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The purpose of
this section of this website is to teach converts and conservative Catholics
who want to return to Tradition how to worship as
traditional Catholics. I
am forever working on this section (to the detriment of the rest of the website,
sadly), so new things are added all the time.
What I want this area to be is a complete online manual that baby-steps one
through the "how-tos" of Catholicism. I want to present the material in such
a way that someone who's totally unfamiliar with Catholic culture can come
to be as comfortable with it as if he'd grown up in the Church. I try to
write without the presumption that my audience will be familiar with the
everyday Catholic things, expressions, and ideas that cradle Catholics take
for granted, so I try to heavily cross-reference and link to explanatory
material. I can only imagine the puzzled expressions on the face of an
ex-Pentecostal-cum-new Catholic convert when hearing that we Catholics "can
gain a plenary indulgence if we pray a Novena starting on Corpus Christi
in anticipation of the Feast of the Sacred Heart, a day we enthrone the Sacred
Heart and pray a Litany." Unanswered are the questions, "What's a Novena?
What's 'Corpus Christi'? What do you mean by 'Sacred Heart'? What's a 'plenary
indulgence'? What's a litany? And how the heck do you 'enthrone' the 'Sacred
Heart'? What does all this mean?"
In other words, I sort of want to act as "Godmother to Netizens" and answer
all those questions new Catholics "want to know about Catholicism, but are
afraid to ask" -- the sorts of things they don't teach you in those typically
horrible "RCIA" or "faith formation programs," but you are supposed to know
somehow.
As you read, note the following:
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I write with the
1962 Missal and Liturgical Calendar in mind because they are the most commonly
used by traditional priests 1
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All Scriptural
references are to the Douay-Rheims version of the Bible, including Psalm
numbering. 2
-
Where there is
a difference between the new Code of Canon Law
3 and now voluntary but beneficial
and common traditional Catholic practices, I try to state both so Catholics
can know what they are canonically bound to -- but will nonetheless likely
find their fellow traditionalists doing out of a love for the Church, a desire
to be faithful to Her true Spirit, and in the spirit of true obedience.
Future Possibilities for this Section
(when I get around to it!)
Right now, I've
tended to focus on the "smaller things" in this area, but I'd eventually
like to cover the following, in no certain order -- some extremely important,
others just for fun:
Popular Devotions,
Customs, Prayer Sub-section:
 Retreats
The Sacrifice of the Mass Sub-section:
The Divine Office
The Little Office of the Blessed
Virgin Mary
Sacraments & Life Events Sub-section:
Chastity: Priestly Celibacy,
Marital Chastity
The praeternatural world
Angels and Demons
Spiritual warfare
Evangelism
Natural Family Planning
Stewardship of the Earth
Sacred Space Sub-section:
Church Architecture: Romanesque,
Gothic, Baroque, Neo-Gothic...
Station Churches
Sacred Things Sub-section:
Devotional Medals
Things You Need to Know Sub-section:
Titles and Representations of
Our Lady
Gregorian Chant
Sainthood
Religious & the Hierarchy Sub-section:
Non-liturgical Clergy Dress
Miscellaneous Sub-section:
Church Historical Timeline
The Zodiac of Israel
Great Catholic Women
New Sub-section to be Added: Thinking Catholic:
Catholic Social Teaching 101
Catholic Writers You Should
Know: From the Fathers to Belloc
Footnotes:
1 A missal is a book that contains the rite of
the Mass, and its prayers, readings, lessons, etc. The 1962 version of the
Missal is the last Missal used before the Novus Ordo Missae -- the new rite
of the Mass -- was introduced after the Second Vatican Council ("Vatican
II"), which took place from 1962 to 1965.
2 The Douay Bible (Challoner revision) is the
Bible version whence the readings for the 1962 Missal come in its English
translation (the Latin comes from the Latin Vulgate, the translation of the
Bible made by St. Jerome and which is the official Bible version for the
Roman Church). For information on the differences in Psalm numbering used
by most Protestants and Catholics on the one hand, and by traditional Catholics
on the other, see the bottom of the "Books of
the Catholic Bible" page.
3 A new Code of Canon Law was also introduced
after Vatican II, in 1983. Prior to this, the 1917 Code of Canon Law was
used. Links to both Codes can be found on the links
page.
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