Elevator music

Several dioceses are good and strong. All bishops should imitate these dioceses and ignore the rest.

One thing we can do is cease funding the USCCB, whose leftist political initiatives are depleting us financially & spiritually, & instead donate to concrete parish projects, such as RCIA (books!), the altar boy program (youth activities!), & yes, parish maintenance (sustain and beautify your parish!). Strong, committed parish life is foundational -- we've got to rebuild from the ground up. It's called subsidiarity, folks.

Our diocese had seven seminarians (total) when I first returned to the Church. We now have over 40, and if all continues, will bring our total of working priests to 70 in the next ten years. This is amazing. The reason? Eucharistic adoration. There are chapels all over the diocese, and many churches have Holy HOurs. If you can't do anything else, make a weekly visit for the intention of increased vocations. Then hold on tight.

I find myself in a situation similar to iprayiam5731's. My diocese forces us into silos and will not help us build a better Catholic school system. I know that this situation prevails in at least two other dioceses because last summer Catholics in these dioceses asked for guidance on how to start an orthodox Catholic CCD program. My privation is to be a member of a parish that is served by an order of priests who do not view Catholic education as a priority. Unfortunately the diocese loses.

So... What do *we* the faithful laity do. I'm all for helping. I'll give my life to help. But im not sure how. It's a problem made by and perpetuated by the heirarchy, and I don't know how to help them help themselves

And, yet, we have bishops and even a Pope who are more worried about climate change and illegal immigrants. Just had the Bishops of Texas issue a statement on how disappointed they were in the law that was just passed outlawing sanctuary cities. No word on how disappointed they are that most Catholics don't believe in the Real Presence.

All of the above. Plus, I second AgnesDay's comment. I could only handle 38 seconds worth of it. Not sure what I would have done if I had been at that Mass. Would I have run out screaming with my hands over my ears like Munch's painting? Or would the draw of hearing the Holy Father in person been enough to retain me and I would offer the music up as so much "sweet" suffering? (That means the suffering one has after having had way too many sweets.) That's a hard call.

A collision course was set into motion decades ago. It is reaching a point of impact. The traditional Catholic mind is at odds with this "atrocity" and so much more that is so much more offensive. Holy Father, these people are not your friends. Martin Luther is not an historical ally. Holding hands with all faiths is not effecting the salvation of souls. Man-oriented liturgies do not afford God the praise that is His due, and statistics show irrefutably that Catholics are not interested.

It only got worse, Phil. Flipping back and forth between the Mass and a Red Sox debacle, I came across a group singing a hymn that's even cheesier than "Sweet Caroline"! The lowest point was when I asked my [Lutheran] wife, "Is that a nose ring she's wearing?" and she replied, "Yup." I wanted to say, "Honey, this isn't really my Church," but unfortunately she had already noticed the Pope. I wonder if B16 ever feels the urge to do a knock-over-the-tables-in-the-temple imitation during Mass?