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The Problem of Catholic Pretenders
Crisis Magazine ^ | June 23, 2017 | K. E. COLOMBINI

Posted on 06/23/2017 6:21:23 PM PDT by NYer

Catholics always have been taught that the word “catholic” means “universal,” and arguably one of the hallmarks of the Catholic faith is that it recognizes no borders; while there are many rites, of which the Latin is the predominant one, there is one truth, one set of dogma.

As I consider this from St. Louis, Missouri, where my family and I have lived since 2000, I realize something must be askew with Catholic pretenders who crave independence over universality.

Several years ago, to greatly simplify a convoluted local history, a St. Louis parish operated for the benefit of the local Polish community split off from the archdiocese. Its parishioners, or, rather, a majority of its board of directors, decided that its church property was more important than Catholic unity. After years of wrangling, a settlement with the archdiocese ended the matter finally, with the breakaway Catholics, led by a defrocked and excommunicated priest, retaining control of their buildings.

St. Stanislaus Kostka was, and remains, a pretty church. It’s not grandly and gloriously beautiful like our cathedral, or the oratory at St. Francis de Sales. Rather, it’s what I’d call working-class beautiful, and far better than many of the suburban parishes built west of the city in the 1970s. St. Louis once earned the nickname “Rome of the West” because of the beauty of many of its older churches, an outward symbol of the faith and loyalty of the Catholics who built them.

While the battle over St. Stan’s was originally a property dispute, it evolved into something else. For with this property dispute, a virus was planted in the parish that led the parishioners away from Catholicism. St. Stan’s has become one of those churches that are merely posing to be Catholic, while embracing the wrong side of so many battles the Church is facing, especially those around sex and gender. It’s what one would call, in the euphemism of the day, a welcoming parish, welcoming visiting dissident celebrities and women priests and feeling more than welcome to join the city’s annual gay pride parade.

Oddly, however, despite its size and its stature in the progressive community, St. Stan’s isn’t alone. There’s St. Catherine of Siena, also located in St. Louis, where services are held in a former Lutheran church. It considers itself an “Independent Catholic Church,” but also considers itself part of the “Synodal” Catholic Church.

Not too far north of St. Catherine, on the other side of Forest Park in the city’s Central West End, and also not too far from our cathedral, lies the St. Therese of Divine Peace “Inclusive RC Community.” It has no qualms about claiming to be Roman Catholic; its pastor is a woman affiliated with Roman Catholic Womenpriests. Its offices and chapel space are courtesy the local First Unitarian Church.

Another “Catholic” church, Sts. Clare and Francis, operates in neighboring Webster Groves as part of what’s called the Ecumenical Catholic Communion. Its offices are at Eden Theological Seminary, affiliated with the United Church of Christ. The pastor is a former Catholic priest who left the church in 1990 because he couldn’t accept celibacy, and is now married to another man.

A little further west, in the city of Creve Coeur, Sts. Peter and Paul is part, not of the Ecumenical Catholic Communion, but the “Ecumenical Catholic Church+USA.” It holds its services at an Episcopal parish church, St. Timothy’s. The pastor is both a bishop in the church, and gainfully employed in local law enforcement.

Across the Missouri River further to the west, in St. Charles County, one comes across Christ the King Ministries and Mission Catholic Church, a storefront church which calls itself part of the schismatic “Brazilian Rite” of the Catholic Church.

In a metropolitan area with such a strong Catholic presence, these churches are relatively insignificant outliers. They also are common to other cities. What is remarkable about them, and why should we be at least a little concerned about them?

Consider what they have in common. They all claim Catholic roots, and those who run them are quick to tout ordination under apostolic succession and some sort of tie to the obscure Old Catholic breakaway after Vatican I. They diverge from their Catholic roots on radically similar lines, dealing primarily with the usual sex-and-gender issues, promoting open communion for the divorced and remarries and those living gay lives. They accept female priests, and married priests. Two of the churches, at least, do not use the new translation of the Mass, but the one that preceded it.

When it comes to the sacraments, one of the challenges is that they can pose as being traditionally Catholic, such as in promoting wedding services. Hence, one of the priests operates a business and website, where he acknowledges that “many Catholics—and others—are searching for an inviting, sacramental wedding experience with the richness of the Catholic tradition yet different from that offered by the Roman Catholic Church.”

Reading this website, one comes away with the idea that “the richness of Catholic tradition” that is different from one in a Catholic church means a wedding in a park or on a beach, between two people who probably should not be marrying each other. At the same time the priest promises the richness of Catholic tradition, he throws it out the window: “Whatever your background, we will make sure that your wedding reflects and honors your beliefs.”

Such churches and services can only confuse those who don’t know enough to know better. For a long time, our local newspaper, the Post-Dispatch, ran church advertisements in its paltry Religion section on Saturdays. Under the Catholic category, one would find one or two Catholic churches, but also Sts. Peter and Paul mentioned above, with no differentiation. Likewise, people searching online for Catholic wedding services can easily be confused. Unfortunately, there is little the archdiocese can do about it, since these churches don’t respect canon law.

There are, however, two things the local church should do. First, ensure that Catholic adults have a clear understanding of Catholic teaching around these issues. Address them in an open and positive way—because our message is a fundamentally positive one. Second, call out the pretenders by name. Make clear to Catholics that these churches and services are not Catholic, despite what they advertise, and that they are to be avoided. If there are any ways in particular that these phony Catholic websites are misrepresenting themselves and skirting the truth and painting themselves as something they are not, make that known.

Catholics have an obligation to the truth, and spiritual works of mercy include instructing the ignorant and admonishing the sinful. Both of these may be called for in this situation, and mainstream Catholics, lukewarm as we can be sometimes, deserve to know the truth and need to hear it.



TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; Moral Issues; Worship
KEYWORDS: cino; homosexualagenda; religiousleft
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1 posted on 06/23/2017 6:21:23 PM PDT by NYer
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To: Tax-chick; GregB; SumProVita; narses; bboop; SevenofNine; Ronaldus Magnus; tiki; Salvation; ...

Catholic ping!


2 posted on 06/23/2017 6:21:45 PM PDT by NYer ("You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears." James 4:14)
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To: NYer

Oh, these groups are Roman Catholic,
if liberal Protestant split-off groups are called Protestant.


3 posted on 06/23/2017 6:25:40 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion
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To: NYer

Forget the Apostates! Be a VICTOR!

Revelation 17
7 The angel said to me, “Why are you amazed? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, the beast with the seven heads and the ten horns.
http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/17

Romans 10
8 But what does it say?
“The word is near you,
in your mouth and in your heart”
(that is, the word of faith that we preach),
9 for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
11 For the scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him.
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

http://www.usccb.org/bible/romans/10

Revelation 2
7 “’”Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the victor I will give the right to eat from the tree of life that is in the garden of God.”’
- - - - -
11 “’”Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
The victor shall not be harmed by the second death.”’
- - - - -
17 “’”Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the victor I shall give some of the hidden manna; I shall also give a white amulet upon which
is inscribed a new name, which no one knows except the one who receives it.”’
- - - - -
24 But I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not uphold this teaching and
know nothing of the so-called deep secrets of Satan: on you I will place no further burden,
25 except that you must hold fast to what you have until I come.
26 “’”To the victor, who keeps to my ways until the end, I will give authority over the nations.
27 He will rule them with an iron rod. Like clay vessels will they be smashed,
28 just as I received authority from my Father. And to him I will give the morning star.
29 “’”Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’
- - - - -
Revelation 3
4 However, you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments;
they will walk with me dressed in white, because they are worthy.
5 “’”The victor will thus be dressed in white, and I will never erase his name
from the book of life but will acknowledge his name in the presence of my
Father and of his angels.
6 “’”Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’
- - - - -
7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia, write this:
“‘The holy one, the true,
who holds the key of David,
who opens and no one shall close,
who closes and no one shall open,
says this:
8 “‘“I know your works (behold, I have left an open door before you, which no one can close).
You have limited strength, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
9 Behold, I will make those of the assembly of Satan who claim to be Jews and are not,
but are lying, behold I will make them come and fall prostrate at your feet,
and they will realize that I love you.
10 Because you have kept my message of endurance, I will keep you safe in the time of trial
that is going to come to the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
11 I am coming quickly. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one may take your crown.
12 “‘“The victor I will make into a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never leave it again.
On him I will inscribe the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem,
which comes down out of heaven from my God, as well as my new name.
13 “‘“Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’
- - - - -
20 “’”Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and
opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.
21 I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself
first won the victory and sit with my Father on his throne.

22 “’”Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’”
- - - - -

* [2:7] Victor: referring to any Christian individual who holds fast to the faith
and does God’s will in the face of persecution. The tree of life that is in the
garden of God: this is a reference to the tree in the primeval paradise (Gn 2:9);
cf. Rev 22:2, 14, 19. The decree excluding humanity from the tree of life has
been revoked by Christ.

http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/2
http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/3


4 posted on 06/23/2017 6:29:46 PM PDT by SubMareener (Save us from Quarterly Freepathons! Become a MONTHLY DONOR)
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To: aMorePerfectUnion
Oh, these groups are Roman Catholic, if liberal Protestant split-off groups are called Protestant. "...Ecumenical Catholic Communion? Its offices are at Eden Theological Seminary, affiliated with the United Church of Christ. The pastor is a former Catholic priest who left the church in 1990 because he couldn’t accept celibacy, and is now married to another man." "Ecumenical Catholic Communion." Really? The fact that theses people claim to be Catholics, and accept a 'priest' and his she-husband, or he-wife (whatever the case may be) is all I need to know.
5 posted on 06/23/2017 6:58:13 PM PDT by heterosupremacist (Domine Iesu Christe, Filius Dei, miserere me peccatorem!)
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To: heterosupremacist

“The fact that theses people claim to be Catholics, and accept a ‘priest’ and his she-husband, or he-wife (whatever the case may be) is all I need to know.”

