RCC and the RCC? I'm confused!

[MarkA16]

So my uncle was ordained a priest recently and I’m very happy for him. He also isn’t a technology nerd so he had troubles working a CD that contained files that are of “religious importance” so I opt to help to see if my laptop was able to read his CD and I just realized that he is part of the Reformed Catholic Church.

Now, I joined this forum in 2006 and it’s been awhile since I’ve come on here. I have always posted coming from a Roman Catholic Church standpoint and my family attends a church where their belief is in Papal Infallibility and no ordination of women, etc. thus Roman Catholic (am I correct?)

Being nosey that I am looking through some of the files, I just learned a few things (recovering from a rotting catholic mind) about the Reformed CC in that it is so much different to what not only I, but most of my family (or so I thought) believed.

I don’t know what to do. I used to be hardcore Catholic, but I at least have retained the important traits such as Love and have always attributed it to my Catholic background. I still consider myself Catholic, but I have not been to Mass in awhile. I’m also a full-time college student and yeah well, we’re not all perfect.

But this thing I can’t really wrap myself around and I didn’t know how much it’s hit me since not being the Catholic apologetic high school kid I used to be around 2006. My gut feeling is to just continue living, not open my mouth when I have nothing good to say, and just pray for the better. What do you guys think? Roman Catholic Church person with a Reformed Catholic Church priest uncle? I doubt anyone else in my family knows except probably the closest ones that he talks to.

Also one of the reasons why I consider myself Catholic still is because I hold very close to my heart the word, “Universal”. I’m not a strict Catholic, but I believe in equality. I’ll receive the Sacraments but would not urge a non-Catholic to do so too. I have mad respect for Protestants and Buddhists, Muslims and Jews. Never have I brought up Catholic/Christian terminology that would even hint to them that I’m Catholic. I avoid the stereotyping and focus on the core teachings of Love. I would assume to continue doing the same towards the Reformed Church and my uncle.

I don’t even know if this is a question anymore. Seems more like a diary entry. Sorry guys. It’s been awhile since I’ve posted on here. And when I do, it’s about this. Have a good day and God bless!!

 

[I_Thirst]

Not sure what your question is either!

Since you consider yourself Catholic, perhaps you could start attending Mass again at a Roman Catholic Church? Catholics go to Mass every Sunday.

 

[MarkA16]

Not sure what your question is either!

Since you consider yourself Catholic, perhaps you could start attending Mass again at a Roman Catholic Church? Catholics go to Mass every Sunday.

I was just stunned when I realized that my uncle is a priest of the Reformed Catholic Church. Also stunned because I thought, throughout my CHILDHOOD, that he was going to be a priest of the Roman Catholic Church! Afterall, that’s how I’ve been brought up and will continue to consider myself as.

I guess my question to you guys is how would you guys deal with it? Because I would assume that he has, or he will start preaching my family with a Reformed Catholic tongue and some of my family wouldn’t even notice.

Come to think of it, I think it bothers me because I remember back when I wanted to be a Catholic apologist that I would be very attentive to how a Muslim talks, a Jew talks, a Protestant talks, etc. and how on many occasions they will use that ONE word that many educated Catholics would catch that a non-educated Catholic wouldn’t, and would only be apparent to the non-Catholic that the non-educated Catholic is about a step closer to believing whatever the religious person believes (get it?). I remember feeling hurt inside, and this was when I was still a teen. I think it bothers me because of how some people could be taken advantage of, and I’m definitely not about that, or at least I don’t want to!

I just hope that my uncle speaks from the heart, not from the church, if that makes sense.
Consider me heartbroken </3 it’s like finding out your loved one has been dead when you thought he has been alive. Sorry couldn’t think of anything else! By no means do I mean that my uncle has died! I just mean that it never was what I thought it has been.

 

[I_Thirst]

I would pray for him and attend Mass every Sunday.

If you want your family to listen to you as a Catholic, act like a Catholic.

 

[Corki]

I was just stunned when I realized that my uncle is a priest of the Reformed Catholic Church. Also stunned because I thought, throughout my CHILDHOOD, that he was going to be a priest of the Roman Catholic Church! Afterall, that’s how I’ve been brought up and will continue to consider myself as.

I guess my question to you guys is how would you guys deal with it? Because I would assume that he has, or he will start preaching my family with a Reformed Catholic tongue and some of my family wouldn’t even notice.

