Connecticut Catholic Blogger vs New York Catholic Blogger

I've never broken down another Catholic blogger's entire post before, but today I am going to for two reasons. 

First, my response would never fit in this blogger's comment area. 

Secondly, besides responding to what she says, I want to share with her why I blog as I do and why I feel the way I do about my Catholic faith, Francis and progressive clergy. 

A Catholic blogger from New York, writes (highlights/bold/underscore added by me): 

Why Do So Many Converts Reject Pope Francis?
In the same way I don't visit porn sites, racist sites, etc., I now stay away from almost all "Catholic" web sites.  These sites do nothing to build my spirituality and bring me closer to God.  They literally poison my mind and destroy the presence of the Holy Spirit by driving out the Spirit of love, mercy and compassion and replacing it with a spirit of accusation, condemnation and hate.   

Me: For someone who doesn't visit these Catholic websites, she sure has a lot to say about what she claims is to be found on these Catholic websites.

An amazing aspect of these sites is that they are basically clones of one another, writing about the same subjects from the same point of view with no original thought.  As I have stated previously, it is almost like they were all written by the same person.  There is certainly no doubt that they are all driven by the same spirit.

 Me: I am guessing she's not speaking about the Holy Spirit here.

I don't think these "catholic" bloggers actually consult each other, and yet they all manage to come to the same conclusion:  the Catholic Church is dying and Pope Francis and his "henchman" bishops are actively participating in that destruction. 

Me: I haven't seen ANY Catholic bloggers conclude "the Catholic Church is dying". Myself and the Catholic websites I follow all generally cling to Christ's words "the gates of hell will not prevail". While we may agree that the Church will become smaller, I don't think I've ever seen any Catholic blogger say the Catholic Church is "dying". I do see (and believe myself) that "Francis and his henchmen" are destroying the FAITH OF PEOPLE with chaos, confusion and down right heresy. 

Example, Address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences10, Oct 27, 2014: Pope Francis-“When we read about Creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so.” 

Catholic teaching: “And Jesus beholding, said to them: With men this is impossible: but with God all things are possible” Matt 19:26

“Behold I am the Lord the God of all flesh: shall any thing be hard for me?” Jer 32:27 

I'll stick with the God of Sacred Scripture rather than Francis' OPINIONS of God. 

These bloggers and those who follow them believe they are the only true Catholics left on earth, and it is they who will save the Church and, by extension, the world.  We have not seen this much rebellion and rejection of authority in the Church since the Reformation. 

Me: Nope. I don't believe we are the only "true Catholics left on earth", nor have I ever seen any other Catholic blogger make such a claim. Perhaps this Catholic NY blogger will share exactly who made such a claim? I believe that most of the Catholics in the United States are CEO's- Christmas and Easter only Catholics as that is when the pews are suddenly packed. 

As for the weekly Catholics or even those attending monthly- many of them are confused and don't know the faith. I know this from experience. I know Catholics who claim birth control and abortion are "between them and God"- this is in direct opposition to Catholic teaching. I know Catholics who believe women will be priests and that there is nothing wrong with gay "marriage" or unions. Again, direct opposition to Catholic teaching. The list goes on.

Just how did these bloggers end up with their decidedly non-Catholic world view?  How have they become so confident in their own sanctity and their right to label all others, including the Vicar of Christ, as evil?  Why is it happening now?

Me: What part of my views are "non-Catholic"? When Catholic bloggers like myself, point out what the Church teaches- as opposed to the OPINIONS of Francis or any clergy, how is it WE are the ones with the "non-Catholic" views? 😕

For example, Francis stated in an interview there is no Hell. Clearly this is a "non-Catholic" view.  

Interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica25, Mar 28, 2018: When asked where bad souls are punished, Francis replied: “They are not punished, those who repent obtain the forgiveness of God and enter the rank of souls who contemplate him, but those who do not repent and cannot therefore be forgiven disappear. There is no hell, there is the disappearance of sinful souls.”

Catholic teaching: Catechism #1035 The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, "eternal fire." 617 The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.

Some said, Francis was misquoted, yet neither Francis, nor anyone at the Vatican denied the quote or issued any sort of correction for it. So we know, Francis does not believe in Hell a clear "non-Catholic" view. 

Another example, Francis' view on couples shacking up together outside of marriage. 

Address to the Diocese of Rome’s Pastoral Congress, Q&A Session14, Jun 16, 2016: “They prefer to cohabitate, and this is a challenge, a task. Not to ask ‘why don’t you marry?’ No, to accompany, to wait, and to help them to mature, help fidelity to mature.”........ “I’ve seen a lot of fidelity in these cohabitations, and I am sure that this is a real marriage, they have the grace of a real marriage because of their fidelity.”

