Posted on 01/07/2006 7:35:09 AM PST by Desdemona
Though that would provoke lots of anger from self-righteous parents, treating the examination as something important(and not a cursory empty ritual) would certainly show some spine and strike fear into the hearts of lazy confirmation instructors. Perhaps some leeway could be made for the shy and the simple, but I kinda like the idea.
The Catechism covers "what the faith really teaches," as the author said. Traditional devotions can be beautiful and valuable, but they are not the Catholic Faith. And, as you point out, information on traditional devotions is also easily available, at a bookstore or library, if one is deprived of Internet access.
Should pastors quiz parishioners about their sins in public before they distribute Communion, too?
Thanks for the additional information. I agree that solid instruction is very important. I learned the Westminster Shorter Catechism as a Presbyterian :-).
(I had stubborn, Scotch Presby maternal grandparents who never really accepted my mom's lateral arabesque into the ECUSA. Of course, given her upbringing, SHE ain't exactly thrilled that we have Gone Over to Rome.)
My mom's from Northern Ireland! She said, "I always knew you'd do something weird ... at least your grandpop is in his grave!"
Sometimes she teases me about still being a Calvinist in my heart :-).
I'm a cradle Catholic raised post VII. It's only in the last 10 years that I began to realize what I had missed. The past year I searched my area and went to a different church almost every weekend until I found one that was trying to be more traditional. I can't stand being out of town on Sundays now.
I homeschool my kids with a very Catholic curriculum (Seton) and they are memorizing catechism questions/answers. I've found that I am learning right along with them on some things. They are only 5 and 7.
I took my son out of one parish Reconciliation program because it was so horrible. We're working with our parish priest and deacon individually to make sure he is ready for first confession and first communion. It's an exciting year!
Thanks for posting this article. So many of us feel the same way!
My folks are in a different ECUSA diocese - their bishop is a live and let live kinda guy who voted against the heretic bishop of N.H. Our former (thank God!) bishop on the other hand is a cheerleader for the homosexual lifestyle who was one of the delegates who showed up uninvited at Nottingham to tell the Anglican conference why they were right and everybody else was benighted and homophobic. It was just so in your face we couldn't tolerate it for another second; besides, why be Catholic Lite when you can be the real thing?
But mom and dad are old and set in their ways and haven't been forced by their bishop to make a decision. Besides, their church owns its own property and has a huge endowment, and they can call the most reactionary Forward In Faith priest in the U.S. if they feel like it.
It's a crazy world out there these days. My mother's Regional Presbytery (Central Florida) discusses ordaining homosexuals every few years, and she insists she'll quit if they do. I'm not sure what her other choices are in that area.
Isn't Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) a lot more orthodox than PCUSA?
It is ... but Mom likes a big church with lots of programs (helps her keep busy in retirement), and I don't know whether there's a large PCA congregation in her area. Around here, the PCA has really big churches, with schools and everything.
Looks like it links to websites, that would tell you pretty quick if there's a good sized PCA church near her.
Thanks, I'll have a look. She doesn't plan to jump ship, at least for the moment, unless the Regional Presbytery crosses her last line.
Hmm, wonder how he ended up in Ajo, AZ. Would be in the Diocese of Tucson. "Quiet little mining town" doesn't quite set the mental picture in describing it. VERY hot during the summers.
Boat? Did somebody say boat?
I think the article clarified this. Now please open your hymnal to number 47 for the entrance antiphon.
Would you like to ride in my beautiful balloon?
Would you like to glide in my beautiful balloon?
We could flat among the stars together, you and I.
For we can fly.
We can fly!
Up, up and away, my beautiful, my beautiful balloon!
The world's a nicer place in my beautiful balloon.
It wears a nicer face in my beautiful balloon.
We can sing a song and sail along the silver sky,
For we can fly.
We can fly!
Up, up and away, my beautiful, my beautiful balloon!
