Women Serving During Mass

[MIKolbe]

nah...

just a simple "Jesus says no" will suffice

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='MIkolbe' date='14 May 2010 - 02:16 PM' timestamp='1273868175' post='2110694']
nah...

just a simple "Jesus says no" will suffice
[/quote]
Which is what I told her, but in my usual wordy way.

[MIKolbe]

i am sure she appreciated it and came away from the situation better informed and with more focused love of our Lord.

May God grant her many years.

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='MIkolbe' date='14 May 2010 - 02:23 PM' timestamp='1273868612' post='2110708']
i am sure she appreciated it and came away from the situation better informed and with more focused love of our Lord.

May God grant her many years.
[/quote]
Actually she did find it interesting, because she did not know prior to our talk that there are two forms of ordination (cheirotenia and cheirothesia) in her Church, and that both are holy mysteries that confer grace. Almost anything in life can become a learning experience.

[MIKolbe]

i bet she sounded cute when she said cheirotenia and cheirothesia.

[HisChildForever]

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' date='08 May 2010 - 08:11 PM' timestamp='1273363915' post='2107202']
I would like to add that my understanding of these issues is greater than it was in June '08.
[/quote]

WOW, me too. I don't have the time right now to comb through the thread, but I caught two posts of mine. One post I supported extraordinary ministers, now I would prefer it if that position was abolished; another I advocated altar girls, now I'm more like "whatever" on the whole issue.

[HisChildForever]

WOW and I posted in this thread recently, too, with my characteristic HCF 'tude. I didn't display that in 2008 until that stupid debate over "is rape about power, or lust" in the miniskirt thread.

[Resurrexi]

I think that most people already know my position on the matter without my stating it.

[HisChildForever]

[quote name='Resurrexi' date='14 May 2010 - 05:10 PM' timestamp='1273871428' post='2110756']
I think that most people already know my position on the matter without my stating it.
[/quote]

Yeah that would pretty much be like someone asking what I think about Islam.

[Winchester]

The womenfolk should be official sammich makers.

[Michele]

[quote name='Apotheoun' date='14 May 2010 - 01:35 PM' timestamp='1273865711' post='2110669']
Altar servers at papal masses are - as I understand it - seminarians, and I know of no female seminarians.
[/quote]

i think that Catholic seminarians are among the best choices for altar servers at such a special Mass as one presided by the Pope. and of course seminarians/priests are male because of the glorious tradition started by Jesus of choosing men for his 12 apostles. personally i was surprised to see girl altar servers at the pope's mass in Portugal, but they had long pony-tales so they must have been girls. i have no idea how they got selected or who picked them, but there they were, priviledged to serve at the mass of the Holy Father for the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. perhaps...due to Our Lady appearing to 2 girls and a boy...they thought it was proper, at that time, to permit girls to serve? afterall, an altar server does not intervene in the consecration which only the priest can do. they simply carry over the items needed by the priest. a guy or girl is capable of this task. the Holy Father is very holy and i'm sure he wouldn't abuse girls or boys whichever serves him. it was a beautiful mass. i went to mass in the morning locally, but it was way cool seeing the papal mass on EWTN. they had a procession of the Fatima statue with lots of yellow roses. it's neat that the feast of Fatima fell on the same day as the Ascension.

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='Michele' date='14 May 2010 - 08:09 PM' timestamp='1273889397' post='2110913']
i think that Catholic seminarians are among the best choices for altar servers at such a special Mass as one presided by the Pope. and of course seminarians/priests are male because of the glorious tradition started by Jesus of choosing men for his 12 apostles. personally i was surprised to see girl altar servers at the pope's mass in Portugal, but they had long pony-tales so they must have been girls. i have no idea how they got selected or who picked them, but there they were, priviledged to serve at the mass of the Holy Father for the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. perhaps...due to Our Lady appearing to 2 girls and a boy...they thought it was proper, at that time, to permit girls to serve? afterall, an altar server does not intervene in the consecration which only the priest can do. they simply carry over the items needed by the priest. a guy or girl is capable of this task. the Holy Father is very holy and i'm sure he wouldn't abuse girls or boys whichever serves him. it was a beautiful mass. i went to mass in the morning locally, but it was way cool seeing the papal mass on EWTN. they had a procession of the Fatima statue with lots of yellow roses. it's neat that the feast of Fatima fell on the same day as the Ascension.
[/quote]
I have no idea why such a decision would be made, but to break with Apostolic Tradition, which along with Sacred Scripture, is the inspired word of God is never a good thing. The functionalist mentality that prevails in the modern Roman Rite in connection with the liturgy is dangerous. Service at the altar is not a mere function that should be open to anyone; instead, service at the altar which by Holy Tradition is reserved to men alone in all the other Apostolic Churches (Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox alike) is a revealed truth. As one of my Eastern Orthodox friends said . . . the Holy Fathers would be shocked by the innovations taking place in the Roman Rite. I pray for the restoration of Apostolic Tradition on this issue in the Roman Rite.

Edited May 15, 2010 by Apotheoun

[Michele]

the young ladies did a beautiful altar service for the Holy Father. i was proud of them. whatever is fine with the Holy Father is fine with me. he sets the example. i hope the prayers of Jacinta and Lucia will be present with us now.

[Michele]

[quote name='Apotheoun' date='14 May 2010 - 01:51 PM' timestamp='1273866686' post='2110676']
As the article below indicates, as recently as 2008 female servers were not allowed at papal masses, but I suppose that - like everything else in the modern Roman rite - is open to revision.

[url="http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/papal_masses_dominated_by_male.html"]Papal masses dominated by males[/url]

this is referring to the time when the Holy Father visited the U.S.
I'm referring to the Fatima mass in Portugal. women cannot become priests, but obviously they can be altar servers.

"The Church gives thanks for all the manifestations of the feminine "genius" which have appeared in the course of history, in the midst of all peoples and nations; she gives thanks for all the charisms which the Holy Spirit distributes to women in the history of the People of God, for all the victories which she owes to their faith, hope and charity: she gives thanks for all the fruits of feminine holiness"
~ MULIERIS DIGNITATEM 31

I found an encouraging audience by the Holy Father addressed to boy and girl altar severs (with emphasis that some of them - the boys no doubt - might be called to be priests).
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2006/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20060802_en.html

Edited May 16, 2010 by Michele

[Michele]

here's a picture of a little boy altar server at his uncle's ordination becoming a deacon with the MIC (pray for them)

http://thedivinemercy.org/gallery/index.php?GID=90&order=19