©1997 Victor R. Claveau, MJ
As I was walking into Holy Family Church in Hesperia, California, I received a message that our pastor wanted to speak to me in the parish office. Upon entering his office, Monsignor showed me a flyer announcing that the anti-Catholic video “Catholicism, Crisis of Faith” was to be shown at a local church called “Praise Chapel” pastored by James Lewis. He expressed concern that this might be a misrepresentation of the Church. Monsignor asked if I would check things out and, if necessary, represent the Catholic community at the presentation.
This video quotes noted Catholic dissenters such as Rev. Andrew Greeley and Rev. Richard McBrien; publications such as The National Catholic Reporter; ex-priests Bob Bush, Bart Brewer, and Victor Affonso; ex-nuns; and a few Catholics who are obviously ignorant of the Church’s true teachings. It twists Fr. Richard Chilson’s interview by selective editing and blatantly misquotes Fr. John Hardon’s Catholic Catechism. In short, this video consistently distorts and ridicules the Catholic Church and her teachings.
I telephoned Pastor Lewis and explained that the film misrepresented the Catholic position almost entirely and that he would be doing his congregation a disservice by showing it. I offered to meet with him at his convenience to review the video together, in the hope that I would be able to point out the gross distortions. After an hour of fruitless conversation, he assured me that he was interested in the truth, but he refused to meet.
Needless to say, I was a bit upset. I decided that I could not let this video be shown without some defense of the Church. I telephoned a few friends, they in turn called others, and that evening 17 Bible-toting Catholics (the Bibles were our disguise), including one priest, attended the program. Many of these people had driven as far as 50 miles.
The congregation greeted us with enthusiasm and as Pastor Lewis introduced himself to each of the newcomers, he asked our names. When I gave him my name he asked if I was the same “Victor” who had telephoned him two days before. When I answered, “Yes,” he asked me to accompany him to the back of the chapel. There he informed me that he had four male ushers and that if I caused any disturbance, they would eject me. I then asked him if this was a place of God and he answered, “Yes.” I then told him that I would no more cause a disturbance in his church, as I would expect him to cause a disturbance in mine. I then reminded him of the Commandment which tells us not to bare false witness against our neighbor and that he would be violating the commandment by showing the video. I warned him that someday he would have to answer to God for what he was about to do. He said that he was prepared to do so.
The program began with Pastor Lewis’ outline of the evening. He explained that there would be no discussion and that he would not be answering any questions after the video presentation. He next facilitated the testimonies of four lapsed Catholic women who stated that they had been literally taught to worship statues and Mary the Mother of Jesus. Finally, the video was shown and as the hands went up to question or comment, Pastor Lewis refused acknowledgement. Next came a collection, an altar call, and a statement from Pastor Lewis in which he blasphemed the Holy Eucharist. The program ended without any rebuttal of the lies or a defense of the Catholic position.
As I walked out of the chapel to get a bit of fresh air, one of the Catholic men came over and said that everyone had been invited for coffee and refreshments! Seventeen Catholics were spread out among the congregation and with Bibles in hand, began a refutation of the evening’s program. I ended up in the back of the chapel with Pastor Lewis. As we squared off, we were surrounded by many of his parishioners. I began by trying to explain few of the worst misrepresentations contained in the video. Pastor Lewis continually interrupted and waived his New Testament in the air as he defended the video and his position.
I have been in many one-on-one dialogues about the faith over the years, but none like this. I have always tried to win the arguer as well as the argument. Surrounded by about 15 hostile parishioners intently listening to this debate, we went on hot and heavy and, I must admit, most of the rues of debate were violated. In addition to trashing Catholicism the video made three main points, 1) the Protestant belief of sola scripture (the Bible alone), 2) sola fidei (salvation by faith alone) and 3) the belief that the only way to heaven was through Jesus. I told him that we would be in agreement with the last statement but I offered to debate him on the first two points. He declined. After about an hour and a half of discussion it was apparent that we had done all we could. It was a hostile environment, but some of these good people seemed to be listening.
