One of many things I particularly appreciate about the Pillar is your willingness to cover the Church in Africa as its own thing, for its own sake, on its own terms; rather than merely in relation to whatever is the fight of the day in the US or Rome
(and if I ever win the lottery, I'll reach out to you about funding for a full time Africa correspondent!)
Lots of great Catholic conversation here. Thanks for waking up and recording for us!
Particularly nodded with Ed's point about what is being asked of Diocese and whether or not our current structures serve that shift in the diocesan offices. No answers here as to what that might look like other than I think shifting will be required both of vision and funds.
Also, the convo about sacraments of initiation was insightful. And laughed at the game...because that's what we do.
As someone who was forcibly confirmed at the age of 9 with every inch of my being opposed to receive the sacrament but told I was going even if my Mom had to beat me as much as was necessary to get me confirmed, and therefore I didn't receive the sacramental graces until my college years when I told my pastor what had happened and was allowed to receive willingly, I can't think of a worse age to receive that sacrament. You run the risk that God builds a spiritual space where the Holy Spirit is not welcome, and the enemy jumps right in. Much better to receive with baptism or when the person is old enough not to be able to be forced to receive by their parents who don't want to be embarrassed by their child's refusal to receive.
JD's point about the oddness in waiting a year between first reconciliation and first holy communion in the restored order of the sacraments is a good one that I hadn't previously considered. My first grader is on the older side for his grade, and I've realized with him that one real drawback in having him start kindergarten later is that he's also receiving his sacraments later, and he could really use those graces. I do think younger/earlier reception of confirmation is a good idea, much better than what we currently do, which is basically the end of 9th grade in our parish.
It is an interesting choice to restore the order of the sacraments with respect to confirmation, but then in one fell swoop mess the order up with respect to penance and communion.
Agreed about the earlier age of confirmation being better, I was confirmed as a senior in high school! Norm in our diocese was 11th grade (I think they’ve since edged it forward to 10th) but our whole class was delayed till 12th and the end of a church renovation. Way too late!
Having been pastor of a parish in a diocese when the Restored Order was implemented, in our parish we didn't have any problem with First Penance in second grade and then Confirmation and First Holy Eucharist in third grade. The second-grade children were catechized for receiving their First Penance, which was then celebrated as a "parish event" for the children and their families and anyone else who wanted to attend on a Saturday morning. The children would then have an opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Penance again in the following Advent and Lent seasons, and perhaps even more often if the family saw to it. And then, in the Easter Season of their third grade, the Bishop would come to confirm them and give them their First Holy Communion.
You affirmed the child had achieved the use of reason, by permitting them to avail themselves of penance. Then parents were expected to wait a full year for the children to receive the Eucharist, despite the following admonition:
"It is primarily the duty of parents and those who take the place of parents, as well as the duty of pastors, to take care that children who have reached the use of reason are prepared properly and, after they have made sacramental confession, are refreshed with this divine food as soon as possible."
As a parent, I was unable to abide that in conscience.
I guess my response would be that, in the diocese in which I was serving and according to the schedule the Bishop determined, “as soon as possible” meant “when the Bishop comes to celebrate Confirmation and First Holy Communions.”
Here's an interesting post from a journalist that claims Pope Leo joined a communist party protest against NATO ground launched cruise missiles being hosted by Italy.
Can this be confirmed? There seems to be a pattern with Leo that he takes extremist prudential judgments at the behest of murderous regimes which call the West to unilateral disarmament in the face of recalcitrant enemies. The Italian government ignored the protestors and hosted the weapons. That action later led to disarmament treaties that applied to both sides. Leo seems to have long been on the wrong side of history when it comes to prudential judgments about war and weapons, and he's not the only prelate with such a terrible track record.
Unilateral disarmament invites aggression and war. It is only the measured, prudent use of strength that brings peace when dealing with murderous regimes and religions.
I agree that there shouldn't be a delay from first penance to first communion. However, I think confirmation needs to be done by the bishop when he visits parishes for all that have been baptized since his last visit (so confirmations should be done for those before the age of reason -- if this requires a change in law, it needs to be done). We should have the correct order of the sacraments.
