Returning to the Faith

[Dakota_Roberts]

I’ve decided to return to the faith from wandering in apathy. I though since I’m coming back I might as well go traditional, are there any resources on how to be a traditional Catholic?

Probably starting with how to do a proper confession, it’s uh been a couple years

 

[Trishie]

Well that’s wonderful, Dakota! Welcome back.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is possibly a good place to start understanding the Faith better. It’s available in full online.

Regarding Catholic understanding of Confession:

vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s2c2a4.htm

 

[mexilad]

Catholicism For Dunnies was very helpful for me. It is written by Fathers Trujillio and Brighenti. Welcome home.

 

[JRKH]

I’ve decided to return to the faith from wandering in apathy. I though since I’m coming back I might as well go traditional, are there any resources on how to be a traditional Catholic?

Probably starting with how to do a proper confession, it’s uh been a couple years

To do a proper confession simply walk in and start by saying, “Bless me father for I have sinned. It’s been a couple years since my last confession.” Then begin confessing your sins, the sin and how many occurrances (to the best of your recollection)
Of course before going in, you want to do a good examination of conscience. The most common form for this is to use the ten commandments. However, when I returned to the Church (after 30 years) I chose a different way.
Because of how long I had been away and the fact that there was no way I could enumerate my sins, I chose to use the list of “The Seven Deadly Sins” and examine my life based on how I had allowed these faults to lead me astray. I reasoned that, no matter how many times I had unrepentedly committed a specific act, they all fell under a single grand commision of one of the deadly sin.
As I reviewed my life I saw how one sin led to another I wrote this down and eventually went to confession with this short “thesis” on my many years of sin. Aterwards i destroyed the paper.
You may or may not shoose this way, it depends on your personal situation.

One last thought is that, if you feel it will take some time, you might call the parish office and set an appointment with the priest.

Welcome home

Peace
James

 

[JRKH]

I’ve decided to return to the faith from wandering in apathy. I though since I’m coming back I might as well go traditional, are there any resources on how to be a traditional Catholic?

Probably starting with how to do a proper confession, it’s uh been a couple years

One other thought. You say that you wish to become a “Traditional Catholic”. Does this mean you are seeking an EF (Tridentine Latin) mass?
If so there appears to be one at St. Louis Bertrand Chapel, 651 Sonoma Blvd. in Vallejo.

As far as, “how to be a traditional Catholic”, simply commit to standing in full communion with the Holy Father and the Magisterium. Study the Catechism and Live a Holy life. Attend only those parishes that are in full communion with Rome and do not abuse either the liturgy or the teachings of the Church.

To me that is what a “Traditional Catholic” is. It does not matter whether you prefer the OF or EF of the mass.

Peace
James

 

[Indyann]

One other thought. You say that you wish to become a “Traditional Catholic”. Does this mean you are seeking an EF (Tridentine Latin) mass?
If so there appears to be one at St. Louis Bertrand Chapel, 651 Sonoma Blvd. in Vallejo.

As far as, “how to be a traditional Catholic”, simply commit to standing in full communion with the Holy Father and the Magisterium. Study the Catechism and Live a Holy life. Attend only those parishes that are in full communion with Rome and do not abuse either the liturgy or the teachings of the Church.

To me that is what a “Traditional Catholic” is. It does not matter whether you prefer the OF or EF of the mass.

Peace
James

I love your definition of “Traditional” Catholic, James.

It makes no difference which Mass you attend. The EF is not a requirement, in order to be a “traditional Catholic”

.

 

[Adeodatus]

I’ve decided to return to the faith from wandering in apathy. I though since I’m coming back I might as well go traditional, are there any resources on how to be a traditional Catholic?

Probably starting with how to do a proper confession, it’s uh been a couple years

Make sure you find and attend a Mass in the Tridentine form (also called the Extraordinary Form); it is done in Latin and the priest faces our Lord instead of the people. It’s a great blessing!

 

[JRKH]

Make sure you find and attend a Mass in the Tridentine form (also called the Extraordinary Form); it is done in Latin and the priest faces our Lord instead of the people. It’s a great blessing!

