Study: Young Catholics divided Between Traditionalists and Modernists

From the Catholic Herald:-

"There are two groups of young Catholics: those who want to “draw the Church back” to a previous era, and those who think the Church should conform to social trends, according to a report from the bishops of England and Wales.

The bishops surveyed around 3,000 young Catholic Britons ahead of next October’s synod of bishops, whose theme is “Youth, Faith and Vocational Discernment”.

Describing the two main groups, the report said the first is “a small but vocal group who want to draw the Church back into an era which they have been told was far better than it is today”.

The other group, which the report describes as “much larger, though less evident”, adheres to the “predominant narratives in society, wanting the Church to follow suit”.

“The first group asks for clarity, the second for authenticity,” the report claims.

“If we’re brave enough not to dismiss either of them, it’s possible to hear their yearning for a compelling narrative of how to live as Christians both faithfully and authentically.”

The report also says that while the percentage of young Catholics is declining, a young person who identifies as a member of the Church is more likely to practice their faith than older generations."

For the whole article see:- http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2017/11/28/study-young-catholics-divided-between-traditionalists-and-modernists/http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2017/11/28/study-young-catholics-divided-between-traditionalists-and-modernists/.

5 Things Too Many Catholics Think the Church Stopped Teaching...But Didn't!

By Father Fr Bill Peckman from http://ramblingsofacountrypastor.blogspot.co.uk/

"Many well meaning Catholics really do believe the Church has dropped teachings.  Their religion class never brought it up.   The 'be nice' drivel that passes for preaching in most parishes doesn't touch on these teachings.  Some remember sisters, priests, and other teachers embracing the 'spirit of Vatican II' and telling people that we didn't teach thus and so anymore.  These people lied.  They have done grave damage.

But, let's set the the record straight on some things here today; things that we taught before 1965 and STILL teach long after 1965.

1) Sin and Mortal Sin still exist. 

Sin didn't morph into 'making mistakes'.  Personal sin didn't disappear and morph into 'corporate or social sin.'   In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 1846-1876, the issue of sin, both venial and mortal, are defined  in union with the constant teaching of the Church.  Since sin didn't evaporate into the ether, neither did the necessity to address their effect and need for healing.  Being in a state of mortal sin will still send you to hell.  Dismiss that at your own risk.  Being in a state of mortal sin still excludes a person from the reception of the Eucharist until Confession has happened.  Receiving the Eucharist is a state of mortal sin is, itself, a mortal sin.  We have never taught that one has a right to the Eucharist in any old state.  Never.  In fact, if we did, that would point to a belief that the bread and wine must still be just bread and wine.  We do not believe this either.

2) Sunday Mass/ Holy Day Masses are NOT optional.  

A Catholic in good standing, exempting those who are ill or taking care of someone who is ill, are obliged to worship God in Mass on every Sunday and Holy Day.  That never changed.  When one chooses to opt out of Mass in favor of sleeping in, sports, shopping, or anything in this vein, one has found a god they think is more worthy of their time than the God.   That any Catholic would believe their faith life is just fine without Mass is delusional.  Willfully missing mass is starving oneself to death spiritually.  To knowingly and willfully miss Mass IS mortally sinful.  To teach one's children by word or example that Mass is optional is to teach your children how to mortally sin.  This is very serious matter.

3) The sanctity of human sexuality is still upheld.  

We view human sexuality as such a profound good that the Church advises against the abuse of human sexuality into a mere plaything.  We have always had problems with the misuse of human sexuality and the devastation it brings.  I know, I know...what about those clerics who sexually preyed on their flocks?  They did so in direct opposition to the teachings of the Church.  The use of artificial birth control was never a 'let your conscience be your guide' type of thing.  That was the mantra of clerics who either bought into worldly views on human sexuality or were too cowardly to uphold those teachings for fear of the backlash that would come.  The Church does not okay the use of porn, masturbation, same sex acting out, or any other use of human sexuality that goes against its very nature. I know this is not popular, but the Church has not changed its teachings about this.  See Catechism sections 2331-2400.

