My siblings all fell away from the faith after high school – all of them married outside the church to non-Catholic spouses. Despite all of this, and having nowhere else to turn, my mother suffered through and stood strong in her faith. My mother hung on, eventually becoming involved in (falling prey to?) the “Catholic” charismatic movement in the early 1970’s. He hasn’t set foot in a Catholic church (other than a few Baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations, weddings, and funerals) since. This and all the other changes were the last straw for my dad. Dad’s pleas fell on deaf ears as he was told (incredible as it sounds) that the Church had decided it would be better to focus its efforts and resources on Catholic colleges (we now know how that turned out since the notorious 1967 Land O’Lakes Statement). Of course, communion in the hand, girl “altar boys,” “eucharistic ministers,” female lectors and various other novelties soon followed.Advertisement – Continue Reading BelowĪt the time, my dad, also a cradle Catholic and World War II era Marine, protested these things (primarily the closing of our school) rather firmly with our local pastor and our then-Bishop Raymond Hunthausen (who later became notorious as the very liberal Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle). Catechism classes, previously taught by priests and religious sisters, were relegated to lay volunteers – the Baltimore Catechism was out, new “modern” texts that often watered down or deviated from Catholic doctrine became the norm. In the end, our beautiful Catholic church looked more like a Protestant gathering place or community hall than a Catholic church. Thank God for the SSPX! – OnePeterFiveĪt about the same time, our beautiful Gothic-style Church fell to the Vatican II “wreckovation.” The beautiful high altar was replaced by a table, the communion rail ripped out, the tabernacle moved to a corner, the statues removed, the walls whitewashed. Parish life seemed vibrant and stable until 1970 when it was announced that our Catholic school would be closing (after my 3rd grade year). Our small parish had a K-6 Catholic school and a convent staffed by faithful nuns in habits. Born a “cradle Catholic” just as the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) was underway in 1962, I was blessed to grow up in a small Western Montana town that was home to the first Catholic Parish established in Montana Territory.

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