Our parish has sixty-two programs, projects, and ministries. I counted them. Have you miscarried? There’s a project for that. Do you struggle with pornography? A parish ministry can help you. Don’t have enough to eat? We have a program to assist you.
What if you are in your seventies or older and feeling abandoned by the Roman Catholic Church? Nope. We do not seem to have a program, project, or ministry for that. We’ve got bereavement support, suicide prevention, and depression assistance, but not a Crisis of Faith Hotline for the Elderly.
Such a ministry is urgently needed. The group in need is getting to the end. We want – no, we need – to get this right. How we spend eternity hangs in the balance. But there’s a problem: we’re just not sure anymore.
What’s the big deal? you say. If you are so concerned about this heaven and hell thing, just go to Mass every Sunday and Confession at Easter, and you’re good. If you’re lucky, they’ll give you the Last Rites just before you die.
I wish I could believe that it is that easy.
Our Generation’s Catholicism Has Never Been Easy
Our generation’s Catholicism always has required effort – effort to understand its teachings, effort to assist at Mass, effort to live up to the Church’s requirements. But not so much effort that you couldn’t do it with the help of the grace of God. Although it took effort to be a Catholic, we knew there was no other means of salvation. We knew this was true because the One True Church said it was true, and we had confidence in what the Church said.
At the beginning, we were told that nothing was being changed. We have been told for fifty years that nothing has changed. People like me believed it. Maybe our generation believed it because we were too busy to pay much attention. We were just starting out in life. Our families and our careers commanded most of our time. So what if the Mass used to be in Latin and now it’s in English? How is that a problem? Was not the first Mass offered in Aramaic? Besides, we are talking about the Catholic Church here, not Flip Wilson’s “Church of What’s Happenin’ Now.”
Things have slowed down enough in retirement that I have had time to look around and see what’s been going on while I was busy living my life. The first thing I noticed was that most of my friends and relatives no longer go to Sunday Mass. Some have even quit the Church and joined another religion. Some say they really don’t need any church; they have a direct and personal relationship with God.
Too bad for them, I say. Having once had the Faith and then rejecting it is worse than never having had the Faith at all. I may not have been paying close attention to the Faith, but at least I’m still Catholic.
The Liturgy
Ah, but what does it mean to still be Catholic? In 2010, I found myself attending Mass in a suburb of Rochester, N.Y. It was Trinity Sunday. I remember that it was Trinity Sunday because the deacon read the Gospel and preached on “God the Creator, God the Redeemer, and God the Sanctifier.” Ouch. No wonder pastors joke that this Sunday should be called “Heresy Sunday.”
Another memory of that Mass is that the Consecration passed almost unnoticed. No bells, no special reverence from the celebrant, barely any elevation of the host and chalice. The congregation seemed unaware of what was happening at that particular point in the Mass.
Then came the Our Father. Oh, brother! The celebrant was animated, the people were loud, and (almost) everyone was holding hands and raising them in unison to heaven. This was the high point of the liturgy.
After receiving (what I hoped was) Communion, I prayed silently that God would forgive that pastor for what he was doing. I also prayed that my attendance at Mass that day satisfied my Sunday obligation.
This was my first realization that the Catholicism of the people in that church, their Catholicism, was not the same as my Catholicism.
Seven years later, summer 2017, I had another experience at Mass. Again it was in upstate New York, this time at a resort community in a non-denominational building that is used for concerts and lectures as well as Protestant, Catholic, and other religious services.
A family came in and sat on the bench in front of me. Over the years, I’ve gotten used to people coming into church and continuing to chit-chat until the Mass begins. So their doing so this day did not bother me. Besides, this was not a church. Other than the rustic altar with a couple of flickering candles on the stage facing us, there was nothing that would put one in a proper frame of mind for what was about to take place.
Mass began, and the woman in front of me took one final swig of coffee from her Yeti thermal tumbler. I was immediately concerned. Mass in this venue takes half an hour – forty minutes, tops. Communion happens about twenty-five minutes in. She had started the one-hour clock on the Eucharistic fast. There was no way she was going to be able to make it.
It probably goes without saying that she did, in fact, receive Holy Communion. And immediately upon returning to her bench, she took another swig of coffee and washed it down!
The Eucharistic fast is not the point. The point is that this woman manifested no awareness whatsoever of the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. My God, the surveys are right.
The Mass is the clearest and most obvious manifestation of the change from Catholicism as I learned it to Catholicism as it is practiced today. And it is more than just the language of the liturgy.
It used to be “The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.” Today, the Mass is a communal meal. Don’t worry about that old “state of grace” requirement for partaking in the meal. Today, the Eucharist is food to accompany us on the journey. All are welcome to share in the meal, regardless of the presence or absence of sanctifying grace in their souls. There is no mortal sin; there is only falling short of the ideal.
It used to be that the priest offered the Perfect Sacrifice on our behalf in worship of God. The Mass was complete even if there was no “people’s communion.” Today, the priest is there to lead us in prayer and song. Today, the Mass is for and about us. If the priest is a poor homilist, we “don’t get anything out of it.”
Abandonment of Dogma
The Mass is not the only manifestation of the transformation that I now realize has taken place in the Catholic Church. Each day, it seems, there is a new contradiction or a new ambiguity regarding what I had learned as fixed, firm, unchangeable dogma. Take, for example, interfaith initiatives.
In my Catholicism, the Catholic Church is the one, true church. Outside the Church there is no salvation. There were rules against attending the services and ceremonies of other religions. Missionaries went out with zeal to every corner of the world so that all people could hear the Gospel and be saved. The Catholic Church, by definition, was and is open to all of humanity.
Now one religion is pretty much as good as any other. Priests, ministers, rabbis, imams, gurus – they can all offer their own brand of worship in each other’s buildings. It’s unity that is important, not those inconvenient statements still contained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and not some notion of the necessity for valid, sacramental holy orders.
The rationale for these interfaith initiatives seems to be that “we all pray to the same God, even if we refer to God by different names.” Really? The God of my Catholicism is a Trinity, three distinct Persons, one divine nature. I’m quite certain that devout Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists are not worshiping that God.
It’s that Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, that seems to be the impediment to unity. The other two Persons are so – what’s the word? – abstract that it is easy to relate to Them (or not) in your own particular way. But that Second Person, who dwelt among us with an in-your-face message, who created for us a Church as the means of eternal salvation, and who was the embodiment of the Divine – that’s where the problem lies.
My generation’s Catholicism reveled in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and all that He did and all that He taught. Today’s Catholicism seems to be running from Jesus Christ.
Just as the Church abandoned its liturgy, it is abandoning its dogma. Do not tell me that it is not happening and that nothing is changing. You got that by me once, when I was not paying close attention. Now I am fully alert, and I can see for myself that it is indeed happening.
As the Church abandons its dogma, it abandons me and my generation. The priests and nuns of our youth did a good job of teaching us our faith. You might call us the Bishop Sheen Catholics. We bought in early. Many of us have stayed in for fifty years. It is terrifying to think that we still have it right and it is the Church that is getting it wrong.
My generation needs a ministry of reassurance. When the Church gets it wrong, to whom shall we go?
My father shares your sentiment as well and I agree with you Mr. Kowalski. I would only add that as the Church abandons its dogma, it abandons every generation, past, present and future.
The *Church* doesn’t abandon dogma. Please see my reply to Jim Warner. Thank you.
Thank you Margaret for making a very important point when you said: “We have to distinguish between the *Church* which cannot err and *Churchmen* who CAN err (including the Pope when he’s not speaking ex cathedra).”
God Bless!
You’re welcome. ????
The current shepherds abandoned the Dogmas and Traditions of the Church.
How many eucharistic minsters do they have? If you don’t believe it’s the Lord himself, (as evidenced by non priests handing out the body of our Lord like candy) everything else is pointless.
A “Eucharistic Minister” is a priest or bishop. Use the proper term EMHC.
Thanks for the tip on the novus ordo lingo. What makes them extraordinary? I am hesitant to call non-consecrated hands defiling the body of our Lord extraordinary anything. Extraordinary desecration maybe?
Funny thing is that if you look in the Vatican II documents (Redemptionis Sacramentum VII) it actually says the EMHC are for “extraordinary” situations. In full:
“[146.] There can be no substitute whatsoever for the ministerial Priesthood. For if a Priest is lacking in the community, then the community lacks the exercise and sacramental function of Christ the Head and Shepherd, which belongs to the essence of its very life. For “the only minister who can confect the sacrament of the Eucharist in persona Christi is a validly ordained Priest”
[157.] If there is usually present a sufficient number of sacred ministers for the distribution of Holy Communion, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion may not be appointed. Indeed, in such circumstances, those who may have already been appointed to this ministry should not exercise it. The practice of those Priests is reprobated who, even though present at the celebration, abstain from distributing Communion and hand this function over to laypersons.
[158.] Indeed, the extraordinary minister of Holy Communion may administer Communion only when the Priest and Deacon are lacking, when the Priest is prevented by weakness or advanced age or some other genuine reason, or when the number of faithful coming to Communion is so great that the very celebration of Mass would be unduly prolonged. This, however, is to be understood in such a way that a brief prolongation, considering the circumstances and culture of the place, is not at all a sufficient reason.
[159.] It is never allowed for the extraordinary minister of Holy Communion to delegate anyone else to administer the Eucharist, as for example a parent or spouse or child of the sick person who is the communicant.
[160.] Let the diocesan Bishop give renewed consideration to the practice in recent years regarding this matter, and if circumstances call for it, let him correct it or define it more precisely.”
Like head covering for women, female altar servers, orans postures during the Our Father, etc, almost none of what you think of as the Novus Ordo Mass is in the documents. In fact, the literal opposite almost always is.
That’s the weird thing, this whole thing of say one thing and do another, this “pastoral” adjustment has been going on a very long time now.
No we are not going to play their game. They are Eucharistic Ministers.
Go to the Orthodox Christian Church. That’s to whom you should go. It is never too late. I will talk to you, help you, and answer your questions. Better yet, the Orthodox priests in your area will gladly meet with you — and quickly attend to your needs.
https://youtu.be/oCQh04hhSoY
Yeah, if we’re going to allow adultery we might as well become Orthodox and have nice liturgy at the same time.
The Catholic Church already allowed divorce and remarriage in certain cases based on the Gospel, either by annulment starting in the middle ages or penitential services before that. That has been the historic practice since long before the Great Schism. Now, the modern Catholic Church in the West allows divorce and remarriage without any repentance or reputation via Amoris Laetitia. Roman Catholic marriage statistics reflect this sad reality.
So who changed Church teaching or tried to cheat by saying marriages didn’t really exist between people? It wasn’t the Orthodox or the other Eastern Christians who hold to the old practice, some of whom, who are in communion with Rome and practice the old way with explicit permission.
The Gospel never allowed people to remarry. Unless your spouse passed away. If you were divorced you could never remarry.
To be fair, Christ did allow exceptions for divorce (e.g., fornication) and St. Paul permitted remarriage when the other spouse was a non-believer. The Orthodox Church and other Eastern Christians have held to this older practice, whereas the Western Church developed the concept of annulments. Functionally, an annulment and a Greek Orthodox remarriage ceremony are equivalent and granted under the same circumstances.
Christ allowed for divorce under some circumstances, not remarriage. Catholic and Orthodox practices of divorce and annulments are not remotely under the same circumstances. Perhaps in practice in some places, but that would be an abuse.
Tolle lege.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/augustweb-only/46.0c.html
Most of the article is not available without purchase… but it starts by stating:
“In the early church, many voices addressed the subjects of marriage, divorce, and remarriage, but their message, on the whole, was quite unified. Christian marriage, they said, is an indissoluble bond. Divorce, with the implicit right of remarriage, was not an option for Christian couples (though Origen admits some toleration existed), but permanent separation was. Remarriage after separation was considered punishable adultery or bigamy—sometimes more so for women than men.”
As I said before, the overwhelming consensus of the Fathers.
And it was Saint Paul who first called marriage a sacrament, or “mystery,” as it is called in the Eastern tradition, not St. Augustine.
*sigh*
Damn pay walls.
Look me up on Facebook and shoot me a message if you want to talk about it further.
Will do, but I can’t right now. Catch you later.
The Eastern practice is by no means older. It blatantly contradicts the Gospel and the overwhelming consensus of the Church Fathers.
In the context of the Gospel passage, Christ did indeed permit divorce and remarriage. That’s why St. Paul extended the exception to pagan spouses of Christian converts. Idolatry was seen as a type of adultery by the Jews. St. Paul was taking a rabbinic approach to teaching that had already been laid down by Jesus.
Eastern Christians, having a more Semitic mindset, understood this practice and interpretation and continued it. It was not unheard of in the West either.
As far as I’m aware, the word ‘fornication’here has always been interpreted by the church to mean not validly married.(Hence the Decree of Nullity procedure) Everywhere else Our Lord Jesus Christ referred to adultery. Adultery is not considered grounds for divorce or nullity. In fact nothing is considered grounds for divorce, only for issuing a nullity decree where investigation finds that no marriage took place. No authority on Earth, as I have always been told, has the power to dissolve a VALID marriage. Non Sacramental marriages, for example, could be declared null (never happened) but never ‘cease to be’ (divorce). And yes, I do know nullity decrees have been given away like sweets in places. An abominable practice!
The Greek word can refer to any act of impurity. The interpretation that it refers to the marriage itself as impure is a possibility, but it doesn’t jump out as an obvious interpretation.
Sacramental marriages which have been consummated cannot be dissolved.
Valid marriages that are not sacramental is a grey area for me, I’ve heard conflicting things.
Fornication has nothing to do about remarring. That’s only if you want to divorce your spouse. Once you are divorced you cannot remarry. Those who marry a person that is divorce than you you have committed adultry. Which is a mortal sin.
