(I loved that group - "The Crusaders" - with Randy Crawford of course.) Cathy has a good post on some local crusaders who go to dissident parishes and quietly pray the Rosary for truth. She has posted a schedule of where they will be.
I remember years ago, I used to bunch my Rosary in my hand as I prayed it so that people wouldn't notice. That is because the Rosary was considered old fashioned and people labeled you as a "Wanderer type" or "pre-Vatican II" if you prayed the Rosary and wore a scapular. That was the '70's - an era of flaming liberalism and charismatic prayer groups. Even the monks of my monastery looked down on the Rosary. Now I don't care if people see the beads.
That's the Spirit, bro!
ReplyDeleteTerry: I was in the waiting room at urgent care with my Dad last week and I had my beads out in full view as I prayed the Rosary silently. One of my old profs came in. She did not recognize me. Well, it's been 15-20 years. All she saw anyway was the beads and her brow furrowed.
ReplyDeleteThe priest at my parish loves to see me with my beads out. That's probably why he gives me the honor of praying 2 or more decades of the Rosary as a penance since he knows I'm one of the few people that can do it. LOL! (Anonymity whatever, I have a distinctive voice. He knows it's me)
Actually - I pretty much got over hiding my beads several years ago when I realized the Missionaries of Charity carry them wherever they go and continually pray the rosary. Whenever they came into the store, the ones who were not speaking were fingering their beads.
ReplyDelete(I'm sure your former prof only frowned because of the huge babushka you were wearing.)
Several years ago after I had made my 12 year cataclysmic confession, it was Holy Week and I was looking for nearby Good Friday service. I found one at 3 in the afternoon in South Minneapolis...I wanna say it was Assumption parish, it was on 50th?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, really serious about living my faith, trying to do my best, I had brought my rosary with me. When I found my pew, I genuflected, and knelt, praying the rosary.
People were staring at me. NO ONE genuflected when they entered. NO ONE knelt for any reason. I began to wonder if I had entered an Episcopalian church or something.
But it had kneelers...that's a Catholic thing. So I remained, praying now for the people there, because I realized that I was acting according to the tenents of Catholicism, and even if they weren't...I should.
The service was pitiful. As soon as I had venerated the cross by putting a candle in sand at the base (it was such a sad service...really really sad that, as a returning Catholic, I had a far greater understanding than these alleged Catholics did of what Good Friday was all about), so when I left I went out front looking for a bulletin or anything identifying the parish as Catholic.
Nothing did. NOthing.
So, although I had parked in the lot which was in back of the church, I went out the front door, and read the front. It said "Catholic Church".
I never went there again, nor do I intend to unless God himself sends me for a specific purpose. It's not Catholic.
Several years ago after I had made my 12 year cataclysmic confession, it was Holy Week and I was looking for nearby Good Friday service. I found one at 3 in the afternoon in South Minneapolis...I wanna say it was Assumption parish, it was on 50th?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, really serious about living my faith, trying to do my best, I had brought my rosary with me. When I found my pew, I genuflected, and knelt, praying the rosary.
People were staring at me. NO ONE genuflected when they entered. NO ONE knelt for any reason. I began to wonder if I had entered an Episcopalian church or something.
But it had kneelers...that's a Catholic thing. So I remained, praying now for the people there, because I realized that I was acting according to the tenents of Catholicism, and even if they weren't...I should.
The service was pitiful. As soon as I had venerated the cross by putting a candle in sand at the base (it was such a sad service...really really sad that, as a returning Catholic, I had a far greater understanding than these alleged Catholics did of what Good Friday was all about), so when I left I went out front looking for a bulletin or anything identifying the parish as Catholic.
Nothing did. NOthing.
So, although I had parked in the lot which was in back of the church, I went out the front door, and read the front. It said "Catholic Church".
I never went there again, nor do I intend to unless God himself sends me for a specific purpose. It's not Catholic.