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Study questions:

-How did Bardstown, Kentucky come to be a center of Catholic activity?

-What was the Catholic Family League?

-What were the odd circumstances surrounding the appointment of the first bishop of Bardstown?

-What were some of the early challenges faced by the Church in Bardstown?

The post Bardstown: The Catholic Faith West of the Alleghenies – Msgr. Frank Lane appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

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Study Questions:

-“Protestantism, when it works upon civilization for a long period of time, degenerates that civilization.” After considering Sr. Rosalind’s points, do you agree with this statement?

-Quoting John Rao, Sr. Rosalind says, “The doctrine of total depravity does not only kill the adornment of the body, but the fuel of the body, by which he means the fuel of the mind.” How does total depravity contribute to this degradation?

-“The whole person matters.” What does this mean and why is this something that drew Sr. Rosalind to the Catholic Church?

-Why is “authority” important?

Vocabulary:

Angelus: A Christian devotion in memory of the Incarnation of Christ, traditionally recited in Roman Catholic churches, convents, and monasteries three times daily: 6:00 a.m., noon, and 6:00 p.m. The prayer consists of the following references to the Gospels: “The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary and she conceived by the Holy Spirit.” “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to
your Word.” “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”

Cleric: A priest or minister of a Christian church or of any religion.

Habit: A religious habit is a distinctive set of garments worn by members of a religious order.

Total Depravity: According to Calvinism, it is a state of corruption due to original sin that infects every part of man’s nature and to make the natural man unable to know or obey God.

The post The Barren Harvest of Denominationalism – Sr. Rosalind Moss appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

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Study Questions:

-Dr. Thigpen references Louis Bouyer’s work, The Spirit and Forms of Protestantism, and talks about the “spiritual principles” within Protestantism that cause revivals, because they help Protestantism reclaim Catholic principles. Explain your reaction to this idea.

-Does any part of Dr. Thigpen’s reflection on his own experience as a Protestant resonate with you?

-Does God still work miracles? Why is that question important to ponder?

-How do Pentecostals bridge the gap between Catholicism and Protestantism, especially regarding sacramentals?

Vocabulary:

Sacramentals: A sacramental is a sacred sign that signifies effects obtained through the Church’s intercession. Examples of Catholic sacramentals include statues, images, Advent wreaths, medals, crucifixes, the Sign of the Cross, the use of holy water, etc.

The post How the Pentecostal Movement has Brought Millions Closer to the Catholic Church – Paul Thigpen appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

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Study Questions:

-How did the Enlightenment movement influence the persecution of Mexican Catholics?

-Do you think the cultural and governmental precursors to the persecution of Mexican Catholics parallel the struggle of Catholics in the United States today? Why or why not?

-What were the characteristics and virtues of those Mexican Catholics who stood against the persecution of the
government?

Important Terms and Figures:

–Age of Enlightenment: The 18th century European movement, based on the premise of the innate goodness of
humanity; that through the hard work and effort, humanity could build a better society. It was characterized by optimism and popular among the educated, wealthy, and establishment clergy, but not prevalent among the common people.

–Freemasonry (or “Masonry”): A fraternal organization that embraces principles and rituals that embody a naturalistic religion, the position that a person can be equally pleasing to God while remaining in any
religion. While many Masons are people of goodwill and are engaged in charitable works, membership in Freemasonry is prohibited for Catholics since Masonic principles “have always been regarded as
irreconcilable with the Church’s doctrine” (“Declaration on Masonic Associations” by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1983).

–Blessed Miguel Pro: (born January 13, 1891 – executed November 23, 1927) was a Mexican Jesuit Catholic priest executed under the presidency of Plutarco Elías Calles on trumped up charges of bombing and attempted
assassination against former Mexican President Álvaro Obregón. Pro’s arrest, lack of trial, and evidential support
gained prominence during the Cristero War. Known for his religious piety and innocence, he was beatified by Pope John Paul II as a Catholic martyr in odium fidei (“in hatred of the Faith”) on September 25, 1988.