Wrong, fornication is not an exception. Wrong again. Greek second and third marriages are not the formal equivalent of an annulment.
No you must remain Catholic. We just need to pray to Jesus to restore His Church and keep His Promise. And than start demanding the priests and bishops restore the Teachings and traditions of the Church.
Indeed, to whom shall we go? Peter’s answer to Jesus was that he (Christ) alone had the words of eternal life. It is the Church hierarchy and leadership who have abandoned and betrayed Christ and Christ’s Church. Many of the people (the laity) have followed these unfaithful pastors — some out of ignorance and some out of a desire for an easier softer way.
The faithful remain with Jesus, with Our Lady and with the ancient, unchanging deposit of faith. If the words of eternal life are no longer spoken by our supposed pastors, then I believe it is a matter of taking a step back into Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture. That is what I am doing. I am returning to Catholic spiritual authors, old catechisms and the Latin Mass.
BRAVO!!!
ICK and FSSP. SSPX is still in schism, unfortunately.
SSPX is not in schism – its situation is “irregular”. There is nothing wrong with assisting at SSPX Masses as long as one’s intention in doing so is not schismatic. Benedict XVI admitted that there was a “case of emergency” which might have justified their appealing to “supplied jurisdiction”, but he thought that state of emergency no longer existed once he was Pope. Well, if a state of emergency ever existed in the past, it most definitely does now – the Church has never been so close to the abyss in 2,000 years.
Cancer is “irregular” too. Should that mean that we don’t cut it out? Or let the patient die?
Oh boy, here we go, every time this topic comes up a “david” has to inject his lies about the SSPX. Another die hard Novus Orodite that can’t handle the truth.. Why don’t you use the term “lefebrites”? That’s what Fr John Trigilio used to throw around all the time on EWTN.
Seriously! You are going to equate the SSPX to a “cancer” that should be “cut out” lest the patient die? If you haven’t noticed, David, the traditional parishes (SSPX included) are the ones that are thriving with increases in attendance and in vocations. It is the NO parishes that are shrinking and dying.
No. Heresy is a cancer. I hope and pray that the SSPX is reconciled to full communion.
I attend a FSSP parish, an apostulate that grew from the SSPX over some disagreements, so you might think i’d have reason to side with you in this discussion.
but I can’t because you have made a lot of untrue/incorrect statements. Do some research on the SSPX situation and then enter a discussion. At this point you are only making yourself look bad.
Thank you.I’ll take your advice. May God bless you! I shall remove all my previous comments so everyone can be at peace.
Don’t remove your comments so WE can be at peace, remove them because they are untrue, misguided, divisive and misleading. We have peace because we have truth.
I admitted to the mistakes I made, apologized, and noted them, but still received rather nasty replies (like this one) from a few of my fellow Catholics, with whom I agree with 99.9% of the time. I made some errors, but you all came down on me without mercy. Do you realize how smug and clique-ish some of you look? Hope your day gets better. Don’t worry, I will never defend this blog (as I’ve done in many other forums) nor darken the door of its com-box again.
Cancer is not at all irregular in the canonical sense of the term and, as I am sure you are aware, that was the sense in which I was using the term. The SSPX accept Francis as pope, pray for him as pope and anybody connected with that society who were once under the penalty of excommunication, have had those excommunications lifted. Not only do they pray for the pope, but the pope has gone to some length to try to get the SSPX regularized. He has alreay given them jurisdiction to hear Confessions and to celebrate the Sacrament of Marriage. Would he be doing that if he thought they were a cancer? I think your research is about 30 years behind the times, David.
I realize that, and I would absolutely praise God for a complete reconciliation. I pray that they get their own prelature, and I think that it’s getting closer.
SSPX was never in schism. Please do your research.
I have, thanks.
Yes it is. They should have stayed within the Church to fight the corruption.
SSPX has never been in schism, you cannot be a schismatic by being faithful to catholic doctrine. It is Rome which is in schism, it is modernist Rome which is at fault here not the SSPX.
If you deny any truth of the Church, you are in schism. They deny that Francis is Pope. Therefore, they are, by definition, in schism.
The SSPX does not deny that Francis is Pope. It’s not a sedevacantist organisation. That is fairly well known.
Excuse me, you’re correct, I was thinking of another group who are sedevacantist. However, the SSPX claims that Vatican II is in error, and has lost faith that the Holy Spirit will protect His Church from falling into error. That is an equal sin. I would agree that 1970’s fad of following “the spirit of Vatican II” are often quite troubling, because many who are claiming to do that are in fact in error as well.
Yes, the Second Vatican Council is full of devious modernist errors. It must be done away with and cannot be accepted in any way. It is a break with tradition and catholic doctrine.
But this notion that the SSPX holds that the Holy Spirit no longer protects the Church is simply not true at all. The SSPX has never claimed that at any time.
More than modernist errors, the 2nd vatican council documents says the muslims and jews “together with us adore one merciful god”.
That’s simply false,neither the muslims nor the jews believe in the word made flesh or the Holy Trinity or that the new testament is the word of God. If they don’t believe those things (and they don’t, that’s a FACT) , they don’t worship the same God I do as a Catholic.
An acquaintance of mine said essentially the same thing; I.e. that we all worship the same God. I was incensed and replied that Jews and Muslims believe that God is one person and we believe that there are three Persons in one God. So how can we worship the same God? He had no answer and turned away in silence. (And this person is a church-going Catholic.)
Honestly…
Yes that’s one of the more serious cases of religious indifference present in the council’s documents. Then you have more false doctrines such as secularism and collegiality.
It is my hope that a future pope will declare the council illegitimate and erase it, including all its errors, heresies, and changes to the liturgy which resulted from it.
I think a simple, frank study of the documents will lead to, AT LEAST, a syllabus of errors. Yes, there are we must admit, problems with some of the language of various documents of V2.
Yup, completely false.
“God has no Son” says the blood thirsty, murderer ‘Prophet’ who wandered out of the desert claiming he spoke with the Archangel Gabriel.
The current bishop of Rome and his lieutenants are completely comfortable with this ‘same God’ nonsense.
May the Triune God bless Holy Benedict.
They would say they accept 95% of the teaching of Vatican II which is more than many of the Cardinals do. They have issues with some documents and some parts of the documents which deviate from Tradition, but many Catholics within the “Novus Ordo” Church share exactly those same concerns – including bishops and other clergy. But the Church has never claimed that every word of an Ecumenical Council is infallible, and when things are deliberately taught in an ambiguous manner in order to secure the votes of different parties who disagree then it is inevitable that there will be disputes after the Council is over. The problem lies in the fact that there are more ambiguities in Vatican II than in any previous Council.
Bishop Fellay said that about the 95% of the council. It is not something that is necessarily supported by all the priests in the society. Both Msgr Tissier de Mallerais and Bishop Williamson(when he was still a member of the society) hold that the entirety of the council needs to be done away with.
I can understand their view on the basis that 5 drops of poison in a sumptuous feast still mean that the whole feast is poisonous. But it becomes difficult to justify rejecting those large parts of the Council documents which are mere restatements of existing dogma without creating further opportunity for the enemies of the Church to claim that “The Church no longer believes X”.
I think Bishop Schneider’s suggestion of a “Syllabus of Errors” of Vatican II would be both more practical and achievable.
Excuse me, but if the SSPX is in “schism”, then they’re the only “schismatics” that pray for Pope Francis BY NAME in the Mass, Rosary, Benediction (Oremus pro Pontifice Francisco…). Read the 1988 consecration sermon of Archbishop Lefebvre:
http://sspx.org/en/1988-episcopal-consecrations-sermon-of-archbishop-lefebvre
Nota bene the paragraphs that begin: “Lastly…” and This is why…”.
Well the Church in Rome is still in charge.
What? LOL. Yeah sure, that’s why they can hear your confession and absolve you right now of your sins.
By special permission of the Pope, and the intent was for the Year of Mercy.
Margaret, thank you. The closest option for me is 1 hour and 15 minutes (one way drive time). The drive is an inconvenience (and will be even more of a challenge as the weather changes), BUT the Latin mass is a gift to me. I did not grow up with it; I grew up with the NO mass. At last, with the Latin mass, I can go to mass and come away refreshed in my soul. At the NO mass, I would go to mass and come away ravaged in my soul.
The Latin mass is not familiar or comfortable to me and I am struggling to figure out how to use the Latin to English Missal BUT I understood immediately the vertical focus (not a horizontal focus) and that the entire purpose of the mass is a HOLY SACRIFICE (not a communal supper or meal). The mass is about GOD alone and not about MAN. The difference between NO and Traditional Latin is stark and impossible to miss.
You’ll get the hang on it really quickly. Don’t worry
Keep at it Susan. We moved about a year ago to a country area where there was a Latin Mass about an hour away. It was a sacrifice for the children but was a life line of grace. Fast forward a year and we have the same Mass about 30min away. Thank you St Joseph. It is hard work to stay committed but our reward is in the next life.
You are not alone in struggling to fully understand and take part in the TLM. Try the book Treasure and Tradition, it really helped me and my children: http://staugustineacademypress.com/treasure-and-tradition-the-ultimate-guide-to-the-latin-mass/
Thank you so very much, When In Rome …. I went to the website and ordered the book. I think it is exactly what I need. I don’t mind if it is written for kids. Explain it to me as if I were a ten year old. I know the NO mass backward and forward. The Traditional Latin mass is a mystery to me. So pictures and charts and explanations are simply awesome. I won’t have the book for this weekend (obviously) …. but maybe for the next weekend. Why knows? Maybe I’ll use the book instead of the missal since I can’t seem to figure out how to use the missal anyway. (Smile and mischievous wink.)
Susan, the closest Mass for me is also one and a half plus hours but it is such source of Grace that the investment in time and fuel is so very worth it. I attend an SSPX chapel and friends will have me stay overnight if I can to I can attend Mass Friday night, Saturday AM, Sunday AM and Monday AM. Those are the times our priest is here. Grace manifests itself to me in an increase of Joy, Charity and true physical well being that carries me through the rest of the week. I’m so happy for you.
Prayerfully yours, to Jesus through Mary
Where can any of us go? Where can families go? How can I raise my children in a church that might exist in the baltimore catechism but in reality they end up coloring in a cartoon Jesus and bubble letters that say love.
It’s heartbreaking! It’s truly a tough road if you’re not near a more traditional Catholic parish.
Serious proposal.
What about the Orthodox Churches?
Given what we all knew just a few years ago, the papal claims were really convincing. Sure, I’ve heard about the common objections to Orthodoxy, but how about we give them a fair hearing and actually attend some of the services and ask priests questions? If they have satisfying answers, good. If not, fine. But we should seek given the circumstances.
What has anybody got to lose by doing that at this point?
Your promoting a Church other than the Roman Catholic Church which is forbidden by our posting guidelines and you have already had a post removed for it, so welcome to banned land.
Geoffrey, this is a traditional Catholic website. Did you read the rules about posting and comments? You are promoting a schismatic sect (Orthodox) and I am not even one of the moderators here. What do any of us have to lose? Our souls and our eternal salvation, would be a really great answer.
If not the NO Catholic church, then the alternatives are the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, the FSSP, the SSPX, Institute of Christ the King, etc. If push really comes to shove, then a live streamed Traditional Catholic mass from another part of the country or the rosary, prayers and scripture from the mass at home.
Is there a site that broacasts the TLM every Sunday? I would rather go for that than the NO circus masses. Please advise.
Missing Mass is a sin, therefore, staying home when you are well and it is safe to travel, and have a parish nearby, to watch something online as a substitute, is a sin.
David, it is not a sin to stay home if that nearby parish and priest is engaged in a sacrilegious or blasphemous mass. You have no idea what others might be dealing with.
Just because a parish or priest does something you do not agree with i.e. the type of music, the choir, the homily, the vestments, etc. does not make it a sacrilegious and blasphemous Mass. To make it sacrilegious or blasphemous would have to be something against the teaching of the Church. If a person could not make it to a nearby parish, they would be obligated to go a little further. Most towns are not that far away and cities have a variety of parishes to attend. David is correct.
Lets see…you have personal opinion, and I have the teaching of the Magisterium….clearly, one of us is in error on the matter.
David, my “opinion” about sacrilegious or blasphemous masses just so happens to coincide with the teaching of the church’s magisterium. At a church in my community, the priest is using leavened bread for communion (baked by parishioners). Something about it didn’t sit right with me. So I asked a long-standing respected priest at a different parish and he said I should absolutely not attend that mass because it wasn’t valid. He said it would be better to sit at home than to participate in a sacrilege that so dishonors the Lord. So, yes, you are correct: one of us is in error on the matter. God Bless. Susan
Just google: “daily traditional Latin mass on line”. You will find what you are looking for there.
Catholics must attend Mass in person on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. A Mass observed via “mass media” does not fulfill this Church Precept (requirement).
Even if the Novus Ordo Mass is not your preference, it is still a canonically valid Mass when celebrated by a validly ordained Catholic priest. The consecration of the bread and wine (“confection of the Eucharist”) is still valid. If it is your only option, you must attend.
To avail yourself of all the graces of the Mass, you should receive the Eucharist if you are in a state of grace (i.e., you have received absolution after confessing any mortal sins to a validly-ordained Catholic priest in the Sacrament of Penance — aka Reconciliation, confession.) You cannot do that at a “mass media mass”!
Susan and David you are 100% correct that missing Mass is a grave sin and I have found this website doing this once before when Jaffin was telling people if there was only a novus ordo Mass available to stay home and watch the traditional Mass on TV. In other words skip Mass and skip Holy Communion. We are accusing this pope of leading others in to grave sin and now on this web, we see people doing the same thing. Susan Lauren tries to justify this by making it sound like all NO Masses are “sacrilegious and blasphemous” but very few are. Once in my life I attended an invalid NO Mass, told the priest he was changing the words and when he scoffed at me, informed the bishop.
There are thousands of beautiful, holy, fervent, humble priests celebrating the NO, as did Saint John Paul II and Benedict. I would not want it on my conscience that I was leading others into error.
Mary, I cannot thank you enough for having the courage to point out on this website that there truly ARE many parishes where the NO Mass is offered very reverently, & very fervently! Our family has been blessed with such parishes for the past 34 years! We never had a problem finding such a parish! The parish to which we belong now offers both forms of Holy Mass. Again, both are offered reverently & fervently. The problem is with the Catholics who attend Holy Mass & allow their small children to scream & cry throughout, thus distracting & irritating their fellow Catholics! Please, young parents! If your child cannot make it through Mass time, arrange to split-shift like so many of us had to do for many years as we raised our large families! Both parents desperately need time with Our Lord at Holy Mass in order to fulfill their many duties during the week. My heart breaks when I see parents of many young children spending the entire Mass trying to control children who are far too young to participate & understand what is happening. My husband recognized that & I was very grateful. He attended daily Mass all the years we were raising our children while I stayed home, usually because I was nursing the youngest child & it made more sense for me to be at home with the children. You learn to have a very deep prayer life during those years! God bless all of you!
No, you cannot leave the Church that Jesus established.
There are wonderful Eastern rite parishes if you can get to them.
All must worship God by the Traditional Latin Mass.
Homeschooling your children is the greatest measure of imparting the faith to your children.
There are coops/ communities of Catholic home schoolers everywhere.
And there are such wonderful priests who are eager to participate as well with the home school community.
If this is not an option for you, you or your husband, or as a family can do the Baltimore Catechism in adjunct with some excellent resource of study for your child, for each grade.
Catholic Home School sites such as : Seton, Mother of Divine Grace, Kolbe , are a few that offer excellent materials you can purchase without signing any obligation.
The good news, is that you KNOW your children are not being given the faith as they should and you are seeking to want something more for them. Good luck! Don’t give up and don’t let anyone distract or deter you.
Excellent advice cs – it’s definitely the best way to go at present. I’m fine tuning my catechism lessons for our young ones (with the assistance of my spiritual confessor – and Our Mother Mary) and all is looking very good indeed. P.S. Out of the blue I got full hearing back in my left ear 5 days ago (the one I used to fine tune my high performance engines twenty years ago – the engines were that loud it damaged my hearing in that ear). I hadn’t even asked Our Mother Mary for a healing – and yet she must have asked Our Lord to do it for me. I’m amazed! I can hear everything again so clearly.
Oh, so good hear GriffonSpitifre.
God is always faithful to those who are faithful to Him.
Your endeavors have been in my prayers.
God bless you.
Many thanks indeed for your prayers cs – I really do appreciate them! God Bless In Our Lord Jesus Christ and Our Mother Mary.
We used Seton. That’s how I learned and kept the Faith.
And it’s what I plan to do for my children.
So very true, and such a valid but difficult point to make. Who is teaching the children? Is it religious, or parish volunteers? If so, why are they being allowed to deprive your children of faith by handing them watered down nondenominational propaganda?
I’m a ship’s captain, so I don’t get home much. When I am home, I fill in at CCD classes. The other volunteers are just so AFRAID. We can’t even call it CCD anymore. It has some fancy new name to go with the curriculum that is about as inspiring as room temperature oatmeal. Afraid of getting in trouble, of inspiring a parent to complain, of the pastor, of the scolding weird nun that no one likes but who gets foisted on the parish and talks about inclusivity and diversity and weird pagan things… they’re afraid. For me, I’m afraid that the kids have no idea what it really is to be one of us. Whether or not your church has anything to offer your children, YOU DO. Read the book of hours with them, attend rosaries and the Stations, Benediction, show them the ancient, the mysterious, the rituals and the beauty while they’re young. What a gift that is!
To Whom shall we go: To the Lord Jesus. Find the best Parish in your area and stay there and pray for God to delver His Church.
God Bless You and Never lose Hope
It would be comforting to hear more about Jesus from many leaders in the Church.
But in the absence we can take up the slack.
Your post here is so timely for me, and I suspect for many others.
This is our call. And we must not waiver. Yes, we surely pick up the slack, if He could pick up the slack for us and all humanity.
Thank you.
The problem is that for a large number of us there are no good parishes, just variations and degrees of heresy.
Many or most of the ordained hierarchy have abandoned you, but the Church has not and never will. The Church is the Mystical Body, whose head is our Lord Jesus Christ. The Church is the communion of Saints, chief of whom is the Blessed Virgin, the mother of God. The Church is the suffering souls in Purgatory, not one of whom is in any doubt about the Name in which we have our hope. The Church, finally, is Ecclesia Militans, the baptized in this world who resist doubt and error and who keep the faith. We are one Body, wounded and crucified but conformed nevertheless to the will of the Father.
Spot on.
????????
Well stated.
A very articulate article given from the heart. Thank you, Mr. Kowalski, for sharing your thoughts.
Just one mode of thought I would raise concern about, though. Is it proper to say that “it is the Church who is getting it wrong”? I have been seeing more and more of this of late (especially since Amoris Laetitia), and I would advise that we take great care to draw a careful distinction between the actions of “the Church” – that is, the very Mystical Body of Christ, Herself – and the action of an aggregate of those *within* the Church (even if it sometimes feels like an insurmountable majority).
The Church, the beloved Bride of Christ, is inerrant and indefectible. The malevolent errors that seep out from all corners increasingly moreso by they day cannot be said to be coming from the Church Herself. Rather, they are from those who claim to be in Her bosom – even those at Her highest levels.
Exactly. We have to distinguish between the *Church* which cannot err and *Churchmen* who CAN err (including the Pope when he’s not speaking ex cathedra). An interview on a plane is NOT ex cathedra.
Wonderfully written, Mr. Kowalski. You spoke for many Catholics today. Where indeed. For our part we have given up on the Novus Ordo, we just can’t do it anymore, and now attend the Latin Rite only. We have one nearby, for some reason our liberal diocese is throwing us a bone and we are lunging at it like hungry dogs. It probably won’t last long, and then we don’t know. But while we have it, we love it, sanity rules again, our recognizable Holy Mass is in front of us, and we can sense the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass happening up there on the altar.
The Church is being dismantled. The faith is being dismantled. We aren’t all crazy, this is what is happening.
For our part we have no intention of helping to that end. We’re going Latin Rite, SSPX, Melkite, or some similar configuration. The man in the Chair of Peter is not going to stop until he destroys the Mass. We’ve seen enough.
It’s not just the mass that Francis is intent upon destroying. I think it is the entirety of the Catholic faith. I can’t do it anymore either. And thankfully, I do not have to do it any more.
Well he certainly has no apparent care for Christendom, given his enthusiasm for bringing in more and more Muslims to formerly Christian lands. There is no excuse for not realizing that Christians are already suffering greatly due to that error, and that it presents a very real danger to Christians and Christian culture. It is shocking to see these men don’t care about the attacks, the rapes, the sexual molestations, the killings. There is no care for that at all, only a heart for Muslims.
I do not believe it is just Catholicism at all either, it is Christianity. I don’t know if this is his agenda or whoever pulls the strings, but it really doesn’t matter, the result is the same. God help us.
Yes, the smoke of Satan has entered the Church. You nailed it: it isn’t just the Catholic Church — it is Christianity. The end goal as I see it is that one world church described in Revelation. That “Church” will include Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Protestants, atheists, pagans, and of course, “Catholics.” It will be virtually unrecognizable as compared to the ancient, timeless, unchanging Catholic faith.
It is not “Christianity” that is destroying Western Civilization. Catholic Christianity *built* Western Civilization.
The godless-secular-anything-goes-progressive-modernist monster has been attacking Christianity since the French Revolution. Protestantism was just a rest-stop on the road to dismantling the Catholic Church and has outlived its usefulness. Now, on to destroying Western Civilization and the establishment of the New World Order! (Holy cow. I just can’t believe that I believe this, but I do!)
This is really what they are trying to do, by outlawing the TLM and true Catholicism.
There are so many warriors out here in the blogosphere, trying to sound the alarm and keep the truth front-and-center. We must keep them strong and viable to have a voice.
If ever this was true, it’s true now: God’s time is not our time and God’s ways are not our ways. “All” we have is Jesus’ word that He will not abandon us. And that is all we need. Jesus, save us!
If the Church is wrong then our Faith has been futile.
No, the Church is not wrong! Our faith is not in vain! There are men who are wolves and hirelings and false teachers who have infiltrated Christ’s Church — to the upper echelons — and they spread heresy and blasphemy and sacrilege. Clerical garb or no clerical garb, their god is the Devil. In the end, the Lord wins. Our Lady will crush the head of the serpent. And unless these men find repentance and conversion, they will find themselves in an eternity of hell, fire and brimstone. Read Revelation. Read the words spoken by the seers and the visionaries. Read the writings of the saints and of holy priests. Read about the Marian apparitions which have been approved by the Church.
The church has entered the crucifixion phase – oh how glorious the resurrection will be.
I think it’s hard to tell, Brabara. I kind of feel like she’s being scourged at the pillar: repeated lashes tearing her open.
How does one tell the difference?
Well definitely on the road to Calvary for sure I’m thinking. We know how it ends, stay close to our Mother and Jesus I trust in you, we’re good. Keep the faith. Oremus.
MANY today need a theological re-visitation of just what the Church is.
MANY believe the Church is:
1} Whatever the Pope “says”, anywhere, any time.
2} Whatever they believe it is based on their own personal interpretation of documents of the faith.
3} Invisible and unknowable.
The latter is Calvinism, of course and the first is simply not correct. The second might at times be correct but inherent to the concept is the potential slide to Protestantism.
Yes, truly, we need a gathering of holy theologians to educate the truly faithful as to WHAT EXACTLY “the Church” is in these days of struggle.
AND…who leaves Her fold and how and when.
The Catechism of the Council of Trent gives us a good starting point, but today’s situation demands, for modern Catholics at least, a definite clarification.
Rod, I am going back to the Baltimore Catechism, trusted authors (i.e., Archbishop Fulton Sheen, Padre Pio, Msgr. Knox, Father Hardon, the Saints and Doctors of the Church, etc.) and decrees, councils, apostolic exhortations, etc. that were promulgated before Vatican II. That is where I am finding “the Church” which is the pillar and foundation of truth. (I Timothy 3:15)
YES:
We MUST take to heart he wisdom of St Vincent of lerins:
“”But what if some novel contagions try to infect the whole Church, and not merely a tiny part of it? Then he will take care to cleave to antiquity, which cannot now be led astray by any deceit of novelty.”
I do know that the Magesterium is part of the Church and we are bound to give assent of the intellect to its teachings. The problem is, in Amoris Latitia, in contradicts other Magisterial teaching so…somebody is wrong. And, if we are to believe that the Church would be free from error then a huge problem arises. I think that is why some are calling Francis the ‘anti-pope’ because it seems to be the only way out from this catastrophe.
See my post below.
This AL and even EG and LS are as yet truly undefined documents. See what PF even says in the intro’s. That they are being made to be the Documents upon which all other documents must be compared is a laughable crock.
We have Cardinals who have warned us of this “accept anything as fully Magesterial just because it came from the Pope”.
What IS CLEAR?
2000 years of teaching. The Church’s consistent interpretation of the Bible. The dogmas of the faith.
I bet in some 40 years or so this will be settled, but now?
We haven’t truly “lost” anything . It’s all there, we just have to live it and not cave in to the implied threats from faggoty bishops and cardinals who want to see the Church become an Italian branch office of the Church of England.
We’re not talking about what the Pope has said on a plane but an Exhortation which falls under ordinary teaching.
That’s just it. The document itself posseses language that puts into question the degree of authority it is affirming it has. Even PF has questioned its orthodoxy! {Google that}
Are we in a crisis?
For sure, but the perennial Magesterium trumps a rag that sports more holes than a collander.
Cling to “antiquity” as St Vincent said and wait for the Lord to settle this Pope’s hash.
My wife and I will be at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception tomorrow and confession will be first on our list. I can’t see the Lord waiting too much longer to settle this.
Go to the SSPX, you’ll get the real doctrine and the real sacraments untarnished by modernist heresies.
Peter: “Quo vadis?”
(Where are you going?)
Jesus: “Romam eo iterum crucifigi.
(I am going to Rome to be crucified again)
You have your answer Mr. Kowalski.
You’re in luck, Archbishop LeFebvre did the heavy lifting for you to make the mass of all ages available just about everywhere whether that be diocesan, FSSP, SSPX, or ICK. Find one, drive there, don’t leave.
This is all too familiar (I am about Mr. Kowalski’s age). The only surprising thing nowadays is to find Catholics who still believe Vatican II has not been a colossal failure. I wonder sometimes what it would take to finally convince them otherwise.
I know.. a metal rock band on the altar!..err no, scratch that, dancing girls coming down the aisle!..umm, no, a gay mass!..no, um, okay, nvm.
God Forbid.
God forbid is right, unfortunately they’ve already all been done, I have witnessed the first two several times.
I wonder too Johnny – my personal choice is to head for the nearest SSPX Mass (about an hour away) – but I feel strongly led to stay at my local NO parish to serve as a witness to The Truth. So far so good – but it ain’t easy – the banal nature of the Mass and the heresy pouring from the pulpit is frustrating to say the least.
