Posted on 08/02/2004 8:21:41 AM PDT by CatherineSiena
Edited on 08/02/2004 12:08:38 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
It's hard to miss Father Marcos Gonzalez, who wears an ankle-length black cassock every day, a garment most priests tossed out decades ago. But it's not just his clothes that bespeak an older, more traditional era of his Roman Catholic Church.
When some priests spoke in favor of optional celibacy at a Los Angeles priest assembly last year — a position supported by most American Catholics today — Gonzalez booed in dissent. In premarital counseling, he tells couples to remain chaste until marriage, plunging into delicate territory some priests prefer to avoid. Gonzalez also believes artificial birth control and gay sex are always a sin and opposes women's ordination.
Such stances conform with Vatican teachings, he says, but are at odds with many American priests and lay people.
Yet Gonzalez, an associate pastor at St. Andrew Church in Pasadena, is hardly a relic from a fading past. At 41, he offers one glimpse of the future as a member of a new breed of younger priests ordained during the 25-year papacy of Pope John Paul II and passionately committed to the pope's orthodox teachings.
As the health of John Paul — now 84 and the third-longest serving pontiff in history — continues to falter, men like Gonzalez stand ready to guard and propagate his legacy. They represent a global trend toward Christian orthodoxy, in contrast to a generation of more liberal priests ordained during the 1960s reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
"We are very, very faithful to the Holy Father and not in any way dissenting from the teachings of the church," Gonzalez says of like-minded colleagues.
The emergence of these young conservatives has set off a flurry of studies, books and debate about what effect they will have on the nation's 62 million Roman Catholics, its largest religious denomination.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Praise God.
bump
I absolutely believe this article and it gives me great hope for the future. This Sunday, the seminarian at our parish just casually dropped into his sermon that Catholic husbands and wives should always be open to life. The thrust of his sermon was that Jesus considers all those who know the truths of the Catholic faith but willfully choose not to follow the teachings "fools".
That is very sad. If they cannot bear the cross of a disobedient superior, they should request a transfer to a more conservative parish or diocese. I just today mentioned on another thread that I know a young priest who did just that. He is now very happy and has started a street hockey club for the boys. I pray he will reap many vocations in his new parish.
Thank you for sharing this!
Like your freeper name, there are times when I feel "old and tired" but my faith is sound and I truly trust in the future!
It turns out that particular Maronite church had several refugees from liberal parishes. Any idea how many folks have switched rites? We were also wondering, but didn't have the nerve to ask, if any of them would switch back once things get better in the Roman rite. Do you think you would switch back? (I'm much bolder on the internet!)
I think the only thing more traditional Catholics can do is to support parishes that are in line with tradition. I havent gone to a local parish in 2 and a half years. Have you considerd going to the more traditional Slavic parish?
>>Have you considerd going to the more traditional Slavic parish?<<
Going there is one thing, joining is another. They are in the process of expanding and are not taking new parishoners until then.
Also (although this is less important) my four year old is starting K CCD in the fall. She is homeschooled and doing first grade work. If I go to the Slavic CCD she will go back to Preschool. However if they would take us, we would deal with that.
I volunteered for the Education committee in the fall. I fear I will not be well liked. I plan to print out everything the Vatican recently frowned upon. MANY things are wrong with this parish.
The "new" priest in our parish apparently read this article and was quite upset by it.
He went on to say how the Vatican II priests teach and preach "love" and the JPII priests preach "fire and brimstone." That, "sure there was a hell but God would never put anyone there." Then he went on saying that he would certainly not comment or preach on sexual sins and would stay out of our bedrooms! Especailly since he had no expertise in that matter.
Then he went on to say that he watched the Democratic Convention and said, "While not endorsing Kerry, at least Kerry was connected to his inner self and was complete in his life." Or something to that effect.
My husband of 23 years said that he had never had such a jarring homily in all his life. Ruined the day for us actually. --Until we read the article he was commenting on. What a refreshing piece - and from the LA Times for that matter.
Not sure where you were in the Richmond diocese, it is quite large geographically, but there are 2 traditional parishes (more accurately one traditional parish in Richmond, and one traditional "mission" in chesapeake near virginia beach). Both allowed by the Bishop. I think there might be an SSPX church somewhere in Richmond, too (not sure, though, never been there).
Other than those two "indult" churches that I regularly attend when in Richmond, what I have seen in that diocese is positively frightening.
"This lady has illusions of grandeur forced upon herself by her egoism."
Actually, they were probably put there by a previous pastor who was too lazy to run the parish himself, and turned it over to anyone willing to look after it. When this type of pastor is replaced, the new guy has a miserable time trying to rebuild a parish (and take away the "priestly faculties" his predecessor has bestowed on lay people in his tenure).
"99% of Catholics aren't even aware of the SSPX."
At least 75% of these are ex-Catholics; and many others are probably masqueraders aligned with the pro-death Kerry crowd.
"Ordained by that mean old lefty, Roger Mahoney."
Ordained despite adversity from Roger the dodger.
God doesn't need to 'put us there', we get there just fine on our own ( to His dismay ) when we turn away from HIM!
That 28 year old priest sounds like dy-no-mite! He certainly gets my vote! Oh yeah! My 73-year old Irish dreadnought pastor would welcome him with open arms, they would be totally compatible in their views! As for that 60 year old.....the most charitable thing I'll say is that there is a clear lack of bran in his diet!
"I have a feeling that if we are vigilant for the next few years, these younger priests will take over control and the Church will be able to rest her eyes a little. There's hope!"
Lillabettt, that is a hope I share with you.
"If a priest is a "meanie" for denying Our Lord's Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, to a unrepetent public sinner of ANY sort, then we need more "meanies!"
Amen and right-on! Preach it!
May the Lord greatly bless your son and strenghten him in his vocation!
Sinkspur, at last I think we are in agreement, at least in a limited sense:
"The SSPX is reshaping nothing, Phil, except its own small sphere. It's amazing how many integrists think their influence is so much greater than it actually is. 99% of Catholics aren't even aware of the SSPX."
1% of One Billion Catholics is about 10 million. Isn't that what you would define as THE remnant (Romans 9:27; Romans 11:5)?
"As to Gonzalez, I notice he's a priest in Los Angeles.
Ordained by that mean old lefty, Roger Mahoney."
"Old lefty" is right.
By the way, why is it that when the SSPX moves in on a diocese, the Ordinary of that diocese runs scared and calls up the FSSP or establishes the Indult Mass? Most recent example is the diocese of Phoenix.
Mattheus
http://alcazar.net
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