What makes one a "Traditional" Catholic

[workingman]

Ok I have been on the board here at CAF for a while and a Catholic for a couple of years now. So what makes one a “Traditional” Catholic? What makes one a “Non Traditional” Catholic? Just curious.

 

[Dan_Daly]

Read the “you know your a traditional Catholic when…” thread. It’s funny (at least to me) but also contains a lot of real answers along with a lot of humor.

My short answer would be that on CAF and in my real life “traditional” is often used to mean folks who prefer/attend the Extraordinary Form of the Mass- the traditional Latin Mass.

Not saying I agree with the definition, although I do prefer and attend the EF, because we should all be traditional.

What makes you non-traditional? I’d say reject Church teaching would be the biggest thing. Not going to Mass, using contraception, not believing in the True presence, not going to confession for decades, those would be some common examples. Another sign is a belief that new is always better and anything that happened in the Church prior to the 1960s was a bad dream that thankfully we don’t have to deal with anymore.

Pax!

 

[Crumpy]

“traditonal Catholic” is a redundancy. The Catholic Faith is based on tradition – tradition and scripture, under the Christ-given authority of the magisterium of the Church.

If you’re reading encyclicals from the EWTN website (document library) or from the Vatican website, then you’re a traditional catholic.

These are unprecedented resources that Catholics can use to study the richness of their faith.

I will contrast that with the meaning of tradition which is similar to the word habitual, that you like this or that. There have been different rites of worship within the Church since the beginning. That, in its ultimate essence, does not represent a difference in belief, but only in custom or habit.

If you start rejecting teachings wholesale, like rejecting the teaching of the church on contraception, then you are not a practicing Catholic. Which is to say that you’re not a Catholic in the ordinary sense. It is not an option to accept or reject Church teaching.

We’d rather that you accept and “live” the Catholic faith, for the sake of your salvation.

 

[Love_Divine]

What makes you non-traditional? I’d say reject Church teaching would be the biggest thing. Not going to Mass, using contraception, not believing in the True presence, not going to confession for decades, those would be some common examples. Another sign is a belief that new is always better and anything that happened in the Church prior to the 1960s was a bad dream that thankfully we don’t have to deal with anymore.

Pax!

See, and I would call those people protestant.

 

[gubernova]

Catholic is catholic

 

[TrueLight]

Catholic is catholic

Catholic is not Catholic, unless we are going to classify thousands of those who identify as Catholics as – not Catholic.

I think we do a disservice to the OP’s question when we act like as long as you’re Catholic you’re traditional.

From the responses I see here, save one, it is as if no one in real life attributes a certain meaning to the term “Traditional Catholic” or “Trads”.

Like it or not, fair or not, wrong or not, it usually refers to those who celebrate the EF and tend to follow pre-Vatican II practices and disciplines.

I think there is a thread here somewhere on traditional versus orthodox versus conservative.

 

[gubernova]

I posted that “Catholic is Catholic” because I do not want to cause spiritual schism in the Church. Unity is important and needs to be promoted, but I do understand the more technical aspects of the definition.

 

[TrueLight]

I posted that “Catholic is Catholic” because I do not want to cause spiritual schism in the Church. Unity is important and needs to be promoted, but I do understand the more technical aspects of the definition.

I think repentance will bring unity.

But we all need to repent, etc, etc.

 

[JKirkLVNV]

Catholic is not Catholic, unless we are going to classify thousands of those who identify as Catholics as – not Catholic.

I think we do a disservice to the OP’s question when we act like as long as you’re Catholic you’re traditional.

From the responses I see here, save one, it is as if no one in real life attributes a certain meaning to the term “Traditional Catholic” or “Trads”.

Like it or not, it usually refers to those who celebrate the EF AND attempt to keep to pre-Vatican II practices and disciplines.

I think there is a thread here somewhere on traditional versus orthodox versus conservative.

Actually, it’s quite “traditional” to reject the label “traditional” (or any other appendage) to the word “Catholic.” Ad nauseum, from *Beatissimi Apostoloum, *the first encyclical of HH Pope Benedict XV (that "15 for those who might wonder, as frequently happens, that I’ve confused him with the current pope), isued in 1914.

“It is, moreover, Our will that Catholics should abstain from certain appellations which have recently been brought into use to distinguish one group of Catholics from another. They are to be avoided not only as “profane novelties of words,” out of harmony with both truth and justice, but also because they give rise to great trouble and confusion among Catholics. Such is the nature of Catholicism that it does not admit of more or less, but must be held as a whole or as a whole rejected: “This is the Catholic faith, which unless a man believe faithfully and firmly; he cannot be saved” (Athanas. Creed). There is no need of adding any qualifying terms to the profession of Catholicism: it is quite enough for each one to proclaim “Christian is my name and Catholic my surname,” only let him endeavour to be in reality what he calls himself.” Emphasis mine.

 

[TrueLight]

Actually, it’s quite “traditional” to reject the label “traditional” (or any other appendage) to the word “Catholic.” Ad nauseum, from *Beatissimi Apostoloum, *the first encyclical of HH Pope Benedict XV (that "15 for those who might wonder, as frequently happens, that I’ve confused him with the current pope), isued in 1914.

“It is, moreover, Our will that Catholics should abstain from certain appellations which have recently been brought into use to distinguish one group of Catholics from another. They are to be avoided not only as “profane novelties of words,” out of harmony with both truth and justice, but also because they give rise to great trouble and confusion among Catholics. Such is the nature of Catholicism that it does not admit of more or less, but must be held as a whole or as a whole rejected: “This is the Catholic faith, which unless a man believe faithfully and firmly; he cannot be saved” (Athanas. Creed). There is no need of adding any qualifying terms to the profession of Catholicism: it is quite enough for each one to proclaim “Christian is my name and Catholic my surname,” only let him endeavour to be in reality what he calls himself.” Emphasis mine.

Thanks for the link, Jkirk and I know what you’re saying and even agree.

That doesn’t change the fact that it is what it is.

 

[LLMom]

I have never seen this quote. I was just thinking that it isn’t traditional to call oneself a Traditional Catholic. Pre Vatican II, most people just called themselves Catholic. If someone asks you what religion you are would you answer traditional Catholic? I wouldn’t; I assume most people would just say Catholic.

Actually, it’s quite “traditional” to reject the label “traditional” (or any other appendage) to the word “Catholic.” Ad nauseum, from *Beatissimi Apostoloum, *the first encyclical of HH Pope Benedict XV (that "15 for those who might wonder, as frequently happens, that I’ve confused him with the current pope), isued in 1914.

“It is, moreover, Our will that Catholics should abstain from certain appellations which have recently been brought into use to distinguish one group of Catholics from another. They are to be avoided not only as “profane novelties of words,” out of harmony with both truth and justice, but also because they give rise to great trouble and confusion among Catholics. Such is the nature of Catholicism that it does not admit of more or less, but must be held as a whole or as a whole rejected: “This is the Catholic faith, which unless a man believe faithfully and firmly; he cannot be saved” (Athanas. Creed). There is no need of adding any qualifying terms to the profession of Catholicism: it is quite enough for each one to proclaim “Christian is my name and Catholic my surname,” only let him endeavour to be in reality what he calls himself.” Emphasis mine.

 

[JKirkLVNV]

Thanks for the link, Jkirk and I know what you’re saying and even agree.

That doesn’t change the fact that it is what it is.

And it has always been what it has always been. The Holy One warned us that there would be tares among the wheat. At the harvest, He’ll sort it out. I can only pray that I’m not a tare.