Protestants and Recovering Catholics try to be Catholic

According to this article in the Longmont FYI

Ah, contrair, says "Rev." Scott Jenkins:

“Some might say we are trying to pass ourselves off as Roman Catholic. Nothing could be further from the truth,” said the Rev. Scott Jenkins, a pastor at Church of the Holy Family in Aurora and the celebrating priest at the inaugural Mass of the Longmont Ecumenical Catholic Community, held May 14 at the Longmont Senior Center.

The Longmont Ecumenical Catholic Community, or ECC, upholds certain Catholic traditions, such as the teachings and person of Jesus Christ, the New Testament and the sacramental and liturgical rituals.

But there are some ECC principles that seem untraditional when coupled with Catholicism: allowing women to be ordained; allowing priests, men and women, to marry; opening the Eucharist and other sacraments to all those baptized, not just Catholics; and engaging in prayerful discernment with individuals in regard to divorce and remarriage, family planning and birth control, and same-sex relationships.

Yup. That's right. Freedom of the Pelvis. Somehow, loosening the "restrictions" of Catholic Doctrine always begins at the belt. Oh, and gender-bender. How original. So is the sentiment of some of this Church's founding members:

one local Roman Catholic church included a letter, which was given to the Daily Times-Call, in its May 14 bulletin warning parishioners that “should any Roman Catholic engage in such an alternative parish ... they run the risk, by their own actions to incur” what is essentially an automatic excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church.

Those who spoke with the Daily Times-Call said they understood such risks in attending the ECC’s first Mass.

“I know the potential backlash is there. So be it,” said Scharleen Funk of Longmont, a textiles technician who was one of more than 200 in attendance from Denver, Aurora and the Longmont area at the May 14 service.

“It was another piece of something that helped to confirm in my own mind that I am not the only one feeling this way,” she said.

And another:

Like Joseph Toscano of Lyons, a counselor who was raised Roman Catholic but said he was “burned out on the formality of church as a young man.”

Toscano said he spent the next two decades becoming “well-traveled religiously” by visiting other churches and denominations searching for a spiritual home. He found the Spirit of Peace Catholic Community, a Roman Catholic church in Longmont.

But, Toscano said, “My allegiance has never been to Rome, per se. My allegiance is to Christ, and I believe they are different,” he said.

In spite of these attitudes, they want to be known as Catholics. Why is that, if the church is so oppressive? Joseph Toscano's next point demonstrates this strange schizophrenia:

“We want to hold onto Catholic traditions,” Toscano said. “We are not a hybrid church or a diluted version of the Catholic Church. We are very Catholic.”

So does this quote from the good reverend:

“We think that being Catholic has to do with its way of believing in God through Jesus in the world,” Jenkins said. “It is not primarily about rules and regulations. It’s more about spirituality and sacraments.”

Sigh. Have any of these people listened to a single word that John Paul the Great has uttered? Have they read a single word in any of his encyclicals? Exactly where has their formation been, especially the once-Catholics? What's most disheartening of all is knowing in which Diocese this occurs, and who's in charge there. If this happens here, where the Bishop is a hero among the orthodox, then how much more likely will such things spread to more liberal dioceses? Unless, of course, these dioceses already water down the Faith without explicitely fudging their identity, at least like this.

Look. Christ is still with us. He can be found in His Body, the Church. Not leaving us orphaned, He and the Father provide the counsel of the Holy Spirit. Through Him, we enjoy the shelter of our Faith, held by His divine revelation in Scripture and Tradition. The Magisterium--the teaching authority of the Church bestowed to our Pope and Bishops--is a part of this Tradition. The "rules and regulations" that "Rev." Jenkins considers less than necessary are what guarantee the "spirituality and sacraments" that he praises. To believe, as Mr. Toscano, that "Christ" and "Rome" are different is to turn 2,000 years of Christian Tradition on his head. The Church is all of us united with Christ in the Spirit. It's heartbreaking to see how he fails to understand this.

If you'd like to contact Archbishop Chaput about this sad ship of Fools sailing the Tiber in his own diocese, click here.