Traditionalists relationship to converts/reverts

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Son_of_Niall

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Just curious.
I notice on another site that many traditional Catholics seem to take a dim view of those entering the Church from Protestant denominations. Is this because they did not live through the changes of Vatican 2 and have never experienced a Latin Mass?
Not trying to upset, just trying to understand.
Thanks.
 
Hm. What site? I don’t know of any genuinely and fully Catholic group that officially distances itself from converts. Ask any non-sede trad priest and I don’t think you will get absolutely negative answers. Perhaps some will say that converts have to be cautious and on the lookout in their own special way for any demonic temptations, but certainly I don’t know of any trad groups that don’t like converts.
 
If there are those that hold that view (I’ve not met any) I doubt its because they didn’t live through the changes of Vatican II. Why? The overwhelming majority of traditionalist I know are under 45 so they themselves only have post-VII memories. Also I’d say at least 20-30% of trandionalist I know are converts who found contemporary parishes too loose with the implementation of the liturgy or maybe too lax in adherence to Church teaching.
 
We have to be careful about use of terms like “traditionalist” and “traditional” Catholic.
Every practicing Catholic in union with and obedient to the Pope and bishops should be considered “traditional” as they would adhere to Sacred Tradition, as for instance in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

A small number of people would say they are traditional, but in effect would only be obedient to certain past church leaders or positions on issues. They evaluate recent popes, bishops, or a Council, may agree or disagree with this or that position. They critique, and are not really obedient to, the current pope or bishops. This second group includes people who take many different positions.

Terms like “liberal” and “conservative” are misleading; whether you reject the Magisterium because you think it too liberal or too conservative, in both cases you are rejecting it.

If someone asked me if I am a traditional Catholic, I would say yes, I don’t accept Sola Scriptura, I believe the Bible and Sacred Tradition, I am in union with my bishop and Pope Francis.
 
I, too, have not seen this. Many traditionalists were themselves formerly Protestants, and most are too young to have known the pre-V2 days.
 
Many tradition-minded Catholics are themselves converts, so I am not sure where this is coming from. I am one of them, and so are several of my friends. As noted by someone earlier on a different thread (I told him I was stealing this): As a convert, it was Tradition that enticed me… I wanted to become Catholic, not a Protestant with Sacraments.
 
It’s possible this thread is inspired by a post found on another message board which stated that employees at CAF use Protestant techniques in communicating their teaching due to being former Protestants, and say that CAF’s methodologies are Protestant based. Using users here to their own ends, that sort of things. From an outsider’s perspective, it would paint traditionalists as being negative towards converts from Protestantism.

“As a convert, it was Tradition that enticed me… I wanted to become Catholic, not a Protestant with Sacraments.”

A great quote, but someone how I think that he (and you) are referring to tradition and not Tradition. “Neo-Cats” embrace Tradition, which would mean that that quote is applicable to several people, staff at CAF included.
 
jwinch2 said:
Many tradition-minded Catholics are themselves converts, so I am not sure where this is coming from. I am one of them, and so are several of my friends. As noted by someone earlier on a different thread (I told him I was stealing this): As a convert, it was Tradition that enticed me… I wanted to become Catholic,* not a Protestant with Sacraments.***
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Do you realize how insulting that is to many life long Catholics. After 40+ plus years of sticking with the faith and being insulted as a "Mary worshiper " and praying to statues, to now have someone who may have hurled the same insults or go to church with someone who did, suggest that some of us aren’t catholic enough. You might want to think about giving you friend his line back. I know you might not have meant it that way but you might want to think about it a bit.
 
I’m a revert myself, and have a strong attachment to the EF. I never experienced a it until late 2007, and didn’t even know about Latin as the language of the Church until 2002. Growing up, I never heard of Gregorian Chant, ad orientem, or even the Mass being the Sacrifice of Calvary made present. From the impression I got from my “religious educators”, the Church seemed to have sprung into being fully-formed in 1970. Thank you, Papa Benedict, for Summorum Pontificum. And I thank God that I never ventured into the world of “radical traditionalists” where the SSPX is only the nearest edge - given the deficiencies of my early catechesis, that road looked quite tempting for someone searching for solid Catholic teaching but not sure what that really was.
 
