The Good Shepherd - Strickland's Latest Letter
Bishop Strickland is a true shepherd after the Heart of Jesus Christ.
He is definitely under attack so please pray for him!
He has issued a new pastoral letter -- one of the best I've ever seen! It is full of zeal for the Catholic Faith and genuine charity for his flock. Here's a particularly important passage:
In the weeks and months ahead, many of these truths will be examined as part of the Synod on Synodality. We must hold fast to these truths and be wary of any attempts to present an alternative to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or to push for a faith that speaks of dialogue and brotherhood, while attempting to remove the fatherhood of God. When we seek to innovate upon what God in His great mercy has given us, we find ourselves upon treacherous ground. The surest footing we can find is to remain firmly upon the perennial teachings of the faith.
Regrettably, it may be that some will label as schismatics those who disagree with the changes being proposed. Be assured, however, that no one who remains firmly upon the plumb line of our Catholic faith is a schismatic. We must remain unabashedly and truly Catholic, regardless of what may be brought forth. We must be aware also that it is not leaving the Church to stand firm against these proposed changes. As St. Peter said, “Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (Jn 6:68) Therefore, standing firm does not mean we are seeking to leave the Church. Instead, those who would propose changes to that which cannot be changed seek to commandeer Christ’s Church, and they are indeed the true schismatics.
I urge you, my sons and daughters in Christ, that now is the time to make sure you stand firmly upon the Catholic faith of the ages.
The full text can also be found here: https://www.dioceseoftyler.org/2023/08/23/pastoral-letter-from-bishop-strickland-august-2023/
On line, the usual pro-Francis lobbyists are attacking him as a schismatic, but any Catholic worth their salt can recognise that Strickland is a bishop who loves the Catholic faith and is worried about the wolves he sees and hears attacking the deposit of faith!
Is bishop Strickland seeing enemies where there are none? It is hard to disagree with his assessment of the situation. As we have seen.
We wait to see the outcome of the Apostolic visit to Tyler but given the Chinese are making bishops without reference to Rome and the Indians are ignoring the Pope's orders it is increasingly difficult to see Pope Francis as the great bridge builder (Pontifiex Maximus) he is more like the great divider!
We’re headed for schism aren’t we? I’m in a personal crisis right now and find it hard to maintain a desire to follow church teachings. But will those church teachings even maintain much longer?
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