Cardinal Arinze and others on Female Altar Servers

Cardinal Arinze speaks for himself in this YouTube video.


Fr Joseph Fessio makes a brief but systematic contribution to the debate here.

The Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, under the leadership of Bishop Bruskewitz, is the only diocese in the United States not to permit altar girls (which are only permitted with the express permission of the local bishop). There is an interesting short article on the subject on the diocesan website; in case it is taken down we reproduce it here.


'Seedlings', by Fr Christopher Kubat.

The question whether women can be admitted to the sacrament of Holy Orders continues to be raised, despite Pope John Paul II definitively saying in his apostolic letter entitled Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, “I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful.”

Canon law states, “Only a baptized male validly receives sacred ordination” (can 1024). Further, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “Only a baptized man validly receives sacred ordination. The Lord Jesus chose men to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry … The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible” (CCC 1577).

Are there any other reasons? Aren’t women smart, wise and hard-working enough, sharing the same dignity as men? Certainly. Some have argued that they are more sensitive and nurturing than men, something I wouldn’t disagree with. I would argue as a whole, women have a higher pain tolerance than men. How about natural courage? How many women and men were at the foot of the cross? These arguments, however, have nothing to do with the question at hand.

Once, while flying, I sat next to a woman who told me she was an Episcopalian priest. I asked her to define marriage. Thankfully she stated that marriage is for one man and one woman, because this constitutes another powerful argument. Yes, marriage is for one man and one woman (Gen 1:27; 2:24), something that Jesus the Eternal High Priest Himself re-iterated (Mt 19:4-6). In a beautiful vision, an angel said to John the evangelist, “Come, I will show you the Bride (referring to the Church, the mystical body of Christ), the wife of the lamb (referring to Christ Jesus the bridegroom)”(Rev 21:9).

St. Paul completes the connection in his letter to the Ephesians. In it, he exhorts wives to be subject to their husbands as the Church is to Christ, and husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church (this means that husbands are to mount the cross daily for their wives). Therefore, if the Catholic Church is the bride (feminine), and an ordained priest who stands in the person of Christ shares in this spousal relationship as the bridegroom Jesus Christ (male), it is necessary that candidates to Holy Orders be men. This is why the Church has no authority to admit women to the priesthood. It is about nuptials.

What about altar servers? On July 27, 2001 the Congregation for Divine Worship’s Letter on Altar Servers states that “no priest is obligated to have female servers, even in dioceses where this is permitted.” Why is this, since girls are as smart and capable as boys? Because many boys, myself included, first received their calling to the priesthood as altar boys, and when girls are allowed to serve, some boys fall away and lose interest.

Please pray for the young men who will be ordained to the diaconate May 28 and to the priesthood May 29. They are the ones who will forgive sins (Jn 20:23), offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (Lk 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24) give us the Most Holy Eucharist, and anoint us on our deathbeds (Jas 5:14-15).

SST/LMS Training Day at Leicester in August

The Latin Mass Society will be holding its next training programme, in association with the Society of St Tarcisius, a one-day event, on Tuesday, 23 August, at Holy Cross Priory, 45 Wellington Street, Leicester LE1 6HW.


This will be for priests and servers wishing to study the rubrics of the Mass in its Solemn Form and who are already familiar with Low Mass.

The day will start at 9.30am and finish around 5.00pm. The fee for attending will be £5.00. For further details, contact the LMS office on 020 7404 7284, email info@lms.org.uk. To register for the training event, please download and complete the application form, returning it to the address specified.

Arthur Crumley, RIP

This website has previously drawn the attention of its readers to the writings of Mr Arthur Crumley, previously leading Master of Ceremonies of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales. Mr Crumley was a firm defender of the traditional liturgy, and upholder of high standards of service at the altar.

The news has been received that Mr Crumley died earlier this weekend. He had, apparently, been suffering form the effects of a minor stroke last year.

Reader, please pray for his soul.

