The following comes from a Jan. 28 story in Catholic San Francisco.
The Archdiocese of San Francisco is planning to survey parishioners to gauge the sense of the faithful on matters that a global bishops’ gathering under Pope Francis will discuss this October on the theme “The Vocation of and Mission of the Family and Church in the Contemporary World.”
The plan calls for offering an easy-to-use questionnaire to pastors as a means for them to consult widely with their parishioners. The form, modeled on one the archdiocese of Los Angeles is using for the purpose, would include questions to gather objective data and a space to write in comments.
Alternately, pastors could use the lengthy questionnaire sent to the world’s bishops by the secretary of the Oct. 4-25 Rome gathering, which is called the XIV Ordinary Synod of Bishops. Complex and assuming theological expertise, the Rome questionnaire is not suitable for wide distribution but may be helpful in pastors’ consultations with smaller groups.
Either way, the data collected would go to Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone for his summary report to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which is due from all bishops March 20 and will be forwarded to Rome along with an executive summary by conference president Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz….
I can’t wait !!! Hope there is enough room on the questionnaire!!!
I know the Archbishop, so I know that he will report accurately. I would hope that all other Bishops would do the same. Transparency is very important when asking for input from the pews. If 98% (this is only an example) of parishioners don’t believe something the Church teaches it is important for the Bishops to report that fact, and not try to cover it up. The real issue, which is the discussion of the Synod, is how to retrain the 98% to know and believe what the Church teaches. If there isn’t transparency the people in the pews won’t answer another survey even if it comes directly from the Pope, because they will have lost the trust of the people.
No “Bob One” these surveys are useless and a fraud on practicing Catholics. We are not in a political race; personal views should count for nothing, if we are being faithfully lead by men of Faith.
Transparency is also a word for the Zombie-Liberals. This concept only counts if you are answerable to voters. Perhaps in Germany — where the clergy is completely corrupt — this matters, but not in the Catholic Church. In any event, the Catholic Church is completely transparent, through its Catechism, through its volumes of writings of the saints, through the Mass, and through the Bible.
What such fraudulent “surveys” provide is some level of support for bishops that want to change everything that the Church teaches, and to cover up the very sorry level of education that they failed to provide to generations of Catholics. This effort at providing a “post hoc” rationalization means absolutely nothing to the Faithful. To the non-believers a survey is a chance to change the things that they hate about an institution that they do not understand.
Do you really think that any survey can make adultery, homosexual sexual conduct, abortion, fornication, and the like acceptable? (Or women priests, or homosexual marriage, or, or, or . . .) Ever?
St. C, you ask a good question: Do you really think that any survey can make adultery, homosexual sexual conduct, abortion, fornication, and the like acceptable? (Or women priests, or homosexual marriage, or, or, or . . .) Ever?
The answer, of course, is NO! But I also think that it is important for the leaders of our church to know what the people believe, in fact, and not just what they should believe. Knowing the gap between the should and the actual might be of help in finding new pastoral initiatives to help fill the gap. The gap itself could lead one to believe that what they have been doing hasn’t worked and that new methods are needed. The responses from the pews can’t hurt.
It is irrelevant what the people in the pews think if what they are thinking is against Church teaching… there is no “pastoral solution”, they can accept the teachings or leave. If they leave we will be smaller but holier Church and there is nothing wrong with that. This is end result over 50 years of “pastoral” neglect by the Bishops and Priests who refused to present Church teachings…
The following questions must be also asked:
1) How often did you attend Mass in 2014 ?
Sundays, holy days of obligation, and some weekdays;
Sundays and holy days of obligation only; Sundays only; occasionally; rarely; never.
2) How many times in 2014 did you go to the Sacrament of Confession ?
3) How often have you read an approved Catholic Bible at home for at least 30 minutes each time in 2014 ?
4) How often have you read the “Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition” (of 1997) at home for at least 30 minutes each time in 2014 ?
A minimum of once a week; once a month; 6 times a year; less than 6 times a year; never.
– – – – – – –
All Bishops (and all their Priests) must own the responsibility for lack of catechesis when they do not actively and prominently encourage their flocks –
“….. let us ask ourselves if we have actually taken a few steps to get to know Christ and the truths of faith more, by reading and meditating on the Scriptures, studying the Catechism, steadily approaching the Sacraments.” – Pope Francis , May 15, 2013.
