www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Roman Catholic Girl Alter Servers?

I just heard a sermon on this at the beginning of the summer. Altar girls were never meant to be the norm or even widely used. The provision was made for instances where NO men or boys are to be had to serve Mass e.g. in areas of extreme poverty where even boys must work to help support the family.

If this were acurately followed, most Latin Catholics would never see an altar girl. But like many things that are only supposed to be used in extreme circumstances, it has been abused. Another good example of this is Eucharistic ministers.

In the Latin Rite before the changes of the 1960s there actually WAS provision, in the absence of any men or boys to serve Mass, for a woman to kneel at the Communion rail and make the responses with the priest, to ring the bell, and to pass the patena or communion plate to the communicants so they could hold it under their chin. Again, this was only to be used in extreme circumstances, but in this case it was actually followed. Thus most Catholics have never heard of this.

As I understand it, members of the Roman Curia sneaked this one past Pope John Paul because they knew his mind on the subject.

Assuming, however, that the permission as granted by Rome really did stipulate such restricted circumstances, I would have to comment that it's really rather silly for Rome to get involved when it's a matter of local need. When a situation of such extreme poverty exists within a diocese where virtually all the men and boys must work to help support their families and none are available to serve Mass, the local bishop is certainly free under existing Canon Law (i.e. before the 1995 "permission") to make the necessary exceptions to existing liturgical discipline.

When such permissions are coming from Rome, I think people--including bishops--will assume that they are broad in scope, since that's what Rome's role is. Rome does not now nor has it ever had to give bishops permission to make exceptions to Church discipline when such exceptions were warrented by extreme circumstances.

FWIW, several US bishops were already allowing altar girls in their dioceses prior to 1995. As Simple Sinner said, the Diocese of Toledo has had them for 20 years.

(Please note that I'm not saying here that I'm in favor of altar girls, only that the priest's comments sounded strange ...)


Peace,
Deacon Richard

Exactly! There is no reason it should have ever become an issue in Rome. The Church sometimes forgets its own concept of subsidiarity. From what I have read this was sneaked past the pope and appears to have been done with an agenda in mind.

I'm curious to see how much this Holy Father starts cracking down. He's already been doing lots of things thus far.

If young boys are allowed to be servers in the case that a desire for the priesthood is seeded in them, is there such a noble purpose in allowing girls to serve? Or is it because "it is fair", and for equal opportunity among the sexes.

Terry

I think the idea is that "it is fair". Certainly the vocation crisis could use any boost it can get.

I'll put my two cents in. I went to a Roman Catholic grade school and *gasp* I was an altar server. Honestly, and in all truth, I was the best altar server in my class. I think that being an altar server used to mean much more for young men. It meant that they were seriously considering joining the priesthood.

I didn't want to be an altar server to seek some sort of equality or superiority over the boys in my class I did it because I truly wanted to serve God. During this point in my life I was also seriously considering becoming a nun. I'm not saying that it was right or wrong but I was serving God when the boys were some what inadequate. However, the boys in my class were not as loyal in service to begin with. They weren't intimidated by me in any case.

I just wanted to serve God and at that time that was the best way I saw to do it.

Dear Katie,

The Blessing of the Lord!

I yield to no one in my opposition to feminine acolytes. But only a lunatic would blame a grade-school girl for doing what she was asked to do (within some semblance of reason, that is - but I trust no one was asking you to run drugs or anything like that). I hope that you profited by the experience gain a better and fuller knowledge of the Mass.

Fr. Serge

Dear Katie,

I sincerely thank you for volunteering your time to serve. There are girl altar servers in my parish and they do well.

The first obvious problem with girls serving lies in that far too many boys see the girls serving and decide it's "sissy stuff" and stay away for that reason.

God Bless,
Bill

Or because the idea of participating in front of a crowd where mistakes are very noticeable is a scary one. I know for my kids at least that they would be well served by being placed into an environment where God can call them to the royal priesthood without having to shout too loudly. My 7 year old (the oldest of the brood) is already on the parish waiting list.

