Making the switch

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My husband and I made a final decision today. We are leaving our Novus Ordo parish, the one where we went through RCIA and acceptance into the church. We will be joining the FSSP parish. It’s a longer drive to get there, and it doesn’t have a parish school, but more and more we find ourselves feeling at home there. I feel as if I am finally a part of the authentic Catholic Church of the centuries.

The decision has been agonizing because our original parish has been good, but we recently were assigned a new priest who has turned it upside down. We were torn between the Ordinary Form and the Extraordinary Form, and the two parishes, to begin with, but the silliness and the heterodoxy introduced by the new pastor, all in the name of inclusiveness, was just too much for us.

Please pray for us, that we have a smooth transition (especially our young son), and also pray for the pastor of our old church. I fear he will drive souls away from the Church entirely.
 
Deo gratias. 🙂 I pray you experience and appreciate the full spiritual fruit of such a change. 🙂

It is not trudging over weary miles in the mud to get to the parish church, but it is a good sacrifice! And well worth it in the next life as well as this. 🙂
 
I’m sure you and your family will be very happy with your new parish. I’ve never met an FSSP priest who was anything short of outstanding.

Mother Mary, help this family in their journey. Amen.
 
My husband and I made a final decision today. We are leaving our Novus Ordo parish, the one where we went through RCIA and acceptance into the church. We will be joining the FSSP parish. It’s a longer drive to get there, and it doesn’t have a parish school, but more and more we find ourselves feeling at home there. I feel as if I am finally a part of the authentic Catholic Church of the centuries.

The decision has been agonizing because our original parish has been good, but we recently were assigned a new priest who has turned it upside down. We were torn between the Ordinary Form and the Extraordinary Form, and the two parishes, to begin with, but the silliness and the heterodoxy introduced by the new pastor, all in the name of inclusiveness, was just too much for us.

Please pray for us, that we have a smooth transition (especially our young son), and also pray for the pastor of our old church. I fear he will drive souls away from the Church entirely.
Anytime I see someone leave their home parish where they were once happy I always feel a bit sad for a number of reasons. First, once they leave in most cases the parish will be just a touch worse-off without them. From my viewpoint leaving a parish when things get difficult is one of the main (although not primary) reasons so many parishes are suffering today.

Second; I think leaving lays a very destructive foundation for dealing with problems. Problems at your parish? Just move-on like our separated brothers and sisters in Christ. Each move gets a little bit easier (often ending in effectively leaving the Church altogether) and the people moving seem to pick up an assortment of scars a long the way which they bring to their new spiritual homes.

Third; while we must be spiritually nourished (and if one is not then one must go elsewhere) we only really grow as Catholic Christians during difficult times. Suffering (yes, even the sort of suffering you are going through) is part of the Catholic Christian experience. God could eradicate all the silliness in all of His Catholics parishes instantaneously if He wanted too and so far He has not. There is a reason for that as well.

Fourth; I think people leave prematurely. Your current pastor isn’t going to be there forever. If your former parish gets a great new pastor in time, are you going to change again? We often read or hear about people moving between parishes and I’m convinced that most people who move, talk or write about their experiences as sort of a way to reassure themselves that they did the right thing when in reality they have some nagging doubt that perhaps they should have remained at their spiritual home.

My ancestral home parish had been pretty much so-so from a pastor standpoint for many, many years. The mid 1990’s began a string of three very difficult pastors. Things moved from difficult to tough to downright grim and many left. Hanging in there taught me a lot. Very much a tempering of my faith making it far, far stronger then it would be today had I decided to just leave. I think it taught a lot of others as well.

It also allowed some of us to gain enough influence to ensure (at least with the current bishop) that we never have to endure that sort of shenanigans again. In recent years it seems like that sort of influence is largely held by people with polar opposite views of our own because they had the mettle to hang in there.

For the past few years we have had a wonderful pastor and a some really great parochial vicars. For years I was very abrupt with people who made comments about how blessed we were because I could not see the good from all the bad (I doubt they could either – there were just glad-handing.) Today I find myself making the same comments because we truly are. My biggest regret however are those we lost (most changed parishes and then eventually just floated away altogether) during that very difficult decade.

Good luck.
 
Anytime I see someone leave their home parish where they were once happy I always feel a bit sad for a number of reasons. First, once they leave in most cases the parish will be just a touch worse-off without them. From my viewpoint leaving a parish when things get difficult is one of the main (although not primary) reasons so many parishes are suffering today.

Second; I think leaving lays a very destructive foundation for dealing with problems. Problems at your parish? Just move-on like our separated brothers and sisters in Christ.
Thanks for your concern, but no thanks to comparing us to Protestants, considering that we are both former protestants who converted looking for a Catholic Church which we thought no longer existed. But we found that it does still exist, and we are changing parishes so that we and our little boy will have access to the traditional mass and the sacraments. I cannot see us changing parishes again because this parish is the only one in the entire archdiocese which offers this precious gift. We also feel that it is extremely important to support Tradition in the church when it is available to us.
 
I, too, am a convert. But I have been to a Luthern service and it soooo closely resembled the NO Mass that I was spooked.

Very soon now I’ll be an EF Catholic (fulltime). The cost of travel is killing me right now but I can’t take much more luke warm, mushy Masses with hand holding and “tweaky” little hymns that came from protestant composers.

If I hear that “clappy Gloria” one more time !!!
 
Thanks for your concern, but no thanks to comparing us to Protestants, considering that we are both former protestants who converted looking for a Catholic Church which we thought no longer existed. But we found that it does still exist, and we are changing parishes so that we and our little boy will have access to the traditional mass and the sacraments. I cannot see us changing parishes again because this parish is the only one in the entire archdiocese which offers this precious gift. We also feel that it is extremely important to support Tradition in the church when it is available to us.
That’s not what you said in your original posting. You were fleeing trouble in your current parish in your original posting. Given that both parishes must offer all 7 sacraments it now seems as if you are leaving because your want to take part in the EF rather than the OF Mass?

If you are speaking of Sacred Tradition when you use the proper “Tradition”, both parishes will have that as well.
 
That’s not what you said in your original posting. You were fleeing trouble in your current parish in your original posting.
No. I said we were leaving our Novus Ordo parish for the FSSP parish and I gave some reasons that could be considered the “last straw”, although I did fail to mention that I was drawn to traditional Catholicism even before my conversion was complete and that we have been splitting our time between parishes the entire time.
Given that both parishes must offer all 7 sacraments it now seems as if you are leaving because your want to take part in the EF rather than the OF Mass?
Not just the mass. Everything. This is a parish run by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. They are in full communion with the Holy See and they are in our archdiocese with the full permission and support of our archbishop. Please see their website to learn about them: fssp.com/press/

I am sorry that you responded without understanding my initial post, but please do realize I have not changed my story. You simply did not know the terminology I was using.
 
I, too, am a convert. But I have been to a Luthern service and it soooo closely resembled the NO Mass that I was spooked.

Very soon now I’ll be an EF Catholic (fulltime). The cost of travel is killing me right now but I can’t take much more luke warm, mushy Masses with hand holding and “tweaky” little hymns that came from protestant composers.
:blessyou:

and good luck! It’s about an hour round-trip for us to get to our new parish, but it is so worth the time, money and effort. We realize that we are blessed to have the FSSP operating a full and thriving parish close by!
 
Good luck on your journey. My family understands what you are going through. We tried many NO churches in our area and were put off by what we found. We started to look at Orthodox churches in our area and stumbled across our local Byzantine Catholic Church. After attending several divine liturgies, we found ourselves drawn in by the awe of the liturgy. Add to that, a very orthodox and wise pastor and we were in. We ended up going from a church 5 miles from our home to one that is 30 miles away. The drive is well worth it.

Glory to Jesus Christ!
 
I, too, am a convert. But I have been to a Luthern service and it soooo closely resembled the NO Mass that I was spooked.

Very soon now I’ll be an EF Catholic (fulltime). The cost of travel is killing me right now but I can’t take much more luke warm, mushy Masses with hand holding and “tweaky” little hymns that came from protestant composers.

If I hear that “clappy Gloria” one more time !!!
Why?

There is no shortage of non-Catholic groups of all sizes (who certainly claim to be Catholic) whose praise services look a GREAT deal like the Extraordinary Mass.

