Indicators of strong Parish

[Margarite]

Lol… Well the Institute of Christ the King is one of the most orthodox groups in the Church, so that seems to defeat that rule.

Too true, I am just saying from personal experience, I have never been to a parish named Christ the King that was not extremely liberal, I am sure they exist, but I have yet to visit one.

What’s wrong with the American Martyrs? They were a group of very holy Jesuit missionaries who endured horrible tortures for the sake of Christ.
Sorry, I was thinking more generally of all American Martyrs, I didn’t know that one particular group of priests were called the “American Martyrs” I guess you learn something everyday:thumbsup: Thanks. I was just looking at the parish by this name in LA, I shouldn’t have labeled the name, I wasn’t being too serious, I thought y’all would take it with a grain of salt, but I guess, I didn’t put enough smiley faces Is that enough? Sorry y’all, you need to lighten up

PS: I mean no disrespect to the names: Holy Spirit, American Martyrs, or Christ the King I love the last two, and am OK with the first (I prefer Holy Ghost). So please stop attacking my picking a few names that I have had very, very bad experiences with. Attack the rest of what I said, but please lay off the names:thumbsup:

 

[ethelzguy]

Too true, I am just saying from personal experience, I have never been to a parish named Christ the King that was not extremely liberal, I am sure they exist, but I have yet to visit one.

What’s wrong with the American Martyrs? They were a group of very holy Jesuit missionaries who endured horrible tortures for the sake of Christ.
Sorry, I was thinking more generally of all American Martyrs, I didn’t know that one particular group of priests were called the “American Martyrs” I guess you learn something everyday:thumbsup: Thanks. I was just looking at the parish by this name in LA, I shouldn’t have labeled the name, I wasn’t being too serious, I thought y’all would take it with a grain of salt, but I guess, I didn’t put enough smiley faces Sorry y’all, you need to lighten up

Every time I see a “Christ the King”…I always wonder, Christ acting as he did on earth, wouldn’t “Christ the Peasant” be more appropriate?

 

[EasterJoy]

Every time I see a “Christ the King”…I always wonder, Christ acting as he did on earth, wouldn’t “Christ the Peasant” be more appropriate?

I think, rather, that Christ defined exactly what God intends a king to be!

 

[NeedImprovement]

I believe that the role of altar boy is an introduction into the life of the priest, since girls can’t be priests, then they also shouldn’t be altar servers.

]

I think you’ve got it right.This was precisely the intention of altar boys, as a friend explained to me…"to be the ‘seedbed’ for the priesthood."

(Speaking of seeds, it is said that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. The American Martyrs were St. Jean Brebeuf, Issac Jogues and Companions. They are called American Martyrs but they came from France. If you wish, there is a nice brief history (looks like about 2 pages - large print) of St. Issac Jogues’ mission and some of the torture he suffered (it’s amazing he still loved these people and wanted to go back to them), than can be read at, wyandot.org/jogues.htm

 

[EasterJoy]

I was trying not to push any particular groups buttons, but if you insist, well, I won’t.
The other day at my parish where we have a hybrid mass (half Latin, half English) there was a man who took off his shoes outside the church. All throughout mass he raised his arms and spoke quietly, but loud enough to distract the people around him. He swayed around and went into a pew that wasn’t his after Holy Communion causing an entire family to have to move. They had walked into the pew and gathered their things, but he did not take the hint. He did not participate in the mass, but was too busy with his own devotions. After mass he went to the holy water font and was throwing it all around him and sort of washing his face with it.
This sort of person is what I am talking about. I am sure that he has a parish where he is normal, and that would be extremely distracting to me. It is much better for me to go to a mass where separatists are not distractions.

You referred to distractions from people who were “a little liberal”. Your discription sounds more like someone with mental or social issues. (Do you think there’s a parish where that is normal? Really?)

In spite of widespread opinions to the contrary, the terms “liberal”, “charismatic”, and “neurotic” are not interchangeable!

 

[Margarite]

I think you’ve got it right.This was precisely the intention of altar boys, as a friend explained to me…"to be the ‘seedbed’ for the priesthood."

(Speaking of seeds, it is said that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. The American Martyrs were St. Jean Brebeuf, Issac Jogues and Companions. They are called American Martyrs but they came from France. If you wish, there is a nice brief history (looks like about 2 pages - large print) of St. Issac Jogues’ mission and some of the torture he suffered (it’s amazing he still loved these people and wanted to go back to them), than can be read at, wyandot.org/jogues.htm

Oh, I have heard of St. Issac Jogues, but I just had never heard of him called one of the “American Martyrs” I would assume that that phrase meant all American martyrs, not just a select group, that is why I was surprised.

 

[Margarite]

You referred to distractions from people who were “a little liberal”. Your description sounds more like someone with mental or social issues. (Do you think there’s a parish where that is normal? Really?)

In spite of widespread opinions to the contrary, the terms “liberal”, “charismatic”, and “neurotic” are not interchangeable!

