The Biblical Roots of the [Catholic] Liturgy

Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 11-26-17 | Msgr. Charles Pope

[Salvation]

The Biblical Roots of the Liturgy

Msgr. Charles Pope • November 26, 2017 •

Catholics are often unaware just how biblical the Sacred Liturgy is. The design of our traditional churches; the use of candles, incense, and golden vessels; the postures of standing and kneeling; the altar; the singing of hymns; priests wearing albs and so forth are all depicted in the Scriptures. Some of these details were features of the ancient Jewish Temple, but most are reiterated in the Book of Revelation, which describes the liturgy of Heaven.

The liturgy here on earth is modeled after the liturgy in Heaven; that is why it is so serious to tamper with it. The Book of Revelation describes the heavenly liturgy and focuses on a scroll or book that contains the meaning of life and the answers to all we seek. It also focuses on the Lamb of God, standing but with the marks of slaughter upon it. Does this not sound familiar? It is the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

We do well to be aware of the biblical roots of the Sacred Liturgy. Many people consider our rituals to be empty and vain, “smells and bells.” Some think austere liturgical environments devoid of much ritual are “purer” and closer to the worship in “spirit and in truth” that Jesus spoke of in John 4.

To such criticisms we must insist that our rituals, properly understood, are mystical and deeply biblical. Further, they are elements of the heavenly liturgy since almost all of them are mentioned as aspects of the worship or liturgy that takes place in Heaven. In this light, it is a serious mistake to set them aside or have a dismissive attitude toward them.

With that in mind we ought to consider the biblical references to the most common elements of Catholic and Orthodox liturgies. I have added my own occasional note in red.

Candles –

• Rev 1:12-13 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man. In traditional catholic parishes, there are six candles on the high altar and a seventh candle is brought out when the bishop is present.
• Rev 4:6 Seven flaming torches burned in front of the throne.

Altar –

• Rev 9:13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God.
• Rev 8:3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.

Chair –

• Rev 4:1 and lo, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne! And he who sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald …
• Daniel 7:9 As I looked, thrones were placed and one that was ancient of days took his seat; … In the Sacred Liturgy, the chair of the priest is prominent. But, as he takes his seat, we are invited to see not Father Jones, but rather the Lord Himself presiding in our midst.

Priests (elders) in Albs –

• Rev 4:4 the elders sat, dressed in white garments …

Bishop’s miter, priest’s biretta –

• Rev 4:4, 10 With golden crowns on their heads … they cast down their crowns before the throne … In the Liturgy, the Bishop may only wear his miter at prescribed times. But when he goes to the altar he must cast aside his miter. The priest who wears the biretta in the Old Mass is instructed to tip his biretta at the mention of the Holy Name and to lay it aside entirely when he goes to the altar.

Focus on a scroll (book), The Liturgy of the Word –

• Rev 5: 1 And I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals; and I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I wept much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. Then one of the elders said to me, “Weep not; lo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” In the ancient world, books as we know them now had not been invented. Texts were written on long scrolls and rolled up.

Incense, Intercessory prayer –

• Rev 8:3 another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God …
• Rev 5:7 and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints;

Hymns –

• Rev 5:8 And they sang a new hymn: Worthy are you O Lord to receive the scroll and break open its seals. For you were slain and with your blood you purchase for God men of every race and tongue, and those of every nation.
• Rev 14:1 Then I looked, and lo, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads … and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth.
• Rev 15:3 And they (the multitude no one could count) sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and wonderful are thy deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are thy ways, O King of the ages! Who shall not fear and glorify thy name, O Lord? For thou alone art holy. All nations shall come and worship thee, for thy judgments have been revealed.”

Holy, Holy, Holy –

• Rev 4:8 and day and night they never cease to sing, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

Prostration (Kneeling) –

• Rev 4:10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne …
• Rev 5:14 and the elders fell down and worshiped In today’s setting, there is seldom room for everyone to lie prostrate, flat on the ground. Kneeling developed as a practical solution to the lack of space, but it amounts to the same demeanor of humble adoration.

Lamb of God –

• Rev 5:6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain …

Acclamations –

• Rev 5:11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

Amen! –

• Rev 5:14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!”

Silence –

• Rev 8:1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. ( And you thought your priest paused too long after communion?)

Mary –

• Rev 12:1 And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery.

Happy are those called to His “supper” –

• Rev 19:6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunder peals, crying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; … And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

Golden vessels, vestments –

• Rev 1:12 And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
• Rev 1:13 and among the lampstands was someone “like a son of man,” dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest
• Rev 5:8 the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense
• Rev 8:3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, at the golden altar before the throne.
• Rev 15:16 The angels were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests.
• Rev 15:17 seven golden bowls

Stained Glass –

• Rev 21:10 [The heavenly city] had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, … The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every jewel; the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. ( The image of stained glass in our Church walls is hinted at here.)

Here is but a partial list, except for one quote drawn only from the Book of Revelation. I invite you to add to it.

Here is an awesome video with wonderful quotes:

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Pardon me, you’re a hell of a lot smarter than John Henry Newman.

I don't know if I am or not. I'm certainly not as prolific a writer.

But of course the point is that your claim was false.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Gee, since you think Cardinal Newman is so smart, you will agree with this that he wrote:

"The use of temples, and these dedicated to particular saints, and ornamented on occasions with branches of trees; incense, lamps, and candles; votive offerings on recovery from illness; holy water; asylums; holydays and seasons, use of calendars, processions, blessings on the fields; sacerdotal vestments, the tonsure, the ring in marriage, turning to the East, images at a later date, perhaps the ecclesiastical chant, and the Kyrie Eleison [Note 17], are all of pagan origin , and sanctified by their adoption into the Church.." {374} "The introduction of Images was still later, and met with more opposition in the West than in the East."

