Since we common laymen are in no position to correct the situation, but must wait on the proper authorities to take action, where lies our hope?  Or perhaps, in whom lies our hope?  And don't anyone dare say Benedict XVI.  One is welcome to their illusions, but I am seriously asking a serious question and want no illusions for an answer.  What leaders????

No, no, no, Chant.  You miss my point entirely.  But thanks for responding.  I will try this tack.

When I was in the NO, not a ray of light reached me.  Inside the NO people are buried in the darkness.  If I hadn't of gotten wind of things via the secular world, I'd still be buried in the NO.  No one entered that void to enlighten me or anyone else.  It is just like the heathen nations of old.  Where are the missionaries?  The St. John Chrysostoms, St. Dominics, etc.?  Where are the leaders?  It seems to me they are safe with their flocks.  Who goes out to find the lost sheep?

I think that there are good shepards in the CMRI, even the SSPX and Fr. John Corapi of Novus Ordo comes to mind. That man travels the world trying to preach repent or else, that in spite of cluster or migraine headaches every day of his life. But, then it is the lay people, like our own Gladius or Mr. Ibryani of the St. John website that are pulling in the scatter sheep.

Fr. Corapi mentions Hell every few minutes in his speaches and has quite a following. He also blames the current crisis in the Church on the Bishops, where it belongs.

 Welcome to the spirit of ecuмenism!

 Ecuмenism is a dream of modernists wherein we "all get together." Now... if we are all in different churches with different faiths, how do we all get together? Simple. First, we allow that everybody is right in believing and worshiping differently. Secondly, we ourselves (and we encourage others to) empty our own beliefs and practices of everything that is an obstacle to this unity.

 I'm getting this garbage, by the way, from someone who is IN Rome, IN the Church, RIGHT NOW... who for the respect of his position and office in the church I will not name. (No, it's not the pope.)

 So... where are the leaders, the shepherds? They are in the Church. But, they are professing this above idea, which by itself requires that we Catholics, looking for this (heretical) unity, must of course begin it by emptying out the Church of any beliefs which "are hurtful to the feelings of other people of other religions." Well, if we are getting rid of all of the ideas that are intrinsically Catholic that offend other religions, and if we are trying for this false unity which says there is nothing wrong with whatever your religion is, or however you profess it... then they think they ARE leading, by not condemning anyone or anything (except the dinosaurs who are still trying NOT to partake of the error of ecuмenism by demolishing the Faith.)

 In fact, this principal of ecuмenism might even be why Rome still keeps trying to "make a deal" with the SSPX. After all, if it sees the SSPX as schismatic, they're "another faith" which "must be added to the universal church (in the sense of ecuмenical unity)" just like the Jєωs or the Buddhists.

 But fortunately, God can enlighten a person's mind and move their heart from this kind of nonsense, even if they are right now firmly entrenched in it. For instance, as Rome watches the churches folding up one after another, it will, eventually, have to admit that there is a problem. (Actually they already do, at least UNofficially, admit this.) And there is the little window where God's grace can come in. But we have to pray for it. We have to pray that when the guys at the top wake up from this silly and insane (blasphemous) ecuмenical dream of theirs, to find the Church more or less in ashes, they will hear God's voice of reason, look at how the Church GOT there, and finally realize that they need to back up the boat, and try the course it had been holding for some 2000 years. Then we may hope to see the 'leaders' as they should be.

For now, the leaders we must be content with, are any and all churchmen who have not swallowed this ecuмenical poison which is effectively (at least NEARLY) killing the Church, and who are adhering to the teachings of Christ and Tradition (and sanity). Even if they've been condemned by men of "a broader vision" as evil for not seeing it their way.

 The sheep will never be the answer, except in following the Divine Shepherd and His instructions. The church has always taught that prayer is more than wishful thinking. It is action, which can (and will) have a very real effect. So we must begin to pray like we believe that. If, on the other hand, the sheep get together and decide to attack the wolves... well... there are going to be a few more wool scarves, but... probably not fewer wolves. That's what the shepherd is there for, and only God can straighten him/them out.

Funnily enough, everybody condemns the SSPX as being stubborn, but basically, by example of holding onto the Church of Christ of 2000 years (and their sanity), they are effectively trying to convert the wolves dressed as shepherds. (This may take some time, though...) I guess if you have to convert the world, you have to start somewhere. Might as well be in Rome.

 

I guess the bottom line is that God will take into account what you have been told. And, I think in the end he will show you truth. Now, Satan rejected it and unfortunately many humans will as well. But, if you have never been told and God shows you, then there must be a chance for Purgatory and eventually Heaven.
I think that the only Shepard that we have and will have in these last times is The One and Only Shepardess, The Blessed Virgin Mary. There will come the time when the Mass will be NO PLACE on Earth because there will be no Shepards anywhere who can do anything.