I was going to bring extraordinary ministers into this thread as a marginally related matter, but thought better of raising the ire of the moderators.

"I just heard a sermon on this at the beginning of the summer. Altar girls were never meant to be the norm or even widely used. The provision was made for instances where NO men or boys are to be had to serve Mass e.g. in areas of extreme poverty where even boys must work to help support the family. If this were acurately followed, most Latin Catholics would never see an altar girl. But like many things that are only supposed to be used in extreme circumstances, it has been abused."

This is simply not true. The provision leaves the allowance of female servers solely at the discretion of the bishop and places no restrictions like: only in case of shortage of boys or men on them. The whole issue came up because females were already serving as lectors and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion and the 83 Code of Canon Law was ambiguous on the point. Bishops may allow female servers, priests are under no obligation to make use of them, and priest are reminded they cannot exclude boys or men and indeed are to encourage them.

The letter allowing the provision:

Rome, 15 March 1994

Excellence,

It is my duty to communicate to the Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences that an authentic interpretation of Canon 230 #2 of the Code of Canon Law will soon be published in Acta Apostolicae Sedis.

As you know, Canon 230 #2 lays down that:

"Laici ex temporanea deputatione in actionibus liturgicis munus lectoris implere possunt; item omnes laici muneribus commentatoris, cantoris aliisve ad normam iuris fungi possunt. "

The Pontifical Council for the interpretation of Legislative Texts was recently asked if the liturgical functions which, according to the above canon, can be entrusted to the lay faithful, may be carried out equally by men and women, and if serving at the altar may be included among those functions, on a par with the others indicated by the canon.

At its meeting of 30 June 1992, the members of the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts examined the following dubium which had been proposed to them:

"Utrum inter munera liturgica quibus laici, sive viri sive mulieres, iuxta C.I. C. Can. 230 #2, fungi possunt, adnumerari etiam possit servitium ad altare."

The following response was given: "Affirmative et iuxta instructiones a Sede Apostolica dandas."

Subsequently, at an Audience granted on 11 July 1992 to the Most Reverend Vincenzo Fagiolo, Archbishop Emeritus of Chieti-Vasto and President of the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts, Pope John Paul II confirmed the decision and ordered its promulgation. This will be done in the near future.

In communicating the above information to your Episcopal Conference, I feel obliged to clarify certain aspects of Canon 230 #2 and of its authentic interpretation:

1) Canon 230 #2 has a permissive and not a preceptive character: "Laici . . . possunt." Hence the permission given in this regard by some Bishops can in no way be considered as binding on other Bishops. In fact, it is the competence of each Bishop, in his diocese, after hearing the opinion of the Episcopal Conference, to make a prudential judgment on what to do, with a view to the ordered development of liturgical life in his own diocese.

2) The Holy See respects the decision adopted by certain Bishops for specific local reasons on the basis of the provisions of Canon 230 2. At the same time, however, the Holy See wishes to recall that it will always be very appropriate to follow the noble tradition of having boys serve at the altar. As is well known, this has led to a reassuring development of priestly vocations. Thus the obligation to support such groups of altar boys will always continue.

3) If in some diocese, on the basis of Canon 230 #2, the Bishop permits that, for particular reasons, women may also serve at the altar, this decision must be clearly explained to the faithful, in the light of the above-mentioned norm. It shall also be made clear that the norm is already being widely applied, by the fact that women frequently serve as lectors in the Liturgy and can also be called upon to distribute Holy Communion as Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist and to carry out other functions, according to the provisions of the same Canon 230 #3.

4) It must also be clearly understood that the liturgical services mentioned above are carried out by lay people "ex temporanea deputatione," according to the judgment of the Bishop, without lay people, be they men or women, having any right to exercise them.

In communicating the above, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has sought to carry out the mandate received from the Supreme Pontiff to provide directives to illustrate what is laid down in Canon 230 #2 of the Code of Canon Law and its authentic interpretation, which will shortly be published.