(John Henry Newman, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Chapter 8. Application of the Third Note of a True Development—Assimilative Power; http://www.newmanreader.org/works/development/chapter8.html)

hat tip to daniel1212

[Zuriel]

**Roman Catholicism is modeled more on the OT system of sacrifices than the NT. The Msgr is looking the wrong way.**

Except for an added twist, a really BIG added twist. Here is a clue:

I’m so young and you’re so old
This, my darling, I’ve been told
I don’t care just what they say
‘Cause forever I will pray.........
Oh, please stay by me, Diana

(Some lyrics from a Paul Anka hit tune, but fitting for the RC faithful, IMO.)

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Interesting Prayer however our Lord seems to be suggesting something different in the following passage.

Yeah, those Irish don't always pray right.

[ealgeone]

No. No need to stop. When some of the ECFs offer differing opinions they are dismissed as "stray private opinions". It illustrates my position clearly.

If you read the entire article you will note the article says this about the Immaculate Conception....No direct or categorical and stringent proof of the dogma can be brought forward from Scripture.

Over time and through the Holy Spirit, doctrine has developed. It has been a slow process and one full of deliberation and debate. That doesn't invalidate the Church nor the body of theology. It actually enhances it because all sides of issues have been contemplated for millennia. You think you are the first ones to seek answers?

The Mormons and others have made the same claim that doctrine continues to develop.

There is currently a movement among some Roman Catholics to proclaim another Marian dogma. However, the RCC is not yet ready to proclaim it....yet. But it will happen given enough popular support and time. http://www.fifthmariandogma.com/

[Coleus]

The one and true Catholic church of Jesus Christ, with “the rock” in charge.

[pgyanke]

* Sigh *... what are you doing, googling "arguments against Catholics?" This one is old and tired.

Quoting a devotional text is not doctrinal. What the priest does at the Altar is both humble in service to God and powerful in application. What has been quoted is a devotional rendering where the priest is marveling at the power bestowed upon him where he actually participates in Christ's crucifixion. It is not a resacrifice of Christ, it is a participation outside of time and space in the one event. Christ is the offering for sin. We offer the Mass in praise and thanksgiving of His sacrifice.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

x

[ealgeone]

The dude's a Roman Catholic priest...you're not. Who is more likely to understand what is happening in the Mass?

The book is not a devotional text. He's describing what happens in the Mass.

Roman Catholics don't like this to be published. I can understand why.

[ealgeone]

Vatican I or Vatican II?

So which one are you...?

[pgyanke]

Doctrine does develop. Christ promised the Holy Spirit to teach all things... do you think He quit after a couple of years?

Please post for me the Lord's Prayer with the Scripture citation for all that you pray each time...

[infool7]

I think some of these converts may have been former protestants. There are more than 300.

A[edit]

• Greg Abbott: Governor of Texas^[1]
• Creighton Abrams: U.S. Army General, converted while commanding US forces in Vietnam
• Vladimir Abrikosov: Russian who became an Eastern-rite priest; husband to Anna Abrikosova^[2]
• Anna Abrikosova: Russian convert to Eastern-rite Catholicism who was imprisoned by the Soviets^[3]
• John Adams: beatified person and Catholic martyr^[4]
• Mortimer J. Adler: American philosopher, educator, and popular author; converted from agnosticism, after decades of interest in Thomism^[5][6]
• Afonso I of Kongo: African king; although politically motivated he became quite pious^[7]
• Leo Allatius: Greek theologian^[8]
• Fanny Allen: daughter of Ethan Allen; became a nun^[9][10]
• Thomas William Allies: English writer^[11]
• Mother Mary Alphonsa: daughter of Nathaniel Hawthorne, born "Rose Hawthorne"; became a nun and founder of St. Rose's Free Home for Incurable Cancer^[12][13]
• Veit Amerbach: Lutheran theologian and humanist before conversion^[14]
• William Henry Anderdon: English Jesuit and writer^[15]
• Władysław Anders: General in the Polish Army; later a politician with the Polish government-in-exile in London^[16]
• G. E. M. Anscombe: British analytical philosopher and theologian who introduced the term "consequentialism" into the English language^[17]
• Francis Arinze: Nigerian Cardinal and Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments^[18]
• Audrey Assad: American singer-songwriter and contemporary Christian music artist
• Thomas Aufield: English priest and martyr^[19]

B[edit]

