Category: Letters to the editor

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Paul Krogman

An ‘ordinary Catholic’ who loves Church music

To the editor:

I must take vigorous issue with the guest columns by the “intellectuals” who are so overloaded with their degrees and superior intellect that they feel they must ridicule us ordinary Catholics in rather harsh words. The weight of all this arrogance has seemed to have squeezed out the humility that was exemplified by our Savior.

For those of us out in the real world, which, by the way, is the vast majority of God’s people, we are the branches of the Church. Jesus said, “I am the Vine and you are the branches.” He did not say, “I only want to hear you praise Me with 100-voice choirs singing Handel’s Messiah.”

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Paul Krogman

An ‘ordinary Catholic’ who loves Church music

To the editor:

I must take vigorous issue with the guest columns by the “intellectuals” who are so overloaded with their degrees and superior intellect that they feel they must ridicule us ordinary Catholics in rather harsh words. The weight of all this arrogance has seemed to have squeezed out the humility that was exemplified by our Savior.

For those of us out in the real world, which, by the way, is the vast majority of God’s people, we are the branches of the Church. Jesus said, “I am the Vine and you are the branches.” He did not say, “I only want to hear you praise Me with 100-voice choirs singing Handel’s Messiah.”

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Bill T. Wambach

A ‘low-brow’ who likes folk-style music

To the editor:

Since you permitted Nico Fassino to use your pages of October 12 for a Guest Column titled: “Why I hate bad Church music,” I hope you will allow me to express my opinion, honed over 87 years.

Nico expresses HIS personal opinion that: “The value of proper liturgical music has nothing to do with . . . what your personal opinions are about music.”  Is he saying “his” is more important than others? Or, does his personal opinion ALSO have nothing to do with the value of liturgical music?

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On
Bill T. Wambach

A ‘low-brow’ who likes folk-style music

To the editor:

Since you permitted Nico Fassino to use your pages of October 12 for a Guest Column titled: “Why I hate bad Church music,” I hope you will allow me to express my opinion, honed over 87 years.

Nico expresses HIS personal opinion that: “The value of proper liturgical music has nothing to do with . . . what your personal opinions are about music.”  Is he saying “his” is more important than others? Or, does his personal opinion ALSO have nothing to do with the value of liturgical music?

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Peggy Rakow

God has gifted us with many, varied types of music

To the editor:

While I do enjoy music created by creative dead white Europeans, I also find that God has gifted us with many new and varied types of music for our time.

Nico Fassino writes that the Mass is not for “us” and I must agree with him.

BUT! I also know that the Mass is our most intimate experience with the living and active Christ. In the Mass not only do we worship God, but we find Him with us          . . . speaking to us in the Gospel and homily, praying with and for us, teaching us, comforting us, forgiving us, feeding us, and blessing us.

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Jeff Davis

Church gives guidance on how to choose a candidate

To the editor:

For whom to vote????

As the level of negativity, untruths, and confusion escalates, it becomes harder and harder to choose the proper candidate for whom to vote. Some people lack a moral compass and others a moral authority to help them with their decision. We who are Catholic have the compelling moral authority of our Church to give us direction.

The guide on Faithful Citizenship was first drafted from the Catechism of the Catholic Church by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2000. Even though it is published every four years before our November elections, it is primarily meant to give us direction in forming our conscience on important issues.

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Dan Berns

Misguided values should not control our lives

To the editor:

We are parents of 10 children (nine living), unplanned parenthood if you choose to call it that. We have never owned a new automobile nor have we relied on food stamps or unemployment compensation for which we may have qualified at times.

Our children were taught personal responsibility in the context of strong Catholic education. These children, with our 29 grandchildren, are welcome members in the communities where they reside. The eighth child is a Catholic priest. Collectively, our children hold five master’s degrees and speak 11 languages.

Family size should not be judged numerically, but rather on the ability to care for and guide the children. Two children can be too many, and five too few.

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Timothy Rookey

Election will decide future

To the editor:

The election of 2012 will decide what kind of future our children and grandchildren will have: one based on Christian moral principles or one based on the wholesale discarding of them. The Obama Administration champions no limit on abortions up to nine months of gestation, gay marriage, and limitations on our religious freedom.

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