Where Are the Altar Boys?

Catholic Exchange ^ | 2/04/03 | James Fitzpatrick

[RobbyS]

It seems to be killing P.E. On the one hand they talk about too many fat kids. On the other, they end mandatory P.E. classes in high school. I guess they will in the end just hand out pills to suppress their appetites.

[Loyalist]

For some of us, yes, it has.

I grew up in the Archdiocese of Halifax, Nova Scotia under the episcopapostasy of James M. Hayes, who was pushing for married priests, priestesses and birth control even during his tenure as president of the CCCB back in the 80's.

He was the first bishop in Canada to push altar girls, right in the early 70's. He was also a driving force behind the 1968 Winnipeg Statement, the Canadian bishops' unconditional surrender to the opponents of Humanae Vitae .

When he retired at 65, the Vatican accepted his resignation less than a month after he submitted it. He is doing some good as a hospital chaplain now, thank God. Or at least, much less harm.

[american colleen]

It was funny! She (the mother) honestly didn't get the irony of it.

[american colleen]

Yes, my son doesn't have any interest in being an altar boy either. In a way, it's sadly, no big deal. They've reduced the duties of an altar PERSON to donning a white bathrobe tied with a rope and the person holds the book and then the candles while the gospel is being read. Half the kids don't kneel and about 99.9% of 'em wear jeans and sneakers. If my kid was an altar boy I'd have him dressed respectfully and sadly, I think the other kids would make fun of him.

[american colleen]

"tenure as president of the CCCB "

Ah. The cannuck version of the USCCB - absolutely useless for anything except meaningless position papers (usually not even written by the bishops themselves) and wreaking havoc as a unified, brotherly mob.

PS. I can say cannuck as 1/4 of my family is from Newfoundland (via Ireland) and they let me call them "Newfies." ;-)

[TradicalRC]

I agree, the altar girl is yet another modernist mistake done more from feminist principles than Christian ones. Christ chose his own "old boy network" and I'm sure He had his reasons. Funny, no one seemed to question them for the better part of two millenia but I guess we've gotten progressivism. Now, if we could have genuflection at receiving the Holy Sacrament we might actually restore some of that reverence that seems to have withered on the vine of VaticanII. BTW, Christ never struck me as in any way being
"effeminate" so why should we Christian men be?

[TotusTuus]

Has it been that long?!

Officially? No. Not that it ever deterred dissidents.

I guess I need to read the document that now allows for female altar servers, it's been what, since 1998? In any event, my understanding is that it also provides for the custom of males only as well - I think it is left up to each Bishop to decide now.

I've heard from Priests that females were finally officially allowed because the abuse was so widespread. I also heard from them that it was written in a way that could provide, in the future, for male only again. Like I said, I haven't read it ...

[arthurus]

In my parish we have both boys and girls but no boys over age 11.