While this is certainly true that the Tridentine form or TLM or more correctly the EF is a great blessing and I encourage ALL Catholics to become familiar with it, it is also true that it is not necessary in order to be a “Traditional Catholic”.
A traditional Catholic is one who is loyal to the Magisterium of the Church regardless of the form of mass they prefer.
I will grant though that there is far less inclination for the EF to be abused than the OF.

Peace
James

 

[Adeodatus]

While this is certainly true that the Tridentine form or TLM or more correctly the EF is a great blessing and I encourage ALL Catholics to become familiar with it, it is also true that it is not necessary in order to be a “Traditional Catholic”.
A traditional Catholic is one who is loyal to the Magisterium of the Church regardless of the form of mass they prefer.
I will grant though that there is far less inclination for the EF to be abused than the OF.

Peace
James

All Traditionalists must be conservatives, but not all conservatives are Traditional. “Traditional” means adhering to the Tradition of the Church. In fact, an exaggerated sense of obedience (which is to say, not actual obedience but the excess which misses the mean) can actually work against the Tradition, as when a clergyman promotes an illicit liturgical form and those who style themselves obedient go along with it rather than pushing back.

This happened in a certain campus parish. The priest decided that the congregation should stand during the Consecration. The Liberals stood, since that is part of their programme. Everyone else continued kneeling in reverence to our Lord… except Opus. They were so set upon “obedience” that they forgot to obey the Truth.

That’s why I distinguish Traditionalism from mere conservatism (as good as conservatism generally is).

 

[OraLabora]

I prefer to be considered just… Catholic. Actually, a Benedictine Catholic. Too may “isms” ends up creating division.

 

[JRKH]

All Traditionalists must be conservatives, but not all conservatives are Traditional. “Traditional” means adhering to the Tradition of the Church. In fact, an exaggerated sense of obedience (which is to say, not actual obedience but the excess which misses the mean) can actually work against the Tradition, as when a clergyman promotes an illicit liturgical form and those who style themselves obedient go along with it rather than pushing back.

This happened in a certain campus parish. The priest decided that the congregation should stand during the Consecration. The Liberals stood, since that is part of their programme. Everyone else continued kneeling in reverence to our Lord… except Opus. They were so set upon “obedience” that they forgot to obey the Truth.

That’s why I distinguish Traditionalism from mere conservatism (as good as conservatism generally is).

Good points. That is why I stated that a Traditional Catholic is one who is loyal to the Magisterium of the Church rather than simply obedient to to some local priest, bishop or theologen.

At the other end of the spectrum are those self styled “Traditionalists” who actually deny or defy the authority of the magisterium in light of Vat2. Such defiance at either end of the sepctum (liberal or conservative) is not "Traditional Catholicism.

Peace
James

 

[laszlo]

I love your definition of “Traditional” Catholic, James.

It makes no difference which Mass you attend. The EF is not a requirement, in order to be a “traditional Catholic”

.

I second it. The tradition starts with the submission to the hierarchy. The rite of the Mass is not so important, the submission is.

 

[Dakota_Roberts]

One other thought. You say that you wish to become a “Traditional Catholic”. Does this mean you are seeking an EF (Tridentine Latin) mass?
If so there appears to be one at St. Louis Bertrand Chapel, 651 Sonoma Blvd. in Vallejo.

As far as, “how to be a traditional Catholic”, simply commit to standing in full communion with the Holy Father and the Magisterium. Study the Catechism and Live a Holy life. Attend only those parishes that are in full communion with Rome and do not abuse either the liturgy or the teachings of the Church.

To me that is what a “Traditional Catholic” is. It does not matter whether you prefer the OF or EF of the mass.

Peace
James

Thank you, I know the area around St. Louis Bertrand.

As to traditional Catholic, I thought committing “to standing in full communion with the Holy Father and the Magisterium” was an inherent part of being a Catholic.

Make sure you find and attend a Mass in the Tridentine form (also called the Extraordinary Form); it is done in Latin and the priest faces our Lord instead of the people. It’s a great blessing!

