Returning to Tradition

Emmitsburg seems to have a significant number of Catholics, but you don’t have to be “Catholic”, to realize that there are serious problems within the “Bark of St. Peter”.  Just two years ago, the Baltimore market was shocked with the revelations in “The Keepers”, recently followed by the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report.  There now seems to be a developing cottage industry of alternative reporting programs focused on this problem, on Youtube and other platforms.  Programs such as TNT with Taylor Marshall, Michael Matt with the Remnant Underground, Life Site News, and Michael Voris with Church Militant refuse to just report on the Catholic world as the bishops may wish.  Church Militant’s “Vortex”, has focused on the almost daily exposures of rot, which they report is contributing to massive payouts to victims, parishes closing, drops in the numbers of ordinations, etc. 

Many Catholics who have “red pilled” to this problem, are becoming as lost sheep:

                     some wandering off, while others searching for tradition, seeing modernization as one of the possible problems. “Modernization” was condemned by Pope Pius X, and has been chipping away at the Church of Rome since the early 1900’s.  Changes were being made in the years prior to Vatican II, and the years since then.  This attack is thoroughly explained in a book, “Work of Human Hands”, by Fr. Cekada.  The result has not only been a liturgy with: the priest facing the people, communion in the hand, trashing of statues, clapping in church, and an otherwise lessening of reverence, but the introduction of what some call weaponized ambiguity, that has affected doctrine.  Many have argued that changes in the prayers, also reflects changes in belief.  “As you pray, so as you believe.”  “Lex orandi, lex credendi”

As a young boy, some almost 60 years ago, I served at the altar for Latin Mass in my parish.   Looking for tradition has been a sort of coming home.  Even though the Extraordinary (Latin) form of the Mass had been all but eliminated, there are Chapels in the area, which offer the Holy “Sacrifice” of the Mass, in Latin.  Judging from the attendance, there seems to be larger numbers of faithful searching for this Traditional worship.

Some churches, that I am aware of, are: St. Alphonsus in downtown Baltimore, with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, St. Mary’s in Hagerstown, the new Carmelite Monastery in Fairfield, and the Seminary at the Mount has one on Monday mornings.  We prefer the Augustinian monks in Charles Town, West Virginia, at the Priory of the Canons Regular of New Jerusalem.  It is only about a 50-minute drive.  They have two Latin Masses everyday, and administer the sacraments according to the old rite.

Over the years, the Catholic Church has been the force defending the dignity of the individual, the importance of the family, and the primacy of our Trinitarian God.  Please pray for the Catholic Church: the good priests, good seminarians, and the Truth.  We will pray for you.