At the moment I crossed the threshold of Christ Hope, the breakaway church started by Fr. Bill Hausen, a renegade Catholic priest, I imagined my name would disappear from some divine list, cutting me off from salvation forever. <BR> <BR>
Thank-you for the lovely piece, but good golly, Miss Molly, drive as deeply into Pittsburgh as you can, where you'll find all the really good stuff, Bouyer, Guardini, Maritain, Gilson, etc.
In the name of tolerance and acceptance and Carl Rogers/Rahner, RCIA sessions and frank questions to priests are often occasions of bending over backwards that de-spines the Church. Real Catholicism has all the best stuff, but unfortunately what's offered to parishioners, by way of teaching and pastoral counsel, is often methodology--mere churchiness--instead of conviction.
We need those young fogeys and long let them speak the deep and searching collective mind of the Church. Harold
In my community we have a break-away Parish that was founded by a prayer group that met several times after Mass at my Church. A lot of what happened in that small community is happening at this moment in my community.
I was very fond of the arguement presented at the end about break-away churchs and how reforms can not become reformed, it simply become chaos.
Once again, thank you.
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Yours in Christ, Eric James
It is ironic that many would leave a faith founded by Him whom we revere as the Christ, the Messiah for all nations, to follow a man who claims to know what is correct and what is in error versus approximately 1900 years of discussion, tradition, council determinations, creeds, commentaries, et cetera.
This is divorce of another color. And why not in our 'throw away,' recycling society? If that priest sounds too harsh, try the Episcopalean down the street! Don't like the look of that Dominican? That Assembly of God place has a younger, sexier minister! Didn't live during pre-Vatican II or have no idea what it was about but still think Latin is what Jesus and the early apostles spoke and wrote in? Try that breakaway 'Old Catholic' church run by that married former RC priest!
If the writer and others of like ilk view this Faith (Catholicism) as a comfort food or convenience item, then she and others will continue to shop the cafeteria of modern sects and breakaways looking for that "Personal Savior" and a creed that doesn't require repentance, prayer, forgiveness and self-denial, but offers acceptance to all and views sin as an "issue" that requires the homely wisdom of a Doctor Phil or the munificence of a grand gesture (a new Pontiac, folks!) of an Oprah.
As a student of history I really enjoyed your article. Mr. Bill Hausen has made himself the best of heretics. His little church is really all about him, and has nothing to do with Catholicism, big or little "c." It is most telling that he holds to the idea, not an original one at that, that the Real Presence is not real. There is really nothing new about him or his church. He is a dime store Martin Luther. One should always be suspicious about Priests or preachers who continually go on and on about "love." It really is not love, but there own confused feelings.
Jessica, you have a real way with words and a knack for telling the whole story.
Great piece. It is truly saddening. I am afraid that Fr. Haussen is a metaphor for the Catholic Church in America. How many priests harbour these beliefs but continue in service to the Church. Hausen shows the courage of conviction, even though the result is catastrophic, that many priests don't have.
Currently, in the Church there is talk of a reform of the reform. An attempt to fix what went wrong with the reforms instituted by Vatican II. Could this attempted reform of a reform only lead to the the same place that Fr. Haussen finds himself. Constantly trying to reform the errors that were made and ending up so far into herecy that there will be no coming back. Which is worse heretics outside of the Church or heretics in the Church? Our current pope held many of the views that Fr. Haussen, Rahner,Skillabekx, Congar, and Lubac et. al. We have at least 2 generations of priests whose teeth were cut on these voices in there seminary training. I am afraid that it may be a while before these ideas wash out completely.
I would tell the young priest that it is better to tell me about sin. I need to hear about sin. It is an act of charity to tell me about my sins. and to hold me to account. Unfortunately, I think that this is cowardice posing as pastoral demeanor.
November 16, 2004 12:26 AM