Well, I have a few friends who do this sort of thing. I didn’t want to point fingures at the Charismatic Movement, but they all (that man included) go to Charismatic Churches, and you forget, I come from Vegas, so weird things happen here that don’t usually happen in other places:yup::hypno:

 

[jmcrae]

Well, I have a few friends who do this sort of thing. I didn’t want to point fingures at the Charismatic Movement, but they all (that man included) go to Charismatic Churches, and you forget, I come from Vegas, so weird things happen here that don’t usually happen in other places:yup::hypno:

I have seen people behave like that, too, but they weren’t Catholic - they were also extremely disoriented and not in their right minds, for various reasons.

 

[NeedImprovement]

I have seen people behave like that, too, but they weren’t Catholic - they were also extremely disoriented and not in their right minds, for various reasons.

These are definitely people who could use St. Dymphna’s intercession.

 

[EasterJoy]

Well, I have a few friends who do this sort of thing. I didn’t want to point fingures at the Charismatic Movement, but they all (that man included) go to Charismatic Churches, and you forget, I come from Vegas, so weird things happen here that don’t usually happen in other places:yup::hypno:

Oh, right…you’re from Las Vegas. I’ve heard some first-hand accounts about Las Vegas, from people who work in emergency medicine. That was about enough for me. A lot of nice people live there, though. There must be something there that makes it worth it.

The mentally unstable and the socially inept seem to gravitate to the extremes. Or maybe the people with those difficulties who keep their mouths shut, keep their fantastic thoughts to themselves, and just quietly hold down their jobs don’t get noticed?

 

[Margarite]

I would say that 85% of the people in Vegas came here for their jobs. About 85% of Vegans hate it here, and we hardly ever go down to the Strip except when relatives or friends visit. There are more Catholics here than any other religion, even Morons. Though, I would say that is partly, or mostly, because of the huge number of illegal immigrants. But we sure have allot of weirdos here, I mean people come to mass in Elvis costumes, I am just glad I haven’t seen a cocktail waitress outfit in mass yet.

It is a city of sin, you can’t drive down a road without disgusting billboards staring you in the face. But we have to live here because of my parent’s jobs. We love Colorado, we loved living there near Denver in the Mountains, we had the best Archbishop, but then we had to move here.

The bishop here is horrible! He allows so much bad stuff to go on. He sends the good priests out to little dying towns in the middle of nowhere and keeps the bad priests here. There are about 2 million people living in Vegas. Many of the Churches serve about 10,000 families, there are at most 2 priests per parish. It is horrible. The priests are overworked, so as soon as they can retire, they do, and in the next ten years we are going to lose 20 priests to retirement, and we are only going to get 4 new ones, if they all complete seminary, though my family knows of one who is probably going to drop out.

It is a horrible situation, especially since each month about 1,000 people move here. We have one “Catholic” high school that is Catholic in name only, in fact it is almost anti-Catholic in practice. It is a hard city for Catholics.

My family attends a mass said by a retired priest. It is a Hybrid mass (half Latin/ half English), it is very nice, but there is only that one at 9:30 each Sunday, and it is half an hour from my house, so sometimes it is hard to get to, and then we have to go to liberal parishes. I am not complaining, I am just saying Vegas is horrible stay away.

Really, there should be no more than 1500 people per priest. That is a good number so that the priest can know everyone, and really pay attention to his parish’s needs.
Did y’all see this article?
catholicherald.co.uk/articles/a0000277.shtml
The pope wants a Latin mass in EVERY parish! Wouldn’t that be nice! At least one sane mass per parish! Well, maybe by the time I am an old lady, that will come to be

Sorry for going on and on.:blush:

 

[EasterJoy]

I would say that 85% of the people in Vegas came here for their jobs. About 85% of Vegans hate it here, and we hardly ever go down to the Strip except when relatives or friends visit. There are more Catholics here than any other religion, even Morons…It is a hard city for Catholics.

The comment that came from one of the paramedics training there was “Las Vegas is a city without a soul.” Someone else commented that the desert wilderness, in ages past a place to retreat into one’s poverty before God, had been made into “a sordid smile on the face of the devil.” It makes my skin crawl to think of it. It may be that priests can only stand the place for so long…your favorite priests, now out in the real desert, may have been granted a transfer by God, for the sake of their souls, and the others may be worn down by having served there for too long.

I hope Las Vegas gets some missionaries to take you on…and let’s keep that bishop of yours in prayer, and every single one of your priests. By your description, they serve at the gates of hell, and need all the help they can get.

PS I assume you meant to type “Mormons”.

 

[majick275]

My journey to Rome has been limited to studies in Scripture, history, and books. I’m now ready to find a Parish that agrees with the Magisterium. I know the traditional answer is just to attend the closest parish, and if I were single I’d probably do just that. But for my family’s sake, I’d like to find a parish that prides itself on its orthodoxy.

What are some external indicators that I can look for?
If I can meet with someone, who should I speak with, and what questions should I ask?

