Q: What was it like to be Catholic before the 1960’s?
A: In the early 60’s seventy five percent of Catholics attended Mass every Sunday, just about the same percentage went to confession regularly.
The Mass was celebrated under the old rite, and in Latin.
People knelt at a communion rail to receive the body and blood of Christ. Communion was placed right on the tongue.
Every Catholic knew precisely who it was they were receiving … Jesus … even those who were still too young to partake.
Christmas and Easter were sacred feast days, and each was preceded by four to six weeks of very serious spiritual preparation.
Entire neighborhoods were known by the name of the Catholic parish they were built around.
Most kids went to Catholic school. Tuition was cheap. Teachers were usually nuns, who didn’t take any “crap” from anyone, and who were very serious about handing down the authentic faith … along with a good working knowledge of reading, writing, and arithmetic.
Bishops had more power than most U. S. Senators. Priests were abundant, well trained, dedicated, and holy. The Catholic seminary system was churning out thousands of good new priests, every month.
Catholic doctrine was clear and complete, and most people learned it by rote, from the Baltimore Catechism, which was written in a concise Q&A format.
Most Catholic families had a big Douay-Rheims Bible at home, heavily illustrated, with beautiful, full color pages of the finest Christian artwork the world had ever seen.
After supper, dads and moms would read the Bible and explain the pictures to the kids. They would often pray the Rosary together, too.
Artificial contraception was prohibited by the Church (it still is). Most married couples understood that, and their sexual union remained open to the possibility of new life.
Baptisms, First Communions, Weddings, and Funerals were all held in the church, and all were holy liturgies of great significance and beauty. All were celebrations of life. Even the funerals.
Churches were beautifully decorated, and reminded all who entered of what Heaven must surely be like.
By the early 70’s the post-Vatican II confusion had set in and was already taking it’s toll.
Wide-spread apostasy was underway at virtually every level of the Church.
As for the Church today, simply invert just about every one of the above, and there you have it.
Of course, there are notable exceptions, and some 40 years later, things are definitely looking up.
Remarkably, the authentic truths of the Catholic faith have never been compromised, even though many Catholics … including some bishops and priests … no longer have a good and faithful understanding of them.
Welcome to the 21st century!
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