Posted on 06/15/2018 6:26:10 PM PDT by Mrs. Don-o
Dear fellow catechists,
How do you feel when you read headlines like these?
I'll tell you how I feel. Disoriented.
Am I the only one?
But even stronger than my feeling of disorientation, is my feeling of growing concern that our youth, our students, our RCIA catechumens and candidates --- soon to be new Catholics --- are reading the same headlines I am.
As responsible catechists, we need to talk about this. We need to sort out what is real Catholicism vs. what is manifest error --- even error disguised as "progress," "mercy," and "surprises of the Spirit."
But I also know we have to go beyond "feeling". We need to equip our students with the tools they'll need to confront the perplexities which are sure to arise in the weeks, months, and years ahead.
I am no spring chicken. I have been involved in catechetics-related ministries for almost four decades. I devour Church History. I know the Catholic Church has been through many crises in her long pilgrimage through the ages. As St. Teresa of Avila says, "All times are dangerous times."
In the End, "the Gates of Hell will not prevail." But between now and the End, many hearts can be deceived and many souls can be lost. And according to recent research, for every one Catholic convert, more than six Catholics leave the church.
Friends, that is simply staggering.
We're tempted say, "Everything is normal." Or "Things are going to get back to normal pretty soon. All we need to do is wait." But --- No. We can't just keep our heads down and hope that all this will blow over.
I am calling for a conversation among catechists. We need to think this through, and let each other know what we're thinking. Am I completely off the mark? Then I need you to tell me so. Should we be issuing statements of loyalty to the Truths of the Catholic Faith? Shouldn't we be urging --- imploring --- our priests, Bishop Stika, all the bishops of the United States, to reaffirm the beautiful teachings of the Church in a clear and open and direct way?
I communicate best by e-mail, and I ask you, please, to engage with comments, questions, hopes and fears, and the courage that comes from Jesus Christ Our Lord. Let's help each other serve Him. Can we talk?
I think every one of us needs to do this, or something like it, at the parish, ministry, and diocesan level.
Comments? Questions? Backtalk? I need to hear from you.
**CATHOLIC CAUCUS**
I like it and will print it out and share it with some Catechists and see what their reaction is. God bless.
This is the first I’ve seen something like this. Long past time this is done so bravo to you Mrs. Don-o.
At this point I only say that my prayer is that this endeavor be far more fruitful than even you might imagine it to be.
God bless you and yours.
(Matthew 16:18 - And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.)
Disorienting about nails it. I hope you inspire some thinking and discussion with this...what’s your read of the catechist community?
We’ve sorta given up on the “normal” Catholic world. We can’t afford all this mess, so we stick closely to the FSSP and other Latin Mass communities and pretty much ignore whatever else is going on. This is how we stay sane.
I’m glad you’re out there fighting the fight. :)
I don’t mean to be out of order, but I was wondering what you thought about Traditional Roman Catholicism.
There is a website: traditio.com some here might be interested in.
Mark
I usually steer clear of such conversations, but feel compelled to inform you that the website you mentioned is one best avoided. If the spite for anyone who is not a sedevacantist was not enough to make that point clear at the outset, then you should know that “Father” M.E. Morrison (the only “priests” at the site) was ordained in the Old Catholic Church, who separated from the Catholic Church over 150 years ago over the dogma of papal infallibility.
We are not supposed to mention such things, so if I am out of line, then I ask that this post be withdrawn. But if it is Tradition you seek, it would be far safer to stick with the Fraternity, the Institute, or even the Society (which Francis—like him or not—has given full authority to carry out the Sacraments).
Even where Morrison is perfectly correct (and I am quite familiar with the site; he is correct most of the time), his manifest hatred (along with the playground epithets) is utterly un-Christian, let alone un-Catholic.
Oh, will let you know what the young adults think too!
bkmk
Just saw your “tiny whispering sound” in the title. Ok, here’s the original I know you love:
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Cool and God bless!
It’s either about the Sacraments or it isn’t. Is their efficacity in the lives of those who partake dependent on the good will or sanity of those who administer them?
Freegards
“Or even the Society (which Francis—like him or not—has given full authority to carry out the Sacraments”
I thought that was limited to the “Year of Mercy”. Not that it would stop me from receiving Sacraments at SSPX.
Press articles on Francis’ extension are plentiful.
Not plentiful enough to have apprised the majority of Catholic FReepers, evidently, or I would have received 28 replies correcting me (not that I ever believed SSPX priests were not able to give valid absolutions).
And I believe there was a good reason for not permitting ordinary priests to absolve the grave sin of abortion, and that reason hasn’t changed, and those confessions probably are not valid. Moral of the story: Ignore everything the old coot says.
That's interesting because I have never thought of this site as "sedevacantist". Can you provide proof of this as well as the priest's ordination?
I guess it depends what someone means by "Tradition". If that means just liturgical tradition, then yes you can find Tradition in the indult groups.
Now, if one means "Tradition" as in doctrinal Tradition as well as liturgical where Vatican II is condemned as teaching universal error or heresy, then Catholics will not find Tradition in the indult groups because those groups are not allowed to publicly condemn Vatican II.
Very well thought out and written. You definitely need to share it.
Sample from the article CMRosary linked to:
During the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church was persecuted and the Holy See appointed an apostolic vicar to govern the bishop-less dioceses north of the Rhine and Waal. Protestants occupied most church buildings, and those remaining were confiscated by the government of the Dutch Republic, which favoured the Dutch Reformed Church.[13][not in citation given (See discussion.)]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Catholic_Church
Thank you! Pray for me!
I didn’t link anything and so the Caucus designation should remain.
Otherwise, any and every caucus post could instantly be invalidated by somebody posting a link that so much as mentioned a Protestant denomination. And of course, all of us Christians are constantly making reference to Jews and Jewish Scriptures.
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