Why I Started Tradicat ... and Why I Continue...

JMJ

In 2010, we moved into a house and transitioned from dial-up internet to DSL and it took a little time to adjust.

It was at that point that I discovered online forums such as AngelQueen,Ignis Ardens, Suscipe Domine, Cathinfo (I was banned within a couple of days).

I was even invited to a resistance forum that started when Ignis Ardens started it's death spiral. I was banned within 20 minutes - my personal best!

Those days were exciting and I was very thankful that my mother forced me to take typing. It got to the point that my 'resistor' opponents could not conceive of my being a single person. At one point the opinion emerged that I was about 3 to 5 Menzigenites working against the 'resistance'.

Those were heady days indeed.

While I enjoyed the experience, it was taxing, instructive, exhilarating and frustrating. I was once described by a former IDF commando (RIP) as a warrior and at this point I think I would agree. But the experience was beginning to sour.

The biggest problem was that the work I put into responses was quickly lost in the stream of responses. This was overshadowed by a the realization that I had become somewhat obsessed or at least absorbed by these arguments and not doing my duty to my family.

Over a number of months I became disillusioned and finally disinterested in contributing to forums. It took time and the real turning point was when I did a study of my online time vs family time. The results were depressing and added to this was the fact that I had been drawn into real-world discussions and arguments with Modern Catholics.

One benefit of all this activity was that I had to study and I studied a lot. The downside was that I was being spiritually drained by the exertion. The solution was provided by a priest who, in a few words, described the danger of running on empty in a spiritual war.

The solution:

I try to keep up my spiritual life by doing spiritual reading and prayer to counter balance studies.
I started this blog, so I could write down the results of my studies and ponderings.
I still pop in to Suscipe Domine, but if I'm going to write a long response (a rare occurrence these days), I'll post it on Tradicat first. I should note that Suscipe Domine has the most effective and balanced moderation process of all the forums I explored.

So why did I start Tradicat?

To not lose track of the work that I've done and documented in articles.
To have my own place to write what I want even if a forum moderator doesn't like it.
To have a "library" resource

Why do I continue?

It's therapeutic. I work out my frustrations with the crisis of the Church by studying, thinking and writing my thoughts on the blog
Because to be motivated to do the above, I need to 'publish' it. It was the same with my research into my thesis and to a lesser extent is it the same here. I get motivated to study things I find interesting and publishing puts me over the threshold of action.
Because some people find the work of value.

So, those of my rambling thoughts this Canada Day.

P^3

Comments

The myth of the Hermeneutic of Continuity - Rorate Caeli

+ JMJ Interestingly the complete acceptance of the Second Vatican Council (without reservations) is required of the SSPX. Just when people are starting to wonder how it came to this! Courtesy of Rorate Caeli P^3

A Look Back: Archbishop Lefebvre’s Prophetic Address to The Remnant, 1976

+ JMJ Looking back is important to understand why we are where we are in this crisis. Courtesy of RemnantNewsPaper P^3 FOR THE FIRST TIME ONLINE: Archbishop Lefebvre’s Prophetic Address to The Remnant, 1976 Written by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre Introduction by Michael J. Matt More than forty years ago—during the disastrous reign of Pope Paul VI, the latest candidate for a Vatican-issued Halo Award, by the way—my father, Walter L. Matt, organized the first large scale public reception in the U.S. for the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. It was held at the Radisson South Hotel, Minneapolis, on Tuesday, May 12, 1976, and its stated purpose was to assist the Archbishop in gaining a stronger foothold for the Society of St. Pius X in the States during the unprecedented crisis Blessed Pope Paul had helped unleash on the Church. On that occasion Archbishop Lefebvre delivered ...

Of the Church and the Pope - Fr. Calmel O.P.

+ JMJ Once again, looking back to see if the 'Traditional Catholics' in the early days of this crisis of the Church had a sufficient view to realize the roots of the crisis. The root: The Pope Hence when the Pope is 'righted' the Church will be 'righted'. P^3 Courtesy of SSPXasia Fr. Roger Calmel, O.P. This essay by Fr. Roger Calmel, O.P. (1914-75) helps us in these difficult times to preserve our love of the Church. More than 30 years after its first publication, this article retains all its relevance, so much so that it even seems to have been written for our time, in which the crisis in the Church deepens at an unprecedented pace. This essay will help the reader to think clearly, keep the Faith, and maintain serenity in the troubled times we are navigating. “My country has hurt m e,”wrote a young poet in 1944 during the purge 1 when the head of state [Charles De Gaulle] implacably pursued the sinister job that had been in the wo...

Canonical Mission and State of Emergency - A Response to Mr. John Salza - Part B

+ JMJ I was trying to think of a way to map out the time course I discussed in Part A of this article. Early this morning it came to me that this is more about obedience and duty than canon law. As is my wont, I mapped out my thoughts (see image) to draw linkages between the core concepts. My conclusion is that, at least subjectively, Archbishop Lefebvre had sufficient information to make good decisions concerning whether or not he was obliged to obey. I know that the Jesuits, some Sedevacantists and the priests that left over the years will not agree with my thoughts. So be it. The core pieces of information include: Attacks against the SSPX were launched because they kept the Tridentine Mass and the pre-conciliar understanding of the Truths of the Faith. The authorities in the Church were willing to go against the laws of the Church. The same authorities encouraged the various dangers to the Faith embedded in popular interpretations of ambiguo...

Validity of new rite of episcopal consecrations - Courtesy of SSPX.org

+ JMJ In the blogosphere there are number of responses to this crisis in the Catholic Church that lead to conclusions that run counter to Catholic Doctrine and Dogmas - if taken to their logical conclusion. The validity of the New Rite of Episcopal consecrations is one such hotspot within more extreme sections of the 'traditionalist' culture. Validity of new rite of episcopal consecrations Courtesy of SSPX.org Why the new rite of episcopal consecration is valid Introduction This comprehensive study was compiled to settle a debate that has been circulating in traditional Catholic circles. Some writers have examined the new rite of episcopal consecration and concluded that it must be invalid. Since this would cause manifest problems if it were true and due to the heightened awareness of such a theory, we present a study of this question concluding that it is valid. Following the Council, in 1968 a new rite for the ordination of bishops was promulg...

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