CathInfo.com

Matthew
As I've said to you in private (albeit v badly phrased I'm sure) it seems to me that this is what CathInfo is all about these days.
I came here hoping to engage with people who would help me to be a better Catholic, because that is something I need greatly. I haven't found many on the site who I would trust to do so, unfortunately. I suppose I can't complain, if that puts everyone on a spiritual level with myself, but for some reason I had expected more. I guess I need to reduce my expectations of others, and perhaps increase my expectations of myself?

For you and others, who complain about the content or "general trends" on CathInfo, I can only say:

BE THE CHANGE you wish to see in the world. CathInfo is nothing more than the sub-total of everyone's contributions.

If you want less drama, then don't stare enwrapt when there's a catfight in one corner of the coffee & donuts hall (which is what CathInfo is). Ignore the ruckus, and go over and speak with an older man (sitting all alone) about Gregorian chant, or speak with some older lady about the Mass, etc. In other words, contribute the kind of content you wish to see, and TADA! it will be there on CathInfo. It really is as simple as that. There is no "magic" to getting good content here. Stop complaining about the darkness, and light a candle already! On a relatively small forum like CathInfo, your impact will be greater than you think.

But at any coffee and donuts hall, when things get "exciting" (read: drama) people can't avert their eyes. It's human nature to not be able to ignore a slow-motion train wreck. And people love to argue. They love to be "right", they love excitement, etc.

P.S. Anyone who thinks CathInfo is going to be exempt from human nature and/or Original Sin, when it is 100% populated by fallen human beings, is naive at best and has an unrealistic expectation of what to expect on a forum.

Today marks the one year anniversary of our mother’s death from cancer. I have been absent from Cathinfo for much of that year.

We’ve all dealt with Mom’s death in different ways. I suppose that is the way of life. For myself, I left my former job, found employment with a better company, and I do what I can to keep everyone together.

I maintained silence for my brother’s sake. He is still in Boston, now no longer a seminarian, but as a lay brother (Father Voigt told me three years ago that this would happen). I know Fathers Pfeiffer and Hewko hate what I did in my “Thirty Days in Boston”. They despise my writing here.

I tried to mend the broken connection between those in Boston and those here. I wanted peace and understanding. I wanted everyone to listen, to ask questions, to give all due consideration, with as much charity as possible. My attempts were regarded as weak and compromised by both sides of the situation.

My efforts were futile. Nothing worked. The libel and the evil came out, despite my efforts; I was a cheerleader in the midst of a squall.

In the process of the last four years, we spent much to try and improve the lives and effectiveness of the OLMC mission. I traveled there often, to cook, clean, and to be a good servant for Christ. My mother gave generously, to an extant I could not have imagined.

Now I am regarded as an enemy of the true resistance. Father will not return my calls, answer my texts or acknowledge my existence, other than by telling the seminarians that I am an enemy.

He has shut our family out, had Pablo demand money from our depleted inheritance, and threatened to call CPS on one of my sisters.

I have not written in the last year, in the hopes that I could make amends, to show him my honesty, as well as ease his fears. I have reached out, and we have still financially supported his mission and my brother’s quest for a vocation.

Recent events show that none of this outreach did anything to soften Father’s heart. I am still his enemy.

Father will never be my enemy, however, and I hope that no one here will ever view Father as such.

He is in most need of prayers, guidance and forgiveness. His masses are fully valid, and no one should hesitate to attend because of his personal issues.

I hope that Father may one day see me as an ally, despite our disagreements and past issues.

Please pray for my response of the soul of my mother. Please keep my family in your prayers.

.
Thank you for taking the time to post this message, ManuelChavez. You did the right thing. Your benevolence is edifying.
.
ETA: I just now read your post above:
.

I did not write “true resistance” to say what they are, but what they claim to be, in conjunction with what they claim that I am. 

.
Ironically, that criticism would have had no basis if you had only put quotation marks around "true resistance" or had used parentheses: 
.
Now I am regarded as their enemy (of the "true resistance").
.

In no way do I consider myself more holy, prudent or the first in anything. I wrote what I have experienced from Boston and from Cathinfo, in conjunction with what my sister wrote previously, around the one year anniversary of our mother’s death.

I did not claim that all “Trads” are proud, hate mongers or sedevacantists, nor did I claim that everyone who visits Cathinfo are “bad Catholics, haters” and so on. Those would be unjust and inaccurate generalizations. These accusations promote a negative reaction and would further divide the resistance in the process.

I know that Cathinfo is not full of haters, bad Catholics or worse. There have been instances that have been less than ideal, and these situations have fueled Father’s increasing distrust of others.