Catholic teaching: "The scandal of concubinage is removed by marriage, which should be made known to those who were scandalized, either by the pastor or by the parties themselves." Canon Law 1043

"Hence if both parties intended and expressed the intention in some way or other to enter upon a mere Concubinage, there would be no marriage." Canon Law 1082

"If a marriage is found invalid, as, for instance, among the Gallas, where slaves contract a contubernium or legalized concubinage, the parties must be separated until they are lawfully married" Canon Law 1084

"Therefore concubinage must be given up because incompatible with Christian morals" Canon Law 1124

Me: Again, I point out it is Francis who has the "non-Catholic" view, not the Catholic bloggers who cling to the authentic teachings of the Church. 

One common factor among these self-righteous bloggers is that many, although not all, are Protestant converts.  Here are just a few prominent converts who have publicly rejected Pope Francis:  John Zuhlsdorf, Dwight Longenecker, George Rutler, Taylor Marshall, John Hunwicke, Steve Ray, Scott Hahn, Mary Ann Kreitzer.  There are many more. 

In reading the stories of their conversions, it is interesting to note that their attraction to the Catholic Church did not arise from an awareness of their personal sin but from dissatisfaction with their Protestant churches.  They were basically in a good spot with God, but they were not getting what they felt they needed or wanted from their churches.  Their conversions were of the intellect and not of the spirit.  Not one of them has a  "road to Damascus" story.  

By this, I mean not one of them had a moment of clarity about their own sinfulness and need for the mercy, compassion and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.   This was not the driving force in their lives in any sense.  Their stories are all about identifying the "right" Church. 

Me: What this blogger does not understand is that evangelical Christians believe they are ALREADY saved. They are taught and believe that they are "washed" already the moment they claim Jesus as their Savior. That Jesus did the work. This is why they don't have confession and reject the priesthood. Most believe baptism is just an outward sign of proclaiming Jesus as your Lord. 

Speaking as a convert to the Catholic Church it NEVER occurred to me to seek out another way to be forgiven from my sins because I believed God had already done that. I never questioned that part of my Protestant faith. Protestants don't think the way Catholics do about sin. There is no "mortal" or "venial" sin for evangelical Christians. Sin is sin and Jesus loves us so he forgives us our sins if we love him and believe him to be the Messiah. That is the attitude. They do not believe baptism washes away original sin- rather they believe merely believing in Jesus washes sins away (some don't even believe in original sin).

NY blogger says "not one of them had a moment of clarity about their own sinfulness and need for the mercy, compassion and forgiveness of Jesus Christ" - she has it all backwards. That is all Protestantism is about- that Jesus is all forgiving so no priest is needed for Confession. I came out of Protestantism that taught me Jesus is all "mercy, compassion and forgiveness" with no need to confess or worry about things like birth control, abortion, remarriage, divorce. In Protestantism you can divorce and remarry over and over and over again precisely because "Jesus is so forgiving and merciful". This is NOT right, yet it is believed inside of Protestantism. 

I am not going to quote the examples NYblogger gives on Catholic's she points out as not having authentic Saul to Paul moments in their conversions, you can see them for yourselves on her blog. She turns up her nose at these people because in her opinion they aren't like Saint Augustine so they are lacking. Talk about being judgmental! 

None of the contemporary "converts" listed above displays the humble spirit of the publican.  They all stand with the Pharisee.  In fact, they pat themselves on the back on their ability to identify the "right" Church. 
And just as they felt free to reject the authority of their Protestant churches, they feel that same freedom to reject the authority of the Catholic Magisterium, i.e., Pope Francis and the bishops. 

Me: Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. We do not "pat ourselves on the back" for becoming Catholic, we thank Jesus everyday for leading us Home. We were the lost sheep following false shepherds yet we were able with the help of the Holy Spirit to hear the voice of The Shepherd and come Home. We are joyful, thankful and down right giddy to have found our way Home after being lost in the desert for years. This is not "self-righteousness" at all. Perhaps cradle Catholics can't wrap their minds around it, but I know other converts know exactly what I am speaking of. And we are NOT rejecting the authority of the Catholic Magisterium or the Pope or the Bishops when they are teaching the Faith. We do NOT have to accept their OPINIONS on situations, events, people or places. What Catholics must do is accept the authentic teachings of the Church- if we reject a teaching we are heretics. (Remember it is Francis who rejects the Church's teachings on Hell, unmarried couples living together etc.) 

