Personal Vent About Parish Community

[mystified]

Whatever happened to parishes?
The signs outside the new churches in my area all say, "St. Whozit’s Catholic Community"/I] or the like.
Of course, once inside, it may be necessary to search for the Blessed Sacrament tucked into a corner someplace, and the priests are moving targets as they present animated homilies all over the place.
Yesterday I went to a church for morning Mass. There were three priests present, one of whom presented an actual standing-still homily, but no Mass or even Communion service. Lots of hand-clapping though. I was told that one of the priests would celebrate Mass sometime later in the day. Strange .

 

[BlestOne]

Gosh you guys make me feel much better… my only gripe is with the choir director’s opening greeting for mass… everything else is great… I have addressed this with my pastor so I am praying she chills out. Last time I mentioned the Choir director to the pastor, I told him how upset I was that there were no Marian songs during May, especially on Mothers day…the next week we had some for Memorial weekend masses. I love my pastor, he really listens!

 

[Jared123]

I must admit when I read what some Catholics around the country have to witness or go through I feel very blessed. We have three priest for a town of 3,900 people, a Catholic Elementary school, and High School that have both Nuns and Priest teaching in each. Of course we also have lay people teaching but have a strong presence of Priest and Nuns. Tuition for elementary school is $500 a year and High school is $1,200 a year. There is a discount for each student over three per family. Our Pastor recently moved the Tabernacle front in center behind the alter in the Church so that it is the center, just as Christ should be the center of our life. No one talks before mass, and we all kneel and pray after mass, very few or any leave after receiving communion. We have Acolytes along with Priest distributing communion during mass, no Eucharistic Ministers, or alter girls. Each boy in the elementary school takes turns serving on the alter, and the Jon Bosco society from the High school also usually has one or two high school boys serving mass. It isn’t uncommon to have up to eight boys serving on the alter. Most all of the young boys and men look forward to serving mass and do it with pride. Currently we have one young man in the seminary from our parish that hopefully will be ordained within two years. Currently have two other young men think of joining the seminary next year. I myself moved to this town and diocese in 1997 and was Baptist. When I noticed the strong Catholics in the town living their faith I was drawn to the orthodoxy and holiness. I eventually converted in 2001. If I would have had to witness what many of you have had to witness in your dioceses or parish there is probably no way I would of ever converted. It does seem like there is a resurgence of orthodoxy coming back into the Church, however we have a generation of Catholics and Priest who tend to be liberal. Hopefully this will eventually come around to more parts of the country. I would encourage all of you to stand firm and don’t compromise your beliefs. You will be persecuted by some Catholics and religious, but you will be doing what is right. People are also attracted to orthodoxy and holiness. This is one reason why I think many Catholics leave the faith and join a Protestant Church. Watered down Catholicism doesn’t stand a chance against Evangelicalism.

 

[marci]

This is one reason why I think many Catholics leave the faith and join a Protestant Church. Watered down Catholicism doesn’t stand a chance against Evangelicalism.

I feel exactly the same way. I think that in an effort to keep the pews full, some clergy think that they must modernize, become “cool” to the young, become accepting of “alternative lifestyles”, keep lectures about sin, contraception, abortion, and divorce to a minimum lest they “offend someone”.

The clergy and laity will only do justice to the truth of the church when they stop pandering to those that would see the comeplete dismatling of the faith as we know it.

The church needs missionaries and true evangalists. It needs to preach the truth even if it is offensive to some. By not standing up for tradition and the faith, it does damage to the faithful by making us feel like there is nothing special about being Catholic.

Just my :twocents:

 

[Jared123]

I feel exactly the same way. I think that in an effort to keep the pews full, some clergy think that they must modernize, become “cool” to the young, become accepting of “alternative lifestyles”, keep lectures about sin, contraception, abortion, and divorce to a minimum lest they “offend someone”.

The clergy and laity will only do justice to the truth of the church when they stop pandering to those that would see the comeplete dismatling of the faith as we know it.

The church needs missionaries and true evangalists. It needs to preach the truth even if it is offensive to some. By not standing up for tradition and the faith, it does damage to the faithful by making us feel like there is nothing special about being Catholic.

Just my :twocents:

You are very much correct. Our Priest gives homolies on contraception, abortion, embryonic stem cell research, homosexuality, the need for quality Catholic education for our youth, standing up for the faith, etc. If a Priest tries to please everyone in the parish and truely doesn’t stand up for the truth he will eventually make everyone mad. Then there will be a mass exodus to the Laser Light show and Bagel Bar at the local evangelical Church. People such as yourself and many others are yerning for the truth. They will come in droves if the orthodoxy is allowed within a local Parish.

Unfortuanatly is takes more than just a good Pastor. It all comes down from the top. First you must have a strong Bishop who is willing to stand up to much pressure within his Diocese for doing what is right. Many U.S. Bishops haven’t done this. A week Bishop can kill a diocese very quickly.

