The Future and the Popes

Catholic Planet ^ | September 2002 | Ronald L. Conte Jr.

[Desdemona]

Wait a second, Penance in 4th? That's supposed to come before First Communion. And what is wrong with the list of sins in the Catechism and examining the conscience against it? Why make it more complicated than it needs to be?

BTW, I waited half an hour in line last night for Confession, and there was quite a line behind me. We also got a homily on Confession this morning.

Honestly, you all need new bishops. I'll keep you in my prayers.

[Domestic Church]

Ooooohhh Chant! Emmanuelbooks.com might have the grammar school resources for that in their music section...or was it Catholic Heritage Curricula? One of them and it would be great to get the kids started.

[american colleen]

Honestly, you all need new bishops. I'll keep you in my prayers.

Yeah. I'm pretty sick of hearing of your great orthodox diocese! ;-)

All kidding aside, that is fantastic that there are LINES for Confession. I haven't seen that in years and years.

There's a pretty good rumor that Bishop Wuerl is to be sent to Boston... he's in Pittsburgh now, I believe. I'm kinda curious about him... any Catholic FReepers from Pittsburgh that we know of? I'd like to hear their take on him. What we need is a Tomás de Torquemada and his minions. Things are a mess here with the dissident priests and the so-called Catholic universities. The Boston Globe did a little piece on Wuerl and the rumor he may be sent to Boston... he didn't say no and he didn't sound too thrilled.

[NYer]

The 12 &13 year olds in the class were clueless. I am one who believes that since marriage is not allowed until 18, there is no reason to Confirm so young. And the fact that your daughter wants mote time to think about it is a good sign. This means she takes it seriously.

Oh Des! Nothing could be farther from the truth. She views the teachings of the church as fantasy. This from a child raised in a catholic home and educated in catholic schools. A year ago, she would have eagerly embraced the sacrament.

As for the 10 and 12 year olds, I was in 6th grade when I made my Confirmation (granted that was a long time ago, in antiquity). The bishop came once every two years to confirm the 6th and 7th grade classes., I was 10 when I made my confirmation and I remember that day as though it were yesterday. We processed into the church to take our places. My greatest fear was that the bishop would slap us hard across the face. In his address to the confirmandi, he called us Soldiers of Christ. That message struck home like a laser beam (before it was ever invented).

During my teen years, I abandoned the faith, like my daughter ...... and consider it perfectly normal. Once my life settled down in the post 20 years, my faith returned, along with the memories of my confirmation. Those 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit are critical in our lives. Actually the church places Confirmation in between Baptism and First Eucharist. It is supposed to be administered any time after the age of awareness - in other words, any time after age 7.

I apologize but at times I feel like an old dinosaur. Having been raised in the pre VCII church when nuns were truly religious and priests were anything but gay. My daughter attended mass beginning the week she was born. At age 3, she would bring little gifts to the statue of the BVM outside the church. These 16+ teen years are a painful burden to a mother who loves her daughter with all her heart. Thank you, Colleen, for the rosary. We certainly need it.

[TotusTuus]

....there is no reason to Confirm so young.

Well, yes there is. Remember, the Grace of God is the chief effect of this, and all, the Sacraments. The argument would be similar to those non-Catholics who assume you can't baptize infants because they haven't reached the age of reason. The reality of the Grace of God working in the soul of an individual is not dependent on the age or current knowledge of the recipient of the Sacrament received.

There are many in the Latin Church who are arguing for the Church to give the Sacraments of initiation in their proper order, i.e. - Baptism, Confirmation, first Holy Communion. In the Eastern Churches infants are Chrismated (Confirmed) right after Baptism and even receive their first Holy Communion at that time as well! This assumes, of course, that the child is a member of a practicing Catholic family and will be receiving the teachings of the Church continuously as they grow - in their homes (the Domestic Church) as well as formal catechism. I think this last statement points to where the problems of the Church really are in terms of ignorance. It also points to the importance of correct liturgical practices, particularly in their wider significance of following the life of Christ throughout the year in the various feast days and seasons.

The liturgy, in it's totality and balance, is a very powerful catechetical tool among it's other purposes. It is precisely here that dissidents attack the beliefs of the Church through their selfish, self-centered, and self-serving "developments" of the liturgy, which is the locus of the Sacraments.

[TotusTuus]

Honestly, you all need new bishops.

Tease...

[american colleen]

A year ago, she would have eagerly embraced the sacrament.

At 16 she was fine and now at 17 she views the teachings of the Church as fantasy? You are almost lucky, I am thinking. I'll wager most kids abandon ship way before that. But if she knew the Truth last year and has abandoned it this year, it sounds like just plain old rebellion. She probably says whatever it is that she knows will hurt you the most.

You are the one who directed me to that fantastic shroud book... I know you have it in your house and I know she's seen it. No matter what, she knows that Jesus Christ was born and lived and was crucified and rose from the dead. Sounds like maybe the teachings of Catholicism (as we know them, not as they are taught and not taught in a lot of the parishes) are cramping her lifestyle?

Once I met my husband (as a teenager), off came the Immaculate Conception medal and the teachings of the Church went out the window. Some things were hard to hear for me.

