"Don't you dare try to tell me..."
I've been fascinated with devout Catholic crackpots all of my life.
I really have. Like the Fatima group organizer from Boston in the early 1970's - a big redhead woman named Barbara - she practically did a background check on anyone who was asked to lead the rosary during the monthly all-night vigil. She was a big mouth who sounded a lot like some of the whistle-blower types currently harassing the Boston Archdiocese today. Not that anything is wrong with that.
To be fair, she was right about a lot of things that were wrong, but she was just so arrogant and self-righteous - even fanatic in the way she exploded in the listener's face - especially about Fatima: "Don't you dare try to tell me...". It was rather off-putting to ordinary Catholics and parish priests especially, and the behavior carried over into all of her relationships. Mention her name and parish priests rolled their eyes.
“Portuguese, a very complicated language, darling. Four thousand irregular verbs.”
Barnhardt thinks one of the Soros boys could be the Antichrist.
George Soros is the largest single landowner in Argentina,
owning over 1.2 million acres, and over 150,000 head of cattle.
Yore also reports that Soros has massive financial holdings in Argentina as well.
Given this, it would be naive to think that Soros and Bergoglio’s
relationship began in March of ARSH 2013.
These days the very, very pious fishwives are online. Every parish has always had such devout meddlers - not always women either. They read a lot and know all the rubrics and instruct the pastor and new assistants how to do stuff. Like the mayor in the film Chocolat did.
As one commenter noted in another post of mine:
Mayor of Lansquenet instructing the parish priest on his homily.
As one commenter noted in another post of mine:
"Maybe these lay bloggers missed their vocation to the priesthood?Maybe there should be a synod on married priest so that all these lay bloggers can be the priests that they always wanted to be. After all these lay bloggers are more catholic than Pope Benedict."
He has a point. A little bit of knowledge/experience can be as dangerous as a lot of knowledge without pastoral practice - you can begin to believe you know more than the Church. This happens with people who tried their vocations in religious or priestly formation, and or studied theology and maybe even got a degree or two. I will appropriate a few thoughts from Pope Francis to help explain what I think happens:
“When a person feels a a bit more experienced in the spiritual life or religious 'practice', he begins to appropriate faculties which are not his own, but which are the Lord’s. The original awe seems to fade, and this is the basis for a sort of lay-clericalism - in thought and action for those convinced of their righteousness. What then prevails is a formal adherence to rules and to mental schemes, which seem to them to impart a certain authority - as if they were arbiter of what is right or wrong. When we see what appears unorthodox or too permissive or lax in religious observance or catechetical instruction, we think we can set things right, that we are the protagonists. And if that person is faithful and devout, he ends up believing that he is separate from ordinary Catholics, that he owns the doctrine, that he not only owns power - but is obliged to wield it." (My edit)
"What new deviltry" is this?
Vox, please say this is not true. Please.
I speak from experience.
I never quite got so puffed-up as to dare/presume to instruct our parish priest. Thought about it, got irritated a few times but kept my mouth shut for the most part. Some of the things that were said and done were outrageous though but I did not get involved ... glad others stepped up to the plate though.
ReplyDeleteThey were more experienced in that stuff.
P.S.
DeleteI am putting this here so you can look at the pictures from a church damaged in Italy's Amatrice quake:
FAITH IN THE RUINS OF ITALY'S QUAKE
http://www.reuters.com/news/picture/faith-in-the-ruins-of-italys-quake?articleId=USRTX2N7R4
Thanks for the link Yaya. I was reading up on overdue earthquakes. Scary.
DeleteI am reminded of the SNL Church Lady. Every parish has one. The Church Man is even worse!
ReplyDeleteExactly like church lady - and men do it too - which is why the mayor from Chocolat had to be included.
DeleteA couple things. The negativity and constant tear down and pointing out of faults 'stains the soul' - what I mean by that is when you see an article on the pope or a controversial priest - even politicians - the first impression is tainted by the negative stuff you picked up from the church-people who tear one another to pieces. They are poisonous and toxic to right judgement.
ReplyDeleteI also want to mention my use of gifs when doing even serious posts - esp. in this case - it's meant to lighten the post and to emphasize my opinion is simply an editorial comment - take it or leave it. The gif is also used to point out that I don't take those folks seriously. Their constant harping and condemnation of others soon becomes as tiresome as the gif - repeating over and over again the same action.
Totally off-topic: did I tell you I have ordered a cigarette holder from Amazon that is JUST LIKE AUDREY'S in Breakfast at Tiffany's? That way I will get more mileage out of my cigarillos.....And I'm NOT joking, darling.
ReplyDeleteYou have gone off the deep end! LOL!
DeleteThanks for mentioning you made a purchase - I made a rare purchase myself today online from an auction site - a retablo - I felt so guilty about it. Now I don't feel quite as bad.
Thanks for checking in! :)
I order stuff from Amazon all the time. My Audrey cigarette holder arrived yesterday and I tried it out with the cigarillos. It works!!
DeleteSweet! I'll post a photo of my purchase for you to see after I get it.
DeleteI remember Barbara K. very well! I was in high school during those years and frequented the all-night Fatima vigils, the Padre Pio prayer group in Cambridge, the Garabandal vigils, etc. Do you remember the supposed stigmatist Virginia Maria Shartz that showed up during those years? She was supposedly tied in to the weeping Pilgrim Virgin statue. Many of those memories make me smile or shake my head; but I also realize that all those folks contributed to my vocation to the priesthood. They were simple and sincere. . .even if a little/ lot nuts. (BTW, Barbara had a son who became a priest in Boston. . . so there were some happy endings).
ReplyDeleteOMIGOSH! So good to hear from you. Thanks for the comment. Barbara was a good person - no doubt - and she was very nice - just very suspicious. What a crowd! I loved the all night vigils though - except they were very 'active' but I suppose people needed to stay awake. I bet we knew or met many of the same people. I didn't know about the stigmatist lady - that's strange I didn't. I knew so many really good people there, I found out later several were mentally ill - I have so many stories! I often wonder how they all turned out.
DeleteGood to know Barbara's son became a priest. A Fatima lady from here has a son who became a priest as well. She turned out a lot less 'fanatic' - for lack of a better word - and I always thought it was because her son had some good theology under his belt and was able to deepen his mom's devotion that way.
How are Alberto and Rolando doing?
Keep me in your prayers Father - I remember you as well.
Did you know Nora Turchi? She was a friend back then - I just loved her. Anyway - she may have talked about Virginia come to think of it.
DeleteI was at a Chinese restaurant with a guy from that group and he showed me his hands and asked if I could see his stigmata. A friend of his later told me not to worry, he had been off his meds but soon went back on them.
I think Nora was a friend of Christine Kelley. She lived in North Cambridge and worked at Arch Street.
ReplyDeleteHow about Ginette Perrone (Padre Pio), Maria Saraco (Garabandal - still living and active in California),
Esther des Roses, Miriam and John Marra, Isabelle Frost (Bayside bus trips) and her brother Bill, an SJ brother; Florence O'Connor (Little Rose Ferron), Sister Ambrosia, CSJ, and so many others. Later, we had Nicole Kennedy and the Army of Mary, before they went completely heretical and mad. Of course, there was also Catherine Passinanti, Sister Bertrand, and the Roy Legere cult in Connecticut.
One day, I will write a book entitle, "On the Beaded Fringe of the Seamless Garment."