Losing my faith, help

[RolandThompsonGunner]

Just keep the conversation friendly. Don’t get into a debate or make accusations. Smile and crack a joke or two if you can. You’ll have much more luck if you don’t come at it in a confrontational way.

Who knows; there may be other people at the parish who silently miss the older aesthetics and would love to have the option of a more traditional Mass.

 

[mugglestruggle]

Why don’t you simply move to an area with a Catholic parish that’s more to your liking, if this is so important to you?

Simply because I can’t. Not for a few years anyways. I also wish I didn’t have to start over somewhere else just because of that.

 

[mugglestruggle]

Who knows; there may be other people at the parish who silently miss the older aesthetics and would love to have the option of a more traditional Mass.

Yes! I don’t know how I could talk to others about it though, as I don’t know them either.

 

[RolandThompsonGunner]

You never know. Maybe your priest would say “hm, well, I’m not going to change how I do it, but my friend Father Bob the next town over does say the mass in Latin at his parish for one of the masses…”

Just saying, you never know until you have the conversation.

 

[mugglestruggle]

You never know. Maybe your priest would say “hm, well, I’m not going to change how I do it, but my friend Father Bob the next town over does say the mass in Latin at his parish for one of the masses…”

Just saying, you never know until you have the conversation.

I really needed the encouragement. Thank you very much!

 

[mugglestruggle]

By the way, guys, if the priest changes the words during the consecration, doesn’t it make it invalid? That’s what I read, anyway. And I’ve seen it done by a local priest (I was watching his live mass). So of course I’m wondering if that would be “still the eucharist” in that case…

 

[AlNg]

Why don’t you simply move to an area with a Catholic parish that’s more to your liking, if this is so important to you?

It is expensive and disruptive to move out of your area. It is not that easy for many people to get up and leave their neighborhood.

I’m losing faith in catholicism because of how irreverent my parish is

Different people have come up with different solutions to this problem.
Some will stay with their parish and hope that things will get better or offer prayers quietly during the liturgy.
Some will move to a different parish, more conservative.
Some will seek out a Catholic church that offers the Latin mass.
Some will attend the SSPX.
Some will attend a Byzantine Catholic Church or another Eastern Catholic Church.
Some will attend a non-Catholic church such as Eastern Orthodox (Greek, Russian, OCA, etc.) or a high Anglican Church.
Some will leave the Church entirely.
These are some of the choices that have been made.

 

[27lw]

It’s not just that it’s just frozen dinner quality. IMO, poor-quality liturgy is more like bubble gum mixed with McDonald’s, followed by a kool-aid chaser. With “easy listening” songs / hymns.
It’s not just indifferent, it’s bad and inappropriate on purpose.

 

[Margaret_Ann]

Where do you live? Is there an Eastern Catholic (Byzantine, Ukrainian) near you?

 

[Greenfields]

Is there any way you could move locations ?
Pre cv I would travel 40 minutes to an hour each way to mass ,
if I can’t do that in the future I will move rather than attend where I feel like crying and things are not right.

Or car pool with someone to travel further away,someone who has the same concerns?

 

[Alexandria2020]

No, unfortunately. They’re all like that

what area is this?

 

[Alexandria2020]

I don’t think attendance is so low due to less than perfect liturgy. Many people never attended church to begin with, some are not even baptized or left after First Communion. We live in a society that preaches exactly the opposite of what the Church teaches. Young people, especially in urban areas want to fit in, not be considered ‘bigots’. Premarital sex, use of artificial birth control, gay marriage, abortion, euthanasia are now considered ‘rights and freedom’ not sinful acts. Most people in high position are not ashamed to say loud ‘I don’t need God’. A reverent Mass is wonderful but is the society that needs a change of perspective. We live in a society that is not Christian any more.

I think it’s definitely a cultural thing.

I’ve attended the ordinary form in India, and I notice it’s more reverential there.

H.E. Oswald Cardinal Gracias - Archbishop of Bombay
26 July 2020 Sunday- Holy Mass - in English of course.

 

[mugglestruggle]

It is expensive and disruptive to move out of your area. It is not that easy for many people to get up and leave their neighborhood.

Amen!

Some will stay with their parish and hope that things will get better or offer prayers quietly during the liturgy.

My only option so far. thank you!

It’s not just that it’s just frozen dinner quality. IMO, poor-quality liturgy is more like bubble gum mixed with McDonald’s, followed by a kool-aid chaser. With “easy listening” songs / hymns.
It’s not just indifferent, it’s bad and inappropriate on purpose.

