Last week I wrote an article criticizing the Protestant character of some “New Evangelization” programs. I gave a few brief suggestions for true Catholic evangelization, and a number of people contacted me subsequently requesting more practical suggestions. In terms of one-on-one evangelization, I’ve written a book on the subject; here I’d like to share a few important steps for how a parish can be renewed in a fully Catholic sense.
One essential point before we begin. Today the Church is awash in “programs.” Most of these programs are well-intentioned, but there isn’t much evidence to suggest that they’re successful in leading people into a deeper commitment to Christ in the Catholic Church. I’m sure people have been impacted for the better by this or that program, but the fact remains that the Church is still hemorrhaging members and most parishes are lukewarm at best, despite being inundated with a plethora of programs.
What I suggest is far more radical than a new program. We are in our current situation because the past 50 years have given us a radical reconfiguration of how the Faith is practiced. Another program is at best a band-aid when the patient needs surgery (and some programs are like opening a new wound). It will take another radical reconfiguration in order to stem the bleeding and heal the patient. I offer the following steps—in order of importance—as a way forward.
Step 1: Focus on the Liturgy
Most regular readers of this website need no convincing of the importance of the liturgy in the renewal of the Church. Yet for many Catholics (myself formerly among them) the connection is not so clear; they simply don’t understand the obsession some Catholics have with the liturgy, which, to outside eyes, borders on a fetish. But if a parish is to be renewed, it must begin with the liturgy, for both theological and practical reasons.
First, the theological reasons. Our Lord proclaimed, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well” (Matthew 6:33). As disciples of Christ, our first focus must be on the Lord and glorifying His Name. This is more important than service to others, and even more important than preaching the Gospel. For when we focus on the Lord, He will respond and bless our lives (note: “bless” does not mean “make us materially prosperous” or even “attract millions of followers”). The primary way we glorify the Lord is through the public liturgy of the Church. The paradox is that if we focus on the “vertical” (worship of God), then the “horizontal” (witness/service to others) will follow, but if we focus on the “horizontal,” then the “vertical” is usually forgotten. We’ll just become another club or community gathering.
But a focus on the liturgy is also eminently practical when it comes to evangelization. The primary point of contact for most people with the Catholic Church is the local parish, and specifically, the celebration of the Mass. The Mass is where most people “interact” with the Church. Thus, if the Mass is irreverent, with bad music, insipid architecture, and poor preaching, then it will do little to attract people to the parish.
I’ve written previously that the purpose of the Mass isn’t evangelization. In other words, we should not think of attracting people when it comes to celebrating the Mass; we should instead think only of glorifying God. But if we do this, “all these things shall be yours as well,” including attracting sincere hearts back to God.
So how does a parish “focus on the liturgy?” It places an emphasis on reverence, which includes truly sacred music and sacred architecture. It also includes practices such as receiving communion on the tongue while kneeling at the altar rail, the use of the Latin language (in the Roman Rite), and celebrating ad orientem.
A sub-step of focusing on the liturgy is to improve homilies. No more talks seeped in Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. Instead, preach the truths of the Catholic Faith in their fullness and without apology. Just as the Mass is the main point of contact for most people, so too is the homily the main opportunity to present the Faith to the outside world. Don’t waste it.
If a parish only wants to do one step on this list, this is the one to do.
Step 2: Offer Confession Frequently
Years ago my family belonged to a relatively typical suburban Catholic parish. After we had been there for a few years we received a new pastor. In his first week, he added Confession times before every daily Mass and extended the scheduled Saturday time by an hour. He then preached for three weeks running on the importance of the Sacrament of Confession. Before his arrival, one usually only found a handful of people lined up for the Saturday 4:00-4:30 Confession time-slot. After he had been at our parish for just a month, there were longer lines for the Confessional every day. All people needed was for someone to tell them that Confession was important.
Evangelization is about introducing people to Jesus; helping them to encounter the Lord directly. It is through the Sacraments that we have the most intimate encounter with He who made us. In Confession, we unburden our sins on Christ and receive His forgiveness and mercy. Further, through Confession we are able to experience a deeper reception of graces in other Sacraments, particularly Holy Communion. If we want a parish to be renewed, then the people must be renewed, and Confession is the place to start.
