Author Topic: New Here and searching (Read 1689 times)

blestwith8 · « **on:** March 09, 2011, 08:04:18 PM »

Hi I am Connie. wife of patient Jim and Mom to 8 wonderful children. Grandma to Pete a perfect 2yo.

I am a cradle Catholic. Left the church in my 20's to follow the "Born again" movement. Was married terribly young and he was quite abusive. He abandoned myself and our 2 small children.
Was single for years. Attended a Jesuit University. OH PUHLEEZ! Can we all say HERESY! I came back to the Church, but it was not right. I left again seeking and searching. Met my lovely hubby Jim, we adopted 6 children as for some unknown reason I was unable to conceive and would not use infertility treatments.
we have never used Birth control
Our children are homeschooled
We are conservative Catholics. We attended a Diocesan Church. Good Priest whose hands are tied by a liberal Church. He struggles too.
2 years ago I longed for my Church.
I had met a local Priest through my parents. he is such a Holy and Humble man. SO I came back and my Husband converted and our marriage was blessed and the children Catechised for 1year then received the Sacraments.
Long story short. I love being Catholic, but what happened to my Church?
Why is the Blessed Sacrament shoved in the corner?
What in heavens name are women doing as Eucharistic Ministers and Lectors?
Why does the time before Mass sound like a cocktail Party? Where did my faith go?

I love my Lord, I love the Blessed Mother. WHen did this get soooo soooo Protestant? What in the world is considered proper dress for Mass. My husband and I and our children are always the only ones dressed appropiatly. The boys in ties and slacks and the girls in I in modest dresses.

I literally hurt over these issues and more.
I am purposing over this Lenten Season to seek and find some answers. To pray, fast, do Novenas etc. We live not terribly far from a large Tridentine Church, some of the sisters left a few years a go and join the Diocese. I will talk to them as well. I also will talk to the Sisters that stayed. I am seeking and need answers. I feel so out of the loop. It is all so foreign.
Bear with me please. I may ask a lot of questions., some may seem simple.
Othe rfacts are we live on 8 lovely acres in Eastern WA state, not far from the idaho border. We have a large garden and orchard area. we raise Goats, pigs and chickens and will be getting a Milk Cow this Spring. Jim works for the USPS and I am a Stay at home homeschooling Mom. I love to read, sew, quilt, can, power walk, learn about self sustainable life.
Hope to get to know you and find some answers.

Jehanne · « **Reply #1 on:** March 09, 2011, 08:24:36 PM »

Welcome, welcome...and, please bear with us! The Church that our Lord Jesus Christ founded is still here; perhaps, a good majority of practicing Catholics are simply no longer in it, at least as formal members. Difficult to tell. In any case, I would not despair over it, even though I did for many years. 2+2 = 4 and will always equal 4 (the "Timmy Turner" episode, notwithstanding), and theological truths are every bit as immutable, even more so. It does not matter how many or how few believe in those Truths; they just are.

If you want to know more, grab yourself a copy of Denzinger's Sources of Catholic Dogma (30th edition) and start reading! Available at fine bookstores everywhere (although, you may need to order online.) :dancing-banana:

ora pro me · « **Reply #2 on:** March 09, 2011, 10:19:46 PM »

Blestwith8,
Welcome and congratulations on your family.
Lent is a wonderful time for your search. What churches have you looked at so far in your area?

blestwith8 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 10, 2011, 08:27:48 AM »

We are near Mount. St. MIchael's a Tridentine Church in Spokane Wa and Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic church. Not Diocesan affiliated and a Latin Rite church. Not certain who the Religious are affiliated with. Just know the Church exists and roughly where it is. also there is an SSPX Church in Post falls Idaho.

My search will begin with prayer, fasting and Novenas. It will include talking to the religious at Mount St. Michaels, The Sisters who left there several years ago to join the Dioces and the Priest from Our Lady of Guadalupe. It will also include speaking with my Priest. Who originally considered going to the Mount, but settled for the Diocese.he is as miserable as my husband and I. He was raised Byzantine Catholic. He is a dear friend. My Jim and he are best friends and he is our daughters God Father. He struggles. with the Liberal Modern Church and the heretical attitudes of the lay people that have followed.
When he speaks the truth during a homily invariably some Feminαzι or liberal goof tells the Bishop. It is just ridiculous.

