C
Catholic4Jesus
Guest
I was raised a Traditionalist Catholic. Growing up, I attended only the Traditional Latin Mass in an independent parish. I received my first “confession” and my first “communion” in that parish. I was taught that the as of 1965 (that is, as of the close of Vatican Council II) that Rome has lost the faith and had betrayed her traditions and changed her own doctrines for the worse. I was taught that the Ordinary Form of the Mass is Lutheran, ecumenical, heretical, and has rubrics condemned by every pope from St. Peter to Pius XII.
I was taught that I was not to follow the council, for it contained content contrary to the “Catholic Doctrine of All-Time.” I was taught that Benedict XVI and these past four popes were/are not in line with their predecessors and are modernist heretics who are not truly promoting Catholic doctrine and are promoting things “dogmatically” condemned by all the pre-Vatican II popes. I was taught the same about many/most of the current diocesan bishops and parish priests around the world. I was taught that the 3rd Secret of Fatima was not fully-revealed and that Bl. John Paul II had not truly consecrated Russia to the Immaculate Heart of our Blessed Mother. I believed what I was taught at heart, but one thing I always asked myself is, “If the Vatican II Council is heretical and these past five popes are heretics and that the church has changed its own teachings over the past 50 years to make them more acceptable to non-Catholics and that we’re not to follow the current Magisterium because of the said ‘heresies,’ doesn’t that mean that Christ failed to keep His promise when He said ‘The Gates of Hell shall not prevail’?”
One day I did some reading on the Second Vatican Council and looked at the documents and compared them to earlier councils of the Church, and boy was I shocked! I came to realize that not only did the VII documents not contradict traditional Catholic teaching, but that they endorsed many of the Church’s earlier practices. Lately, I’ve been doing some down-hard research about the Catholic faith. I also was taught that Pope Paul VI intentionally changed the Mass in 1969 and intended for all the liturgical abuses we see in many churches today because he wanted to take away the true meaning of the Sacrifice of the Mass and make it closer to the Protestants’ “Lord’s Supper” so that it would be “less offensive” to non-Catholic Christians. I was also taught that only those who were baptized into the Catholic church were going to be saved and ALL outsiders “without exception” were going to Hell. I was taught that the doctrine of “Outside the Catholic Church There Is No Salvation” was to be taken 100% literally and that Vatican II changed the salvation dogma and now preaches that everyone in ALL religions can be saved and that salvation “can” be found without Jesus Christ. After my rather long research about the Catholic Church and her “tradition” and after coming upon my conclusions, I felt a little bit like “these traditionalists who taught me everything I know either don’t know their Catholic history too well, or they just flat out lied to me all these years.” Now that I’ve come to know the truth about Vatican II, it’s aftermath, and Catholic tradition; I can no longer accept the extremely “conservative” message of Traditionalism that has been drilled into my head after so many years. But there are a few things that I want to know.
Thank you very much
God bless
I was taught that I was not to follow the council, for it contained content contrary to the “Catholic Doctrine of All-Time.” I was taught that Benedict XVI and these past four popes were/are not in line with their predecessors and are modernist heretics who are not truly promoting Catholic doctrine and are promoting things “dogmatically” condemned by all the pre-Vatican II popes. I was taught the same about many/most of the current diocesan bishops and parish priests around the world. I was taught that the 3rd Secret of Fatima was not fully-revealed and that Bl. John Paul II had not truly consecrated Russia to the Immaculate Heart of our Blessed Mother. I believed what I was taught at heart, but one thing I always asked myself is, “If the Vatican II Council is heretical and these past five popes are heretics and that the church has changed its own teachings over the past 50 years to make them more acceptable to non-Catholics and that we’re not to follow the current Magisterium because of the said ‘heresies,’ doesn’t that mean that Christ failed to keep His promise when He said ‘The Gates of Hell shall not prevail’?”
One day I did some reading on the Second Vatican Council and looked at the documents and compared them to earlier councils of the Church, and boy was I shocked! I came to realize that not only did the VII documents not contradict traditional Catholic teaching, but that they endorsed many of the Church’s earlier practices. Lately, I’ve been doing some down-hard research about the Catholic faith. I also was taught that Pope Paul VI intentionally changed the Mass in 1969 and intended for all the liturgical abuses we see in many churches today because he wanted to take away the true meaning of the Sacrifice of the Mass and make it closer to the Protestants’ “Lord’s Supper” so that it would be “less offensive” to non-Catholic Christians. I was also taught that only those who were baptized into the Catholic church were going to be saved and ALL outsiders “without exception” were going to Hell. I was taught that the doctrine of “Outside the Catholic Church There Is No Salvation” was to be taken 100% literally and that Vatican II changed the salvation dogma and now preaches that everyone in ALL religions can be saved and that salvation “can” be found without Jesus Christ. After my rather long research about the Catholic Church and her “tradition” and after coming upon my conclusions, I felt a little bit like “these traditionalists who taught me everything I know either don’t know their Catholic history too well, or they just flat out lied to me all these years.” Now that I’ve come to know the truth about Vatican II, it’s aftermath, and Catholic tradition; I can no longer accept the extremely “conservative” message of Traditionalism that has been drilled into my head after so many years. But there are a few things that I want to know.
Code:
Since in order to have a valid confession, the priest who administers it must have "jurisdiction" which is what SSPX and independent priests do not have, does that mean that all of my confessions up to this point are invalid and must I go through my "first confession" and "first communion" again?
I am also a little scared to tell my family and my priest about my conversion of heart and leaving Traditionalism behind. I feel that I am going to be ostricized for doing so, what can I do about that?
Also, I am a high school senior who is about to graduate and move away to go to college here in just a few months and am going to look for a new parish (one that is ACTUALLY in communion with Rome) I'm either going to find a Tridentine Mass (FSSP, etc) or a very reverent and conservative Novus Ordo Mass done by a very holy priest. Does anybody here know the steps that I should take in finding a good, decent parish?
And since I'm still living with my mother and she drags me and my siblings to my independent church every Sunday for Mass, should I continue to go or should I find another parish that is in communion with my local diocese? Is it ok for me still to receive the sacraments from my independent priest and may I still follow along in the prayers of the Mass as he celebrates it?
I also want to know what others steps that I should take in my conversion process. Even though I am no longer a Traditionalist, I am still and probably always will be very "Traditional." ;) I'd really appreciate some feedback from you my borthers/sister out there.God bless
I’d really appreciate some feedback from you my borthers/sister out there.