Exactly. SO hard to tune out.

Where do you live? Is there an Eastern Catholic (Byzantine, Ukrainian) near you?

Rural Quebec, Canada. Nope, there used to be one though (I was baptized at an ukrainian church) but unfortunately it closed years ago.

Is there any way you could move locations ?

In a few years probably, now it’s impossible. Still, I love it here except for the church thing. I’d hate having to move.

 

[Greenfields]

I’ll remember you in prayers

 

[mugglestruggle]

I’ll remember you in prayers

I appreciate it! thank you!

 

[Lost_sheep2]

I’m sorry, I completely understand what you’re going through. My old parish was similar to the one you describe and at one point I was almost at breaking point, wrestling with whether or not to convert to Eastern Orthodoxy (I was confused about the truth because of the intellectual arguments as well as the liturgy) and then I went to Pentecost Mass and it was a ‘children’s Mass’ where literally everything except what can only be done by the priest (reading the Gospel and the consecration pretty much) was done by the kids at the parochial school. Including singing all the (bad) music. It was horrendous and I lost it. I nearly left the Church after that.

But I realised that no matter how bad things are it would only hurt Jesus more to leave His Church. It was so hard but I managed to get through it, and offered it all up to Jesus. I attended silent adoration whenever possible and that helped. I’m not saying it will happen for you certainly but God offered me what seemed like a miracle, a few months later I had to move to another city and it turned out that there was an amazing TLM parish within walking distance of my new house. The old liturgically abusive Novus Ordo Mass soon seemed like a distant memory. Just hold on and pray. That’s the only advice I can give. You never know what’s around the corner.

 

[Lormar]

That’s what I would do, and have had to do in the past, too.

Find yourself a corner in the church if you can and just go kneel down with your prayer book and/or old Missal. If you have earplugs, put them in too. Go up and receive Holy Communion, make a good thanksgiving after Mass (that is if the congregation isn’t standing around talking and laughing and joking right in front of you the way they used to do to me), and go home and watch another Mass.

 

[Lost_sheep2]

The culture thing sometimes differs even within the same country. The city where I live now is by no means super traditional and the culture is not broadly Christian but most Masses that I’ve come across are generally fairly reverent, church architecture is nice and there is way more adoration and daily Mass available. I used to live not that far away in the next city across and it was all hideous modernist architecture, the Masses were basically a stereotype of bad Novus Ordos and daily Mass was really hard to access. Also most of the Catholics there were elderly but here there are more young people. It’s really amazing to me the difference.

 

[Lucy_1]

I am a convert from protestantism. I enjoyed being a protestant much more than I enjoy being a Catholic. It was much more fulfilling, and I felt closer to Jesus. I did not want to convert to Catholicism. I resisted. I lost many friends who do not believe Catholics are Christian. It was difficult because many Catholics are not well catechized and do not put God first I their lives. I joined the Catholic Church because presented with the writings of the early Father’s, I could only conclude that the Catholic Church Jesus established. I joined because I realized that I cannot be the authority on interpreting the Bible.

Of course, my situation is different, but I think the kernel is the same. We must remain Catholic because Jesus has established his Church. Regardless of corruption, offenses, sacrilege. Think of how much these offenses wound Jesus, and yet he does not lose his faith in us.

Perhaps one day you will find a holy church. Do the best you can yo remain faithful until then. This is a cross God has given you, so you can rely more closely on Him.

 

[mugglestruggle]

I went to Pentecost Mass and it was a ‘children’s Mass’ where literally everything except what can only be done by the priest (reading the Gospel and the consecration pretty much) was done by the kids at the parochial school. Including singing all the (bad) music. It was horrendous and I lost it.

Sounds awful. I hope I never walk into one of those lol.

I managed to get through it, and offered it all up to Jesus. I attended silent adoration whenever possible and that helped.

I’ve never been to adoration but it’s an excellent idea!

I’m not saying it will happen for you certainly but God offered me what seemed like a miracle, a few months later I had to move to another city and it turned out that there was an amazing TLM parish within walking distance of my new house. The old liturgically abusive Novus Ordo Mass soon seemed like a distant memory.

I get so jealous when I hear stuff like that! I’m not moving anytime soon so to me it’s like a distant dream, a fantasy. But I’m happy for you! I always pray for a miracle too!