Here are a few external indicators that were suggested to me:

1. Reading material near entrance includes more orthodox magazines (The Catholic Answer, Envoy, This Rock, New Oxford Review, Lay Witness, Our Sunday Visitor, or National Catholic Register) … Resources like Commonweal, National Catholic Reporter, or America may be a bad sign if not balanced by the more orthodox.
2. Eucharistic adoration may be a good sign (but sometimes simply implies the community is immigrant)

Questions to Ask:

1. What do you think of _____? (JPII, BXVI, Scott Hahn, Humanae Vitae, Evangelium Vitae)

What else do you suggest? What are the best indicators of a solid parish? Also, are there any indicators of a rebellious parish?

---

If you have any specific parish recommendations for me, I’m living a few minutes south of San Francisco, CA

i am in san jose. the only parish i have found that is completely in harmony with the magisterium is our lady of peace shrine in santa clara. it is 100% old school ordinary form mass with confession before EVERY mass, few if any EMHC’s (and then it’s a nun) altar BOYS, word for word liturgy no ad libbing, very reverent at every mass, 24x7 adoration, etc. it may be a bit of a drive from the peninsula but no more than 30 minutes and well worth checking out even if it’s just a visit. the shrine is gorgeous and there is an excellent parish library as well as a good gift shop.

 

[Margarite]

PS I assume you meant to type “Mormons”.

:yup:

 

[ethelzguy]

PS I assume you meant to type “Mormons”.

Unless you’re from Claremore, in which case you might be a Claremoron?

 

[Margarite]

The comment that came from one of the paramedics training there was “Las Vegas is a city without a soul.” Someone else commented that the desert wilderness, in ages past a place to retreat into one’s poverty before God, had been made into “a sordid smile on the face of the devil.” It makes my skin crawl to think of it. It may be that priests can only stand the place for so long…your favorite priests, now out in the real desert, may have been granted a transfer by God, for the sake of their souls, and the others may be worn down by having served there for too long.

I hope Las Vegas gets some missionaries to take you on…and let’s keep that bishop of yours in prayer, and every single one of your priests. By your description, they serve at the gates of hell, and need all the help they can get.

It is true, but the specific priest who I was talking about was just starting to turn a school and parish around when the bishop sent him to the middle of nowhere. As soon as he left, the pastor of that parish was publicly exposed for fraud. He had been stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the church. My father had even written to the bishop months in advance, so that the bishop could deal with it before it reached the papers, but no, the bishop did nothing.
Then only a few months later another priest at that same parish was sent to jail after fleeing to AZ. He had beat a woman who was working at the parish.

My dad said that when we left that parish we wiped the dust from our shoes, and it has been cursed ever since

Archbishop Chapute (sp?) in Denver is a great bishop. He is a little irritating to the people because he has taken all the really conservative priests and has made them teachers at the seminary, so the people are left with the more liberal priests, but if a person writes to the Archbishop and tells him of something wrong, or right, he personally responds, and looks into the matter.
It is wonderful! I just can’t wait for all those new priests to leave the seminary. We sure need them. At least they are getting a good education, with some of the best priests around teaching the. The Archbishop even recruited a priest from Rome to teach there.

 

[ryanmac]

i am in san jose. the only parish i have found that is completely in harmony with the magisterium is our lady of peace shrine in santa clara. it is 100% old school ordinary form mass with confession before EVERY mass, few if any EMHC’s (and then it’s a nun) altar BOYS, word for word liturgy no ad libbing, very reverent at every mass, 24x7 adoration, etc. it may be a bit of a drive from the peninsula but no more than 30 minutes and well worth checking out even if it’s just a visit. the shrine is gorgeous and there is an excellent parish library as well as a good gift shop.

Thanks for your help.

Yes, a friend at the Vatican recommended Our Lady of Peace Shrine as well. Specifically to contact Fr Mallo. It’s run by order, The Institute of the Incarnate Word.

St. Dominics in San Francisco is another one on my list. As is Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park. Any more to add to the list?

 

[dprewett]

If at any time the congregation surrounds the altar to ‘co-consecrate’, run, flinging Holy Water over your shoulder.
If you see anyone swaying as they carry bowls of incense, especially if they’re in leotards, run and apply Holy Water liberally over shoulder. Full out Liturgical Dancing requires the calling of your Diocese’s Exorcist.
If the priest advocates “Gay Marriage”, abortion, contraception, or puts heavy emphasis on “The Spirit of Vatican II” and or “One’s personal concsience,” run.

I have never attended a Mass with liturgical Dance. Is this common? I am a 35 year old man with a beer gut. Would I also need a leotard. Is this manditory.

 

[dprewett]

I feel strange in many of the newer style churches. Also my parish has no priests from the U.S. and the pastor is a 75 year old Irishman and I can tell you all of these are good signs.

 

[majick275]

Thanks for your help.

Yes, a friend at the Vatican recommended Our Lady of Peace Shrine as well. Specifically to contact Fr Mallo. It’s run by order, The Institute of the Incarnate Word.

St. Dominics in San Francisco is another one on my list. As is Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park. Any more to add to the list?

Fr. walter mallo is the pastor and in my experience a very dedicated and kind man. IVE provides all of our priests as well as our convent. it is the most traditional church i have attended. i have only been in the bay area since January (moved here from TX) but i was shocked at all of the “hippie masses” i saw as we went to parish after parish looking for one we could go to. we have to drive past 6 other parishes to get to OLOP but it’s worth it.