Trinity, I am very cynical these days. And, no, America will not I am afraid. Seeing those maggots called parents with their children watching sodomites do what they do in San Francisco has just about done me in. The are worse than fleas on rat feces. And, I just hope that God has mercy on those who are trying to follow his laws while the jackals in the USCCB tell them that "Oh, you mean those ten suggestions?" Well Moses was not enlightened like we are they think. We know much better and surely God (whom they insist on painting in pictures to look like the Coca Cola Elf/Santa) understands that this in now and we must change with the times.
I just keep thinking since there is nobody whose voice is being heard that God will help those who search for him and PUNISH in a special pit in Hell those degenerates running this country and the USCCB and Rome for that matter.
Michael Savage is calling for us all to become "Zealots" and through out this government as well as the leaders of the Church who refuse to lead.

Trinity, it's good to hear you speak of a call to action in terms of religion rather than politics. I do believe that individuals can do great things in terms of leading souls closer to the truth, whereas, I don't see an individual making much of a difference in the political realm.

I think there are leaders out there. When the missionaries headed to Africa, it wasn't a single priest converting an entire nation, but rather a group of priests converting a single village. So today, wherever you have a zealous priest willing to look outside his congregation to bring others into the fold, you have the sort of leader you're looking for. I've met a couple--they're rare, but they do exist.

I don't believe laymen should sit back and let the priests do all the work either. It would be nice if there were enough good priests for the job, but there aren't so we have to step in even if simply leading by example.

And, don't underestimate the power of what we're doing here. I'm sure many a confused soul has come across CathInfo and other similar sites and many more will in the future. The more we discuss serious topics, the more there is here to learn from. It certainly takes a few good leaders to keep sites like AngelQueen, CathInfo, IgnisArdens on the path toward truth and not away from it.

Boy, I had a time finding this.  As I recall, the women took to the streets reciting the rosary.  I emphasize that they went public.  I have a question which has puzzled me for years.  Why, when the NO does their mini rosary crusades, does nothing happen???

Through it Mary Protected Brazil
In 1964 Brazil was in a very dangerous state. One journalist wrote: "Communism's hold on Brazil seemed imminent. However, it did not come about, thanks to the strength of the Rosary."

This is what happened. The entire public life of the country was openly directed towards Marxism by the authorities, and this as much in politics as in the economy and public instruction. Nothing worse could be imagined. The errors of Marxism were even introduced into the clergy. In the young clergy there are sometimes confusions of an ideological nature. It was this confused clergy who was responsible for allowing the Marxists to take hold of the Catholic Youth Movement.

But the people remained sensible. They reacted and began to recite the Rosary. First of all, the simple and pious women started alone. The men and young lads followed. Television recorded and showed programs where women could be seen opposing the Communists. It is this which saved Brazil at the Last moment: the recitation of the Rosary.

In July 1964, the promoter of the Marian Confraternities of Brazil, Father Valerio Alberton, went to Fatima to thank the Most Blessed Virgin for the liberation of his country. This is what he said and wrote.

We have overcome, thanks to Our Lady of the Rosary. It is the message of Fatima, lived in Brazil, which just saved us in time ... The situation in my country was very serious. Every aspect of human activity was undermined. The key positions were in the hands of notorious Communists, or those in favor of Communism. The unions were mostly controlled by them.

Continual strikes, many of which were of an openly political nature, provoked disturbances everywhere. The universities themselves were affected. I noticed myself the seriousness of the situation when I travelled from November 1963 to March 1964 to all the capital cities of Brazil, where I was in contact with the university milieux. In the middle of March I finished my travels with this conclusion: it is a fact that the Church has lost the universities ...

The penetration in the Catholic faculties was very profound. Even in our colleges there were Communist cell groups ... Catholic associations were not spared.

There remained only one hope: devotion to the Blessed Virgin ...

Repeated calls for prayer and penance, according to the spirit of Fatima, brought the Faith back to life - the Faith which moves mountains. Thus the impossible came to pass: the miracle of a war won without any drop of bƖσσdshɛd.

The contra-revolutionary high command foresaw at least three months of bitter fighting. But a force which was inexplicable, humanly speaking, made the whole military organization collapse - an organization which had been patiently and diabolically built up over several years collapsed, like a house of cards.

The evidence of the working of grace w as such that all were convinced that this could have no human explanation. Military and civil heads of the contra-revolution were almost unanimous in attributing this victory to a special grace of the Blessed Virgin. Many declared that the Rosary had been the decisive arm.

Faced with this perilous situation, Catholic associations had put all their efforts in the service of the Blessed Virgin. Two hundred thousand men and lads, enrolled in the 2,000 Marian congregations, had formed a true pacifying army in the struggle for freedom.

Women had given the example by their courage and confidence in Our Lady. They contributed enormously to the failure of the Marxist Revolution of 1964. They, and their children, distributed thousands of brochures with this supplication: "Mother of God, protect us and spare us from new sufferings ..." Women passed in the streets, reciting the Rosary out loud and singing songs. On March 17, 1964, the "March of the Family for Freedom, with the Help of God", was organized.

Every week, the Cardinal Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro put Catholics on their guard, demanding of them prayer and penance according to the spirit of Fatima, in order to obtain the mercy of God by the intercession of Our Lady.

While it is true that many problems remain in this great country, it is equally true that on March 31, 1964, without armed conflict, and without any blood being spilt, the hour of freedom and peace sounded.