Step 3: Focus Parish Programs and Resources on the Devout
When God decided to come to earth, found His Church, and convert the world, his public ministry lasted three years, and focused mostly on twelve ordinary but (11/12) good-hearted men. Jesus Christ poured His life into the apostles and entrusted them with the conversion of the world. And in many ways, they succeeded. From the original small band of followers, Christianity spread like wildfire until it had converted the most powerful empire in the world.
Today parishes adopt the opposite approach: they have no focus in their use of resources, offering programs and classes to anyone and everyone in the hope that something will stick. Most of those resources are spent trying to educate/evangelize young people, even though their parents have no real interest in fostering a Catholic life at home. This scattershot approach is both inefficient and ineffective.
A parish should focus its limited resources on training the small percentage of adult parishioners who take their faith seriously. This might only be 3-5% of the total. Then that small band of believers can “go out” and evangelize the surrounding community, including the other members of the parish. A parish priest and his staff simply cannot reach out to everyone in a parish’s boundaries; instead, they should train the already devout, and let them do the reaching out. After all, people are converted not by programs, but by their peers.
What kinds of outreach should be offered to the devout? Programs and events that foster a deeper love of Christ and a deeper spirituality. Activities like 40-hour devotions, Holy Hours, and Rosary Guilds. Catechism classes that focus on foundational doctrine, using time-tested resources like the Baltimore Catechism. If your parish is feeling really evangelistic, go out into the streets with a Eucharistic Procession. These activities will do far more good than most modern programs that may look slick and professional but often have little solid pedagogy or theology behind them.
Step 4: Strictly Vet All Presenters
In his First Letter to Timothy, St. Paul sets out some standards for bishops in the Church, standards which should apply to all people who represent the Church in any official capacity. He writes,
Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher, no drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money. He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way; for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil; moreover he must be well thought of by outsiders, or he may fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. (1 Timothy 3:2-7)
Today there are simply too few priests, as well as other religious, to run all aspects of the modern parish. So most parishes depend on well-intentioned, sincere, but often woefully under-catechized volunteers to present the Faith in an “official” capacity. This needs to end. Ideally, all programs and classes should be taught by a priest. Sometimes, however, that is simply not practical. In those cases, lay presenters could be used, but it would be better to have no programs at all than to have ones that propagate a faulty understanding of Catholicism (in fact, most programs should be scrapped anyway as a waste of time—see the previous Step).
Parishes should look to St. Paul’s advice when selecting presenters. In practical terms today, this means that a parish presenter should not be a recent convert (say, less than five years); should not be divorced; should publicly support all Church teachings, especially in the area of human sexuality (e.g., no support—or practice—of artificial contraception); and should lead a morally upright life. And, of course, the presenter should be knowledgeable about the truths of the Catholic Faith. He doesn’t need to have a degree in Theology, but he should be able to explain and defend the basics of the Faith, and know where to look if he needs help (Google doesn’t count).
Until parishes take seriously the responsibility of choosing those who represent the Church and present her teachings, they will continue to teach a watered-down or even faulty version of Catholicism.
Step 5: Scrap RCIA
The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) began with good intentions and a good model. The modern process of bringing converts into the Catholic Church was fashioned after the early Church. Converts would go through a formal catechumenate program, which lasted from one to three years and culminated in their reception into the Church during the Easter Vigil. Unfortunately, today’s RCIA is a bureaucratic institution that too often keeps more people away than it brings in.
I went through an RCIA program in the early 90’s. For the first few classes I often spoke up to dispute something the liberal nun presenter said. After years of studying the teachings of the Catholic Church I had come to embrace them—I didn’t want some 70’s nun publicly undermining them. However, after about a month I would just show up and keep my mouth shut. I couldn’t stop her and had learned that complaining about her would do no good. By the time Easter approached a number of people in the class (including a fellow Evangelical I had become friends with) had abandoned the program. They were no longer interested in being received into the Church. Since then I’ve found that my experience was not atypical.