4) Confession is still necessary for the forgiveness of mortal sin.  

Sin needs to be forgiven for the relationship with God and with His people to be restored.  It is that relationship that opens us to the freedom of receiving God's grace in the sacraments.  It that relationship that opens us to the Kingdom of Heaven.  Mortal sin severs that relationships.  Without that relationship, we have no true access to the grace of the other sacraments nor to the Kingdom of Heaven.  Whether one feels that is true or not, does not change that this is the constant teaching of the Church.  See Catechism 1446-1470. 

5) The Catholic faith is not a buffet where one picks and chooses what is okay and comfortable.  

The Catholic faith has the right to say that this is what we believe.  It has the right to set the standard.  We do so because this is what Christ taught.  End of story.  The point of faith isn't to numb.  The point of faith is to challenge to greater heights, courage, and holiness.  Every rule and teaching of the Church comes from what it means to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves.  It is an integral whole.  Once we start picking and  choosing, we damage the whole.  When people start picking and choosing, it becomes easier and easier to abandon faith altogether.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.  Catholic professionals bemoan the ignorance of the masses and the lack of practice of the masses.  I say that the masses are only doing what we trained them to do!  If we treated faith as a buffet, shocker that others would as well.  If we backed away from unpopular teachings, or teachings that don't jibe with the inferior (political views for example...yeah, I just said that!), or teachings that mean I have to give up my favored sins, then we spread the disease of ignorance that plagues so many.

It isn't as if we haven't had these teachings all along.  All of the things our  spirit of Vatican II types said we threw out (Rosary, Confession, Purgatory, Indulgences, sexual morality teachings, etc) we never did.  These types will have stand before God for the damage they did.

We still believe what we believed long before Vatican II.  Our need to learn is present.  Our need to have clear teaching is also. " 

Being a Joyful and Positive Catholic

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:People_jumping_on_the_beach.jpg
Mark J. Sebastian: www.markjsebastian.com

by Curtis A. Martin 

"You've got to love a religion that commands you to rejoice. St. Paul tells us we should "Rejoice always. Pray constantly. Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thess. 5:16-18). 

At first glance, he makes it sound easy. Why is it, then, that we have so much trouble doing something that seems so easy and that we want to do so badly? 

We all face problems at one time or another - some small, others daunting - and sometimes we can't help being irked by these problems and by those who cause them. But this article isn't about problems in life or those who cause them, but about us and how we should respond to the people and situations that tempt us to be angry, suspicious, or irritated. 

We Catholics have work to do for Christ. We don't have time to pout and wring our hands about problems in the Church. Acknowledge them, yes, but we can't let them discourage us. Discouragement can paralyze us if we don't take St. Paul seriously about being joyful in the midst of adversity. If we let discouragement get the better of us, we'll be incapable of helping the Church. 

Joy is not for wimps. St. Paul's letters show that he was an intensely joyful man, but he was also tough. Think you face hardships and opposition in your efforts to live and spread the 
Catholic Faith? Look at what St. Paul went through: 

"[F]ar greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I have received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I have been beaten with rods; once I was stoned. Three times I have been shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brethren; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my 
anxiety for all the churches" (2 Cor. 11:23-28). 

For a Catholic, joy in the midst of adversity is not merely a possibility or a suggestion, but an obligation. Our faith in Christ and our union with Him through the sacraments should 
produce in us a spirit of indomitability. If we really believe that He has indeed conquered the world, and that we can do all things through Him (cf. Phil. 4:13), then there's no need to let 
troubles and troublemakers get us down. 

Don't feel like you're a particularly joyful person? You can do something about it. Like building a muscle through repeated weight lifting, joy is strengthened by practicing natural virtues. God's gift of grace builds on nature, so by developing virtue, the treasure of divine life (cf. 2 Pet. 1:4) flourishes within our hearts. But this takes consistent effort. It means we must work to acquire fortitude, so that we don't give up when things become difficult; temperance, so that we don't give in to excesses in pursuing the pleasures of this world; justice, so we may prioritize and fulfill our daily obligations; and prudence, so that we may be truly wise and always able to evaluate our earthly circumstances in light of eternity. Without these natural virtues, our joy may be stolen from us. 