Do those make you feel “spooked” as well? :rolleyes:
 
No. I said we were leaving our Novus Ordo parish for the FSSP parish and I gave some reasons that could be considered the “last straw”, although I did fail to mention that I was drawn to traditional Catholicism even before my conversion was complete and that we have been splitting our time between parishes the entire time.

Not just the mass. Everything. This is a parish run by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. They are in full communion with the Holy See and they are in our archdiocese with the full permission and support of our archbishop. Please see their website to learn about them: fssp.com/press/

I am sorry that you responded without understanding my initial post, but please do realize I have not changed my story. You simply did not know the terminology I was using.
I understood your initial post quite well. I also know a great deal about the FSSP – I attend their Masses when I am traveling.

And so you know, the Holy See has never mentioned what you term a “Novus Ordo parish.” :rolleyes:
 
OK, Silverburg. I am not going to argue with you. My family is switching to an FSSP parish. It is a done deal; we’ve mailed our registration form, and we are very happy about it. I would appreciate your prayers.
 
I, too, am a convert. But I have been to a Luthern service and it soooo closely resembled the NO Mass that I was spooked.
Did you know that several years after the Pauline Missal was promulgated the Lutheran and Episcopalian churches revised their liturgies? Do you know what they used as the basis of their revisions? The Pauline Missal. Therefore, the similarities that you noticed are based on the fact that the protestants copied the Church, not the Church copying the protestants.
 
Did you know that several years after the Pauline Missal was promulgated the Lutheran and Episcopalian churches revised their liturgies? Do you know what they used as the basis of their revisions? The Pauline Missal. Therefore, the similarities that you noticed are based on the fact that the protestants copied the Church, not the Church copying the protestants.
Indeed. Going a little further I know a few local “non-denominational” non-liturgical “churches” that make use of the Latin Rite Lectionary.

The Pauline Mass is a gorgeous liturgy that easily holds its own against the Tridentine Mass or the Eastern Divine Liturgies. The three are just different. One is not “better” than the other (that’s absurd to even suggest) but one or the other might certainly nourish a given individual better than the other two.
 
Indeed. Going a little further I know a few local “non-denominational” non-liturgical “churches” that make use of the Latin Rite Lectionary.

The Pauline Mass is a gorgeous liturgy that easily holds its own against the Tridentine Mass or the Eastern Divine Liturgies. The three are just different. One is not “better” than the other (that’s absurd to even suggest) but one or the other might certainly nourish a given individual better than the other two.
Indeed. That is the case with me, my husband and many other “individuals.” I am delighted that the Catholic Church is such a big tent that can hold so many tastes and differing opinions. I hope you are, as well. 🙂
 
No. I said we were leaving our Novus Ordo parish for the FSSP parish and I gave some reasons that could be considered the “last straw”, although I did fail to mention that I was drawn to traditional Catholicism even before my conversion was complete and that we have been splitting our time between parishes the entire time.

Not just the mass. Everything. This is a parish run by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. They are in full communion with the Holy See and they are in our archdiocese with the full permission and support of our archbishop. Please see their website to learn about them: fssp.com/press/

I am sorry that you responded without understanding my initial post, but please do realize I have not changed my story. You simply did not know the terminology I was using.
You don’t have to apologize to anyone for your choice. In fact, just the other day our pastor told me that. I suppose it’s just habit because for 40 years any mention of the Tridentine Mass was met with “THE look” & the question, “Are you SSPX?” (No, I am not & have never been.) Enjoy your new parish & your commitment to the Mass of 1962, I am. It’s been a year & a half now since I left the parish in which I was baptized, attended elementary school, etc. ETC. I have not ONCE regretted the move.
 
You don’t have to apologize to anyone for your choice. In fact, just the other day our pastor told me that. I suppose it’s just habit because for 40 years any mention of the Tridentine Mass was met with “THE look” & the question, “Are you SSPX?” (No, I am not & have never been.) Enjoy your new parish & your commitment to the Mass of 1962, I am. It’s been a year & a half now since I left the parish in which I was baptized, attended elementary school, etc. ETC. I have not ONCE regretted the move.
:blessyou:

And I love your signature quote. 👍
 
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