Sadly, this is all too common these days. But I’ve been told on FR that once someone’s a Catholic, they are always Catholic. Ergo, they are Catholics.


6 posted on 06/23/2017 7:04:08 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion
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To: aMorePerfectUnion
You have a point. That's true in a sense. Baptism cannot be revoked. Therefore they are apostate, heretical, schismatic Catholics.

They are not, however, in ecclesiastical communion. In secular vocabulary, they are not "Catholics in good standing" and cannot licitly call themselves a Catholic Church. Wish we have that word trademark-protected!

7 posted on 06/23/2017 7:10:28 PM PDT by Mrs. Don-o (O Jesus, forgive us our sins...Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.)
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To: aMorePerfectUnion
Sadly, this is all too common these days. But I’ve been told on FR that once someone’s a Catholic, they are always Catholic. Ergo, they are Catholics.

Semper Catholica...as we've been told!

8 posted on 06/23/2017 7:12:14 PM PDT by ealgeone
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To: Mrs. Don-o

“They are not, however, in ecclesiastical communion. In secular vocabulary, they are not “Catholics in good standing” and cannot licitly call themselves a Catholic Church”

Apparently they can and do refer to themselves as catholic. It’s just a new catholic denomination.


9 posted on 06/23/2017 7:14:56 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion
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To: aMorePerfectUnion

CatholicLite ?


10 posted on 06/23/2017 7:19:32 PM PDT by al baby (May the Forceps be with you Hi Mom Its a Joke friends)
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To: aMorePerfectUnion

They are apostates.


11 posted on 06/23/2017 7:30:23 PM PDT by Juana la Loca
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To: Juana la Loca

“They are apostates.

Yes, Catholic Apostates in a new catholic denomination. Or Rite, if you prefer.


12 posted on 06/23/2017 7:32:13 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion
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To: aMorePerfectUnion

They can call themselves peach cobbler if they want, but that doesn’t make it so.


13 posted on 06/23/2017 7:40:17 PM PDT by Campion (Halten Sie sich unbedingt an die Lehre!)
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To: aMorePerfectUnion

It’s kind of like, a dead possum is still a possum.


14 posted on 06/23/2017 7:44:57 PM PDT by Mrs. Don-o (Live and let live.)
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To: Campion
They can call themselves peach cobbler if they want, but that doesn’t make it so.

Except they are Catholics forever, according to FRomans.

So they can call themselves Catholics.

And you can choose not to like it or call them peach cobbler. Everyone is happy.

15 posted on 06/23/2017 7:46:07 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion
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To: Mrs. Don-o
It’s kind of like, a dead possum is still a possum.

Yes, if you will, but they are live possums who are not talking with the Great Possum in Rome.

(... but then many FRomans aren't talking to Frank either)

16 posted on 06/23/2017 7:48:16 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion
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To: NYer
The Problem of Catholic Pretenders


17 posted on 06/23/2017 7:55:07 PM PDT by ebb tide (We have a rogue curia in Rome)
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To: ebb tide

Heh...I thought this thread was going to be about the pretender pope.


18 posted on 06/24/2017 5:08:25 AM PDT by piusv (Pray for a return to the pre-Vatican II (Catholic) Faith)
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To: NYer

and mainstream Catholics, lukewarm as we can be sometimes, deserve to know the truth and need to hear it.

what leads you to believing that the modern, mainline suburban RC is the least bit interested in promoting any universal truths...? all they care about are butts in the pews and coins in the treasury...

tradition...? ha; just last week I was at a local service, and I was reciting some of the prayers in Latin, in what I thought was sotto voce, and afterwards a woman, whom I considered my friend, bitched at me, saying ‘don’t you know the Mass in English? damned rude of you to distract us...’

I would say screw the modern churches, but how can I blame them for their waywardness when the Vatican itself decided it liked pleasing non-Catholics better than upholding tradition in the 1960’s...


19 posted on 06/24/2017 6:19:21 AM PDT by IrishBrigade
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To: NYer

and mainstream Catholics, lukewarm as we can be sometimes, deserve to know the truth and need to hear it.

what leads you to believing that the modern, mainline suburban RC is the least bit interested in promoting any universal truths...? all they care about are butts in the pews and coins in the treasury...

tradition...? ha; just last week I was at a local service, and I was reciting some of the prayers in Latin, in what I thought was sotto voce, and afterwards a woman, whom I considered my friend, bitched at me, saying ‘don’t you know the Mass in English? damned rude of you to distract us...’

I would say screw the modern churches, but how can I blame them for their waywardness when the Vatican itself decided it liked pleasing non-Catholics better than upholding tradition in the 1960’s...


20 posted on 06/24/2017 6:19:22 AM PDT by IrishBrigade
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