“….the CATECHISM has raised throughout the world, even among non-Christians, and confirms its purpose of being presented as a full, complete exposition of Catholic doctrine, enabling everyone to know what the Church professes, celebrates, lives, and prays in her daily life.” – Pope John Paul II (CCC pg xiv)
CCC: ” 133 The Church “forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful. . . to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures.
Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ. ”
Hosea 4:6
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;
because you have rejected knowledge,
I reject you from being a priest to me.
And since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.”
When did right and wrong become dependent on a anyone’s opinion ?
What other purpose would a questionnaire have besides to prove poor catechesis?
Just wondering ………
This silly questionnaire is a total waste of time! The REAL problem, is that the Catholic lay people no longer know and practice their Church’s teachings! What is truly needed, is for the Catholic Church to be totally a “practicing Catholic” Church once again, and to teach and preach the Catholic Faith to all! Once Catholics again know their Faith and Morals– then, these problems will all cease! The Church also needs to be strong in her clergy and nuns practicing Christ’s Faith and Morals, with the Church firmly leading them all! A silly, babyish questionnaire, for ignorant laymen (and ignorant clergy!) is a big waste of time, and an insult to the Church which Christ gave His very life for!
All Seminaries, all Convents, all Catholic High Schools, all Colleges and Universities that identify themselves Catholic, all teen and adult Catechism classes including RICA, must immediately be REQUIRED to use a Catholic Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition as REQUIRED Texts.
All Diocese employees (including Elementary & High School teachers) must adhere to the CCC as part of their employment contracts and condition of employment.
We teach not only by words but by example.
Surveys are good for one thing – it shows the lack of teaching by Bishops and Priests (and Nuns), which includes their lack of knowledge, or their disbelief in the Catholic Faith.
Surveys proving lack of knowledge or lack of understanding are an indictment against the Bishop and his Priests. And this was not strongly brought out in the Synod of 2014.
Hosea 4:6
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;
because you have rejected knowledge,
I reject you from being a priest to me.
And since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.”
So when is the POPE going to finally do his job, REQUIRING that ALL Seminaries use Sacred Scripture and the CCC as REQUIRED texts ?
– So that Priests can accurately pass on the Faith.
Joyce, have you read the curriculum for Catholic seminaries, and how all is woven into the four pillars of priestly formation? All seminaries in the U.S. are required to use the same curriculum. You understand, I’m sure, that all theological teaching in the seminaries is based on a study of Scripture and that the Catechism is all based on Scripture. Reading Scripture isn’t the answer, it is a start toward trying to figure out what it means for us today. Remember, that although inspired by God, some of it is historical, some is poetry, some is narrative and some is teaching. How does one use the psalms (poetry and song) to help us get through our journey toward God? It is not simple. Priest have studied each verse of the Bible and the Catechism. They know it, understand it, and believe it. Formation usually takes five years. They don’t sit around and play video games that whole time.
Bob One, when you read SACRED SCRIPTURE in CONJUNCTION with the CCC from the Magisterium it is not difficult for the average literate person over age 15 at all.
That is why most posters write “Catholic Bible AND the CCC”, not excluding one or the other.
If most Priests (and some Bishops) have: “studied each verse of the Bible AND the Catechism. They know it, understand it, and believe it.” – as you state – then why don’t they pass it on in entirety to rest of us?
Why do they disobey the Magisterium and not encourage all literate Catholics to read the Bible and CCC at home?
The Catholic Church gives a plenary indulgence for reading an approved Bible for a minimum of 30 minutes when a few other conditions are met.
Why are many Priests DEPRIVING us of this ?
Bob One, You have some serious explaining to do to support your position.
Either many Priests
1) do not believe, or are
2) too lazy to teach the Faith as required,
3) or have not had proper formation.
If it is the first two, they should resign from the Priesthood.
If it is the 3rd, they have to educate themselves now by studying the CCC.
Let us all know which you personally think it is. 1, 2, or 3.
Anyone who says that reading the Bible and the CCC is not difficult for anyone over 15 must be a genius with no comprehension of the average intelligence or he has not read them himself.
Formation and transformation are continual for every Catholic, even priests. 5 years isn’t long enough to learn everything in depth. Scripture is an ever-renewing fountain. Whole books could be written on every sentence in the CCC.
