This morning I was privy to see a young - perhaps eight year old girl - dressed in male clerical garb (a surplice and burgundy coloured cassock) serving rather badly at the 8 a.m. Mass at St. Casimir's church. This poor, little creature, semi-pirouetted towards the Tabernacle, with jerky (seemingly nervous twitches of the head) little nods. This confused young child certainly did not give any impression that she knew what was transpiring on the Altar before her. The elderly retired, resident priest, perhaps 80 - I wonder what his thoughts were? Did his mind ever run back to the early days of his priesthood; served by young men and boys; the honour of being an altar boy.
We can play games if we wish, but the reality is that the cassock is male attire. If it is not male attire: what is it? "Uni-sex", female? Let us not suffer from any delusions. It is as bizarre to see a girl in a cassock as it would to see a boy in a nun's habit. And if it not so, then this is the result of years of desensitization.
Priests, bishops and even popes: they were and they continue to be dead wrong in allowing this pernicious practice. It is time to banish the girl altar boy.
History of clerical dress. History of the surplice.
The only real solution is to find an EF mass to attend and support, or an Ordinariate mass. We have to begin to vote with our feet which is the only statement that those in charge can "hear".
ReplyDeleteThe worst I ever saw was in Spokane, Wash. These were teenage girls, twins, who were taller than the priest. One had a black eye. Both wore huge tennis shoes, and instead of staying in the background, the priest had them stand right next to him facing the congregation.They looked bored, and it looked scandalous. Yes, I don't think these young women will understand the role of women in the church when they grow up. It's so much more than that. Parishes that have only male altar boys have more vocations to the priesthood. It's a very important rite of passage for boys discerning a vocation to be a priest. And girls on the team can make them reluctant to participate. God bless you. Susan Fox www.christsfaithfulwitness.com
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