The post Viva Cristo Rey: Catholic Persecution in Mexico – Patrick Madrid appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

This talk was given at the 2008 Deep in History conference sponsored by The Coming Home Network.

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Study Questions:

-What did the American Restoration Movement (the Stone-Campbell Movement) hope to accomplish? Do you think its goals are important?

-How was the American Restoration Movement representative of the American mindset?

-After hearing Sullivan’s description of the problems the Stone-Campbell Movement faced, do you think authority is
an important part of authentic Christianity?

-What does the Catechism say about the unity of all Christians? Compare this to Jesus’ prayer the night before He suffered:

I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that
they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us,
so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. The glory which thou hast given me I
have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and thou in me, that
they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast
loved them even as thou hast loved me. (John 17:20-23)

The post A Plea for Unity: The Stone-Campbell Movement – Bruce Sullivan appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

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Study Questions:

-Fr. Ryland says that all non-Catholic traditions are essentially Reconstructionist. What problems occur as the result of Reconstructionism?

-Why is the “gist” or “essence” of Catholicism continuity? Why does Fr. Ryland believe the “gist” of all non-Catholic Christian traditions discontinuity? Has the desire for a church with “historical continuity” made a difference in your faith journey?

-Why does Fr. Ryland conclude that “Eastern Orthodoxy” has no united church?

-What is the result of sola scriptura, according to Fr. Ryland? Why does Divine Revelation necessitate authority?

Vocabulary:

Reconstructionism: The appeal of believers to a “Golden Age” of authentic Christianity, which they have chosen to recapture (Utopianism). Reconstructionists are highly selective in what they retain from the “Golden Age” they have chosen, appeal to a new and unfounded authority, presuppose a decay or corruption in the church which they claim to have corrected, include innovations and features that were not present in the “Golden Age” to which they appeal, and appeal to discontinuity (a break with the past to blaze a new path).

The post Reconstructionism: A Look at Non-Catholic Traditions – Fr. Ray Ryland appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

Particularly challenging was the fact that the country was founded upon, among other things, principles informed by the Enlightenment- a humanist philosophy that prioritized reason over faith.  In this lecture from our 2008 Deep in History conference, Marcus tries to briefly understand what it must have been like to be a Catholic during the first years of an independent United States.

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Study Questions:

-What does Marcus Grodi confess that, up until his late thirties, he was ignorant of?  What was Grodi previously taught about the Catholic Church in America? Can you identify with his experience?

-How did Marcus Grodi understand “life as an American”? Can you identify? What problems arise as a result of this belief? 

-Did Grodi’s description of the spiritual beliefs of many of the American Founding Fathers surprise you? If so, in what way(s)?

-Americanism is one of Grodi’s “Eight Influences that Have Most Shaped American Catholicism.” Consider the words of Pope Leo XIII in regards to the heresy of Americanism:

The underlying principle of these new opinions is that, in order to more easily attract those who differ from her, the Church should shape her teachings more in accord with the spirit of the age and relax some of her ancient vigor and make some allowances to new opinions. Many think that these allowances should be made not only in regard to ways of living, but even in regard to doctrines which belong to the deposit of the faith. They contend that it would be opportune, in order to gain those who differ from us, to omit certain points of her teaching, as if of lesser importance, and to tone down the meaning which the Church has always attached to them. It does not need many words, beloved son, to prove the falsity of these ideas if the nature and origin of the doctrine which the Church proposes are recalled to mind. (Testem Benevolentiae Nostrae)

Have you experienced the effects of Americanism in the Catholic Church or in the overall Christian culture today? 

-Choose one of Grodi’s seven remaining “Influences that Have Most Shaped American Catholicism” (itemized on the following page) and consider how the Catholic Church in America still suffers from this influence today.

