In January of 2021, Pope Francis changed the laws of the Catholic Church
to officially allow women to be acolytes and lectors, or altar servers and readers, at Mass. This means that for the first time, women and girls can be formally installed and recognized in these liturgical roles.
Women and girls have been lectoring and acting as altar servers for decades. Pope Francis’s shift, announced in his Apostolic Letter “Spiritus Domini,” reflects the reality on the ground around the world, and removes the ability of a local bishop to prevent women from serving in these official roles at Mass.
Many of us have been blessed to witness women and girls as lectors and altar servers, or even serve in these roles ourselves. When women are formally installed in these ministries, it will empower them as leaders in parishes and the wider Christian community - and that is a good thing for the Church.