RCIA has become a “catch-all” program for anyone—Catholic or non-Catholic—who might be interested in learning more about Catholicism. A typical class might include an enthusiastic Protestant convert, a husband dragged there by his wife, and a cradle Catholic wanting to learn more about the Faith. How is one class supposed to handle all these situations? It’s simply impossible. Further, I’ve known people unable to join the Church because their work or family schedule didn’t allow them to attend the Monday evening classes the local parish offered. No RCIA, no reception into the Church.
Instead of RCIA, I recommend a more simple, and more nimble, approach. If a person is interested in becoming Catholic, the priest (or a well-vetted Catholic—see Step 4 above) should meet with him one-on-one and gauge what type of instruction is needed. For some, it might just be a few months of one-on-one meetings. For others, it might take years of instruction. Once the pastor decides the person is ready, receive him into the Church; it doesn’t have to be at the Easter Vigil, although it may be. We should require a certain knowledge and acceptance before a person can enter the Church, but once they are ready, there should be no barriers.
The Lord Will Bless the “Mustard Seed” Parish
Careful readers might note an irony in these suggested steps. In an article about evangelization, all of my steps for parish renewal are “inward”-focused. But shouldn’t evangelization have an outward focus? The apparent dichotomy is resolved by understanding the primary mission of a parish: to glorify God in the liturgy and to form and equip its members to be disciples. It is then the duty and obligation of those members to go out into the world and convert it to Christ. In a sense, parish life is to be modeled on the private interactions between Christ and His apostles: He formed and equipped them, and then sent them out to convert the world (Matthew 28:19-20).
On a more practical level, I realize that my suggestions might appear unrealistic. We have a priest shortage, and most of these steps require more priests than we currently have. Following Step 1 might even require building new churches! Further, most people have no ability to influence their parish to adopt these steps. But there are three things a lay person can do. First, he can pray and fast for the renewal of his parish and for his priests. Second, he can make concrete suggestions, in a charitable and respectful manner, for these steps to be taken in his parish. And finally, he can do all he can to raise his own children to embrace religious vocations to the priesthood and the religious life (imagine if there were an army of faithful nuns again at our parishes!).
I also want to make something else clear: I don’t necessarily think that if a parish follows these steps people will be banging down the doors to enter. After all, we live in a decidedly anti-Catholic culture, and a truly Catholic parish might very well repulse people rather than attract them. But even if that’s the case, we can be content knowing that we are being faithful to the Lord, and also that those who have open, sincere hearts will be attracted to that faithfulness.
Ultimately, a parish that follows these steps will be like the mustard seed in our Lord’s parable. To the eyes of the world, it might appear insignificant and small. But “when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches” (Matthew 13:32).
Eric Sammons, a former Evangelical, entered the Catholic Church in 1993 and has been involved in Catholic evangelization efforts for over two decades. He is the author of several books, including The Old Evangelization: How to Spread the Faith Like Jesus Did.
Great advice, Eric and I agree 100% about the RCIA program. You had to endure a liberal nun but liberal nuns are not the only problem. In other parishes the program is afflicted with what I’ll call “church ladies”; officious, self-important busybodies who make poor instructors.
We’re always told that Jesus calls us by name, individually. We’re always told to see people as individuals. Why not bring them into the Church as individuals? OK, there may be rare parishes where large numbers of people are beating down the doors to become Catholic and it would be impossible for the priest to instruct them all individually due to time constraints. There I can see the need for some sort of program but wherever possible, it should be the priest’s job.
One of the overriding disasters of the past 50 years is that the Church has lost the notion that fundamentally, people want to meet God. They want a relationship with God. The Church, and I’m including priests, has neglected personal spirituality. We’ve become immersed in programs and activities and have become busy, busy but that won’t bring people to the faith and it undermines our own. “Get involved” is a terrible cliche which I hate but you hear it all the time in Catholic churches. Priests must become holy and parishes must become holy. Otherwise, the seed will never take root.
