FaustinaVianney Posted April 7, 2004 Share Posted April 7, 2004 I do not really like the girls to be altar servers. The altar server is an apprentice to the priest and girls cannot be priests, so why should they server? Now, as far as my understanding goes girls are not supposed to be asked unless no boy wants to. My question is are the priests actively seeking boys/young men to be altar servers? I find too many priests or whoever is in charge of servers asking girls that they know to serve instead of asking a boy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popestpiusx Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 [quote name='cmotherofpirl' date='Apr 7 2004, 06:09 PM'] Except EEMs ARE allowed, and regular laity are not. [/quote] EEMS are regular laity. They are chosen, perhaps. Or they volunteer or something. But there is no real distinction between them and the people in the pew. The only distinctions are superficial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest thomasaquinas3 Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 Of course I back up the church and what it says, but for my personal opinion, I do not think females (God love 'em), should serve Mass unless need be. I think it is awesome when they do everything else, but not serving. A short clarification as to why...Serving is kind of like job shadowing a priest, you are in the back sacristy with him, you are up on the altar, you get to see what is going on behind the scenes. Also, it is common that when women start to become involved in a ministry, they sort of take it over, guys slowly stop being part of that ministry. So it is kind of nice that we (guys) have our own ministry that we can be a part of, and a ministry that helps with discernment and experiencing the call of God to vocations!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhatPhred Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 (edited) [quote name='FaustinaVianney' date='Apr 7 2004, 07:15 PM']Now, as far as my understanding goes girls are not supposed to be asked unless no boy wants to.[/quote] I asked in another thread for any official Church documentation of this requirement, and no one provided any. This could very well be a Church urban legend. Edited April 8, 2004 by PhatPhred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yiannii Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 As soon as the girls were allowed to serve at our church the boys didn't want to do it any more because they started to think of it as a girly thing. Consiquently there are no boys serving at my parish now. I know it's silly of the boys to be like this but they are only young and still believe in that girl germ stuff....lol I used to think that boys who expressed interest in serving at Mass could have a calling later on in life and this was a way for them to experiance what it would be like to be a priest. I don't think there should be a problem with women reading at Mass but maybe that's because I have grown up with that. Just some of my thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagiDragon Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 From the looks of the responses we really need a seperate category for servers and everything else. I think the poll would be a lot more fair this way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhatPhred Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 [quote name='popestpiusx' date='Apr 7 2004, 08:12 PM']EEMS are regular laity. They are chosen, perhaps. Or they volunteer or something. But there is no real distinction between them and the people in the pew. The only distinctions are superficial.[/quote] EEMs are permitted by the Holy Father to distribute the sacred species to others; the laity in the pews are not. Thus it would seem to be more than a superficial distinction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popestpiusx Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 [quote name='PhatPhred' date='Apr 7 2004, 10:02 PM'] EEMs are permitted by the Holy Father to distribute the sacred species to others; the laity in the pews are not. Thus it would seem to be more than a superficial distinction. [/quote] The distinction is that one is in front of Church and the rest are in the pew. It is a difference of place and perhaps time. It is not a distinction of orders or any other sacramental (or supernatural) distinction. The people acting as EEMs are laity, pure and simple. There is no difference between them and the folks in the pew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLAZEr Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 From the Earliest days of the Church it has been the practice that lay people could distribute communion. In fact, an early martyr and patron of Altar Boys (I'll give 10 points to the first person who can name him!) was martyred while he was carrying the Eucharist to the sick who could not make it to the mass. So, if a lay person can distribute communion to the homebound, as was the practice in the Church in its earliest days, then I don't see why it would not follow that a lay person could not distribute at mass. All of this must be seen as an ASSISTANCE to the priest who is ALWAYS the ORDINARY MINISTER OF THE EUCHARIST. Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist should NOT be the norm. They should be used only when another priest or deacon cannot help to distribute communion to a large crowd. I would imagine a Sudnay mass with more than 200 to be such an occasion. It is not permissible for the Communicants to pass the chalice to each other for the simple fact that this does not become us RECEIVING the precious blood (or sacred body for that matter) it becomes us distributing it to each other. The act always must remain US going to one who GIVES US Christ. This should of course, ORDINARILY be the priest, but in times of need, an EME can assist him to do the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popestpiusx Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 Well blazer, at least you admit that they are ordinary laity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traichuoi Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 [quote name='Spiritual_Arsonist' date='Apr 7 2004, 01:54 PM'] Women as servers? Absolutely not. I have expereinced this firsthand and see it time and time again. Altar Serving does help foster vocations to the Priesthood. If women cannot be priests, then they should not serve. Lectors and EME's? Sure. Only when done by the rules. [/quote] you know, i agree that altar servers give way to Priesthood. with that said, i spoke with our Vocation Director (Phoenix) and he said the number one thing that stands in the way of vocations in America are mothers. sadly enough, there are mothers who do not support their sons discerning a call to the priesthood. now if altar serving gave boys insight into the priesthood, then would it not allow girls who may be mothers someday the insight into the priesthood so that they may be more supportive? just a thought... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLAZEr Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 [quote name='popestpiusx' date='Apr 8 2004, 09:13 AM'] Well blazer, at least you admit that they are ordinary laity. [/quote] Uhhh? What? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeraMaria Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 [quote name='BLAZEr' date='Apr 8 2004, 03:12 AM'] In fact, an early martyr and patron of Altar Boys (I'll give 10 points to the first person who can name him!) was martyred while he was carrying the Eucharist to the sick who could not make it to the mass. [/quote] Saint Tarcisius.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aByzantineCatholic Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 (edited) The Pope has made his opinion VERY clear on the matter. However, the Bishops see it differently. [quote][b]Pope Extols Altar Boys as "Garden" of Vocations[/b] The Pope referred to his experience as archbishop of Krakow, when he was able to appreciate "the great benefits which can accrue from a concern for their human, spiritual and liturgical training." [/quote] [url="http://www.zenit.org/english/"]http://www.zenit.org/english/[/url] Altar boys = priest. My thoughts on the matter Girls can NEVER EVER EVER become a priest. We have a shortage of priest. Therefore, girls should NOT serve on the altar. Not because they are not worthy but because of the great need for priest! God Bless! Edited April 9, 2004 by aByzantineCatholic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovechrist Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 there are only 2 girls that serve at our parish now, thanks to Father A's very traditional view on things, which i agree with him on this one. i don't think there's a prob with them lectoring, just becuz its the reading of the Word--everybody does it, and EM's... i've grown up with them, so i don't mind them much. but thats just me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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