This same spirit of self righteousness and rebellion is seen among cradle Catholic bloggers as well.  These bloggers never discuss their own sinfulness and need for God.  There is never any emphasis on mercy, compassion and forgiveness.  These sites name their enemies and denounce them with a ferocity worthy of any Pharisee denouncing Jesus Christ. 

A good example of this is our old friend, Michael Voris.  Voris hid his sinful homosexual life for as long as he could, feeling it was a "private" matter.  During all that time, instead of showing compassion for others trapped in that same lifestyle, he condemned them to hell, showing no mercy whatseover.  Even now after he has been "outed", he continues to condemn without mercy. 
This spirit of self righteousness and condemnation is the spirit of Protestantism.  It is completely antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Never once did Our Lord condemn sinners.  Jesus Christ always showed mercy, compassion and forgiveness. 

 Me: Wrong again NYblogger. First, Jesus' time for judging and condemning us hasn't come yet (John 16:8). Secondly, Jesus did point out sin, tell people they must repent and warn them about sinning again. When was the last time you heard Francis warn someone their sins would land them an eternity in Hell? 

John 5:14 "Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you.” 

Our Lord refused to condemn a woman who was caught in the actual act of adultery.  He did not even condemn the criminal on the cross who taunted him.  At the same time, he immediately forgave the criminal who merely said, "Remember me when you come into your Kingdom." 
The spirit of rebellion and rejection of authority exhibited by these "catholic" bloggers is the same spirit which infected the ancient Israelites when they went to the Prophet Samuel and asked for a human king.  As The Lord told Samuel, "it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king." (I Sam 8:7).

 Me: Jesus told ALL sinners to REPENT. Again, Christ's time to condemn people hasn't come yet. It will. That is what Judgement Day is.

This was echoed by Jesus Christ when He told the apostles, "Anyone who accepts your message is also accepting me. And anyone who rejects you is rejecting me. And anyone who rejects me is rejecting God, who sent me." (Luke 10:16).

Those More Catholic Than the Pope hate Pope Francis because he preaches a message of mercy and forgiveness of sinners.  Look at their arguments.  They are angry because the Pope wants to extend mercy to divorced and remarried, to homosexuals, to non Catholics, to Islamic refugees, etc. etc.  They claim that the mercy of Pope Francis is really a disguise for his endorsement of sin, and that therefore he is really a child of the devil, an evil heretic who must be resisted. 

Sounds a whole lot like the condemnation leveled against Jesus Christ by the Pharisees of His time.

Me: Stop the bus! "They are angry because the Pope wants to extend mercy to divorced and remarried, to homosexuals, to non Catholics, to Islamic refugees, etc. etc", again myself and the Catholic bloggers I see are angry because Francis is teaching OPPOSITE of Catholic teaching. 

It is NOT mercy to give Holy Communion to adulterers, or active homosexuals, non-Catholics etc. That is sacrilege. When Catholic bloggers point out Catholic teaching about homosexual relationships...

...we are not being mean, we are being Catholics! Christ said we are to rebuke those in sin [Luke 17:3 "Take heed to yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him;"] and the Catholic Church requires us to share our Faith, not keep it to ourselves. If we see someone in mortal sin and remain silent allowing them to be eternally damned we WILL have to answer for it- we ARE our brothers keepers. 

Those More Catholic Than the Pope deal in a world of black and white.  Either you are righteous like they are and are going to heaven, or you are a sinner headed to hell.  They feel their job is to tell people they are sinners, and then it is up to the people to "get right" with God or go to hell.  

Francis says we must meet people where they are and walk with them on the path to salvation.  This message is completely rejected by the Protestant converts and far too many cradle Catholics who think like Protestants.  I can't judge their hearts, but their actions are not Catholic,  They are Protestants in every sense of the word, right down to their rejection of the Papacy. 

Me: Wrong again. First, no one is rejecting "the Papacy". Ridiculous. And the issue isn't "walking with people on the path to salvation" it is walking with them on the path to Hell. If the path led to salvation it would be wonderful. But that isn't what is happening.  

Example, Francis appointed Fr. James Martin as consultor to the Vatican's Secretariat for Communications and invited Martin to be a speaker at the World Meeting of Families in Ireland last August to speak about homosexual Catholics. Yet Martin promotes pro-gay books which encourage gay "marriage" and gay couples which is in direct opposition to Catholic teaching. 

