Expert: Fr. Michael - 7/27/2006

Question
Hi Father-thank you very much for replying back.  I did look up your website and seem many differences between the traditional vs new order presbyter.  I never was aware before of these differences.  To be honest with you, I am a bit baffled.  I attended mass at several parishes-all under the diocese of charleston (roman catholic) and if I read the info correctly, just about all the parishes I have went to are the new order presbeter.  The parish I grew up in in Ohio also was the same way.  We have the option of receiving communion on tongue or in hand.  My question is this-what is wrong with the new order?  I came back to the catholic faith last year after being away for 18 years and was a fallen-away catholic in a protestant faith.  There were some changes since 1987-the bowing before receiving communion, for example, the extraministers, female alter servers, and so forth.  The parish I belong to is under the diocese of charleston and I am a bit baffled over all these differences.  Please enlighten me if you can.  Yours in Christ, Laura
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Followup To

Question -
Hello-I was wondering-I am a returning catholic who was with the baptist faith for many years before returning.  I went to general confessional a year ago and go to the sacrament of reconciliation on a regular basis.  I was wondering (in reference to mortal vs venial sin/s)-if say for example I left the wal-mart parking lot with my children and almost pulled out in front of a car that I didn't see, narrowly missing hitting the car and unintentionally said God D--- it, immediately feeling remorseful for it slipped out without my meaning it, am I in mortal sin?  I did went to confession for that and I don't want to appear scrupulous.  Also, I  remembered back in 1997, I made a promise to God to give Him 10 percent of my air force reserve income if He can impress upon my then husband's heart (we are divorced) to stay in the air force on active duty.  He thought about getting out and I wanted him to stay in.  I was with the baptist church at that time and meant to keep my promise and now for the first time after returning remembered that broken promise.  I didn't mean to make the promise just to break it.  Do I need to confess that?  I am meeting with the priest at the air force chapel tomorrow (not for confessional but counseling) and wonder if I should mention this to him possibly in the sacrament of confessional.  Thank you very much for any help in this matter.  By the way, I am still growing in my catholic faith and find myself thinking like a protestant at times, although I was brought up catholic and attended catholic schools for twelve yrs.  In Christ, Laura

Answer -
These are the kinds of questions that you should be discussing with your confessor.  If you are scrupulous, he will guide you.  However, be sure that you are going to a traditional Catholic priest for confession, not a New Order presbyter.

In the New Order, the traditional Sacrament of Confession has been turned into so-called "reconciliation," which is quite different from the traditonal Sacrament.  If you need a reference, you can check at www.traditio.com/tradlib/masslat.htm.


Answer
After the Vatican II Council (1963-1965), a New Order was introduced, somewhat gradually, which affected the Mass, the Sacraments, theology, and morality.  This New Order is clearly not Catholic, though it is being push by what appears to be the institutional Church.  Actually, the New Order is failing badly (though propaganda tries to cover that fact over).  There is an increasing dissatisfaction with this unCatholic New Order and a desire to return to more traditional Catholicism.