So much truth here…My parents’ parish is overrun by church ladies
I cannot agree more strongly with scrapping RCIA. My wife and I endured eight straight months of misery in it when she entered the Church and I was her sponsor. Now, she was baptized a Lutheran, already knew the fundamental dogmas of the Church, and with me explaining it to her on my own had come to understand the Catholic teachings on Our Lady, transubstantiation, etc. All she really needed were a few one-on-one meetings with the pastor in order for him to be convinced she was ready for admission into the Church. That’s it.
But no. The pastor (who has now left, having been forced to resign due to serious health issues which, in hindsight, probably kept him from resolving this situation for us) was unwilling to stand up to the nun—sorry, sister (apparently there’s a difference)—in charge of RCIA who absolutely under NO CIRCUMSTANCES WHATSOEVER was willing to let my wife be exempt from the program. Nothing we said or did could convince her otherwise. So, as I mentioned earlier, we endured the dumbed down catechesis, the interminable meetings, the idiotic activities until finally at the Easter Vigil she was officially confirmed as a Catholic.
But here’s a question that was never answered for me: What if my wife had become terminally ill and died before Easter without access to the Sacraments, confession, extreme unction, etc., she would have been able to receive as a Catholic? What consolation could I possibly have received from the pastor and the sister as to her fate, knowing full well they were responsible for denying her the only sure means of salvation (full membership in the Catholic Church)?
To be honest, I doubt anyone, no matter how well intentioned, involve in any RCIA program has considered my question. Or, they have simply rationalized it away, telling themselves, “Well, God will surely save this person if they die before Easter, since they’ve shown they want to join the Church.” Thank God for most of the Church’s history this is not how people joined the Church; the time is long past due for the RCIA idiocy found in most parishes to end.
If Father pastor had overruled the sister, odds are she would have made a complaint to the bishop. There would be tears, drama, accusations of misogyny. Most priests don’t have the moxie to deal with that. In my experience, nothing disarms a clergyman faster than a crying, accusing woman.
I know of at least one bishop who also cannot stand up to a threatening woman.
Oh, I’m sure. Me too. The term “hag-ridden” comes to mind.. but no, we shall refrain.
Wise and, as far as I have seen true.
And absolutely the case about RCIA. One could tell stories all day. My particular least favorite is of an Anglican clergyman, quite senior, with advanced degrees in theology. He resigned and expressed his desire to enter the Church. So he was made to sit through RCIA.
The course was led by a revisionist, hardly instructed, layperson who continually taught things in error. The clergyman would correct her and bring materials for the other students to show them what the Church actually taught. He was called in and rebuked by the pastor. Then he was kicked out of the class. The pastor refused to receive him, because he had not completed the course. In the end, he wandered off and returned to being an Anglican. Pure meanness.
I was deeply appreciative of the priest who received me. He sat me down for two extended interview sessions (several hours), decided I was sufficiently instructed, contacted the archdiocese to clear things, and received me and the family a month later. I would have suffered through RCIA, but I have seen how it is run in the parish and it would drive a thinking person to self-mutilation.
Glad to see that our parish pretty much does the first three (although our music could use some serious work). Now, to get onto Father about the next two…
Good article.
I and my wife went thru a fantastic RCIA program. I wish everybody could experience such a process! Mt youngest daughter and her then-fiance also took part in a very good program.
Mr Sammons says:
“He doesn’t need to have a degree in Theology, but he should be able to explain and defend the basics of the Faith, and know where to look if he needs help (Google doesn’t count).”
I am not entirely certain what he means here but I’ll make one comment.
At no time in history has teaching on the faith been more accessible to anyone who desires to inquire into it. And that inquiry can be accomplished via one of the most diabolical tools of Satan ever to exist on earth, the Internet.
Truly, I anticipate a day in judgment when God simply asks those who have had access to Internet { which includes the length and breadth of His teaching and plan of salvation} just exactly why they spent so much time on Facebook and so little examining texts over which wars were fought and nations and populations saved. It is EXACTLY the same question He may very well ask pertaining to the simple reading of the Bible that so few do.
One of our priests one time told me something that I thought profound. He said that for all the programs and processes we build and establish to reach the lost and teach the faith, ANYONE interested at all could easily learn in about 3 or 4 hours using the computer everyone has all they need to be saved and to live a virtuous life. And…he’s right. But how many do?