Anonymous, based on many homilies and lack of accurate teaching, many Priests don’t seem to know much.
And this is rotten formation, laziness or lack of belief. Take your pick.
How bout the devil, the flesh and the world?
My experience is that there are problems in formation. Also, theologians (some of whom are priests themselves) in courting novelty have introduced ideas which led to errors.
But, no one has to stay in error. If you are educated enough, you can engage a priest who teaches inaccuracies and discuss it with him.
I want to fill out a questionnaire this time – seems that along with a lot of regular Church goers I was dis-included.
Matt Barber is Not Catholic – but he does give some great short form answers, which may help others forming their answers – if ever actually asked.
“Why ‘gay marriage’ is evil
https://www.renewamerica.com/columns/mbarber/150126
By J. Matt Barber
…The question at hand is this: What exactly is “same-sex marriage”?
Let’s do an exercise in logic.
In order to determine that which something is, it is sometimes helpful to first explore that which it is not. Hence, we can delineate that which is “gay marriage” by first understanding marriage itself.
Jesus defined marriage for us. His definition is reflected in the spiritual, biological and in-every-other-way-self-evident order of His divinely defined design.
Declared Jesus: “‘Haven’t you read,’ he replied, ‘that at the beginning the Creator “made them male and female,” and said,
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh”? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate'” (Matthew 19:4-6).
If the Synod in Oct 2015 does one thing, it should deal with HORRIBLE catechesis – even at many Seminaries throughout the world.
Yet this was glossed over at the Synod in 2014.
REQUIRE extensive study of the Bible AND the CCC – the two most important books in the Catholic Faith.
Require all Diocese Bishops, all Priests to actively and prominently promote the reading of both the BIBLE and the CCC at home by ALL the literate.
This includes on ALL Bishops’ Conference web sites, ALL Diocese and Parish web sites, and from the Pulpit, and other means of communication within the Diocese.
No exceptions.
The Bible contains the speech of God in entirety (CCC 81).
The CCC contains the Doctrine of the Faith in entirety.
When people do not know their Faith completely and accurately, the heretics can easily teach their beliefs – and this includes heretical Bishops and heretical Priests.
The CCC explains “why” Catholics believe what they believe.
“What Catholics REALLY Believe SOURCE”
https://whatcatholicsreallybelieve.com/
No, the Bible does not “contain the speech of God in entirety.” Please reread CCC 81. Drives me crazey that people want to confine God to a few thousand paragraphs of text.
Continuing from the CCC
Apostolic Tradition and ecclesial traditions
83 The Tradition here in question comes from the apostles and hands on what they received from Jesus’ teaching and example and what they learned from the Holy Spirit. The first generation of Christians did not yet have a written New Testament, and the New Testament itself demonstrates the process of living Tradition.
Tradition is to be distinguished from the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical or devotional traditions, born in the local churches over time. These are the particular forms, adapted to different places and times, in which the great Tradition is expressed. In the light of Tradition, these traditions can be retained, modified or even abandoned under the guidance of the Church’s Magisterium.
If Priests actively encouraged Catholic to read the Bible and CCC at home on a regular basis.
Members of the Catholic Church would have unity on everything of major importance.
The question to Bob One still stands:
Bob One, You have some serious explaining to do to support your position.
Either many Priests
1) do not believe, or are
2) too lazy to teach the Faith as required,
3) or have not had proper formation.
If it is the first two, they should resign from the Priesthood.
If it is the 3rd, they have to educate themselves now by studying the CCC.
Let us all know which you personally think it is. 1, 2, or 3.
There is ZERO excuse for not encouraging others to read the Bible and CCC.
YFC, what don’t you understand ? Maybe we can help you.
CCC: ” 81 Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit.”
“And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its ENTIRETY the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit.
It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching.”
CCC 81 does NOT say ONLY PART of Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as you contend.
It is all inclusive.
Perhaps you misunderstand my point. I am not saying that only part of Scripture is the Word of God, I’m saying that Scripture is only part of the Word of God.
And the Catechism of the Catholic Church is the other part through Apostolic Tradition and the Magisterium.
They must be jointly used.
That is why everyone has been saying both “Sacred Scripture AND the CCC”.
Even though you do not like either.