 

He writes a book about "meeting LGBTQ people where they are" and crossing a "bridge" together. A bridge to where? Repentance? Does Martin tell LGBTQ people that gay "marriage" is a mortal sin that leads to eternal damnation? Nope. This is in direct opposition to Jesus who met the sinner, pointed out the sinner's sin and told the sinner to repent. This is what is wrong with "meeting people where they are"- Francis and clergy like Martin LEAVE them in their sins. They meet them where they are and abandon them to their sins. This is NOT Catholic.   

What are the signs of true conversion?  It is much more than changing your religious affiliation and registering as a member of a Catholic parish. 

A true convert is one who realizes that he cannot take credit for "finding" God.  God is the one who sought out and found him.  His repentance does not come from himself but is a gift from God. 

A true convert realizes that he has nothing to give God, but that everything he has comes from God. 

A true convert is not drawn to the Church because it looks spiritual.  A true convert is not converted to the physical trappings of the Church, whether it is the "right" architecture, the size of the altar, the quality of the music, the kind of vestments worn by the priest, the use of Latin, or which direction the priest is facing. 

A true convert is drawn to the Catholic Church because Jesus Christ is in the tabernacle.  Jesus Christ is present in the Holy Eucharist.  Jesus Christ is present in the confessional.  Jesus Christ with His Mother, His angels and His saints are present at the Holy Mass. A true convert realizes that the Holy Spirit is working in the Church whether we understand it or not, and that faith does not depend on how much we do or do not understand. 

A true follower of Jesus Christ is one who deeply and profoundly recognizes his own sinfulness and his complete and total need for the mercy and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.  A true convert realizes that he deserves hell and it is only through the love of God that he can escape hell. 
In short, a true convert is a sinner in need of forgiveness. 
All saints speak of their own sinfulness.  Even St. Therese of Lisieux, who never committed even one mortal sin in her 24 years on earth, felt the great heaviness of her sin and the great mercy of Jesus Christ:Like the publican, I felt I was a great sinner. I found God to be so merciful! I found it so touching to address oneself to the whole heavenly court to obtain God’s pardon through its intercession. Ah! I could hardly keep from crying, and when the Sacred Host touched my lips, I was really moved.One who has truly experienced the mercy and forgiveness of Jesus Christ will never stand in judgment of others.  A true convert will realize that he is no better than the one he is judging.  Pope Francis showed this understanding when, asked who Jorge Bergoglio is, he replied, "I am a sinner." 
Unless and until we can identify as a sinner in need of forgiveness, we will never be true converts.  I hope and pray that the "catholic" blogosphere will experience true conversion and stop pushing their false version of Catholicism.[end NYblogger quote]

 Me: The irony of NYblogger stating "One who has truly experienced the mercy and forgiveness of Jesus Christ will never stand in judgment of others."😂

Her entire diatribe was one long judgment of Catholic converts she judged as not "true converts" because we have failed HER litmus test. The hypocrisy! 

In true sincerity, I hope this clarifies for the NYblogger (and others who share her opinions) why I and Catholic bloggers like myself feel as we do and blog as we do. We are weighing everything our clergy says and does-be it pope or parish priest- against the authentic teachings of the Catholic Church. We aren't basing our views on emotions or unsubstantiated opinions. We've got Catholic teachings (catechism, canon law etc) to backup our views. 

Catholic converts usually do years of studying and digging around Catholic teachings before we are willing to admit Protestantism is a false man-made religion and that we must reject it and enter the Catholic Church. This is not an easy journey for most of us. On the journey we fall more and more in love with Catholicism (remember we already loved Jesus). Because of that love for Christ's Church we are willing to defend Her and Her teachings against anyone who would lie about Her or try to harm Her - especially wayward clergy because they do the most damage (ie Martin Luther).  

In Christ,


Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner 


**A bit of my story being a Catholic convert can be read in my 2014 post HERE.


Sources: 

https://catholicinbrooklyn.blogspot.com/2018/11/why-do-so-many-converts-reject-pope.html 

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2017/04/12/father-james-martin-appointed-pope-francis-vatican-department-communications 

http://francisquotes.com/ 

http://connecticutcatholiccorner.blogspot.com/2014/12/parish-life-in-2014dismal-at-best.html
  

Serpents wearing vestments

I have started this blog article several times- my first attempts were surely sinful and would have landed me right back in the Confessional that I just left, so I am trying again.  