So I would never want to dissuade an interested party from inquiring into the faith thru the tools they have available to them, including Google.
I 100% agree that results in numbers do not necessarily reflect the soundness of the program. Not that failure to bring in converts is of itself a sign of success, but merely drawing in crowds may be no sign of success, either, especially when many of the largest so-called “Christian” groups do so by minimizing the faith or altering it to accommodate grave sin {Protestantism}.
Finally, we cannot place unnecessary obstacles in the way of true potential converts. The woman that nobody has ever seen before who shows up to Mass in jeans and bare-headed is absolutely NOT the person to be castigated for sacrilege. A spirit of gentleness and actual charity MUST accompany the demand for holiness.
Indeed and the learning for me continues, always more to learn about the faith. The Baltimore Catechism and Fr Hesse Youtube videos helped me a lot with the blocking and tackling. I grew up in novus ordo which means I knew nothing and had to start from scratch.
I’ve been giving individual instruction for years at my parish, no RCIA program. I have offered group instruction for people interested in entering the Church twice at my current assignment when a sufficient number of peoples sought instruction (though I must admit to following my schedule and not what’s published in a book.) but other than that I stick with private instruction.
I wholly endorse this approach!!!!!!!!!
…………………….UNLESS THE PRIEST IS A COMMUNIST!!!
LOL.
If some pope would make the consecration our Lady would crush those commies in a heart beat. It takes a faithful man to get it done.
Can anyone name “liberal” parishes where these changes were made and the parish grew noticeably? I agree with making the changes, but I don’t think they will result in any surge in parish growth. I know a parish where all of these steps are done flawlessly and nonetheless, the church membership declines. Remember Jesus asking if there will be any faith left on earth when he returns? Benedict 16 prophesying that the church would diminish to a small remnant? We are likely living through that dynamic right now.
A parish in Long Beach, CA, Holy Innocents, was transformed when Fr. Peter Irving arrived 14 years ago. Using some of the above steps, plus leading his flock to be dedicated pro-life activists, Fr Peter sparked tremendous growth to the parish, including many young people. Another wonderful and booming parish is St Peter Chanel in Hawaiian Gardens, CA, led by Oblates of the Virgin Mary (OVM) Priests. Fr Ed Broom , author of book “Humdrum to Holy”. teaches a 10 week Spiritual Exercise class several times a year, that brings in many hundreds of people. These Godly priests specialize in promoting greater devotion to to Mary, and teaching Catholic fundamentals to all age groups. Even their 4 daily Masses, Mon-Friday, offer confession. They strive to transform lukewarm Catholics into Saints. St Peter Chanel attracts menfolk and is one of the few parishes I’ve known, where the many dedicated Catholic males are not largely outnumbered by females at Mass. Every year, several young men from the parish are inspired to enter the Priesthood.
Two parishes in So Los Angeles County are now led by Norbertine Fathers who seem to have created a more reverent, Godly atmosphere that attracts people of all ages. These holy Priests are on fire for Jesus and have used many of the steps described in Eric Sammons fine article, to successfully enlarge the Kingdom of God. They are Sts Peter/Paul in Wilmington, CA, and Mary Star of the Sea in San Pedro, Ca. Both churches offer excellent RCIA classes. I attended Sts Peter/ Paul’s RCIA class, headed by an outstanding, dedicated lay women who is a skilled teacher and very well informed about the Catholic Church. I was so happy to find out about Sts Peter /Paul’s program, after quitting an RCIA class at another more liberal parish because they taught erroneous things about the Bible that are contrary to the Catholic Catechism. I was told the instructors at the liberal church were trained at a university that was founded by Jesuits, but has now become so secularized that they hired an atheist as a department head, and discuss removing all crosses and statues from the campus chapel to avoid disturbing or offending non-Christian students. Fortunately, a number of alumni from this university have banded together to form an organization to influence and persuade this school to return to it’s Catholic roots.
Good to hear of the Norbertine’s success and yours in finding them.
