SILENT NO LONGER: A priest speaks out!

This post is aimed in a special way at priests and bishops out there – office holders in the Church of awesome spiritual authority, as teachers, as wielders of prophetic potential – but who are not yet committed to doing something to help Holy Church, and therefore the whole world, in the crisis we are in.

Here is part of a post by a priest who determined that he has had enough of the … rubbish that’s going on:

I am a weak spiritual leader who has led us to a place where “conservatives” cannot get elected or stay in office without making horrible compromises. I take the blame on this one.

I sat by and allowed sappy, effeminate, profane liturgies demoralize and deaden the hearts of our Catholic men (and many Catholic women). I remained mostly silent as feminists stripped our men of their dignity as husbands and fathers and spiritual heads of their households. I remained mostly silent as men slipped into the soul-deadening addiction of internet pornography. I remained mostly silent as liberal ideologues captured the attention of our youth. I remained mostly silent when our own Catholic leadership watered down and compromised the values and principles and morals of a once solid bedrock of faith in a tempted world. I remained mostly silent as our beloved Catholic Church was turned from a powerhouse of prayer and supernatural grace into one among many secular non-government organizations.

Father, there’s LOT’s of blame to go around.

There’s more, but you will have to go find it.  HERE

BTW… I recently interviewed this priest in a pair of PODCAzTs.

So, all you priests and bishops who are trying to live on the fence or who have given into the liberal easy road… this is how a man stands up.

DO SOMETHING.

I suggest you start with learning the TLM, shifting Masses ad orientem, reviewing your CCC, and preaching the clear, unvarnished TRUTH … just to start.

 

 

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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15 Comments

  1. ckdexterhaven says:

    To the priests and deacons reading this: Please start preaching about the wages of sin. My children are growing up in a world that teaches them there is no such thing as sin, or Hell. You have their ears for 15 minutes once a week. Smart phones,TV, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat have them 24/7 for the hour they are not in church on Sunday.

    As a parent, I would LOVE to have backup from my priest. I tell my kids about sin, the need for Confession, trying to be holy. But it is different hearing it from a man chosen by God for the priesthood. We need you to stand up for the Truth. Sometimes I wonder if priests even watch the news, do priests not know that we are all under assault?

  2. lana says:

    After a long battle with heroin addiction, my son became suicidal. But he diddn’t, and after hitting rock bottom he is now well on his recovery, clean, and with a trusting relationship with God ‘who I know loves me.’

    He told me ‘thank you for teaching me about hell, because it was the only thing that stopped me from killing myself.’

  3. un-ionized says:

    Iana, God bless you and your son.

  4. Christine says:

    lana– That was beautiful. I will pray for the continued healing of your son.

  5. iPadre says:

    This deserves a great Amen in stereo. For too long, Bishops and priests have been “good” business men, caring little about saving souls. So true what Father said, the silent, compromising have been promoted, because they don’t make waves. I’ll have no part of that crap! We are meant to go to the cross with Our Lord. Victima Sacerdos is our call.

  6. Matthew says:

    My bishop is gay and has all but done away with the traditional mass. I pray for him, but I pray a bit more fervently for the good priests of the diocese. Retirement age is closing quickly.

  7. JonPatrick says:

    Last weekend our newly ordained associate gave a homily on the anniversary of Humanae Vitae, how artificial contraception is against Church teaching. I wan’t there but my sons were there and heard it. I do believe things are starting to change especially among the younger clergy (he has also learned the TLM!).

  8. un-ionized says:

    matthew, wondering about my bishop. he delegates absolutely everything and has let a priest who performed an invalid baptism determine its validity himself. judgment day will be very interesting. i hope i don’t have the door closed in my face. keep your eyes on Jesus.

  9. catholictrad says:

    Our beloved priest (diocesan TLM parish) says frequently, “I’m not going to hell for anyone. That’s why I always tell the truth about sin, regardless of who gets his little feelings hurt.” And, “Feel embarrassed hiding in the confessional and whispering your sins? Better that then shouting them to your judge and suffering for them forever.”

    Unlike all of the others I’ve heard, we never hear universalism, indifferentism, or hymns from Protestantism.

  10. AnnTherese says:

    Men as “spiritual strength of household”– what does that look like? I’ve always observed/experienced women as the source of spiritual strength in the family. I’m just curious how readers perceive this idea. Thank you.

  11. catholictrad says:

    AnnTherese – In our diocesan TLM parish the majority of households are spiritually lead by the father. There is a minority of families where the father is not present at Mass by divorce, death, or dereliction of duty.

    Statistics show that the majority of children follow the faith of their father. Considering the absence of fathers in the average parish, it could easily explain the lack of vocations and the shrinking attendance.

  12. Lutgardis says:

    AnnTherese — You put “spiritual strength of household” in quotes as if those were his exact words, but actually he said “spiritual heads of households.”

    He isn’t implying or even outright saying that women aren’t strong sources of spiritual strength. Like you, I have certainly witnessed many women who through God’s grace are enormous wells of spiritual strength to their families and all those around them.

    What he is supporting is the goodness and rightness of having a man leading the family in living lives centered on God and steeped in the Sacraments. It makes a difference to the children to see Dad leading the family to God in this way.

  13. KT127 says:

    AnnTherese-

    In my family, my father was clearly the spiritual head of the house. He attended Mass, he instructed us in our religion, he had a rosary in his car and obviously prayed it. He made it clear our role in life was to be good, moral people. If we did something wrong we were always informed why it was wrong and any religious implications of said decision. It is hard for me to separate my father’s authority with his faith.

    The other side of that was my mother allowed his word to be final because she trusted him to do right. She might have made a suggestion for mercy but otherwise supported and enforced my dad’s punishments. Dad deferred to mom on plenty of things and often his answer was “Listen to your mother.” And life wasn’t worth living if Dad decided you were being disrespectful to Mom.

    Dad led, Mom guided and we followed.

  14. Peter Stuart says:

    Thanks, Father, for standing up and saying that. (Although something tells me you might not have been responsible for much of the problem.) The men whose hearts were deadened were the men I now wish I could have looked up to more as models of living faith when I was a boy.

    Now that the chips are down I’m grateful to count among my friends men who aren’t afraid to be, act, and live Catholic. But if it wasn’t for the stand-up attitude we see today from you and priests like you, Father, I wonder how long any of us would be able to hang on!

  15. AnnTherese says:

    I was blessed with parents who truly were partners– in home/family life and as spiritual teachers and models. I never perceived one or the other as “leader” or “head.” I would probably credit my mom for the depth and breadth of faith I treasure, and my father for teaching me what loving my neighbor looks like in action.

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