My situation is better than yours in some respects and worse in others, Grif. The closest parish where there is an FSSP priest is over 2 hours away, not really a realistic choice, especially during our long winters here. But my local NO parish has a priest who is sincere, young, enthusiastic, energetic, and orthodox. Nothing he has said or done has ever sounded loud alarm bells with me (I am alert to such things, as you can probably guess from my posts here at 1P5). And we have a lay helper in the parish who studied for the priesthood but finally decided not to seek ordination. He offers courses on interpretation of Scripture that are strictly orthodox and leads other traditional practices at the parish. He too is a tireless worker in the Lord’s vinyard. (I’ve talked to him and know he is as distraught as I am about Francis and his cohort.) So my only legitimate option is to work and pray that Francis and his cohort will fail and that institutions like FSSP, monasteries like the one at Clear Creek, and religious like the Benedictines in Gower, MO, will succeed. My “work” consists in contributing regularly to the latter (and 1P5) and denying the former everything but lamentations.
This is the refusal to surrender. This is fighting the war.
I think your situation is not too different from the majority of Catholics who believe the traditional Catholic faith, but who have no realistic access to the traditional Mass and Sacraments. I think at best 5-10% of the Mass-going Catholic population still actually believe in the full Catholic faith and they are spread out across the face of the earth too thinly for the small numbers of orthodox clergy to serve them effectively. Very often finding the best N.O. parish available is the only realistic option, and then trying to link up with like-minded Catholics.
I converted to the faith in 1987 and at that point I didn’t even know that the TLM still existed – I thought the only Latin Masses available were the N.O. in Latin. It wasn’t until 2 years later when we moved to a different parish that a little old lady shoved a copy of “Christian Order” into my hands that I realized that there was a whole different world out there and that unadulterated Catholicim still existed. She blessed me in ways that she could never possiibly know at the time (please God she does now), and there is every chance that you can bless others in the same way that she blessed me.
If it is a program or ministry you want to see in your parish for many people who feel the same way it might be helpful to get the Catholic Grandparents Association started in your parish. They are quite traditional and becoming increasingly popular for many of the reasons you mention.
Better still, get yourself off to a traditional parish if you have one in reach.
Ooh…do you have a link for that, Rev. Deacon?
Have at it! 🙂 🙂
http://www.catholicgrandparentsassociation.org
Thank you! You’re a sweetheart! ????
Thanks for stepping in with the link, Julia.
Went to the site from your link. This CGA features an endorsement by Cardinal Dolan of New York. This is the same Cardinal Dolan who just accepted an award from James Martin, S.J. — the homosexual advocate who said that he sees no problem with gay marriages nor a problem with gays kissing in church.
Catholic Grandparents Association? I don’t think so.
Same Dolan that knuckled under and gave the nod to the homosexuals marching in the St P’s Day parade when he could have made a stand against the desecration of the parade. Same Dolan who is involved in the scandal involving Father Peter Miqueli.
Google the Miqueli scandal but do it on an empty stomach or you’ll puke.
So diplomatic. Such an administrator. Such a fun time at the party.
These scandals have to stop.
Rod, I fear the next generation of bishops immediately behind these will be worse. They know little, and after 50 years of revolution, they possess no authentic intellectual grounding in Catholicism.
Sorry, I wasn’t ignoring you Margaret – just a victim of “time difference”. I see that Julia has now put up the link.
It’s good to have Mr. K’s voice here at 1P5. I do volunteer work with a number of 70+ cradle Catholics, who are indefatigable in works of charity and “social justice.” Every one of them is a Spirit of Vatican II promoter, and the appeal of ‘traditionalism’ (sorry-not-sorry, Cdl. Sarah!) is puzzling if not outright insane in their eyes.
My father, an 83 year-old Methodist, has been left in a similar position by his church. The clergy, like the Catholic hierarchy, pushed the destruction of doctrine while everyone was busy with career advancement and raising families. Now the older ones, given the grace to maintain belief, look around with blinking, disbelieving eyes. And the church wants only your money- for the building fund, xyz ministry, the men’s club fundraisers, etc.
I don’t like the notion of ‘generational sins.’ Societal changes and pressures are real and overwhelming (raising 3 children these days, I’ve learned some empathy). But I do appreciate at least some acknowledgement that older Christians have some responsibility for concentrating on worldly success, and regret the consequences.
This is a great post. I remember watching my grandma pray the Rosary every day. I remember her going to prayer group. I remember that the artwork on her wall was the Last Supper, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Footprints in the Sand….she was a wonderful Catholic. I know that, God willing, she is gravely concerned and mortified that I spend so much time arguing against the Pope, cardinals, bishops and priests. She would never have dreamt of saying a bad word about any of them.
My mother, on the other hand, doesn’t have a single religious thing on her walls, probably does not even own Rosary beads, mocks me (behind my back) for being too Catholic, etc. The kicker–this is what ties into your comments–is that my wife and I were blessed with a daughter and then a son. She said “oh, you’re so blessed: one of each. A perfect family.”. My rely was that no family–save one–is perfect. She fired back that we would now get to raise one of each and know the differences and joys of each. I told her that we aren’t running a sociology experiment, that we wouldn’t care if we had all of one gender and that unless God wills it, we aren’t done. She couldn’t believe it: not contracepting? What about Disney Land and Disney World and big Christmas gifts and big new house once we are comfortably in middle age? Don’t we want a beautiful home to host parties and have guests? How do you ferry kids to all their activities? Mind you that this woman, upon being told I was engaged ten years ago reacted as follows: “If it’s not in a Catholic church I will not attend.”.
Folks, there are, I am sure, several fine boomers but from my experience of being raised by one and by looking at the wreckage of western culture I have to say that our present spiritual and cultural crisis is not a big surprise to anybody with a modicum of reasoning ability. Of those who stayed faithful, several or most of them are nonetheless definitley cafeteria Catholics who show up to mass out of rote and habit. I think about my kids and if they carry a rosary, prayer book, Bsltimore Cathechism and Holy Water with them everywhere, I am going to consider that my wife and I, due to abundant graces, managed to do our job. But my mom, oh no, the faithful Catholic, open to life part is totally menpaningkess because my wife is quitting work to be with the kids, we have a third on the way and we don’t care about Disney or nice clothes or fancy houses. She is just totally perplexed. It’s as if our priorities are unfathomable to her even though she grew up in a 700 square foot, two bedroom house with four other siblings and a very pious mother.
Both of my grandmothers were devoted to Our Lady and prayed the Rosary every day. My maternal grandmother passed away in her chair with Rosary in hand. My paternal grandmother was a member of the Altar & Rosary Society at her parish and passed away on the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God (October 1, 1990 – 27 years coming up).
My parents did what they could in giving the three of us a proper Catholic formation. What you said about your mom’s house applies to the house of one of my siblings. (I gave a Bible as a house-warming present and it’s in the upstairs computer room under other books [never mind the fact that you’re NOT supposed to anything on top of Holy Scripture]). The other sibling has 2 icons which I gave as a wedding present. (Hopefully they’re still hanging in the bedroom.)
I live with my mom, and we have icons, statues (especially the Little Infant – can’t forget Him! – and St. Anthony, who has helped me countless times), holy water, holy oil etc.
A lot of Boomers, Catholic and non-Catholic, believe in the Myth of Progress: flying cars (a la Jetsons), supersonic travel, women and men in identical Star Trek unitards, test tube babies, etc. It is hard to blame them. They grew up in an era of boundless optimism, when America was going to the stars (although it got as far as the moon, which is a feat in itself). They transposed the myth of progress in science and medicine to progress in “morality”: equal rights for men and women, right to end one’s life, abortion, gay rights, etc. But morality is not like scientific advancements. They have confused these two spheres of human activity. So if you have a wife who decides to stay at home with the kids, if you decide to have 5 kids, and you are anti-abortion, they will consider it to be a regression. But it’s not like going from surgery with anesthesia to surgery without anesthesia. Boomers are very confused about these things.
Keep your mom in your prayers. She was poorly catechized by clergy and her peers, and, unfortunately, bought in. She may yet return to the faith in which she was raised when (through prayer and sacrifice, perhaps on your part) she realizes the lies out there: Disneyland of the mid 50’s and 60’s is no more, and not so innocent; even two incomes of college grads may not provide “enough” for “everything” in some parts of the country, given the cost of daycare, diapers, kid’s sports and recreation classes, etc; neglected kids are problem kids (seriously, even in a 2 atheists family, ski vacations, nice house, nice cars, I am seeing one parent – mom or dad – decide to stay home or work from home PT when one of the 2 kids starts to have problems). In the end, the Holy Trinity and the Domestic Church intact, faith, hope, and love, is what will get one through this wicked world… (Furthermore, aging is not for sissies and happens to everyone. There are things which money can’t buy or can’t solve. Keep up your strong faith and be kind to your mom.)
This is so true! I’m 70 and I ask myself every Sunday at mass, “What have they done to my Church?” I converted 47 years ago … but where is the Church I love? Where is the reverence? Where is the total and unreserved belief in the True Presence of Jesus Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament? Where are the devoted priests? God help me to forgive the horrendous abuses I see at mass. God, I pray, take me home soon.
I resemble this article. I’m an adult convert, and I’ve often found myself wondering how something which is such a great blessing (as it certainly is) can also, conversely, be so deeply painful (given the current state of things), especially after the election of Francis. I’ve prayed ‘Lord, to whom shall I go …?’ probably more times now than I can count, seriously. Best advice I can give is to pray every day (if not every hour) for the grace of final perseverance; and keep the Blessed Mother on speed dial.
AMEN!
Yes, speed dial – the Rosary, daily.
Beautiful!! Exactly what I do. The Blessed Mother will guide her children to her Son and keep them safe…..a good way to put it……..”keep the Blessed Mother on speed dial” 🙂
It is not just your generation that needs reassurance- all faithful Catholics need reassurance! Though, I do not expect to get it from this pontificate. I’m reminding myself to pray for this Pope daily.
I’m a recent convert and by the grace of God, my husband and I have found a (Diocesan) Latin Mass community. We have clung to this community now for 5 years. It has gotten us through some tough times; as we have helped others in the community as well.
To whom shall we go? To Christ and to His faithful priests. Try to find the most orthodox Catholic Parish you can find, and get involved to keep it orthodox to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. We must get involved, as aware, faithful Catholics. We cannot sit on the sidelines. We must enter the fray, act and pray.
I am a bit younger than you, and my father echos so much of what you stated.
Once in a while, I attend their parish, and let’s just say, some of those pics of modern parishes here at OnePeterFive, look good compared to my parent’s church. It is very difficult for me to go there, but, when do, I just pray to Mary, and thank God for all he has given me. If I had to do this every Sunday………well, I couldn’t. Too much anger would dwell within me, and I do not want that for me or my family at The Mass.
So many, just don’t understand, and it is not all their fault. And I am certain there are very good people who attend that parish of my parents, for my parents are two of the most virtuous, faithful Catholics I know.
And to their credit, they and a few others in the parish helped to get the Tabernacle front and center and remove that hideous king’s throne. God love them!
My husband and i have often remarked, what would we do, if our FSSP closed up shop; an hour away?
I really don’t know that answer. I cannot image missing our Sunday obligation, yet, would we be strong enough to keep the faith in a parish like my parents, or yours?
God bless you for your heart felt article. God knows your heart’s desires, and He will lead you.
I am sorry you have to endure this. May God lead you to greener pastures, and provide a way.
Until then, as my third grade teacher would say to us chatter boxes……Quiet……shhhhhhh….offer it up children.
There is a parish in St. Louis. I go from church to church weekly and this particular one about every 8-10 weeks. I recently attended for the fourth time of recent vintage. The last visit before, I became very suspicious of a young couple doing the ritualistic tango in the third last pew in the church.—The latest visit, I watched very closely. The girl came in (15) and sat in the 3rd last pew. I began looking for the guy of about 16. He did not fail me. He showed up late after Mass had started. He went and sat next to her. For the rest of the Mass, she was constantly rubbing up against him until he put his arm around her. She began cooing and continued rubbing up against him.—I then noted two girls in the pew behind them watching her every move for pointers. They were privy to the events beforehand. I warned the head usher about what was going on. He then began watching me.—I had already reported one of the ushers for stealing money from the collection basket. He would step into a vestibule and throw money into the trash can. He appeared to be being protected because he was short of money. The head usher had a child in a wheelchair and appeared to be getting his own “salary” with the blessing of the pastor to whom I had reported this.—-This goes into the context of an incident with the Sisters of Notre Dame. They had an accounting whiz who stole 50K per year for 10 years. He was caught and received prison time. I verified through a StL PD reporter that he never reported to prison and was forgiven by the nuns in question.—-I also found out that they had been given a 1M dollar bribe to drop their opposition to the new casino down the road. That means that they came out ahead by 500K and their crying about the children being short changed had no validity.
Sorry, but it sure seems to me as though you’re more interested in checking out the people around you than you are in being “present” to Our Lord in Mass. Pray for these people rather than tattle on them. It gets you closer to heaven! 😉
Sorry, you don’t know what you are talking about. How about that Wilton Gregory who is from across the river from St. Louis. One of his priests helped my cousin get an annulment. Once it was done, he went to her and asked her what she was now going to do for him.
JBQ,it seems you are disgruntled about a lot of things. I pray you will some day be able to let go of your hurt and anger so that the Peace that only God can give permeates every memory and breath you have.
Once again, you prove your ignorance.
For me to go to a Latin Mass I must drive from Yuma to Phoenix 160 miles one way. I have my old St Joseph Missal from the 50’s that I used as a kid thru high school. I read the days Mass before I go to my local parish for Mass. My missal is both Latin and English. Over the years I have memorized the traditional Mass. I wish the Priest would slow down and give us time to reflect and say silent prayers. I agree with Card. Sarah about the need for silent periods during the new mass.
That’s a tough one. so close…yet so far…
We have quite a number of folks who have literally packed up and moved from all over the country to be close to our FSSP parish. Not telling you what to do, but it sounds like you might be retired?
Is a trek “Up North” to the Phoenix area a possibility?
