www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Society of Mary Queen of Converts

[ 08-29-2002: Message edited by: Johanam ]

Joe,

Praise God for your faithfulness to the church's mandate of proclaiming Christ. I will pray for your ministry to be fruitful and I will make a donation.

God Bless,
Walt Metrick

Dear Joe,

If you are involved with this, I want to be a part of it too.

Sign me up.

Alex

[ 08-29-2002: Message edited by: Johanam ]

Slava Jesu Kristu,

Wait a minute, how "Universal" is your group? Does it only promote to the Latin Church only? I am not trying to be rude, but this is one of the problems the ROC is haveing with the Latins (and too a lesser degree us) in Mother Russia. Unity to what? Mass? Sacramentals? Why should Byzantines support a Latin group if it doesn't include our praxis in its "missionary" work?

Dmitri

[ 08-20-2002: Message edited by: Dmitri Rostovski ]

Dear Dmitri,

Johanam is one of the most ecumenically minded RC's I know and he is very open to the Eastern Catholic Churches.

St Dmitri Rostovski, your screen Patron, would have applauded this effort, I believe. He also prayed the Rosary, recited a Hail Mary at the turn of each hour, prayed a version of the Little Office of the Virgin Mary and a version of Bonaventure's "psalter of Mary."

How's that for a Latinized Orthodox saint?

(Don't you just love them?)

Alex

[ 08-29-2002: Message edited by: Johanam ]

Dear Joe,

I think our Society can actively promote knowledge of and support for Particular Eastern Catholic Churches and their respective spiritualities.

I think it can promote an understanding of the Latin Church as a Particular Church in and of itself.

Alex

Slava Jesu Kristu,

Oh yes, most of the Russians I venerate had Latin devostions. And, of course, there is nothing wrong with them. What I am talking about is the actual praxis of the people you are converting. If you meet a Slav or Greek or Arab who is whishing to become Catholic, in which direction do you send them? East or West or both? History has shown us that if we do not represent all the expressions of our Catholic Faith, some get lost. Take for instance the Italo-Albanize who came to this country and were simply absorbed into the Latin Church. Were they told their history? I feel that one of the best evangilization tools we have is the history of the people we evengilize and their roots.

Just an observation.

Dmitri

[ 08-20-2002: Message edited by: Dmitri Rostovski ]

Dear Dmitri,

Good point, N'Awlins Guy!

If we meet someone who wants to become Orthodox, we'll send him to an Orthodox Church, probably the OCA and Brendan will get a call from him or her.

Alex

[ 08-29-2002: Message edited by: Johanam ]

Dear Joe,

Could you comment on the priest who is the chaplain for your group?

What is his "ORCC" designation?

Alex

[ 08-29-2002: Message edited by: Johanam ]

Dear Joe,

That was what I was afraid of.

Please don't be upset, but I will have to suspend my membership in your group as a result.

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend your group to anyone either, until such time as this issue has been resolved.

If it is a group that is dedicated to converts, what are we converting to?

What is the witness here?

It's O.K. to get suspended if we don't like something or other in the Church?

And what kind of a witness to converts are we making if the chaplain himself is someone for whose conversion we are praying?

Sorry, but count me out, Big Guy!

Alex

//I am begining an apostolate, The Society of Mary Queen of Converts (SMQC). This apostolate exists with a multifold purpose:

1. To work for an authentic unity between Christians
2. To work for the conversion of the whole world to Christianity
3. To hasten the coming of the Kingdom of God
4. To awaken Christians to the Spiritual Life
5. To aid missionaries (both clerical and lay)
6. To pray for the Faithful Departed (specifically members of our Legion of the Deceased)
7. To help Priests be able to offer Holy Mass in a beutiful and reverent setting//


Isn't this supposed to be the business of the Church anyway?

Joe

Dear Cantor Joe,

Do you mean "Church" in terms of bishops et alia?

