The last straw

[Metanoia02]

Brothers and sisters,

Some of you know I am less then satisfied with the condition of my Diocese. From the lack of leadership to poor catachesis, many Catholcs in my area have been poorly served.

As a convert, I have come to love the Catholic Church. My spiritual life would be almost non-existent if it wasn't for the grace that I have received through the Church. But the longer I study the Church and its teachings, the more I realize the crisis that exisits in the Cathlic Church in the United States. The issues are almost too many to list. Liturgical abuse, dissenting priests, liberal theology, absence of vocations, lack of reverence, etc.

The last straw was something I heard yesterday about a person in the local theology certification program. Coincidently, it is soemthing that was mentioned yesterday by Ukok. The liberal professors here are teaching that the OT books are just stories. When the distressed student, who was in tears, approached thier priest for guidance, they were told that is correct, they are just stories.

I have had a number of reactions to this. I have thought of confronting the Bishop about it, complaining to Rome, writing the local newspaper. After the anger has subsided and speaking with a good friend of mine, I have decided to take a different course of action.

Although it is only in the idea stage and there are hundreds of obstacles to overcome, we have decided to persue the possibility of Catholic radio station in our Diocese. Initially it will simply be a repeater station for EWTN. Over time and with financial support, we would eventually become a "live" station.

If our Diocese ever has the ability to change, it will only be done by well informed Catholics who know and love the Church. This can only happen if they know what the Church teaches. They are certainly not recieving that from local Adult Formation class, thoelogy degree programs, diaconate programs and especially through the formation process of our semenarians.

By taking this step, it is highly likely that I will ostracized by some of the people in my parish. It is also likely that the Bishop will not be pleased by doing this without his blessing or support.

So I am asking you, my dear friends to pray for this endeavor. As I said it is simply an idea at this stage. But if it be God's will, we will find the financial support (I'm not asking for money) and be on the air.

My study of Church history has taught me that those who are faithful to the teachings of the Church always prevail. Even though at this point things look dark and difficult, God always uses his people to put the Church back on track. I may never see the fruits of my labor, it may take longer then the years I have left on earth, but the Catholic Church in America will one day emerge as the beacon of light that it was intended to be.

Dominus vobiscum

 

[boughtwithaprice]

Brothers and sisters,

Some of you know I am less then satisfied with the condition of my Diocese. From the lack of leadership to poor catachesis, many Catholcs in my area have been poorly served.

As a convert, I have come to love the Catholic Church. My spiritual life would be almost non-existent if it wasn't for the grace that I have received through the Church. But the longer I study the Church and its teachings, the more I realize the crisis that exisits in the Cathlic Church in the United States. The issues are almost too many to list. Liturgical abuse, dissenting priests, liberal theology, absence of vocations, lack of reverence, etc.

The last straw was something I heard yesterday about a person in the local theology certification program. Coincidently, it is soemthing that was mentioned yesterday by Ukok. The liberal professors here are teaching that the OT books are just stories. When the distressed student, who was in tears, approached thier priest for guidance, they were told that is correct, they are just stories.

I have had a number of reactions to this. I have thought of confronting the Bishop about it, complaining to Rome, writing the local newspaper. After the anger has subsided and speaking with a good friend of mine, I have decided to take a different course of action.

Although it is only in the idea stage and there are hundreds of obstacles to overcome, we have decided to persue the possibility of Catholic radio station in our Diocese. Initially it will simply be a repeater station for EWTN. Over time and with financial support, we would eventually become a "live" station.

If our Diocese ever has the ability to change, it will only be done by well informed Catholics who know and love the Church. This can only happen if they know what the Church teaches. They are certainly not recieving that from local Adult Formation class, thoelogy degree programs, diaconate programs and especially through the formation process of our semenarians.

By taking this step, it is highly likely that I will ostracized by some of the people in my parish. It is also likely that the Bishop will not be pleased by doing this without his blessing or support.

So I am asking you, my dear friends to pray for this endeavor. As I said it is simply an idea at this stage. But if it be God's will, we will find the financial support (I'm not asking for money) and be on the air.

My study of Church history has taught me that those who are faithful to the teachings of the Church always prevail. Even though at this point things look dark and difficult, God always uses his people to put the Church back on track. I may never see the fruits of my labor, it may take longer then the years I have left on earth, but the Catholic Church in America will one day emerge as the beacon of light that it was intended to be.