In this way the Bishops will be better able to carry out their mission to be moderators and promoters of liturgical life in their own dioceses, within the framework of the norms in force of the Universal Church.

In deep communion with all the members of your Episcopal Conference. I remain

Yours sincerely in Christ, (Cardinal Antonio Maria Javierre Ortas) Prefect

Another letter reaffirming the former letter:

Prot. N.2451/00/L

July 27, 2001


Your Excellency,

Further to recent correspondence, this Congregation resolved to undertake a renewed study of the questions concerning the possible admission of girls, adult women and women religious to serve alongside boys as servers in the Liturgy.

As part of this examination, the Dicastery consulted the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts which replied with a letter of July 23, 2001. The reply of the Pontifical Council was helpful in reaffirming that the questions raised by this Congregation, including the question of whether particular legislation could oblige individual priests in their celebration of the Holy Mass to make use of women to serve at the altar, do not concern the interpretation of the law, but rather are questions of the correct application of the law. The reply of the aforementioned Pontifical Council, therefore, confirms the understanding of this Dicastery that the matter falls within the competence of this Congregation as delineated by the Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus, � 62. Bearing in mind this authoritative response, this Dicastery, having resolved outstanding questions, was able to conclude its own study. At the present time, therefore, the Congregation would wish to make the following observations.

As is clear from the Responsio ad propositum dubium concerning can. 230, � 2, and its authentic interpretation (cf. Circular Letter to the Presidents of Episcopal Conferences, Prot. n. 2482/93 March 15, 1994, see Notitiae 30 [1994] 333-335), the Diocesan Bishop, in his role as moderator of the liturgical life in the diocese entrusted to his care, has the authority to permit service at the altar by women within the boundaries of the territory entrusted to his care. Moreover his liberty in this question cannot be conditioned by claims in favor of a uniformity between his diocese and other dioceses which would logically lead to the removal of the necessary freedom of action from the individual Diocesan Bishop. Rather, after having heard the opinion of the Episcopal Conference, he is to base his prudential judgment upon what he considers to accord more closely with the local pastoral need for an ordered development of the liturgical life in the diocese entrusted to his care, bearing in mind, among other things, the sensibilities of the faithful, the reasons which would motivate such a permission, and the different liturgical settings and congregations which gather for the Holy Mass (cf. Circular Letter to the Presidents of Episcopal Conferences, March 15, 1994, no. 1).

In accord with the above cited instructions of the Holy See such an authorization may not, in any way, exclude men or, in particular, boys from service at the altar, nor require that priests of the diocese would make use of female altar servers, since "it will always be very appropriate to follow the noble tradition of having boys serve at the altar" (Circular Letter to the Presidents of Episcopal Conference, March 15, 1994, no. 2). Indeed, the obligation to support groups of altar boys will always remain, not least of all due to the well known assistance that such programs have provided since time immemorial in encouraging future priestly vocations (cf. ibid.)

With respect to whether the practice of women serving at the altar would truly be of pastoral advantage in the local pastoral situation, it is perhaps helpful to recall that the non-ordained faithful do not have a right to service at the altar, rather they are capable of being admitted to such service by the Sacred Pastors (cf. Circular Letter to the Presidents of Episcopal Conferences, March 15, 1994, no. 4, cf. also can 228, �1, Interdicasterial Instruction Esslesiae de mysterio, August 15, 1997, no. 4, see Notitiae 34 [1998] 9-42). Therefore, in the event that Your Excellency found it opportune to authorize service of women at the altar, it would remain important to explain clearly to the faithful the nature of this innovation, lest confusion might be introduced, thereby hampering the development of priestly vocations.

Having thus confirmed and further clarified the contents of its previous response to Your Excellency, this Dicastery wishes to assure you of its gratitude for the opportunity to elaborate further upon this question and that it considers this present letter to be normative.

With every good wish and kind regard, I am, Sincerely yours in Christ,

Jorge A. Card. Medina Est�vez
Prefect

Mons. Mario Marini
Under Secretary