Or can we lowly laity have a share in this mission too?

Alex

Joe,

I must also suspend my membership in your group as well.

I understand what you are saying about not wanting to "cause him to dig his heels in deeper and keep him from Coming home".

But do you not think that having a chaplain from a vagante group, or even worse a priest that was excommunicated by his superior??? I know you stated that is illicit but we can not judge this, it is up to the Church to judge this.

I can see how people would wish to distance themselves from, or not join, a group that is affilated with the Old Roman Catholic Church....

After all, it was a bishop of the Old Roman Catholic Church from California who ordained a woman to the priesthood last year here in Rochester, NY.


David

[ 08-29-2002: Message edited by: Johanam ]

Dear Joe,

Just relax, O.K.?

I was involved in a similar thing some years back and it was neither our faults.

Alex

Dear Joe:

From a Roman Catholic (of more than 50 years) to another, I am unable to picture your self-portrait of a "traditional" Roman Catholic.

It's simply "new" to me!

I suspect you have not grasped completely the basic tenets of Catholicism as evidenced by your misguided "apostolate."

It reeks of pretense and, perhaps, the inexplicable "zealousness" of converts.

Do you have time to read (or re-read) the
Cathechism of the Catholic Church for starters?


AmdG

Joe,
Please do talk to Alex and do not destroy a good thing becuase of a few bumps in the road....

The more of a good thing something is, the more obstacles that are thrown in the way...


Amado,
What an aweful thing to say.. Have you read the Catechism of the Catholic Church?

There is nothing contrary to the Catholic faith in the Society of Mary Queen of Converts.


David

[ 08-29-2002: Message edited by: Johanam ]

DavidB:

I said and I quote:


I did not say Joe's "apostolate" was/is against the Catholic faith.

Capisce?


AmdG

[ 08-28-2002: Message edited by: Amado Guerrero ]

Dear Amado,

Joe Zollars' "Amen Corner" is working on this as we speak!

We want to get him to be a little less overt about his zeal, without, of course, having him lose it altogether.

For that would be a great loss to the Church, would you not agree?

Alex

this failure simply is a very wonderful depiction of my immense sinfulness.

Joe Zollars

Dear Joe,

If everyone were as sinful as you, we'd have a better world.

What about an Eastern icon to represent the new Society?

There is an icon of a sinner repenting before an icon of the Mother of God. At that moment, the Christ Child raises His Arms and Blood flows from His Hands and Side.

Here is a copy online:

http://www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPage/icons/data/unexpected_joy.gif

It is an official miraculous icon of the Orthodox Church, investigated by St Dmitri Rostovki himself.

Our brother, Dmitri Rostovski, would probably be pleased about that!

Alex

[ 08-28-2002: Message edited by: Orthodox Catholic ]

Dear Alex:

I agree with you!

Perhaps, Joe's youthful exuberance sometimes prevents him from allowing a little of circumspection coming to play.

AmdG

Alex, this is a very beutiful Icon and a perfect patronal image for our society.

Joe Zollars

Dear Amado,

Yes, and that still happens to me too.

(No, no, I'm serious, it does . . . ).

What suggestions would you make for the development of such a society?

Alex

Dear Alex:

I truly lack creditable experience on this.

But I agree with J Thur on the expansiveness of the proposed Society's "multifold purposes." And all of these have been well-covered.

Should we limit the purpose to "conversion?"

It has been told and re-told that one of the more formidable stumbling blocks for potential converts into the Catholic Church is "Mary, Mary, and Mary." Somehow, to these people, Mary has no appreciable role in the economy of salvation.

"Conversion" into the Catholic Church presupposes the freedom of choice on the part of the intended: either to Roman Catholicism or to Eastern Catholicism.

If it has not been taken, "To Jesus, Through Mary" could be a workable motto for the Society.

And would "Sodality" instead of "Society" be too latinized for you Easterns?

Relax, Joe!


AmdG