I'm against church shopping

[Andy_K]

This thread really hits home for me because I am currently undergoing such a “parish switch.” It started with some mildly disconcerting circumstances I was willing to put up with (homilies that encouraged us to “look within ourselves,” changing the words of the doxology in mass (and occasionally the readings, as well), baptisms where we were told to extend our hands and say “We baptize you”), but it has now escalated to a situation that is simply unacceptable (petitions that ask “that differences in sexual orientation be accepted as gifts,” singing songs like James Marchionda’s “Becoming what we pray” at almost every mass, tearing down posters and info from priests for life supplied by other parishioners, hiring youth ministers that openly promote women’s ordination and say that “confirmation isn’t necessary”). What finally did me in was when the [newly hired] music minister came up to the ambo before mass and said that "mass is not about what we get out of it…(I thought to myself, “fair enough, it’s about the eucharist”, but then he continued)…“it’s about sharing our gifts with the community.”

That finally did it for me. I knew I couldn’t simply ignore it. I had been a member of the parish for all 19 years of my life. I had graduated from the school, received the sacraments, the whole shebang. But where there’s smoke, there’s fire. I’m fortunate that another parish on the other side of town with priests that would never dare to spread heresy in homilies or deliberately undermine the faith. It even started offering a TLM recently! It makes the transition that much easier.

 

[trobinson017]

I can see the point of building a strong community by staying at one parish for a long time. However, I also can see where those who have been at a parish for decades will not tolerate intrusion by newer people even though the new folks may be pointing out problems with parish practices.

We’re fortunate to have 3 parishes close to our home, all with equal driving distances. One of them is the cathedral of the diocese. We initially belonged to that parish but changed to one of the others because it was smaller, had a more reverent feel to it and didn’t squirrel around with the Mass. Well, after 3 years the pastor had a stroke and the associate took over as pastor. This priest can border on the irreverent during his homilies. He also wants to install video screens next to the altar for various reasons (even though there is a very large parish communal building next door). The music has gone from piano and organs to sometimes having a folk band complete with electric bass guitar and drums. Their kind of music makes people dance about, clap their hands, etc. The kind of stuff my family abhors during Mass. We’ve tried to bring these things up at parish meetings but are blown off since we’re pretty new and most people have been there 10-20 years.

The third parish isn’t so bad but it is just difficult to get to albeit not much further distance wise. They don’t follow proper EMHC policy and procedures. Their EMHC’s are dressed in robes, they are part of the entrance/exit procession, they sit on the altar during the Mass, all things forbidden by the GIRM (usccb.org/liturgy/girm/lit4.shtml)). Sometimes the pastor, upon mounting the altar at the start of Mass, will tell a joke (sometimes long-winded) before the Sign of the Cross. Still, not the worst we’ve experienced but I feel we’re still owed a proper Mass from beginning to end. We never registered here so never felt proper to speak to the pastor.

So, we’re back at the cathedral because the Mass times at our registered parish have changed so that the latest we can attend is 9am Sundays. The later Masses are for Spanish people even though that is a terribly small minority in our area. We’ll probably re-register with the cathedral as the Masses are generally much more reverent than the others now, though still not 100% in line with what the GIRM dictates. Close enough I guess, but it stinks that people who want a Mass that follows the rubrics as defined in the GIRM cannot get it without a fight. That to me is incredibly anti-charity, anti-unity, and pro-divisive, more so than switching parishes.

trob

 

[trobinson017]

This thread really hits home for me because I am currently undergoing such a “parish switch.” It started with some mildly disconcerting circumstances I was willing to put up with (homilies that encouraged us to “look within ourselves,” changing the words of the doxology in mass (and occasionally the readings, as well), baptisms where we were told to extend our hands and say “We baptize you”), but it has now escalated to a situation that is simply unacceptable (petitions that ask “that differences in sexual orientation be accepted as gifts,” singing songs like James Marchionda’s “Becoming what we pray” at almost every mass, tearing down posters and info from priests for life supplied by other parishioners, hiring youth ministers that openly promote women’s ordination and say that “confirmation isn’t necessary”). What finally did me in was when the [newly hired] music minister came up to the ambo before mass and said that "mass is not about what we get out of it…(I thought to myself, “fair enough, it’s about the eucharist”, but then he continued)…“it’s about sharing our gifts with the community.”

That finally did it for me. I knew I couldn’t simply ignore it. I had been a member of the parish for all 19 years of my life. I had graduated from the school, received the sacraments, the whole shebang. But where there’s smoke, there’s fire. I’m fortunate that another parish on the other side of town with priests that would never dare to spread heresy in homilies or deliberately undermine the faith. It even started offering a TLM recently! It makes the transition that much easier.

My heart goes out to you, brother! And to all those who have watched their home parishes crumble under the incessant pounding of progressiveness and modern relativism. Maybe all this is a part of the great apostasy in Revelations? I will pray for your previous parish to return to legitimate liturgical practices along with the hearts of those promulgating such corruption.

trob

 

[CatholicCajun]

This is a difficult subject. I used to not understand why some people choose not to go to the church they were “supposed” to go to, i.e., the closest church parish to them, until we had to make the painful decision to change parish, sometimes you just have to do what is best for your spiritual life, we are very happy at our new parish and plan to stay there until “death do us part”.

 

[Jimsdun]

This is a difficult subject. I used to not understand why some people choose not to go to the church they were “supposed” to go to, i.e., the closest church parish to them, until we had to make the painful decision to change parish, sometimes you just have to do what is best for your spiritual life, we are very happy at our new parish and plan to stay there until “death do us part”.

There are several good reasons.

1. The language barrier. Suppose you’re a recent immigrant from a Spanish speaking country who hasn’t mastered the English language. Your nearest parish is English only, but there is another parish further out that offers a mass in your native language.
2. If you prefer the Tridentine Mass, and your local parish does not offer the Tridentine Mass.
3. There is liturgical abuse at your local parish, and you must travel in order to attend a licit mass.

 

[CatholicCajun]

Hi Jim. Thanks for the response. Like I said in my post I USED to not understand until I went through it myself, now I am more understanding of people’s reasons. God Bless.