Where is the guidance when you need it?

[Nick003]

We live in a time where the world is in a state of complete and utter moral decay. Those of us that are smart, rely on faith to sustain us while others choose to participate in the game. I rely on my faith; that those of us who are humble will be exalted. But I can’t do it alone.

I’m trying to be a man who travels one path in life, but I find myself at a crossroad. It is one which I take seriously and have been trying to seek out Church guidance. I say trying because I have been unsuccessful.

On two separate occasions, I reached out to St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church on Staten Island. The first time, I left my name and number with the receptionist. The second time, I left my name, number and a detailed message explaining the nature of my need for counsel. They never returned any of my calls.

I turned to St. Andrew’s Church in NYC and, left a message with my contact information and the nature of my call. Again, no response.

My friend referred me to their local Parish Priest. He’d since been transferred from Staten Island to upstate NY. They emailed him on my behalf and he in turn emailed me. I responded with a detailed explanation . He responded only saying that he would “offer it up to prayer”. I firmly believe in the power of prayer, but its guidance I need.

Finally, another friend recommended that I contact St. Anne’s Shrine. I went to their web site, and reached out to them using the “contact us” feature on their site. That was 10 days ago. I can tell you that as of now, no one from St. Anne’s Shrine has even checked the mail. TEN days and my message has gone unopened.

This has been very disheartening. Here I am, trying to live my life in a way that God will smile upon. I need some extra help; something beyond the few minutes I can get at confession or what I take away from a Sunday homily, and I can’t get it.

Very discouraging; political unrest at the Vatican, amoral behavior by some of our Priests and no guidance to be found when you need it.

 

[John_Q_Sinner]

We live in a time where the world is in a state of complete and utter moral decay. Those of us that are smart, rely on faith to sustain us while others choose to participate in the game. I rely on my faith; that those of us who are humble will be exalted. But I can’t do it alone.

I’m trying to be a man who travels one path in life, but I find myself at a crossroad. It is one which I take seriously and have been trying to seek out Church guidance. I say trying because I have been unsuccessful.

On two separate occasions, I reached out to St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church on Staten Island. The first time, I left my name and number with the receptionist. The second time, I left my name, number and a detailed message explaining the nature of my need for counsel. They never returned any of my calls.

I turned to St. Andrew’s Church in NYC and, left a message with my contact information and the nature of my call. Again, no response.

My friend referred me to their local Parish Priest. He’d since been transferred from Staten Island to upstate NY. They emailed him on my behalf and he in turn emailed me. I responded with a detailed explanation . He responded only saying that he would “offer it up to prayer”. I firmly believe in the power of prayer, but its guidance I need.

Finally, another friend recommended that I contact St. Anne’s Shrine. I went to their web site, and reached out to them using the “contact us” feature on their site. That was 10 days ago. I can tell you that as of now, no one from St. Anne’s Shrine has even checked the mail. TEN days and my message has gone unopened.

This has been very disheartening. Here I am, trying to live my life in a way that God will smile upon. I need some extra help; something beyond the few minutes I can get at confession or what I take away from a Sunday homily, and I can’t get it.

Very discouraging; political unrest at the Vatican, amoral behavior by some of our Priests and no guidance to be found when you need it.

Something I have noticed with my relationship with God is if you have done everything humanly possible and nothing happens then you have found His will; which is to retire somewhere and pray. Ask him to enlighten your blindness and to do it in His time. Maybe God wants you to offer your feeling of being alone and neglected with His Passion, when He was in the garden of Gethsemane and could not find one of his apostles who would pray one hour with Him. Maybe think about how God is alone and neglected in the tabernacles around the world with no one to visit him.

 

[mlz]

We live in a time where the world is in a state of complete and utter moral decay. Those of us that are smart, rely on faith to sustain us while others choose to participate in the game. I rely on my faith; that those of us who are humble will be exalted. But I can’t do it alone.

I’m trying to be a man who travels one path in life, but I find myself at a crossroad. It is one which I take seriously and have been trying to seek out Church guidance. I say trying because I have been unsuccessful.

On two separate occasions, I reached out to St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church on Staten Island. The first time, I left my name and number with the receptionist. The second time, I left my name, number and a detailed message explaining the nature of my need for counsel. They never returned any of my calls.

I turned to St. Andrew’s Church in NYC and, left a message with my contact information and the nature of my call. Again, no response.

My friend referred me to their local Parish Priest. He’d since been transferred from Staten Island to upstate NY. They emailed him on my behalf and he in turn emailed me. I responded with a detailed explanation . He responded only saying that he would “offer it up to prayer”. I firmly believe in the power of prayer, but its guidance I need.

Finally, another friend recommended that I contact St. Anne’s Shrine. I went to their web site, and reached out to them using the “contact us” feature on their site. That was 10 days ago. I can tell you that as of now, no one from St. Anne’s Shrine has even checked the mail. TEN days and my message has gone unopened.

This has been very disheartening. Here I am, trying to live my life in a way that God will smile upon. I need some extra help; something beyond the few minutes I can get at confession or what I take away from a Sunday homily, and I can’t get it.

Very discouraging; political unrest at the Vatican, amoral behavior by some of our Priests and no guidance to be found when you need it.

I hear you, it is a restless, immoral world we live in and yes, we need each other. But don’t judge other in this same struggle, trust in HIM. He wants you to be strong in HIM, not “others” , don’t you see. I realize that we need each other, and He will give you that in time. But He wants those willing to sacrifice their lives for Him sometimes without the security of others as “tough love” as it sounds. I do believe He will give you others in time, really I do, we all need each other. I think perhaps it may be your “test” of faith. something He does with those He wants to be His leaders in faith. Trust in HIM ALONE, and He will give you that you think you need NOW… We are living in very, very difficult times , I agree 100%. Don’t think He doesn’t know that we were “born for such a time as this”. God is testing you, remain faithful my dear brother in Christ. I will pray for you!!!

My love in Him always, into eternity,
mlz

 

[7_Sorrows]

We live in a time where the world is in a state of complete and utter moral decay. Those of us that are smart, rely on faith to sustain us while others choose to participate in the game. I rely on my faith; that those of us who are humble will be exalted. But I can’t do it alone.

I’m trying to be a man who travels one path in life, but I find myself at a crossroad. It is one which I take seriously and have been trying to seek out Church guidance. I say trying because I have been unsuccessful.

On two separate occasions, I reached out to St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church on Staten Island. The first time, I left my name and number with the receptionist. The second time, I left my name, number and a detailed message explaining the nature of my need for counsel. They never returned any of my calls.

I turned to St. Andrew’s Church in NYC and, left a message with my contact information and the nature of my call. Again, no response.

My friend referred me to their local Parish Priest. He’d since been transferred from Staten Island to upstate NY. They emailed him on my behalf and he in turn emailed me. I responded with a detailed explanation . He responded only saying that he would “offer it up to prayer”. I firmly believe in the power of prayer, but its guidance I need.

Finally, another friend recommended that I contact St. Anne’s Shrine. I went to their web site, and reached out to them using the “contact us” feature on their site. That was 10 days ago. I can tell you that as of now, no one from St. Anne’s Shrine has even checked the mail. TEN days and my message has gone unopened.

This has been very disheartening. Here I am, trying to live my life in a way that God will smile upon. I need some extra help; something beyond the few minutes I can get at confession or what I take away from a Sunday homily, and I can’t get it.

Very discouraging; political unrest at the Vatican, amoral behavior by some of our Priests and no guidance to be found when you need it.

well, if it makes you feel any better, i haven’t had much luck with church offices. many of the women who work in the office, are volunteers and i don’t things get communicated very well. i am lucky because our priest had a voicemail and we can leave a message on his voicemail if we need to see him and he always returns our calls. he usually doesn’t have a lot of time to sit and listen, but he does his best. i have e-mailed my priest before and sometimes i receive responses and sometimes i don’t. i would continue to try and leave a message with the church secretary or find out if there is a voicemail. good luck.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

We live in a time where the world is in a state of complete and utter moral decay. Those of us that are smart, rely on faith to sustain us while others choose to participate in the game. I rely on my faith; that those of us who are humble will be exalted. But I can’t do it alone.

I’m trying to be a man who travels one path in life, but I find myself at a crossroad. It is one which I take seriously and have been trying to seek out Church guidance. I say trying because I have been unsuccessful.

On two separate occasions, I reached out to St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church on Staten Island. The first time, I left my name and number with the receptionist. The second time, I left my name, number and a detailed message explaining the nature of my need for counsel. They never returned any of my calls.

I turned to St. Andrew’s Church in NYC and, left a message with my contact information and the nature of my call. Again, no response.

My friend referred me to their local Parish Priest. He’d since been transferred from Staten Island to upstate NY. They emailed him on my behalf and he in turn emailed me. I responded with a detailed explanation . He responded only saying that he would “offer it up to prayer”. I firmly believe in the power of prayer, but its guidance I need.

Finally, another friend recommended that I contact St. Anne’s Shrine. I went to their web site, and reached out to them using the “contact us” feature on their site. That was 10 days ago. I can tell you that as of now, no one from St. Anne’s Shrine has even checked the mail. TEN days and my message has gone unopened.

This has been very disheartening. Here I am, trying to live my life in a way that God will smile upon. I need some extra help; something beyond the few minutes I can get at confession or what I take away from a Sunday homily, and I can’t get it.

Very discouraging; political unrest at the Vatican, amoral behavior by some of our Priests and no guidance to be found when you need it.

Have you tried to speak to the pastor of your parish?

Parish priests are busy handling their parishes. It is your pastor who has the responsibility.

 

[Timothysis]

Not everyone lives their daily lives tied to a computer. Priests are very busy with very demanding schedules, which is probably reflected by the fact that they haven’t gotten in touch with you.

There is the saying that “God helps those who help themselves.” You know what is right and know to avoid that which is wrong. Perhaps the guidance you need is staring you right in the face without you even realizing it.

 

[7_Sorrows]

Have you tried to speak to the pastor of your parish?

Parish priests are busy handling their parishes. It is your pastor who has the responsibility.

yes, parish priests are busy handling their parishes, but part of that is meeting with those who are seeking guidance. there are spiritual directors that you can meet with also, but i think they require payment. not sure because i have not found one yet. a priest is the pastor of the parish.

 

[Melchior_1]

If I could make a suggestion; if you find that your parish (or parishes as a whole) aren’t giving you the guidance you want nor the formation you desire, perhaps it’s time to look at other avenues within the Catholic Faith that could help you.

Specifically, I’m referring to secular orders, lay apostolates, and other such communities. These communities often provide guidance, direction, and fellowship, and do so without being tied to a specific parish. You could also visit a local monastery and see if they have any retreats coming up.

 

[LilyM]

Nick, not knowing exactly what the nature of your problem is, can I make two suggestions:

a) talk to your own parish priest. He is the one with primary care for the souls of those who live in your parish, not priests of other parishes. It is like seeing one physician behind the back of another - most will not do so because it is a professional discourtesy to someone they often will have to deal with regularly. Besides which, a doctor or priest cannot often by themselves do much if anything about misbehaviour by others. And what precisely do you expect anyone who doesn’t actually live or work at the Vatican to do about the situation there?

b) if you cannot, for some reason, talk to your own parish priest about your concerns (perhaps because your parish priest IS the problem) then very often the best bet is to contact the office of your diocese or archdiocese. They might be best placed to direct your enquiry to the person who is actually able to help.

God bless, hope you find the answers that you’re seeking.

 

[corsair]

Nick,
Sounds to me like you need a friend to have some coffee with once in a while. At least one who can understand the situation. These “downer” feeling happen to all of us and we need to not panic. They will pass as all things do. Many great Saints have felt the same way at times. I’m learning that they can be fantastic morale builders. Keep the prayers going; do not stop.

God Bless

 

[Nick003]

Thank you everyone! I appreciate the time all of you have taken to respond.

