Cat;8342452:
People who want to learn can learn. Same for kids. There are plenty of children and teenagers who live in poor neighborhoods and attend wretched schools and have non-inspiring tachers. But somehow they manage to learn a lot on their own.
Nowadays, anyone who wants to learn about Catholicism (or any faith) can go online and read lots, and find out about resources both old and new.
@Cat . Nowadays yes but I was talking about what I call the ‘post Latin in school’ period about 50-70 years ago for the ordinary faithful. Nowadays because of the internet and other more readily available info outside of the local Parish I believe that is exactly why many people are either coming back or ‘reading’ their way into the catholic Church as they seek the ultimate truth. As I said in another thread asked if the Protestant reformation did any good; these new faithful , the former protestants that are coming home to the fullness of the faith ,I believe, are the fire of the Holy Spirit that are breathing new fire and holding the local clergy and lay ministers to the truth. They don’t go to mass to check the block, they go because they LOVE God and want to follow Him where ever he leads because He is truth.
I and my husband are part of those former Protestants who have come home to Catholicism.
I love the Church and I love being Catholic.
But I think that along with our enthusiasm and fire, we also bring with us a lot of ideas that the Church is not really happy to hear.
E.g., I think that the local parishes should strive to create more opportunities for fellowship and to foster friendships. One of the posters, lisahiku, expressed this need beautifully–she’s lonely in the Church.
In the past, the parishes were neighborhood parishes, and many of the members knew each other outside the Church and were friends.
But this isn’t the case nowadays. The rules about attending a neighborhood parish have been lifted, and Catholics are willing to drive all over town or out of town.
So IMO, the Catholic parishes in the U.S. need to recognize this, and to try to emulate the evangelical Protestants and create a network of social and educational activities within the parish, so that people have the opportunities to meet others with common interests and make friends.
When people have friends, they are held accountable by those friends, and this makes it hard to just skip church week after week. Their friends call them and ask, “Hey, where are you lately?”
Another issue that Protestants bring to the Catholic Church is the music issue. I personally think that the “M” word in Catholicism is not masturbation, but music. I personally think we are more likely to attend a Catholic seminar or class, or hear a homily, about masturbation and Christians rather than music and Christians! The issue is swept under the rug, but it’s there and it’s causing divisions, and IMO, the Catholic Church needs to wake up and pay attention and do something about music in the Church.
My personal feeling is that they need to re-visit the “Gregorian chant and pipe organ” ideal and recognize and validate other styles of music and other instruments. I know them’s fightin’ words around CAF. But I stand by them.
Just today, I read in our newspaper about a conservative Catholic parish in our diocese where the priest has attempted to restore the more ancient practices in the Mass (OF Mass, but with Latin, chant, propers, kneeling rail and Communion on the tongue), etc. Apparently over half the members have LEFT that parish, with no good words about the parish. Very discouraging, and IMO, an illustration of what I keep saying on these forums. Traditional music and practices are NOT the answer to dwindling Mass attendance. Those who think that traditional music, Latin, chant, etc. will bring people back are wrong, IMO. As long as the Church continues to harbor this delusion, people will continue to leave the Mass in droves, just as they have in this parish.
So you see, Protestants bring fire, but the same fire that warms and gives light also can cause destruction. I recognize that my views as an ex-Protestant Catholic are controversial, and so I don’t spread them around much. I think the most important thing is obedience to our Church. But if I were given the opportunity to spread my ideas to Church authorities, I would gladly do so!
