'What does it mean to be TRADITIONAL Catholic?'

Not to sound clever or anything, but simply put, a traditional Catholic is simply a Catholic who adheres to Catholic Tradition, i.e. the customs and courtesies, history and traditions of the Catholic Church that have been handed down unchanged over the past 19 centuries.

Being a traditional Catholic does not simply mean that one attends the traditional Catholic Mass.  The Mass is only one aspect of Catholic Tradition, albeit an important one.

The problem with being a traditional Catholic in this day and age is that the Church does not apparently, universally continue to teach Catholic tradition.


'The Catholic Faith is inherently traditional.

You can't, strictly speaking, be Catholic without being traditional.'

Not as we traditional Catholics understand the term 'traditional'.  However, the vast majority of the Novus Ordo church claims the term 'Catholic' for themselves, despite the apparent hostility towards Catholic Tradition.


'The current Crisis in the Church has caused this situation where people can pick and choose where they will go to Mass, which priests/bishops they will follow, how strict their disciplines will be, which parts of the modern world they will ignore, etc.

Like every other consequence of the Crisis, it's a real mess.'

This was one of my chief concerns as I embraced Catholic Tradition: How do we know that what we are doing is right?  I.e., How do we remain Catholic but not obey the visible hierarchy when they do not appear to be acting in accordance with Catholic Tradition.

Sincere Humility is required.  So is a certain amount of knowledge as well as true Charity and a full understanding of the virtue of Obedience.

In the end, the burden is on the traditional Catholic to know Catholic Tradition and follow it, placing his ultimate loyalty to the Faith and not to any particular pope who does not teach infallibly... while at the same time praying for the pope that he will defend the Faith.


'Is a traditional Catholic merely a Catholic who wants to stay Catholic? In other words, someone who wants to be faithful to the Catholic Faith of all ages?'

That is a good start, but merely wanting to stay Catholic isnt enough.  You have to actually stay Catholic.


'Perhaps we should also add "attends Tridentine Mass" to the requirements...'

Attending the traditional Mass is definitely something that should be done.  However, one may maintain one's Catholic Faith with only the two sacraments of Baptism and Matrimony.  The Japanese Catholics did so for about 400 years.

Again, this whole post-Vatican II mess presents a dilemma to many traditional Catholics who do not align themselves with traditional Societies such as the SSPX.  On the one hand, they want to keep the Faith and continue practicing Catholic Tradition.  On the other, they want to remain loyal to the mainstream, ordinary hierarchy... despite visible evidence that the ordinary hierarchy isnt practicing Catholic Tradition and, in fact, might very well be hostile to it.


From another, locked thread:

'We are left again with the question of which disciplines traditional Catholics adhere to and which ones they dont.'

I dont think there is an easy answer to that question.  I do, however, think that one should err on the side of being 'too' traditional as opposed to 'not traditional enough'; the theory being that if you are 'too' traditional and somehow are wrong, then what have you really lost?  Nothing!

But, if you 'arent traditional enough' and are wrong, then what have you really lost?  Everything!