We Catholics regrouped for discussion at my home and everyone excitedly shared their experiences. For many of them, this was the first time they had been in a situation where the Church was so blatantly misrepresented and under vicious attack. They were fired up and each had a story to tell. The evening ended about 1 a.m.
At that time, I owned Catholic Footsteps Bookstore in Hesperia. The following day my wife was in the store alone as that was the day I met with my spiritual advisor. She received a telephone call from our parish secretary, who said that a man named “Leo” had called and wanted to get in touch with “some of those Catholics who had been at Praise Chapel the evening before.” He left his telephone number and my wife returned his call. Leo told her that Pastor Lewis had said that “Catholics don’t read the Bible,” yet he saw that we all had well-used Bibles in our hands, and that he had heard Catholics quoting Scripture to defend their beliefs. Secondly, he reasoned that if the video was such an accurate presentation of Catholicism, why were all the Catholics denouncing it, rather than rising to its defense? Something didn’t make sense to him. My wife invited him into the store to speak to me and, the following day, Leo arrived with many questions.
Leo wanted to know how Catholics view Scripture and our beliefs concerning salvation. I began with his questions about the Bible. I explained the origins of the Bible, that it is a product of the Church, the same Church that Scripture describes as “the pillar and bulwark of truth (1 Tim. 3:15) He particularly wanted to know why I had argued against sola scripture and sola fidei with Pastor Lewis. We spoke for almost an hour and a half and when he left, he had a new understanding of sacred Scripture and Tradition.
No sooner had Leo departed when a customer, who had been wandering around the store being careful not to interrupt the flow of conversation, introduced herself as “Judy.” She admitted that she had been intently listening to the conversation and asked if she could ask a few questions. She had heard me state that essentially everything the Catholic Church teaches could be traced to the mouths of Jesus and the Apostles and wanted some clarification. Our conversation lasted and hour and at its conclusion Judy told me that she was not a Christian, by which she meant that she had never been baptized. She stated that she had been to 30 to 40 churches in her 42 years, but the only one she ever felt the presence of God was a Catholic Church, although she couldn’t explain why. I explained why I believed she felt the “Real Presence” of Christ in a Catholic Church. After listening to my conversation with Leo and in answering her questions, Judy decided then and there to enter the Church. She began instructions in the Faith and is today a practicing Catholic.
Leo returned the following day. He told me that he had spent most of the previous evening in the local library speed-reading every book he could find on the subject of Catholicism and that he had spent nearly $100 in copying pages that he wanted to study further. The doctrine that intrigued him most was the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist and he wanted further clarification. I took him through all the Scripture passages relating to the Real Presence, but that wasn’t enough. To Leo, I had been taught one interpretation of these passages and he had been taught to believe another. In order to resolve this impasse, I discussed the Apostolic Fathers and showed him the numerous writings of St. Ignatius of Antioch and others, which completely support the Catholic position. When I finished, I asked him if he believed that Jesus, the Apostles, and the Fathers taught the Real Presence. He replied, “Yes!” Leo was visibly upset when I asked him what he was going to do about it.
After Leo left there was almost a repeat of the previous day, a lady came up to me and explained that although she was raised as a Lutheran, she was married to a practicing Catholic. They had two children who had been baptized in the Catholic Church and were being raised in the Church. She attended Holy Mass weekly with her family, but didn’t really see why she should become a Catholic. After hearing the doctrine of the Real Presence explained, she knew she had to become a Catholic and asked how she might begin instruction.
Two days went by and, since out store had been closed, we did not hear from Leo. When I arrived on Tuesday morning, Leo was waiting at the door. He told me that he had spent the weekend with three protestant ministers and that “none of them could prove the Protestant doctrine of sola scripture or refute the Church’s doctrine of the Real Presence.” That was enough for Leo and he also began instruction in the Faith.
