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To: Pyro7480
Are you comparing staying in the Catholic Church to an abusive relationship!?

Yes.

Muslims relegate women to a back room off the main mosque, Catholics are more subtle but the message is similar: women don't count as much as men. Recently, for example, word came down from Rome that altar girls were no longer permissible. Another tiny dagger in my lifelong night of long knives. I'd only considered returning to the church after being touched to the core by seeing devout and lovely little girls serving mass. Maybe the church had a place for me. Quickly disabused (!) of that notion.

Very orthodox Jewish temples pull the same stuff, with women seated away from the main floor. Not a tremendous amount of support (care and feeding of my spirit) for me on the traditional paths, not a tremendous amount of intellectual satisfaction in nontraditional churches. My best bet: charismatic nondenominational churches, where the Holy Spirit thrives and people are free to participate fully.

60 posted on 02/26/2004 12:36:42 PM PST by PoisedWoman (My other tagline is in the shop.)
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To: PoisedWoman
You think all of this just because of altar girls!? You're certainly entitled to this opinion, but I think the modern "conception" of equality in regards to the sexes is more destructive than helpful.
62 posted on 02/26/2004 12:43:35 PM PST by Pyro7480 ("We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid" - Benjamin Franklin)
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To: PoisedWoman
 Recently, for example, word came down from Rome that altar girls were no longer permissible

http://www.catholic-ew.org.uk/CN/03/031021.htm

Press Release from the Catholic Communications Service issued on 21 October 2003
ALTAR GIRLS SET TO RETAIN BACKING OF THE HOLY SEE

Altar girls are to keep the backing of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, it has emerged at a meeting at the Vatican.

80 posted on 02/27/2004 4:51:08 AM PST by Cronos (W2K4!)
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To: PoisedWoman
I'd only considered returning to the church after being touched to the core by seeing devout and lovely little girls serving mass.

Unfortunately, you're hinging your return on something totally ephemeral when you SHOULD be thinking more of the Sacrifice of the Mass, and the reception of the Body and Blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.

The gender of the extraneous people on the altar should not be more important than the mystery of the Real Presence. As for the angelic little girls on the altar, give me a break. Half the little girls serving look as bored as half the little boys do. I have noticed something interesting, however. The more girls sign up for altar service, the fewer boys do. The boys begin to see it as a 'girl thing', and that is unfortunate. We need young men to be close to the altar performing service. This is a wonderful way for young men to be open to the vocation of Priesthood. I know that's why some folks were pushing for little girls to be there; they wanted to push the idea of women priests, but that ain't gonna happen.

93 posted on 02/27/2004 6:12:17 AM PST by SuziQ
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To: PoisedWoman
Recently, for example, word came down from Rome that altar girls were no longer permissible.

And I cheered at this.

141 posted on 03/01/2004 9:28:16 AM PST by cyncooper ("Maybe they were hoping he'd lose the next Iraqi election")
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To: PoisedWoman
Though I think they've decided altar girls can remain...I'll have to check. But when I heard they were considering disallowing this practice I did not mind.
143 posted on 03/01/2004 9:38:12 AM PST by cyncooper ("Maybe they were hoping he'd lose the next Iraqi election")
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