• Johann Christian Bach: composer; youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach^[20]
• Thomas Bailey: royalist and controversialist; his father was Anglican bishop Lewis Bayly^[21]
• Beryl Bainbridge: English novelist^[22]
• Francis Asbury Baker: American priest, missionary, and social worker; one of the founders of the Paulist Fathers in 1858^[23]
• Josephine Bakhita: Sudanese-born former slave; became a Canossian Religious Sister in Italy, living and working there for 45 years; in 2000 she was declared a saint^[24]
• Banine: French writer of Azeri descent^[25][26]
• Maurice Baring: English intellectual, writer, and war correspondent^[27][28]
• Mark Barkworth: English Catholic priest, martyr, and beatified person^[29]
• Barlaam of Seminara: involved in the Hesychast controversy as an opponent to Gregory Palamas, possibly a revert^[30]
• Edwin Barnes: formerly an Anglican bishop^[31]
• Joan Bartlett: foundress of the Servite Secular Institute^[32]
• James Roosevelt Bayley: first bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark^[33]
• Aubrey Beardsley: English illustrator and author; before his death, converted to Catholicism and renounced his erotic drawings^[34]
• Francis J. Beckwith: American philosopher, Baylor University professor, and former president of the Evangelical Theological Society; technically a revert^[35]
• Jean Mohamed Ben Abdejlil: Moroccan scholar and Roman Catholic priest^[36]
• Benedict Mar Gregorios: Metropolitan Archbishop of Trivandrum, 1955-1994^[37][38]
• Peter Benenson: founder of human rights group Amnesty International^[39]
• Robert Hugh Benson: English writer and theologian; son of an Archbishop of Canterbury^[40]
• Elizabeth Bentley: former Soviet spy who defected to the West; was converted by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
• Bernardo the Japanese: one of the first Japanese people to visit Europe^[41]
• Jiao Bingzhen: painter and astronomer^[42]
• Conrad Black: Canadian-born historian, columnist, UK peer, and convicted felon for fraud; his conviction was overturned subsequently on appeal^[43]
• Tony Blair: former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; converted December 22, 2007, after stepping down as prime minister^[44]
• Andrea Bocelli: Italian tenor^[45]
• Cherry Boone: daughter of devoutly evangelical Christian entertainer Pat Boone; she went public about her battle with anorexia nervosa^[46]
• John Wilkes Booth: 19th-century actor; assassin of President Abraham Lincoln; his sister Asia Booth asserted in her 1874 memoir that Booth, baptized an Episcopalian at age 14, had become a Catholic; for the good of the Church during a notoriously anti-Catholic time in American history, Booth's conversion was not publicized^[47]
• Robert Bork: American jurist and unsuccessful nominee to the United States Supreme Court; converted to Catholicism in 2003; his wife was a former Catholic nun^[48]
• Louis Bouyer: French theologian; converted to Catholicism in 1939^[49]
• William Maziere Brady: Irish historian and journalist, formerly a Church of Ireland priest^[50][51]
• Elinor Brent-Dyer: English writer^[52]
• Alexander Briant: one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales^[53]
• John Broadhurst: formerly an Anglican bishop^[31]
• George Mackay Brown: Scottish poet, author and dramatist from the Orkney Islands^[54]
• Sam Brownback: Governor of Kansas^[55]
• Orestes Brownson: American writer^[56][57]
• Dave Brubeck: American jazz musician^[58]
• David-Augustin de Brueys: French theologian and dramatist^[59]
• Ismaël Bullialdus: French astronomer; converted from Calvinism and became a Catholic priest^[60]
• Andrew Burnham: formerly an Anglican bishop^[31]
• John Ellis Bush: American politician, forty-third Governor of Florida^[61]
• Thomas Byles: priest who died serving others on the RMS Titanic^[62][63]

C[edit]

• Roy Campbell: South-African-born, English-based (later Portuguese-based) poet^[64]
• Edmund Campion: Jesuit martyr who wrote Decem Rationes, which denounced Anglicanism; one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales^[65]
• Alexis Carrel: French surgeon and biologist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1912^[66]
• Rianti Cartwright: Indonesian actress, model, presenter and VJ; two weeks before departure to the United States to get married, Rianti left the Muslim faith to become a baptized Catholic with the name Sophia Rianti Rhiannon Cartwright^[67][68]
• Charles II of England, Scotland, and Ireland: his conversion is disputed by some historians^[69]
• Cecil Chesterton: British journalist; younger brother of G.K. Chesterton^[70]
• G.K. Chesterton: British writer, journalist and essayist, known for his Christian apologetics Orthodoxy, Heretics and The Everlasting Man^[71]
• Christina, Queen of Sweden: seventeenth-century monarch^[72]
• Djibril Cissé: French international footballer^[73][74]
• Wesley Clark: U.S. Army General; former Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO; candidate for Democratic nomination for President in 2004^[75]
• Emily Coleman: American-born writer; lifelong compulsive diary keeper^[76]
• Henry James Coleridge: son of John Taylor Coleridge; became a priest^[77]
• James Collinson: artist who briefly went back to Anglicanism in order to marry Christina Rossetti^[78]
• Constantine the African: Tunisian doctor who converted from Islam and became a Benedictine monk^[79][80]
• Tim Conway: American comedian; converted to Catholicism because he said he liked the way the Church is structured
• Gary Cooper: American actor who converted to the Church late in life, saying, "that decision I made was the right one"^[81]
• Frederick Copleston: English historian of philosophy and Jesuit priest^[82]
• Gerty Cori: Czech-American biochemist who became the third woman, and first American woman, to win a Nobel Prize in science, and the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine^[83][84]
• Richard Crashaw: English poet; son of a staunch anti-Catholic father^[85]

D[edit]

• Lorenzo Da Ponte: Italian writer and poet; converted from Judaism on his father's remarriage^[86]
• Kim Dae-jung: President of South Korea, 1998-2003; 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient^[87]
• Christopher Davenport: Recollect friar whose efforts to show that the Thirty-Nine Articles could be interpreted more in accordance with Catholic teaching caused controversy among fellow Catholics^[88]
• Dorothy Day: social activist and pacifist; founder of the Catholic Worker movement; was raised nominally Episcopalian^[89]
• David-Augustin de Brueys: French theologian^[90]
• Regina Derieva: Russian poet^[91]
• Alfred Döblin: German expressionist novelist, best known for Berlin Alexanderplatz^[92]
• Catherine Doherty: Canadian pioneer of social justice; converted from Russian Christianity^[93]
• Diana Dors: actress who was once called a "wayward hussy" by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher; in the 1970s she converted to Catholicism and had a Catholic funeral^[94][95]
• David Paul Drach: French Talmudic scholar and librarian of the College of Propaganda in Rome^[96]
• Augusta Theodosia Drane: English writer and theologian, also known as Mother Francis Raphael, O.S.D^[97]
• John Dryden: English poet, literary critic, and playwright^[98]
• Avery Dulles: American Jesuit theologian, professor at Fordham University;^[99] son of former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles
• Michael Dummett: British Analytic philosopher who devised the Quota Borda system^[100]
• Faye Dunaway: American actress^[101]
• Joseph Dutton: veteran of the American Civil War who worked with Father Damien^[102]

E[edit]

• Dawn Eden: rock journalist of Jewish ethnicity; was agnostic, now a Catholic concerned with the moral values of chastity^[103][104]
• Martin Eisengrein: German theologian and polemicist^[105]
• Ulf Ekman: Swedish charismatic pastor and founder of the Livets Ord congregation of the Word of Faith movement in Uppsala, Sweden^[106]
• Black Elk: Oglala medicine man^[107]
• Veit Erbermann: German theologian and controversialist^[108]
• William Everson: Beat poet whose parents were Christian Scientists; took the name Brother Antoninus in the 18 years he spent as a Dominican^[109]
• Thomas Ewing: U.S. Senator from Ohio; served as Secretary of the Treasury and first Secretary of the Interior; foster brother of William Tecumseh Sherman^[110]

