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Original poster

Any practicing Catholics here?

112 replies

GoodnessTruthBeauty · 25/02/2022 23:58

Any Catholics who practice their faith and would like to chat about Catholic topics? With Ash Wednesday next week we could obviously prepare for Lent.

This isn't the thread for those who are non practicing or who want to critique the Church. Feel free to, but on your own thread, thank you.

OP posts:
Toddlerteaplease · 27/11/2022 21:11

I've just spent the afternoon With a priest friend who's recently left his parish and isn't going back. Very sad to hear him
Talk about the Priesthood With such negativity. I've never ever heard any of them talk like that.

OldFan · 27/11/2022 21:13

Brum Smile But I was brought up in the villages around Burton.

OldFan · 27/11/2022 21:18

@Toddlerteaplease That sounds very sad. I suppose we all have our dark times. Didn't he have a choice about his move? Or had he had enough? I didn't know we moved them around that way.

Mine are in a religious society and will supposedly be there for life in theory.

Toddlerteaplease · 27/11/2022 21:20

Just over the border from me. Have you been to St Giles Cheadle? If not, you must see it. The liturgy is iffy but the church is the gothic revival on speed!
@Citycentre3 I sort of agree about not moving priests so often, but understand why it is done. Having said that, I think my parish would be delighted if we could have a different priest. Ours is an absolute knob, and the curate. Who I'm sure is lovely, barely speaks English. So it's very flat and lifeless at the moment.

Toddlerteaplease · 27/11/2022 21:23

@OldFan he said he never had a vocation in the first place. Which I'm not sure I believe. I don't think he was put in the right place, when he was newly ordained and has felt unsupported.

Toddlerteaplease · 27/11/2022 21:26

Priests don't get a choice about their moves. They can say no if they have specific reason, but shouldn't really due to their vow of obedience. Another friend was forced into a promotion he really didn't want and it almost finished him off. He's doing a good job, but he's exhausted and desperate to retire but not allowed.

OldFan · 27/11/2022 21:28

The liturgy is iffy but the church is the gothic revival on speed!

@Toddlerteaplease Oooh will investigate. Have you been to The Oratory? Smile I had to go to a very Novus Ordo one for a few weeks because I was helping a friend out with some stuff who lived near there. It was very different. Grin My mum's Quaker so she approved when I told her about it.

OldFan · 27/11/2022 21:32

Aww hopefully he'll come out the other side and get back into the swing of his vocation. Sounds like he's a nice guy and I don't think many are wrong about their vocation (though some can be unpleasant people.) But it's such a sacrifice compared to the secular life that I don't think many people go into it lightly.

Toddlerteaplease · 27/11/2022 21:38

@OldFan no, never been there. But I rarely go to Birmingham as I don't like it. I've just got back from Liverpool. Love, love, love the Metropolitan Cathedral.

Toddlerteaplease · 27/11/2022 21:42

I hope that he will, but think it's unlikely. He's moved into our previous bishops diocese and he was the one who saw him through most of seminary. I'm wondering how I can get them together for a chat. He's very wise and always gives sound advice

OldFan · 27/11/2022 21:50

From looking at pics of St.Giles it maybe is a bit like the Oratory, lots of bling anyway. But some of the patterns in the St.Giles look kind of Byzantine. But I don't know anything about architecture.

Do any of you read classic books about the faith and stuff? I admire people who do that, don't think I'd have the concentration. I watch quite a bit of Christian youtube channels including some Catholic ones dissecting the Pope and bishop's etc antics.

Toddlerteaplease · 27/11/2022 21:52

AWN Pugin will be turning in his grace to hear you describe his finest work as Byzantine. Come and see my parish church, also a Pugin in two years time when more of the original decoration scheme is restored.

Toddlerteaplease · 27/11/2022 21:53

Read Timothy Radcliffe OP's books. They are excellent and easy to read. He's a lovely man as well.

OldFan · 27/11/2022 21:54

Aw, I don't know how easily you can ring the Bishop and ask him to get in touch with the young man for a chat. If they've got on well in the past then that maybe is promising for him to be ok working there.

OldFan · 27/11/2022 21:57

Pugin will be turning in his grace to hear you describe his finest work as Byzantine

Lol forgive my ignorance. Smile

Toddlerteaplease · 27/11/2022 22:27

@OldFan we are very good friends. So very easy!

OldFan · 27/11/2022 22:32

Excellent. Problem solved. If he's been a good mentor to him before I'm sure he can help him get his groove back. Smile

Toddlerteaplease · 28/11/2022 09:05

I think he's unlikely to go back, he's got a new job and not been to mass for a while.

OldFan · 28/11/2022 11:51

Oh dear. :( Like a dark night of the soul type thing. I hope he finds/regains knowledge of whatever his vocation might be.

Toddlerteaplease · 28/11/2022 12:35

I'm not sure. I think he was put in a very isolated parish, with no one around to pick up that he was struggling. Not helped by some major problems in the next parish. If he'd been in a city Parrish with more support, who knows. I don't think the bishop would have picked up any issues. In the same way the former one would have done. (Diocese is going down the tubes under his leadership anyway)

Heavylifting · 01/12/2022 02:09

Is it possible for your friend who is a priest to transfer from the diocese into a community like the Dominicans? He sounds very lonely and like he ran out of road. Could he take a year and be in a community setting with the support of a brotherhood? All priests need support in their vocation but especially the newly ordained.

Toddlerteaplease · 01/12/2022 14:26

I wondered that as well. Completely outing but the bishop who knows him is a religious . From chatting to another priest friend yesterday, there seems to be an anger issue. And I don't know how to get past that. He's angry at the church I think. I don't think things in the diocese are great at the minute. The support that used to be there isn't anymore.

OldFan · 02/12/2022 00:31

@Toddlerteaplease Doesn't sound good. Sad Could you go to a different church as your current one doesn't light your candle at the mo?

At the Oratory there are a lot of 'young' priests (well, mid 30s really) and they're supposed to stay there for life.

But it sounds like your Priest friend has emotions he needs to work through before he can even like the idea of doing Priest stuff again. He could see a spiritual director or Catholic counsellor maybe, if and when he's ready.

Toddlerteaplease · 02/12/2022 03:15

I could, but that church is my spiritual home. Even though it's awful at the minute. The oratory is a bit far away. There are a couple of other places I like. But again, too far away for regular use.

Heavylifting · 02/12/2022 16:53

The Oratory is a good blend of diocesian style priesthood and community. They are in community but don’t make many vows other than to stay in one place in one community to provide stability but have a lot of freedom regarding their work and ministry. He just sounds like he needs a sabbatical and to go somewhere with a lot of emotional support and have no major responsibilities for a while so he can discern his next step with love and support of others, he sounds like he was very isolated and overwhelmed. I really think dioceses should provide some kind of community for their priests. It depends a lot on the geography and social makeup of the diocese (for example how physically close parishes are to each other). I get the impression our young priests get a lot of support and aren’t isolated (I am in the US). Anything less is neglect and asking for trouble as far as I am concerned.
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