It appears that Joseph Sciambra is converting to Orthodoxy

[Michie]

Given his history and disappointment with the Church, I cannot really blame him.

Anyway, here is an interesting video at the link discussing the Rosary from an Orthodox perspective. 1 hour 48 minutes.

Video below.
The Rosary – From an Orthodox Perspective | Joseph Sciambra

 

[Gnarwhal]

Given his history and disappointment with the Church, I cannot really blame him.

Anyway, her is an interesting video at the link discussing the Rosary from an Orthodox perspective. 1 hour 48 minutes.

Video below.
The Rosary – From an Orthodox Perspective | Joseph Sciambra

He's been on such a wild ride, I really feel for him. Between the messed up experiences before he came back, to his experiences exhorting the clergy to do better after, he's just been crashing against a rock for a long time. I wish he wouldn't leave the Barque of Peter.

Does anyone know if he tried Eastern Catholicism before heading for the Bosphorus?

 

[Michie]

He's been on such a wild ride, I really feel for him. Between the messed up experiences before he came back, to his experiences exhorting the clergy to do better after, he's just been crashing against a rock for a long time. I wish he wouldn't leave the Barque of Peter.

Does anyone know if he tried Eastern Catholicism before heading for the Bosphorus?

I don’t know. This is the first I’ve heard of his conversion. I planned on researching it later.

 

[Gnarwhal]

I don’t know. This is the first I’ve heard of his conversion. I planned on researching it later.

IIRC, OnePeterFive has a lot of the "paper trail" cataloguing his process...since I think he wrote quite a bit for them. I might be thinking of another site.

I don't know if Joe would go for it, but I'd love to hear a discussion or debate between him and Tim Flanders, since Flanders converted to Catholicism from Orthodoxy. So he did the reverse, hearing their competing logic would be interesting.

 

[eastcoast_bsc]

I have read and listened to Joseph Sciambra and it seems like he is still experiencing aa lot of hurt. I mean he came from a very dark place. I wish him the best . He is a very bright guy and should understand that the grass is not always greener. The evil one is going after all of Gods children and both the Catholic church and Orthodox. The only perfection he will find is in Christ Jesus. But I can feel his pain.

 

[Michie]

I have read and listened to Joseph Sciambra and it seems like he is still experiencing aa lot of hurt. I mean he came from a very dark place. I wish him the best . He is a very bright guy and should understand that the grass is not always greener. The evil one is going after all of Gods children and both the Catholic church and Orthodox. The only perfection he will find is in Christ Jesus. But I can feel his pain.

It will be interesting to see how it all unfolds for him.

 

[chevyontheriver]

It will be interesting to see how it all unfolds for him.

So much pain he's gone through. It's a wonder he has soldiered on so well for so long. So many others are probably left in the ditches. I just listened to him today after not doing so for a few months. It does sound like he has made the move to Orthodoxy. I just hope he isn't hurt more there and that he can have some peace. I don't think becoming Orthodox at all guarantees that. But remaining Catholic has kept him in pain. So there.

 

[Michie]

So much pain he's gone through. It's a wonder he has soldiered on so well for so long. So many others are probably left in the ditches. I just listened to him today after not doing so for a few months. It does sound like he has made the move to Orthodoxy. I just hope he isn't hurt more there and that he can have some peace. I don't think becoming Orthodox at all guarantees that. But remaining Catholic has kept him in pain. So there.

True. It broke my heart at times to read his content. It left me angry for him as well. God knows his heart. I wish him the very best.

 

[chevyontheriver]

IIRC, OnePeterFive has a lot of the "paper trail" cataloguing his process...since I think he wrote quite a bit for them. I might be thinking of another site.

How is Steve Skojec doing?

 

[Michie]

The icon I bought in 1992.

In a sense, my conversion occurred through the lens of Orthodoxy – especially via a now controversial section of “The Catechism of the Catholic Church.” Of Orthodoxy, Blessed Fr. Seraphim Rose wrote: “…[it] does not follow the philosophy of the age, because it has its own philosophy based on revelation…Our philosophy is not of this world, and it is the answer to the vain speculations of modern man!” For this very reason, critics of the Catholic Church, including many from within, have loudly, and repeatedly, said: “It’s time we dropped the unhelpful, judgmental language of intrinsic and objective disorder when respectfully trying to determine appropriate laws and policies for all people who want to support and nurture each other and their children.” Then, neo-gay Catholics, who you think would take a different stance, have argued: “The Church has to be clear with respect to ‘what is the nature of homosexuality itself,’ but can’t make a pronouncement on whether it is a mental disorder, for example.”*...

Continued below.
My Conversion Through Orthodoxy | Joseph Sciambra

 

[eastcoast_bsc]

The icon I bought in 1992.

In a sense, my conversion occurred through the lens of Orthodoxy – especially via a now controversial section of “The Catechism of the Catholic Church.” Of Orthodoxy, Blessed Fr. Seraphim Rose wrote: “…[it] does not follow the philosophy of the age, because it has its own philosophy based on revelation…Our philosophy is not of this world, and it is the answer to the vain speculations of modern man!” For this very reason, critics of the Catholic Church, including many from within, have loudly, and repeatedly, said: “It’s time we dropped the unhelpful, judgmental language of intrinsic and objective disorder when respectfully trying to determine appropriate laws and policies for all people who want to support and nurture each other and their children.” Then, neo-gay Catholics, who you think would take a different stance, have argued: “The Church has to be clear with respect to ‘what is the nature of homosexuality itself,’ but can’t make a pronouncement on whether it is a mental disorder, for example.”*...

