A Traditional Catholic Teen Looks At His Modern Parish

The San Diego News Notes ^ | January 2004 | STANFORD ESPEDAL

[Land of the Irish]

My father goes to the Indult Mass at Holy Cross Cemetery. Though we have been a few times, it is very inconvenient and unconventional for us to attend. I can tell you that when I went to Holy Cross Cemetery after 15 years of being a Novus Ordo-raised Catholic, it was like being on a different planet. I had studied those pictures and words in my grandmother's missal for so long, and now I was actually experiencing the Mass of All Time, the Mass that my parents were baptized with, my grandparents married in, my great-grandparents buried in; it was so exhilarating and awe-inspiring. I would not hesitate to say that it was the best Mass that I have ever attended.

[Land of the Irish]

Ping

[RobbyS]

What a kid! But the odds seem against his becoming a priest in that diocese.

[Antoninus]

Sounds like a good kid. I hope his passion for his Catholic faith doesn't flame out or drift into bitterness when he's faced with obstacles. I believe the Holy Spirit is calling many like him even as I type this. It may take a while, but the Church will be reformed.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

I like Ryan. A person such as this is truly sent to serve and heal the Church.

the Indult Mass at Holy Cross Cemetery

I read this on another forum and wasn't sure whether to believe it or not. This is confirmation. The first source I read stated that the Indult community originally had a parish but the SD bishop took it away and banished them to the mausoleum. He called it "a dead place for a dead liturgy." Those poor people are literally in the catacombs.

[american colleen]

In your backyard?

[RockDoc]

Ping. Tony, You could relate to this kid.

[k omalley]

"a dead place for a dead liturgy"

What a jerk! I have seriously considered retiring to the SD-LA area to be near family but the more I hear about the state of the church there the more doubts I have about the wisdom of such a move.

[k omalley]

"There are some good churches in San Diego-we are not L.A."

LOL! Sorry, didn't mean to imply that SD and LA are the same. I realize that Mahoney-land is a different country.

[.45MAN]

ping

[american colleen]

How beautiful! Thanks for the picture!

[dansangel]

The "Roamin' Catholic" probably needs to pay a visit to St. Joan of Arc in Boca Raton.

[Jeff Chandler]

I realize that Mahoney-land is a different country.

The scuttlebut is that the Curia was under tremendous pressure to send an LA bishop to Phoenix, effectively making the Phoenix diocese an adjunct to the LA diocese. Thank God that didn't happen.

[Jaded]

No more "I love you, you love me, we're one happy ecumenical family."

This is a crack up.

The priest we got about 4 years ago is a real stickler! He was a convert from, I believe, the Baptist Church. His approach is somewhat different from other priests. People actually left the parish because of his "I'm a sinner, you're a sinner, except for the Grace of God and the Salvation of Christ" sermons. Didn't much like the candy coating removed.

He's very particular about showing the proper respect during Mass. A few weeks ago he began the Eucharistic Prayer and noticed someone was standing. He stopped and waited. The person remained standing. The priest went and sat down. Of course, if there is a medical condition that prevents kneeling, it's okay, but that was not the case on that Sunday.

His current soap box, if you will, is "just because society says it's okay, doesn't mean God thinks it is". People squirm. He's right though.