Disaster Response in the Church ("The Vortex")

Have I mentioned that you should be watching “The Vortex” at RealCatholicTV?

Michael Voris’s recent episodes are a stirring cry to arms. Our Church is in a disaster, he says in the one inserted below, and he tells us exactly why. Sadly, many people are not aware of this, because they have been left largely uncatechized, and they do not know their faith. Many people who dissent from church teaching think it is perfectly okay to do so, and to continue to receive Holy Communion anyway. Our shepherds are not doing their job. (Note: There are a few bishops emerging with clear calls to orthodoxy, and there are priests here and there who are teaching and preaching the truth, although they are oftentimes not supported by their bishops.)

At the end of this “Vortex” episode, Mr. Voris says:

What is left is nothing more than pockets of faithful here and there, people emerging from their hideouts after the war. Okay, so be it. Look at the ground around you, survey the landscape, understand the big picture. And take note of the disaster that the Church is in and now commit to doing something about it. Admit the problem and resolve to fix it. Not on the leadership level, laity, that’s not the area for us. Resolve to fix it on the level where you can - where I can – with ourselves first, and then with the people in your life. Learn the faith, know the faith, teach others the faith. Pour yourselves into the sacrifice that this will take, and charge full ahead. Leave the establishment church parishes to finish burning to the ground, and grab hold of the authentic faith…the magisterium…the ancient faith.

Go only to faithful parishes with priests and pastors in solid, visible communion with the Holy Father, where abuses at Mass are seen for what they really are: abuses. Don’t send your children to Catholic schools that aren’t Catholic, which means most of them. Don’t read or listen to supposedly Catholic outfits and news sources that don’t give you the whole picture. Don’t give your money to establishment church efforts that do not promote the salvation of souls. Disasters require emergency responses. We are in a disaster. Time for an emergency response.

If you are a faithful Catholic – not a cafeteria Catholic, not a Catholic in name only, not a twice-a-year Catholic – I urge you to take Voris’s words to heart. I urge you to take action in your own sphere of influence. Is your parish following the liberal path? Is your pastor saying things that don’t quite square up with Church teaching?  Respectfully point out the errors and ask for a change. If you are met with resistance, leave. Find another parish if at all possible. And if circumstances require that you continue to attend Mass at that parish, at least put your money into a parish or another effort (like, for instance, the Carmelite Monks of Wyoming) that is doing the right thing.

The same idea holds for a diocese. If your diocese is putting money in questionable areas, or if your diocese fails to provide (or enforce!) good, solid catechesis for the parishes, then don’t fund your diocese.

Finally, if your diocese has a vacant see, write a letter. Write to the Apostolic Nuncio, to the Congregation for Bishops, to the Congregation for Clergy…write and plead for the appointment of a holy bishop who will be a pastor to the faithful and a caring father to the priests. Go here for a list of Vatican addresses. Also note that it is possible to send your letter to the Apostolic Nuncio and ask that it be delivered via the diplomatic pouch. I've been told that this is a more reliable way of getting your mail delivered.

It’s time to stand up and be counted on the side of the true Catholic faith.