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Views from the Choir Loft

Controversy Over Female Altar Servers

Jeff Ostrowski · February 14, 2015

313 GIRLS OST WOULD AGREE that it would be strange if I prayed the following prayer each night: “Please, Lord, let me get pregnant.” The simple fact is, men and woman are different. However, modern society does not allow us to speak about the differences, so I won’t.

I love little girls and ardently want them to be happy & holy. I’m sure most Catholic priests do, too.

Let us now consider a recent video which says a “controversial new policy” excludes girls:

      * *  Local News Video • “Controversial New Policy”

Throughout the video, the Church’s 2,000 year tradition is conveniently never mentioned. Obviously, we cannot expect too much from local news stations, since they’re notoriously horrible and underfunded. On the other hand, videos on this topic have crossed the threshold into the absurd. A similar video interviews one woman who says, “If I were a parent at that school, I’d probably be upset.” Couldn’t they locate an actual mother from that school?

Here’s a quick overview of how female altar servers came about. Pope Paul VI first permitted the possibility of women readers around 1969—if local bishops gave their approval—and the American bishops did so immediately:

314 Women as readers


Notice that women were placed outside the Sanctuary and could only read in the absence of a “qualified” male reader. However, Pope Paul VI said clearly on 5 September 1970 (Liturgicae Instaurationes) that women could not serve at the altar:

7. In conformity with norms traditional in the Church, women (single, married, religious), whether in churches, homes, convents, schools, or institutions for women, are barred from serving the priest at the altar.   (5 September 1970)

Pope Saint John Paul II said the same thing (Inaestimabile Donum) on 3 April 1980:

18. There are, of course, various roles that women can perform in the liturgical assembly: these include reading the Word of God and proclaiming the intentions of the Prayer of the Faithful. Women are not, however, permitted to act as altar servers.   (3 April 1980)

On 15 March 1994, the Vatican gave permission to individual bishops to allow female altar servers, with two important reminders:

“The permission given in this regard by some Bishops can in no way be considered as binding on other Bishops.”

“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.”   (15 March 1994)

The videos we saw demonstrate how difficult (impossible?) it is for priests to continue the 2,000-year-old tradition in the Ordinary Form. For the record, the diocese of Lincoln—which does not have female altar servers—is a leader when it comes to priestly vocations.

SOME SAY that to withhold anything from young ladies is wrong. I’m not convinced that’s true. For example, in the Extraordinary Form, nobody except the priest is allowed to touch the Sacred Eucharist—and this applies to both men & women. I feel this is powerful, awesome, and wonderful. It is a mark of respect. I don’t see it as insulting towards anyone.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“The pope regrets that this trade in African slaves, that he believed having ceased, is still exercised in some regions and even more cruel way. He begs and begs the King of Portugal that it implement all its authority and wisdom to extirpate this unholy and abominable shame.”

— ‘Pope Pius VII, writing to the King of Portugal’

Recent Posts

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  • Now Available! • “Hymns of Cardinal Newman: Kevin Allen’s Legendary Choral Settings”
  • Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)

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