F[edit]

• Frederick William Faber: English theologian and hymnwriter^[111]
• Lola Falana: dancer and actress who became a Catholic evangelist after converting; founded The Lambs of God Ministry^[112][113]
• Fan Shouyi (or Luigi Fan): The first known Chinese person to travel to Europe, return, and write an account of his travels. In 1717, he was ordained as a priest and would eventually be an interpreter for the Chinese emperor and as a missionary in his native China.
• Leonid Feodorov: exarch of the Russian Greek Catholic Church; Gulag survivor; beatified by Pope John Paul II^[114][115]
• Ronald Firbank: British novelist^[116]
• Sir Henry Fletcher, 3rd Baronet, of Hutton le Forest: converted and spent his last years in a monastery^[117][118]
• Kasper Franck: German theologian and controversialist^[119]
• Antonia Fraser: British historian, biographer and novelist; her parents converted when she was young^[120]
• Johann Jakob Froberger: German composer
• André Frossard: French journalist and essayist^[121][122]
• Georgiana Fullerton: English novelist; converted in 1846 when she was in her 30s^[123]

G[edit]

• Ivan Gagarin: Russian Jesuit and writer of aristocratic origin^[124]
• Maggie Gallagher: conservative activist; a founder of the National Organization for Marriage^[125]
• Edmund Gennings and John Gennings: brothers; Edmund was a priest and martyr who converted at sixteen; his death lead to John's conversion; John restored the English province of Franciscan friars^[126]
• Elizabeth Fox-Genovese: historian; founder of the Institute of Women's Studies; wife of Eugene D. Genovese^[127]
• Eugene D. Genovese: historian; was once an atheist and Marxist^[128]
• Fathia Ghali: daughter of King Fuad I of Egypt and his Queen, Nazli Sabri; in 1950, both mother and daughter converted to Catholicism from Islam; this enraged King Farouk, who forbade them from returning to Egypt; after his death, they asked President Anwar Sadat to restore their passports, which he did
• Vladimir Ghika: Romanian nobleman who became a Catholic monsignor and political dissident^[129][130]
• Richard Gilmour: bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland^[131]
• Newt Gingrich: American politician; Speaker of the United States House of Representatives^[132]
• Rumer Godden: English author of Black Narcissus and the 1972 Whitbread Award winner The Diddakoi; converted to Catholicism in 1968, which inspired the book In This House of Brede^[133]
• John Gother: English Roman Catholic convert, priest and controversialist^[134]
• John Willem Gran: former Bishop of Oslo; had been an atheist working in the film industry^[135][136]
• Graham Greene: British writer whose Catholicism influenced novels like The Power and the Glory,^[137] although in later life he once referred to himself as a "Catholic atheist"^[138]
• Wilton Daniel Gregory: American Archbishop of Atlanta, 2005–present^[139]
• Moritz Gudenus: German priest^[140]
• Alec Guinness: British actor,^[141] after whom the Catholic Association of Performing Arts (UK) named an award^[142]
• Ruffa Gutierrez: Filipina actress, model and former beauty queen; converted from Christianity to Islam back to Christianity^{[143][144][145]}

H[edit]

• Theodor Haecker: German writer, translator and cultural critic^[146]
• Kimberly Hahn: former Presbyterian; theologian, apologist and author of many books^[147]
• Scott Hahn: former Presbyterian minister; theologian, scripture scholar and author of many books^[148]
• Jeffrey Hamm: British fascist leader; converted by the renegade Catholic priest Fr. Clement Russell; succeeded Oswald Mosley as head of the British Union of Fascists
• Thomas Morton Harper: Jesuit priest, philosopher, theologian and preacher^[149]
• Chris Haw: theologian and author of numerous books, including From Willow Creek to Sacred Heart, which detaile his conversion away from evangelical Protestantism^[150]
• Anna Haycraft: raised in Auguste Comte's atheistic "church of humanity", but became a conservative Catholic in adulthood^[151]
• Carlton J. H. Hayes: American ambassador to Spain; helped found the American Catholic Historical Association; co-chair of the National Conference of Christians and Jews^[152][153]
• Susan Hayward: Academy Award-winning American actress who helped found a church^[154][155]
• Isaac Hecker: founder of the Paulist Fathers^[156]
• Elisabeth Hesselblad: raised Lutheran; after her conversion, became a nun; beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 9, 2000; recognized by Yad Vashem in 2004 as one of the Righteous Among the Nations for her work in helping Jews during World War II^[157][158]
• Dietrich von Hildebrand: German theologian^[159][160]
• H.H. Holmes: Chicago serial killer portrayed in Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City; allegedly converted in Philadelphia's Moyamensing Prison, about a week before he was executed in 1896^[161]
• Walter Hooper: trustee and literary advisor of the estate of C.S. Lewis^[162]
• James Hope-Scott: English lawyer connected to the Oxford Movement^[163]
• Gerard Manley Hopkins: English poet and Catholic priest^[164]
• Francis Hsu (Chen-Ping): third bishop of Hong Kong, and the first Chinese one; a convert from Methodism
• Arcadio Huang: Chinese Christian convert, and brought to Paris by the Missions étrangères. He took a pioneering role in the teaching of the Chinese language in France around 1715.
• Allen Hunt: American radio personality; former Methodist pastor^[165]
• E. Howard Hunt: American spy and novelist^[166]
• Reinhard Hütter: American theologian^[167]

I[edit]

• Laura Ingraham: American broadcaster and political commentator
• Princess Irene of the Netherlands: her conversion, related to her marrying a Carlist, became something of a national issue^[168][169]
• Vyacheslav Ivanov: poet and playwright associated with Russian symbolism; received into the Catholic Church in 1926^[170][171]
• Levi Silliman Ives: Episcopal Church of the USA Bishop of North Carolina^[172][173]

