Double Highlight: Fr. Rick Heilman Forwards Fr. Longenecker Article on the "Mad Rad Trad" Issue Opened by Catholic Answers

Hello Everyone.

So the Catholic blogosphere is taking sides again after Catholic Answers let the cat out of the bag with the "Mad Rad Trad" thing. Some bloggers, usually on the pro-Traditionalist side or the `hardcore` Latin Mass/Trad Catholics side, are saying "No titles." Others, are saying that there should be titles and supporting C.A. on their take of their radio show they did on "Radical Traditionalism".

In my blog feed, I subscribe to a blog run by a priest in the USA, in the diocese of Madison, of Madison, Wisconsin. It is the "Knights of Divine Mercy". Aside from running what is an excellent Men's traditional Catholic social/spiritual association, Fr. Heilman posts a number of great articles on his blog dealing with spiritual combat against the Evil One, and calling out the garbage lingering around the social, institutional, and spiritual culture within the Church. He does so with clarity, charity, and true fraternal correction (not abuse).

Today, Fr. Heilman forwarded a great article examining the whole "Mad Rad Trad" issue from another awesome blogging priest, Fr. Dwight Longenecker, a convert from Anglicanism (pre-A.C. ordinates). He also posts in the same vein as Fr. Heilman on a number of issues and is well known in the Catholic blogosphere, alongside his other Patheos network confreres. Do search for the articles Fr. L mentions in his posting, even his humourous ones as "Mantilla the Hon".

I post the exact text here for you to read as it is by far excellent! It is, to me, the best article supporting the argument that we should keep the monikers and the reasons why, of which a couple are those I thought of before reading this article. Here you go, and Pax. Julian.

P.S. I've got something sweet coming up in a couple of hours .....
http://www.knightsofdivinemercy.com/2013/08/03/must-we-call-them-rad-trads/

Must We Call Them Rad Trads?

Fr. Rick Heilman | Aug 03, 2013 | Comments 0

From Fr. Longnecker:

There is a conversation going on over at Catholic Lane on Why the title “Rad Trad” or “Radical Traditionalist” should be dropped. You can go hereto read post.

This interests me because it is a term I use, and despite my best intentions to explain that I am on the traditionalists’ side, that I believe most of them are good, solid Catholics who simply prefer the Extraordinary Form, and that I do not think they are all wild eyed conspiracy theory extremists, still my comment box fills with vituperative remarks from traditionalists who accuse me of being some sort of enemy.

So let me explain why I think “rad trad” and “radical traditionalist” is a good term and why I’ll continue to use it. But before I do, here are a few real comments from my combox:

Wake up people! Francis is a unrepentant socialist, liberation theologist and homophile. And he is lurching the Church into heresy. Homosexuality is an abomination in the eyes of God. And catholic leaders need to identify it as such. Francis is building a case for openly homosexual priests and religious. Disgrace!
As far as my analysis of Francis, his actions speak louder than his words, although his words are bad enough. Take a look at his clerical history. If you have decided to become a Papal sycophant that is your business. And no, I am not a Sede Vacantist. We HAVE a Pope. His name is Benedict. And as far as my accusations, just watch closely in the coming months. Mark my words. Francis will systematically dismantle catholic teaching on abortion, sexuality, homosexuality, euthanasia, the True Presence, Mary’s role in salvation and the Divinity of Jesus.

This is the sort of position I criticize as “Radical Traditionalist” or “Rad Trad”. I could include other comments from my combox which are anti-Semitic, self righteous, hateful, angry, racist and well, insane. I am sure most traditionalists would shake their heads and be sorry for such negativity.
It is for this sort of traditionalist that I reserve the names like “mad rad trad”. Why is it wise to retain the “rad trad” label? Because we can identify this sort of sad individual by the label and not only criticize him, but more positively–support and praise the traditionalists who are NOT like him. If the label “rad trad” is dropped it is more likely that no distinctions will be made and this sort of extremist will be seen to be a spokesman for all traddies.

Some traditionalist critics of my blog has asked why I don’t write posts supporting traditionalist aims. I do. I have written much on necessity for beauty and solemnity in worship. My post on “what I say to my altar servers” has gone viral. My writings on traditional architecture, music and liturgy are widely read and appreciated. My alter ego Mantilla the Hon speaks up in a humorous and feisty way for traditionalist ideals. While I do not celebrate the Extraordinary Form, I’m pleased that permission is given for all to do so who wish to, and if there were a need in our town for me to serve traditionalists by saying the Latin Mass I would learn it happily.

Others critics have wondered why I don’t blast daffy dissenters and radical liberals. I do. My blog is a repository for regular posts lamenting lousy architecture, sappy music, sentimentalized Catholicism and shallow, empty headed progressivism.

To use “Mad Rad Trad” as a category for the extremist end of the traditionalist movement is not to throw stones at all traditionalists. In fact, it helps to defend, support and define the worthy traditionalist movement–the one which is made up of a majority of good, faithful, well intentioned Catholics who are helping the whole church in the “reform of the Reform” and are doing so with intelligence, wit, patience, obedience and faith.

If you are a traditionalist, then my advice is be a radical Catholic, but not a radical traditionalist. Love the traditional ways, support and promote them, but remember the bigger picture. The bigger picture is the whole mission of the Catholic Church. The whole mission of the Catholic Church is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to a needy world. The whole mission of the Catholic Church is to reach out to the needy with the love and healing ministry of Christ. The whole mission of the Catholic Church is to sanctify the people of God and lead us in the paths of holiness. The whole mission of the Catholic Church is to live lives filled with the Holy Spirit which testify to the power and grace and joy that comes from knowing Christ.

By all means be radical in these aims. Use the traditional teachings, devotions and liturgies of the church to do so. Reach out to the world and to other Catholics with joy and affirmation. The traditionalist movement is young and alive! Traditionalists have so much to share with the church, and they are doing so with great zeal, energy and faith. I say to traditionalists, don’t allow yourselves to be swept up into narrow minded little groups who point fingers of blame at everybody else. Don’t allow the angry or insane members of your group to speak for all.

Share the things you treasure with enthusiasm and do not be judgmental and condemnatory of other Catholics who for whatever reasons are not quite where you are. It’s okay to criticize abuse and wrong doing, but it’s also okay to leave them alone and accept them just as you wish to be left alone and accepted. Criticize abuse and wrong doing, but accept criticism when it comes your way. Your critic is often your best friend. Furthermore, if you expect other Catholics to listen to you and learn from you be prepared to listen to them and learn from them.  You may heartily dislike their ways of worship and truly believe they are wrong, wrong, wrong, but the Lord might have some things for you to learn from those Catholics who seem to be your enemy. Are you humble and open enough to listen and learn?

If you receive persecution from other Catholics or are treated unfairly from the hierarchy, respond with meekness and joy. Turn the other cheek. Show the true spirit of Christ that dwells in your hearts, for this is true and valid traditionalism: heart felt love for Jesus Christ and a true and joyful devotion to him as your King and Shepherd.

In my experience of traditionalists I have seen much more of this than the extremist rants and the sour self righteousness that I have criticized. That’s why for me the term “traditionalist” is a positive term, but why I will continue to use “rad trad” or “radical traditionalist” to denote those who do not represent the traditionalist movement well, and whose attitudes and actions lead to schism and strife.

RadTrads Once Again Stir up a Storm of Vitriol in Traddie Land and Harass a Family to Boot

BIG BOLDED WARNING!: I AM BEING THE MOST CURT I HAVE EVEN BEEN IN THIS POST, AND I KNOW "SPIES" WATCH MY BLOG AND HAVE SYMPATHY FOR RADICAL TRADITIONALIST GROUPS AND OTHERS WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER CONDUCT AS TRADITIONAL ROMAN CATHOLICS. SHOULD YOU REPORT BACK TO YOUR MASTERS AND YOU OR THEY, OR OTHERS INVOLVED, DARE TO SEND ME OR MY FRIENDS THREATENING E-MAILS OR ANY OTHER COMMUNICATIONS, I WILL BE IN CONTACT WITH SAID FRIENDS, AND ESPECIALLY MY LAWYER AND MAYBE THE POLICE! CAN'T REMAIN IN CONTROL? CLICK ON AND MOVE ON. ITS A "FREE" COUNTRY ON THE INTERNET. I WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY REQUESTS TO REMOVE MATERIAL. 

IN ADDITION, READ MY BLOG RULES ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE BEFORE POSTING. NO ANONYMOUS PEOPLE, AND IF YOU COMMITT THE CRIMES STATED, I WILL NAME YOU PUBLICALLY FOR YOUR INFRACTION, I WILL NOT POST YOUR COMMENT, AND IF IT IS BY EMAIL, IT WILL BE ARCHIVED AND A COPY SENT TO MY LAWYER.


Hello Everyone.

You just can't seem to escape Radical Traditionalism on the Internet. Just when you think that things calm down, another torrent of stereotypical Rad Trad problems affect the Body of Christ. This time, it decided to cross over into the Novus Ordo, in the harassment of a devout Catholic family involved in providing Catholic Christian Music.

On June 26, 2013, a certain blogger who has affiliations with the Extraordinary Form, decided that he had an issue with a certain music video of a young aspiring artist. The artist is rising up there with the likes of Kathleen Dunn of Dunn Media, Chris Bray, and David Wang and his Catholic band, Critical Mass.

After viewing the video, it was not enough for the blogger to discuss the loss of the sense of the sacredness of the sacred space of Catholic Churches and appropriate decorum and clothes, etc. There are ways to talk about such a topic with Catholic charity, and if needed, necessary fraternal correction, NOT EXCEEDING VIRTUE AND SPIRALLING INTO EMOTIONALLY ANGER AND VITRIOL.

The video in question is here. Blogger can`t find this video with the insert function, so use the link in purple.

 





Further, there were implications thrown around that the video was sexual in some scenes with a focus on the bare feet of the artist. In addition, one of the blogger's friends, who produced the video, became a target of said blogger's wrath. The sad irony in this, is that the producer made a video for the blogger about the beauty of Chant and the Latin Mass. This video is somewhere on the video network, Vimeo.

As the day went on, numerous ``allies`` of the blogger came to say, `Good job` to embarrassing and harassing the young woman publically on his internet blog for the sake of all things holy in the Church. There were valiant defenders who came to the woman`s aid over the past two days, even David Wang himself came out to support his fellow Catholic artist, but since then, those defense comments were removed from the blog and now, that blogger has put comment moderation on everything, with no anonymous comments, period. In past he has deleted comments he didn`t like and even taken down entire posts after confrontation online, so it`s no new thing. Plus I moderate my stuff anyways, knowing there`s people who don`t like me either right? .....

But that doesn`t stop there. The blogger, in continuing insistence, posted today, the 28th June, 2013, ``An Open Letter to ...`` the producer and David Wang, because they were in the wrong in this blogger`s eyes for their actions/defense, and not giving this blogger the time of day. If that was not enough, another blogger who goes under a pseudo-name, with a certain group of men who are EF supporting/Traditional Catholics, decided to support the first with his own posting. The posting starts out as a nice spiritual reflection on the hypocrisy of "c"atholics but turned into a slam fest on the Archdiocese for a concert at their Cathedral a year ago and then attacks the young artist once more.

Again, were these postings true and genuine in their approach, and the language appropriate of someone doing honest fraternal correction as Catholics, there would be no problem.

HOWEVER, once again, these individuals have taken it upon themselves in their actions, to embarrass and misrepresent the Extraordinary Form community. They have acted as elitists in their own power with no order or official mandate of the Church, who act as our Eminence ++ Collins put it in this talk to us young people at the Duke of York pub, starting at 13:10 at this video, as these ``purer Catholics``. In other words, these individuals and their supporters in their comments have functioned as Rad Trads. They have taken it upon themselves, to act as the Archdiocesan and worldwide Church liturgical police, who use detraction, slander, and calumny, to harass their `guilty parties`, which does not discriminate based on age, sex, creed, etc. Even their best friends are targets when they cause an infraction, and being an 18 year old devout Catholic female also does not protect you from their chastisements. Even certain clergy and offices (of the Archdiocese) are not immune to their attacks.

As the sole author of Servimus Unum Deum, of which my fourth major goal of this blog is, reposted from my about page:
``4) Because I am sick and tired of the insults thrown at Traditional/Latin Mass Catholics/practising Catholics: cold-hearted, nasty, radical, hypocritical, hyper-critical of clergy and other Catholics not in line with Traditional Catholicism or the EF Mass, etc. These stereotypes are lies and insults meant to slander and detract us, making us 2nd-class citizens in the Church, both by mis-educated and unwilling critics of the laity and clergy. What a social injustice!!! Even Pope Francis has called such actions (lies) the work of the Devil, under its more formal name: Slander. Our Holy Father has also told us that as Catholics we must be joyful and glad about our faith, without those "long-faces." Unfortunately, like all stereotypes, they are perpetuated by some select people and organizations. They tend to be the most "popular" mouthpieces that are active on the Internet and in dioceses, whether they are diocesan or canonically valid/invalid/in good standing as Catholics. They have provided poor examples to their fellow EF/Traditional or practising Catholics and further perpetuate the stereotypes mentioned above.

I, Julian, here with my blog, Servimus Unum Deum, hope to serve as a counter-example to those aforementioned examples, speaking with as much charity and proper fraternal correction as possible on such matters, though I will not hesitate to "call a spade a spade" when absolutely warranted. More importantly, may I and my blog serve to show that truly, most EF/Traditional Catholics are sinners who do their best to express faith, hope, and charity, while attempting to follow the Catholic faith in their fullness and put it in practice in their daily lives.

Major Messages:
Therefore, I will now say what is necessary on this matter which has caused damage to this young artist and her family, her producer, and has once again brought undeserved (for the majority,) shame and condemnation of the EF/Latin Mass/Solid and Orthodox Catholic Community.

1) In a nutshell, yes, perhaps a little more clothing (e.g. a shawl or a super-lightweight long sleeve sweater) could have been worn, and the sandals/shoes kept on in the video for the sake of proper decorum. For that type of song, perhaps another venue could have been used or a soundstage/green-screen used to "mimic" a church with a disclaimer if needed. We as a whole, Catholic society, need to reclaim the sense of the sacred and that the Catholic Church is a "House of God." If concerts and the like must be done in a Church, may they adhere to Canon Law, Archdiocesan guidelines, and whatever other Vatican documents cover this topic. That is not to say people will intentionally ignore these laws, but as it seems, the artist and her team did go through lengths to secure permission with the proper authorities in the Church to do the video.

2) However, in light of (1), the greater and more devious, even Satanic sins here were committed by members of, or who associate with the Extraordinary Form community. They have used their social media and communications to publically humiliate and harass the young artist and her family and the producer. This behaviour is stereotypical of Rad Trads, and IT IS PREPOSTEROUS!!! We are working so hard to help carry out Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's "reform of the reform" and the New Evangelization, and you go an ruin it with actions like this!!! And this is not your only occasion this has occurred! These bloggers also damage relations within the EF community in the Archdiocese of Toronto, and even criticise in a manner of insult and detraction the Office of the Archdiocese of Toronto on numerous occasions in a "We are more Catholic than you" manner. And you wonder why ++Collins has to tell the young people to watch out for types like this.

3) The only justice I can see here, would be the complete removal of the published postings on the blogs, and a formal, written apology by both bloggers, that is not general for the specific actions committed against the performer, her family, and her producer. That apology would need to remain permanent and fixed, unedited, and never deleted, for all time as long as those blogs stand.


There. I have spoken on this matter. The sad part is if they keep this up, they might just destroy the Latin Mass in my Archdiocese for good. They are not stupid and with this age of internet reporting, some people, perhaps those who had, or do associate with these individuals, will turn on them and do the same thing they are doing. And the rest of us will suffer in the politics of it all.

Why cannot we all just love one another as Christ loved us, and follow His example in the Gospels when matters of the soul absolutely had to be dealt with?

Pax Tibi Christ, Julian Barkin.

Update 0729pm
It seems that ties have been severed between the first blogger and producer of the young artist`s video. It`s a shame really. It`s as if there is no such thing as philios or the love of friendship anymore, not even in Traditional Catholicism.

Off the Beaten Path: Turning Back the Clock to 1962 - 2nd Attempt at Straight Razor Shaving

Hello Everyone,

So, as you saw in my first ever, failed attempt at straight razor shaving, it didn't quite do so well. Therefore I decided one likely issue was it wasn't "shave-ready" or in other words, my blade was dull. Thus I finally got the said Japanese, water stone for honing from www.classicedge.ca/ I ordered, and I decided to go for round two.

These first two videos are the honing portion of fine tuning my blade into a beard-cutting machine. The first video explains what I got and shows the coarse side honing, the second the fine side honing and the "thumb" test I was talking about:

Introduction and Coarse Honing

Fine Honing and the Thumb Test for Readiness

Great, just had to cuss at one point .... just goes to show you how we are so used to swearing in our modern culture, throwing out words like water. 

And so, we turn to the morning after. Here I take my second attempt at straight razor shaving. I stop the blade again, and actually count my oil drops,  and will see if this time, I get my shave .... with stypic pencil at the ready for minor oops-ies. Might I add I am not working for a few days so in case of accidents, I don't go to work as if Freddie Kruger had a field day with my face?

Just before Stropping the blade and putting cloth on face

Adding pre-shave oil and the inevitable shave .... 

So did it work??? ..... Well, It was definitely cutting away much more hair than usual, however, no sweet clean shave. Still, the blade being dull WAS a significant problem to my success. Therefore I am now considering doing either, some of, or all of 1) more honing; 2) possibly buying shaving cream, or 3) shaving after 18-24 hours with less hair, instead of after 2 days of growing a jungle and trying to hack it all down with a machete. I'll be trying to shave after a bit more honing tonight to see if that will help, and then trying once more tomorrow.

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian.  

Off the Beaten Path: Turning Back the Clock to 1962 - Failed Attempt at Straight Razor Shaving

Hello to all,

This post .... is not specifically about the Latin Mass, though it is connected in a sense. It deals also with a general trend of young chaps in my generation, whether they be EF-attending young men or not. I'll let the introductory video explain away, though excuse my ugly, fat, bloated mug of a face first thing in the morning. The camera does add 10 pounds. And like I say in the video, I can't believe I am exposing myself like this .....

Introductory Video

And now without further ado, my miserable attempt at doing something of Traditional Man Culture/tradition/Latin Mass Culture circa 1962 .... whereupon I fail miserably.

Part 1 of the Shaving Fail

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Anyhow, likely the razor was not in a "ready-to-shave" condition, as I did a test from YouTube videos, the thumb/thumbnail test, and it was a smooth glide, so likely the answer is dullness (though I should go easy on the shave oil). I've taken the liberty of spending my hard earned work money, and ordered myself a special water honing stone from a Canadian company in Oakville, www.classicedge.ca/ to sharpen my blade. Once I get it, I'll film the sharpening of my razor and try again. 

And spiritually speaking, cause the wolves are ready to pounce on me saying "hypocrite! Vulgar brute you swearing fiend!" I did go to confession later that day and DID confess using vulgarity to the self in excitement or self-conversation at no less than a Latin Mass Parish. So if you want to be a Pharisee remember my blog rules, and depending how vitrolic you are, you'll get a yellow card or be booted from S.U.D. and your posts archived for evidence.

As for the rest of you, if you think its something else besides sharpening my blade or less oil, let me know. Maybe I need more stropping than 10-15 passes?

Pax, Julian Barkin.