Posted on 06/17/2009 9:48:34 AM PDT by NYer
.- He grew up an evangelical Protestant in Oregon, suspicious of Marian theology. Now he’s a Catholic priest and a physicist. Dominican Father Raphael Mary Salzillo was ordained last month in San Francisco and will take up an assignment at the University of Washington Newman Center and Blessed Sacrament Parish in Seattle.
Born Wesley Salzillo in 1976, he grew up in Florence, a small coastal town. The family converted to Catholicism in the early 1990s.
"My family raised me with a strong Christian faith and a very clear sense that Christ should be the most important thing in my life," Father Raphael Mary recalls, explaining that his faith after conversion remained "generic."
"I was not fully open to the truth that the Catholic faith has to offer," he says.
But when he was 16, a spiritual experience at Mass gave him the strong feeling he was being called to priesthood or religious life. He was not open to it at the time, so tried to convince himself it was just his imagination.
A top graduate from Siuslaw High, he went on to Caltech, earning a bachelor’s degree in applied physics. He attended graduate school and there he felt his vocation being clarified. At the same time, this scientist wrestled with turning over his will so completely.
"I wanted to choose my own religion rather than accepting the Catholic one as a coherent whole," he says, aware that many people today pick and choose within a body of faith. "In a way, choice had become a God for me, as it has to so many in our society."
Through study of church history and theology and deepening prayer life, he discerned that his own intellect and judgment alone could not fulfill his deepest yearnings. He decided to trust Jesus and the Church fully.
"It was through submission of my power of choice in matters of faith, that I came to know Jesus Christ in a much deeper way," he says.
The last part of his faith to fall into place was an acceptance of Mary. That spiritual movement allowed him to love Jesus more, he explains.
"It was Mary who brought me to finally accept my vocation, and it has been her who has sustained me in this life," he says.
He chose the Dominicans for their emphasis on doctrinal preaching and study, as well as their strong community life with "a streak of monasticism."
He studied philosophy and theology in Berkeley, Calif. and also served at the University of Arizona Newman Center.
“Mary has been idolized so much by the Catholics that, rather than “favored”, she now conducts operations on the earth, works in men’s hearts, and performs spiritual duties like the Spirit of God. Sounds blasphemous.”
Dutchboy wrote that - I was responding to it. Martin Luther, Zwingli, Wesley, Bullinger, Calvin all revered/honored the Blessed Mother. I just wanted to know when the Protestants dropped the Tradition of honoring Mary.
“Part of me DESPERATELY wants to hit reply to some of these posts - but the better part now understands the futility of it.”
Press a button and jump in...:)
There’s a new movement among many Protestants to bring back their old tradition of honoring the Blessed Mother which Martin Luther et al held.
Oh no, you are very wrong. I RENOUNCE my catholicity.
Yeah, yeah, I drank all that Koolaid too
reference please, and maybe "protestants", but not born-again Christians.
I stand by my statement that if God meant us to know, he would have told us.
But let’s also acknowledge that we of The Apostolic Church can also learn a lot from the Evangelicals.
I’m not a guy. And that’s a preposterous statement.
OK, that's a new one on me. I can't believe you believe that. I mean it's all romantic and all, but really...
It's like the "St Veronica" story!
Protestants are all those who Protest against The One True Holy Apostolic Church, the Church founded by Christ and populated with Christians.
yes, we Christians are in The Church.
Oh that's ridiculous. It means about as much as when I became sworn blood sisters at age 11 with two girls whose names I can't remember. And at least I willlingly participated in that.
I never said Catholics were not Christian
I don’t consider myself a protestant, although I know to a Catholic the distinction is not clear.
Although I do protest against the church of Rome.
I seem to remember from Apologetics Class that it is possible to excommunicate oneself without being formally excised from the Church by the Hierarchy. Did that change? I don't recall hearing about it.
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