For myself, we drive about 1 1/2 hours to our parish, but it’s worth it. And as we have real winter here in N Idaho it is a haul sometimes.
My FSSP is 50 mins away, maybe an hour depending, I usually get on it 80+ the whole way and there usually is a bit a crazy traffic. It’s worth it, I just wonder why on earth our bishop can’t just have them come fifty miles up the road to our diocese.
I came back to the Catholic Church after 40 years, but I attend only Latin Masses. As part of my return, I made a vow to say all my prayers in Latin, especially the Rosary. If we want to preserve the traditions of the true Church, we should pray more in Latin. I also recommend reading pre-Vatican II classics: Cathechism of St. Pius X, Confessions of St. Augustine, St. Louis de Montfort’s Secret of the Rosary, Saint Thomas Aquinas’s “Summa” and more. Compile a reading list of these Catholic classics and pray the Rosary everyday. Read recent books about the Latin Mass and listen to traditional Catholic podcasts.
Yes excellent advice.
Probably most readers here know of this site for traditional Catholic sermons but here it is again: reginaprophetarum.org
That’s it exactly. One thing I noticed is that while the TLM at the local parish is good, the TLM at the FSSP is better. After thinking about this for a while the only thing I can come up with is because the FSSP parish has never been novus ordo so the whole novus ordo mess has never really been there, the whole place just feels Catholic, I get excited and happy every time I even drive into the parking lot of the place.
Okay, Mr. Kowalski…..it looks like I’m going to be the only one to come at this from a different angle. I am just a couple of years younger than you and also grew up in New York. I, too, was raised in the Latin Mass and somewhat fondly remember the nuns with the clickers when we attended Mass with my peers.
I left NY in the 80’s and moved around the country a bit before getting transplanted to “The South” more than 25 years ago. While I’ve become more of the genteel, Southern Lady, I can still “Put on my New York” when I have to.
So, here’s what I have to say to you….
Where were you all those years? You say that Catholicism in our generation required effort, but where was your effort? How did you NOT know that your family and friends had strayed from the Church?
I know where you were. You were “busy living life.” Your priorities changed and God was something you did on Sunday. A lot of us did that.
But, you know what changed for me? Getting transplanted into the Bible Belt meant that, as a Catholic, I was a minority. Only 1% of the population was Catholic at the time and those around you wore their religion on their sleeves. To be Catholic meant that you were told you weren’t Christian and that your church was the “Whore of Babylon.” We had extra Books in the Bible and worshiped statues.
Say what??
That got me fired up, and I LEARNED about my faith. Yes, I was taught by the nuns, but I never ABSORBED what I was taught. I was disinterested as a kid, but now I actually had to DEFEND my faith. The more I studied, the more I fell in love with the Catholic Church. I learned how to dialogue with those of different faiths and come out of those conversations wiser and more confident of my own beliefs.
My friends and family up North? They never grew up. They stayed in the yawning comfort of luke-warmness because nobody ever challenged them on their faith. They tossed out the extras they thought were superfluous and went to Mass when it was convenient.
I can still remember going up to New Jersey for my grandmother’s funeral in 1999. She was a devout Catholic but the rest of the family had pretty much become nominal Catholics. I flew up with my youngest daughter, who was in high school at the time. I was shocked when the wake was finishing up and nobody planned to say a communal rosary for her. When I mentioned it, they all scoffed…..”Who says rosaries anymore?”
Silently furious, I took my daughter and we knelt down in front of the casket. My daughter actually took her Communion rosary out of her purse and wrapped it around my grandmother’s hands since there was no rosary there — something that had always been a custom as I grew up. Together we said the rosary out loud while the rest of the family attempted to follow along.
Those of us in The South are actually quite lucky because we’ve had to FIGHT for our faith. We believe what we say. We cherish the statues and the bells and the incense because we UNDERSTAND what they mean. We have our chapels filled every morning at daily Mass. Our churches offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation MORE than once a week and many of them have Adoration Chapels where we can adore Our Lord whenever we want.
I still cringe every time I have to attend Mass “Up North.” To me it is a penance of sorts as they are inevitably un-holy and irreverent on so many levels. It truly pains me and is one of the main reasons why I have consistently told my siblings that I could never move back. I NEED a vibrant faith community. My joy every morning is waking up and loving God. I attend daily Mass and belong to two Bible study groups. I have been a weekly committed adorer in an Adoration Chapel for over 20 years now. I’ve taught CCD, PSR, led Bible Studies and work heavily in the pro-life community. Now that I’m retired, I’ve also started volunteering with our local SIsters of Charity and help tutor refugee children.
Our generation doesn’t need a ministry of reassurance! WE are the ones who need to be catechizing our youngsters and young adults, passing on the LOVE we have for our faith. Teach them what makes our faith so special…..IN SPITE of what the dissenters are saying!
You’re right, Ray. Catholicism isn’t easy, but we can’t rest on our laurels, either. WE need to be the Light and lead others. We don’t need people carrying us, reassuring us of our Salvation. At this point in our lives, WE need to be the ones reassuring others of the beauty of our faith through the vast experiences we’ve had in LIVING IT!
Go catechize your friends and family. BRING THEM BACK to the faith! It’s what God would call you to do.
Brilliant!
It IS truly terrible, to watch your parish wither, to see the next generation fail to come home, after going out in the world and getting beat up by it, unable to understand what sanctuary our faith provides.
I admit to having a bias from my experience as an American. I really can’t identify with too many of the priests I’ve met, and while I’m sympathetic that Pope St. John Paul II would cast a long shadow, I’ve seen little interest or ability top-down to address the problem.
Attending mass in Brazil while working there made me ashamed of my faith far more than the very obviously degenerate hippy priests that passed through our Boston parishes in the 80’s, trying to stay one town ahead of the last scandal. In Brazil the inclusion of Candomble Voodoo, of bilking the poorest of the poor out of the money they needed to buy food in order to buy wax trinkets, of priests who used the Church as a bludgeon to sway elections and speak of heresies like Liberation Theology,… well, it made me think that memories of hiding in the school basement to avoid serving mass with the creepy new visiting priest who my dad for some reason hated was a smaller price to pay than to see an entire nation betrayed by our own church.
What if this winnowing down is exactly what we need? I’m so happy I finally got to go to a traditional mass. SSPX has been a blessing. It had been years since I left mass feeling good, and I hadn’t even realized the extent of my discontent, Normally I just come home grumpy and hungry, absolutely absent any feeling of grace or of having been in the Real Presence. After attending one traditional mass, I noticed that the building, the altar and the celebrant all worked together to inspire me to truly be witness to the mass. When I occasionally do attend the Novus Ordo masses now, the priest seems manifestly unworthy of the consecration, the homily some bland pablum befiting a late-night nondenominational televangelist.
For you guys who were old enough to go to traditional masses and feel abandoned, it may be that your home parish is lost for now, but you could find a new, better place at a parish offering traditional mass.
‘Normally I just come home grumpy and hungry’ – my atheist husband would agree that I used to come out simply bad-tempered. Not exactly the right outcome, methinks!
It is not just your generation that is being cheated. Every generation after is as well. I do not know my patrimony and inheritance very well even though I have read and studied and have a Masters in Theology. Ember Days? I do not know chant. I do not know enough of the holy hymns. I have heard more than enough of the heretical ones. I can assist at a TLM on a Sunday at a nearby parish at least once a month and am grateful for that. The priest that comes gives us a teaching sermon. Last week it was on grace. When is the last time that was heard at a novus ordo. You can easily go to Mass every Sunday and never learn our faith. We have been cheated.
I didn’t know what an Ember Day was until last year, although I had heard the term – I’m an in-betweeny in age!
It’s not only your generation. I’m in my 30s and trying to figure out how to raise my kids as “Bishop Sheen Catholics” while there’s a new article out every few days about the pope making rules more flexible, while the nearest Latin mass is over 2 hours away, while even their “Catholic” friends are being taught moral relativism and to just be nice to everyone and never judge, by which they mean accept anything as long as the person doing it thinks it’s ok. Being an orthodox Catholic apparently now means not only being counter – cultural, but also frequently being counter – Catholic! Can we make it any more confusing for our Catholic youth?!
The bright side is that some of their generation sees this mess and longs for the true, challenging, real sacrifice of the Mass that you describe, and they are fighting back. You’ll see young priests returning to wearing cassocks, young Catholic women veiling in the presence of the Consecrated Host, young families seeking out Latin masses. Maybe the “rigid” young Catholics will be the generation that turns the church back to the Catechism and back to the reverence you miss. I hope so.
The Catholic Church, its teachings and sacraments, and its HEAD — Jesus
Christ’s — do not change. Though the human instruments and parishes may attempt to obliviate the old truths, the cannot change. Yes, there can be invalid and illicit Masses, invalid sacraments, etc. But doctrine, dogmas, and Christ’s very presence cannot be messed with. It’s His Church, His Bride. Many high-ups in the Church seek to blemish and deface his true Bride and Her beauty, but to Whom Shall We Go? Find the best, most reverent and obedient priests/parish you can. They’re out there. It takes a little more work and checking around, but you’ll find them. The truth of Church teaching doesn’t change, but again, it takes extra work to continuously work to instill it in children and grandchildren. But it can be done. Kids trust and love their parents and grandparents, so you have that natural built-in bond of dependence to seal the teaching. I believe this is a time when God is testing our love and resolve to remain with Him and his Truth — just as He did with his apostles as he entered his passion. The Church seems to now be in Her Passion. I have found daily dedication to Our Lady’s protection through praying the Rosary, scriptural reading, frequent sacramental reception, and working to cut unnecessary distractions, entertainments, acquaintances, and time-wasters out of one’s life helps to stay properly focused on God’s daily purpose for us. Every minute counts.
Grand slam! Your post is going into my favorite 1P5 posts file. ????
We’re kindred spirits 🙂
I had to make that change to another parish a while back and it’s made all the difference in the world. Before the new priest came (at my former parish), I couldn’t wait to go to Mass. Then, the new priest was preaching heresy left and right and I just couldn’t take any more. I had to search a while but managed to find a solid priest who knows and lives the Catholic Faith. Thanks be to God there are still faithful ones!
But, still know that at the NO Mass that you are among the Angels and Saints where Heaven and Earth touch in the Holy Sacrifice of Christ the Lord.
-If more parishioners really understood this, they would respond – I believe this.
— TLM informs one intuitively that “something very important and Holy” is happening, and communicates this to the parishioner who might not have known this
The challenge is how to inform and educate these folks. Personally, I’d like to see a “de-politicization” of TLM and integrate it into more Parishes, even if just for special occasions/Days of Obligation. Over time, others would come to appreciate the intuitive message that indeed Heaven and Earth do touch in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
In “Catholics in Political Life” the American bishops say that a bishop may “legitimately” give Communion to pro-abort politicians.
One teeny problem: That’s a mortal sin.
That’s right. The vast majority of American bishops voted to give themselves permission to commit mortal sin.
Can it get worse? You bet.
Wow, thanks for the heads-up! I just scanned that, and you are correct.
I think the vast majority of the clergy of the conciliar church are outright heretics by this point.
In England a Bishop (Egan) said that pro-abort politicians should be excommunicated.
He was contradicted and told to shut up by a Bishops’Spokesman. And the spokesman was yes a recently defeated pro-abort politicIan.
Yes. It can and WILL get worse.
This is one of my pet peeves. Thanks for bringing it up!
Ted Kennedy received communion from Pope Pius XII at the age of seven! He also received communion at Mary Jo Kopechne’s funeral, procured an annulment for a marriage of 25 years that had produced three grown children, and, as revealed during the William Kennedy Smith rape trial, he woke his son and nephew on Good Friday to instigate the ill-fated carousing and sexual assault romp in Palm Beach’s bars. He was fiercely pro-abortion and pro-homosexuality. At his funeral, well before this pope of course, 2.9 million viewers saw unworthy communion by the family, a bishop using female pronouns for the persons of the Trinity, and a liturgically bizarre “Catholic funeral” during which the bishop was praising Kennedy’s stances politically.
If Kennedys and other politicians don’t have to be chaste, can receive communion in 2nd – 3rd marriages or other unrepented mortal sins, why can’t the common man? (/sarcasm)
Many of us already “went”…to the Catholic faith. We KNOW there is no where left to go.
This is the hill we will die on.
For myself, I climbed that hill at age 49, 4 1/2 years ago.
And here we found a war.
We didn’t know that when we joined up, and at times we are pretty angry that is what we found, but that’s what we have found and that is what we have to work with.
This is a war that has to be fought, of course, because every other group on planet earth has already been defeated by the devil or has capitulated to him or his allies, but that doesn’t mean it is a war easily accepted.
So, with the Sword of the Word before us, we must take on every enemy that we encounter.
And yeah, I am not a pipe dreamer. I understand that not just the issues the author stated are being taught differently by many in the Church today, but many others to-boot. For those of you who post here frequently, no doubt you’ve seen my copy/paste job before…
“EENS, homosexuals, indissolubility of marriage, suicide, Limbo, presumption of God’s mercy, adultery, “remarriage”, just war, contraception, Real Presence, responsibility of the prelature/Pope to defend the faith, religious indifferentism, Islam, Protestantism, Luther, Communism, death penalty, relationship of husband and wife in marriage, unity of the Faith/”synodalism”, inerrancy of Scripture, etc.”
But like the law that had been for so long ignored but was then found by Helcias behind the altar {Second Book Of Kings/2 Samuel), we still have our “paper doctrines” and in this day of the internet, they aren’t hidden, either. There is thus no excuse for living in ignorance of them.
So go out, find them, study them, arm yourself with the Sword of the Word of God and go to battle.
Confront every evil, heresy and abomination you encounter and don’t worry whether the false teaching is coming from a guy in vestments. Reinvigorate yourself with the Eucharist and with Confession, and don’t surrender. EVER.