One of many things I particularly appreciate about the Pillar is your willingness to cover the Church in Africa as its own thing, for its own sake, on its own terms; rather than merely in relation to whatever is the fight of the day in the US or Rome
(and if I ever win the lottery, I'll reach out to you about funding for a full time Africa correspondent!)
Lots of great Catholic conversation here. Thanks for waking up and recording for us!
Particularly nodded with Ed's point about what is being asked of Diocese and whether or not our current structures serve that shift in the diocesan offices. No answers here as to what that might look like other than I think shifting will be required both of vision and funds.
Also, the convo about sacraments of initiation was insightful. And laughed at the game...because that's what we do.
As someone who was forcibly confirmed at the age of 9 with every inch of my being opposed to receive the sacrament but told I was going even if my Mom had to beat me as much as was necessary to get me confirmed, and therefore I didn't receive the sacramental graces until my college years when I told my pastor what had happened and was allowed to receive willingly, I can't think of a worse age to receive that sacrament. You run the risk that God builds a spiritual space where the Holy Spirit is not welcome, and the enemy jumps right in. Much better to receive with baptism or when the person is old enough not to be able to be forced to receive by their parents who don't want to be embarrassed by their child's refusal to receive.
JD's point about the oddness in waiting a year between first reconciliation and first holy communion in the restored order of the sacraments is a good one that I hadn't previously considered. My first grader is on the older side for his grade, and I've realized with him that one real drawback in having him start kindergarten later is that he's also receiving his sacraments later, and he could really use those graces. I do think younger/earlier reception of confirmation is a good idea, much better than what we currently do, which is basically the end of 9th grade in our parish.
It is an interesting choice to restore the order of the sacraments with respect to confirmation, but then in one fell swoop mess the order up with respect to penance and communion.
Agreed about the earlier age of confirmation being better, I was confirmed as a senior in high school! Norm in our diocese was 11th grade (I think they’ve since edged it forward to 10th) but our whole class was delayed till 12th and the end of a church renovation. Way too late!
Having been pastor of a parish in a diocese when the Restored Order was implemented, in our parish we didn't have any problem with First Penance in second grade and then Confirmation and First Holy Eucharist in third grade. The second-grade children were catechized for receiving their First Penance, which was then celebrated as a "parish event" for the children and their families and anyone else who wanted to attend on a Saturday morning. The children would then have an opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Penance again in the following Advent and Lent seasons, and perhaps even more often if the family saw to it. And then, in the Easter Season of their third grade, the Bishop would come to confirm them and give them their First Holy Communion.
You affirmed the child had achieved the use of reason, by permitting them to avail themselves of penance. Then parents were expected to wait a full year for the children to receive the Eucharist, despite the following admonition:
"It is primarily the duty of parents and those who take the place of parents, as well as the duty of pastors, to take care that children who have reached the use of reason are prepared properly and, after they have made sacramental confession, are refreshed with this divine food as soon as possible."
As a parent, I was unable to abide that in conscience.
I guess my response would be that, in the diocese in which I was serving and according to the schedule the Bishop determined, “as soon as possible” meant “when the Bishop comes to celebrate Confirmation and First Holy Communions.”
Here's an interesting post from a journalist that claims Pope Leo joined a communist party protest against NATO ground launched cruise missiles being hosted by Italy.
https://x.com/paolomossetti/status/2046324891285090794
Can this be confirmed? There seems to be a pattern with Leo that he takes extremist prudential judgments at the behest of murderous regimes which call the West to unilateral disarmament in the face of recalcitrant enemies. The Italian government ignored the protestors and hosted the weapons. That action later led to disarmament treaties that applied to both sides. Leo seems to have long been on the wrong side of history when it comes to prudential judgments about war and weapons, and he's not the only prelate with such a terrible track record.
Unilateral disarmament invites aggression and war. It is only the measured, prudent use of strength that brings peace when dealing with murderous regimes and religions.
I’m with JD - hard NO to Yoga, aka the devil’s stretches! 😏😅
I agree that there shouldn't be a delay from first penance to first communion. However, I think confirmation needs to be done by the bishop when he visits parishes for all that have been baptized since his last visit (so confirmations should be done for those before the age of reason -- if this requires a change in law, it needs to be done). We should have the correct order of the sacraments.