Over at Deacon's Bench, Deacon Greg makes the case for both boy and girl altar servers; what say you?

Over the last decade or so, I’ve been privileged to serve at a parish with both boy and girl altar servers. What I’ve witnessed speaks to the value and vibrancy of a program that welcomes both genders, and imparts valuable lessons for living. It could serve as a model for other parishes.

We have, at last count, about 130 servers. They are almost evenly divided between boys and girls—50/50—so there’s no evidence boys don’t want to be serving with girls. The kids join in fourth grade and many stay through high school—some, even, into college. Anyone who wants to serve is welcome. Their commitment is extraordinary. On a brutal Friday night in the middle of winter, it is not uncommon for 12 or 15 kids to show up, eager to serve as acolytes and assist at Benediction for Stations of the Cross; Good Friday, we get 20 or more. Easter and Christmas includes a parade of 40-50 of them. Regular Sunday Mass? At least four, usually six, sometimes more. David James, the moderator, has developed a system that teaches, uplifts, inspires and motivates. He’s written about it extensively here at The Bench. It just works. For big liturgies, he doesn’t even need to schedule kids. They just show up. And they love it.

Cardinal Burke evidently feels this discourages vocations to the priesthood. I’m not aware of any study that has shown this conclusively—and I am not aware of any layman who has said, flat-out, “I would have become a priest, but was repelled by the idea of girl altar servers.” I think this notion feeds into the idea of the altar servers as a farm team for the priesthood—when, as most now agree, the place where the vocation is best nourished and cultivated is really the home. The domestic church supports the Universal Church.

Most importantly, I think, service at the altar helps foster a life of Catholic holiness among the young. That life of holiness is not something exclusive to the priesthood.  (More on that later.) If there are female graduates of our program who are disappointed or frustrated because they will never be priests, I haven’t heard about it. It’s just not an issue.

Read more: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/deaconsbench/2015/01/in-praise-of-altar-girls/#ixzz3OSi3ws48