Posted on 09/11/2025 6:53:45 PM PDT by ebb tide
The clergy and lay people featured in “Bread Not Stones” remind viewers that the Church’s traditions, including the TLM, are not merely relics of a past long gone, but relevant gems that greatly enhance one’s Catholic Faith and identity. Arguably, it can be said that this film is calling for a Church that truly listens and addresses the spiritual needs of Her children, with pastoral prudence and compassion.
In the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, a major shift threatening to undermine the basis of a devout community that has long derived spiritual fruits from the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) will soon take place very soon.
As per a June 3 report from the Catholic News Herald, the official newspaper of the Charlotte diocese, Bishop Michael Martin has decided that a plan to limit the TLM from four parish churches to a one designated chapel will materialize on October 2. Earlier, Bishop Martin had declared on May 23 that the TLM restrictions would go into effect from July 8 onwards.
In response, Regina Magazine released “Bread Not Stones”, “the first film to document the impact of ‘Traditionis Custodes’ upon a faith community”, showcasing interviews in which priests and faithful Catholics expressed their devotion to the TLM and how the Mass has impacted their lives in general. This new documentary articulates the disruptive ramifications wrought because of Bishop Martin’s restrictions on the TLM in the Charlotte diocese, mirroring devastating consequences elsewhere around the Catholic world due to the controversial “Traditionis Custodes” document. For Catholics who cherish the TLM as a central part of their faith life, “Bread Not Stones” tells the agonizing story of a thriving TLM community that has been shown the exit door by their shepherd.
What has been for years a dynamic and growing community worshipping across four parishes is going to be broken up and abruptly restricted to attending the TLM to a single (and faraway for many parishioners) chapel. Apparently, pastoral sensitivity has been thrown out of the window in Charlotte!
Heartfelt Testimonies
What I particularly enjoyed about “Bread Not Stones” was how it featured authentic human experiences unveiling the full impact of Bishop Martin’s TLM restrictions on priests, as well as faithful Catholics and their families. The film is neither about the complexities of ecclesiastical policies nor about the intricacies of Church liturgies but simply showcased how people who had built their spiritual lives around the TLM were now under siege by their bishop. As the documentary aptly highlights, citing the very words of Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, “Which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him to a stone?” Indeed, to many faithful of the Charlotte diocese, as well as to an external observer like me, Bishop Martin’s actions beggars belief.
After all, Bishop Martin’s restrictions reflect a sudden limitation of access to Holy Mass in the venerable Tridentine Rite. What has been for years a dynamic and growing community worshipping across four parishes is going to be broken up and abruptly restricted to attending the TLM to a single (and faraway for many parishioners) chapel. Apparently, pastoral sensitivity has been thrown out of the window in Charlotte!
The Crisis of Pastoral Care
Indeed, at the crux of “Bread Not Stones” is the issue of Bishop Martin’s lack of pastoral sensitivity in his decision to restrict the TLM in Charlotte. The documentary is a poignant portrayal of how faithful clergy and lay people in Charlotte find themselves torn between loyalty to their ecclesiastical superiors (i.e. Bishop Martin and Rome) as well as their spiritual needs (focused on the TLM). Moreover, Bishop Martin’s move to squeeze the thriving TLM community in Charlotte into one chapel situated a considerable distance from the original TLM parishes has created a logistical nightmare that risks severely fracturing the community.
Undoubtedly, the film calls into question Bishop Martin’s decision in light of Our Lord Jesus Christ’s call for pastors and spiritual shepherds to care for their flock.
“Bread Not Stones” documents the stress faced by parents concerned about their family’s faith formation as a result of the TLM restrictions, priests trying to cater to the diverse spiritual needs of the faithful with limited resources, as well as the confusion of lay Catholics who have been deprived of their source of spiritual growth and refuge (i.e. the TLM). Undoubtedly, the film calls into question Bishop Martin’s decision in wake of Our Lord Jesus Christ’s call for pastors and spiritual shepherds to care for their flock.
The Importance of Addressing the Spiritual Needs of the People
Strikingly, “Bread Not Stones” is not a polemical attempt to foster bitterness or challenge the legitimacy of Church authority among viewers. Rather, the documentary is a witness to the numerous challenges faced by communities affected by TLM restrictions on the pretext of “Traditionis Custodes” Hopefully, this film would encourage prelates worldwide to use liturgical laws to address the spiritual welfare of the people entrusted to their care - i.e. to work for the salvation of souls. Church laws should not be abused nor be used as instruments of spiteful exclusion. True enough, the clergy and lay people featured in “Bread Not Stones” remind viewers that the Church’s traditions, including the TLM, are not merely relics of a past long gone, but relevant gems that greatly enhance one’s Catholic Faith and identity. Arguably, it can be said that this film is calling for a Church that truly listens and addresses the spiritual needs of Her children, with pastoral prudence and compassion.
Conclusion
Indeed, for many Catholics, me included, the TLM is not simply a “preference” due to “nostalgia” of a past long gone (and I’m stating this as a ‘90s millennial who was born decades after Vatican 2).
Rather, for us lovers of the TLM, this Mass is a significant expression of our Catholic Faith and identity connecting us to centuries of worship and Catholic teaching. This was the Mass that St. Padre Pio loved to celebrate, that the Irish Catholics during the times of the Penal Laws fought and died for, and that the persecuted “hidden Christians” during the dark years of the Edo Shogunate in Japan yearned for.
With the TLM, Catholics can look forward to theological depth, reverence, mystery, and inestimable graces!
In light of the numerous benefits of the TLM for Catholics, “Bread Not Stones” is an excellently produced documentary that exposes the inconveniences and sufferings inflicted by restrictions on the TLM. Without giving any more spoilers, Catholics who love the ancient and venerable Roman Rite certainly cannot miss this film!
Mary, Mother of Persecuted Catholics, pray for us.
“There is no need to create another church, but to create a different church,” Pope Francis said—quoting the words of Yves Congar O.P., one of the great theologians of the Second Vatican Council—in his talk to a gathering of more than 200 cardinals, bishops, clergy, religious and laity from all over the world.
Ping
Suck it up. Offer it up. God permits suffering to make your l9ve stronger, more holy. Read the Latin mass during the celebrstion of the priest mass. Be pleasant. Read the Latin mass during the celebration of the priest mass. It may not be his fault. He must be obedient. You do not have the same vow. The mass makes him a celebrity, no matter how holy he prays it.
The North Africans are still waiting. Expect it.
IIRC, it was St. John Chrysostom who observed that the floor of Hell is paved with the skulls of bishops. Here’s another one.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.