Interesting thing happened though. While looking for something I came across my late fathers Daily Missal from the 1950's. It will be a tool in my search.

MyrnaM · « **Reply #4 on:** March 10, 2011, 08:53:15 AM »

I attend Mount St. Michael, and love it. My grandchildren attend the school there, a good school.

Right now at the Mount they are planning the school auction, each year the faithful procure items, by either asking the merchants in town, creating them or just giving some antique or unique item they had in the family. Usually the auction is a big success, this year it will be held end of April. I painted a large watercolor of St. Joseph as my contribution.

If you get a chance please come to the auction, there you will meet and see for yourself the Catholic community.

Lately we have been getting new large families.

Can't say much about the other groups you mentioned, since I have no experience with them. We live very near the Mount so we attend there exclusively. Also since I am 70 years old, the Mount reminds me in so many ways the true Catholic education that I received from a very poor parish in Chicago.
I was one of the lucky ones, my richer friends were sent off to the newer Catholic schools in Chicago where the Modern nuns were already in place just waiting to do their dirty work.

The nuns that taught me, were older, retired to this poor school, they had the tradition and were sent there to die off, in the 50's. Since then that school was torn down and now nothing of it remains. Sad but true.

blestwith8 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 10, 2011, 09:07:47 AM »

Myrna I am seriously considering the Mount. My 2 eldest children attended Gonzaga Prep and we did auctions every year. I am very familiar with the process.
Also my younger children attended St Pats for a semester nut it became too much of a drive from Elk.

Also my Mother was born and raised in Chicago. My Grandfather was a Chicago Policeman and they lived off of Harlem Ave in Norridge Park. My dear Grandmother was very involved in her Parish and had a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother. She would flip to see the changes in her beloved Church.

I too am fortunate. I attended Parochial Schools iin Southern CA> n the early 1960's. I had very conservative Nuns and Priests. It was not until my teens in the 1970's that we saw the big changes. Ironically for years the Los Angeles Diocese was very very Conservative and late in joining teh Vat11 bandwagon.

MyrnaM · « **Reply #6 on:** March 10, 2011, 10:10:08 AM »

About those nuns who left the Mount: They were very deceitful; from their own admission, they were going to the NO for confession for over a year, while living at the Mount. They stayed at the Mount just hoping to sway as many nuns to leave with them, in other words subvert the convert was their agenda. (Anything deceitful can not be of God) It was only a few that acted in malice, some just out of weakness. Those who acted in malice know who they are and are left now to their own distruction, those who acted out of weakness, will be given another chance for grace to return is my opinion.

What really made me angry was after they left they dared to email my grandchildren to invite them to their new "home", I called them and told whoever answerd the phone that, according to their lame excuse for leaving was to bring tradition to the mainstream Catholic schools, so why not spend their energy doing just that. Leave the students who have the Faith alone.

Raoul76 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 10, 2011, 11:04:35 AM »

blestwith8 said:

Quote

It will also include speaking with my Priest. Who originally considered going to the Mount, but settled for the Diocese.he is as miserable as my husband and I.

Reflect on this statement a little, if you would, Madame! :dancing:

What do you, your husband and this priest, who once considered working at the Mount, have in common? Answer: Here are a bunch of sede-leaning people who know something is rotten in the Novus Ordo church, but who deny what they know and continue to invest their spiritual energy into a huge fraud, most likely out of fear.

Do you think misery and self-torture are from God? Why do you think this priest is miserable? Why are you and your husband miserable?

Here's hoping you one day enjoy the freedom of learning that two and two still equals four. The crowd is not always right.

By the way, I am currently in Southern CA and hoping to move to Idaho ( I take that back, I should say I'm hoping to move to France with a pit-stop in Idaho ).

Jehanne · « **Reply #8 on:** March 10, 2011, 11:08:36 AM »

Quote from: Raoul76

By the way, I am currently in Southern CA and hoping to move to Idaho.

We're in Iowa and have been contemplating moving to Idaho, also! Small World!

parentsfortruth · « **Reply #9 on:** March 10, 2011, 11:19:09 AM »

Here are a few things you can look at. This might help you in your search, and make your decisions.