We switched to a small Byzantine parish about 20 years ago because our own parish was so off the wall.. Everything is well done in our new parish: liturgy, homilies, catechetics for both children and adults, icon painting classes, everything. I can’t think of anything to improve.
When we first joined the Byzantine parish I thought people would flock there if only they knew about it. There have been extensive outreach efforts, but the parish continues to decline as people move away or die. People visit once but don’t return. Maybe it’s because of a few other “orthodox” alternatives hereabouts.
God bless,
Irene Groot
San Jose
In a message dated 10/01/17 2:56:25 AM Pacific Standard Time, [email protected] writes:
“Two parishes in So Los Angeles County are now led by Norbertine Fathers who seem to have created a more reverent, Godly atmosphere that attracts people of all ages. These holy Priests are on fire for Jesus and have used many of the steps described in Eric Sammons fine article, to successfully enlarge the Kingdom of God. They are Sts Peter/Paul in Wilmington, CA, and Mary Star of the Sea in San Pedro, Ca. Both churches offer excellent RCIA classes. I attended Sts Peter/ Paul’s RCIA class, headed by an outstanding, dedicated lay women who is a skilled teacher and very well informed about the Catholic Church. I was so happy to find out about Sts Peter /Paul’s program, after quitting an RCIA class at another more liberal parish because they taught erroneous things about the Bible that are contrary to the Catholic Catechism. I was told the instructors at the libe ral church were trained at a university that was founded by Jesuits, but has now become so secularized that they hired an atheist as a department head, and discuss removing all crosses and statues from the campus chapel to avoid disturbing or offending non-Christian students. Fortunately, a number of alumni from this university have banded together to form an organization to influence and persuade this school to return to it’s Catholic roots.” Disqus Settings A new comment was posted on OnePeterFiveThea BresciaTwo parishes in So Los Angeles County are now led by Norbertine Fathers who seem to have created a more reverent, Godly atmosphere that attracts people of all ages. These holy Priests are on fire for Jesus and have used many of the steps described in Eric Sammons fine article, to successfully enlarge the Kingdom of God. They are Sts Peter/Paul in Wilmington, CA, and Mary Star of the Sea in San Pedro, Ca. Both churches offer excellent RCIA classes. I attended Sts Peter/ Paul’s RCIA class, headed by an outstanding, dedicated lay women who is a skilled teacher and very well informed about the Catholic Church. I was so happy to find out about Sts Peter /Paul’s program, after quitting an RCIA class at another more liberal parish because they taught erroneou s things about the Bible that are contrary to the Catholic Catechism. I was told the instructors at the liberal church were trained at a university that was founded by Jesuits, but has now become so secularized that they hired an atheist as a department head, and discuss removing all crosses and statues from the campus chapel to avoid disturbing or offending non-Christian students. Fortunately, a number of alumni from this university have banded together to form an organization to influence and persuade this school to return to it’s Catholic roots. 5:56 a.m., Sunday Oct. 1 | Other comments by Thea Brescia
Reply to Thea Brescia
Thea Brescia’s comment is in reply to Irene Groot: Can anyone name “liberal” parishes where these changes were made and the parish grew noticeably? I agree with making the changes, but I don’t … Read more You’re receiving this message because you’re signed up to receive notifications about replies to irenegroot. You can unsubscribe from emails about replies to irenegroot by replying to this email with “unsubscribe” or reduce the rate with which these emails are sent by adjusting your notification settings.Disqus
Sounds as though you’re talking about Georgetown University in your last few sentences – though it could just as easily be Loyola Marymount…..
You’re right, Dominic! Isn’t it tragic how many “Catholic” universities have lost their way?
What Father is going is what the Church did for centuries. Back in the old days you could knock on any rectory door and the priest could actually give you instruction. Once Father thought you were sufficiently catechized you were baptized soon thereafter. The custom of receiving converts during the Easter and Pentecost Vigils faded-out after the Council of Trent.