Marcus Grodi’s “Eight Influences that Have Most Shaped American Catholicism since 1789″

1. The victory of the Enlightenment and Deism
   • That human reason is the most trustworthy source of knowledge, not faith, nor the authority of God’s revealed Word and His Church, thus the social and physical sciences and the natural virtues were emphasized over revealed religion and the supernatural virtues; the laws of nature were held and promoted over the laws of God.
   • That Man is not fallen, that there is no such thing as original sin, and, thus, man has no need of a savior or a divinely revealed religion. Jesus was simply a great moral teacher. In the Enlightenment, man, and his own interests, became more important than man knowing God, loving God, and serving Him; rights became more important than duty.
   • That the concept of freedom would no longer be defined as primarily the freedom from sin, falsehood, and error (which includes the power to overcome sin, do God’s will, and know the truth), but rather freedom was redefined as the freedom to believe and live the way one wanted — liberty from authority outside oneself and liberty from the Church and the king; hence, the concept of self-government. 
   • That politics and social life would no longer be governed by the laws of God and the Church; thus, men could invent their own laws, morals, and beliefs. The movement upheld the liberty to decide for oneself how one would live the way one thinks and feels is best. 
2. The Constitutional religious toleration was only skin deep.
3. Catholic Americans were poorly catechized.
4. Catholic Americans lacked sacramental graces, due to limited access to the sacraments. 
5. The increase in Catholic immigration brought division among American Catholics through Old World cultural prejudices. 
6. Regional English-American accents exacerbated these divisions. 
7. Trusteeism, which is the right to administer church property belonging to the Church that can be delegated to others — whether cleric or lay. These deputies have traditionally been known as church wardens or trustees. Due to the extreme lack of priests in early America, lay trustees often interfered in the spiritual rights of the pastors and people. This issue led to the confusion of who was truly in charge of the local parishes. 
8. Americanism.

Vocabulary:

Deism: Belief in the existence of a supreme being, specifically of a creator who does not intervene in the universe. This belief is on the evidence of reason and nature only, with rejection of supernatural revelation, such as Scripture. 

Catechize: To systematically instruct someone in religious education. 

Americanism: The movement propagated in the United States in the late 19th century which claimed that Catholic Church should adjust its doctrines, especially in morality, to the culture of the people. It emphasized the active virtues of social welfare and democratic equality and underrated the passive virtues of humility and obedience to ecclesiastical authority. Americanism was first condemned by Pope Leo XIII in his encyclical of January, 1899, Testem Benevolentiae Nostrae.

The post Catholics in Post-Revolutionary America – Marcus Grodi appeared first on The Coming Home Network.

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Study Questions:

-What was colonial religious life like before the First (Colonial) Great Awakening?

-What effect did the Age of Enlightenment have on Protestants in the American colonies?

-What influence did old-world “pietism” and class conflict have on the colonial Great Awakening?

-What were the successes of the Great Awakening and what effects do you think they have had on American Christianity?

-How did the Great Awakening of colonial America lead to Protestant Fundamentalism? How does this groundwork help you better understand Fundamentalism?

Vocabulary:

Christian fundamentalism: “A Fundamentalist,” as defined by Dr. Chacon, “is a biblical literalist who believes that one must be a biblical literalist in order to be ‘saved.’” The Christian fundamentalist movement was a reaction against theological and cultural modernism.

Age of Enlightenment: The 18th century European movement, based on the premise of the innate goodness of humanity; that through the hard work and effort, humanity could build a better society. Characterized by optimism and popular among the educated, wealthy, and establishment clergy, but not prevalent among the common people.

Pietism: A reaction to perceived legalism in the Protestantism of Europe. Pietists set the stage for the Great Awakening.

First Great Awakening (1739-1745): Also referred to as “the Great Revival.” A movement experienced by one out of every three American colonialists. Characterized by the belief in the inherent depravity of human kind, stressed emotionalism over intellectual pursuit, anti-established Protestantism, and the rejection of sacramental theology.

The post The Roots of Fundamentalism – Richard Chacon appeared first on The Coming Home Network.