[TotusTuus]

Well, let's see....

Cardinal Polycarp would be put to better use in a "Culture of Life" ministry. Believe me, there are MANY good men and women who would vie for the job of cleaning out the perverts, so you won't have a problem finding a worthy replacement here.

Cardinal Ultima Ratio in charge of liturgical standards? Umm.... No. With some proper training, he can start out as an assistant in this discastery.

Cardinal Catholic Guy's verbage would be wasted with him as a personal body guard, he's a natural to be your press secretary - be funner to watch than Ari going against Helen.

Desde might not mind sharing her ministry with Cardinal ninenot.

Otherwise, I'm game! How does the saying go when elected and consecrated Pope? See that bed over there, it's the bed you will die in.

[Desdemona]

Yeah. I'm pretty sick of hearing of your great orthodox diocese! ;-)

I counted this morning. We have 54 in the Seminary. And there are parishes closing here. There are also fewer and fewer EEMs and fewer people willing to do it. I haven't seen one under 40.

All kidding aside, that is fantastic that there are LINES for Confession. I haven't seen that in years and years.

Yes. It is. And only two were nuns. And no one went to the face to face side.

[Desdemona]

Oh Des! Nothing could be farther from the truth. She views the teachings of the church as fantasy. This from a child raised in a catholic home and educated in catholic schools. A year ago, she would have eagerly embraced the sacrament.

This is strange. Hmmmm...

[Desdemona]

Having been confirmed as late as I was and with three younger siblings, my perspective is a little different. I actually understood what I was accepting and proclaiming. Even now, I understand it better than my classmates in grade school who were confirmed a couple months after we moved (in 5th).

I also think that our preparation was a joke. And I will stand by that and say that a good chuck of the problem with the church right now is horrid Catechisis. I didn't even know the word until this pope released the current Catechism. I had never heard of the Baltimore Catechism - and I went to Catholic schools in all but 7th and 8th grades.

I'll have to think about it some more, but there is a point, I can see, to Confirming and making First Communion together and older than 7. I think my grandmother did this when she was an adolescent. Baptism is totally different. That's a parents' faith and commitment to receiving grace and raising the child in the church.

[Desdemona]

It also points to the importance of correct liturgical practices, particularly in their wider significance of following the life of Christ throughout the year in the various feast days and seasons.

That assumes that the parents actually take their children to church and that they do not have parents like mine - one completely embracing every liturgical novelty to come down the pike and one who may or may not believe in God, but still does not miss Mass and must have ashes on Ash Wedenesday (don't even ask what a doctor of the church is. this parent of mine could not begin to answer that). That's kind of what I was raised with. They think I'm strange for 1. going to Confession with a wall between me and the priest, 2. for saying more than one Rosary a day, 3. for hanging a Crucifix over my bed - among other things. I bought a Douhey-Rheims Bible and I was questioned as to why.

Oh, and they don't really like our orthodox archbishop.

[Desdemona]

Honestly, you all need new bishops.

Tease...

You haven't heard the half of it. THis morning, Bishop Neuman (an auxillary), said Mass and he told this story of being in the drive thru at Steak and Shake and the kid serving him said, "Father, I need to go to Confession." So, the good bishop didn't give absolution, but did his pastoral best while sitting in the drive thru. This was in the middle of a homily of Confession and Lent.

[Desdemona]

Honestly, you all need new bishops.

Tease...

You haven't heard the half of it. THis morning, Bishop Neuman (an auxillary), said Mass and he told this story of being in the drive thru at Steak and Shake and the kid serving him said, "Father, I need to go to Confession." So, the good bishop didn't give absolution, but did his pastoral best while sitting in the drive thru. This was in the middle of a homily of Confession and Lent.

[Desdemona]

Actually, the bishop here might be orthodox, but not everyone is. We, too, have the big, suburban parishes which have really ugly buildings and people in them who are nominally Catholic. There are thos that outright oppose many church teachings. Remember that the Jesuit "music" got its start here. It's not all great. You have to go looking for the good.

The protestant church where I work is taking a summer choir hiatus, so I'm going to go exploring in the city. There are some big, beautiful old gothic churches here.

[Desdemona]

Actually, the bishop here might be orthodox, but not everyone is. We, too, have the big, suburban parishes which have really ugly buildings and people in them who are nominally Catholic. There are thos that outright oppose many church teachings. Remember that the Jesuit "music" got its start here. It's not all great. You have to go looking for the good.

The protestant church where I work is taking a summer choir hiatus, so I'm going to go exploring in the city. There are some big, beautiful old gothic churches here.

[Desdemona]

Please, excuse my fingers. New computer and I'm still getting used to it.

[drstevej]

Cardinal TotusTuus, what portfolio for you?

***See that bed over there, it's the bed you will die in.***

I think I'll use my own bed in that case.

[Domestic Church]

" Soldiers of Christ. That message struck home like a laser beam (before it was ever invented). "

Nowdays, the kids never hear of the Church Militant, but that was at least a tradition if not a Tradition.

[Domestic Church]

Cardinal Totus Tuus, I nominate you to oversee the parochial system.