Welcome aboard, Cosmos.
You were in your early 20's when Vatican II took place. What was the general attitude of your fellow parishioners when the Mass was changed?
How old were you when your parish started using Communion in the Hand?
How did you discover the FSSP?
Observably it was very subtle. I just did what I was told as regards to anything about my religion. To understand why, you need to live through the "Angela's Ashes" days of the early 50's. There was none of this liberal permissive free thinking that there is now.
My first in-hand I recall, but it wasn't significant to me. When the changes were fed to us peacemeal, it would be hard to read that has a premonition of disaster. Again, I guess some would say that it and other changes were a part of the grand conspiracy, and perhaps that is true. Back in the 70's I recall someone questioned the facing the congregation altar, and it was then that I felt the first indicators something was wrong as I agreed to the reasoning that we should face God, and He should not see our backs. Maybe wrong is not the word, but it was not UNLIKE the protestant churches I attended a few times. (An explaination. In the military of 1963 Germany, 30Inf 3rd Div, schedules for worship were not that dependable, and sometimes I felt it was OK to drop in on a protestant ritual at the same building when I couldn't attend a Mass. It was all of general interest to me, and being staunchly Catholic, it was more entertaining than influencing. There was never in my life where I did not believe we were members of the True Church.
About 4 years ago I joined the ofs in the city 80 miles away. Arriving in town early for the meeting, I had time for a mass and found myself in a traditional mass. That's when I had my most pleasant re-discovery. Never looked back.
Ecuмeni-what? was the next negative in my view, as it smacked of a love wish with being protestant, not a gradual introduction to Catholicism as it should be. A lot of bargaining with majority protestant churches and close calls had me nervous. Concessions were a great worry. But there is bases in my suspicion. I felt it betrayed the mothers of Catholic children for 2000 years who sought to bring their children in the front door of learning. To ensure they were baptized Catholic and taught catechism. They had to convey a trust to Christ first as every Baptizm is. These moms ensured they were brought up in a domestic environment that actually lived the Church. No, it sounded to me too much of presenting a silver platter with no show of qualification or effort. Sort of like a RCIA en-masse, a wave of a wand and 4 million Catholics are baptized.
Back then we children would correct each other. We would state it when we sinned. We were seriously concerned if we missed confession. We would take great pleasure to hide behind the bushes to watch the well dressed Jehova Witness reps get dispatched with a straw broom by a stern Mom when the door of the Catholic home was opened. No sir, you wanted to become member of the Catholic church, there were no ticket scalpers to count on. If you tried to persuade us, good luck. Everyone came in the same door to my Church.
Topic: New Guy, Old Trads (Read 7758 times)