of the reasons more girls than guys are religious is the feminization of the Church.
Altar serving was traditionally considered the first step in a vocation to the priesthood.
If mostly girls and women are involved in religious activities, boys will come to see church as being for girls.

I'm in one of the few U.S dioceses that does not allow altar girls, and the amount of men and women at Mass is approximately equal.

[Socrates]

[quote name='djc08' date='Nov 26 2005, 05:53 PM']If we were to discuss everything that happens in the Church today that goes against some of the oldest traditions of the church we would be here all week.  For example women lecterns (readers), extraordinary ministers (communion ministers), not to mention the women who serve in high positions in both local churches and dioceses as well as the Vatican itself.  My diocese's chancellor is a nun.

I personally see no problem with it.  [right][snapback]800958[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]
I believe these things to be problems as well.

[toledo_jesus]

[quote name='Ora et Labora' date='Nov 26 2005, 07:18 PM']Whats the point of altar girls?? 
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there is no point. It's just so they can 'answer their call to serve God' or some such nonsense. Go be a nun if you want to serve God. Or, be a mother.

Wash the altar cloths or something...



is he joking? or does he mean it?

[brendan1104]

seriously- altar linen washing, not priest's hands washing...

[Socrates]

[quote name='brendan1104' date='Nov 26 2005, 08:02 PM']seriously- altar linen washing, not priest's hands washing...
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At my college, the role of Lector/Acolyte was all-male, and there was the Holy Rood Guild, whose job was to clean and care for altar cloths, vestments, etc., which was girls only.

[Extra ecclesiam nulla salus]

did you go to christendom?