This weeks episode of EWTN's The World Over with Raymond Arroyo featured Cardinal Wuerl speaking of the Synod.  This was truly VERY difficult for me to watch.  I am not kidding when I say listening to this (in my opinion) deceitful evil man (yeah, I'm gonna call him that) conjured images of a forked tongue flicking out of his mouth as he spoke.  I was furious listening to him spread confusion and deceit and his outrageous refusal to give an answer to anything Raymond asked. *more on that later

Wuerl played word games and took Arroyo for a whirl around the dance floor several times.  Raymond gave a few feeble attempts to get a straight clear answer out of this serpent, but all he got was Wuerl using words like "crystal clear" when in fact all he said was clear as mud. Then Wuerl tap danced some more in an attempt to distract Arroyo from his questions. I don't know if it worked, or Raymond got tired of dancing.  I am guessing Arroyo knew this Cardinal had no intention of speaking the truth or answering anything honestly so he [Arroyo] gave up.

If you can stomach it, give it a watch: 

I am speaking here as a convert to the Catholic Faith.  I was a protestant for most of my life, living in all sorts of sin because people with the Truth didn't bother to tell me the Truth.  They kept it to themselves.  

Most of them would have happily or ignorantly allowed me to die in my sins while they enjoyed the Sacraments Christ gave to them through His Holy Catholic Church.  

They went to Confession and heard the words of absolution from their priests.  I was told by my Baptist preacher that I didn't have to confess my sins because Jesus already died for all sin and I had "accepted Jesus into my heart" so I was on my way to Heaven!  Praise the Lord!  

Had I died I would not have been on my way to Heaven.  I would have gone the other direction. 

To hear Cardinal Wuerl speak about walking with people IN THEIR SIN, and not telling them what sin is because it's not the "message" of Christ made me furious.  

Of course it's the message of Christ to REPENT and sin no more!  How can anyone repent if the Church refuses to tell people what sin is or that if they die in that sin they are going to Hell?  

He speaks of the persons "own conscience" leading them.  Well I can tell you my conscience was NOT well formed because I was not well informed on the Truth.  I couldn't make a well informed decision on Faith because I was ignorant of it!

Wuerl goes on and on (like Francis) about "mercy".  Well, I can tell you that I wasn't shown mercy by any Catholic who refused to share their Faith with me. To the Catholics out there (and you know who you are) who took the time to tell me I was wrong and my denomination was man-made and full of errors THOSE Catholics were loving and merciful.  They didn't want me to live my entire life in deception.  They wanted to share their Church with me.  They wanted me to have what they had. I will spend the rest of my life praying for those Catholics and thanking God for them because they didn't just lead me to the Truth, the Sacraments and the Holy Catholic Church, they brought my children too.  

If not for those Catholics, willing to fight with me, argue with me and not let me go on in error...my children may not have been baptized.  To Baptists, baptism is done to teens and adults as "an outward sign of an inner change".  They don't believe anything happens- you're just making a public show of your declaration that Jesus lives in your heart- you've said the sinner's prayer or answered an altar call (funny since Baptists don't have altars). 

I am writing this for all the Catholics out there to tell you PLEASE DON'T KEEP YOUR FAITH TO YOURSELF! There are too many people out there like I was, who thirsted for the Truth but couldn't find it on my own. You will never know how your speaking up can change a persons life- for eternity.  

Non-Catholics have no idea of the depth of the Truth found in the Catholic Church. They truly have a very small concept of sin because of the limitless errors inside Protestantism. These errors have leaked into the beliefs of many Catholics too- think of all the Catholics who believe birth control, abortion and gay marriage aren't sinful. People are ignorant of the Truth and they are living in sin because of it.

Please don't leave them there.  

Their eternity and the eternity of their children and grandchildren may depend on you speaking up. 

These hate-filled evil men in the Church who wish to walk with sinners in their sin rather than tell them 'repent and sin no more' as our Lord Jesus Christ did are leaving people IN their sin.  If these people die in their sins not only will they jeopardize their own salvation but also the salvation of their families. Having a priest "walk with them" or beside them in their sin won't change their damnation. They must be told to repent and sin no more.  That is loving them, that is true mercy.

And since so many clergy now will not tell people that, you must. Don't be silent.  If you don't know what to say to share your faith, LEARN IT and tell people where to find information on the Internet or if they like to read suggest a book.  Books were a HUGE part of my conversion and they were sent to me by the box loads by a Catholic who spent years arguing with me over the errors I had once clung to. She wouldn't give up on me no matter how much I fought back (and it was years).  She could have walked away and washed her hands of me, but she didn't.  She is now my very best friend in the world and I thank God for her everyday.  She helped change my life and the lives of my children.  

When I think of her and then listen to the Wuerls in our Church speak about love and mercy and meeting people where they are...she met me were I was, but she refused to leave me there or to accompany me in my sin.  

The Wuerls in the Church are leaving people in their sin, to die and risk damnation for all eternity and they call it "mercy" and the "message" of the Gospel. They are speaking with forked tongues. Don't be deceived by these serpents, they are doing their father's will, not the Divine Will of God. 

"Repent and sin no more" is the message Christ gave over and over in the Gospel.  Listen to Him, not the serpents wearing vestments.

In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner 

Parish life in 2014...dismal at best

I’m not a cradle Catholic.  I fell in love with the Catholic faith because of its immense beauty.  Beauty that I found in its Sacraments, writings, architecture, stained glass windows, Gregorian chant, complete Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, Catholic hymns, incense, rites, ornate altars and vestments, Holy Water/Oil, sacramentals, devotions, feast days and the order and reverence of the Mass.  All the big and little things that set the Catholic faith apart from any other Christian faith.  

It was all the things that made the Catholic Church catholic that drew me in.  I wanted it.  I wanted to BE a part of the only Church Jesus Christ created on earth and I wanted all the things that made it Catholic.  Even before I was officially Catholic I set about immersing myself in all things Catholic.  I bought hundreds (literally) of Catholic books.  I bought Catholic statues, Holy cards, incense, crucifixes, rosaries and candles.  I transformed my home into a Catholic home complete with a home altar and kneeler.  

As a convert to the Faith, there was a great deal I was ignorant about.  I’m not talking about the Dogma’s and doctrines- I studied those intently before becoming Catholic and I know that is an ongoing education.  I am talking about being totally ignorant of parish life.  

I thought, one Catholic parish was as good as another because the readings would be the same, the Rubrics in place (I assumed all priests naturally followed them), all Masses would be the same- that is what I ignorantly thought.  

In reading hundreds of books about the Catholic Faith, not once did I read about Catholic parishes that didn’t seem Catholic.  Not once.  

When I joined RCIA back in 2006, I had already spent years educating myself in the Catholic Faith.  I read the catechism, books on Saints, Papal encyclicals, Papal Bulls, the Vatican II documents and anything else I could get my hands on.  I talked to priests and nuns and other converts and educated Catholics.  I contacted EWTN and they answered my questions in email and on television shows like The Journey Home.  I wanted to know what the Church was all about BEFORE I joined RCIA. 

Because I had educated myself, I knew right away there was something very wrong with the RCIA program in my parish.  I should mention, that at the time my town had ONE Catholic parish- so I didn’t have a variety to pick from and it probably wouldn’t have occurred to me to “shop around” for a Catholic parish- I thought that was a protestant thing and again, I believed all Catholic parishes were the same.  

I joined the local Catholic parish for three reasons 1) I thought they were all the same, 2) I wanted a Catholic parish where my children would attend religious education with their school friends and 3) I wanted a close local parish where I could easily volunteer and participate in activities (I had always been active in my Baptist community and wanted to do the same as a Catholic).  

Now, back to my RCIA experience.  The RCIA at the time (it has now changed DRAMATICALLY for the better with new leadership), had a “group team” of RCIA teachers (about a dozen) who all taught RCIA together as a group effort.  Not a single RCIA instructor in that group had read the Bible or knew the Scriptures.  They even admitted that to me.  

The RCIA director told me I “scared the hell out of her” when I joined because I could quote Scripture and knew where it was in the Bible without having to look it up (something every Baptist child has instilled in them throughout their childhood).  During RCIA, when a question came up about something in Scripture I had to find it for them and not one of them could tell the Catholic interpretation of it.  This was extremely disappointing to me because I had/have a great love of the Scriptures.  So from the beginning, Sacred Scriptures was basically off the table for RCIA class.  But the worst was still to come.  Apparently, I knew more about the Catholic faith than any of the dozen teachers I had.  Each one of them attempted to teach me that 1) women would one day become priests, 2) birth control was a personal choice to be made with your own conscience and 3) absolutely NO discussion on abortion, morning after pill (hot topic at the time here in CT) or how a Catholic should vote politically on these issues was EVER to be allowed in any RCIA discussion.   

The liberal RCIA instructors would simply not allow the Church’s official teaching on these things to be taught.  I was only a few months into the RCIA program when I had my first fight with all twelve RCIA instructors over women priests.  At first, they gave me that sympathetic look that said “ignorant convert-to-be just doesn’t understand yet”.  They even gave me a condescending smile that said “just you wait; you’ll see women priests one day”.  But God intervened in that class. 

While I was sharing with them what the catechism said and what Pope John Paul II had written on the subject, our parish priest walked in.  The RCIA director (sure she was correct and I was wrong) waved Father over and said something like “Father, we’ve had a discussion come up that we’d like you to clear up for us.  We were discussing the possibility of women one day becoming priests.  I’m sure Julie would like it if you could clear this up for her.”  And she sat back fully expecting me to be put in my place for daring to argue with the entire RCIA staff.  I smiled to myself because I knew what was coming. I knew this priest was an orthodox priest- I'd already had a LONG detailed meeting with him about the Faith. This priest was new to the parish, he had only been there a month before I walked in the door asking to become Catholic, so the RCIA team were not familiar with him yet.  

Father said something along the lines of: “Women can never be Catholic priests; this is not something that can change.  The Church does not have the authority to ever ordain a woman a priest.  Jesus Christ created a priesthood of men…” and he went on to talk about the typology of the Levitical priesthood, the twelve Apostles and some quotes I can’t recall anymore.  

That RCIA director was furious.  I could nearly see steam coming off her head.  You see, she has a brother who is a priest (liberal priest) who for decades taught her these errors and many others like consecrating Wonder Bread at family dinners to the delight of the RCIA director (this was the story she shared on the subject of the Eucharist- bread is bread).  As soon as Father left the room, this [now retired] RCIA director said “Father is just giving his opinion; women WILL one day be priests”.  She refused to be corrected by anyone – even her own priest.  This woman was the RCIA director in my parish for nearly thirty years teaching these liberal things to everyone who walked through those parish doors.  So it’s no wonder my parish is as it is today.  And that is what I want to talk about.

When my family and I began attending our parish, we attended the Saturday Vigil Mass (this was familiar to me because as a child I attended the Vigil Mass with my paternal Catholic grandparents at least monthly even though I was raised Baptist).  The Saturday Vigil Mass was (to me) affectionately called the “old people’s Mass” because it was very reverent, had organ music and we sang beautiful Catholic hymns.  

The Sunday Mass’s had/have bongo drums, a Grand piano, sometimes guitars etc, and never any organ music and rarely old Catholic hymns.  It’s more like a rock concert complete with people swaying and tapping their feet in the pews. 

I avoided the Sunday Mass the best I could for years. 

Then a few years ago, my parish was “yoked” to a parish in another town, and our beloved devout priests were moved to other parishes.  Now we have one new priest for our two yoked parishes, no Vigil Mass at my parish, no confession at my parish and he’s added “the children’s liturgy” -where just before the readings he calls up all the children ages 3 to 8 for a blessing then sends them down stairs for their own liturgy.  The kids climb over people trying to get out of the pews, race up to the altar where they are blessed then they race down stairs where they laugh, make loud music and talk loud enough that those of us upstairs hear all they are doing down stairs.  Then DURING the Consecration, while we are on our knees looking at the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity being held up by the priest, the children come racing back upstairs and begin climbing over kneeling people trying to get to their parents while waving in the air the pictures they colored during their 'children's liturgy'. 

Chaos.  

The reverence is nearly non-existent now.  The Holiness of the moment is broken as all eyes stop looking at Jesus and turn to the children.  The moment is lost.  It’s all very disruptive, yet in our parish bulletin I noticed this week it said the “children’s liturgy has been very successful”.  For the life of me, I can’t imagine what anyone could find “successful” about that chaos and loss of reverence.  And I wonder WHO has determined its success and what standards were used to come to that conclusion?

But it’s not all the fault of the newly instituted “children’s liturgy”.  As I’ve mentioned above for years now I have failed to find reverence at the Sunday Mass.  The ushers talk before and during Mass- during the Consecration and after Communion when people are kneeling and praying.  They jingle the change in their pants pockets, talk about sports and the weather all through Mass.  They are clueless to what is going on at Mass and they don’t seem to care at all if they bother the people trying to worship at Mass.  If you look at them [the ushers] and catch their eye to say “hey, I’m praying here” they look at you WHILE they continue talking.  No reverence, no respect and no basic common courtesy for others.  They’re a void.

My parish is small.  We have small stained glass window inserts in large clear windows.  My parish is made of concrete blocks painted off white.  There are some statues and a few paintings a parishioner painted years ago that hang on the wall.  The altar is wood- the original marble altar lost years ago during renovations (no one can answer how the altar was “lost” or where the relic that was inside it went).  We have no relic in our altar now.  The Tabernacle is simple and plain- I hardly think it does justice to the One it contains. 

There isn’t much in my parish that says “This IS a Catholic parish”.  As a matter of fact, it could easily be mistaken for any number of non-Catholic communities if it weren’t for the Sacraments themselves.  Just looking at or seeing the Mass said in this parish, has nothing to distinguish it from so many others- not with the bongo drums, folk music, “children’s liturgy” and complete lack of reverence for the Eucharist.  The “catholic” in this Catholic parish is sadly lacking. 

You might wonder why I don’t leave. 

That’s a good question and one I’ve asked myself nearly every week in 2014.

Why do I stay?

The Sacraments are valid. 

It’s local. 

It’s where my children were Baptized and Confirmed and where we all entered the Catholic Church together.  We’ve got history here and good memories and people we love attend here. 

I teach RCIA and some years CCD in this parish.  The new RCIA director who knows I’ve been considering leaving has asked me to stay and continue teaching RCIA because I am the only other instructor she has. 

And because of my own personal history in RCIA, I feel compelled to teach, to make sure NO ONE else is taught the errors that for years had previously been taught at this parish by other [now gone] RCIA instructors.  If I stay, maybe I can make a difference. 

I’ve taught 7^th grade CCD for a few years and those children and sadly their parents knew almost NOTHING of their Faith.  They didn’t know how many Sacraments the Church has or what they are.  They honestly thought the ONLY time a person should or needs to go to Confession is during Lent.  They believed you just saved up all your sins till Lent to confess them.  They didn’t know what Purgatory was and most of them couldn’t name a single Saint besides the Virgin Mary and the Apostles.  Most couldn’t remember basic Catholic prayers- hadn’t even heard of the Hail Holy Queen and didn't pray daily.  These were children who had been going to CCD for YEARS and would soon be preparing for Confirmation and they were clueless because no one had properly taught them their Catholic Faith.  I remember my youngest daughter in CCD class playing HANGMAN on the chalkboard for class- they had to use Catholic words like “Sacrament” or “Holy Eucharist”, but it was still hangman.  THAT is how the children were taught their Catholic faith the year of their First Holy Communion- is it any wonder this parish is falling apart? 

So do I leave and parish hop till I find (IF I can find) a parish that has more reverence or do I stay and attempt to make a difference? 

My personality (if you haven’t noticed from reading my blog) is I am a fighter.  Years ago, before I created this blog, I was defending and fighting for the Faith on other Christian and Catholic forums.  On one of them, I was dubbed the dreaded “Catholic Pitbull” because I wouldn't back down or give up defending my Catholic beliefs and the name stuck for years.  I don’t like backing off a fight – especially when it’s over my Catholic Faith.  I can’t honestly remember the last time I “gave up” and moved on from something important.  I’m just not wired that way.  And I actually LIKE to fight.  Some people hate it, I like it.  I’m not talking about fighting with family or co-workers, I mean fighting for or about my Catholic faith to defend it and my beliefs.  I like confronting error and I’ve got no problem telling someone “You’re wrong and here’s why…” 

I have a huge problem knowing someone is wrong about the Faith and not doing or saying something about it – like my old RCIA director attempting to teach me and everyone else in that RCIA classroom years ago her liberal views.  I didn’t care that I was a Baptist on the way to becoming Catholic and she was a cradle Catholic who had been teaching RCIA for decades.  She was wrong and I wasn’t going to shut up about it even though I “caused a scene” during class because I wouldn’t accept what she and the other instructors were teaching us.  I don’t think it’s in me to EVER walk away from that sort of situation.  

I can’t change the priest and his love of folk music, bongo drums, children’s liturgies, telling jokes at Mass and giving homilies while walking among the pews like a televangelist on TV.  He’s a different breed of priest – and I don’t like it one bit. My heart aches for an orthodox priest who will TEACH the people to BE Catholic and to embrace our Catholic Faith rather than trying to make it more protestant like. 

What I can do is pray for my priest and parish to change. 

I can stay and share the Catholic Faith as I KNOW it to be.  The beauty of the Faith- of all of it; the parts that have been lost in my parish that the parishioners don’t even know they are missing.  I know and it bugs the heck out of me each and every time I attend Mass in my own parish.  We are being ripped off.  There is so much more God and His Holy Catholic Church have for us and these liberal priests are robbing us of it.  It infuriates me. 

So do I leave or do I stay and fight? 

For now… I stay and fight - but I honestly don't know how long I will last if things don't improve. 

I don’t know what 2015 will bring, but I am praying, sacrificing and offering Masses for a change in my parish.  It’s time the Catholic laity take back their Faith and DEMAND our clergy stop denying us the fullness of our Faith and the beauty of our Faith. 

In my personal experience and opinion, 2014 has been a TERRIBLE year in my parish, but I am hopeful that 2015 will bring answered prayers from God and amazing changes in my parish and our priest.  I hope good things will happen in your parishes too.

May God bless us all in 2015.

In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner