Parishioners, priest from closed St. Peter Catholic Church defy bishop... (salvation, churches)
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the bishop sent letters at the end of March of this year to each member of St. Peter's, suggesting their salvation was in jeopardy if they conducted worship services outside of a sanctioned church.
Devout Catholics breaking away from diocesan control is not unheard of today, church observers say.
Michele Dillon, an expert on Catholic history and chair of the sociology department at the University of New Hampshire, said it's hard to come up with a number, because so many breakaway groups are quietly organized, not wanting publicity.
She said she was aware of at least 30 across the country. "Most of them can be described as good Catholics, very committed to Catholic traditions -- liturgy, prayer, even the rosary," said Dillon, who has done extensive research on breakaway Catholic groups.
"The irony is most who splinter off are actually more Catholic in their beliefs than main-stream Catholics. But they really challenge the authority of the hierarchy."
As I have mentioned many times we the people of God are the Church
I do get a kick out of the bishop for suggesting their salvation was in jeopardy, perhaps the bishop should get a real job.
“The people of St. Stanislaus had been abandoned for almost two years,” said Mr. Bozek, 35, who said his first Mass at the embattled church at a 2005 Christmas Eve service that attracted an estimated 2,000 people. “As a Catholic priest I felt responsible to provide the sacraments to people who have been spiritually starved by their shepherds.”
Many Catholics have started intentional Euchristic Communities throughout the world which resemble the house churches in the early Church, kind of going back to the Church's roots/tradition.
There are several in my neck of the woods in Northern Virginia
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