Guardian's POV Clarfication
Number of rosaries said in reparation for the desecration of the Eucharist: 13
Number of people signed up for rosaries: 1
I received a comment from Aquinas_54 on one of my posts and I want to use his comments for further clarification of this blog's POV as well as a jumping off point to make another point.
First, I want to commend Aquinas_54 for his work as an RCIA catechist at his parish. I received my RCIA education late in life so that I could receive my Confirmation before getting married in the Church. I appreciate the RCIA process since I went through it as an adult and I believe that much of the battle at the parish level is here, with those who are trying to enter the Church and want to know what the Church is, believes, stands for, and practices.
I also believe that the parish level is an area that traditional Catholics have shunned and in the process we have allowed rebels in the Church to take over vital lay positions in our parishes and have given dissident priests cover to institute borderline sanctimonious practices and support dubious projects. We, as traditional Catholics, allowed a vacuum to be created at the local level and it was filled. All of us have seen the lay faithful who are "active" in the parish. They are usually "extraordinary" ministers, ushers, altar servers. They have close, "working" relationships with the priests and deacons (if there are any). They are the music directors who "unburden" the priest by selecting the hymns and musical arrangements for the masses each week. All of this they have done, and combined with modernist priests, have destroyed parish life in the Church.
All of us have seen the pictures of our parents and grandparents and all they did for their parishes. We have heard the stories of participation in the CYO, playing for sports teams with Father or a deacon as a coach (good luck with that now that every priest is a potential predator). I won't even discuss the Mass, since that is a primary topic here and elsewhere.
My point is this -- if we want the Church to be what we remember it to be, what it is suppose to be, we have to begin to organize at the parish level. If has been far too easy for us traditional Catholics to sit back and complain, whether in the pew or online, knowing the Catechism and rubrics for Mass and noting whenever they are violated. But this does nothing. In fact, we are culpable in the overall sin of the current Church by not doing something about it. It is borderline confessable what we have NOT done to protect our patrimony.
So I am making a call and I encourage everyone who considers themselves a traditional Catholic to either share what they do at the parish level or to get involved at the parish level. The rebels and modernists can ignore us because they control all the positions of power. Since the majority of positions at the parish level or voluntary, they can't stop us from volunteering and making our presence known. If you are involved, share what has worked at your parish so that others can replicate what you have done. But we must take back our parishes. If our presence is known. If our faith and reverence is observed, it WILL have an effect.
With our presence clear and present, our priests will have to listen to our suggestions and comments. They will no longer be able to do what they want and flaunt N.O. rubrics (however irreverent they are) and in the process we will be able to bring along our fellow Catholics.
One thing that those of us who know and read history is that Totalitarianism never works to turn hearts. You can enslave people. You can kill people. But you can't truly convert them without the Truth. If we want the whole Church on board, if we want Christendom to return, we need all who are Catholic. We need to convert those who will hear the Truth to the Church. We have to move them to see and accept the Truth. Abolishing Vatican II and returning to all the previous practices will not automatically bring non-traditional Catholics with it and all we will get is more Protestants.
More will be said on this in the future. But no longer can we just complain. We need to take action and this is one way that we can.
NOTE: I also want to make something very clear and this also a reflection of what Aquinas_54 commented to me (positively I might add). I have very clear opinions of the N.O. mass, especially after experiencing many TLM Masses. But in no way will I say that the Sacraments, as they are currently exercised, are illegitimate. As we know, if the form is followed, the Sacrament is valid.
Number of people signed up for rosaries: 1
I received a comment from Aquinas_54 on one of my posts and I want to use his comments for further clarification of this blog's POV as well as a jumping off point to make another point.
First, I want to commend Aquinas_54 for his work as an RCIA catechist at his parish. I received my RCIA education late in life so that I could receive my Confirmation before getting married in the Church. I appreciate the RCIA process since I went through it as an adult and I believe that much of the battle at the parish level is here, with those who are trying to enter the Church and want to know what the Church is, believes, stands for, and practices.
I also believe that the parish level is an area that traditional Catholics have shunned and in the process we have allowed rebels in the Church to take over vital lay positions in our parishes and have given dissident priests cover to institute borderline sanctimonious practices and support dubious projects. We, as traditional Catholics, allowed a vacuum to be created at the local level and it was filled. All of us have seen the lay faithful who are "active" in the parish. They are usually "extraordinary" ministers, ushers, altar servers. They have close, "working" relationships with the priests and deacons (if there are any). They are the music directors who "unburden" the priest by selecting the hymns and musical arrangements for the masses each week. All of this they have done, and combined with modernist priests, have destroyed parish life in the Church.
All of us have seen the pictures of our parents and grandparents and all they did for their parishes. We have heard the stories of participation in the CYO, playing for sports teams with Father or a deacon as a coach (good luck with that now that every priest is a potential predator). I won't even discuss the Mass, since that is a primary topic here and elsewhere.
My point is this -- if we want the Church to be what we remember it to be, what it is suppose to be, we have to begin to organize at the parish level. If has been far too easy for us traditional Catholics to sit back and complain, whether in the pew or online, knowing the Catechism and rubrics for Mass and noting whenever they are violated. But this does nothing. In fact, we are culpable in the overall sin of the current Church by not doing something about it. It is borderline confessable what we have NOT done to protect our patrimony.
So I am making a call and I encourage everyone who considers themselves a traditional Catholic to either share what they do at the parish level or to get involved at the parish level. The rebels and modernists can ignore us because they control all the positions of power. Since the majority of positions at the parish level or voluntary, they can't stop us from volunteering and making our presence known. If you are involved, share what has worked at your parish so that others can replicate what you have done. But we must take back our parishes. If our presence is known. If our faith and reverence is observed, it WILL have an effect.
With our presence clear and present, our priests will have to listen to our suggestions and comments. They will no longer be able to do what they want and flaunt N.O. rubrics (however irreverent they are) and in the process we will be able to bring along our fellow Catholics.
One thing that those of us who know and read history is that Totalitarianism never works to turn hearts. You can enslave people. You can kill people. But you can't truly convert them without the Truth. If we want the whole Church on board, if we want Christendom to return, we need all who are Catholic. We need to convert those who will hear the Truth to the Church. We have to move them to see and accept the Truth. Abolishing Vatican II and returning to all the previous practices will not automatically bring non-traditional Catholics with it and all we will get is more Protestants.
More will be said on this in the future. But no longer can we just complain. We need to take action and this is one way that we can.
NOTE: I also want to make something very clear and this also a reflection of what Aquinas_54 commented to me (positively I might add). I have very clear opinions of the N.O. mass, especially after experiencing many TLM Masses. But in no way will I say that the Sacraments, as they are currently exercised, are illegitimate. As we know, if the form is followed, the Sacrament is valid.
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