The Church prays in her Liturgy of the Hours, "Through Your Spirit unite us with Yourself, so that trial or persecution or danger may never separate us from Your love" (Morning Prayer, Thursday, 7th week of Easter). Developing our joy in Christ is a lifelong process, and distractions will inevitably arise that will divert our attention away from Christ and toward the difficulties of our daily lives. These distractions are all the more painful and challenging when they are encountered close to home ‹ within our own families and within the Church itself. And yet St. Paul exhorts us to "have no anxiety about anything, but in everything, 
by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:6-7). 

Each of us could compose a long laundry list of all the challenges, frustrations, and temptations to anger we encounter in our families and within the Church: Dissent from Church teaching, liturgical abuses, and division (to name a few examples) exist, but to become consumed by these problems would be to go directly against Sacred Scripture, which calls us to let our mind dwell on good and wholesome things (cf. Phil. 4:8). This doesn't mean we ignore or deny that these difficulties exist, but neither should we become preoccupied with them. 

We see the problems, yes, but our focus must be on the solutions. And even if there is no apparent earthly solution, we should maintain a sense of hope and thanksgiving for the eternal life that awaits us. 

Besides being an essential characteristic of the faithful Christian, joy is also a powerful element in leading others to Christ and His Church. It's been said that the greatest obstacle 
to Catholicism is often Catholics. When we come across to non-Catholics as pessimistic, suspicious, and incessant complainers about problems in the Church, we aren't going to be very effective in evangelizing them. In fact, the more we Catholics appear morose 
and cranky, the less seriously the world will take us and the Gospel of Christ. We even run the risk of making the Church and its teachings appear ludicrous to non-Catholics when all they see is carping, name-calling, and rivalries among us. 

St. Augustine once remarked that "our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee." This truth is the key to reaching people with the message of Christ and His Church. People are already seeking Him, even if they don't realize it. Each person we encounter is seeking true happiness, but without Christ he is destined to seek it in places and in ways that will never satisfy what he really craves - a deep, abiding joy that comes only from Christ. 

That's why it's essential that we manifest this joy to those around us! If the people we seek to evangelize see us as angry, pessimistic, and unduly aggravated by problems within and without the Church, why should they want to become Catholic? No. We must show those around us that, because of Christ, we are joyful, undaunted, and hopeful, in spite of the problems and obstacles that may surround us. 

For Catholics who don't cultivate joy and charity, discussions with non-Catholics or poorly formed Catholics often become mere debates, futile and frustrating for both parties. But for the joyful Catholic, these encounters are opportunities for grace - not attempts to win arguments, but inviting the other person to the fullness of communion with Christ in His Church. 

We will, of course, encounter obstacles, difficulties, and rejection, but we can accept these as opportunities to deepen our trust in and reliance upon Christ and prove our faithfulness. This willingness to endure hardship, criticism, and sometimes even hatred for the sake of Christ is the same spirit exemplified by Moses, who chose "rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin" (Heb. 11:25). 

Cultivating joy isn't easy, but it is simple - as simple as one, two, three. One: "Rejoice always." Two: "Pray without ceasing." Three: "In all things, give thanks" (cf. 2 Thess. 5:16). "

From https://www.ewtn.com/library.




        

The Papa Stronsay wall calendar for 2018 is finally here, and can be purchased below!

From:- http://papastronsay.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/papa-stronsay-calendar-2018.html?m=1

For those of you who may not have had the pleasure of owning a Papa Stronsay calendar in the past, it is probably the best Extraordinary Form liturgical wall-calendar available, giving you not only the day's liturgical feast and commemorations, but also the liturgical colour of the day, public holidays for five countries, astronomical information, many other liturgical events and historical information not included in the general calendar of the Church, and so much more.

 The Calendar contains images of our life throughout the year.

Each month is packed full of liturgical and devotional information.

Purchase your Papa Stronsay Calendar now! Simply enter the quantity below to be taken to the Papa Stronsay shop:

Quantity  

The Calendar is with the printer now, and should be ready to ship within the next two weeks.  We will have them to you as soon as possible.

