2006 LETTERS
November/December
September/October
July/August
June
May
April
March
February
January

Little Notes

Confessions
Talk About Movies
Roamin' Catholic
Follow Me




Contents © 2006
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

LETTERS
May 2006

---

REAL CATHOLIC MEN

"Men will surrender to the spirit of the age. They will say that if they had lived in our day, faith would be simple and easy. But in their day, they will say, things are complex; the Church must be brought up to date and made meaningful to the day's problems."

After reading this article ("Priestly Vocations Dry Up in San Diego," by Robert Kumpel, April 2006), the above quotation came to mind. But who said it ? Doesn't it sound contemporary? Doesn't it reflect the discouragement that "conservative," "orthodox,"and "masculine" men wishing to become servants of Our Lord feel they are confronted with a church that "must be brought up to date..."? Sure it does, but the kicker is that the quotation was not made recently or within the last 40 plus years, but by Saint Anthony the Abbot -- Fourth Century!

The more things change, the more they seem to stay the same, a cliché, I know, but how true! Some of the priests interviewed in this article have hit the nail on the head as to why there are so few vocations in the diocese of San Diego, well, almost.

All of the priests talked about more active involvement of the bishop; teach or adhere to more "orthodoxy"; accept more "conservatives" to the seminaries; and on and on, but none have dared to vocalize (if they know it) the real reason behind the lack of vocations (the following, by the way, is a gross understatement): the disastrous ethos of the Second Vatican Council and the explosion of the poison of Modernism (briefly touched on by one of the priests in the article) and apostasy rampant throughout the Church's human elements. But the trashing of tradition, namely, through the unofficial suppression of the traditional Latin Mass has allowed the Modernists to get a solid foot-hold in positions of importance in the Church.

We know too that it is no longer necessary to be Catholic in order to attain Salvation; all religions lead to God, right? This implicit, if not explicit, denial of the dogma of no salvation outside the Church, has lead even priests, in some cases, to discourage conversion to the Catholic faith. Satan is winning -- for now. (As an important note: the difference between the Church as the Spotless Bride of Christ and the human elements that make up the Church, must always be made, lest we fall into the false notion that the Church has failed and that the Catholic Church is not the true Church of Christ, as the Protestant revolutionaries of the 16th century contended.) If this fact continues to be ignored, then very little will change except in a few dioceses around the country where there is more "orthodoxy" or "conservative" values being adhered to.

So what is the answer to the lack of vocations in San Diego and elsewhere? Pray for a return to tradition and the uncompromised and perennial teachings of Holy Mother Church, especially that outside of the Catholic Church there is no salvation for any human creature (a defined Dogma of the Catholic Church), and watch the seminaries overflow! Let's be real Catholic men!

Eugene R. De Lalla,
Troy, New Hampshire

CHUCKLE AND LAUGH

Thanks so much for my monthly chuckle and laugh! The article written by Mr. Kumpel in April's issue of News Notes titled "Priestly Vocation Dry Up In San Diego" (April 2006), sites the usual number of "not his real name" priests. An informed individual must wonder what Frs. "Feinberg, Reisner," and "Greene" really are hiding from? While they're certainly entitled to their opinions, wouldn't it be more honest and bolster their integrity, as well as the integrity of News Notes, to claim ownership of these positions, rather than hide behind "not his real name"?

Best Regards,

George Anthony,
San Diego

Editor responds: I can assure you that the priests quoted under pseudonyms are men of high integrity who would prefer to include their names. But diocesan politics make that unwise.

INDISPENSIBLE PERIODICAL

First, we thank you for your dedicated service to Our Lord and His Most Holy Catholic Church. To paraphrase Saint Matthew, Blessed are you who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for you shall be satisfied.

Continue shining the light of truth on important on important people and issues in San Diego. We firmly believe San Diego News Notes is an indispensable periodical for Catholics in San Diego.

Please know you have our continued spiritual and material support in your important work for Catholic orthodoxy.

Faithfully,

Mr. & Mrs. Russell J. Ruscigno

TOP