A little background on me first. I'm a birthmother of 7, (number 6 of my family is on the way.) I finally learned my faith when my mother did the search you are doing back when I was 14 and 15 years old. Looking back, if she hadn't done what she did, I would have lost my faith, and I'm pretty certain of that.

Here are a few videos that, if you have time to watch them, they'll give you some direction.

Mass of Paul VI: Reform or Revolt?

The way this was put together, it might as well have been put together by Traditional Catholics, but it was put together by Greek Orthodox. This video will show you how damaging and heretical this false "ecuмenism" really is.

God bless your search for the truth.

blestwith8 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 10, 2011, 11:41:59 AM »

A little more info.

I guess in my search for truth I should say my current status is that Pope Benedict is an authentic Pope and that I will be excommunicated. That is one of my stumbling blocks. I really do not know the truth right now. One way or the other.

Also I live in an area here Mt. St. Michaels has a bad name as a cult and its founder was not exactly well thought of. OF course understand also that our former Bishop was horrible. Could not have been more liberal. Not certain about our new Bishop. Just know he is not as conservative as I would like.

I am a seeker and always search and research both sides clearly.

Understadn I just came back to the faith of my childhood. I have since found out that most of it is gone. I need to really pray and seek God on this as I do not want to be outof His will.

I hope you understand. And no I do not see Traditionalists as a cult myself. I just want answers.

MyrnaM · « **Reply #11 on:** March 10, 2011, 11:51:56 AM »

Quote

Also I live in an area here Mt. St. Michaels has a bad name as a cult and its founder was not exactly well thought of. OF course understand also that our former Bishop was horrible. Could not have been more liberal. Not certain about our new Bishop. Just know he is not as conservative as I would like.

There was a time when this was true, the founder did have us act out as a cult. (founder R.I.P.) That is in the past. Mount St. Michael is well respected now among the neutral folks in the area and the proof is in the generosity of the merchants who give willingly to our cause, of which we are most grateful.

Those who still persecute us (those with their own agenda) are to be expected, since God warns us that the world will hate us. I think I would worry more if the world accepted us, as it does B16, The Man.

parentsfortruth · « **Reply #12 on:** March 10, 2011, 11:55:46 AM »

Quote from: blestwith8

A little more info.

I guess in my search for truth I should say my current status is that Pope Benedict is an authentic Pope and that I will be excommunicated. That is one of my stumbling blocks. I really do not know the truth right now. One way or the other.

Also I live in an area here Mt. St. Michaels has a bad name as a cult and its founder was not exactly well thought of. OF course understand also that our former Bishop was horrible. Could not have been more liberal. Not certain about our new Bishop. Just know he is not as conservative as I would like.

I am a seeker and always search and research both sides clearly.

Understadn I just came back to the faith of my childhood. I have since found out that most of it is gone. I need to really pray and seek God on this as I do not want to be outof His will.

I hope you understand. And no I do not see Traditionalists as a cult myself. I just want answers.

I had this same dilemma. Here's how I got past that.

"God knows who is pope, and I do not. But whoever the Pope is, I submit my loyalty to him. This is a confusing time, and I will not make that judgment myself, but I will wait for the Church to make that kind of a decision. People in previous millenia didn't know who was pope for the most part, yet believed and were loyal to whomever it was. I leave this up to God, and strive to be a good Catholic, holding all the teachings of Holy Mother Church in my heart and soul."

Who is pope right now is beyond our knowledge. I do not know for sure who it is, but the Church teaches that there is perpetual succession, and I believe that.

MyrnaM · « **Reply #13 on:** March 10, 2011, 12:53:39 PM »

I agree, whoever IF there is a pope, he has my prayers I know he would be teaching the same doctrines I profess.

Bruno · « **Reply #14 on:** March 10, 2011, 02:16:42 PM »

Hello Blest,

Looks like you are heading in the right direction. You can get many of your questions answered in this forum.

I also suggest the SSPX web page: sspx.org. They answer many questions and have a list of SSPX Chapels.

My books also answer many of the usual questions - in a simple manner. They can be acessed/copied at:

https://sites.google.com/site/catholicnotes

We have been blessed with The SSPX Masses since 1978. Deo Gratias.

Washington State is a beautiful - I was stationed at Fort Lewis for 2 years.

God Bless,

Bruno