1. Prayer and Penance
Here in St. Louis, the liberals have been more than clever. First, then Archbishop Burke was “run out of town”. His replacement, AB Robert Carlson who is from Minneapolis, has been more than careful with reform in hiding his true agenda. Parishes are being shut down under the guise of economics. In reality, this is a cover for the formation of regional socialist schools stripped of their affiliation with parishes. Priests are ministering to their parishes while a new generation of socialist children is being groomed to replace it. —- When one plays with the devil, they get burned. The PR person preaches capitalism even to the point of printing articles in conservative journals. The archdiocesan newspaper has an editor who was hired right off the metropolitan socialist daily parking lot (St. Louis Post-Dispatch). There has been a deal struck to manage the news.—His first order of business was to undergo “an apology tour” of the archdiocese to say that he was sorry for how AB Burke treated them (St. Louis Post-Dispatch). He then allowed open recruitment of gay priest candidates (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) for the seminary at Kenrick-Glennon. — As a supporter of the “filial correction”, you had better think twice that it is going to work. The only thing that will work is prayer and a divine intervention.— The priesthood is no longer Scripturally based. It is all sociological and economical with a blending of Marxism and homosexuality.
We’re still waiting for you to publish the full text of the e-mails you supposedly have which “support” your second sentence…..
I have already published them. If you missed them, then that is your hard luck.
All great points. It would be great, though, if in addition to prettying up the Mass, the parish also focused on the other side of the Liturgy – the Divine Office.
Teach it and its importance to people. Start offering regular public First or Second Vespers of Sunday. Encourage already active and devout parishioners to make the Office and liturgical prayer the center of their personal spiritual lives, putting the jewel of the Mass into its natural liturgical setting.
Re: RCIA — I can join the choir. I’m Catholic in spite of, not thanks to the RCIA program I went through. Sad!
More tambourines, bongos and strummin’ geetars never hurt, the young folks love em’.
I had the privilege for 8 years to work in my parish RCIA program. It always saddens me when I hear stories of poison RCIA programs that seem to be everywhere. I think that there is a very important link to the parish that is missing if the program is just a one on one or is done by clergy without the involvement of lay faithful. We had very good formation which ranged from teens to seniors and was closely collaborated with the pastor based on individual needs, there is much more to RCIA than just a knowledge download, building relationships and clarifying misconceptions in doctrinal perceptions can’t happen overnight.
No small part of our work over the years was evangelizing/catechizing the “Catholic” sponsors, most of whom had very little formation to say the least, and without the RCIA program would most likely still be as ignorant of the faith today. The participants were always very eager to learn, pray and grow spiritually; and the graces to those parishioners who were involved were huge as we witnessed to our faith, our challenges and ultimately our obedience to the Church.
RCIA takes a huge amount of effort and can’t be done as an aside; and it has to deal with the reality and struggles of modern Church life. There has to be a solid plan and someone, like those faithful (well-catechized) Catholics mentioned above, who have the time to do it right. The new Catholics have to understand the current state of things our they will be scandalized in no time. In most parishes finding lay faithful with the understanding of the faith, the time, energy and commitment is surely the biggest challenge for an orthodox priest.
Sadly, ALPHA seems to be the choice for the more and more priests up here in Atlantic Canada, following the internationally acclaimed “new-evangelization ALPHA church” model of Fr. James Mallen of the Arch-Diocese of Halifax, NS
My own limited and peripheral exposure to RCIA programs has shown them to be a classic case of the blind leading the blind. Instruction in the faith is woefully deficient and, not infrequently, just plain wrong. And it is not unusual for seriously inadequately prepared candidates returning, post reception into the Church, to be permitted to assume the role of ‘instructor’ for the next “batch of recruits” who need to be instructed in the faith.
My husband learned absolutely nothing in RCIA. It was years later when he came to understand and accept Our Lord’s Real Presence in the holy Eucharist. And my sister-in-law had problems with the ‘religious sister’ in RCIA when she would ask a question about the Catechism and then would be rebuked.
I was pleased to see that all the steps he outlines are exactly how things are done at my own parish, which is run by the FSSP , not coincidentally.
Very good. Loved it and will pass this on to as many as I can.
