Female Lectors

[kateri05]

i have been lectoring for years and am female... the Church does not permit women to participate in the ministry of lectoring? Also, as a child I was an altarserver, which I remember hearing was approved by Rome. cappie said otherwise in someone else's post and i wanted clarification.

thanks!

in Christ,
Lina

[cappie]

There is a difference between the Office of Lector and the Office of Accolyte. These ministries are open to men only and people are inducted into them by the bishop. They are part of the old "orders" that a priest used to be "ordained" to on the way to the priesthood. These included Porter, exorcist, lector acolyte, sub-deacon, deacon and priest. Pope Paul VI abolished porter exorcist and sub-deacon but retained the ministry of Lector and Acolyte.

The ministry you speak of is not the instituted Ministry but a server or reader at Mass, which is the most usual office practised by males and females at the usual Sunday or daily Mass