In memoria aeterna erit justus. Ab auditione mala non timebit.

Serving a Low Requiem Mass

Question: What differences are there in serving a Low Mass of Requiem?

Answer: If you know how to serve Low Mass, it should be easy to adapt to a Requiem. There are a few omissions that you should be aware of in advance.

Essentially, prayers and ceremonies that have a particular reference to the living, or to rejoicing, are left out. For example, there is no Alleluia or Gloria Patri, and no blessing of water at the offertory, or of the people at the end.

1. There is no psalm Judica me at the start; the priest moves straight from the versicle and response 'Introibo ad altare Dei. Ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meam.' to 'Adjutorium nostrum.' The psalm is regarded as having some character of rejoicing, and is also omitted in Passiontide.
2. The priest doesn't cross himself at the Introit, so the server doesn't either. Instead the priest makes a cross over the book. Notice also that the Introit has no Gloria Patri, since this has some element of rejoicing.
3. Check that the priest is saying the Dies Irae, since this is optional in the standard daily low mass for the dead. If so, then you don't need to rise to move the book until towards the end of it. If not, then rise at the start of the Tract 'Absolve' as usual.
4. The water isn't blessed at the offertory.
5. If you usually kiss the cruets, then don't at a Requiem. (In fact, I'd suggest you don't ever do it!)
6. The reply to 'Requiescant in pace' at the end is 'Amen'. This takes the place of 'Ite missa est' or 'Benedicamus Domino' in a Requiem.
7. Don't kneel for the blessing, since there isn't one. Move straight after the Requiescant to your place for the Last Gospel.

Enrolment ceremony for the SST is now available for download

The enrolment ceremony for becoming a member of the Society of St Tarcisius is now available for download here.

This should be a useful resource for any priest performing the enrolment ceremony and, of course, for those actually being enrolled! The text is in Latin and English side by side.

LMS Seeks to Recruit New Editor for Mass of Ages Magazine

The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales is currently seeking a new editor for Mass of Ages magazine, as the current editor, John Medlin, will be retiring from this position later this year.

'Mass of Ages' is the quarterly magazine of the Latin Mass Society and is, with its website, one of the two principal ‘shop windows’ for the Society’s work, as well as a vital means of communication with members. It is therefore a high priority for the Society.

The magazine’s current look was developed several years ago and the time has come for a thorough revamp, both in appearance and content, to bring it into line with the Society’s developing and expanding activities and priorities. We are also proposing a number of technical changes in the way in which the magazine is produced. The new editor will be intimately involved in these changes at what is an exciting time for the Society.

As well as journalistic and relevant technical experience, the new editor will have a deep and sympathetic knowledge of the Traditional Catholic world.

If you would like more information, including salary details and job description, please contact LMS General Manager Mike Lord by email on michael@lms.org.uk or phone him on 020 7404 7284 for a confidential talk.

Latin Mass Society Announces a Day of Recollection

Latin Mass Society Announces a Day of Recollection with Fr Michael Cullinane

The Latin Mass Society's annual Day of Recollection is taking place as customary in St Edmund's College Ware, Herts. The College boasts one of the finest chapels of E.W. Pugin in the country, and the only one never to have been reordered.

 The LMS always has distinguished priests preaching these days of recollection; this year they will have Fr Michael Cullinane, a long-term friend of the LMS and a scripture scholar. He is the head of the theology department at Maryvale Institute in Birmingham.

The Day of Recollection will be held at St Edmund’s College, Ware on Saturday, 9th July 2011 at 11.00 am.

Father Cullinane will celebrate High Mass in the Traditional Rite at 12 noon. The day will conclude with Solemn Vespers and Benediction at 3.30 p.m.

The cost of the Retreat will be £5.00. Participants should bring their own lunch, although tea and coffee will be provided.

For those wishing to attend, more information is available from Eric Caudle (email:egthebm@btinternet.com) or Mike Mason on 01983 567996 or (M) 07810 778160.