Dominus vobiscum

Hi Met

I am a new convert also. I love the Catholic church and the catechism. I am disturbed by the liberal trends in my parish also. They emphasize ecumenism to such an extent that it seems there is no reason to be catholic

Are we in the same diocese? Richmond, VA?

I think that your idea is marvelous one. Broadcast media could be a way to unify people and not leave them feeling trapped by the liberal establishment. At least it would force the Bishop to make a statement about the liberal trends.

I will certainly pray for you , and if there is anything else I can do, let me know

Jerome

 

[NDIrish]

Hey Met!

We need to do lunch...I am 110% behind this idea, and think we could probably find a lot of support. If you need it, I am certainly willing to devote as much time and effort to making this a reality. I've been thinking about getting Siriusradio just so I can hear EWTN on the way into work, but this sounds like a much better option to me!


Let me know...

 

[DJ B.K.]

I thought you were about to say you were leaving the church there for a little bit! You scared me for a second!

 

[Metanoia02]

I thought you were about to say you were leaving the church there for a little bit! You scared me for a second!

The thought never crossed my mind. Regardless of the insanity I run across, I know Christ will never forsake His Bride. The Church has know tough times before and has always come out on top. Although I may never see this happen in my life here on earth, you can bet I'll be in the cheering section in heaven with the rest of you.

 

[Aaron-Aggie]

 

[onesheep]

You most certainly have my prayers in this.

 

[Debi1967]

As a recent convert myself I appload your efforts to keep the real teachings of the Church known. As someone who is a bible believer I also appload this.
I do want to sy this though, please keep in mind that these men that are making these decisions are just that men and even though they are priests bishops ect they too are not infallible. I think that in our attempts to help people to see the Church and the Bible in a different light sometimes we all have at times tried to water it down for people. I am in GA all the time and I see the attitudes of people towards the OT and they are very negative. I am frequently asked the question how can you love a God that would do such things to people that He supposedly loves. I think in our attempts to become user friendly shall we say sometimes we can make serious lapses of judgement. Personally I didn't know that the Lord was supposed to be user friendly. But we all do err at times. I think that sometimes because they are priests and such we forget they are human too. Their hearts may be in the right place but that doesn't mean it is right. Just like before I converted and even now I can do or say something that may not be in line with what is really there but my heart may be in hte right place. I guess what I am trying to get at is that we need to help and not condemn. Because then we are going to start drawing lines of division between ourselves. maybe this would be better if you did seek the council of someone outside and higher up that would be able to do something about it first.
In Christ
Debi

 

[thereselittleflower]

BRAVO!!!

It is largely due to the Catholic Radio station in our area that I was helped to move towards Catholicism and to come to terms with Mary and the Saints . .

Our radio station is housed at a Catholic University (which has liberal elements) but is independently financed by contributions, and besides Christian music, repeats the shows on EWTN . . .

This is great news!


Peace in Him!

 

[Polycarp1]

One thought that entered my mind is that the "just stories" quote may be unjustified criticism by people who take some texts literally of those who believe them to be "moral fables" -- fiction, intended as such, with the intent of teaching an important lesson. I know that the books of Job, Esther, and Jonah are often interpreted in this way -- and the truths that they convey are important whether or not the actual events happened just as supposedly reported.

 

[Metanoia02]

One thought that entered my mind is that the "just stories" quote may be unjustified criticism by people who take some texts literally of those who believe them to be "moral fables" -- fiction, intended as such, with the intent of teaching an important lesson. I know that the books of Job, Esther, and Jonah are often interpreted in this way -- and the truths that they convey are important whether or not the actual events happened just as supposedly reported.

Thanks for your input!

If this was just an isolated incident, I might have been able to explain it away and be open to a similar approach. But this simply fits into a pattern of behavior that has gone on in my Diocese. We have priests that openly advocate women's ordination, they openly criticize birth control and Humanea Vitea as well as the normality of homosexuality as a sexual preference. No if this was just one instance, I would not be so alarmed but it truly is the Last Straw.

PS. I know you label yourself as a Liberal Episcaplian and might well agree with these priest, but they have no place in the Catholic Church.

 

[ProCommunioneFacior]

Hello Met,

I will support your endeavor with my prayers. If you need anything, let me know. May I ask what diocese are you in?

