If anyone has any doubt that the SSPX is heading towards official schism with Rome, this article from Where Peter Is is essential reading. Mike Lewis does an excellent job of presenting the history of SSPX in its relation to Rome.
Of particular interest to me was an incredible exchange between Pope St. Paul VI and the founder of the SSPX. Amazing stuff.
I’ve been exploring Catholic spaces on Reddit and r/Catholicism seems to be one of the more active subreddits. But the more I read there the more astonished I am by how slanted it seems to be towards a kind of right-wing traditionalism that sometimes even leans towards sedevacantism and schism. What’s going on over there? And does anyone have any suggestions for subreddits that are a bit more “normie”?
Hi everybody! I’ve been looking for more community that embraces the two most important parts of my identity. I am a transgender woman and lesbian who is also a Catholic. I do not see these things as contradictory; rather, they complement and reinforce one another in my eyes. My story:
I was raised in a very Catholic family. My grandfather was a Croatian immigrant to the United States and my father grew up with twelve brothers and sisters! We attended Mass regularly until I was in my early teens when my parents—frustrated with the politicization of life in our parish—stopped taking me and my sister. I received First Communion there, but was not Confirmed.
I turned back to the Church in college and was Confirmed at the local Newman Center. The Church remained important to me, but I was still troubled in my heart. Something wasn’t right, and it would take years before I figured out what is was.
When I realized that I was transgender it was for me not unlike the encounter on the road to Damascus was for Paul: swift, apocalyptic, and joyous. I began to feel comfortable with myself for the first time, and it deepened my relationship with God. I would never have made it this far without my faith and the support of the saints.
Now I am about to start a PhD program in Religion. I hope my work can play a small role in healing the rifts that sometimes separate the Church and the LGBTQ community.
Thank you for reading!