OPINION: Fr. Michael Voithofer on the Benefits of an All-Male Fraternity of Altar Servers

(CHRISM NEWS) An article from Liturgyguy.com posted on May 17, 2014 has been circulating around Facebook recently, prompting many good debates on the topic of male vs. female altar servers. In a nut shell, one side of the debate supports the status quo of allowing both girls and boys to serve at the altar during Mass. The alternate view would prefer a return to allowing only boys to serve at the altar.

The Archdiocese of Lincoln is well-known for enforcing a boy’s only policy, while some Churches here in Omaha - Immaculate Conception and St. Peter's - likewise do not allow girls to serve.

Fr. Michal Voithofer, assistant pastor at St. James in Omaha, took to Facebook yesterday to offer his own well thought out response to this often contentious issue. His response can be read in its entirety below:

DISCLOSURE: My reflections on why boy altar servers would be a good thing for the formation and vocations of men. Obviously, young children don't think much about it. But, here are some thoughts....

Today’s social media platforms like Facebook lend society to sound-bite viewing and/or commenting, and this is often why we, as a society, will make superficial sound-bite comments that are not rationally grounded in anything but mere emotion. For example, watch any news channel. As a Church, we must cast our nets out into the deep. Although a glance or observation is a start, we must choose to dive deeper into the substance of the discussion and reflect prayerfully not just emotionally. We must sit in silence and allow ourselves to reflect on why such an article stirs such strong emotion in me. Bring it to God, otherwise it’s a waste of time. It's probably better to simply read, reflect and pray on such this reflection rather than JUST GLANCE at it and comment. Praise God from whom all blessing flow. Some interesting thoughts to think about.....

We need to restore an awareness in our children of the sacredness in the distinct characteristics and roles which are divinely designed into the male and female persons. The lack of awareness of the unique complementarity of the sexes is, ultimately, an attack on what sexual complementarity is ordered toward, namely, the love of Christ, the bridegroom, for his bride the Church. This is why we are designed by God as male and female. To not see the purpose of sexual complementarity, or to discard such a sacred gift, is to attack the Union of Christ with his bride the Church – which is our ultimate destiny. Heaven is the union of Christ and the Church. Thus, to discard sexual complementarity is to misunderstand our very purpose and existence as male and female.

The time will most probably come when we start moving back to boys only serving at the altar, and I think this will definitely come about with the tenor of seminarians who are becoming priests today. Remember: it is NOT men and women's role, or the laity, to primarily serve at Mass. There primary responsibility is to sanctify the world. Being a server at mass or lector or EMHC is NOT what it means for the laity to participate in the Church. Sadly, this error has deeply affected the role of the laity. Go out! Go into the work place. Get out there! Get involved! Share your testimony with people at work!

No, this doesn't mean I'm against girls, but it does mean that there are certain roles which males and females are uniquely predisposed. So much egalitarianist verbiage has all but destroyed the beauty of sexual complementarity and thus the divinely ordained beauty in the unique roles of the sexes. Men are designed and called to preside over their homes, as a father (priest) does in his parish. The home is the domestic church where the husband lays down his life for his bride and vice versa. A man's wife is his bride as a priests' spouse is the Church. His faithfulness to the Church brings forth spiritual children through baptism.

Young boys build fraternity when they serve together. Perhaps it simply their age. But, boys generally find a stick and want to fight off the enemy. They chase the cat and dog while girls are generally not as inclined toward being dragon slayers. At the age of an altar server, boys do exclude girls simply because of the age of their psychosexual development. At this age, boys will not be as inclined to participate in things that girls participate in. Right or wrong, it is just a fact of life between boys and girls and we cannot impose an adult psychology onto boys and girls who are developing their unique genius of masculinity and femininity. As little boys, we all remember when you didn't like girls... Young Boys play football to conquer... when girls are on the team it changes the whole dynamic and the boys are not as nearly invested. Like it or not, it's just how things roll in these years.

