www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Altar Girls?

I was reading through Particular Law for the Byzantine-Ruthenian Church in the USA.

I know this topic has been raised before, but I was struck my Canon 707:

Isn't this issue mute? In other words isn't it very clear that altar girls are forbidden? Perhaps I don't understand Canon Law.

Looks clear to me.

OK--I'll bite. Have you been to a parish in the Ruthenian Metropolia that uses girls to serve at the altar?

Why the question?

Are girls "women"?

One would certainly assume that girls are women. So far as I know, the human race only has two genders.

Fr. Serge

I personally have not witnessed altar girls, but there have been post here in which they say some BCC's have altar girls.

I visited a Ruthenian parish that had a girl vested like an altar boy, but she did not go into the altar area.

Well, perhaps that was a bit lapidary. Is there any canonical distinction between girls and women at all or with regard to serving at the altar? If there is not, should/could there be? I will rely on Fr. Serge's assertion that there are only two genders, but it seems at least plausible that there could be a meaningful distinction between adult and child.

I recently attended a Ukrainian Greek Catholic Divine Liturgy in Western Pennsylvania where an older girl served at the altar with four young men. A young woman also recited the Epistle. This was surpising to me. Most of the Liturgy was recited and lasted under one hour.

To the best of my knowledge, the UGCC is yet to update it's particular law pursuant to the 1990 Eastern Catholic Code of Canons. The Pittsburgh Metropolia has done so, thus the formalized prohibition of women serving in the Altar which is cited above.

Dn.Robert

That is not correct - the English translation of the Church- (UGCC)-wide particular law was completed in 2006. The Pastoral Guide or particular law for the Archeparchy of Philadelphia and the Eparchies of Chicago, Parma, and Stamford was completed in 1999.

I suppose I should actually complete my thoughts before hitting "send"...

Article 462 of the Pastoral Guide states:

I stand corrected. Does any of this deal with the issue of women serving in the Altar? I have heard that this is an occurrence with growing frequency in UGCC churches in the U.S.

Dn. Robert

Diak,

I posted my comments before you posted this. From what you posted above, it sounds like there are some liturgical abuses occurring, esp. here in the U.S.

Dn. Robert