Altar girls in the Diocese of La Crosse

I got this tidbit via a reader:
Shortly after altar girls were approved, La Crosse Bishop John Joseph Paul[1983-1994] approved the usage of female altar servers for the Diocese of La Crosse and it was his last official act as bishop because he retired soon after that. When Bishop Raymond Burke had the last diocesan synod, he had legislation approved prohibiting girl servers at Pontifical Masses.
Also a good article on the subject from Thee Catholic Herald.

Name the pope who said this:
“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.”
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

How about this excerpt from one of Pope Benedict XIV's encyclical in 1755:

"Pope Gelasius in his ninth letter (chap. 26) to the bishops of Lucania condemned the evil practice which had been introduced of women serving the priest at the celebration of Mass. Since this abuse had spread to the Greeks, Innocent IV strictly forbade it in his letter to the bishop of Tusculum: "Women should not dare to serve at the altar; they should be altogether refused this ministry." We too have forbidden this practice in the same words in Our oft-repeated constitution Etsi Pastoralis, sect. 6, no. 21."[2]

I wonder how the "sacred liturgy committee" at any random parish in America would respond if they saw those words in pastor's weekly bulletin column.

Badger Catholic said...

... The quote was from Pope Paul VI in 1970(from the article linked), hence the "father" of the Vatican II reforms to the liturgy even states that it is not appropriate.