Get to work.
This is heartbreaking and I am thankful for it. It’s just so important to put into context how much the experience of Catholicism has changed in just 3-4 generations. My dad (72 yrs old) is an Italian immigrant who came to the country with his 3 brothers and parents in 1955. My mom (64 yrs old) is the daughter of a Bavarian Catholic who grew up at the same time as Pope BXVI in a town just 100km from his.
My Italian grandparents lived close to the same Catholicism as perhaps the previous 20 generations. Rosary, Mass, pilgrimages on foot to local saint sanctuaries, community, family, send one of the sons off to the Capuchin seminary (he dropped out), devotions, the primacy of the “festa”, etc. etc. My Bavarian grandmother grew up surrounded by nuns, priests, and a culture anchored entirely around the life of the Church (this is the Bavaria of Benedict’s childhood he so often lovingly speaks about). It was a culture firmly rooted in the Catholic experience in a country that had largely abandoned the Catholic faith.
Upon coming to this country my dad’s and uncles’ faith quickly got swallowed up by the pursuit of the “American dream”. Work, money, cars, chasing girls, illegitimate pregnancies, marriages, divorces, annulments, the Vietnam draft, the changes of Vatican II made the Catholic experience for my dad basically a foreign entity to the Italian countryside Catholicism he grew up with. My mom on the other hand had that foundational, beautiful experience of American Catholicism of the 1950s and early 60s. She LOVED her Catholic school, the nuns, the rigorous education she received, and the profound paternal care she received from her priests, especially in the absence of a father following the rapid dissolution of my grandparents’ marriage (the war bride Bavarian Catholic matched with Jewish G.I. from NY didn’t pan out…) . She loved her missal and was devoted to the Mass as it was in the years immediately proceeding the council. She was essentially experiencing an American Catholicism not 20 generations deep but perhaps 4-6 generations deep and embraced by millions.
And me? All of that belonging to MY PARENTS and grandparents was basically as distant of a thing as 12th century Cluny or 6th century Monte Cassino or 1st century Galilee. By the grace of God I came to meet Christ in and through LifeTeen youth group (as flawed as it is) but have had to be disabused of so many weird notions of Catholicism it makes the head spin.
I feel worse for my parents though and for the author of this article. What must it be like to have to watch and experience such a transformation? Even though they’ve stuck with the faith more or less and won’t articulate the same things I know their post-conciliar experiences with the Church have been troubling at times. My dad angrily recounts refusing to receive the Eucharist from an acquaintance of his who was essentially a well known public adulterer but nevertheless made an “extraordinary minister” each and every Sunday. Many other bitter stories of unsavory findings about priests of the 70s, 80s, and 90s.
May the great restoration come and the next 5 generations not have to experience such unnecessary trauma.
I love family stories.
You are certainly art of the restoration!!
God bless you.
This from a long line of heretics and devout Protestants {yet wonderful people who needed to hear the truth of the Catholic faith!!} who is a recent convert. Brought my wife and all my adult children and some friends, but praise God for all the cradle Catholics who have simply SURVIVED under the “Collapsist” Regime of post V-2 Catholicism.
I enjoyed your story, too. But I’ll bet all those Rosaries of your ancestors were greatly responsible for your encounter with Jesus at a LifeTeen meeting. Welcome home, caesare86.
Do not kid yourselves Fathers, What this man is saying or asking is, where
are the virtues of religion and piety. The Church teaches without
charity there is no virtue of religion and without the virtue of
religion there is no virtue of charity. Where is charity or piety when
in a candid observation I say it is hard to find at many catholic
masses today.
If one person is not in a state of charity what does it do to the parish’s
and church’s offering according to both the Suscipiat Dominus and the
catechism of the realm of complicity of sin
It’s as simple as this: Freemasonry and/or New World Order elites who are successfully draining the soul out of the Church. They’re winning (for now).
I further ask you priests when are you going to truly commit yourself to your priesthood and sermonized on this subject or do you prefer, at your particular judgement, to explain your views on confession and communion and why your conscience allows you to pass of the traditions and habits in the church which exists through the revelationary acts of out Mother the Holy and Apostolic Church AKA the Mystical Body of Christ which by scriptural teaching is the same today as yesterday. Remember I AM WHO AM.
Excellent article that so very articulately explains the problem many people are facing.
True. And an odd problem, at that, considering so many parishes are mostly consisting of people this age these days!
And I was beginning to think it was just my husband and I feeling this way (he is 70, I am 63). We changed parishes about 5 months ago because the one we had been attending for almost 15 yrs had a new pastor, we endured 20 months of his ‘church of what’s happening now’ mentality before making the decision to leave. We knew of another parish closer to home actually, that had a great Pastor, we had been to Mass there several times, gone to Confession there monthly and attend Perpetual Adoration at least once a week, so we enrolled there. Overall, it has been a positive experience, but there are subtle ‘red flags’. Unnecessary chatter before and after Mass, songs that are certainly not Catholic hymns, the spanning or pews to hold hands during the Our Father (we do not), etc. They too have multiple programs and ‘spirituality’ groups, none of which really appeal to us. They hold a ‘Christ Renews His Parish’ retreat twice a year, the Pastor really pushes for everyone to participate at some point, they have been holding them for 5 years. Good friends of ours have attended and raved about it, so we thought well maybe it is worth checking out. That is, until I did some research on the program. While I did find a number of positive comments, there were an equal number of not so positive comments. Aside from Mass both days, the availability of Confession and Adoration, it sounds pretty much like a ‘Kumbaya’ moment, with gut wrenching ‘witnessing’ by former attendees who are the presenting team for the next retreat ‘arts and crafts’, skits (really?) etc. Definitely not for us. While it would be wonderful to be able to grow in faith with like minded ‘senior’ Catholics, it seems we are in a minority. So where does that leave us? To nourish our own faith with sound Catholic materials that we readily search out and share with each other. Biggest plus of our ‘new’ parish is the Perpetual Adoration Chapel, that allows us the opportunity to go there about 45 minutes before daily Mass and pray a rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Just spending that extra time in Adoration every day has deepened our faith and relationship with God. But aren’t we supposed to have community? We feel like it is greatly missing for us.
Catholic Girl …. my suggestion is to create community. When my elderly Italian mother was living with me, we made it a point to invite people from our parish to our home twice each month for a pasta dinner. Couples, singles, families. We made the dinner together — actually we taught them how to make homemade pasta, sauce, Italian wedding soup, etc. — and they were hands on in the cooking, chopping, stirring, cranking (of the pasta machine), etc. It took a few hours, but by the time we finished, we had new friends and an scrumptious meal. The kids would love rolling out the pasta dough in the hand cranked pasta maker. I put a drop-cloth on the floor under the dining room table for easy clean up.
November 9, 2007
Public
Jesus comes holding His Heart in His Hand once again. It is once again surrounded with sharp thorns. He says: “I am your Jesus, born Incarnate.”
“I have come to help you understand that those who call themselves ‘Catholic’ but live in error, desire hiddenness.* Their agenda is to procure high positions within the Church from which to promote their liberalviews.”
“It is, therefore, the duty of My Remnant Faithful to expose their errors despite persecution. This is part of My Mission here. Because we stand for Truth here, the reflection of this Truth is blinding the eyes of the liberals.** When they attack the Mission, they are trying to shield their own eyes from the Light of Truth. The stronger My Remnant Faithful,the stronger the Light of Truth in the world.”
“Understand, then, that My Remnant Faithful must not remain hidden, but must be bold in the Light of Truth. More and more, it must be apparent that there are two churches proclaiming to be Catholic. The enemy does not want his work revealed in the open. My Remnant Faithful must reveal it.”
* To desire hiddenness can be a virtue, but only when one lives in the truth of Holy Humility and Holy Love, desiring not to be noticed, yet working behind the scenes (through prayer, sacrifice and contribution of resources and talents), to build up and support the unity of the Church, and not undermine or divide it.
** Jesus is referring more specifically to those in high positions of the Church who are rooted in promoting a liberal or “progressive” agenda in opposition to True Magisterial Teaching in the Tradition of Faith.
July 13, 2008
Feast of Rosa Mystica
Our Lady comes as Rosa Mystica. She says: “Praise be to Jesus.”
“Today, dear children, I have come to help you to realize the ways in which these Messages of Holy and Divine Love have been challenged by evil. These days the opinions and acceptance of people is highly revered, while God’s Commandments are not. Morals are refashioned to suit groups of people instead of people shaping their morality to the Commandments of God. The right to sin has been condoned by legislation. All of this has been carried into the Church in the compromise of liberal consciences. So, while liberal stances are given their play, Missions, such as this founded on private revelation, are summarily persecuted without concern for the message or the messenger.”
“I remind those involved in all the misinformation they instigate against Holy Love, God’s Commandments do not bend or change to suit you. It is still a sin to rash judge or commit calumny. Until you read all of the Messages, you should not foolishly offer your opinion. Even worse, you should not set forth your opinion as a judgment as though you have read every Message.”
“No good comes from opposing Heaven. As society today flounders amid compromise and hypocrisy, do not be so careless as to dismiss Messages that lead all people and all nations back to God and personal holiness. Do not misuse authority to oppose your Heavenly Mother. Open your hearts to the truth.”
“Today I address you as Rosa Mystica. Under this title, I ask for prayer, penance and sacrifice. But these days especially, I ask for deeper understanding of the mystical life.”
August 8, 2008
Public
Feast of St. Dominic
Blessed Mother says: “Praise be to Jesus.”
“My daughter, the battle lines have been drawn here; that is to say, the battle between the Tradition of Faith and the Church liberals. This is a war just as much as the war in Bosnia, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This war is more poignant, however. It is a war for souls. Too often bishops and other hierarchy, who could make a difference, decide not to fight, either because they do not want to offend or they do not want to lose the support of power and money. These are all Satan’s weapons. Misplaced compassion has been the supporter of liberal women in the Church. Many of the hierarchy have become accustomed to rich living and wanton luxuries while the poor are all around them waiting at the gate like Lazarus.”
“Here, their Heavenly Mother speaks to all people and all nations but they summarily dismiss anything I have to say. They, in this Diocese, listen to any lie told about this Mission but will not listen to any report of healing or grace even if a Bishop is the recipient of such a miracle.”
“What I am telling you is we must proceed in the midst of all this controversy. Those who refuse to believe without approvals are like the foolish virgins who neglected to bring oil for their lamps. They have chosen darkness over light. Jesus is here now, working His miracles, enlightening the world with His truths. Do not wait for the Scribes and Pharisees to say you can believe. They believe in all that is superficial. Let us proceed in faith that only comes from God.”
“I, your Heavenly Mother, desire your prayers and sacrifices now in these troubled times. Souls are at stake. Do not wait to make a difference.”
September 15, 2010
Midnight Service in the United Hearts Field – Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows
(This message was given in multiple parts over several days.)
Blessed Mother is here as the Sorrowful Mother, and She has a large sword piercing Her Heart. She says: “Praise be to Jesus.”
“Dear children, I have come to be with you once again on the day of My Sorrows. As you console Me, I, too, console you. I cannot remain silent in the face of any evil, for to do so would be to condone it. I have come to awaken the complacent heart.”
“Not long past I told you of approaching triggers of evil. Satan’s finger is on the trigger. The enemy is attacking not only in distant lands but within your own hearts, as he seeks to destroy personal holiness and with it, all of My efforts to combat him.”
“You have been given a profound sign in the earthquake in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. The quake left a visible separation in the earth. See in this the sign that a visible and profound separation is at hand in Christ’s Church on earth if you do not increase your prayer effort. This separation is now in hearts for the most part – liberal versus traditional. But within this local diocese, it is rising to the surface. This is an underscoring of My call to be recognized under the title of Protectress of the Faith decades ago – a request that was deemed unnecessary.”
“You must listen to Me, as many souls are at stake. Do not search out and pursue approvals – pursue the truth.”
“These days, dear children, you are living amidst grave temptations. There is flagrant disregard for God’s Commandments. Sin has increased alongside increased technology. The human heart is more than ever a battlefield of good against evil. Consequently the heart of every nation is at war – good against evil.”
“Choose Holy Love now before the age of God’s Most Tender Mercy draws to a close and your hearts fall under His Justice.”
“Dear children, your prayers are My weapons – My defense against evil. It is your faithfulness to prayer that calls Me back here to be with you over and over. It is because of your prayers I come tonight to open the eyes of the world that have been lulled to sleep by Satan’s false promises of peace and security. Realize that the hour – indeed the moment – fast approaches when the welfare of the world will hinge upon the relationship of the nation of Islam with all other countries.”
“Do not support politicians who govern only for their own interests. Support those who live in and for the truth – the truth of Holy Love. The key to regaining such a government is to reverse abortion. Otherwise your efforts will not succeed. You may gain some ground but not the victory. The victory rests in your treatment of all the marginalized. Let your ambitions rest with this cause.”
“I come into the world once again to assist mankind in making his free will choices – choices that must be conjoined with the Divine Will of the Eternal Father if mankind desires the reclamation of the future of all the world.”
“Your choices, My dear children, must always reflect Holy Love. Any other path leads to your destruction. I am speaking to each soul now, not just the greatest sinner. My Son’s Mercy awaits your sincere repentance which must be born of Holy Love. As He waits, more and more souls reject Him and slip to their perdition. Very soon He will be unable to shoulder more injury and His Justice will overtake the world – a world which will not listen.”
“Time is moving swiftly now for the sake of the elect. You must hasten to your conversion. Set aside all differences you have with one another. Build up the Kingdom of God in your own hearts first, and then in the world around you. I tell you solemnly, the New Jerusalem is already here in the heart that embraces Holy Love.”