The mother is the heart of the home. Her genius and his genius are NOT the same. She has the predisposed design by God to form the interior life of her children. Her body knits life together within her. Man and woman are equal in dignity BUT not the SAME. It is no wonder why people cannot see the problem with same-sex "marriage." If there is no essential purpose or reason for the difference in the sexes, and if favoring a sex for a certain role is considered to be discrimination, then we are blinded from seeing the beauty of sexual complementarity.

Woman can't do anything men can do! And, men can't do anything woman can do! That’s a fact and if that offends me, then I'm must ask myself why? Why is it threatening to me that I as a woman or man can't do everything that the opposite sex does? Is this bad??? Does this affect my dignity? Go deeper than just being offended... Perhaps my identity and value are rooted in a worldly understanding which emphasizes status and power and what is considered praise worthy and what's not... God will not reward a man or woman for being successful in a worldly sense of career.

God rewards our faithful response to our vocation to being a man or a woman, a husband or a wife, a mother or a father. Go deeper inside and ask why.... Search deeper than mere emotion. Although, without silence and prayer our passion and emotions govern even our level of reflection. This is why we can be blinded by emotionalism when we don't pray... We are threatened by arguments which challenge the way we've been taught to value ourselves. Women are not valued because they are able to do everything that a man can do... Women who see it this way have sold themselves short on what truly gives them beauty, value, and dignity. I'm valuable because ___________! Of what I do? Or because of who I am? The challenge here is that the world values what we can or can't do.... False Feminists have bought the lie and accepted their value to be what they can do... Hence, they fight to be more and more like men and thus jettison their true femininity. This is often highlighted by career seeking. There's much to consider here...

This USCCB CARA study confirms the vocational continuity between serving at the altar and vocational discernment to the priesthood. Fr. Cook at St. Peters here in Omaha has done a great job getting the boys involved and interested in serving the holy Mass. The Lincoln diocese has boys only and look at the number of vocations they have...

Since Vat. II and the decline in woman religious, which is something interesting to reflect upon, we have had to find something for girls to do... I think there something to have boys form a healthy sense of pride and privilege in being a part of serving at the altar. So many took advantage of the Church's introduction of Vatican II. They introduced all kinds of rebellious absurdities. Taking out statues, taking off the habit, wanting a woman priesthood... Everyone is equal and woman should be able to do anything men do...

This attitude is the attitude of the spirit of Jezebel -- a rebellious spirit that hated humility and authority. The perception that being a priest is about my power to influence and further my agenda is satanic. Being a priest is being a servant of the mystery that is not mine... A priest is ordained to live and hand on the sacred mystery in service to God’s people through sacrament and prayer. The mystery is ever ancient, ever new! Just because the Church challenges me and I don't like her doesn't mean I'm right and she's wrong. The shallow approach is an escape from being purified from self.

I'm not saying we should go back to the Latin mass, although the Latin mass is beautiful and has elements of mystery and the sacredness that need to be brought back into the Novus Ordo. But, I am saying that we need to restore and respect the sacredness of the sexes, the uniqueness of the man and woman and their roles in serving the one mystery.

Husband love your wives as Christ loves the Church. This is why boys are better suited to serve at the altar. Boys are called to grow into men. They are called to spiritual arms, to protect and provide for their family as Christ does the Church and all her children. A girl can be smarter and more mature.... She can be perfectly capable of serving at the altar but she cannot be a husband and father. And, when men are given their role and embrace their role woman are far better off. Woman are empowered to be woman when men are men and men are empowered to be men when women are women.

I know that much of the confusion is unintentional and it's just people trying to make things better, but there is something to say about the sacredness of the sexes and the role which we are each divinely designed to embrace. And, sometimes women are forced to assume the role which a man should be doing, but he not. Let us pray for a restoration of the sacredness of sexual complementarity.

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