 

[Marian_Carroll]

GENERAL REMINDER

For those using the “backquoting” option in their posts please give a look-see to: Forum Rules-Conduct #5. “Do not post lengthy replies (especially replies that consist largely of quotes from an earlier message).” and post accordingly.

Thanks for your help.

 

[setitstraight]

I just don’t understand why it (socializing) has to be part of the mass. Please, any advice on how to approach the angst I have about this would be greatly appriciated. I don’t want to be uncharitable, but I am afraid it is not in my nature to accept the touchy feely lovey doveyness that goes on in mass.

Your not alone. I am a more private person and can pretty much tell you that in our diocese ( Large City) I’ve only been to one Parish where they hold hands during the Our Father, and even that was only on rare occasions and the Priest asked people to do it.

Nor do I enjoy introducing myself to my neighbour prior to Mass. That practice has since stopped at the Parish where it was taking place.

I have never experienced having to hug my neighbour and quite frankly, I think I’d have to hold out my hand for a handshake to get out of the hug…a hand shake is a fine exchange.

I helped someone out in RCIA, and I remember a lot of hugging going on… I’d prefer a handshake.

No one likes the long broadcasts, but I guess its a small price to pay for being fortunate enough to have a Parish in just about every community in my City…including a Cathedral and a Basilica downtown.

I guess another reality is that you can’t please everyone.

 

[Elzee]

I must admit when I read what some Catholics around the country have to witness or go through I feel very blessed. We have three priest for a town of 3,900 people, a Catholic Elementary school, and High School that have both Nuns and Priest teaching in each. Of course we also have lay people teaching but have a strong presence of Priest and Nuns. Tuition for elementary school is $500 a year and High school is $1,200 a year. There is a discount for each student over three per family. Our Pastor recently moved the Tabernacle front in center behind the alter in the Church so that it is the center, just as Christ should be the center of our life. No one talks before mass, and we all kneel and pray after mass, very few or any leave after receiving communion. We have Acolytes along with Priest distributing communion during mass, no Eucharistic Ministers, or alter girls. Each boy in the elementary school takes turns serving on the alter, and the Jon Bosco society from the High school also usually has one or two high school boys serving mass. It isn’t uncommon to have up to eight boys serving on the alter. Most all of the young boys and men look forward to serving mass and do it with pride. Currently we have one young man in the seminary from our parish that hopefully will be ordained within two years. Currently have two other young men think of joining the seminary next year. I myself moved to this town and diocese in 1997 and was Baptist. When I noticed the strong Catholics in the town living their faith I was drawn to the orthodoxy and holiness. I eventually converted in 2001. If I would have had to witness what many of you have had to witness in your dioceses or parish there is probably no way I would of ever converted. It does seem like there is a resurgence of orthodoxy coming back into the Church, however we have a generation of Catholics and Priest who tend to be liberal. Hopefully this will eventually come around to more parts of the country. I would encourage all of you to stand firm and don’t compromise your beliefs. You will be persecuted by some Catholics and religious, but you will be doing what is right. People are also attracted to orthodoxy and holiness. This is one reason why I think many Catholics leave the faith and join a Protestant Church. Watered down Catholicism doesn’t stand a chance against Evangelicalism.

Can’t help but notice you’re from Nebraska…Lincoln Diocese by any chance?

 

[Jared123]

Yes, I am from the Lincoln Diocese how could you tell. Go to the “In the News” section and click under the sub title “Catholic News.” There is a thread talking about the Lincoln Diocese and how Conservative Catholics are coming here. I posted a rather long post describing the Diocese.

 

[blessedtoo]

Unfortuanatly is takes more than just a good Pastor. It all comes down from the top. First you must have a strong Bishop who is willing to stand up to much pressure within his Diocese for doing what is right. Many U.S. Bishops haven’t done this. A week Bishop can kill a diocese very quickly.

Our Archbishop, on the local Catholic radio station, answered a question from a caller about why we are forced in this diocese to stand during Communion rather than kneel. His response was completely in keeping with the whole “community” ethic. He believes that we are not only united to Christ, but with “eachother” and should be celebrating the “community of faith”. He even remarked that since there are Parishes here that do not even have kneelers, we should all follow this practice. Hogwash.

I finally found a wonderful Parish very close to my home. I am moving in a week and now it will be a 30 minute drive from the new place. I would drive 60 minutes if necessary. But even this wonderful Parish with it’s beloved priest has it’s wierdnessess. Father simply HAS to come down into the “audience” (that’s what it feels like!) during the homily. A few times in the last months he has done “pop quizzes” during his homily. And the music, for the most part, is atrocious. But this is a small price to pay in exchange for a beautiful, reverent, no-hand holding, no talking, no-orans, no-altar girls, no scantilly clad ladies, big families Holy Mass.

 

[Sr_Sally]

No you are not wrong to feel this way. Try telling the priest exactly what you have said here. It can’t hurt - at most he’ll think ill of you, but so what. It’s time to tell’em that this garbage has to stop.