J[edit]

• Bobby Jindal: Governor of the U.S. state of Louisiana; converted in his teens^[174]
• Gwen John: artist; Auguste Rodin's lover; after the relationship she had a religious conversion and did portraits of nuns^[175]
• Abby Johnson: former Planned Parenthood clinic director; converted to Catholicism in 2011, two years after her pro-life conversion in 2009^[176][177]
• Walter B. Jones: U.S. politician; Member of the United States House of Representatives^[178]
• Nirmala Joshi: Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity, 1997-2009^[179]
• Johannes Jørgensen: Danish writer, known for his biographies of Catholic saints^[180][181]

K[edit]

• Nicholas Kao Se Tseien: world's oldest priest^[182]
• Katharine, Duchess of Kent: first member of the British royal family to convert to Catholicism for more than 300 years^[183]
• Joyce Kilmer: American journalist, poet, literary critic, lecturer and editor^[184][185]
• Kim Yuna: South Korean figure skater and Olympic gold medalist^[186]
• Russell Kirk: American historian, moralist and figure in US Conservatism^[187]
• Sister Gregory Kirkus: English Roman Catholic nun, educator, historian and archivist^[188]
• Harm Klueting: priest and historian; had been Lutheran and had two children^[189]
• Dean Koontz: American novelist known for thrillers and suspense; converted in college^[190]
• Knud Karl Krogh-Tonning: Norwegian; had been a Lutheran professor of theology^[191]
• Albert Küchler: Danish painter who became a Franciscan friar^[192]
• Lawrence Kudlow: CNBC host and business columnist^[193][194]
• Sigiswald Kuijken: Belgian violinist, violist and conductor^[195]
• William Kurelek: Canadian painter^[196]
• Stephan Kuttner: expert in canon law^[197]
• Demetrios Kydones: Byzantine theologian, writer and statesman^[198]

L[edit]

• Karl Landsteiner: Austrian biologist and physician; received the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; converted from Judaism to Roman Catholicism in 1890^[199]
• Joseph Lane: Territorial Governor of Oregon; first U.S. Senator from Oregon; pro-slavery Democratic candidate for US Vice President in 1860; openly sympathetic to the Confederacy during the Civil War; studied Catholic doctrine and converted with his family in 1867^[200]
• Halldór Laxness: Icelandic writer; received the 1955 Nobel Prize in Literature; converted in 1923;^[201] left the Church, but returned at the end of his life^[202][203]
• Graham Leonard: former Anglican Bishop of London^[204][205]
• Ignace Lepp: French psychiatrist whose parents were freethinkers; joined the Communist party at age fifteen; broke with the party in 1937 and eventually became a Catholic priest^[206]
• Dilwyn Lewis: Welsh clothes designer and priest^[207]
• Li Yingshi: was a Ming-era Chinese military officer and a renowned mathematician, astrologer and feng shui expert, who was among the first Chinese literati to become Christian
• Francis Libermann: venerated Catholic, raised in Orthodox Judaism; has been called "the second founder of the Holy Ghost Fathers"^[208]
• William Lockhart: first member of the Oxford Movement to convert and become a Catholic priest^[209]
• James Longstreet: Confederate general turned Republican "scalawag"^[210]
• Frederick Lucas: Quaker who converted and founded The Tablet^[211]
• Clare Boothe Luce: American playwright, editor, politician, and diplomat; wife of Time-Life founder Henry Luce;worked on the screenplay of the nun-themed film Come to the Stable; became a Dame of Malta^[212][213]
• Arnold Lunn: skier, mountaineer, and writer; agnostic; wrote Roman Converts, which took a critical view of Catholicism and the converts to it; later converted to Catholicism due to debating with converts, and became an apologist for the faith^[214]
• Jean-Marie Lustiger: Roman Catholic Archbishop of Paris, 1981-2005; a Cardinal
• James Patterson Lyke: Roman Catholic Archbishop of Atlanta, 1991-1992^[215]

M[edit]

• Alasdair MacIntyre: virtue ethicist and moral philosopher^[216]
• Gustav Mahler: Austrian composer; converted from Judaism^[217]
• Enrique de Malaca: Malay slave of Ferdinand Magellan; converted to Roman Catholicism after being purchased in 1511^[218][219]
• Henry Edward Manning: English Anglican clergyman who became a Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Westminster^[220]
• Gabriel Marcel: leading Christian existentialist; his upbringing was agnostic^[221]
• Jacques Maritain: French Thomist philosopher; helped form the basis for international law and human rights law in his writings; also laid the intellectual foundation for the Christian democratic movement^[222]
• Tobie Matthew: Member of English Parliament who became a Catholic priest^[223]
• James McAuley: Australian poet; converted in 1952^[224]
• Claude McKay: bisexual Jamaican poet; went from Communist-leaning atheist to an active Catholic Christian after a stroke^[225][226]
• Marshall McLuhan: Canadian philosopher of communication theory; coined the terms "the medium is the message" and "global village"; converted in 1937 after reading the works of G.K. Chesterton
• Thomas Merton: American Trappist monk and spiritual writer^[227]
• Vittorio Messori: Italian journalist and writer called the "most translated Catholic writer in the world" by Sandro Magister; before his conversion in 1964 he had a "perspective as a secularist and agnostic"^{[228][229][230]}
• Alice Meynell: poet and suffragist^[231]
• Czesław Miłosz: poet, prose writer, translator and diplomat; awarded the Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the 1980 Nobel Prize in Literature^[232]
• John Brande Morris: priest, writer, student of Patristic theology, and scholar of the Syriac language^[233]
• Henry Morse: one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales^[234]
• Malcolm Muggeridge: British journalist and author who went from agnosticism to the Catholic Church^[235][236]
• William Munk: English physician and medical historian remembered chiefly for "Munk's Roll", a biographical reference work on the Royal College of Physicians.