I did not write “true resistance” to say what they are, but what they claim to be, in conjunction with what they claim that I am.

I wrote that I will not respond to his unjust exclusion in like manner. It is a challenge to Father Pfeiffer, to show him that there is a better way to respond than by writing off people as enemies. It is a public challenge now, because other means have failed. I want to follow what is exemplified in scripture:

[15] But if thy brother shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between thee and him alone. ... [17] And if he will not hear them: tell the church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican.

Even with the heathen and publican, there is always hope for their redemption, and there should always be hope for forgiveness. No one should ever be permanently marked as evil or as an enemy, or be denied the possibility of giving an explanation, or making amends for any real or perceived sleight. Doing so will only destroy any good works and will poison souls, one against the other, and for reasons that could have been avoided if only guided by God’s goodness and mercy, not by our own desires and emotions.

I hope that Father Pfeiffer and Pablo stop writing people off as enemies, that they stop the wars and put out the flames they spread in regards 
to personal issues. I would also hope that the four bishops would also let go of their personal issues with Boston, if only for the sake of
those who attend the masses of OLMC. The faithful need the sacraments, such as confirmation. Denying the faithful because of the personal
problems of Father Pfeiffer and Pablo only lends credence to Father Pfeiffer’s claims (real or imagined), and helps keep those faithful
close to Boston.

There are souls at stake, and nothing should ever get in the clergy’s way in order to save souls. Their personal problems should not leech
out into the public sphere, which has happened all too many times in the last four years.

1. I never said you thought this about Trads. I was describing a phenomena that I had seen many times before. It's the pattern I was associating with you, in your case referring to "Resistance outside Boston, KY" or "CathInfo members" instead of "Trads"

2. I know you were responding to someone's post, but it was obvious (to me at least) that you were merely quoting their propaganda ("True Resistance")

3. You are falsely assuming that we jumped to the "exposing/opposing an individual publicly" stage out of turn. No, we all tried everything and held out hope just like you did, back in the day. We just got here much sooner, that's all. Everything I said in my first post stands. Just like the new Trad is all nervous about "becoming a Trad" and thereby assuming all the perceived baggage associated with that name, you are nervous about taking on all the perceived CathInfo "baggage".

4. No one marked Fr. Pfeiffer as a devil, a permanent evil figure, or an object for hatred (temporary OR permanent). His current status -- including that of his operation in Boston, KY -- is one of "unrepentant public sinner posing a danger to souls". Therefore a Catholic's only valid option is to A) pray for him while B) opposing his public crimes and sins publicly. Charity demands A) and Charity (the good of souls) demands B).

5. Any sinner, public or private, can convert by the grace of God. That goes without saying. No one has ever suggested that Fr. Pfeiffer (or anyone else in Boston, KY) is an exception to this universal truth. "Dum spiro, spero." While there's breath, there's hope.

6. You assume that we are guilty of some of the things you mention in your post. You are obviously still laboring under Fr. Pfeiffer's propaganda, lies, and poison. You have made some good progress, and I pray that you continue to seek and fill your mind with the truth, purging the lies and propaganda from your mind more and more every day.

7. I am not aware of any personal animus of any of the 4 bishops towards Fr. Pfeiffer or his small flock. As far as I know, they try to accomodate the Faithful while not rubber-stamping the insanity that is Boston, KY. For example, having Confirmations at the nearby Feeneyite chapel instead of Boston, KY not too long ago.

8. Also, keep in mind that there are tiny pockets of 1-2 families ALL OVER THE COUNTRY who don't get Mass. Just because some families have made it to Fr. Pfeiffer's mission list (possibly even the short "once a month or more" list) doesn't mean they're any more special than a similar-sized group of Trads in some other part of the country, who has never had Mass with Fr. Pfeiffer or entered his radar. Let's stay objective here and not assign personal or malicious motives where there are none.

9. You are also assuming that there's fault on both sides. That is NOT a universal truth! If you are walking down the street and I punch you in the face and knock you out, can it be said that, "It takes two to tango?" OF COURSE NOT! Sometimes all the malice, all the evil, all the fighting comes from JUST ONE SIDE. I hold that this is the case in the "war" between Fr. Pfeiffer and 98% of the Resistance. The rest of the Resistance gets along just fine. All the mudslinging originates in Boston, KY and goes OUTWARD. Bp. Zendejas, I know for a fact, ignores Fr. Pfeiffer as a matter of principle or policy. I bring him up because I see and talk with him the most.