Excellent list ! I would add: scrap the “youth groups.” They are worse than useless. My mother pulled us out of the parish un-Catholic “youth group,” in the 1970s; all five of us are still practicing Catholics. I did not even consider it with my four children: all four are currently practicing, orthodox Catholics. Apparently, youth groups are not necessary. At least in my experience, they suffer from the same defects as the RCIA programs.
The youth groups (at least the ones for students of high-school age) were established back in the late 1960s/early 1970s as a “substitute” for truly faithful, orthodox CCD programs for high-school-aged Catholic teens who attended public high school. I rather suspect that they were also intended as an “end around” for heterodox teenagers who attended Catholic high schools which still taught the truths of the Catholic faith clearly and unambiguously.
My delightful little parish-in-the-middle-of-nowhere does all of these, including ad orientem and a new altar rail (row of kneelers bolted together, but you have to start somewhere). Bonus: we got a series of homilies over the summer on purgatory–who hears about THAT nowadays, eh?!
I really like Step 5 – we do not need a one-size-fits-all approach to conversions. I have been through RCIA programs as a helper and felt they were very general in content and emotive. Certainly they can help those with little understanding of the faith and who are open to emotional engagement. But we also need a tailored approach for those who are intellectual and who have a good understanding of the faith already.
I hated my RCIA program and honestly A friend introduced me to Traditional Catholicism and I am so glad he did. Also can we nuke CCD , I mean we are paying for a Sunday School that causes 80% of kids to leave the faith
I hear you about the need to “nuke” CCD in many parishes. But I would add a “Step 6” to Eric Sammons’s excellent recommendations, namely: “Make sure that the parish grade school clearly, unambiguously, and courageously preaches, teaches, and defends the eternal and unchanging truths of the Catholic faith, in deed as well as in word.” And fire any teacher or staff member (or member of school administration) who dares to answer, “Non serviam.”
“A friend introduced me to Traditional Catholicism…..”
I sincerely hope that that introduction happened via some authentically Catholic conduit, such as FSSP or ICKSP or Opus Dei or CRSJC (or a truly holy and pious diocesan priest or male religious).
My best friend is studying to be an ICKSP priest. And I was also refered to the fisheaters web site. I have read about Opus Dei; little concerned about their treatment of women. Little too sexist in my opinion. Another friend is a supporter of the FSSP.
I have run RCIA programs for 30 years in four parishes. I have held our sessions at different times, in different places, with different materials. I have ALWAYS encountered people who have had some excuse as to why they could not attend. Most of the time this ended up being because they were being pressured by someone and were looking for an excuse. That’s life. You could find the same attitude in people who are being hounded to join the local Moose Lodge. What I CAN’T understand is that only a very small percentage of the people I have lead through RCIA STAY CATHOLIC. There is great excitement at the Easter Vigil, and lots of hugging and tears and then… nothing. I never see them again. As far as I know, they never enter a Catholic Church for Mass or Confession or anything else after that. I have had other priests tell me that they have had the same experience.
I teach them about the necessity to participate in Mass every Sunday, about the need for the Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation/Confession, about the Catholic Church being the Church established by Christ, about Church History and the tragedy of the Protestant Revolution, etc. They tell me that they agree with it all, and even write me letters about how our sessions together have changed their lives – and then, poof! – they are gone. Do they just like the attention they get by being in RCIA? I just don’t know. If anybody can suggest some reasons, I would greatly appreciate it.
“So how does a parish “focus on the liturgy?” It places an emphasis on reverence, which includes truly sacred music and sacred architecture. It also includes practices such as receiving communion on the tongue while kneeling at the altar rail, the use of the Latin language (in the Roman Rite), and celebrating ad orientem”.
So, why not just restore the Traditional Latin Mass to its proper place as the one true liturgy of the Church, and do away with the Novus Ordo? The thing nearly every Catholic in the world assumes is the Mass, is in fact a jury-rigged, banal concoction deliberately engineered in malice by 1960s revolutionaries specifically for the purpose of de-Catholicising the Church. As far as kneeling at an altar rail to receive Communion, it would be nearly impossible as most Catholic churches ripped them out in the egregious changes post VII. The Church must return to making the world conform to it, instead of it conforming to the world. That has been a disaster for the Church over the last 50 years.