Portsmouth Roman Catholic

 

So you are a Catholic Parent raising your children in the Catholic Faith and you decide to send your children to a Catholic School, as the primary educators of your children what do you expect from a Catholic School? In the 1960's I was actually attending a seminary where there was about 40 students. In the Community statistics showed there was still a large number of young people attending Mass. It was about 50/50 statistically. In the 1970's my former seminary was closed down since there were only three students and in Catholic Schools it rose with amazing speed to 95% disinterested in the Church. What had caused this very rapid decline? In England it was very much the work of Corpus Christi College, Westminster who invited the teaching profession and administrators from all the diocese to attend and find out about the "Spirit of Vatican 2". People get tired of me bringing this up and since they have no answers they just get bored so let us just say that '

"Go therefore and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"  Matthew 28. But for what purpose.  Is it not just about being close to Jesus, going to Church on a Sunday, then spending the rest of our lives in worldly pursuits?   We cannot be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect so just live your lives as best you can and all will be well.   Does Jesus really expect more of us? Well certainly such a statement would meet with approval in many of our Churches.   We do not want to fast, make sacrifices, or follow the boring rules that Jesus made.   Just follow your conscience and it will all be well when you reach heaven. The problem is that Jesus laid down his rules in order to make the world a better place to live in, a world which was again his Kingdom.   Remember the Our Father "Thy Kingdom come, they willl be done on earth as its is in Heaven..."   So we pray this at Mass every Sunday and those who g

God's Plan for Peace starts with Churches encouraging marriage.   Well I am sure that some will say the Church does not discourage it, but in practice it does. Let us start with Marriage is a Sacrament and no baptised person should pay for a a Sacrament.   So what does your parish charge for a wedding, and is this charge justified.   Do you know that there are many  young people out there who do not get married because they see it as too expensive.   Certainly the culture of the Secular State encourages young people to believe that marrying is about spending money in every way possible and if others are spending enormous sums then that is expected.   So let us change this in the Catholic Church by having cheap weddings. Another subject we have to look at is our Church facilities.   Having cloisters and groups of small rooms may satisfy 'Community' but it does not cater for large functions like weddings.   Again if the Church has a hall attached to it, it can bring down t