 

[Woodsy]

Metanoia02, I empathize with you totally. Totally.
I have just moved to a new parish, and we'll see what it's like. It's more rural, so i hope it's more conservative.

Have you considered a small, cheap print publication that you could publish until the station's up and runnning? Think about the things you'd like to air ovre the radio, and write articles to publish in the meantime. You could reference the Catechism, provide the urls of some reliable websites, etc. And you could do it all without offending anyone by directing the comments against any specific persons. Just an idea.

 

[Metanoia02]

Metanoia02, I empathize with you totally. Totally.
I have just moved to a new parish, and we'll see what it's like. It's more rural, so i hope it's more conservative.

Here's a good rule of thumb to follow:

In a liberal Diocese you will find that the more conservative priests are placed in rural parishes, Out of Sight, Out of Mind. I believe the converse is true as well.

Have you considered a small, cheap print publication that you could publish until the station's up and runnning? Think about the things you'd like to air ovre the radio, and write articles to publish in the meantime. You could reference the Catechism, provide the urls of some reliable websites, etc. And you could do it all without offending anyone by directing the comments against any specific persons. Just an idea.

I was thinking of a simple website with the same features. That way people can give me a sense of the interest in such an endeavor. I jhave a feeling that there are many people who have the same concerns.

 

[Metanoia02]

Hello Met,

I will support your endeavor with my prayers. If you need anything, let me know. May I ask what diocese are you in?

Thanks for the support.

I don't like to make public my Diocese. It is sensitive stuff. But I am sure if you do a search on my previous posts, you can find out which Diocese I reside.

 

[Woodsy]

I was thinking of a simple website with the same features. That way people can give me a sense of the interest in such an endeavor. I jhave a feeling that there are many people who have the same concerns.

I didn't suggest a website simply because you'd be competing with so many others who do have the same concerns as you. A print publication would be more likely to be read by passengers in a car, on the bus, on the train, or even when someone's just sitting at their kitchen table. But then again, I do most of my reading online and just accumulate print stuff until I recycle it.

The question is also: how do you get your information to people who aren't necessarily searching for a more orthodox approach to Catholicism? Sometimes a website can just turn into preaching to the converted, because most people who get to your site are already more conservative in their theology.

I've got a website on which I maintained a blog for awhile (not much theological content, tho) ubntil I realize that I was getting my news from other sites and that these other sites were presenting it better than I was. I also simply didn't have the time to generate and maintain much original content. (Though I do have one original essay on my site about the history of Israel and the Palestinian Arabs)
I get a fair amount of traffic on certain subjects, but I need to generate more original content, especially theology and apologetics.

Good luck in whatever you move forward with, short-term and long. I would welcome a source of good information from the angle you express, and I'm certain others would also.

 

[ProCommunioneFacior]

Thanks for the support.

I don't like to make public my Diocese. It is sensitive stuff. But I am sure if you do a search on my previous posts, you can find out which Diocese I reside.

No problem, I figured it out. I will pray for your Diocese and for God's will for you.

 

[ukok]

Oh Met...I hear you, brother. I can understand your distress and i empathise greatly. It must be devastating that those who should know better, choose to follow their own interpretation , concerning Mass. They are failing you by not heeding your concerns.

I pray for the success of your endeavours to bring about the necessary attention that will initiate change. If i can help you in any way, i would gladly oblige. I recall you mentioning about feeling that your Ministry may be in educating others....well that couldn't be more true!

God Bless you, Met.

 

[Cosmic Charlie]

Although it is only in the idea stage and there are hundreds of obstacles to overcome, we have decided to persue the possibility of Catholic radio station in our Diocese. Initially it will simply be a repeater station for EWTN. Over time and with financial support, we would eventually become a "live" station.

I'm kind of torn here. On one hand I consider you a overzealous brick-thrower who I have ignored on the those (thankfully) few times our paths has crossed.

On the other hand, the whole pirate radio thing really rattles my rockets and you seem like a great candidate for it.

You might want to do some web reseach on small FM transmitters and pirate radio stations. You can probably get you our 2-5 watt station on the air for $1,500, maybe a little less. There are sites on how to get the word out and it will give you some practice how to get program the station to get people to listen.

.


Good Luck .

 

[MariaRegina]

http://www.losangelesmission.com/

This is an alternative newspaper with on-line copy that is published in Los Angeles.