June 18th, 2008

CU Episode 79: Plush Conversion Buddies

WARNING!  Unforeseen audio problems about halfway into the show.  Apparently Fr. Chris’ headeset is in need of a replacement!  Get your donations ready!

This week GW and TB walk dangerously close to the Tiber. TB falls in. Does GW dive in?  Yet more new social networking sites – this time specifically Catholic ones, the cu|metro handles some of the weirdness within the Anglican communion, the USCCB meeting, and we answer one of the top 7 RCIA questions of all time.

Fr. Chris | Posted in CU Podcast | 8 Comments »

  • http://anglopapist.wordpress.com/ Bob Catholic

    Josh,

    Would you like an introduction to Protestantism??

  • jimbo

    Glad to hear that I will get to see some of you on Sunday at the CNMC. I’ve been listening for some time now (and loving every minute of it…well okay, many minutes of it- just kidding!) and anxiously await the opportunity to meet you. I am lucky that you guys are coming to my backyard (I live in Marietta, north of ATL).
    See you Sunday!
    (You’ll recognize me as the one with a *insert gasp here* Zune)

    jim

  • http://www.fiorghra.com Emily

    hey guys….i was interested in something Fr. Ryan said during the RCIA question. My parents are divorced (for a long time now) and my father is remarried. Now he and i both know that he has excommunicated himself because of this, but Fr. Ryan mentioned that he may be able to receive viaticum??? i’m presupposing this means that he would have to renounce his second marriage.

    i’m always very concerned for his soul, and make many prayers and sacrifices for him, but is there anything else i could suggest he do? i believe that he never sought an annulment because of me.

    anyway……any advice?

    thank you! and may our Blessed Mother keep all of you safe under her mantle always!

  • http://fatherryan.tumblr.com Fr. Ryan

    Hey Emily – good catch. Indeed, if your father made a firm commitment to refrain from future sexual relations, then he would become a legitimate candidate for confession and would be free to receive the sacraments. This is actually the case at any time, but most people aren’t willing to make that particular commitment.

    Certainly advise him to call a priest if he ever falls ill and is willing to make the commitment to refrain from sin… It’s his right as a Catholic!

  • Ben

    It always struck me as odd that the Church would expect a couple to first undergo a civil divorce before appearing before the Church Tribunal for consideration for annulment. It’s as if the Tribunal intends from the outset to annul the marriage and wants every impediment removed. Granted, I don’t fully understand the ins and outs of Church Teaching on Marriage and Annulment, but if I understood you all clearly from the podcast, it is very inconsistent that the Church in America on one hand seeks to uphold the definition of marriage as a male-female union in the eyes of U.S. law, but on the other hand considers the legal contract of marriage to have little bearing on the mutual obligations of Christian marriage. None of this is to say that The Church has ever shrunk from championing the cause against no-fault civil divorce. But I have never had a harder time in readily understanding the sense of the Church on a matter.

    It would seem the post found at the link below refers to an Advocacy group similarly disoriented by the interaction between The Church’s policies on marriage and civil law.

    http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=255484#255484

  • GeriP

    Show notes Please :)

  • http://www.fiorghra.com Emily

    thank you, Fr. Ryan. at this point, i don’t know that my dad would be willing to do that, but i can still pray and give him the information if he ever actually expresses desire to return to the Church or if he falls ill!

  • http://www.siministries.org Peter Mottola

    No podcast mention of Fr. Brown would be complete without a link to librivox.

    Seriously, I can not only read Chesterton, I can listen to him! People who sit around (or drive around) listening to podcasts for an hour at a clip will derive great enjoyment from this.