Continued below.
My Conversion Through Orthodoxy | Joseph Sciambra

I don’t disagree with much of what Joe said but I feel he he should understand that scripture clearly speaks on these times when even the elect will be deceived. Some in the church are ravenous wolves who seek to destroy the flock. The scripture is also clear that few will be saved and that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church.

In these times we need to even cling to the garments of Christ.It’s going to get worse. We need to work out our salvation with fear and trepidation .

Prayers for Joe.

 

[eastcoast_bsc]

Just wanted to add that I do like reading pieces regarding Seraphim Rose and I do watch one Orthodox priest on YouTube. This doesn’t mean I am not Catholic but only that I like the message.

 

[Michie]

Just wanted to add that I do like reading pieces regarding Seraphim Rose and I do watch one Orthodox priest on YouTube. This doesn’t mean I am not Catholic but only that I like the message.

He is still seeking the face of Christ obviously. I’m just glad he has not given Christ up. He just may need to make this move for his mental and spiritual health.

 

[Michie]

Fr. Seraphim Rose: My Conversation with His Niece – Cathy Scott

Video below.
Fr. Seraphim Rose: My Conversation with His Niece – Cathy Scott | Joseph Sciambra

1 hour 56 minutes.

 

[chevyontheriver]

For this very reason, critics of the Catholic Church, including many from within, have loudly, and repeatedly, said: “It’s time we dropped the unhelpful, judgmental language of intrinsic and objective disorder when respectfully trying to determine appropriate laws and policies for all people who want to support and nurture each other and their children.” Then, neo-gay Catholics, who you think would take a different stance, have argued: “The Church has to be clear with respect to ‘what is the nature of homosexuality itself,’ but can’t make a pronouncement on whether it is a mental disorder, for example.”*...

I think it was many from within the Catholic Church, the Gay and Allied folks, who made sure there was no room left in the Catholic Church for him. I see Joseph Sciambra as a canary in the mine. If he can't survive there is trouble ahead for the rest of us. I think we know there is trouble ahead for the rest of us. The Catechism was straightforward, but too many powerful people 'in authority' would like to walk that back. There is room in the Catholic Church either for Fr. James Martin LGBTQWERTY+++ or Joseph Sciambra. In the end not room for both.

 

[Michie]

As you can tell, I’m researching this trying to make some rhyme and reason out of his move.

More-
Joseph Sciambra tries to spread the healing message of the Gospel in the USA's gay neighborhoods. And he is angry, because he receives no help from the Church he loves.

March 2, 2020 (CatholicCulture.org) — Joseph Sciambra is an angry man. He has plumbed the depths of the homosexual subculture. He has suffered for his involvement in promiscuity, pornography, drug abuse and self-abuse. He is still paying the price, in physical and psychological suffering. He has watched one friend after another die of AIDS. Now, having rediscovered his Catholic faith and reformed his life, he watches in frustration as Catholic priests encourage young men to explore the same path that nearly led him to ruin, and Catholic bishops refuse to intervene.

Continued below.
This man works to save gays from sin. His worst opposition comes from Catholic bishops - LifeSite

 

[Michie]

At the age of sixteen, after an indifferent Catholic education, I inexplicably paid a visit to the local priest.

I didn’t know quite why I wanted to see him. It was during the height of the AIDS crisis, and I was scared, because I had recently come out to myself. I was a sad, lonely kid with no male friends or role models. I had abandoned the Catholic faith, but I wanted to talk with a man—any man—and I didn’t know where else to turn. Nervously fumbling on a few simple words, I sat down in the reconciliation room and told the priest, “I’m gay.” He assured me that God understood. God had “made me that way.” His attempt at compassion and understanding brought forth memories of my middle- and high-school “religion” classes, which had emphasized the primacy of the conscience. According to the priest, I should practice “safe sex.” This was the proper role of the conscience: It should lead me to act “responsibly.”

Less than two years later, I walked into the Castro District of San Francisco. For a time, I did play it safe; later, I didn’t. After a few years, at a time when my life wasn’t going so well, I spoke with another priest. He offered the same advice the first priest had, but he added that I needed to settle down with one partner. I tried that, too. But I don’t believe I made any major lifestyle changes on the basis of what these priests told me. For the most part, my mind was already made up: I believed I had been born gay. Whether or not some God had made me that way, I didn’t really care. In one sense, these priests had made my life easier by confirming what I already thought. Yet at sixteen, when I talked to that first priest, I had secretly wanted him to say something else. I had wanted him to be strong—I had wanted him to rescue me from myself.

Continued below.
Fr. Martin’s False Comfort | Joseph Sciambra

 

[Michie]

I will always be thankful to that priest – because, he was not afraid. Some would argue that he was about as un-pastoral as you can get: he named the sin, told me where it came from (the devil and hell itself) and then went about casting it out. It sounds harsh, but sometimes the most invasive forms of cancer require the most severe forms of therapy.

Continued below.
Former Homosexual: Even Harsher Language on Homosexuality Needed from Christian Hierarchs

 

[Michie]

Joseph Sciambra exalts the Russian-Orthodox: "Just by looking at these men - you know they would never tolerate the likes of James Martin and the Jesuits."

Continued below.
Joseph Sciambra exalts the Russian-Orthodox: "Just by looking at these men - you know they would …

 

[eastcoast_bsc]

It seems pretty clear that Joseph was seeking to come out of the darkness and into the light which is Christ Jesus but there were those in the church in positions of authority who attempted to destroy this before it could even take root.
It is not uncommon. When do we ever see or hear our local churches promote Courage the apostolate to gay men who seek to walk with Christ?

Groups such as Courage should be mentioned at Mass on a regular basis but they are barely tolerated.


The church failed Joseph plain and simple.