N[edit]

• Takashi Nagai: physician specializing in radiology; author of The Bells of Nagasaki^[237]
• Bernard Nathanson: medical doctor; a founding member of NARAL; became a pro-life proponent^[238]
• Patricia Neal: won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Hud^[239]
• Knut Ansgar Nelson: Danish-born convert who was a bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Stockholm^[240]
• Irène Némirovsky: author of the controversial David Golder, autobiographical Le Vin de solitude, and posthumous success Suite française^{[241][242][243]}
• Richard John Neuhaus: priest; founder and editor of the journal First Things^[244]
• John Henry Newman: English priest and cardinal, famous for his autobiographical book Apologia Pro Vita Sua in which he details his reasons for converting^[245]
• Keith Newton: formerly an Anglican bishop^[31]
• Donald Nicholl: British historian and theologian who has been described as "one of the most widely influential of modern Christian thinkers"^[246]
• Barthold Nihus: German convert who became a bishop and controversialist^[247]
• Robert Novak: American journalist and political commentator; raised Jewish, but practiced no religion for many years before converting to Catholicism in the last years of his life^[248]
• Alfred Noyes: English poet, best known for "The Highwayman"; dealt with his conversion in The Unknown God; The Last Voyage, in his The Torch-Bearers trilogy, was influenced by his conversion^[249][250]

O[edit]

• Frederick Oakeley: priest and author known for his translation of "Adeste Fideles" into English as "O Come, All Ye Faithful"^[251][252]
• John M. Oesterreicher: Jewish convert who became a monsignor and a leading advocate of Jewish-Catholic reconciliation^[253]
• William E. Orchard: liturgist, pacifist and ecumenicist; before becoming a Catholic priest he was a Protestant minister^[254]
• Johann Friedrich Overbeck: German painter in the Nazarene movement of religious art^[255]

P[edit]

• Coventry Patmore: English poet and critic known for The Angel in the House^[256]
• Joseph Pearce: anti-Catholic and agnostic British National Front member; became a devoted Catholic writer with a series on EWTN^[257][258]
• Vladimir Pecherin: Russian convert and priest whose memoirs were controversial for criticizing both the Russian government and the Catholic Church of his time^[259]
• Charles Péguy: French poet, essayist, and editor; went from an agnostic humanist to a pro-Republic Catholic^[260]
• Walker Percy: Laetare Medal-winning author of The Moviegoer and Love in the Ruins^[261]
• Sarah Peter: American philanthropist; daughter of Ohio governor Thomas Worthington
• Johann Pistorius: German controversialist and historian^[262]
• John Hungerford Pollen: wrote for The Tablet; Professor of Fine Arts at the Catholic University of Ireland^[263]
• Kirsten Powers: American political analyst & fox news columnist.
• Agni Pratistha: Indonesian actress, model and former beauty queen; elected Puteri Indonesia 2006; converted to Catholicism after marriage, although initially denied rumors of conversion^{[264][265][266]}
• Vincent Price: American actor; converted to Catholicism to marry his third wife, Australian actress Coral Browne (she became an American citizen for him); he reportedly lost interest in the faith after her death^[267]
• Erik Prince: founder of Blackwater Worldwide^[268]
• Augustus Pugin: English-born architect, designer and theorist of design; known for Gothic Revival architecture; advocate for reviving the Catholic Church in England^[269]

R[edit]

• Marie-Alphonse Ratisbonne: co-founder of the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion, which originally worked to convert Jewish people like himself^[270]
• Marie Theodor Ratisbonne: co-founder of the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion; converted before his brother^[271]
• Sally Read: Eric Gregory Award-winning poet who converted to Catholicism^[272]
• William Reynolds: English Roman Catholic theologian and Biblical scholar^[273]
• Dewi Rezer: Indonesian model of French descent; converted to Roman Catholicism^[274][275]
• Anthony Rhodes: English writer
• Paul Richardson: formerly an Anglican bishop^[276]
• Knute Rockne: Norwegian-American Notre Dame football coach, 1918-1930; converted from Lutheranism
• Alban Roe: Benedictine; one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales^[277]
• Lila Rose: president of Live Action (an anti-abortion organization)
• Sylvester Horton Rosecrans: first bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus^[278]
• William Rosecrans: Sylvester's brother, a Union Army general in the American Civil War^[278]
• Anthony Ross: Scottish priest who served as Rector of the University of Edinburgh from 1979 to 1982^[279]
• Joseph Rovan: historian, member of the French Resistance, adviser on Franco-German relations^[280]

S[edit]