Suspended under a twilight canopy
We'll search the clouds for a star to guide us.
If by some chance you find yourself loving me,
We'll find a cloud to hide us, keep the moon beside us.
Love is waiting there in my beautiful ballon.
Way up in the air in my beautiful balloon.
If you'll hold my hand, we'll chase your dream across the sky,
For we can fly.
We can fly!
Up, up and away, my beautiful, my beautiful balloon!
Ping and an echo:
http://www.FreeRepublic.com/forum/a3b555c262d74.htm
Yesterday, I heard an NPR blurb about the new Bishop of Camden saying he wanted to make the laity, the religious and all the Priests on equal footing in his diocese and I thought "What about the Princes of the Church, the hierarchy that has been part of the Magisterium and the role of the Pope. How can their be equal footing when there is supposed to be Ordo".
"...the Christian truth is it is Christian parents who have the initial and primary duty to Catechize their children"
Exactly right but Catholic home education is usually thwarted on the parish and diocesan level reflecting teacher's union infiltration in the parochial system and parish life.
That is an excellent point. So many times discussions about the state of the Church these days turn into a bashing of baby boomers (who already get bashed enough in political discussions) and a bashing of Vatican II. But in my experience and from what I've read about the changes in the Church, it really was the WW2 generation and the folks in between them and the boomers that seemed to cause the most destruction in the American church. Baby boomers were just kids when Vatican II was going on. It was older folks who misinterpreted the council, and it was older folks who sat by silently and let so many of our traditions be tossed out in the trash (sometimes literally). Returning to the Tridentine Rite is not a panacea, because these people were born, catechized, and sometimes ordained well before the council. Heresy can hide quite easily under the surface of Tridentine piety.
I visited a Catholic school kindergarten class a while ago, and the experience was so odd that it hasn’t left my mind. I envisioned their sweetly bowed heads as they reverently recited the rosary, or perhaps a decade of it, before a crucifix and a statue of Our Lady. I was in for a shock.
Several years ago, the pastor at my former RC parish asked me to teach one of the Confirmation classes. I was truly humbled by this request and committed myself 100%, by showing up for each and every preparatory meeting. Finally, the Catechist's Guides were distributed and I anxiously sat down hungry to prepare for the first night's class. Turning to Chapter 1, I reviewed the list of items to bring the first night of class. Here it is and in the book's order:
* one or more dice
* newsprint and markers
* stones of similar size and texture, one for each student
* 3 narrow strips of dense fabric to serve as blindfolds
* candidates's handbooks
* pens, one for each candidate
* a large rock to serve as a symbol of Jesus
* two pillar candles and matches
* a Bible
* a tape player or CD player and songs on the themes of loneliness and friendship.
(NB - for those with children preparing for Confirmation, this is the Thomas Zansig, 'Confirmed In A Faithful Community' series from Saint Mary's Press, Christian Brothers Publications, Winona Minnesota).
Like the author of this article, I was shocked! On the first night of class, I brought along the Bible, a Rosary and the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel. We progressed from there - without rocks, stones, pillar candles and mood music.
When it came time to selecting a Confirmation name, anticipating that these kids wanted to pick something different or unusual, I pointed them to a web site that lists ALL the catholic saints back to the 1st century. Not only did they appreciate the link, they enjoyed reading up on some of these forgotten saints, especially the martyrs. All of my students chose saint's names whereas many kids in the other classes chose unusual contemporary, even invented names. Ironically, the pastor's nephew was in one of the other classes. He chose some funky name to rile his priest uncle and to express his ability to be different. Even more ironical, the name he chose just happened to be that of some 2nd century saint which eased the qualms of the pastor who never let on to his nephew :-).
To all of you with small children enrolled in Catholic School or Religious Instruction, check and double check the teaching materials being used. If possible, work to have the unseemly materials replaced with more orthodox ones and always fill in the blanks with your children. Be the oasis in the desert!
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