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Bob in Topeka
Member
| Joined: | Sun Nov 25th, 2007 |
| Location: | Topeka, KS |
| Posts: | 14 |
| First Name: | Bob | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Episcopalian to Catholic |
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Posted: Fri May 23rd, 2008 10:41 pm |
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My parents were Catholic (father) and Episcopalian (mother). So I rubbed elbows with Catholics growing up. My dad was lukewarm at best and I didn't know much about Catholocism. Somehow, though, I always believed that the Catholic Church was the one true Church as it was founded by Jesus, not by man.
As a little boy, I remember visiting my paternal grandmother and her large family in Chicago. I remember especially Grandma and my aunts gathered around a record player. One of them had just gotten a recording (78rpm, of course) of Enrico Caruso, I think, singing the Ave Maria. Everyone was just oohing and ahhing over it, although I don't remember being overly impressed by it.
Many years later, I began dating a Catholic woman and she invited me to Mass. This was after Vatican II and I was so pleased with the warmth and openness of the service. I was very comfortable with the liturgy, as it is very similar to the Episcopalian liturgy, which I am sure was copied from the Catholic one. I had never realized this because, as we used to say, Episcopalians were Catholics who had flunked Latin!
I converted and a few years later I was in attendance at a Marian convention in Denver, CO. One of the events was a tenor who sang the Ave Maria accapella. I am not ashamed to say that I "lost it" emotionally and I rejoiced because I knew that I had finally come home.
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CajunRick
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5353 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Sat May 24th, 2008 02:56 am |
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We're glad to have you here with us, Bob. I know you've been here awhile but in case we never officially welcomed you, welcome to the forum!
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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Steven Barrett
Member
| Joined: | Tue Nov 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | Hadley, Massachusetts USA |
| Posts: | 980 |
| First Name: | Steven | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Episcopal communicant, Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Sat May 24th, 2008 06:42 pm |
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Welcome Home Bob,
It's a long story as to whether or not they "copied" everything from us. I'm not sure I want to thank 'em for the compliment of praising us that much. As you might well know, things weren't so peachy between the Anglicans and Catholics during early years of that rebel entity's first years as an official state church version of the REAL Olde Tyme Faith in Merrie Olde England. A lot of double-edged (or sided) axes were whetted with the blood from severed necks.
But to listen to many old time Episcopalians who loved their old pre-1978 Book of Common Prayer (BCP) its modernization was the beginning of the end, parallelling with women's (forced) ordination and the rest that followed ever since. And one of the complaints was that the changes in the liturgy rendered their Communion services to very close fascimilies of our very blanded-down post-Vatican II rites that helped many ushers all of a sudden find a lot more empty seats than they used to. One thing I remember about the new Episcopal rite was actually how much more conservatively traditional in tone, etc. than ours was. (We need an emoticon for falling asleep!)
All the window dressing aside, and that what it is, no matter how deeply sincere our Episcopalian brethern may protest to the contrary, if the church you enter claims to be Catholic, it has to be directly linked to Rome. Any thing else just doesn't cut it. In some places, especially college towns, their choirs are superb and you get the real high octane classical music. In other places you might be treated to the more "contemporary Christian music" stuff (and I'm being verrrrrry generous and kind by saying "stuff".) 
My wife loves the local Episcopal Christmas Eve mass, but the more you become familiar with the ECUSA, especially if you know the parish is a solid loyalist bastion in Kathy Schori's camp, you know all you're going to get is an uplifting Christmas-y almost Thomas Kincade or Currier and Ives schmaltz because the Real Presence isn't there, no matter how many BCPs they stack from here to the moon to swear on. (Even the ETs the Vatican astronomers would know better!)
Erzatz is just that: Erzatz!
And oh, if you can find, and I mean, IF you can find a copy of Luciano Pavarotti's performance in Montreal's Notre Dame Cathedral that PBS used to use so often, that's the best singing not only of Ave Maria, but the whole panopoly of our best Christmas hymns.
Again, Welcome Home Bob!
Steven 
PS: No news about my cousin that I remember you so considerately asking about since I mentioned her plight. As the saying goes, no news ....
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For anybody interested in reading commentary from a Catholic's socially conservative/fiscally liberal viewpoint, go to my new blog at http://www.politicsramble.com/ .
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dpillie
Member
| Joined: | Wed Nov 22nd, 2006 |
| Location: | Fort Wayne, Indiana USA |
| Posts: | 9 |
| First Name: | | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Roman Catholic |
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Posted: Mon May 26th, 2008 03:08 pm |
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Bob,
Welcome home... I had a similar background, though my dad had gone from lukewarm Catholic to almost anti-Catholic. I'm glad you were able to find your way. In some ways it's easier for us former Episcopalians to convert but in other ways it can be quite challenging!
YBIC,
Derek
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YBiC,
Derek Alexander Ambrose Pillie
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Bob in Topeka
Member
| Joined: | Sun Nov 25th, 2007 |
| Location: | Topeka, KS |
| Posts: | 14 |
| First Name: | Bob | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Episcopalian to Catholic |
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Posted: Wed May 28th, 2008 01:51 am |
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Steven Barrett wrote:
And oh, if you can find, and I mean, IF you can find a copy of Luciano Pavarotti's performance in Montreal's Notre Dame Cathedral that PBS used to use so often, that's the best singing not only of Ave Maria, but the whole panopoly of our best Christmas hymns.
Again, Welcome Home Bob!
Steven
PS: No news about my cousin that I remember you so considerately asking about since I mentioned her plight. As the saying goes, no news ....
Steven,
Thank you for the Pavarotti info. Please also note that June Marie Belt is in my daily prayers.
Last edited on Wed May 28th, 2008 01:53 am by Bob in Topeka
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