Sunday, October 08, 2006

La Salette Missionaries in crisis

This particular story comes as no surprise to me. Last year I chronicled some of the dissent within that troubled Religious Community. Our Lord does not bless infidelity. And the La Salette Missionaries are simply reaping what they have sown. According to this article, the message of La Salette "no longer grabs young people the way it once did." I disagree. The problem is not with the message Our Lady brought to the world through her apparitions at La Salette France. The problem is one of fidelity to that message within the La Salette Missionary Community itself as well as one of infidelity.

This is not to say that there are not many good and faithful La Salette Missionaries. But a spiritual dry-rot has seeped into the community and this fact itself calls for a return to Magisterial fidelity and to an earnest commitment toward the message of reconciliation.

According to one La Salette priest (who once said that there is "wiggle room" on the question of ordaining women to the ministerial priesthood), young people are deterred from even considering religious life "because they are shaped by a culture obsessed with material wealth."

This may be a factor to some degree. What this priest neglects to mention is that many young people do come forward only to be rejected because they are too "Magisterial" or "pre-Vatican II" and others are turned off because of the infidelity they witness or the lack of commitment to an authentic prayer life.

It's always easy to blame the laity or young people's commitment to faith or our society in general. It's much more difficult to take some responsibility and to begin with an examination of one's own attitudes. But a pharisaical approach to the vocations crisis, a crisis which is largely man-made, will not produce any positive fruit.

Paul

6 comments:

Marie Cecile said...

There are two La Salette Shrine's I have ever gone to, and I have found Holiness upon walking through them. I shudder to think that the one's that follow the message of our Lady can go so far away from her message and still have a place of Holiness. Yet the grounds are.

Paul Anthony Melanson said...

Yes Marie Cecile, it is profoundly disturbing. Of course, as I mentioned, there are also many fine and holy La Salette Missionaries. But there is also the question of dissent from Magisterial teaching on the part of some.

We must always avoid blanket condemnations and judgments rendered as to an individual's interior motives. At the same time, when there is dissent, we must have the Cardinal virtue of Fortitude and speak the truth both in season and out of season. That is to say, whether it's popular or not.

I have a great love for the La Salette message (which is why I dedicated this Blog to Our Lady of La Salette and her message of reconciliation). Because I truly love this message of reconciliation, rather than simply paying lip service to it, I insist - as Pope Benedict XVI just did - that it is the truth which paves the way for an authentic reconciliation.

When we embrace the truth about ourselves, we are all the more readily disposed to accept Our Lady of La Salette's message of reconciliation. When I accept the truth that I am a weak sinner in need of God's Mercy and Forgiveness, then reconciliation may begin. When I accept the truth that it is the Magisterium which has been made the authentic teacher and interpreter of divine revelation - in both Sacred Scripture and Tradition - then I am more readily disposed to accept the fact that the Church is Mater et Magistra (Mother and Teacher) and that I am not. Therefore, it is my role to conform to the Church's teaching and not to "correct" Holy Mother Church.

When a La Salette priest says that he believes there is "wiggle room" on the question of ordaining women to the ministerial priesthood, I cringe. This because such an attitude is, in reality, a rejection of the La Salette message of reconciliation.

God love you Marie Cecile,
Paul

Marie Cecile said...

Thank you Paul,

When I stopped at the Chapel last night, in the entryway there were some books and stuff free that people drop off for others to take. When I looked I found a La Salette "From the high peaks, Mary calls us to" Editions Du Signe by Roger Castel.It was amazing since this was from my drive back, where I almost went to La Salette Shrine to console myself and the hurt I was suffering. But I turned around and came back home when I was a 45 minutes away. Since it was after 6p.m. it wouldn't have been smart to go. So to make this brief, when I saw this beautiful edition, I know Our Lady was reaching out to me. I was also able to get a book called the "The Book of Infinite Love" by Father Patrick O'Connell, and also a book of The collected works of St. Teresa of Avila Volume two. I think God has somehow sent these special gifts for a reason and I thank him and you for being a friend to me.

God love you

Paul Anthony Melanson said...

Dear Marie Cecile,

Thank you for that powerful witness. I am saddened to hear that you have felt hurt in some way. I will keep you in my prayers and remember you at Holy Mass.

Keep your chin up and your eyes cast toward Heaven.

God love you sister,
Paul

Marie Cecile said...

Paul,

Your welcome! And thank you for the prayers and especially remembering me at Mass. My hurts are nothing and they are gone. But mostly thank you for the sentiment about keeping my eyes cast towards Heaven. That is none stop believe me.

God love you

Sister in Christ,
Marie Cecile

Anonymous said...

Dear Marie,

I love the La Salette story and think the mystery behind the dying nature of the order was predicted by melanie, herself. She said the order would nearly die out and then the Blessed Mother would ressurect it somehow. She also had some notion of a special relious order called the "Mother of God, Apostles of the End Times" and I have been trying to find out what the rules for this order were. I am wondering if this order had to do with the triumph of Mary and the title of Mediatrix of All Graces. Did anyone ever establish a cause of death for Melanie? She was found dead in her home, alone. She was a little lost soul when it comes to fitting into the church and I think many lay people today who follow the Marian apparitions can relate to that at times. I was wondering why the bodies of Melanie and Maxine had never beeen exhummed to see if they are incorrrupt and if anyone has ever looked into whether Melanie's fears that there was a secret society in France that meant to hurt the church were true. All of this is very mysterious and I wish someone would work to uncover the truth.

God Bless, Mary Zore

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