As for those who try to put the onus back on you for this continued de-sacralization of Mass such as one of the posts above - They are wrong to continue to promote this sort of stuff.

I beleive you are referring to my post. I don’t think the OP has the responsibility for the “continued de-sacralization of Mass”, but I do strongly believe that we should all be attending Mass in our home parishes and doing all we can to make them places of reverence and community.

That may mean speaking respectfully to the priest about what happens during the Mass. It can also mean volunteering in areas that will help be a correction to the problem rather than just complaining about it.

Yes, we all need to vent sometimes, but often those sessions just become feeding-frenzies which result in folks feeling vindicated in their complaints but without a solution or any plan to better the situation.

 

[netmilsmom]

I beleive you are referring to my post. I don’t think the OP has the responsibility for the “continued de-sacralization of Mass”, but I do strongly believe that we should all be attending Mass in our home parishes and doing all we can to make them places of reverence and community.

That may mean speaking respectfully to the priest about what happens during the Mass. It can also mean volunteering in areas that will help be a correction to the problem rather than just complaining about it.

Yes, we all need to vent sometimes, but often those sessions just become feeding-frenzies which result in folks feeling vindicated in their complaints but without a solution or any plan to better the situation.

Sister, I’ve been there, done that and gotten the t-shirt.
And let me tell you, sometimes you can volunteer, help and join every commitee there is. When the lunatics are running the asylum, there is nothing you can do to stop it. I’m still doing Altar linens in my old “Catholic Community” because they can’t get anyone else to volunteer. I went to the Historically Catholic parish two years ago. Nothing has changed at the “Community” except they are still bleeding parishioners, so there are even less of them.

Want to let everyone in power know how you feel? Move on to a better parish, take your money and volunteer time with you. When we stay in the parishes that are Innovation Central and continue to support their actions, we give them a blessing. Sorry, I refuse to give my cash to the “Community”, I give it to the parish that meets my needs. And if everyone got this attitude, the Historically Catholic parishes would take over.

We’ve been sitting, hoping and waiting for too many years. Time to act.

 

[marci]

We’ve been sitting, hoping and waiting for too many years. Time to act.

 

[Jared123]

This brings up a good question. How long does a person stay in a Parish that has gone off the deep end? I have personally heard of a family that tried for years to turn around a parish but was eventually asked to leave because they were “trouble makers.” They eventually traveled through two towns and 45 miles to get to a completely different diocese.

I personally think if you have a family and your children are subjected to abuse after abuse during the Mass then it is time to get out of Dodge. Find a parish or diocese that will instill traditional Orthodox teaching in your children. If you don’t do this than don’t be surprised when you children grow up and leave the Church. Not that this doesn’t happen at times to people who attend orthodox Parishes, but I believe it is less likely to happen.

 

[Alex2112]

“How long does a person stay in a Parish that has gone off the deep end?”

I go to a Jesuit parish that is attached to the Jesuit universit uthat I attend. I went to Sunday Mass there for several weeks before I decided that I had had enough. It wasn’t the holding hands or the hugs that got to me. It was the fact that our priest asked us to raise our right hands and bless the children going off to Sunday School, the catechumens, the baptized babies, and other people. It just didn’t look right to me. It sent chills up my spine.

Marci, I guess it’s not just you. It’s lots and lots of people.

 

[Jared123]

“How long does a person stay in a Parish that has gone off the deep end?”

I go to a Jesuit parish that is attached to the Jesuit universit uthat I attend. I went to Sunday Mass there for several weeks before I decided that I had had enough. It wasn’t the holding hands or the hugs that got to me. It was the fact that our priest asked us to raise our right hands and bless the children going off to Sunday School, the catechumens, the baptized babies, and other people. It just didn’t look right to me. It sent chills up my spine.

Marci, I guess it’s not just you. It’s lots and lots of people.

Interesting you bring up the Jesuits. There is a thread going on about them right now.

 

[Alex2112]

I attend Gonzaga University. St. Aloysius Gonzaga (aka St. Al’s) is the parish which I attended.

 

[Jared123]

That’s too bad. However the President of Gonzaga Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, S.J. is a very good Jesuit. I assume he is still the President, maybe he has been transfered. He is one of two good Jesuits that I personally know of. I went to a talk a couple of years ago put on by Fr. Benedict Groschel and he stated that there isn’t a Jesuit Unviersity left in the U.S. that teaches orthodox Catholicism. Very sad.

 

[Alex2112]

Fr. Spitzer is still the president of the university. In fact, he has his own show on the local EWTN affiliate in town. Gonzaga is quite conservative compared to other Jesuit schools though.

Still, the parish has that whole raise your right hand thing. I don’t know where it got started. I’m sure that no such thing occurs at Fr. Spitzer’s Masses as well as those of the other priests. It might be just because it’s the 11 o’clock Mass.

 

[Jared123]

I would do some research and see if this is allowed in the GIRM. I kind of doubt it. Then I would approach the priest and ask him why he is doing this, of course be charitable about it. If it truely is a violation of the GIRM let him know.