Due to unfortunate circumstances, we have been obliged to increase the cost of the Papa Stronsay Calendar this year, but hope to get it back down again next year. Even with this increase, we have not covered the cost of printing. If you are able, please consider making a donation to help with these substantial costs. Thank you!

Extraordinary Malvern - New Website Launched!

 

The website states:-

"Following the closure of the Catholic Chaplaincy at Spetchley Park on 12 November AD 2017, we are working to establish at least a monthly Sunday celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass either at St Wulstan's, Little Malvern or somewhere close by. All services will be with permission of the Archdiocese of Birmingham. I have identified a priest who is willing to celebrate Mass for us and the decision is currently with Bishop Robert Byrne.

Extraordinary Malvern is intended to become the online home of Traditional Latin Liturgy (i.e. Liturgy in the Extraordinary Form) in and around Little Malvern, Worcestershire.      

Interested?

If you would like to register interest in attending or to offer help please contact us on schola.uk@btopenworld.com or complete and submit the form on the Contact page.  I shall then endeavour to contact you directly as and when details are confirmed."

Go to:- http://extraordinarymalvern.btck.co.uk/

Dominican Rite Calendar for 2018

"I am pleased to announce that the is now available on the left sidebar here at Dominican Liturgy.   It is found under "Dominican Rite Texts--Downloadable.

This calendar gives the feasts of the year according to the rubrics of 1962 and also includes (for votive use) those Dominican saints and blesseds added to the Dominican calendar after 1962.  In addition it includes all saints and blesseds approved for celebration in the United States, as well as the feasts proper to those dioceses where the four American Dominican Provinces have houses.

I have also indicated the feasts of dedication for consecrated Dominican churches, when I was able to find them.  If I have missed any, I ask my Dominican brothers to email me about them.  I would be happy to add the local feasts of other dioceses where there are Dominican houses, if I missed them.  Also, if anyone finds mistakes in this calendar, for example the names of ordinaries, please email me about them so that I can fix them before New Year's."

Fr. Augustine Thompson, O.P. at 8:36 AM.

From:-http://dominican-liturgy.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/dominican-rite-calendar-for-2018.html.

Free Purgatorial Society from Rorate Coeli

From Rorate Coeli:-

"This is our monthly reminder to please enroll Souls of the Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society. We now stand at 79 priests saying weekly or monthly traditional Latin Masses for the Souls.

** Click here to download a "fillable" PDF Mass Card to give to the loved ones of the Souls you enroll. It's free for anyone to use. **

Priests: The Souls still need more of you saying Mass for them! Please email me to offer your services. There's nothing special involved -- all you need to do is offer a weekly or monthly TLM with the intention: "For the Souls enrolled in the Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society." And we will always keep you completely anonymous unless you request otherwise. 

How to enroll souls: please email me at athanasiuscatholic@yahoo.com and submit as follows: "Name, State, Country." If you want to enroll entire families, simply write in the email: "The Jones family, Ohio, USA". Individual names are preferred. Be greedy -- send in as many as you wish and forward this posting to friends as well.

Please consider forwarding this Society to your family and friends, announcing from the pulpit during Holy Mass or listing in your church bulletin. We need to spread the word and relieve more suffering souls.

Please pray for the enrolled Souls and the 79 holy priests saying Traditional Masses for the Society:

"For all the souls enrolled in the Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the Faithful departed rest in peace. Amen."

Then ...

Almighty and ever living God,

we ask Thy blessing upon the priests

who offer Masses for the Purgatorial Society.

Give them a greater awareness of the grace

that Thou dost pour out through the Sacraments,

and by their devout celebration of the Sacred Mysteries,

increase in them a love for Thee.

Give strength to Thy priests, O Shepherd of the flock;

when they are in doubt, give them the assurance of faith,

and in Thy goodness confirm them as heralds of Thy Truth

to all who seek to follow in Thy path.

We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Eternal Priest,

Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity with the Holy Ghost,

God, for ever and ever. Amen."