Not long after Leo began instructions, his brother David, who had previously converted to Catholicism, notified him that their mother was hospitalized and not expected to live. The two brothers flew back to be at their mother’s bedside. She wanted to know why her boys had decided to become Catholics and they explained. There was a Catholic church across the street from the hospital. Leo and David sought out the parish priest, explained the situation and, at her request their mother was baptized, received Holy Communion, and went to meet Christ as a Roman Catholic.
We live in an age when the Church is under attack from within as well as without. This is not the time for us to hunker down and bother only about our own personal salvation. It’s a time to stand up and be counted and to reach out to others. We must win souls for Christ. Only God can make good come from an evil. A video that misrepresented the truth of the Catholic Church directly and indirectly brought about the conversion of at least four wonderful people. As long as there are Catholics like the men and women who took the time to defend the Faith that evening, there will always be a living, growing, dynamic Church.
Postscript: Last I heard Leo had entered the seminary. First published in Lay Witness, published by Catholics United for the Faith, Inc., Steubenville, Ohio. September 1997.
Sharing the Faith under Fire
©1997 Victor R. Claveau, MJ
As I was walking into Holy Family Church in Hesperia, California, I received a message that our pastor wanted to speak to me in the parish office. Upon entering his office, Monsignor showed me a flyer announcing that the anti-Catholic video “Catholicism, Crisis of Faith” was to be shown at a local church called “Praise Chapel” pastored by James Lewis. He expressed concern that this might be a misrepresentation of the Church. Monsignor asked if I would check things out and, if necessary, represent the Catholic community at the presentation.
This video quotes noted Catholic dissenters such as Rev. Andrew Greeley and Rev. Richard McBrien; publications such as The National Catholic Reporter; ex-priests Bob Bush, Bart Brewer, and Victor Affonso; ex-nuns; and a few Catholics who are obviously ignorant of the Church’s true teachings. It twists Fr. Richard Chilson’s interview by selective editing and blatantly misquotes Fr. John Hardon’s Catholic Catechism. In short, this video consistently distorts and ridicules the Catholic Church and her teachings.
I telephoned Pastor Lewis and explained that the film misrepresented the Catholic position almost entirely and that he would be doing his congregation a disservice by showing it. I offered to meet with him at his convenience to review the video together, in the hope that I would be able to point out the gross distortions. After an hour of fruitless conversation, he assured me that he was interested in the truth, but he refused to meet.
Needless to say, I was a bit upset. I decided that I could not let this video be shown without some defense of the Church. I telephoned a few friends, they in turn called others, and that evening 17 Bible-toting Catholics (the Bibles were our disguise), including one priest, attended the program. Many of these people had driven as far as 50 miles.
The congregation greeted us with enthusiasm and as Pastor Lewis introduced himself to each of the newcomers, he asked our names. When I gave him my name he asked if I was the same “Victor” who had telephoned him two days before. When I answered, “Yes,” he asked me to accompany him to the back of the chapel. There he informed me that he had four male ushers and that if I caused any disturbance, they would eject me. I then asked him if this was a place of God and he answered, “Yes.” I then told him that I would no more cause a disturbance in his church, as I would expect him to cause a disturbance in mine. I then reminded him of the Commandment which tells us not to bare false witness against our neighbor and that he would be violating the commandment by showing the video. I warned him that someday he would have to answer to God for what he was about to do. He said that he was prepared to do so.
The program began with Pastor Lewis’ outline of the evening. He explained that there would be no discussion and that he would not be answering any questions after the video presentation. He next facilitated the testimonies of four lapsed Catholic women who stated that they had been literally taught to worship statues and Mary the Mother of Jesus. Finally, the video was shown and as the hands went up to question or comment, Pastor Lewis refused acknowledgement. Next came a collection, an altar call, and a statement from Pastor Lewis in which he blasphemed the Holy Eucharist. The program ended without any rebuttal of the lies or a defense of the Catholic position.