• Nazli Sabri: Queen of Egypt; mother of King Farouk of Egypt
• Siegfried Sassoon: English poet, writer and soldier; converted in 1957^[281]
• Joseph Saurin: French mathematician and Calvinist minister^[282]
• Paul Schenck: converted from Judaism to Episcopalianism to Catholicism; currently a Catholic priest and pro-life activist^[283][284]
• Heinrich Schlier: German theologian^[285]
• Dutch Schultz (Arthur Flegenheimer): American mobster; converted to Catholicism during his second trial, convinced that Jesus Christ had spared him jail time; after being fatally shot by underworld rivals, he asked to see a priest and was given the last rites; his mother insisted on dressing him in a Jewish prayer shawl prior to his interment in the Catholic Gate of Heaven Cemetery
• E. F. Schumacher: economic thinker known for Small Is Beautiful; his A Guide for the Perplexed criticizes what he termed "materialistic scientism;" went from atheism to Buddhism to Catholicism^[286]
• Countess of Ségur: French writer of Russian birth^[287]
• John Sergeant: English priest, controversialist and theologian^[288]
• Elizabeth Ann Seton: first native-born citizen of the United States to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church^[289][290]
• Frances Shand Kydd: mother of Diana, Princess of Wales^[291]
• Michael Alphonsius Shen Fu-Tsung: Qing Dynasty bureaucrat who toured Europe; he was featured in a painting titled "The Chinese Convert" by Godfrey Kneller^[292]
• Frank Sheed: an Australian-born lawyer, writer, publisher, Catholic apologist and speaker. Raised by a Scottish Presbyterian father to be Protestant, he later converted at age 16, and devoted his life in defending the Catholic faith from mainly Protestant critics
• William Tecumseh Sherman: Civil War General, was born into a Presbyterian family but raised in a Catholic household by foster parents after his father died. Sherman attended the Catholic Church until the outbreak of the Civil War, which destroyed his faith. His wife and children were Catholic and one son, Thomas Ewing Sherman, became a Jesuit priest.
• Ralph Sherwin: one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales^[293]
• Frederick Charles Shrady: American religious artist, primarily of sculpture^[294]
• Angelus Silesius: German Catholic priest and physician, known as a mystic and religious poet^[295][296]
• David Silk: formerly an Anglican bishop^[31]
• Richard Simpson: literary writer and scholar; wrote a biography of Edmund Campion^[297]
• Edith Sitwell: British poet and critic^[298][299]
• Delia Smith: English cook and television presenter; her books A Feast for Lent and A Feast for Advent involve Catholicism^[300]
• Timo Soini: politician who leads the Eurosceptic True Finns party; converted during the time of Pope John Paul II^[301]
• Reinhard Sorge: expressionist playwright who went from Nietzschean to Catholic^[302][303]
• Wesley Sneijder: Dutch soccer player^[304]
• Etsuro Sotoo: Japanese sculptor^[305]
• Muriel Spark: Scottish novelist, author of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie;Penelope Fitzgerald states that Spark said that after her conversion she was better able to, "see human existence as a whole, as a novelist needs to do"^[306]
• Ignatius Spencer: son of George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer; became a Passionist priest and worked for the conversion of England to the Catholic faith^[307]
• Adrienne von Speyr: Swiss medical doctor and later Catholic mystic^[308]
• Henri Spondanus: French jurist, historian, continuator of the Annales Ecclesiastici, and Bishop of Pamiers^[309]
• Friedrich Staphylus: German theologian who drew up several opinions on reform for the Council of Trent despite not attending^[310]
• Ellen Gates Starr: a founder of Hull House who became an Oblate of the Third Order of St. Benedict^[311]
• Jeffrey N. Steenson: first ordinary to the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter; former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande^[312]
• Edith Stein: phenomenologist philosopher who converted to Catholicism and became a Discalced Carmelite nun; declared a saint by John Paul II^[313]
• Göran Stenius (fi): Swedish-Finnish writer whose Klockorna i Rom (The Bells of Rome) has been praised as a post-war religious novel^[314][315]
• Nicolas Steno: pioneer in geology and anatomy who converted from Lutheranism; became a bishop, wrote spiritual works, and was beatified in 1988^[316][317]
• Karl Stern: German-Canadian neurologist and psychiatrist; his book Pillar of Fire concerns his conversion^[318]
• John Lawson Stoddard: divinity student who became an agnostic and "scientific humanist;" later converted to Catholicism^[319]
• Sven Stolpe: Swedish convert and writer^[320]
• R. J. Stove: Australian writer, editor, and composer; raised atheist as the son of David Stove^[321]
• Su Xuelin: Chinese author and scholar whose semi-autobiographical novel Bitter Heart discusses her introduction to and conversion to Catholicism^[322]
• Graham Sutherland: English artist who did religious art and had a fascination with Christ's crucifixion^[323]
• Halliday Sutherland: Doctor, tuberculosis pioneer, best-selling author and defendant in the 1923 libel trial, Stopes v. Sutherland. Converted in 1919.^[324]
• Robert Sutton: English priest and martyr^[325]
• Sophie Swetchine: Russian salon-holder and mystic^[326]

T[edit]

• John B. Tabb: American poet, priest, and educator^[327]
• John Michael Talbot: American Roman Catholic singer-songwriter-guitarist, once a secular musician in the group Mason Proffit^[328][329]
• Allen Tate: American poet, essayist and social commentator, and Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress^[330]
• Frances Margaret Taylor: founded the Poor Servants of the Mother of God^[331]
• Kateri Tekakwitha: Catholic saint informally known as "Lily of the Mohawks"^[332]
• Tabaraji of Ternate: Indonesian sultan; converted to Roman Catholicism after 1534; baptised with the name Dom Manuel^[333][334]
• Elliot Griffin Thomas: third bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Thomas^[335]
• John Sparrow David Thompson: first Catholic to be Prime Minister of Canada^[336]
• Meletius Tipaldi: Eastern Catholic bishop, from Orthodox Christianity.
• Alice B. Toklas: American-born member of the Parisian avant-garde of the early 20th century; had once been Gertrude Stein's lover^[337]
• Meriol Trevor: British biographer, novelist and children's writer^[338][339]
• Lou Tseng-Tsiang: Chinese diplomat who became Benedictine abbot and priest "Pierre-Célestin"^[340]
• Hasekura Tsunenaga: Samurai and Keichō diplomat who toured Europe^[341]
• Rajah Tupas: Filipino prince and son of the Rajah Humabon; converted with his family by Magellan^[342]
• Malcolm Turnbull
• Julia Gardiner Tyler: second wife of U.S. President John Tyler^[343]

U[edit]

• Barry Ulanov: editor of Metronome magazine; a founder of the St. Thomas More Society;^[344] Mary Lou Williams's godfather^[345]
• Kaspar Ulenberg: theological writer and translator of the Bible who had previously been Lutheran^[346]
• Sigrid Undset: Norwegian Nobel laureate who had previously been agnostic^[347]

V[edit]

• Sheldon Vanauken: author of A Severe Mercy; a contributing editor of the New Oxford Review^[348]
• Bill Veeck: American baseball team owner^[349]
• Johann Emanuel Veith: Bohemian Roman Catholic preacher^[350]
• Jean-Baptiste Ventura: soldier, mercenary and adventurer of Jewish origin^[351]
• Johannes Vermeer: Dutch Golden Age painter^[352]
• Mother Veronica of the Passion: founder of the Sisters of the Apostolic Carmel^[353]
• Karl Freiherr von Vogelsang: politician and editor of the Catholic newspaper Das Vaterland^[354]
• Simeon Vratanja: Eastern Catholic bishop.