“This night, dear children, I have come to remind you that when Jonah corrected the city of Nineveh, the citizens repented, fasted, put on sackcloth and were reconciled with God. Seeing this, God did not bring His wrath upon His people. But here, I have come as God’s emissary to correct and admonish My children. Most pay no attention – still others lie and detract against My efforts, and do everything in their power to destroy this Mission.”
“Once again I warn you that what you embrace in your hearts determines the fate of the world. The same heart can embrace love of God and neighbor or it can choose hatred; the same heart can choose good or evil, virtue or sin. But if hearts do not reconcile with their Creator soon, I will no longer be able to withhold the Hand of Justice. Please do not offend God or test His Patience any longer.”
“This Mission, the Messages and all the miraculous graces offered here cannot bear good fruit in the world unless the human heart will accept what Heaven offers here and allows himself to be transformed in and through Holy Love. God created your free will so that you could choose to love Him and to love your neighbor. If you do not choose to love, you also do not choose your salvation.”
“Of consolation to Me is the great numbers that have come in faith. Many angels are in your midst. They have been here all day and will be here tomorrow. Some appear only as sparkling lights – others in a more recognizable bodily form.”
“I am holding the remembrance of your loving prayers here tonight in My Heart always.”
“Tonight, My dear children, realize that every cross is a victory. You hold no need or desire in your hearts that is not already My Own. My greatest sorrow is the disregard people have for one another from the moment of conception until natural death. Please keep this cause amidst your prayer intentions daily.”
“Dear children, open your hearts and know that your Heavenly Mother is in your midst, and I’m blessing you with My Blessing of Holy Love.”
May 23, 2013
Public
“I am your Jesus, born Incarnate.”
“I have come to define for you the two Churches in existence today that call themselves ‘Catholic’. First, you have the Traditional Church – sound in teaching, unwavering in dogma and doctrine. This is the Church most believe to be intact.”
“In reality, the second Church – the liberal Church – calls itself ‘Catholic’ but parts from Sacred Tradition and does not support the True Faith. The problem is that both of these Churches say they are Catholic. It is not until the layman closely investigates the beliefs and teachings being offered that he can distinguish between traditional and liberal.”
“Many just accept all as one. Therein lies the danger. To accept the opinions and decisions as equally sound opposes Truth. This is why souls must not be led astray just by the title of anyone, but look at the spirituality of who is dictating and what they dictate. Many are led astray who do not do so.”
“Make certain that the one whom you obey stands for the Truth and supports the Tradition of Faith. Make certain that you are obeying one who builds up the Faith and does not tear it down.”
November 10, 2013
Public
“I am your Jesus, born Incarnate.”
“Today, I have come to help you understand the difference between conservative and liberal faith.”
Jesus states:
Conservative:
-Uses authority to lovingly shepherd and guide.
-Upholds Truth no matter the consequences.
-Outlines sin and its consequences openly and clearly.
-Upholds Dogma & Doctrine.
-Forms conscience in righteousness according to the Tradition of Faith, and thus makes sound decisions as to good versus evil.
-Believes in Satan’s actions to destroy souls and seeks God’s Protection.
Liberal:
-Abuses authority to own advantage without regard to salvation of souls.
-Compromises Truth to suit personal gain or agenda.
-Portrays sin as ‘gray areas’ of behavior thus causing confusion.
-Challenges Dogma & Doctrine.
-Loosely formed conscience based solely on free will choices. Does not allow Tradition of Faith to determine good or evil. Thinks his conscience is the ultimate reference.
-May not even believe in Satan or Hell.
“It is important that people realize these differences and choose accordingly.”
November 25, 2013
Public
Jesus says: “I am your Jesus, born Incarnate.”
“Today, in the Congress, you have two separate bodies of government: The House, which is conservative and the Senate, which is liberal. One opposes the other. In religious institutions, there are two separate bodies of influence, as well – the conservative and the liberal – once again, in opposition to each other. The Congress has been taken over by politics and, too often, the Truth is paralyzed. The same holds true in religious institutions.”
“People are beginning to see more clearly the separation in the Congress now. In religious institutions, however, all appears as one on the surface, but underneath, there are factions and conflicts not of Me. People who do not know this are most easily misled by title and authority. Begin to weigh everything on the scale of liberal versus conservative. Follow the Tradition of Faith.” *
* The Tradition of Faith always has been, is, and always will be, conservative (orthodox).
July 31, 2014
Public
Blessed Mother says: “Praise be to Jesus.”
“I tell you, in all honesty, today there are two Churches which call themselves Catholic. The liberal and the traditional. The liberal Church is more concerned with what people think than what God thinks. This is the cause of many an apparition being squelched by hierarchy. At the same time, I caution the traditional Church against self-righteousness. This is a spiritual pitfall of many who become more and more holy. This flaw, too, can lead to negative opinions concerning apparitions.”
“So you see, today, it is the Chosen Remnant of the Faithful who seek out and have faith in Heaven’s interventions.”
“I come only to correct and guide – not to punish. I come to show you My Motherly concern and love for every soul. I am interested in your every present moment from the moment you open your eyes until you close them in the evening. No part of your existence escapes My glance.”
“Do not allow your hearts to be troubled, but secure in My Love. I desire only your well-being, be it even in the midst of crosses.”
“Put aside your doubts and fears. These are Satan’s attempts to unsettle you. Allow Me to protect your faith.”
Read 1 Thessalonians 2:3-8
For our appeal does not spring from error or uncleanness, nor is it made with guile; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, so we speak, not to please men, but to please God Who tests our hearts. For we never used either words of flattery, as you know, or a cloak for greed, as God is witness; nor did we seek glory from men, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
August 16, 2015
Public
Our Lady comes as Mary, Refuge of Holy Love. She says: “Praise be to Jesus.”
“Part of the Mission here* is to challenge the establishment in their self-righteousness. That is the reason we are here in this area,** where Tradition has been set aside in favor of more liberal opinions and practices in many instances.”
“From the beginning, I came to support and to protect the faith, even though this was not acceptable by those most in need of My Efforts.*** Now, I am here to offer you the Refuge of My Heart which is Holy Love. I do not refer lightly to mankind’s need to seek this Holy Refuge. Rather, I urgently call you to leave the confusion of the world where evil is represented as good and vice versa. You will more easily find the Truth if you seek the confines of My Immaculate Heart.” ****
“If you do not see the need of My Protection, then you are already in great danger! Satan’s victory in hearts is facilitated when souls do not recognize his presence and his tactics.”
“Once again, I am calling all people and all nations to be united in Holy Love as a solution to the woes of the world.***** If you would only surrender to My Call to you by accepting it, the doorway of grace would open onto the world.”
* The ecumenical Ministry and Mission of Holy and Divine Love at Maranatha Spring and Shrine.
** Within the Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio
*** 1987 – Sought approval of title, Mary, Protectress of the Faith as requested by Blessed Mother; March 1988 – Request dismissed.
**** An invitation to seek the Truth through coming to Maranatha Spring and Shrine where the Refuge of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart resides.
***** An invitation to join: the Children of the United Hearts movement; to become a Missionary Servant of Holy Love; and to become a member of the Confraternity of the United Hearts.
September 10, 2015
Public
Our Lady comes as Rosa Mystica. She says: “Praise be to Jesus.”
“Today I remind you that not all leaders are equally qualified to lead. The inadequacies in leadership stem from what is held in the heart. False virtue – that is virtue practiced to impress others – leads to compromise of the Truth. Such a one given to false virtue is most likely to safeguard his reputation at the cost of the Truth. He does not look so much towards the welfare of his followers as he does towards his own benefit.”
“Dear children, practice every virtue no matter the cost to self and look for this attribute in leadership. Do not support anyone given over to lies or confusion. They are unworthy of your loyalty. The truly virtuous leader will not redefine sin as a freedom. If you had just leaders in the world today, you would not have conservative and liberal divisions in the secular or religious world. Rather all would be one. There would be no confusion. Pray for all leaders that they realize their place before God.”
Read 1 Timothy 6:3-5+
If any one teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching which accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit, he knows nothing; he has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions, and wrangling among men who are depraved in mind and bereft of the Truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.
+-Scripture verses asked to be read by Our Lady, Rosa Mystica.
-Scripture taken from the Ignatius Bible.
September 21, 2015
Public
Our Lady comes as Refuge of Holy Love but changes into Protectress of the Faith. She says: “Praise be to Jesus.”
“Today, dear children, I encourage you to always be faithful to the Truth no matter who opposes you. Already in the world there is a schism between liberal and conservative beliefs in the political world and in church circles, as well. The conservative forces are morally sound and abide in the Truth. The liberals try to reinvent the Truth to suit their own needs and self-indulgence.”
“These schisms between good and evil will only expand as time moves forward and mankind carves a path away from the Truth. The times approach when those who persevere in the Truth will be labeled as the schismatics and those who pursue their own will outside of the Truth – the liberals – will masquerade as righteous. You must not be tricked by any title or authority or numbers of those who oppose the Truth. Dear children, stand firm in unchangeable Tradition.”
Read 2 Timothy 1:13-14, 3:1-5, 4:1-5+
Synopsis: Stand firm in the True Faith and Love which are in Christ Jesus. …for in these last days are dangerous evil times in which men are more lovers of self, covetous, haughty, proud, disobedient, faithless, treacherous and stubborn, loving pleasure more than God, having of piety but disowning its power and grace…Thus, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus preach the Truth in its Sacred Tradition of Faith with patience in rebuking and reproving all those in error for these are the times when they will not accept sound doctrines of the Faith, but will take to themselves the false teachers turning away from the Truth. Be watchful of these things bearing with tribulations patiently and working to fulfill the Mission and Ministry of Holy Love.
Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus; guard the Truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. …But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. Avoid such people. …I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His Kingdom: preach the Word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the Truth and wander into myths. As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
+-Scripture verses asked to be read by Mary, Protectress of the Faith.
-Scripture taken from the Ignatius Bible.
-Synopsis of scripture provided by Spiritual Advisor.
April 25, 2016
Public
Our Lady comes as Rosa Mystica. She says: “Praise be to Jesus.”
“In the world today, there are two forces battling for the heart of the world, good and evil – conservative and liberal. This is evident in politics and in Church circles. It is a battle to gain power and control over the heart of humanity. While unity is strived for, I am calling the heart of humanity to be united in conservatism. Do not be united under the guise of good that has the hidden agenda of the destruction of souls.”
“Pay attention to whom assumes power. He cannot be both liberal and conservative. Charitable works, title and authority do not define leadership. The acceptance or rejection of the reality of God’s Laws define a leader whether political or religious. You cannot cast aside God’s Laws and still represent yourself as a conservative. The liberals define conservatives as out of step with the current state of the world. However, good must be out of step with the evils of the day.”
“Dear children, you must be aware of the choices your leaders are making. Do not be intimidated by who says what.”
“Do not be so naive as to believe all leaders are worthy of your support. I am calling the heart of the world into unity through the Truth of Holy Love.”
All messages are from http://www.holylove.org
Excellent article. Now I agree with almost every word and I am 20 years younger.
The bit about the poor homilist is interesting.
The Priest in my family’s (over 50 years) Parish is an excellent speaker. I am not sure I have ever heard a better. What he says though would probably go down well at a Democratic Party convention.
I don’t know about there not being ministries in general for the elderly . . . judging by almost every Catholic Church I’ve attended, the Church’s ministry to the elderly is called . . . Church. The vast majority of members are 70+. In myp parish, it seems to me that almost every ministry is for the elderly, from “Silver Liners/Silver Sneakers”, to bible studies that happen in the middle of the week in the morning, to a St. Joseph’s group that meets to pray also in the morning when younger men are all working, to the parish council who is almost completely 70+. Concerning the greater point about confusion and the loss of doctrine — we are all in the same boat, no matter our age. Yet, I think it must be particularly fearsome to know, all things being equal, that one is in the stage of life where they are closer to the grave and to have to worry that one might not be able to receive the last sacraments. This renewed “season of silliness” is truly horrible. So I will be remembering the elderly in a special way in my prayers going forward.
That’s every parish around the country. A few may have young people sprinkled in, mostly it’s blue hairs who never once thought to challenge what they were getting, the strumming guitars, tambourines, ugly buildings. I was born in 1970 and eventually the profound thought came to me “this sucks” (the novus ordo). I craved the manly tradition of the Church and once I saw it, that was it, nothing else would do.
WISE
MEN
Look to the timeless
Look to the true –
Look to the Christs
Giving their lives for you.
Look to His Mother
Look to Her spouse –
Flee from the dens
Where the thieves rob His House.
The thieves have seduced
The thieves have well groomed
The sheepheaded souls
They have crushed and consumed.
The new hired Herods
Lure with a kiss –
Only pure-pious wise men
Know something’s amiss.
Follow these wise men
It’s clear who they are –
Crystal Light shines upon them
Under Bethlehem’s star!
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/708fc7894fda80ab36c8797025920d6859916669ac96a6573ceedddf71a659a1.jpg
Great photo LS and thank you as always for the incredible poetry, what a gift you have like every artist.
This picture encapsulates our Church, there it is, it exists but it’s very hard to find, might have to drive a couple of hours to find.
…and they’re both in their 20s!! I feel so bad for Mr. Kowalski but we must all pray daily for Holy Mother Church and the true Catholic priests who are continuing the preservation of the WHOLE Faith which comes from the True Mass and its graces. If you can’t get to a truly Catholic Mass, continue praying and give monetary support to these Traditional Orders even if it’s only a dollar as most of our vocations are coming from large families and we usually are not well off. Help grow the True Catholic Seminaries, Convents, Monasteries and THE SCHOOLS! One thing I have learned since we started our traditional Catholic school in 1992 is that we are tremendously hated! Yes, it’s unbelievable, a little school, it’s ok to have a Tridentine Mass but a SCHOOL?! We are slandered daily and calumny is a constant. A quiet place of learning truth and we are a silent rebuke to other Catholics in our city more than anyone. So sad.