Marvelous! Now, where is the best place to find a guide on understanding the Tridentine form? I seek understanding not blind obedience so I can protect the Faith against those who seek to undermine it (there seem to be far too many)

All Traditionalists must be conservatives, but not all conservatives are Traditional. “Traditional” means adhering to the Tradition of the Church. In fact, an exaggerated sense of obedience (which is to say, not actual obedience but the excess which misses the mean) can actually work against the Tradition, as when a clergyman promotes an illicit liturgical form and those who style themselves obedient go along with it rather than pushing back.

This happened in a certain campus parish. The priest decided that the congregation should stand during the Consecration. The Liberals stood, since that is part of their programme. Everyone else continued kneeling in reverence to our Lord… except Opus. They were so set upon “obedience” that they forgot to obey the Truth.

That’s why I distinguish Traditionalism from mere conservatism (as good as conservatism generally is).

I would assume if there is any rigid obedience it would be to Jesus and his Vicar

Good points. That is why I stated that a Traditional Catholic is one who is loyal to the Magisterium of the Church rather than simply obedient to to some local priest, bishop or theologen.

At the other end of the spectrum are those self styled “Traditionalists” who actually deny or defy the authority of the magisterium in light of Vat2. Such defiance at either end of the sepctum (liberal or conservative) is not "Traditional Catholicism.

Peace
James

How can someone be Catholic and willfully defy the Magisterium?

 

[GKCT]

Welcome back to the faith. I too was away for some time, well, a long time really. I grew up in the Latin Mass, and loved it, merged into the OF and didn’t like it. And left. Now back and attend OF Mass and love it. There is so much participation of the communicants and we can now understand exactly what the priest is doing and saying. And being a lector has made my faith grown. There are some good EF churches around, but unless you are familiar with the Latin language and can actually hear the priest, you can lose a lot. Whether you chose EF or OF, I wish you the best. I have never been so happy since coming home to the church.

Going to confession is a bit terrifying after being away for some time. Call your local parish and ask to make an appointment for a priest to hear confession. They will be more than happy to assist you and welcome you back.

Buy a catechism and read it as well. Also an excellent book that helped me a lot is “The Catholic Way” by then Bishop Wuerle. I think he just became a Cardinal. Check out our Penance and confession site here. We have some excellent examination of conscience websites.

 

[Skeptic92]

Thank you, I know the area around St. Louis Bertrand.

***1) ***As to traditional Catholic, I thought committing “to standing in full communion with the Holy Father and the Magisterium” was an inherent part of being a Catholic.

**2) **Marvelous! Now, where is the best place to find a guide on understanding the Tridentine form? I seek understanding not blind obedience so I can protect the Faith against those who seek to undermine it (there seem to be far too many)

**3) ** I would assume if there is any rigid obedience it would be to Jesus and his Vicar

***4) ***How can someone be Catholic and willfully defy the Magisterium?

I numbered as it’s late here, so going through your post point by point in seperate quotes, is more effort then i can do with at the moment

1. you would be surprised, I consider myself traditional, simply because there are to many people that count themselves as “Catholic” that support abortion, and other things that are taught to be inherently immoral. It’s quite sad really
2. ermm, a pre-VII missel in Latin and English would allow you to follow the Mass relatively easily, youll eventually learn enough Latin, that youll only really look at the Missel for the readings, but it takes time. For your other question (which may have been more of a statement) about learning about the Mass (which of course means by extention the Teachings of the Church) look into good apologetic books (some are advertised here), writings of the great Doctors of the Church (im currently studying Summa Theologicae, in English at the moment, i want to learn to read the Latin, but that’ll take a good while) and books on Catholic Theology aswell as the Catechism of the Catholic Church (available on Vatican.va).
3. Rigid obedience is always to Christ, and the Holy Father, but there are some people that take everything the Priest does to be permissable by the Church, even if a quick look at the GIRM (General Instruction on the Roman Missel) shows what he was doing is illicit, and against what the Church deems acceptable.
4. That is what i always ask about Politicians (sp??), Catholic by name, Liberal by acts, im sure this verse is just right:

[BIBLEDRB]Matthew 7:16-20[/BIBLEDRB]

 

[JRKH]

Thank you, I know the area around St. Louis Bertrand.

