A new reformation

[carmelite16]

I grew up in the Sixties attending a Polish-Italian parish outside of Scranton, PA. In the Seventies I went off to college, and I, like so many others, swayed away from the Church.
I did not come back to the Church for another 20 plus years.

What I came back to no longer appears to be the Catholic Church I left behind in the Seventies. Was there a consorted effort by both the Church and secular world to Reform the Church in the name of Ecumenism? Or was this transformation the result of Vatican II ?

 

[Tantum_ergo]

Don’t let a few appearances rock you. The core of the Church is still there. Furthermore, I can tell you that even if right now you’re experiencing everything from liturgical dancers to the priest speaking of “Mother God” in your particular parish, it is not going to stay that way.

15 years ago I was in a parish situation which was about as far from the Church I had known as it could be (like you, I grew up in the 60s and went to college in the 70s). I tried to get more involved and to understand, and what I came to understand (mind you, for that particular priest/parish only) was definitely not the understanding I remembered. However, at this time the Internet was starting to get ‘strong’ and I was able to find sites to read about things like Vatican 2, and EWTN, and to keep ‘strong’ in faith. Furthermore, just at the ‘breaking point’, I was able to move to a different state/ parish where the priest gave meaty sermons and great direction. Over the next 10 years, that state got a new bishop who ‘put the smackdown’ on the liturgical crazies and now, the TLM is making a greater appearance, old devotions are ‘popping up’ again, the congregations are increasing, more and more people are showing up for confession, and more and more parishes are (while still ‘communities’) beginning to put an emphasis on "a community in a sacred space (the church) celebrating a sacred liturgy (the Mass) in a sacred manner).

So use your computer wisely. Keep going to your parish and giving a good example (hey, I wear my mantilla), check your bulletin, get to know people, work on some of the ‘projects’ now so that you’ll be able to raise your voice later to ask about having a 40 hours devotion. And while you’re waiting, check out fisheaters and keep up at home on the old devotions. Make yourself a home altar. Get out those Gregorian chant CDs to listen to while you pray. Remember, your faith isn’t limited to 1 hour on Sunday at your local church, it’s 24/7 and if you are stoking your Catholic fires all that time, it’s going to ‘spill over’ into Mass with good effect, if you are patient and diligent.

And God bless!

 

[Adeodatus]

Also, realize that the attempt to replace traditional Catholic piety with polyester-clad folk concert stagemanship is merely an historical movement… and one that is dying. Really, how can it do anything else? It appeals to those who were “tuned in”, the Baby Boomer types (not all of them, of course! there are some good ones) and evidently does not appeal to many others.

Liberal areas have a dearth of vocations; conservative areas are booming. This is just a storm we have to ride out. And thanks to the forward-looking and generous nature of our Pope, we all have the right to hear the Tridentine Latin Mass (and priests all have the right to say it, without needing any permission). Check to see if there’s one in your area. Also remember that if a priest says a private Mass, you can attend if he agrees.

 

[Monica4316]

it seems to me that the liberal movement in the church is slowly fading

 

[malphono]

I grew up in the Sixties attending a Polish-Italian parish outside of Scranton, PA. In the Seventies I went off to college, and I, like so many others, swayed away from the Church.
I did not come back to the Church for another 20 plus years.

What I came back to no longer appears to be the Catholic Church I left behind in the Seventies. Was there a consorted effort by both the Church and secular world to Reform the Church in the name of Ecumenism? Or was this transformation the result of Vatican II ?

It seems to me to be only an indirect result of Vatican II (insofar as they continue to use the (dreaded) mantra “spirit of Vatican II”). My (somewhat educated) view is that it would be the direct result of a concerted effort by certain parties who were “in power” in the Church at the time. Unfortunately, they remained in power far too long. A certain amount of aggiornomento would have been a good thing, and would have been in keeping with the tradition of organic development in the Church. What happened, though, was anything but organic: what we ended up with is over-reaction. A real-life example of throwing the baby out with the bath water.

People can say all they want about the “changes in society” etc in the '60s and '70s, but I see no reason, other than the desire (read: agenda) of a certain very powerful and very vocal group, that such should have, by necessity, infected the Church in the pervasive way that it did. It did not, for example, seem to have much affect on a number of other religious groups, e.g., Orthodox, Baptists, Jews, etc.

Just my :twocents: