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I had no intention of bringing particular people's names into the conversation on the net, but now that you did, I'm going to explain in general terms and be done with it. Except in regards to the principle, who the world should no is a fine Catholic person who I hold in very high regard. He's not there anymore.

But the school was falling from 49 students last year down to I think 16 last I heard, and that's before we threw in the towel. Why? Bickering or something, who the hell knows. I still don't know.

I went to their board meeting, sat and listened about suggestions, what to do, how to refocus, blah blah etc. When it was nearly through, I stepped in with my 2 cents. I said the reason they were having problems is that since they were trying to do something good, which they were, that the Old Man would try to cause plenty of friction to frustrate their efforts. I told them they needed as a parish to instute adoration of the Blessed Sacrament specifically for the wellbeing of the school, maybe once a week for a couple hours. They liked the idea, but it seemed novel to them. Yeah, let's do it, I would help it get up and running, etc.

I told them that if they didn't do this, the school would not make it. Believing strongly enough in that solution, I pushed the envelope said that our return this fall was conditional upon that, and that I would do it all until people started coming to help out. They said they'd get back to me.

No answer, so I called; no return call. When I saw them, they said they call to arrange it. Last I heard through a 3rd party, they weren't going to do it for fear that they wouldn't be able to provide the manpower. Three hours a week, and an offer to fill them all myself. So I don't know what they could be thinking. I don't even know who the "they" was that made the decision.

I didn't wait for confirmation from what I heard from the third party. I just said forget it. So I did my job; I stayed and offered what I could; I have no regrets. But when people are not going to enthusiastically implement the only possible solution, there's nothing more I can do.

Let that be a lesson on the guts of Novus-ordoization. Novus ordoization manifests itself in lots of pretty talk, but when it comes to the prayer and the sacrifices that are the integral life and health of the Universal Church, they're out of there.

I walked in on an ecumenical shindig there once. That was interesting. And then they had the rapping priest show up once, too, you know that guy?

Look, there's a lot of good people there. But we need to get a grip on the Novus-ordoization of our Catholic Church, which is really at the root nothing more than an ungodly blending of the things of this world with the things of God. There's a barrier between the two, you know.

I told them they needed as a parish to instute adoration of the Blessed Sacrament specifically for the wellbeing of the school, maybe once a week for a couple hours. They liked the idea, but it seemed novel to them. Yeah, let's do it, I would help it get up and running, etc.

So, just to be certain that I am understanding you correctly, you are withdrawing your children from St. Ephrem's Maronite Catholic School, which provides the students with:

* Daily Mass
* Loyalty to the Holy Father
* Solidly Catholic texts from the past and present

because, in response to their shrinking enrolment, your suggestion that Eucharistic Adoration was the solution, was met with enthusiasm yet not implemented as you would have wanted. I quote:

"I told them that if they didn't do this, the school would not make it."

Pascendi, dear, I am a middle-aged 'baby boomer', educated by the solidly formed catholic nuns of pre-Vatican II. In my 12 years of Catholic School education, NEVER did we attend Daily Mass, much less weekly Adoration of the Eucharist. This was unheard of back then, when the only Catholic liturgy celebrated in the USA (or anywhere else in the world) was the old Latin Mass. NEVER!!!

What we did 'celebrate' on a daily basis, was the crack of a ruler on someone's hands, or the humiliation of being sent to the corner of a room. Friday's were indeed fun when we were taken to church for confession. Some of us made up sins in order to have something to say. Then, knowing that we had 'sinned' by making up the sins, we then had something to say the following Friday. Our classrooms were packed! You are complaining about a school where the TOTAL attendance is 20 students. Our classrooms were packed with 55; that is why Sister had to resort to extreme measures to keep everyone in check. Back then, we had the same Sister for every class throughout the entire year. We were expected to render unto Sister whatever she demanded. In 7th grade, 'Sister" insisted that we use Peacock Blue Ink in our pens and we were graded on penmanship. That nun ran a tight ship! I don't know how old your oldest child is, but let me assure you that by 7th grade, children begin to feel their oats. My 7th grade 'Sister' was truly challenged to teach a room filled with 55 kids whose hormones were bubbling. I was so intimidated by her that I broke out in shingles. The dermatologist had NEVER seen shingles in a 12 year old child. If you have not yet experienced shingles, let me assure you that it is a very painful condition. It is often brought on by stress. In 7th grade, 'Sister' approach to teaching resulted in me being written up by the medical association. Needless to say, her approach to teaching ( or shoud I say, approach to dealing with 55 pre-pubescent teens) was more than intimidating. Having gone through the real experience of raising a teen, I do not fault her. Back then, she did the best she could with what she had.

At St. Ephrem's you have an idyllic situation; yet you have decided to walk away because they will not offer Weeky Eucharistic Adoration. Please tell me in what Catholic School you expect to find such an offering!

You and the other 'traditionalist' thinkers in this forum need to do a 'reality check'. You seem to live in some euphoric world that does not exist.

You claim that St. Ephrem's is a Novus Ordo institution because ???????