The Catholic Bard (Max)

Fly with me! (Full Footage) 🎶💃🕺🎶

@NewYorkTrumper You'll be fine.

@Rogue0572 Get lost!

I will be giving up X for Lent (among other things). My last two Lents have been subpar, and I want to really dive in this year. Hold down the fort while I'm gone, okay? God bless! I hope you have a great Lent. See you soon (God willing)! (In effect at midnight.)

@jontheharris No. I base it on Matthew 16:24 and the interval on Matthew 4:1. Any other questions?

@Rogue0572 You compare Christ suffering in the wilderness with you logging out of social media for a month?

@Mattman34 See you on the other side! God bless.

I am hoping and praying you all have a holy and blessed Lenten season and that you are drawn ever closer to the Lord. Please pray for me; I’ll pray for you. After today I’ll be logged off this platform until sometime during Holy Week. Peace be with you.

The first article doesn't cite a single study. It's simply people perpetuating how they "feel" about it. The second article also says: "It is also true that groups of boy servers have fostered vocations to the priesthood. But to be fair, this usually happens within a broader culture of openness to a vocation in which other elements come into play, such as the example and spiritual guidance given by good priests, and family support." Moreover, it only reports "some" parishes having this problem and offers no background information about these parishes to indicate one way or the other. It's all anecdotal. But we do have examples of dioceses utilizing girl altar servers that are healthy and have high seminary enrollment. One would expect the opposite if your position were true. The only negative consequence of girl altar servers that doesn't rely on anecdotal evidence is situations when girls hog up the time slots at a parish so that boys aren't able to serve frequently. However, I'm willing to wager that this situation is rare. It's easily fixed by having a male preference. No boy should ever be turned down because of a girl. Regardless, there exist no studies where seminarians, priests, or those who entertained the priesthood have reported negative interactions with girls while serving. Boys who don't serve because girls are present are likely taught the "trad" way by their parents. In the 1950s, white boys didn't participate with black kids because they were indoctrinated by racist ideologies that existed in America for generations. That doesn't prove they naturally had this behavior. So it's not a shock that boys raised with trad ideologies won't participate with girl altar servers. It's also not like a "playground. It's Mass. It's structured like a play.

@Rogue0572 Again, we see a steep drop off in boys offering to serve after Girl servers are introduced ewtn.com/catholicism/li…

The claim is often made that girl altar servers negatively impact boys' discernment of the priesthood. In order to show this, those who reject the practice must provide studies that include the following: 1. Asking those who considered the priesthood but decided against it whether they served with girls growing up and whether they had a good experience. 2. Asking those who went to seminary but dropped out whether they served with girls growing up and whether they had a good experience. 3. Asking priests who graduated from seminary within the last 15 years whether they served with girls growing up and whether they had a good experience. Local surveys that vaguely discuss altar serving in general only show that a majority of priests were at one time altar servers. It's a stretch to take these results and draw conclusions against girl altar serving. These are the types of studies I look for in this debate. I have no emotional investment in this particular practice. If the Church bans it, then I respect its power to BIND. If the Church further permits it, then I respect its power to LOOSE. A large portion of our culture is secular (postmodern) and materialistic. These forces are much more likely to negatively impact one's ability to discern a priesthood (and to stay Catholic). Also, encouragement (or the lack thereof) from one's parents plays a significant role.

Right. So there's no evidence for the claim that girl altar servers negatively impact boys discerning the priesthood. And no, I'm saying your example of a game has almost no parallels to altar serving. Boys play differently around girls at a playground. Ok. So what? The standards I'm looking for are a lot better than saying, "Girls negatively impact boys discerning the priesthood...because...trust me..." Yes, obviously it has been a men's space because the discipline was such that only boys could serve. But that's a discipline the church has the authority to change. Deaconneses had a diverse role both in and out of liturgical settings in the early Church. Even though they didn't receive Holy Orders, it would be absurd to say women had no involvement whatsoever. It was only when abuses occurred that the Church slowly began removing their role. Altar servers have less of a role than deaconneses had. Anyway, I suppose disciplines are ok as long as they agree with your trad presuppositions. 👌

It’s the feminization of a men’s space. Your claim that something that is true in one place is not true in another is very simple minded. Your base assumption should actually be that biological social conditions that cause the breakdown of one men’s group will cause the breakdown of another. If I provided you with all the information you ask for you would simply move the bar again because you are either an intellectually dishonest or simple minded person

@MarriageCovenan "Girl altar servers negatively impact boys discerning the priesthood.....because...trust me, bro..."

@Rogue0572 No studies needed. Just common sense. latinmassdir.org

@sicutthomass @ZeldaAGabriel The reason why you ignored my previous comment and opted for a 'Jay Dyer' response is because it directly refutes your uneducated understanding of discipline vs doctrine.

@Rogue0572 @ZeldaAGabriel The Church cannot promote evil practices. Bro your sect promotes gay blessings. Game over.

Where does the magisterium say, with binding doctrine, that women cannot be altar servers?

Communion in the hand was practiced for almost 800 years before the "tongue-only" discipline was implemented. So, were those millions of Christians (including saints) evil for receiving on the hand, simply because those under stricter disciplines later condemned the practice? Pope Gelasius condemned the abuses that were occurring with women serving. They were getting too comfortable and handling tasks reserved for priests and deacons. Something similar happened with deaconesses. This was not a doctrinal condemnation; it was disciplinary. Disciplines can and do change. Calling it "evil" is an example of deliberate exaggeration, which they often employed back then. The Church has loosened this discipline. It has every right to do so.

@Rogue0572 @ZeldaAGabriel What was an evil practice in 1755 remains an evil practice TODAY. God doesn't change His mind, and neither can His Church contradict Herself.

@sicutthomass @ZeldaAGabriel Pope Gelasius made a disciplinary judgment. It's not doctrine. The encyclical from the 18th century refers to this discipline. The Church, having the sole authority to bind and loose, has since loosened this discipline. We are called to submit to the current Magisterium.

@ZeldaAGabriel Papal encyclicals are binding. ewtn.com/catholicism/li…

@FogenJan 🤣

Figure skating is literally the easiest sport ever invented. It's not that hard. <Tweet sent from couch>

They can report whether or not they found it difficult to discern or if they had any other negative experiences. Those who decided against pursuing the priesthood could tell us even more. As for those boys who decided not to become altar servers due specifically to there being girl altar servers, I feel this would probably stem from their parents' decisions (or teachings). In that case, "lack of parental encouragement" would fit the bill here.

@Rogue0572 @donttreadonv The image represents 'survivor bias' - IOW, the priests who *were* servers with girls don't really tell us anything. It's the men who never bothered being servers (was it due to girls' participation in that ministry?) that would provide the necessary data

@ItsCaspius But altar serving isn't a game. It's not competitive. So I don't think you're example shows much. What I'm asking for is evidence for the claim trad-minded Catholics make off the cuff (that girl altar servers negatively impact a boy's discernment of the priesthood).

You’ve never once’s seen the feminization of a bus game. You are asking for specifics for a pretty basic concept anyone can watch in real time on a playground. Boys value rules in play and will debate them for extended time and it is part of the gam. Girls dislike rules and if a conflict is not quickly solved, the game just, ends. You CANNOT mix boys and girls in things like being an alter server as it is not a compromise, the boys MUST cave to the desires of the girls or it is “unfair”

@Utterly_Jean Same. X is bugged or they released a secret update without any explanations.

Why are people that I've muted and have blocked me showing up on my page? I obviously don't want to interact with them

@JenDragonRose I was having the same issue yesterday.

Twitter is acting crazy this morning! I couldn't see any of my friends posts. And now I'm getting notifications from random people I'm not following. LOL. Twitter, are you drunk?!

🤣 please stop please please 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I cannnnt

The frequency they served is also important. The only realistic obstacle here would be if girl altar servers "hog up" time slots that could have been used for boys. However, I think this would be rare for most churches. I can see a "men first" model preventing this issue (Giving preference to boys).