AndyP2010 said:
Do you realize how insulting that is to many life long Catholics. After 40+ plus years of sticking with the faith and being insulted as a "Mary worshiper " and praying to statues, to now have someone who may have hurled the same insults or go to church with someone who did, suggest that some of us aren’t catholic enough. You might want to think about giving you friend his line back. I know you might not have meant it that way but you might want to think about it a bit.
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I don’t see how it is insulting at all for a convert to state that when he looked at coming into the Church he wanted everything the Church had to offer, and was willing to embrace all of Catholic Tradition to do so. I don’t see anything in that statement that even remotely says anything about cradle Catholics. This thread was started with the implication that traditional Catholics don’t like converts. That is the context in which I shared the quote.

Perhaps it is you who might wish to think about it a bit.
 
jwinch2 said:
Many tradition-minded Catholics are themselves converts, so I am not sure where this is coming from. I am one of them, and so are several of my friends. As noted by someone earlier on a different thread (I told him I was stealing this): As a convert, it was Tradition that enticed me… I wanted to become Catholic, not a Protestant with Sacraments.
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I, too, am a convert from Evangelical Protestantism and would probably be classified as a “traditional” Catholic. Personally, I like your quote, and don’t see why people are so offended by it.

As to the post that Melchior is talking about from that “other” site, I found that particular poster’s reasoning to be sound regarding things over here. Ultimately, in order to keep a site/organization up and running, it needs funds. It makes sense that they would appeal to those that will bring in the most, even if it means ostricizing some of those who already adhere to the faith, like us “traditionalists”. One needs only to look at the views of those who have been banned to see there is some truth behind it.
 
jwinch2 said:
I don’t see how it is insulting at all for a convert to state that when he looked at coming into the Church he wanted everything the Church had to offer, and was willing to embrace all of Catholic Tradition to do so. I don’t see anything in that statement that even remotely says anything about cradle Catholics. This thread was started with the implication that traditional Catholics don’t like converts. That is the context in which I shared the quote.

Perhaps it is you who might wish to think about it a bit.
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and who would you define is a Protestant with Sacraments? What kind of Catholic is that?
 
AndyP2010 said:
and who would you define is a Protestant with Sacraments? What kind of Catholic is that?
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Probably someone who converts but does not buy into all of Sacred Tradition, the authority of the Church, or even the many important “small t” traditions. I suppose the context could be used with any Catholic who was in that situation, but it was used originally in the context of someone who converted to the Church.
 
jwinch2 said:
Originally Posted by AndyP2010:
and who would you define is a Protestant with Sacraments? What kind of Catholic is that?
Click to expand...
Probably someone who converts but does not buy into all of Sacred Tradition, the authority of the Church, or even the many important “small t” traditions. I suppose the context could be used with any Catholic who was in that situation, but it was used originally in the context of someone who converted to the Church.
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I’d say – it would apply to the converts/cradle – who consider the OF protestant/deficient/not holy enough.
 
Son_of_Niall said:
Just curious.
I notice on another site that many traditional Catholics seem to take a dim view of those entering the Church from Protestant denominations. Is this because they did not live through the changes of Vatican 2 and have never experienced a Latin Mass?
Not trying to upset, just trying to understand.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
I don’t find this in my EF community, in fact, a great number ARE converts ! 🙂
 
I have actually experienced some of this, not directly (I am a convert but not from Protestantism) but indirectly (i.e., having interacted with traditionalists who were wary of Protestants). I think it’s less suspicion than just resentment. The way they see it, the Mass they love was nearly taken from them in order to make it more amenable to Protestants. Come to think of it, there may be some suspicion in there, too, of the “the only reason you’re here is because the Church is pretending to be Protestant” sort. NB, that experience has been relatively rare, and most trads (i.e., regular or exclusive TLM-goers) that I know have not generally shared these sentiments, at least not publicly.
 
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