Come to think of it, I think it bothers me because I remember back when I wanted to be a Catholic apologist that I would be very attentive to how a Muslim talks, a Jew talks, a Protestant talks, etc. and how on many occasions they will use that ONE word that many educated Catholics would catch that a non-educated Catholic wouldn’t, and would only be apparent to the non-Catholic that the non-educated Catholic is about a step closer to believing whatever the religious person believes (get it?). I remember feeling hurt inside, and this was when I was still a teen. I think it bothers me because of how some people could be taken advantage of, and I’m definitely not about that, or at least I don’t want to!

I just hope that my uncle speaks from the heart, not from the church, if that makes sense.
Consider me heartbroken </3 it’s like finding out your loved one has been dead when you thought he has been alive. Sorry couldn’t think of anything else! By no means do I mean that my uncle has died! I just mean that it never was what I thought it has been.

I just went to the RCC website. They aren’t Catholic. They claim:

We remain in, and honor, the traditions of the Orthodox Catholic churches and the Old Catholic Church of Utrecht, Netherlands.

I’m not sure how they can be “in” both the Orthodox Church and the Old Catholic Church. I am pretty sure that since they ordain women and allow priests to marry (in addition to ordaining the married) the Orthodox would not agree they are “in”.

You are in a tough spot. He is definately in a position to lead others in your family astray. This may be a good time for you to get back in touch with your apologetics past and be ready to gently and charitably set the record straight when the topics come up.

 

[ANNE_2]

MARKac, the Reformed Catholic Church is a hereitcal and schismatic group. They have zero authority in the Catholic Church.

For the truth of what the Catholic Church teaches, read the “Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition”.

Purchase a CCC (dark green cover) for your Uncle for Christmas, and any other members of your family who may be influenced by him.
Some family members may not take your word over his, so give the info directly from the Magisterium of the Church with the copyright held by the Holy See.
You have the Pope on your side.

 

[Joe_5859]

Are you 100 % certain that your uncle is part of the Reformed Catholic Church? Perhaps there is another explanation for the files you saw on that CD. Did you uncle tell you he is part of this group?

I know it can be disconcerting to learn such things abour people we thought we knew, especially family. The high school and college years were the time when some of this started happening to me as well. Your faith is not dependent on what your uncle may or may not believe. Our faith must be rooted in what is true, in what is actually there.

I like Corki’s advice. Take this as an opportunity to brush up on your apologetics. We are called to always be ready with an answer for the hope that is within us.

 

[patmiron]

=MarkA16;8529081]So my uncle was ordained a priest recently and I’m very happy for him. He also isn’t a technology nerd so he had troubles working a CD that contained files that are of “religious importance” so I opt to help to see if my laptop was able to read his CD and I just realized that he is part of the Reformed Catholic Church.

Now, I joined this forum in 2006 and it’s been awhile since I’ve come on here. I have always posted coming from a Roman Catholic Church standpoint and my family attends a church where their belief is in Papal Infallibility and no ordination of women, etc. thus Roman Catholic (am I correct?)

Being nosey that I am looking through some of the files, I just learned a few things (recovering from a rotting catholic mind) about the Reformed CC in that it is so much different to what not only I, but most of my family (or so I thought) believed.

I don’t know what to do. I used to be hardcore Catholic, but I at least have retained the important traits such as Love and have always attributed it to my Catholic background. I still consider myself Catholic, but I have not been to Mass in awhile. I’m also a full-time college student and yeah well, we’re not all perfect.

Reformed are no more “Catholic” than Lutherns, Baptist or even LDS. The world, eagerally led on by Satan, promotes ones right to choose. But from God’s perspective the selection MUST conform to Gods beliefs and teachings.

Nowhere in the entire bible can one find God permitting belief in more than One God [Him-Triune], or more than ONLY ONE set of faith-beliefs [those that God Himself taught us] or more than One Only religious organization [church].

Yaheh made this clear throughout the Ot and Christ did the same in the NT. The Nt alone has over 100 references to ONLY one God; set of beliefs and church. Todays Catholic Church.

Sadly many THOUSANDS of Protestant denominations, like your uncle have decided that they know more, or they know better. It’s founded on lies, half-truths, lack of understanding, and pride.

God gives ONLY two options. Do it it His way or do it our way. No splitting the responsibility and both will get the natural consequences of there own decisions.

So BE CAREFUL. Learn your faith so that you can live it, explain it and share it. There can only be a single truth to every single issue. Christ has placed these truths to be held, accepeted and believed in His RCC. He guides, protects and warrants Her truths on ALL Faith matters and all Moral issues. [Mt. 16:18-19, Mt. 28:19-20, Jn. 14: 16-17, Jn. 17:15-19, and John 20:19-23].

