Dear Editor,

Judging by the tone of your correspondent [who said the Steubenville conference was "great"], we are entitled to ask, which Jesus did he find at such a disorientated gathering?

It also has to be noted the rather facile use of the word "love" considering the guidelines Our Blessed Lord left behind, saying "obey my commandments" which includes adhering to His teachings faithfully in obedience to the Will of the Father in Heaven. It is utterly incredible that so-called Catholics can consider this "obedience" as being instructed in the Faith by sectarian Protestants who scatter the kingdom of God on Earth with their diverse often non-Christian perspectives on Christianity.

Furthermore, the use of demonic rock music does nothing to enhance rational divine spirituality: even David Bowie declared that rock music is the Devil's music... Moreover, the undignified, slapstick animal behavior reduces worship of God to the level of the ridiculous. The near-heretical super-dogma of these "charismatics" that somehow we need "baptism in the spirit" also transgresses the dogmatic teaching of the Church which rightly informs us that we have already received this wonderful grace at Baptism & again in Confirmation. This exclusive "worship" of "the spirit" also compels us to ask: Which spirit are they talking about? Judging by the abuse of glossolalia as speaking in tongues, then the absolutely delusional and un-Catholic nature of this false gospel is illustrated.

The fact that literally millions of once Catholics have lost and continue to lose the Roman Catholic Faith to this destructive & dysfunctional movement demonstrates its fraudulent nature. The Church in Latin America is being decimated by it. Here, where we live, there are complaints that its anti-disciples stop going to Mass, interpret the Bible to suit themselves, and often form their own autonomous gatherings with similar behaviors as above. They place themselves beyond the authority of the Church and its magisterial teachings.

The best advice one could give a young Catholic is to keep well away from such emotionally and behaviorally disturbing trends. Far better it would be to find a good traditional parish with a rich sacramental life. It is in this manner that we may surely find Our Blessed Lord in all His spiritual affluence and His superabundant redemptive grace, and keep Him for ever.

In Christo Domino et Maria,

     Hugh MacCamley
     Social Science lecturer

Dear Hugh O'Reilly,

Thank you for your wonderful article about Cathedral: Symbol of Paradise. After being away from the faith for some 30 years I've reverted back and your articles, the entire Tradition in Action website, books, CDs, etc have helped me understand what the true Traditional Catholic faith is, was, and with our Heavenly Mother Mary's help will be again.

I didn't know any of the symbolism of the Cathedral and found your article very interesting, and since I research and study into things, wanting to know more.

What struck me if, the Cathedral is a symbol of paradise, what is the horrible monstrosity that was built at Fatima a symbol of? Or really any modern Catholic church for that matter.

You write "the cathedral is a figure of the City of God, the Celestial Jerusalem, an image of Paradise" yet I don't see that in the new Fatima church. Where you write, "[the] House of God must be illuminated by the rays of the sun" from the photos, I've not been to Fatima, I didn't see any windows in the Fatima church.

What I see with the Fatima church is an ugly hideous church built to destroy the Faith. Where the Cathedral is a Symbol of Paradise, the Fatima church is a symbol of Hell.

Thanks for educating me in the true, unaltered, traditional Catholic faith as given to us by Jesus through the Apostles.

     Sincerely,

     R.T.

July 17, 2008

His Eminence Cardinal Roger Mahony
Archdiocese of Los Angeles
3424 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90010-2202

Your Eminence,

I have occasion to drive the Hollywood freeway through downtown often. Every time I look at the "Cathedral" my blood boils. I have visited cathedrals in London (St Paul's) Florence, Köln, Rome (St Peter's), Santiago (Chile), Morelia, Mexico City, La Habana, Caracas. It is not a question of rococo or Renaissance. It is not a question of money. It's a question of talent less hucksters who pretend to be le dernier cri and hoodwink people for millions. You, dear sir, have been had.

Los Angeles is full of trashy people with more money than taste. Never mind about the priests - the Protestants (and politicians) do that and worse. The really serious crime is being saddled with what looks like a squat, 200-million-dollar warehouse for recycled materials. I am not the only one, by far, that feels this way.

But wait. All is not lost. In keeping with the "modern" look, I have added a vaulted dome of steel and glass (picture at right). When has anyone ever heard of a cathedral that didn't have a dome? THAT IS THE WHOLE PURPOSE! You are supposed to let your thoughts and prayers float up to the heavens. Otherwise all you have is a warehouse.

You could say the cathedral is only half-finished and is going into its second, and final stage. The stairways with glass walls allow visitors to walk around and get a magnificent view of the city (you can go up St Peter's, but all you see is the nave below, unless you go outside). Donations to go up top could be used to pay for its construction. It could be included in all travel brochures and all advertising. It would become an important Los Angeles landmark, and rightly so. Non-Catholics could enjoy the trip without disturbing the service, since they would be separated by glass from the mass below. Or, they could only go up when there was no mass being given. Those are details that can be worked out.

My dear Cardinal Mahony: it breaks my heart to have this eyesore hit me in the face every time I drive through. There is a question of your legacy to consider. Do you really want to be remembered as the person who oversaw the construction of what could easily pass for a lumberyard? Our Cathedral should be beautiful, a source of pride, inspirational and uplifting, something that reaches toward the heavens, something to be admired by the general public, a focal point in the life of Los Angeles, a meeting place for the masses, Catholic and tourist alike, all of God's creations. The Cathedrals I mentioned have daily lines of people waiting for their tour guide. A visit to most of those cities is unthinkable without a tour of those Cathedrals.

Instead here, it's Disneyland or some studio tour. Los Angeles began as a Catholic city in 1781, this honorable tradition should not be allowed to slip into second place, and then into oblivion. By giving ground to secular businesses that bring in money hand over fist, we are committing a grievous sin. Our Catholic population needs to be revitalized. We can have religious tolerance without being swallowed up by foreign elements that do not bode well for us as Catholics. Protestants and others have taken over the economic and cultural life of the city in spite of the fact that the immigrant populations are almost universally Catholic. Those immigrants are not foreigners; they are our very own people. The Protestants want to proselytize them and turn them into anti-Catholics. They do this through the media in subtle ways. A magnificent Cathedral, open to all and putting forth the original Gospel as a reminder of its timelessness, is a good place to start.

     I will keep you in my prayers,

     Antonio Bernal
     2901 Covina St.
     Los Angeles CA 90032

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  The Spirit of Steubenville is Protestant

  Fusion Catholicism at Steubenville

  Cathedral: Symbol of Paradise

  Mahony's Controversial Cathedral - Part I

  Mahony's Controversial Cathedral - Part II