23 Wednesday Dec 2015
Posted in Faith
Just to let you all know that I will be confirmed as a 
catholic at St Anne’s in Stanley, Hong Kong, where I live, this coming Sunday. Pray for unity, and a boundary-less church. And with humility that’s it from me – for now. Also, a graphic and a book that might be good for the questioning to understand RCIA better. Hope you all have a loving 2016 too. S.
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A Merry Christmas to you and the folks who comment here. May next year prove to be even better.
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And a Merry Christmas to you Rudy.
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Cheers, Dave!
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. . . and to you Rudy. Great to have you with us. 🙂
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The feeling is more than mutual. It’s been a pleasure getting to comment with my RC and Protestant friends here, sharing a bit of Orthodoxy and learning much along the way.
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I know what you mean. I have learned much from all the contributors here . . . I think we all have found some interfaith fellowship here.
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Wow! Congratulations! Praise the Lord! A truly awesome gift from God for Christmas. Thanks for sharing this great news. God bless. Ginnyfree.
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Thanks Ginnyfree.
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Merry Christmas my old friend. This is quite the surprise and I wish you all the joy that I have been blessed with in my own conversion. God bless you and yours.
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Dittos! Struans, could you also consider posting a conversion story. Inquiring minds want to know. Thanks, and best to you.
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Thanks Steve. I had always intended to comment, but lack of time intervened. Also, I have been undergoing a sort of formation process, and I felt a certain lack of humility were I to give a running commentary. But I will now make a start!
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Thanks Dave.
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Nice to see you here Struans. Hope you had a nice holiday.
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Oh dear.
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Oh yes, they are everywhere and growing. Jock, have you ever thought of becoming Catholic? And one more question, whats with your wordpress blog name, do you identify with the “Beast?”
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Steve – nope, I don’t identify with the beast, the user name jockmcsporran666 simply seems appropriate for contributing to internet discussions (as does a William McGonagal avatar).
You should be careful what you wish for with Struans. Unless he has had a miraculous conversion and has seen the light on issues such as gay marriage and gay clergy, then you probably don’t want him as an ally.
On the more general issue – yes, I once thought about Catholicism, back in 1985 – but I rapidly changed my mind. The whole idea of celibacy for the priesthood seemed so weird, incomprehensible and unnatural (at an intuitive level) that I thought it best to run a mile. Back then, I didn’t know anything about non-linear orientations. It never occurred to me until later that such a thing seriously existed – I simply found it weird that people were required to, and agreed to, give up the right to normal decent family life.
Right now, I live in a ‘Catholic’ country, where an important issue for me is to protect my children from Catholicism (which I consider to be a malign influence).
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Well, never mind, Jock, There’s always next year.
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Eccles – struans is all over the place. Next year he’ll probably join the rastapharians.
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I too explained the evil of the C of M to my daughter a long time ago. She attends a gathering of mostly born againers. My girlfriend was born and raised Mary, but her 2 kids have never seen the inside of a Mary temple. I introduced them to the local Calvary, where there are a number of saved people. Not all are saved, but they are working on it.
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Jock McSporran, a doctor, a mad-dog Scot and amateur historian. William Topaz McGonagall was a Scottish weaver, doggerel poet and actor. He won notoriety as an extremely bad poet who exhibited no recognition of, or concern for, his peers’ opinions of his work.
Are you any or all of these? Which Catholic country? From whom did you come to think of the Catholic Church as evil, or did you just pop out of the womb with this profound understanding?
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Steve – thanks for yours.
Nope – I’m not a historian (I am a Scot, though) – I only know what I pick up from pub discussions.
You don’t appreciate the poetry of William McGonagall??? You need an education. Try this one:
http://www.mcgonagall-online.org.uk/gems/a-new-years-resolution-to-leave-dundee
which is seasonal; he explains his new year’s resolution to leave Dundee.
I understood that the Catholic church was a malign influence ever since I understood that their priests took a vow of celibacy.
Country – I prefer not to say.
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Jock, let me try to get this straight. Just because one of your peers, both of you being of good will, makes a decision that you find weird, you jump all the way to thinking the whole institution is evil? AND your extensive knowledge and understanding comes from sitting on a bar stool? Wow. Very, very few Catholic priests are worthy of your disgust. Many more of your (again your peers) fellow pub patrons leave drunk and kill or maim themselves and others. So, I guess you also think pubs and liquor (a malign influence) should be outlawed, alas to protect your kids. The best way to protect your kids is to teach them to think, to hold more than one thought in their head at the same time, and to be able to discuss and debate with their peers without malice.
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Steve – a gentle question: did you ever learn how to read? Or at least to understand what the words and phrases mean? Because your reply isn’t connected with what I wrote.
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OK Einstein, explain it to me.
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Hi steve – on the whole I’d rather not – something about casting pearls before swine comes to mind.
Enjoy the season.
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Well done that man. What Bosco would call a saved pusson.
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Congratulations, Struans – and so good to see you here, as it were. A holy and happy Christmas and a good 2016 to you 🙂 xx
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Thanks Jess. I hope now to write a little of my own journey, should you and C continue in your generous extension of allowing me to write on your blog.
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You are, my very dear Struans, still registered as an author, and I would be utterly, utterly delighted to read more from you. So nice to have you back- and congratulations on your conversion – or home-coming as I hope it seems 🙂 xx
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What good news. I am so glad your journey has come to this point – such richness ahead. Welcome home my friend – and a happy Christmas and a good 2016 to come.
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Thank you C. As you know, I contacted you some time ago – but I have, I hope, ‘poped’ without any sense of the triumphalism that is to be avoided, according to RCIA.
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I was delighted to hear it. I remain deeply attached to my old Church, and were there a branch of the Ordinariate locally, I should join it. Triumphalism, like convertitits, is to be avoided 🙂
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Welcome home indeed Struans. Have a blessed Christmas.
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Struans, I second Steve Brown’s suggestion that you take some time and tell us your conversion story. Each story is so special and different and it teaches us how God works His Will in such wondrous ways.
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Thank you David. I hope to comment soon.
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See here my good man Struans…..you must be joking. You do have a sence of humor afterall. MMMmaaaaaahahahahahahahahaha.
Who in their rite mind would join that carousel of depravity? I read on the news Monday that His Holiness want to get rid of the greed and corruption in the Vatican. The bishops and curia are fighting him on that. They don’t want refoms. They want to keep being greedy and corrupt. Heck, that’s the way its always been.
But I wish to clear up something. I Bosco, and not critical of the curia et al for stuffing their pockets with money. It was donated fair and square. Its just sitting there. Might as well enjoy it. Lord knows I would be bringing home boxfuls all the time.
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