Newsweek on Roman Catholicism: "Hail Mary" Is More Than a Football Play
From the August 29 edition of Newsweek:
Roman Catholicism: 'Hail Mary' Is More Than a Football PlayMy Comments:
Raised in the era of John Paul II, these young people are resurrecting old rituals and hewing to strict doctrine.
Aug. 29 - Sept. 5, 2005 issue - Marc Sayre looks like a typical college student: baggy jeans, unbuttoned plaid shirt over a grungy tee and a knit black cap. He lives off campus with friends who favor Coldplay, cold beer, pool tournaments—and the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. Their fratlike group, called the Knights of the Holy Queen, consists of nearly 40 male students at Franciscan University. They pray together daily and convene once a week to share the long, ritualistic prayer of the rosary, which is more commonly performed by folks their grandmothers' age. "This is what we long for in our faith," says Sayre, 21, referring to a level of devotion that goes far beyond attending Sunday mass. "There was an emptiness before. Now our lives—my life—are full."
***
Although most of these students were born Catholic, many speak of "converting" to this deeper immersion as teenagers. They'd grown dispirited with routine Sunday masses and wanted a more personal connection with Christ. Some are unapologetically judgmental of the unconverted. "A lot of these kids have a problem with so-called sociological Catholics," says Boston College theologian Stephen Pope. But Franciscan University's president, Father Terence Henry, says conversion is a deeply personal choice, not something by which to measure others. "It's an ongoing experience, a handing over of life more and more to the Lord."
[Full story]
Maybe the authors of this Newsweak [sic] piece should read a little of Father O'Leary's screeds against these so-called "Neo-Caths" to see just who is "unapologetically judgmental" of whom.
posted by Pro Ecclesia 1:11 PM
10 comments
10 Comments:
Nice to see Newsweek take note of my alma mater.
You're right about quip about being "judgmental." As any Catholic in today's culture knows, to be faithful means that one will routinely be derided for one's faith. In other words, it is the world that is judging us, despite the fact that we are not the one's getting high, contracting STD's, or fathering children out of wedlock.
I just finished filling out a Newsweek survey on religion and spirituality which led me to this site. One question about where souls end after death offered these options: heaven or hell, reincarnation or no soul (nowhere). Catholics filling out the survey did not have the "purgatory" option which would have been my choice along with heaven or hell. I had to leave that question blank. I wonder how many Catholics had to do likewise.
The soul does wind up in either Heaven or Hell. Purgatory is a stopping point for souls on their way to Heaven, but who have to work out any venial sin that was not dealt with during life. So, I think you could have fairly answered that the soul, eventually as it may be, winds up in either Heaven or Hell.
At least that's my limited understanding as a fairly recent convert. Anybody with expertise on the subject want to chime in?
Well Jay, you are correct. But as most us "cradle Catholics" have been taught -- and as best as I recall being told by the good nuns - the vast majority of people go either to hell or purgatory when they die.. Purgatory is a state of being where you know you will be in heaven, but your not there yet. Unlike souls in hell those in purgatory are essentially serving time for minor sins or actions not atoned for during life on earth. the Catechism of the Catholic Church definition of Purgatory is "A state of final purfication after death and before entrance into heaven for those who died in God's friendship,but were only imperfectly purified; a final cleansing of human imperfection before one is able to enter the joy of heaven (1031;cf.1472.)
I think its kind of like cleaning your shoes off on the front porch before you go in the house....know what I mean??
Sam, I love your analogy of cleaning your shoes off before going into the house! I do youth ministry and plan to use that with my kids. My son, along with other kids from our youth group attend Franciscan. We also have a youth group member who attends Ave Maria. I know from working with teens that young people are hungry for truth, hungry for God...and they are committed to the Holy Father and the teachings of the Church. They frequent Mass, Confession, Rosary, Eucharistic Adoration...all that we missed out on growing up in the 60's & 70's! Praise God that He is faithful, and He promises that the gates of Hell will not prevail against the one, true Church! Shalom~Cheryl
As another alum, I need to chime in...
I can see where people think FUS students judgemental, because any time a person takes a stand on controversial topics, it raises the defenses of those who are on the opposite side. It isn't judgement- it's a belief to which others respond by feeling guilty and cry, "I'm being judged!!" Boethius said it best- to be faithful in today's world is to be judged.
Telling it like it is
IS not judgemental. You just re-tell the facts. I am a FUS grad from the class of '85 and I am about to have another go at it in a few years, hopefully with a graduate degree in Education. More than likely this article will help people to think.
What's wrong with a little prayer? You do it anyhow, you might not admit it, but you do it anyhow. God has a sense of humor. Don't you dare doubt that.
Hats off to the Newsweek writers. YOU TOOK someone's dare. Nice going. You listened. Please do it again. It is going to make job interviewing with a degree from my school much more interesting. Yeah!
Jay,
I just wanted to write you a quick note, and feel free to remove this from your comments section when you have finished reading it. I am new to bloging and I’m not sure how to contact you, other than to leave a comment, which, I hope you will read.
I saw on your links that you had both ALL (American Life League) and Priests for Life and I think that both of those organizations do really amazing things for the pro-life movement/cause. I just wanted to inform you (if you haven’t already heard) about an organization that has been walking across the country, from California to Washington DC on a pro-life pilgrimage, every summer for the last 11 years. Many of the young people who walk this walk are from Franciscan University, and in fact, that is where the organization was founded and an alum is the current president.
The organization is called Crossroads (Crossroads Pro-Life Inc.) and they are non-profit. If you get a chance, check them out on the web at www.crossroadswalk.org. Crossroads is a really good/solid/orthodox thing.
Catholic youth have been active for years, it’s just that now we are becoming organized.
Enjoy,
Sean.
Re: after death, heaven or hell.
At Fordham University, some Jesuit priests in the religion department taught that no one can commit a "mortal sin" because no one can have "sufficient reflection" and give "full consent of the will" to reject God when in fact no one has suffficient experience or personal face to face vision of God. How can you be held responsible for rejecting what you don't know. The priests taught that after death we are given some sufficient vision or experience of God so that we can make a final and decisive choice. I think the whole question and Catholic moral theology is ridiculaous. Imagine being condemned to hell, as I was taught, for an act of masturbation. Too many Catholics fingering the rosary have a child's understanding of religion. The hierarchy's decision to close Cathlic primary and secondary schools and have religion taught in "Sunday school" by lay teachers whose religious training ended in grammar or high school by uneducated (at that time) nuns insures tht young Catholics will have a shallow and unquestioning adherance to "party discipline," hierarchical dicta, and Manichaean moral teaching. The dummification of the laity is not accidental.
Now crossing Fordham off the list of potential places to send my kids to college.
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