Often, I wish I was Byzantine. The liturgy is so beautiful, the icons make me want to touch Heaven, and the order and administration of the sacraments is so logical.
Here is what happened to me. The nuns, who were trained in philosophy and theology, were able to explain in more detail and answer questions. The information was memorized and drummed into my thick head. Now when I need it, it seems to pop back out and it is useful in resolving questions that I have or others. But I learned the lessons in the 50s from very qualified teachers.
The reason I know about the situation, is the priest who told his parishoners confession was unnecessary died. I met this priests once or twice. He seemed like a nice man. A good friend of mine was the parish priest there after this first priest died. He inherited this situation and told me he did not know what to do to convince a parish that had no confessions for 25 years that this was wrong. The parishoners there would not go, because the practice was abandoned by the former priest who told them confession was something from the old pre Vatican II Church… My friend had to undo the mess.
There is nothing stopping you if that form of worship suits you better. .
Yes, I know - it’s “disobedience” when you don’t follow the discipline of the Church; not “heresy.” I never said she was a heretic for not following it. I said, if the teacher who is teaching the class is a heretic, she needs to tell the Bishop about it. Not just go ahead and disobey the Church, without telling anybody why.
I can agree with the second part but must clarify disobedience. It is not disobedience to disagree with a discipline of the Church and to say as much. It only becomes disobedience when one chooses not to follow the discipline and/or encourages others to do so.
Oh, shock me, please. I need to gain the most clear understanding as I can about as much as I can.
After the Bishop you could contact the Nuncio (sort of an Ambassador), or a number of Congregations in Rome: for Bishops, of Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, of the Doctrine of the Faith. Action would probably be taken, and relatively quickly (that is, months not decades). The Archdiocese, however, would not be able to intervene, as it is largely a ‘figure of unity’ (unless their is an unexpected vacancy like in Scranton, PA).
Thank you.
That reminds me of the conversation I had in 2003 with my dad’s parish priest. He asked me if General Absolution had been discontinued in the parish where I was residing. I said yes, that had happened about 18 months earlier (we had been having General Absolution for about 10 years at that point).
And they were all shocked and amazed, I bet, because he had always seemed like such a nice man.
God looks at the heart. We have to be careful not to be like the pharisees who swallow camels and choke on gnats. I am bound by the sacramental economy. God is not. If you read the catechism it says in order to be saved we must worship God in faith, hope and love. We all want to know we are on the right path and there is sacramental grace that puts us and keeps us on the right path. But God’s long arm can reach down and touch any heart in any circumstances and love will flourish in it.
Actually, for liturgical abuse, it is not the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that you make your complaint; that is the purview of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.If these things are true and you can prove them, then you have a case to present before the CDF, and you should do so sooner rather than later. The Pope actually does listen to these cases, and Bishops actually do get removed and defrocked, from time to time. It’s worth a shot.
The fact that she felt the need to sue gives me hope that your Diocese hasn’t lost all of its marbles.
You do not go to the Nuncio. Redemptionis Sacramentum does not include him as part of the chain of command.
Thus, if the Bishop does nothing, then you go to the appropriate Congregation within the Apostolic See. I know because we are working with the CDWDS on a matter in our diocese.
The Nuncio is the representative of the Holy See in virtually all matters within the territory to which he is assigned. He is, therefore, competent in virtually any issue involving a bishop (yes he would be passing things along to the various congregations, but if you aren’t sure who to send the information to, this is where you would start). The heretical reasoning behind the Sacramental neglect would indeed make contacting the CDF an option. The fact that the bishop condones it makes it arguably a case for the Congregation of Bishops (no penalty on a bishop would be imposed without their consultation, and that of the CDF, in any event).
With all due respect, CDNowak, unless you have personally dealt with a situation involving a bishop, your mode is wrong. While the Apostolic Nuncio is the representative of the Holy See, he is not necessarily the go-to person for problems like this. My father has had an on-going problem with both his former pastor and the bishop regarding the matter of sacramental care to the elderly (including confession). When the bishop failed to acknowledge the certified letter, we wrote to the CDWDS and followed up with a phone call. Contacting the Nuncio merely sent us back to the bishop, which did not help any.
Thanks for the correction - I’m sure that’s what I meant to say.
I agree completely.
Isn’t it great?
I use the Compendium in my teaching, because it’s so concise and easy to understand, for people of any age. 
Yes, it does. I should have phrased it we ought to be able to contact the Nuncio (given his job description) when things break down. We still can, but you are right, generally we will not get a positive (or effective response).