As to traditional Catholic, I thought committing “to standing in full communion with the Holy Father and the Magisterium” was an inherent part of being a Catholic.

Well I was trying to be clear because, as you probably know, terms can get twisted. The term “Traditional Catholic” is often used in connection with those who basically reject Vatican II and even some who claim that we currently do not have a valid Pope.
I’m glad to see that you are not among these.

Marvelous! Now, where is the best place to find a guide on understanding the Tridentine form? I seek understanding not blind obedience so I can protect the Faith against those who seek to undermine it (there seem to be far too many)

My bet is that there will be missalettes at the church with the Latin and English side by side. If you 've never been to the EF before, just sit toward the back at first, read along and follow the lead of others. You’ll quickly discover the pace of the mass and feel quite comfortable and even very quickly learn the proper responses in Latin.
You might find this Link helpful in watching how the mass progresses though unfortunately this page only gives the text.
I did discover though that if you go to the Bottom of the linked page there is another link to a Latin English translation as well as an Audio of the Latin. Perhaps not the most convenient arragement but it maight help you gains some familiarity.

I would assume if there is any rigid obedience it would be to Jesus and his Vicar

How can someone be Catholic and willfully defy the Magisterium?

I suppose that some defy the Magisterium and still call themselves Catholic in the same way that some Pharisees corrupted the Laws and traditions and still called themselves Jewish. jesus refered to them as “hypocrites”.

Peace
James

 

[Adeodatus]

Well I was trying to be clear because, as you probably know, terms can get twisted. The term “Traditional Catholic” is often used in connection with those who basically reject Vatican II and even some who claim that we currently do not have a valid Pope.
I’m glad to see that you are not among these.

In Soviet Union, red herring chase you!

Seriously, the vast majority of Traditionalists are people who believe everything the Catholic Church actually teaches, who accept Pope Benedict XVI as Pope and who do just as they are supposed to do. There are very few sedevacantists and others.

Now, the heresy of Modernism is widespread today and Traditionalists famously reject it… but that’s just them being actual Catholics instead of heretics.

There is no more loyal Catholic than a Traditionalist, by definition.

 

[Indyann]

In Soviet Union, red herring chase you!

Seriously, the vast majority of Traditionalists are people who believe everything the Catholic Church actually teaches, who accept Pope Benedict XVI as Pope and who do just as they are supposed to do. There are very few sedevacantists and others.

Now, the heresy of Modernism is widespread today and Traditionalists famously reject it… but that’s just them being actual Catholics instead of heretics.

There is no more loyal Catholic than a Traditionalist, by definition.

Please define “modernism”, as you see it.

There is no such thing as a “Traditionalist”. Show me anything from the Varican about a “Traditionalist”.

 

[Adeodatus]

Please define “modernism”, as you see it.

How can I “define something as I see it”? It is either defined or it is not defined… the relativity of my perspective has no bearing upon the definition.

I maintain it to be suitably defined in the following Papal documents:

papalencyclicals.net/Pius10/p10pasce.htm

papalencyclicals.net/Pius10/p10lamen.htm

papalencyclicals.net/Pius10/p10moath.htm

 

[Indyann]

How can I “define something as I see it”? It is either defined or it is not defined… the relativity of my perspective has no bearing upon the definition.

I maintain it to be suitably defined in the following Papal documents:

papalencyclicals.net/Pius10/p10pasce.htm

papalencyclicals.net/Pius10/p10lamen.htm

papalencyclicals.net/Pius10/p10moath.htm

By “as you see it”, I meant what examples do you see that leads you to call, anyone other than a “Traditionalist” a heretic?

Is the fact that we are allowed to believe in evolution “modernism”?

Is the fact that the Church uses the internet to evangelize, modernism?

the vernacular? Just what do you see as “modernism” in today’s Church?

I only had time to skim the first document you linked, but I did not see where any of it pertained to today’s Catholics. If it did, they would no longer be Catholic. Still waiting for a word from the Church describing “Traditionalists”