There is work for ALL of us in His Vineyard, either by praying or giving alms or both. Maybe you can’t get to the True Mass today but you can help the future by building up the Body of Christ now. Support these young Priests and Nuns now so they will pray for your soul when you die and teach your progeny.
THE
HEADMASTER’S
HARVEST
“They demand bare faith alone…as if they wanted to harvest grapes right away without putting any work into the vine.” (St. Clement of Alexandria)
Bare faith alone
Without work on the vine?
No abundance of grapes
Without toil…His design.
Prune, dig, trellis
To produce edible fruit,
The more cultivation
The stronger the root.
Then bring everything on
The truth to bear,
A sound education,
In a sound life of prayer,
As in the vineyards
Of LaSalette’s fields,
Mind-making plantation
Where souls, the Faith shields.
While in the green arbor
Under a Marian blue sky
Headmaster with breviary
On all, keeps his eye
Preparing for press
Full-bodied poured,
The unseen scents,
Zealous souls for Our Lord
Are the Headmaster’s harvest
From the Truth of the Vine
Breeding Christ Blood-fed branches
To beget more Sacred Wine.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/da9a0c620256463dc54122e4adcccbb451ba869edab405445158d0258039c30b.jpg
I love love love those large families that are not well off as I was the 11th from a similar type family. It’s not a problem, trust in God, seek God first, serve God first, and do what you can, where you are with what you have.
I consider myself and my wife to be very fortunate. We have Institute of Christ the King relatively close to us. It is the Latin Mass. You will also find the Priests and religious to be educated and good priests. It seems to me that it is almost impossible to find a decent and reverent Novus Ordo Mass.
Generally the behavior at the Novus Ordo Mass is atrocious, e.g. talking, laughing, clapping, etc. and the apparel is disgusting, e.g. short pants, hot pants, clothing so tight that it doesn’t leave much to the imagination, etc. and many of the churches look like airplane hangars.
It will take some effort but you probably find a relatively decent Mass somewhere. My wife and I used to travel 1 1/2 hours each way each Sunday but it was definitely worth it. Trying to find a Catholic Cathodox Priest can be a daunting challenge.
“Who is going to save our Church? Not our Bishops, not our priests and religious. It is up to the people. You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops like bishops and your religious act like religious” – Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
Yes it is terrifying so to me it’s a very good reason to go to Mass daily whilst we can. The Rosary and Liturgy of the Hours couple of times during the day as well – there’s an app. Good also to read doctrinal books – probably the only reliable way to hear the faith. Pray to receive the sacraments before death – it’s not a given, but a Grace.
Sounds like there is an apostolate that you need to lead.
A few things:
Read the lives of the saints – nothing is impossible for God! Find out what they did in difficult circumstances, both personal and in the community in which they found themselves, and use their examples as models and inspiration.
Start a coffee group. After daily Mass, we have two to as many as eight or ten people, and those who show up are like a family to each other (some are regulars and some come once in a blue moon). The ages of the regulars are late 40’s to late 80’s generally, but anyone is welcome to sit down, and we sometimes even get someone in their late teens or early 20’s. We have also had someone from the neighborhood show up and we even get an occasional Protestant. Additionally, we have met people who occasionally show up because they have kids in our area, but live elsewhere most of the time. We discuss the world, politics, the church, our lives, etc. We have occasionally prayed for/with people at the table, but when you know others on a more personal level, it’s easy to remember to pray for them in your own private prayer time. There is grace for us in everything we go through, if we only trust God. Having an informal support group is a true gift because it lets you know that many share the same struggles and we all have challenges – it helps to put things in perspective, and other people’s thoughts and experiences can also be interesting, informative, touching, etc…
BTW, what is everyone out there reading or trying to read (not directly related to a class or formal study)? My list includes: a second book on Solanus Casey, Mary of Agreda’s “Mystical City of God” (just started, need to concentrate), and “The Church Teaches: Documents of the Church in English Translation” (© 1955 Herder, 1973 TAN) – This last one is great for coffee table discussion, for example, read to the group some of Pius X’s errors of modernism…
I am reading a lot of things at once, which I need to stop doing!
After the Natural Law
Miscellany of Men (Compilation of Chesterton writing on the different kinds of people in the world)
Four Last Things by Father Von Cochem
LOL! I feel the same about reading too many things at once. I also have Von Cochem’s book, but have only opened and read a few pages here and there. The Chesterton compilation sounds fun…
EUTHANASIA AND THE “DEMISE PILL”
Everybody has a right to live only so long. The old are no longer
useful. They become a burden. You should be ready to accept death. Most
people are. An arbitrary age limit could be established. After all, you
have a right to only so many steak dinners, so many orgasms, and so many
good pleasures in life. And after you have had enough of them and
you’re no longer productive, working, and contributing, then you should
be ready to step aside for the next generation. Some things that would
help people realize that they had lived long enough, he mentioned
several of these – I don’t remember them all – here are a few – use of
very pale printing ink on forms that people .. are necessary to fill
out, so that older people wouldn’t be able to read the pale ink as
easily and would need to go to younger people for help. Automobile
traffic patterns – there would be more high-speed traffic lanes ..
traffic patterns that would .. that older people with their slower
reflexes would have trouble dealing with and thus, lose some of their
independence.
LIMITING ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE MEDICAL CARE
MAKES ELIMINATING ELDERLY EASIER
A big item .. was elaborated at some length was the cost of medical
care would be made burdensomely high. Medical care would be connected
very closely with one’s work but also would be made very, very high in
cost so that it would simply be unavailable to people beyond a certain
time. And unless they had a remarkably rich, supporting family, they
would just have to do without care. And the idea was that if everybody
says, “Enough! What a burden it is on the young to try to maintain the
old people,” then the young would become agreeable to helping Mom and
Dad along the way, provided this was done humanely and with dignity. And
then the example was – there could be like a nice, farewell party, a
real celebration. Mom and Dad had done a good job. And then after the
party’s over they take the “demise pill.”
“THE CHURCHES WILL HELP US!”
Then followed one of the most surprising statements of the whole
presentation: He said, “Some of you probably think the Churches won’t
stand for this,” and he went on to say, “the churches will help us!”
There was no elaboration on this, it was unclear just what he had in
mind when he said, “the churches will help us!” In retrospect I think
some of us now can understand what he might have meant at that time. I
recall then only of thinking, “no they won’t!” and remembering our
Lord’s words where he said to Peter, “Thou art Peter and upon this rock I
will build my Church, and gates of Hell will not prevail against it.”
So .. yes, some people in the Churches might help. And in the subsequent
20 years we’ve seen how some people in Churches have helped. But we
also know that our Lord’s Words will stand, and the gates of Hell will
not prevail.
Source: http://uscl.info/edoc/doc.php?doc_id=89&action=inline
I share the author’s sentiments very much.
We are interesting anachronisms, barely acceptable to the bishop of Rome and the USCCB. Never to be taken seriously, of course.
FSSP, ICK, SSPX, Opus Dei. These Masses are worth the drive. Make a day of it.
What we grew up with no longer exists…or is even desired by the powers that be.
It is what it is. God will not be mocked forever, though. Bet on it.
Ah, yes. We are the “Transition Generation” — Transition from the One True Faith to the NO God Only Man faith. It is not there yet, but Francis and his minions are working overtine to bring it to completion.
The Traditional Latin Mass is celebrated in Rochester, NY every Sunday at 11:15 A.M. Saint Thomas the Apostle Church in Irondequoit (St. Paul Blvd.). The group is called The Latin Mass Community and belongs to the Saint Katherine Tekawitha Parish of the Diocese of Rochester.
The Latin Mass Community also offers a very reverent and orthodox Novus Ordo Mass at 9 A. M. Every Sunday, same place, same priest.
Also in Rochester (town of Henrietta) is an Ordinariate Mass (11:30 A.M.) at the Church of the Good Shepherd on East Henrietta Rd. That group is called the Fellowship of St. Alban (former Episcopalians/Anglicans who reconciled with the Catholic Church and were allowed to keep the Anglican Mass with some minor changes by Pope Benedict XVI).
The Ordinariate Mass looks just like the Tradional Latin Mass but is offered in English. Slowly growing. Intimate group. The Fellowship priest also ministers at the same Diocese of Rochester Parish that includes the Traditional Latin Mass Community.
Rochester, NY has an reverent orthodox Novus Ordo at Our Lady of Victory Church right in the middle of the city. Check the Mass times on its website. I think they are 9 and 11. Excellent traditional music. Rousing sermons. Great coffee hours.
To whom shall we go? We go to the Treasury of the Church: Scripture, Catechism, writings of the Saints. We, the bridge generation, who remember the Faith before the Modernists took hold of our institutions must help the young parents understand what has happened. It will be up to all of us to figure out what to do about it; the number of resources now available are increasing by the day. Main rule: No one will do it for you. Do not trust the parish or the parish school to catechize your children or your grandchildren. Thank you for the article.
Mr. Kowalski, the coffee drinking communicant reminded me that demons are everywhere. So why wouldn’t they go to Mass in a lukewarm Catholic to antagonize and disrupt it for the pious faithful in any way they could.
It can get depressing when you think you’re going to Mass and the priest brings in his dog who is jumping up and down in the seat while this scandalous priest gives a joke of a mass! He would continually stop about every 15min. and explain what he was doing, for the Our Father, came to the front row to hold hands with some of the parishioners and came down and sat on the steps of the alter to give his homily. Then he told everyone in the pew to face to the right w/their hand in the air, for what reason I don’t know. At any rate, I stood solidly facing front. I confronted him by the door and mentioned to him that he was very sacrilegious and to keep his dog home, that this was God’s holy church and that he was acting not like a priest but more like an entertainer. I find out later that he was a fill in, a retired pedophile priest. The TLM was the most beautiful, the most sacred and people dressed in their Sunday best no matter how poor! Vatican2 has a lot to answer to the Almighty Judge Himself come judgement day.
sorry, but the point and sentiment is slowly becoming lost on my generation of late 30 something’s and under. I have determined to steel myself and my family and await the reemergence of Tradition. it’s happening ALL around for those with the eyes to see. young families left and right are coming back home. this is in Novus Ordo parishes, too. the tide has turned. rejoice! do we still have some tough times ahead? sure. we might still have to die for our Faith. ok. so be it. I choose to live a life of joy.
sorry to the older generation, but it was on YOUR watch that this smoke and deception came to fruition.
i can’t be a Catholic if I don’t believe that in the next second, God doesn’t have the power to snap his holy fingers and say, “Enough!” and Pope Francis has a St. Paul conversion and the Church becomes TLM.
Let’s remember that God allowed this. he never sat there, quivering, as though Satan was taking over. the modern sick world got a modern sick church, and now things are going to switch back. it won’t come without a price. but it’s coming.
Let’s also remember an pope that apostacized…. SAINT Marcellinus.
recommend everyone have a good Sunday beer, say a prayer of thanks that we live in a country where we can worship openly, and pray for courage as the Church rights itself.
and turn off the blasted commie NFL!
no worries. only prayer and hope! 🙂
Mr. Kowalski, your Trinity Sunday experience reminded me of a Mass I attended just a few months ago in a suburb of Syracuse NY. The deacon preached on the excellence of a book and movie that manifested God the Father as an African American woman, God the Son-Jesus Christ- as a middle eastern man, and the Holy Spirit as an Asian women. It made me so soul sick that I could barely concentrate on the remainder of Mass but just kept crying out to God from the depths of my heart for His help. So I guess “Heresy Sunday” is not confined to Trinity Sunday. I still pray my heart out for that deacon and the whole parish.
I am a Roman Catholic priest 87 years old, retired now because of a weak heart.. My email address is [email protected]. Contact me if you wish. Or we can use this website. Until my retirement I was a pastor in 4 parishes. Before that I was involved in Christian Family Movement, Liturgy, Religious instruction for children, Taize, Marriage and Engaged Encounter, Knights of Columbus, Church music, College ministry, etc., I taught a course in the University of Maine system called “Topics in Religious Thought”. As a pastor and before that as an assistant I visited every family in the parish every fall. I brought Communion to shut-ins. Contact me.
God bless you, Mr Kowalski. I am only 5 years behind you (65). I was taught by wonderful sisters, too. And I was told that after all the fanagling with the Mass, it was still the same thing. I bought that, just as you did. I even taught that to others. Then good Pope Benedict came along and told us that the “old Mass” had never been forbidden, or abrogated. You could have fooled me! And Cardinal Sarah reminded us that priests never HAD to offer even the New Mass facing the people. Again, that was news to me. I know exactly what would have happened to me if I had tried to offer Mass- or celebrate the Liturgy – ad orientem, or if I had dared to celebrate Mass according to the traditional rite back in 1980. I would have been sent off to be re-tooled as other priests were, and I would have returned lobotimized, just as they did. To paraphrase Elvis, “there’s been a whole lot of fibbin goin on”. But you know the truth, and somebody we both worship once said that the TRUTH will set you free. Hang in there!
Part of the problem Ray, is that whatever is rediscovered is almost certainly never completely recovered! When your generation, my parents and the few that came before it left the rudder to ‘deal with real life’ the ship did indeed sail on but into worse and worse treacherous waters until those who had known it returned unable to identify it as the self-same ship. Much in the same way ISIS now rules St Pauls old stomping grounds. The Good News however is that whatever the problem is one* answer has sufficed to re-orient the ancient vessel – the trifecta of prayer, alms-giving and penance(fasting)! Thank you for persevering and taking responsibility, let’s all get to scrubbing and polishing until her old luster is restored. Beneath the corrosion lies the same brilliance that staggered the mercenary Paul to blindness in broad daylight!