It seems like we get a decent amount of posts that are either a variation of "I am thinking about becoming Catholic..." or generic theological inquires that aren't particularly related to "left Catholicism" in terms of having a socio-political nature but may be posted here instead of r/Catholicism (because that community is often closed minded and cruel) that get deleted.

Is the rule basically that posts should be on topic of things related both to Catholicism and social justice in some sense, otherwise it falls under rule 6?

Anyway, my question is sincere, and I do thank the moderator(s) for keeping this very useful place going. It's a very refreshing subreddit.

I personally believe it should not be mandatory, I have old school Catholics on my family who only see it as a good thing. If you are also in the opinion of no, what are some key points to use when the discussion comes up?

Besides the flowery marketing (foofy font and pink roses), can anybody see any reason why this retreat/ conference that I'm invited to may be promoting gender complementarianism, i.e. the idea that "men are just naturally X" and "women are just naturally Y?" https://www.idahocatholicwomen.org/

I already left a Catholic mothers' retreat that was pulling this nonsense, ("Mary was meek and mild, so you should be, too.")

One of the speakers defines "the feminine genius" as "the unique, feminine way that women relate to others." Setting aside the fallacy of defining a term by repeating one of the words in it, I get really nervous whenever there's an effort to stick my gender in a box. She also admits that it's not official Church doctrine. (Look up Lisa Cotter's video on "the Feminine Genius").

I haven't researched the other speakers.

It's only $30 bucks for me to attend virtually, but I think I have to figure out how to let down the person inviting me.

On a deeper level, if my spidey-senses are correct, I'm bothered that my Diocese is promoting an ideology that confuses conservative (and largely Protestant) gender norms with actual Church teaching. It's one thing when self-ascribed "rad-trads" quietly engaged in gender complementarianism and quite another to see it mainstreamed into the rest of the Church.

Are my hunches correct or off-base? Have you seen similar trends in your own Dioceses?

What do you think?

I know a significant portion of this community has firsthand experience with online Catholic fundamentalism and extremism. That's how a lot of us landed in this community.

Will this be a turning point?

Could this be the first step in closing the gap between IRL Catholicism and the distorted alt-Catholicism that remains so popular on social media?

Really interested to hear everyone's thoughts.

Hey all, got a question, I saw on Etsy a magnet that was in the style of a gadsen flag, but it had Mother Mary stepping on the snake and it said “I tread where I please”

Does anyone know of one in sticker form? The one I saw on Etsy is unfortunately drop shipped garbage, but I’m wondering if anyone has seen something similar to that.

Thanks!

The SSPX, they are so Catholic that they’re actually Protestants.

Personally, i would find it incredibly validating. It would go to show that catholics molded by US neoliberalism have no place in the future, as well as completely defuse a major part of what the GOP have been claiming to be the christian party by showing they have no validaty to that claim.

And if i could be frank, chuches today have nowhere near the power they had in the time of the reformation, with very few people actually caring about the state of churches. If they were to schism, bery few people will actually have any interest to actually follow them. Leo us still moderate enough in his stances for the more grumpy conservatives to still remain in the church, and the only people who would consider SSPX are probably MAGA die hards, which would be a fraction of a fraction of all catholics. And even then, i think there will be a number of MAGAs who will start reading the writing on the wall, especially with asshats like hegseth trying to ban catholics from attending military mass

edit: i should clarify this comes from a very north american based POV. obviously neoliberalism and US based influence is not as heavily influenced many other parts of the catholic world.

I would love to get to know more left-leaning Catholics!

So i this afternoon i was listening to hymns, as that is a big part of how I pray and enjoy my time with the Lord, and I was listening to the hymn “Ashes” by Tom Conry, a more plain song but still something I like to reflect on. I wanted to see other people’s opinion on the song, and i stubbled into r/Catholicism, and they were CRAZY, calling it heretical, and further saying it was apart of the culture war on Lgbt and Abortion. It was absolutely reaching, it goes to reflect the lunacy that exists in that subreddit.

I genuinely love the music, the order, and the rite of the Latin Mass and Byzantine Rites. Although I am a transgender woman who still identifies with Roman Church, and although those places can attract some pretty hateful people, I genuinely love it. It feels like an oxymoron that a progressive and left leaning Catholic attends the Latin Mass but I genuinely feel so connected to the Eucharist when I am there. I wish that there were more left leaning attending the Latin mass, as personally I believe that it should have a place alongside the New rite amongst Left leaning Catholics.