Be sure to pray for him and your family every day and becareful not to get sucked in. Many of us have driffed in our youth. BUT Heaven, hell and purgatory are REAL. Eternity is forever. So make good decisions. There is ALWYS a price to pay.

Take Up your Cross and Follow Me
Phil.2: 8 “And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross Luke.9 :23 And he said to all, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Mark.8: 34 And he called to him the multitude with his disciples, and said to them, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Luke.9: 23 And he said to all, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

1Pet.4: 13 ” But rejoice in so far as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

1Pet.5: 1, 9 “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world.”

2Tim.4: 5 “As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

Phil.1: 29 “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, “

2Thes.1: 5 “This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be made worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering “

Heb. 2: 10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering.

It’s NOT EASY because it is NOT intended to be.

God Bless you,
Pat

 

[MarkA16]

Are you 100 % certain that your uncle is part of the Reformed Catholic Church? Perhaps there is another explanation for the files you saw on that CD. Did you uncle tell you he is part of this group?

I know it can be disconcerting to learn such things abour people we thought we knew, especially family. The high school and college years were the time when some of this started happening to me as well. Your faith is not dependent on what your uncle may or may not believe. Our faith must be rooted in what is true, in what is actually there.

I like Corki’s advice. Take this as an opportunity to brush up on your apologetics. We are called to always be ready with an answer for the hope that is within us.

I’ll only claim 90% to make room for my uncle’s word. The reason why I believe he is part of the Reformed Catholic Church is because, for one, the CD has the RCC logo on it, and second, the page he first wanted me to print out for him was a directory and there were face pictures with their contact info, my uncle being one of them listed as “Rev. Fr.”, and another was a woman listed as “Rev. Deacon” .

Also there was the ‘Clergy Manual’ and I went straight into it and went to find out what is different than the RCC I knew (Roman Catholic Church). I wasn’t surprised, being the calm person I am, just the “oh I see” type of thing.

Btw, I know that my uncle trusts me with this material and I just respect him a lot… but it was pretty tempting to find the Confirmation Certificate on the CD that I could just print out and put my name on it since I lost mine years ago! (jk)

What I DID try to do when I was about to print out the directory was try to get out of him what he would say about the woman deacon after he educated me on who was who and their “rank” . Basically just trying to steer the convo in my favor but I didn’t get to get it out of him =/

What I’ve done on my part was just think of how to reply to things that would conflict Catholic teaching. I haven’t planned on talking to him directly or specifically unless it comes up unexpectedly or if I felt the situation was right to address it.

Something like same-sex marriage would probably be the only thing I would be open to discuss with him and I won’t be talking from an apparent Catholic viewpoint, it would be coming from me, who understands the Catholic viewpoint and agrees with it, so it would be the same thing anyway I just won’t use typical “Christian language”.

Thanks for the advice Corki. Yeah I do feel like I’m in a tough spot. And to ANNE 2 I still have my CCC from 2006 I’m definitely going to start reading bits of it again to refresh myself.

 

[ANNE_2]

When reading your CCC, be sure to read the footnotes. Those relating to the Bible are very important when dealing with Christian non-Catholics.

The Reformed Catholic Church is NOT Catholic*.
It is *heretical and schismatic.
It does not adhere to the Bible, or our CCC.
They simply do their own thing.

Something to think about - no Protestant Faith or Heretical/Schismatic faith has Apostolic Succession for the ordination of Bishops and Priests. Therefore they are not real Bishops or Priests, even though they may call themselves that.

CCC - " 1576 Since the sacrament of Holy Orders is the sacrament of the apostolic ministry, it is for the bishops as the successors of the apostles to hand on the “gift of the Spirit,” the “apostolic line.”
Validly ordained bishops, i.e., those who are in the line of apostolic succession, validly confer the three degrees of the sacrament of Holy Orders. "

CCC - " 1087 Thus the risen Christ, by giving the Holy Spirit to the apostles, entrusted to them his power of sanctifying: they became sacramental signs of Christ.
By the power of the same Holy Spirit they entrusted this power to their successors. This “apostolic succession” structures the whole liturgical life of the Church and is itself sacramental, handed on by the sacrament of Holy Orders. "

Another thing you can do is ask to see your Uncle’s “Catechism of the Catholic Church”.