W[edit]

• The Empress Dowager Wang of the Southern Ming Dynasty and mother of the Yongli Emperor
• William George Ward: theologian, philosopher, lecturer in mathematics^[355]
• Evelyn Waugh: English writer; his Brideshead Revisited concerns an aristocratic Catholic family^[356]
• John Wayne: American actor, known for his roles in war films and Westerns; converted to the Catholic Church shortly before his death^[357]
• Zacharias Werner: German poet, dramatist and preacher^[358]
• Eustace White: one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales^[359]
• E. T. Whittaker: English mathematician who was awarded the cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice in 1935^[360]
• Ann Widdecombe: former British Conservative Party politician; novelist since 2000^[361]
• Chelsea Olivia Wijaya: Indonesian actress and model; born in the Protestant religion^[362]
• Oscar Wilde: Irish writer and poet; converted on his deathbed
• Mary Lou Williams: jazz pianist; after conversion, wrote and performed some religious jazz music like Black Christ of the Andes^[345][363]
• Paul Williams: academic who was raised Anglican and lived as a Tibetan Buddhist for twenty years before becoming Catholic^[364][365]
• Tennessee Williams: American playwright; converted in his later years as his life spiralled downwards
• Sigi Wimala: Indonesian model and actress, converted to Catholicism after marriage^[366][367]
• Lord Nicholas Windsor: son of Catholic convert Katharine, Duchess of Kent; pro-life writer^[368][369]
• Gene Wolfe: Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master in science fiction and fantasy^[370][371]
• John Woodcock: among the Eighty-five martyrs of England and Wales^[372]
• Thomas Woods: American historian and Austrian School economist; wrote How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization^[373]
• John Ching Hsiung Wu: wrote Chinese Humanism and Christian spirituality; has been called "one of China's chief lay exponents of Catholic ideas"^[374]
• Wu Li: Chinese painter and poet who became one of the first Chinese Jesuit priests^[375]
• John C. Wright: science fiction author who went from atheist to Catholic;^[376] wrote Chapter 1 of the book Atheist to Catholic: 11 Stories of Conversion, edited by Rebecca Vitz Cherico^[377]
• John Michael Wright: portrait painter in the Baroque style^[378]

X[edit]

• Xu Guangqi: Chinese scholar-bureaucrat, agricultural scientist, astronomer, and mathematician during the Ming Dynasty;^[379] classed as one of the Three Pillars of Chinese Catholicism

Z[edit]

• Israel Zolli: until converting from Judaism to Catholicism in February 1945, Zolli was the chief rabbi in Rome, Italy's Jewish community from 1940 to 1945

[pgyanke]

The book is not a devotional text. He's describing what happens in the Mass.

He's describing it in words of awe, not as a catechism.

Roman Catholics don't like this to be published. I can understand why.

It's much easier to argue with yourself, isn't it? I have answered your childish challenge adequately. Whether or not you accept the answer is your business.

[pgyanke]

Both Vatican I and Vatican II are councils of the Church. I am both. What schism do you suppose?

[ealgeone]

Doctrine does develop. Christ promised the Holy Spirit to teach all things... do you think He quit after a couple of years?

You mean this verse?

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. John 14:26 NASB

Please post for me the Lord's Prayer with the Scripture citation for all that you pray each time...

The Lord's Prayer is found in Matthew 6:9-13.

I don't personally have a rote prayer I say every night. Sometimes I will say the Lord's Prayer. It varies. I'm talking to God. Paul told us to bring our requests to Him...I do that.

6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7 NASB

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Sorry I don't have a complete list of millions of South Americans who left Rome to come to Christ and gain eternal life.

Fortunately, God has the Official List.

[ealgeone]

Again...he's an ordained Roman Catholic priest...you're not. So again..who would know better?

Also, his book was noted to be written without error in doctrine.

It's much easier to argue with yourself, isn't it? I have answered your childish challenge adequately.

Keep thinking that.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Leaving the Priesthood

There are 41,500 Diocesan and Religious priests in the United States today.

During the past 60 years 25,000 priests have left the priesthood in the United States
and over 120,000 priests worldwide have left.

[NKP_Vet]

There’s no sense in arguing with you. It’s like talking to a wall. Here’s something to get your gander up, Written by a former protestant.

Not only is the Bible silent when it comes to sola scriptura, but Scripture is remarkably plain in teaching oral Tradition to be just as much the word of God as is Scripture. In what most scholars believe was the first book written in the New Testament, St. Paul said:

And we also thank God… that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God… (I Thess. 2:13)

II Thess. 2:15 adds:

So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions you have been taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.

According to St. Paul, the spoken word from the apostles was just as much the word of God as was the later written word.

Sola Scriptura is Unworkable

When it comes to the tradition of Protestantism—sola scriptura—the silence of the text of Scripture is deafening. When it comes to the true authority of Scripture and Tradition, the Scriptures are clear. And when it comes to the teaching and governing authority of the Church, the biblical text is equally as clear:

If your brother sins against you go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone … But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you … If he refuses to listen … tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. (Mt. 18:15-17)

According to Scripture, the Church—not the Bible alone—is the final court of appeal for the people of God in matters of faith and discipline. But isn’t it also telling that since the Reformation of just ca. 480 years ago—a reformation claiming sola scriptura as its formal principle—there are now over 33,000 denominations that have derived from it?

For 1,500 years, Christianity saw just a few enduring schisms (the Monophysites, Nestorians, the Orthodox, and a very few others). Now in just 480 years we have this? I hardly think that when Jesus prophesied there would be “one shepherd and one fold” in Jn. 10:16, this is what he had in mind. It seems quite clear to me that not only is sola scriptura unreasonable and unbiblical, but it is unworkable. The proof is in the puddin’!

[pgyanke]

I don't personally have a rote prayer I say every night. Sometimes I will say the Lord's Prayer.

Ok... WHEN you pray the Lord's Prayer, what do you say?