The FIRST person I tried to talk with was the Priest at my Parish. It was AFTER I could not get a response from him that I started looking around for others to speak with.

I do have one friend whom I see as a spiritual counselor; I don’t have a friend more faithful in God than her and she lives by her Bible.

The opinions I receive on the matter are based on whom I ask; each person towing the “company line” of their particular branch (Baptist, Pentecostal).

What I need is someone within the Roman Catholic Church who can provide an objective point of view and not tow the company line.

 

[LilyM]

Thank you everyone! I appreciate the time all of you have taken to respond.

The FIRST person I tried to talk with was the Priest at my Parish. It was AFTER I could not get a response from him that I started looking around for others to speak with.

I do have one friend whom I see as a spiritual counselor; I don’t have a friend more faithful in God than her and she lives by her Bible.

The opinions I receive on the matter are based on whom I ask; each person towing the “company line” of their particular branch (Baptist, Pentecostal).

What I need is someone within the Roman Catholic Church who can provide an objective point of view and not tow the company line.

Churches are not ‘companies’ ‘toeing a line’ - in other words putting a spin on events out of pure self-interest. They are, for the most part, groups of like-minded people who sincerely love God trying as best they can to discern His will and follow His word. Not always succeeding of course, otherwise there would be perfect unity and harmony.

But nonetheless their views are still usually genuinely and deeply held beliefs as to what His will is and what His word says. And on their behalf, I take exception at the fact that you label those genuinely held common beliefs (and why would Christians bother to band together in denominational groups if they didn’t hold beliefs in common?) a ‘company ljne’.

Why on earth would you be expecting something other than confusion after haphazardly taking a poll of a motley sample of Christian denominations about something most of them are only observing from the outside?

 

[7_Sorrows]

Thank you everyone! I appreciate the time all of you have taken to respond.

The FIRST person I tried to talk with was the Priest at my Parish. It was AFTER I could not get a response from him that I started looking around for others to speak with.

I do have one friend whom I see as a spiritual counselor; I don’t have a friend more faithful in God than her and she lives by her Bible.

The opinions I receive on the matter are based on whom I ask; each person towing the “company line” of their particular branch (Baptist, Pentecostal).

What I need is someone within the Roman Catholic Church who can provide an objective point of view and not tow the company line.

i don’t know what kind of guidance of answers you are looking for. in other words, i don’t know how personal the problems are to you regarding your need for guidance. there are many good people here at CAF that might be able to help if you start a thread - that is unless it is too sensitive a matter. i don’t know if the guidance is church related or a personal matter.

 

[1ke]

Perhaps you need a counselor, not a priest. Seek a referral through Catholic Charities.

 

[newyorkcatholic]

How did you reach your parish priest?

I don’t know about your approach (e-mailing other parishes and such) but I have many times gone to a parish office when they are open and said “I want an appointment with the pastor please, for a personal matter” and then just make it.

Have you tried this in person?

 

[Nick003]

How did you reach your parish priest?

I don’t know about your approach (e-mailing other parishes and such) but I have many times gone to a parish office when they are open and said “I want an appointment with the pastor please, for a personal matter” and then just make it.

Have you tried this in person?

I reached out in person visits to St. Peter and St. Andrew Parishes. I resorted to e-mail when in person visits to schedule an appointment didn’t yield results. When I went in person, I said: "I’d like a few minutes of their time to discuss the eligability of marriage of a woman I’ve met.

 

[CarloMagnus]

Nick,

You’re not alone. We all have problems.

-Karl

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

I reached out in person visits to St. Peter and St. Andrew Parishes. I resorted to e-mail when in person visits to schedule an appointment didn’t yield results. When I went in person, I said: "I’d like a few minutes of their time to discuss the eligability of marriage of a woman I’ve met.

With that being the issue. Marriage, only your pastor should be providing the assistance with that as this is his responsibility.

I would suggest that you go to your parish and speak with who ever is there. Tell them you need an appointment with the pastor. If they ask why tell them it is a personal issue. If they press tell them it has to do with marriage if you feel you need to.

If they refuse you an appointment I would then contact the chancery for assistance.