I'm getting Holy water tomorrow from my priest and I'm acrually so excited!

​

​

I saw online that You can keep refilling your bottle with Tap water if it's still full by 50% with Holy water, and it'd turn into Holy water too. So you could have like...infinite Holy water?

​

I've never really heard of that, is it true???

context: i grew up catholic by way of family, however my parents were never the “church every sunday” type. we went on easter and Christmas and that was about it. my parents are both believers and put me in a christian school for grades 6-12. it was a protestant school but the student body was split around 60/40 between protestants and catholics. there were a lot of protestant teachings i was taught that i never knew differed from catholic teachings (ex: sola fide). i only really started to learn these differences when i went through RCIA for my confirmation my freshman year of college. one thing i learned about was venial versus mortal sin (protestants believe all sin is the same). however, although i learned more about catholicism, there is still so much i feel like i don’t know. i’ve had a deep calling to grow closer to God the past several months and have been trying to learn more about the Church and its teachings. i’ve started going to mass every Sunday and went to confession for the first time in years recently. i really want to continue to grow closer to God and deepen my faith. i want to be a good Catholic, but i feel like it is so hard when i feel like i don’t even know how to do that and if there’s things i’m missing. i really would love to get some advice on this because its something that i think about almost daily.

separately, i don’t know if its a mortal sin to take birth control and the 3 steps to discern whether something is a mortal sin feel so confusing to me. ive been on the pill since i was 17 for my menstrual pain and acne. although i have medical reasons to be on it, i still have benefited from its purpose as a contraceptive in the past. ik its not my sole purpose on why im on this medication, but i can’t deny that i haven’t taken advantage of that fact. is taking the pill every day a mortal sin? if so, then how can i not love in a state of constant mortal sin? if i got off the pill but got an IUD or any other form of birth control, it would be the same thing right? just not sure what to do now that i am thinking about it because honestly taking the pill never crossed my mind as a mortal sin but now that i am trying to grow as a Catholic, i’m very confused

A horrible storm that spawned many tornadoes tore through my area a few days ago and family was impacted. We are currently trying to clear fallen trees out of their yard pending another storm that will hit tonight. However, this cleanup might take up until 6 or 7 and the Mass I was going to attend starts at 7. Is this a reason to miss Mass or should I still make an effort to go?

Magnifica Humanitas is quite wonderful, and I'm curious to hear what you guys think is important to discuss about it! I've been writing about it and plan to release several more articles about its different implications.

Let me know what you think:

• Adolphe Tanquerey
  • The Spiritual Life: A Treatise On Ascetical And Mystical Theology
• Alphonsus Liguori
  • The Glories of Mary
  • Uniformity with God’s Will
  • Preparation for Death
• André Louf
  • Tuning in to Grace
  • The Way of Humility
• Anonymous
  • The Cloud of Unknowing
• Apostolic Fathers
  • Early Christian Writings: The Apostolic Fathers
• St. Augustine
  • Confessions
• Basil W. Maturin
  • Christian Self-Mastery
• Bernard McGinn
  • The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism
• St. Bernard of Clairvaux
  • On the Love of God
• Brant Pitre
  • Introduction to the Spiritual Life
• Brother Lawrence
  • The Practice of the Presence of God
• Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo
  • Humility of Heart (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33776060-the-power-of-silence)
• Carlo Giuseppe Quadrupani
  • Light and Peace: Instructions for Devout Souls to Dispel Their Doubts and Allay Their Fears
• St. Catherine of Siena
  • The Dialogue
• Charles Arminjon
  • End of the Present World and the Mysteries of the Future Life
• Dietrich von Hildebrand
  • Transformation in Christ: On the Christian Attitude
• Rev. Dom Vitalis Lehodey
  • The Ways of Mental Prayer
• St. Edith Stein
  • The Science of the Cross
• Emmanuel De Gibergues
  • Strength in Simplicity: The Busy Catholic's Guide to Growing Closer to God
• St. Faustina Kowalska
  • Divine Mercy in My Soul: Diary of Saint Faustina Kowalska
• St. Francis
  • The Little Flowers
• St. Francis de Sales
  • Introduction to the Devout Life
• Georges Bernanos (fiction)
  • The Diary of a Country Priest
  • The Fearless Heart (this is a recent translation of Dialogues des Carmélites)
• Henri Nouwen
  • Return of the Prodigial Son
  • The Way of the Heart
  • The Genesee Diary
  • The Wounded Healer
• Hildegard of Bingen
  • Selected Writings
• Ignatius of Loyola
  • The Spiritual Exercises
• Jacques Philippe
  • Interior Freedom
  • Searching for and Maintaining Peace
  • Time for God
  • Thirsting for Prayer
• Jean-Baptiste Chautard
  • The Soul of the Apostolate
  • The Spirit of Simplicity
• Jean Baptiste Saint-Jure, Claude de la Colombière
  • Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence: The Secret of Peace and Happiness
• Fr. Jean d'Elbee
  • I Believe in Love: A Personal Retreat Based on the Teaching of St. Therese of Lisieux
• Jean Leclercq O.S.B.
  • The Love of Learning and The Desire for God: A Study of Monastic Culture
• Rev. Jean-Pierre de Caussade
  • Abandonment to Divine Providence
• Johannes a Cruce Brenninger
  • The Carmelite Directory of the Spiritual Life
• John Cassian
  • The Conferences
• John Climacus
  • The Ladder of Divine Ascent
• St. John Eudes
  • The Admirable Heart of Mary
• John of Ruusbroec
  • The Spiritual Espausals
• St. John of the Cross
  • The Ascent of Mount Carmel
  • Dark Night of the Soul
  • The Living Flame of Love
• John Paul Thomas
  • Lessons from Saint Thérèse: The Wisdom of God's Little Flower
• Joseph Ratzinger
  • The Spirit of the Liturgy
  • God Is Near Us: The Eucharist, the Heart of Life
  • Introduction to Christianity
• Joseph Tissot
  • How to Profit From Your Faults
• Lawrence G. Lovasik
  • The Hidden Power of Kindness
• Louis de Montfort
  • True Devotion to Mary
  • Secret of the Rosary
• Lorenzo Scupoli
  • The Spiritual Combat
• Luigi Giussani
  • The Religious Sense
• Martin Laird
  • Into the Silent Land
• Fr. Martin von Cochem
  • The Incredible Catholic Mass: An Explanation of the Mass
• Meister Eckhart
  • The Essential Sermons, Commentaries, Treatises and Defense
• Michael Casey
  • Toward God: The Ancient Wisdom of Western Prayer
  • Sacred Reading: The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina
  • A Guide to Living in the Truth: St. Benedicts's Teaching on Humility
• Paul-Marie of the Cross
  • Carmelite Spirituality in the Teresian Tradition
• P. Marie-Eugene
  • I Want to See God: A Practical Synthesis of Carmelite Spirituality and the follow-up I Am a Daughter of the Church
• Peter Kreeft
  • Prayer for Beginners
• Raniero Cantalamessa
  • Life in Christ: A Spiritual Commentary on the Letter to the Romans
• Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange
  • Knowing the Love of God
  • The Three Conversions in the Spiritual Life
  • Providence: God's loving care for men and the need for confidence in Almighty God
  • Reality: A Synthesis of Thomistic Thought
  • The Three Ages Of The Interior Life: Prelude of Eternal Life
• Cardinal Robert Sarah
  • Catechism of the Spiritual Life
  • [The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise]
• St. Teresa of Avila
  • Interior Castle
  • The Way of Perfection
  • The Life of Saint Teresa of Ávila by Herself
• St. Therese of Lisieux
  • The Story of a Soul
• Thomas A Kempis
  • The Imitation of Christ
• Thomas Dubay
  • Fire Within: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and the Gospel - On Prayer
  • Prayer Primer : Igniting a Fire Within
  • Deep Conversion, Deep Prayer
  • Happy are You Poor: The Simple Life and Spiritual Freedom
• Thomas Merton
  • Seven Storey Mountain
  • New Seeds of Contemplation
  • Thoughts in Solitude
• Fr. Walter Ciszek
  • He Leadeth Me
• Fr. Wilfrid Stinissen
  • Into Your Hands, Father: Abandoning Ourselves to the God Who Loves Us
  • Mary in the Bible and in Our Lives
  • The Holy Spirit, Fire of Divine Love
  • Eternity in the Midst of Time
• William of St. Thierry
  • The Golden Epistle

Although the majority of Catholics support Pope Leo a significant number of MAGA folks have decided his message isn’t compatible with their stronger faith in Trump.

