Outnumbered 929 to 1
I’m a federal prisoner doing time in Maxwell Prison Camp in Montgomery, Alabama. As you may already know, prisons are prime areas for Fundamentalists to thrive in. There are only a handful of Catholics among 930 inmates here, and most of them are uneducated when it comes to Catholic dogma. I believe that the priest who comes in for our services and I are the only two that can support our faith. There is such work to be done around here for the cause.
I’m interested in answering these problems by teaching and supporting our faith. And with your help I can. I’m writing you to allow me to receive your subscription free of charge. I have no money to give due to my circumstances, but when I’m released, which will be in twenty months, we’ll talk about payments.
Joseph R. DeNeto
Maxwell AFB, Alabama
Tugboats for the Barque?
You have been a source of great encouragement for me and, I suppose, many other priests who still hold traditional values and long to see them return to our Church before we pass on to our Father in heaven.
I pray constantly for the success of groups such as yours and for those Catholic colleges which remain loyal to our Holy Father and the teachings of Jesus Christ. Together, all of you will bring the barque of Peter through the present storm to the safety of her rightful moorings.
Rev. Bill Richardson, S.S.T.
Beaumont, Texas
Talking Straight Talk
Bravo for you! We can’t tell you how pleased we were to read [Karl Keating’s] reply [“Letters,” August 1992] to the person who was interested in working to change the Catholic Church’s position on birth control, priestly celibacy, the validity of homosexual relationships, and women’s ordination. We wonder what else this person and the groups he (she?) belongs to have up their sleeves.
You said your personal views are the same as your public views, and thank you for making that clear. Too many people today try to talk out of both sides of the mouth. Your answer to each of the above was clear, concise, and understandable. God has given you an extraordinary gift of speaking (writing).
Church teaching on sexuality is a favorite one to be lambasted these days. By not caving in you are performing a most important service to all of us. Your unembarrassed defense of every part of the faith and morals that the Catholic Church teaches is one of the main reasons we keep subscribing.
John and Teresa Tillotson
Petoskey, Michigan
“What is Truth?”
I approached several priests in the New Orleans area, sharing some of your tapes with them. They responded negatively, stating that I was a “Catholic Fundamentalist.” They advised me that in these “end times” the denominations will merge into a more “universal church.”
In order for this to happen, we Catholics must give up some things that are offensive, such as Mary. They said that they deeply regret anything coming from Rome, such as a new catechism. It can only serve to divide Christians again. It has taken four hundred years to heal the Catholic Counter-Reformation. We don’t need any more cause for division, but cause for healing.
I keep asking myself, “What is truth?” If we accept that the Holy Spirit has guided the Catholic Church and protects it from doctrinal error, then we can compromise nothing. We have been given the truth. If we do compromise, we admit Catholic doctrine is not true. I concluded these priests are no longer Catholic. They are not seeking truth, but sociological healing. Whatever happened to priests that not only taught but preached prayer, fasting, continuing conversion, and cooperation with the divine nature that lives in us (2 Pet. 1:4, 1 Cor. 3:9, Col. 1:29, Phil. 2:13)?
Michael Shreve
Metairie, Louisiana
Please Visit These Islands
The copies of the publication and the books you sent all came safe and sound yesterday. May the good Lord be your ultimate reward for your signal apostolate.
In the event that you make a visit to these islands, please do come over to this jurisdiction, which is about five hours’ travel from Manila.
Most Rev. Oscar V. Cruz
Philippines
Watch Your Humor, Please
I wish you’d change your humor. Even your “apology” to the reader who complained of the cartoon about the dog and the Jehovah’s Witness ended with a tone of insult. My feeling is that for humor to be effective, it should be pointed at oneself.
Mike Vrtis
Evergreen Park, Illinois
Ditto, Sort Of
I wish you’d change your humor. After all, many Catholics can’t laugh, even at themselves; they’re so “sensitive” they wouldn’t know how to react if they read 1001 Jokes Priests Can Tell.
Take your reply [“Letters,” July 1992] to the letter complaining about the cartoon of the pit bull being thrown at a Jehovah’s Witness missionary by a frustrated householder. After answering the complaint you said, “By the way, we wish to make it clear that we do not recommend throwing dogs at missionaries. It scares the dogs.”
How could you say such a thing?
Please, be properly dour. This is supposed to be a serious magazine. There’s no room in Catholicism for humor. (Whatever happened to the good old days of Jansenism? I miss them.) In short, I suggest you avoid wit. It just scares the reader.
Aunt Tetta
The Old Country
Bucking the Economy
We appreciate your talents and your work. Retirement income in this economic climate notwithstanding, this work of yours is so important that we’ll manage on our beleaguered budget. Our donation is enclosed.
Joe and Fran Kucia
Oxnard, California
A Cause for Repentance?
Thank you for such an excellent publication. I must say it can be an occasion of sin. As the mother of four, it is sometimes difficult for me to put This Rock down and perform the duties of my state in life.
Therese Bower
Duluth, Minnesota
No Aussie Ambivalence
There are four things I am grateful to American culture for: Apple Macintosh computers, Star Trek, McDonald’s, and Catholic Answers–not necessarily in that order!
Rev. Rod Letchford
Skifton, Australia