Why Families Need Traditional Parishes

[bardegaulois]

The recent George Weigel article is receiving quite a response here, and this response is moving more in the direction of discussion about the TLM as a refuge from liturgical abuse. It's well worth our consideration that Catholic tradition runs quite a bit deeper than merely using older missals and breviaries, and to say that people seek out traditional parishes simply because of liturgical snobbery (or because they're flying from liturgical reverse-snobbery) doesn't do justice to the situation. There's a lot more to attempting to live a traditional Catholic life than where one hears Mass.

OnePeterFive linked today to an essay discussing this, which I'd like to link to here for your commentary and consideration: http://liturgyguy.com/2016/01/19/why-families-need-traditional-parishes/

[MarysLittleFlower]

I think that's a really good point. At our FSSP parish we have two priests and various events or groups for families, children. We also have a good number of youth in the choir. Its a place to grow in faith, be taught about it and get involved, make friends.

[josephine]

one of the most beautiful aspects of the catholic faith is this strong sense of communion-community. Catholicism is not an individual do it your self religion, it is being part of a people, of a body, that trancends culture, language, space, time and even death (communion of the saints!) And it saddens me deeply to see churches where no one knows each other, where there isn't even coffee served after mass. 

Past half a year i had the privilige to study in another country. There were 500 catholic students at this student parish. The priest was very faithful, very friendly, yet "strict" and challenging to actually teach you something. It was perfectly normal to meet strangers and invite them over for dinner. There was this very strong sense of community, people were very welcoming. There were different forms of outreach: dinner for international students, soup kitchen, playing with handicapped children, drinking coffee with the elderly. There were different ways to be formed in the church: confession, adoration and mass every day, morning/evening prayer twice a week, 2 charismatic prayer groups if that was your thing, retreats, cathechises with professors from all over the country, etc. There was a beautiful choir, the boys of the frassati house were altar servers...A strong community, so close to God who is all true, good and beatiful, attracting new people and every year there were 8-12 people becoming catholic.

and the best thing? the students there thought it was completely normal! 

[not a direct reaction to the article, just to show my enthousiasm and suprise when i see a functioning, blossoming, catholic parish. you have no idea how happy that makes me. and how sad i was to return to my country, where im the only one at mass below the age of 85 and after 3 years, i still don't know anyone]