I totally agree Amy, and I don't thank God enough for my blessings, that He has made it possible for us to get to the Mount.  It wasn't for the Mount exactly that I wanted to be here,  I only lived a few miles from the Church in Newhall.  

I always felt that Spokane was a blessed place to live in general, something about it, and still feel that way stronger than ever now.  Especially with the chastisement almost here.  Not that I will survive, that doesn't matter at my age, I already lived my life.  I hope to at least be buried in the Catholic cemetary here at the Mount also.  

Should Catholics be more prudent and make sure they have a way to support themselves, rather than head for the "trad Catholic mecca" in blind faith that they'll find something when they get there?

The answer is simple. You shouldn't move somewhere where you cannot provide for your family. No priest should ever give advice to the contrary.

I know of at least one SSPX priest who was highly critical of PRECISELY the case I quoted above. Moving to St. Marys, with no idea how you will support yourself.

He's right and his advice is dictated by prudence. On a practical level, how can the parish be supported by jobless people?

On the other hand, other prominent priests believed that St. Mary's is certainly a good thing, even though many residents are worldly, etc. -- after all, you can't change human nature or control people's Free Will. But you can't say that a Catholic environment is a bad thing.

This is really independent of the question above. There have always been good and bad Catholics.

I just wanted to start a conversation about this important topic.

If one cuts through the emotion, the answer is easy. The priest should be helping in this way, not bolstering the emotional, especially not for his own possibly selfish purposes.

I do not think Spokane is a blessed place to live.  It is predominantly protestant area with a heavy masonic influence.  Also, it is a very controlled and invasive state and not business friendly either,  especially for the self-employed.  

Of course, if you are living in a traditional Catholic compound, things may be very different.  

It's not a compound!

I am speaking of the future in Spokane not the present.  Should have clarified.  Present your right, ain't no paradise.  

We live 3.5 hours away from an FSSP Parish.  I've often lamented being stuck in "Novus-Ordo" land.  We know no other "serious" Catholics.  We live in a very small town and we're the only Catholics who homeschool(ed) their children.  There's a heavy emphasis on New Age stuff here: Buddhism, Hippies and the town only survives by catering to tourists from even more liberal cities a few hours away.  

Mom's and Dad's both work and send their kids' to the local school and are involved in all the sports activities.  The Novus Ordo Parish isn't as bad as what I've heard about others.  Our priest is, I believe, a fairly well-intentioned man who has been emphasizing more and more lately the significance of the Eucharist and regular Confession.  But his main "group" of involved parishioners are older women who do the readings, participate in an awful "choir" and "folk group" and act as "Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharistic" and are Lectors. Most of the Altar Servers are girls ... etc.

My main concern these last few years, has been for the eventual meeting and marrying of spouses for our children because they're not going to meet any traditional Catholics here.  Our county is sparsely populated and there are no traditional parishes here at all.  Even N.O. Catholics are few and far between in these far flung semi-rural communities.

However, lately, I've been thinking that God has either willed or allowed us to be planted here for a reason.  We can't sell our house and my H is very resistant to the idea of moving to another place "just" because it has a traditional Mass.  I don't know the reason we're here .... but I realized that the only thing I can do now for my children is to hope and pray that something will happen to provide them with the opportunity to meet and marry serious traditional Catholic people, or maybe they aren't called to marry at all.  I don't know.

I don't know how one can really be a traditional Catholic only attending the Novus Ordo .. but as much as it's possible, we are.  My daughter and I are the only ones that wear a veil during Mass and wear dresses/skirts to every Mass. Our family only receives the Eucharist on the tongue, stays kneeling until the parishioners in the pew in front of us go to Communion, don't hold hands during the Our Father...etc.

Looking back over the years, I see God's hand in our lives in how we've grown in the Faith.  Sometimes I wish I'd never heard of the Traditional Mass .. "ignorance is bliss..."  But on the other hand, we wouldn't have known about a more reverent way of experiencing Christ in the Eucharist and growing in our prayer life and in the way we live.  

So it appears God, as usual, knows what He's doing.  We're just supposed to trust Him.


 

I wouldnt trade Texas for St.Marys no matter what. Really, what's so special about it that you couldn't build up or cultivate anywhere else in the country? God planted me here with deep roots, and the only thing that will force me to pick up and move is an apocalyptic natural disaster, and honestly in that case I would probably go to Mexico instead.

A place like St. Mary's is probably not  return to the old Catholic towns of the Midwest, the way they were even 50 years ago, where my mother grew up.

Of course those towns were not perfect either.  But they were very common.  

As someone who is quite weak, I'd welcome an environment where I was encouraged rather than discouraged. It's not yes-men I want, but encouragement and bolstering and not being the odd one out.

Chances are though, I'd still be the odd one out in a trad community, as I don't object to women's trousers!

I just don't fit in anywhere! C'est la vie!  :dancing: