Our diocese has been using it for the last two years. The Bishop has decided that it will not be continued after this year as it poses some problems. I do not know the specifics because we no longer use the book, our facilitator just follows the CCC instead so no problems could arise! It is suppossed to be a walk throught the CCC but it is not a "teaching" one really, more of a "feely" one. Not terrible, but is that where we really want the bar?

If it's related to Renew do something else. I was a Renew facilitator for 2 seasons, I think the frirst was Renew and the second was Renew 2000 as I recall. The "picl and choose" edited versions of Catechism material was awesomely accomplished by feminists and other heterodox authors.

I agree. Hubby and I tried it for one session, trying to be good parishioners, but I didn't want to spend my time doing that. Some people really got a lot out of it -- it fit their need for community-building and shared prayer, and I'm not dissing those things -- and some kids (20's-30's) at least got introduced to the fact that the Church has authority from God, manifested in both Scripture and Sacred Tradition. But for Bob and I, who have gone thru RCIA and Cursillo and lots of other stuff, it was not where we needed to be. Reminded me of Little Rock Scripture Study (again, not to diss).

I just want to say we just finished up Arise at my parish and I absolutely loved it. 70 people from my parish participated in the Arise program this fall.

I appreciate reading, learning and being warned about these problematic programs. Orthopraxy - right practice - must be informed by orthodoxy - right belief. Our first-world culture is too pragmatic - whatever works instead of what's right; I don't care if you can clone human-animal beings, it's an abomination!

Amen! IMhO - it also shows what dire times we are in; in better times we could endure the likes of Pope John XII....


Too true! As a Protestant, studying to be a minister, DeMello was recommended to me by a former Jesuit seminarian who had left school and lived for a year in a nudist colony. Curious, I checked his books out anyway and they were rife with new age philosophies and errors about very basic truths (like who God is and what He is like). Unfortunately, especially in the heresy-rife US, there are just too many errors popping up for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to keep up. We need an inquisition - not that our corrupt, inefficient, Quaker-based penal system would know justice if it saw it; we seriously could use one to try the Catholic universities, groups like this, and all the English books and publications with Imprimaturs - to test their orthodoxy. Rather than weeding out Islamic extremists like the original inquisitions this one would weed out the Christophobic extremists.


I am not ready to throw out all small groups. They can be problematic; even in small Protestant churches, small groups are only as good as their leaders, and normalizing that even through rigorous discipleship programs was always a challenge - and they can be pools of ignorance where everyone talks about how they interpreted this or that. That being said, I'd love to find a small group with a Catholic leader of the right caliber. The real support (not just 'sense of community') and catechesis can strengthen faith and relationships to endure very hard trials. I believe the late, great JPII led many, and in a sense that's what DCF is to me.


Fool me once (Renew) shame on you, fool me twice (Renew2000) shame on me, fool me three times (Why Catholic) - wait is this the Darwin Awards? I don't need to dig through trash to know it stinks.

Can bad trees produce good fruit? (Matthew 7:15-20) Can salt springs produce fresh water? (James 3:12)

Even if they are producing orthodox stuff to fill their coffers, what will they use that money, trust and prestige for? We have a big Church and an old Church with a robust intellectual tradition - we don't need new materials as an excuse to meet, learn or evangelize. Summa anyone?

Amen!

I realize you are asking the more experienced folks, and are yourself more experienced than I am, but it's a very interesting question. I tend to think they were better off to have you involved - when we withdraw, we often concede. What do you think?

Since this may seem at odds with my first post, let me explain. If this were in my parish, I'd use the concepts I used in that first post to argue against supporting Renew before the parish council or pastor; however, if I weren't listened to, I'd likely still want to be involved to try to be a voice of authentic Catholic Christianity - to the best of my ability.

We tried it at our parish, but after the first season, Hubby and I decided not to spend our time in Why Catholic, because there were other things we wanted to do.

Our pastor did start an adult ed program that sounded very good; however, it occurs during choir practice and Hubby likes for me to be in choir.

I think one could make arguments both ways: to be salt & light, or to not seem to give one's approval to a deeply flawed (if that were one's opinon) program. I know, such a fence-sitter!

Your phrasing, "deeply flawed" make me think of the possibility of putting oneself into an arena where self-deception could happen - and of the desert fathers who fled the world as if escaping from a shipwreck. It's also a good point that the surface, apparent approval could harm others.

Good thing you said fence instead of bridge, or I'd have to point out that only trolls live on bridges.

I see this is very old. I know that a few years ago, my brother joined in as a leader in a "Why Catholic" deal that his priest was rolling out. It was very good, but he and his wife were leading it.... That may have been why it was good....

I have no idea where some of the people on this forum are obtaining their information from, but some of it is simply WRONG.

Renew has absolutely NO pagan aspects at all. It is 100% Catholic, and it follows the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church.

It is recommended by many Bishop's, as a desirable program to help Catholics relearn (or learn for the first time) their own faith.

Where on earth are you getting this stuff from, that it has "pagan aspects, etc.?

I had heard from some people that "Marriage Encounter" and "Renew" are both "anti-Catholic". I discussed both programs with my old friend, Roger Cardinal Mahoney of Los Angeles (I knew him BEFORE he became a Bishop, much less a Cardinal), and was asurred that both of those programs meet all standards to be recommended by Pastors and Catholic organizations. I will personally take Cardinal Mahoney's recommendation over some anonymous source on a bulletin board.

tom, if you got your info from Cardinal Mahony, maybe that is why you have been misled

iirc, there is a prayer in the renew program which you direct to the spirits of the north, south , east and west ...does that sound solidly Catholic to you?

as far as an 'anonymous source on a bulletin board' , if you would like to dedicate some time to learning the problems with renew...here's a good place to start

http://www.ourladyswarriors.org/renew/index.html

Well I have heard of Christians 'speaking to the Spirits of the North South East and West' but this is taken from the scripture, and it is the believers dictating in the Name above all Names, using this authority, dictating to the fallen angel realm that they Must release their hold on people they are keeping blinded to the truth of the gospel.

The bible says that the demonic gods of this world blind the eyes hearts and minds of unbelievers to the Truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. (they cannot understand or discern it, because there is a demonic interference of blinding going on)

The Christians address this activity and command the demonic realm to release these people out of this process using the authority of the Name of Jesus.

Yes, I have heard of it before, and this is what this means.

However, there are some people who are in the new age and I do not agree with this, but the Catholic renewal in the Holy Spirit is approved by Popes and the Catholic Church.

Renewal in the Holy Spirit is a good thing.

Jesus left, so the Comforter could come. The Holy Spirit is this Comforter. The Acts church were blessed to receive Him, and we are too.