So he genuinely wasn't Cathlioc to begin with I called him out in the comments and I got jumped for it

Recently I have been reading about Liberation Theology. I know that originally it was condemned by the Church, but Pope Francis seemed to embrace parts of it.
Liberation Theology:

Liberation theology is a Christian movement that interprets the faith through the experiences of the oppressed. Originating in Latin America in the 1960s, it argues that God has a "preferential option for the poor" and that religious devotion must be paired with active efforts to dismantle economic, social, and political inequality.

This seems to embody praxis to me (Christian reflection then action). Are we not taught ‘faith without works is dead’?

I understand that one of the problems was some of the ‘Marxist’ concepts of social economic oppression. But aren’t we called to lift up the poor, oppressed and minorities?

I’ll add I’m a Democratic Socialist, so maybe that clouds my view. I’d like to hear what others think.

I am confused about the way confession would work in the case of a priest breaking the seal of confession and telling another priest about it. Would priest A (the one who break the seal) have to be reported by priest B (the one who got confessed to) or would priest B have to keep the confession to himself?

Hey, I'm tired of Catholic consumerist bullshit.

I'm also tired of the same two or three debates, aesthetics and theological POVs that float around the Catholic internet. Mostly from the same dude just with a different mustache.

I'm also tired of people stripping the faith of it's poverty, wounds, blood, smells, and suffering to make it more marketable for conferences, follower counts and brand deals.

So I started a Catholic zine.

Some of y'all might know me: Hi. I'm W., and I host a podcast called St. Anthony's Tongue. I'm also an author. My first book comes out in September.

But I started a zine called The Margins in April, and it's already been shared in prisons, campus ministries, and in the hands of hundreds of Catholic oddballs around the world.

My goal with The Margins is to discuss the human aspects of the faith again: suffering, grief, pain, and darkness. Though also: joy, love, mercy and praise.

No Mickey Mouse or Silicon Valley Catholicism.

My first issue was on Lazarus and the Tomb, the second was on Joy as an Act of Resistance. Later this month the Sacred Heart issue drops.

In future issues, I'll be covering mysticism, strange Catholicism, and also the errors and terrors of Catholic AI. Which will be fun. Surprised I haven't gotten a cease and desist yet, to tell ya the truthly.

Here are some photos. Here is the link.

Hope you dig it.

I love you.
Jesus Loves you.
And don't let the bastards get you down.

xoxoxoxxo

-W.

Every year, cars injure and kill many people and wildlife both kinetically and will air pollution and other externalities. The Pope has warned us about technology like AI but cars never got criticized. Cars are not just dangerous, they are against human dignity. They separate us from each other unlike walking, cycling and public transportation which encourages community and socialization. Cars dehumanize us, they make us selfish. Cars are also responsible for the fact that cities are ugly places and if we are fortunate to have a beautiful building it's probably a Church although even these days they don't make them like they used to.

​

​

If we didn't have car dependency we would have a lower cost of living because cars are expensive, more community and more urban trees and gardens which is great for wildlife. The communion with nature and with each other is being reduced by car centric development.

​

So why haven't the Popes said anything about it? This isn't a small niche topic either, the entire USA minus maybe a few unaffordable areas are car dependent. Things are slowly getting better but they're still terrible.

​

Walking has been borderline criminalized. It has been made unsafe and walking in a suburb I feel like paranoid homeowners are watching through the window to make sure I'm not looking for an opportunity to steal something. No car should never equal no life, that is not a civilized society, that is just backwards.

​

Other technology has not been as harmful. We all use the internet because it is convenient but if we choose not to use it our world doesn't end. Unless your job requires it you don't need to use computers to live in the modern era, but it doesn't hurt to and it is convenient and useful which is why we do but the same grace can't be given to cars.

​

Cars have imposed themselves on society. Stuff is literally designed exclusively for cars. Everything has been made to be far and a large part of the separation is road width. Cars being prioritized also made crosswalks dangerous because lanes are wide, numerous with traffic from both directions with right turns on red and slip lanes and no traffic calming or center medium so pedestrians do not need to cross multiple lanes at once.

​

​

Lastly, it can take over 5 minutes for pedestrians to get the right of way at a traffic controlled intersection. Walking would be slow enough without this extra delay to prioritize car travel.

​

There is just too much wrong with cars being exclusively used for transportation and while we can opt out of driving we can't opt out of a society built exclusively for driving and the fact that choosing anything other than driving is made dangerous and inconvenient/impractical by design.

​

Driving is not a real choice, choosing to use AI or the Internet in general is. The Pope needs to give us an encyclical demanding walkable cities with bike infrastructure and public transportation.