Monica, your description of your family sounds pretty much like my own,except I would simply say some kept the Faith and some did not. I think this process of Faithful and Faithlessness is mirrored so well in the old testament, I suppose you could call it the mystery of iniquity, that some do and some don't
Apparently, history is repeating itself: "May God console you! ... What saddens you ... is the fact that others have occupied the churches by violence, while during this time you are on the outside. It is a fact that they have the premises – but you have the Apostolic Faith. They can occupy our churches, but they are outside the true Faith. You remain outside the places of worship, but the Faith dwells within you. Let us consider: what is more important, the place or the Faith? The true Faith, obviously. Who has lost and who has won in the struggle – the one who keeps the premises or the one who keeps the Faith? True, the premises are good when the Apostolic Faith is preached there; they are holy if everything takes place there in a holy way ... "You are the ones who are happy; you who remain within the Church by your Faith, who hold firmly to the foundations of the Faith which has come down to you from Apostolic Tradition. And if an execrable jealousy has tried to shake it on a number of occasions, it has not succeeded. They are the ones who have broken away from it in the present crisis. No one, ever, will prevail against your Faith, beloved Brothers. And we believe that God will give us our churches back some day. "Thus, the more violently they try to occupy the places of worship, the more they separate themselves from the Church. They claim that they represent the Church; but in reality, they are the ones who are expelling themselves from it and going astray. Even if Catholics faithful to Tradition are reduced to a handful, they are the ones who are the true Church of Jesus Christ." - Fourth century Letter of Saint Athanasius to His Flock
My family is not Catholic, so when I became Catholic, I was shocked that many of the people in the Church do not really believe what the Church teaches (liberal Catholics). This made no sense to me. Why should the Church have to change to suit them? Why can't they just find a church they agree with?
I don't know where this latest news actually fits in the forum but here is the latest: Francis institutes commission to study female deacons, appointing gender-balanced membership http://www.lastampa.it/2016/08/02/v...membership-Z2IU05hOHsWxs0X2mEVE3I/pagina.html The trouble I always find with these study "commissions" is that their membership is usually made up of already highly appointed academic types or "intellectuals". The worker bee types of religious that are dealing with hardships of community life; the meek ones with wisdom never tapped never seem to be included. Another case of the "elitists" knowing what is best? Just another ticket getting punched? So those in already highly renowned positions of authority can be tempted into that "progressive" mode in order not to seem "old fashioned" or going against the grain of "state of the art" opinions. OTOH, there are so many parts of the world today where women in general have all of the responsibility but no authority to make serious decisions. The diaconate of course will do nothing to correct the lack of priests in those areas and may even cause the people to change the way they understand or respect priesthood. In these times of confusion one wonders if such an undertaking at this point that will of course cause more inaccurate reporting that will suggest and push for more feminist groups to go into action for all the wrong goals is wise. Then again, the way "commissions" go, the coming end time "attractions" may themselves interfere with such goals. So, just more confusion and division at such times as these? Then again, if the goal is to truly study exactly what took place in the early Church it could then be beneficial....but will that only be a cover or excuse for a more forced agenda?
"The diaconate of course will do nothing to correct the lack of priests in those areas and may even cause the people to change the way they understand or respect priesthood. " I agree that is the ultimate agenda and see no valid excuse for this! I suspect the reason that will be used to to make women feel more integral to the Church. It is a program not devised out of any real need.. only stepping stones to women priesthood. God Bless
If we are to Believe Jesus; 'The gates of hell will not prevail against His Church.' So the heading on this thread is not a Catholic statement. And as long as there is life in my body, the Holy Roman Catholic Church of Jesus Christ will remain. I can't speak for anyone else or for those who live after I am gone. But Jesus will still be around even to the end of the world and for all eternity, and His Word is as good as done.
I just saw a report about this on the BBC. According to their correspondent, this is all part of the Pope's agenda to reform the Church and a response to the demand from Catholic women for a more prominent role. According to him, there were women priests and deacons in the early Church. The entire thrust of the report was that Pope Francis is laying the groundwork for women priests, although probably not during his pontificate, and this will solve the problem of a lack of male vocations. Of course, just about everything the BBC's Vatican correspondent said about the early Church was wrong, as was his suggestion that it would be a solution to lack of vocations, but it is the BBC after all. On the other hand, he could turn out to be yet another secular prophet in the style of the Pope's atheist journalist friend who was roundly condemned for reporting that Pope Francis wanted to open Communion to the divorced and remarried. Previous studies on the role of women deacons in the early Church have produced no evidence that they were ordained or were on a par with male deacons, but Pope Francis in his wisdom has decided to look at it again. I wonder why.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36951554 Pope Francis sets up commission to study question of women deacons Pope Francis has set up a special commission to study whether women will be allowed to become deacons in the Catholic Church. The issue has historically troubled the Church, with many opposing the appointment of females. The commission of seven men and six women will study the issue, and look into the historical role of women in the early years of the Church. Deacons are a clergy rank one below priest. They are ordained ministers who can preach or preside over weddings and funerals, but cannot celebrate Mass. Supporters say women are poorly represented within the Church and that appointing female deacons would give women greater sway in decision-making. The Pope first remarked in May that he was willing to set up a commission to study the issue. He had told senior members of women's religious orders he was open to the issue of considering female deacons: "It would be useful for the Church to clarify this question. I agree.'" The Vatican also clarified that the Pope was not considering the possibility of ordaining women priests. Currently all Catholic priests and deacons are male. Priests must be celibate, but deacons can be married men.
Another "pink palace"?? http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/World/2016/Aug-02/365220-gay-sex-scandal-hits-irish-seminary.ashx Why, by this time and with all the scandal news, haven't such seminaries been examined? Now too entrenched? Remember "Wind Swept House"??
St Patrick’s College Maynooth “has no concrete or credible evidence of the existence of any alleged ‘active gay subculture’,” it has told The Irish Times. Perhaps those are rumours to further damage the Church. http://www.irishtimes.com/news/soci...-subculture-at-st-patrick-s-college-1.2743010
but is the Archbishop of Dublin going to the horrendous trouble and expense of sending all his students to Rome, merely because of a rumor?
Maynooth is a mess and has been for decades, everybody knows it. A friend of mine went to college there in the early 90s. She and her friends all dated seminarians, and these were not chaste relationships by her account. The seminarians she knew were told by their superiors to sow their wild oats before they took their vows because they'd have to give it all up once they were ordained, my friend said they were the most promiscuous men she's ever come across. I can't imagine that it has improved since then. The rot surely goes very, very deep.
Yes, hair-raising rumours about Maynooth had been doing the rounds for decades but I thought that Cardinal O'Malley was given the job of sorting out all the seminaries and monasteries. Perhaps I was mistaken. I hope that the Irish College in Rome is better.