Do you understand that Sacred Scripture and the CCC are thee 2 most important books in the Catholic Faith ?
“ The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which I approved … and the publication of which I today order by virtue of my Apostolic Authority,
is a statement of the Church’s faith and of catholic doctrine, attested to or illumined by Sacred Scripture,
the Apostolic Tradition and the Church’s Magisterium. ” – Pope John Paul II (CCC pg 5)
No it isn’t Paula. Sorry, but that’s not what it says.
It is a complete contradiction to the CCC 81. and 80,82
I. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRADITION AND SACRED SCRIPTURE
One common source
80 “Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal.”40 Each of them makes present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own “always, to the close of the age”.
. . . two distinct modes of transmission
81 “Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit.”
“And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching.”
82 As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, “does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.”
1) Sacred Scripture is the speech of God in entirety as stated in CCC: #81.
and
2) the CCC contains the Doctrine of the Faith from Sacred/Apostolic Tradition – the Magisterium.
These are the two most important books in the Catholic Faith.
There is no excuse for Priests or anyone else to withhold either of them from others.
“ The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which I approved … and the publication of which I today order by virtue of my Apostolic Authority,
is a statement of the Church’s faith and of catholic doctrine,
attested to or illumined by Sacred Scripture,
the Apostolic Tradition and the Church’s Magisterium. ” – Pope John Paul II (CCC pg 5)
This site will help explain:
“What Catholics REALLY Believe SOURCE”
https://whatcatholicsreallybelieve.com/
In 1) You have added words from the second sentence in CCC 81 to the first sentence in CCC 81 and in doing so, you have turned it into the error of Protestantism and Evangelical Christianity.
For people like you who need to read:
CCC: # 81 81 “Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit.”
“And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its ENTIRETY the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit.
It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching.”
The Magisterium is required to preserve, expound and spread it. Not delete, change or make up anything that conflicts with it.
PAULA, you don’t seem to understand the problem.
Your post is correct. BILL KELLS post contained an error.
Paula, Anonymous is correct. The word “entirety” does not appear in CCC 81 in its reference to Scripture. And it would have been incorrect theology if it had. The Word of God existed before even creation itself. Before writing, before paper, before people, and before language itself. To say that Scripture contains the Word in its entirety denies the Scripture itself: “In the BEGINNING was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word WAS God.” etc. etc. And in Hebrews: “In the past, God SPOKE through our ancestors…” In Genesis: And God SAID, Let there be light,” etc.
As I wrote earlier, it drives me crazy when people try to say that God’s speech is contained in its entirety in the Scriptures. Try telling that to God!!
I can’t find the survey on either San Francisco or Los Angeles Archdiocesan websites. The diocese of San Bernardino has it but you can’t see the questions in the short survey unless you fill it in.
The lineamenta from the Vatican contains 46 questions addressed to the bishops.
If someone lives in this diocese and fills out the short form would you let us know the questions, please?
Joe, when you go to church on Sunday, do you hear a homily? Usual practice is to center the homily on the readings of the Word. That is reading the Bible and discussing what it means and what it means in our lives, how we can use it to build spirituality. Each day and each weekend the Priest teaches the Bible and what it means for us. How can you say that they don’t teach it? Look at the bulletin for yesterday. Most parishes have all kinds of opportunities for Bible Study, mission work, etc. How can you say the Priest doesn’t encourage study of the Bible? In this season of the year, the RCIA program is leading people toward Holy Saturday when they will join the Church after nearly of year of “opening the scripture” in their classes? How can you say the Priest doesn’t encourage learning the faith? Look at the parish web site. I bet it has a lot of info about opportunities to learn about and study the faith. I have no idea where you are coming from. You must belong to a very different parish than I do.
Most of the time the homilies just talk about the same thing over and over using slightly different words.
Never if you Love God you will keep his Commandments; merely love your neighbor.
Loving your neighbor without loving God and keeping His commandments will not get anyone to Heaven.
Most Catholics due to family and work obligations can not attend classes at a Parish. What percentage of parishioners at your Parish attend formal classes?
But all can find a few minutes a day to read at home.
Does your Parish Priest, encourage the reading of the Bible and also the CCC at home?
( I could be mistaken but I thought you recently admitted that your Priest does not promote reading of the CCC because he does not want to upset anyone or lose any parishioners. Was that you or a different Bob?)