Postscripts From The Catholic Spitfire Grill

It all started when I had a discussion with some other Protestants the premise of which was “DID you celebrate Palm Sunday in your church?” not “How did you celebrate Palm Sunday?” One person said “Well you know our Pastor was having a series on [Apostolic Letter] and we didn’t want to interrupt that. I mean really how boring is it to preach about Palm Sunday EVERY year.” (I wonder how they can possibly stand to celebrate family birthdays and anniversaries every year?) There were also sentiments expressed like “All He did was ride in on a Donkey anyway…”

That some believe there is a limit to learn from the meditation on and study of the events of the Passion Week of Our Lord staggers me. It brings me to my knees (literally) in sorrow. This is what my sins cost Him and He could have said, “No” at ANY point along the way. He could have turned back, but He set his face like flint (Isaiah) and moved forward. And I have literally been chanting to myself, “You cannot blog about this. You cannot blog about this.”

But today I got pushed over the edge.

A friend who is converting to the Catholic Church mentioned to me that for Palm Sunday observances at a church that has been previously mentioned here on this blog and pastored by Steven F. they dispensed with passing out those oh-so-boring Palms and gave the kids glow sticks to wave. GLOW STICKS!? What would Sr. Mary Martha say? Glow sticks?

How many of those traditional symbols do we dispense with before we lose touch with what happened in the first place? And why is it, that I hear so often how it is that the Catholic Church “substitutes man-made traditions” (And sometimes from those going to a church that passes out glow sticks instead of palms!) for the Bible when Catholics were the ones who were required by the Liturgy to observe Palm Sunday AS Palm Sunday AND passed out the very item mentioned in the Bible?! 

And how will they burn the glow sticks for ashes for next year’s Ash Wednesday?

Thank you kindly for alerting me to to this article by the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops. Here are some Easter Vigil numbers in major dioceses across the United States.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest archdiocese, with over 4.4 million Catholics, celebrated two Rites of Election in order to accommodate all 1,294 catechumens and their sponsors. In addition to the catechumens, nearly 1,500 candidates in Los Angeles will be formally welcomed into the church Holy Saturday.

Numbers vary across dioceses. Some of the largest groups coming into the church are in the Archdiocese of Detroit, which is welcoming 612 catechumens and 913 candidates and the Diocese of San Diego, with 851 catechumens and 1,036 candidates. The Archdiocese of Atlanta reports 457 will be baptized and 631 received into full communion. In the Archdiocese of Seattle there will be 636 catechumens baptized and 520 candidates welcomed.

The Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota, has 11 catechumens and 42 candidates; the Diocese of Juneau, Alaska, has 15 catechumens and 11 candidates. In the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan, 27 catechumens will be baptized and 31 candidates will be welcomed into full communion.

In the Diocese of Honolulu, 33 catechumens are part of the RCIA at the Korean Catholic Community at St. Pius X Church. This group consistently has the highest number of the state’s converts.

In the Diocese of Salina, Kansas, as in past years, the largest RCIA group is from the student center at Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. This year the college community has 18 catechumens and 46 candidates.

The 2006 Official Catholic Directory reported 80,817 adults baptized in the Catholic Church and 73,684 coming into full communion the previous year. In addition, there were 943,264 infant baptisms.

And I will be away from home this weekend attending Easter Vigil with family. I will be in spirit and prayer with those members of the Catholic Spitfire Grill are also brought into full communion with the RCC. And we have MANY who are getting ready for next year’s Easter Vigil (2008)…..please keep them in your prayers!

BTW….being away for the weekend I may blog and I may not. Depends on how much celebrating we do!

Catholic Carnival 113 is up on Living Catholicism. Thank you Jay for hosting it this week and all of the work you do on this week after week.