The post which pertains to the recent attendance and financial figures from St. Anne may evoke an answer from the liberals such as, “These are tough times,” or “the people give in different ways.”
Then perhaps they can explain the following:
The parish also has members from throughout Monroe County who are attracted by the parish’s liturgical practice and theology
It’s called “Roman Catholicism,” friends. It’s the same faith that is handed to us by Our Lord and our pontiff. To be able to count the loyal parishes of Rochester using our fingers is absolutely horrendous. Loyalty and obedience to Rome, in letter of the law and spirit of the law, is supposed to be unquestioned and commonplace. It used to be at Saint Anne. It used to be at Good Shepherd. It used to be at most parishes of the DoR. But over the past 40 years, a time of perpetual dissent and dissatisfaction, our parishes have fallen, one by one, into the trash heap of liberal failure. It’s absolutely pathetic that there is surprise from people when you tell them about Our Lady of Victory, St. Stanislaus, Holy Spirit, etc . . . Orthodoxy should not be a surprise. It shouldn’t be “something special to pull out for special feast days.” No – it’s the Roman Catholic Church. If you do not profess Her teachings, and if you dare to question Her authority in matters of the Sacraments, you are not Catholic. The Church tells us what to do and what not to do – it doesn’t suggest things.
The Church has said NO to excessive and heterodox lay preaching.
The Church has said NO to liturgical dance.
The Church has said NO to women’s ordination.
The Church has said NO to militant homosexuality.
The Church has said NO to “people music.”
Learn it.
Live it.
Love it.
Tags: Joan, Latin Mass, Liturgy, Orthodoxy at Work, Vocations
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Gen, more true words cannot be spoken.
~Jonathan James Gillenson
what’s “people music”? The Latin hymns were actually the “people music” the fallen Roman Empire. The Roman Catholic Church’s Latin traditions, as well as much of the “traditional” ways of worship are rooted in a Constantinian vision of a Caesaro-papacy. He wanted the Church to be subsumed into Roman culture–and it was.
When Catholics talk about getting back to the roots of the Church, they are actually referring to Roman and Greek influence which was extremely heavy in the 4th, 5th, and 6th centuries. Even the design of the traditional catholic Church was based on the design of the Roman courthouses, which were used when the Empire became “Christianized” and large buildings were needed for worship right away. Constanrine decided how the churches would be built.
Our prayer style is even rooted in the Medieval practice of “bowing” to one’s earthly lord.
When Catholics long for the Latin Mass, etc. they are really longing for a simpler time ( read 1950’s) when there were plentiful priests, nuns in habit and lay people who were served by both.
Just because the tradition was there doesn’t mean that it was truly rooted in Apostolic vision or even the vision of the Patristic Era. If so, our Masses would be in Greek,or Aramaic, or Hebrew, we would stand in prayer, not kneel, the altar would be a table in someone’s home and there would be no poor among us. The stranger would be welcomed, the naked would be clothed, the sick would be cared for.
That is TRUE traditional Catholicism–let’s not make the Latin mass a litmus test for fealty.