As I walked out of the chapel to get a bit of fresh air, one of the Catholic men came over and said that everyone had been invited for coffee and refreshments! Seventeen Catholics were spread out among the congregation and with Bibles in hand, began a refutation of the evening’s program. I ended up in the back of the chapel with Pastor Lewis. As we squared off, we were surrounded by many of his parishioners. I began by trying to explain few of the worst misrepresentations contained in the video. Pastor Lewis continually interrupted and waived his New Testament in the air as he defended the video and his position.
I have been in many one-on-one dialogues about the faith over the years, but none like this. I have always tried to win the arguer as well as the argument. Surrounded by about 15 hostile parishioners intently listening to this debate, we went on hot and heavy and, I must admit, most of the rues of debate were violated. In addition to trashing Catholicism the video made three main points, 1) the Protestant belief of sola scripture (the Bible alone), 2) sola fidei (salvation by faith alone) and 3) the belief that the only way to heaven was through Jesus. I told him that we would be in agreement with the last statement but I offered to debate him on the first two points. He declined. After about an hour and a half of discussion it was apparent that we had done all we could. It was a hostile environment, but some of these good people seemed to be listening.
We Catholics regrouped for discussion at my home and everyone excitedly shared their experiences. For many of them, this was the first time they had been in a situation where the Church was so blatantly misrepresented and under vicious attack. They were fired up and each had a story to tell. The evening ended about 1 a.m.
At that time, I owned Catholic Footsteps Bookstore in Hesperia. The following day my wife was in the store alone as that was the day I met with my spiritual advisor. She received a telephone call from our parish secretary, who said that a man named “Leo” had called and wanted to get in touch with “some of those Catholics who had been at Praise Chapel the evening before.” He left his telephone number and my wife returned his call. Leo told her that Pastor Lewis had said that “Catholics don’t read the Bible,” yet he saw that we all had well-used Bibles in our hands, and that he had heard Catholics quoting Scripture to defend their beliefs. Secondly, he reasoned that if the video was such an accurate presentation of Catholicism, why were all the Catholics denouncing it, rather than rising to its defense? Something didn’t make sense to him. My wife invited him into the store to speak to me and, the following day, Leo arrived with many questions.
Leo wanted to know how Catholics view Scripture and our beliefs concerning salvation. I began with his questions about the Bible. I explained the origins of the Bible, that it is a product of the Church, the same Church that Scripture describes as “the pillar and bulwark of truth (1 Tim. 3:15) He particularly wanted to know why I had argued against sola scripture and sola fidei with Pastor Lewis. We spoke for almost an hour and a half and when he left, he had a new understanding of sacred Scripture and Tradition.
No sooner had Leo departed when a customer, who had been wandering around the store being careful not to interrupt the flow of conversation, introduced herself as “Judy.” She admitted that she had been intently listening to the conversation and asked if she could ask a few questions. She had heard me state that essentially everything the Catholic Church teaches could be traced to the mouths of Jesus and the Apostles and wanted some clarification. Our conversation lasted and hour and at its conclusion Judy told me that she was not a Christian, by which she meant that she had never been baptized. She stated that she had been to 30 to 40 churches in her 42 years, but the only one she ever felt the presence of God was a Catholic Church, although she couldn’t explain why. I explained why I believed she felt the “Real Presence” of Christ in a Catholic Church. After listening to my conversation with Leo and in answering her questions, Judy decided then and there to enter the Church. She began instructions in the Faith and is today a practicing Catholic.
Leo returned the following day. He told me that he had spent most of the previous evening in the local library speed-reading every book he could find on the subject of Catholicism and that he had spent nearly $100 in copying pages that he wanted to study further. The doctrine that intrigued him most was the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist and he wanted further clarification. I took him through all the Scripture passages relating to the Real Presence, but that wasn’t enough. To Leo, I had been taught one interpretation of these passages and he had been taught to believe another. In order to resolve this impasse, I discussed the Apostolic Fathers and showed him the numerous writings of St. Ignatius of Antioch and others, which completely support the Catholic position. When I finished, I asked him if he believed that Jesus, the Apostles, and the Fathers taught the Real Presence. He replied, “Yes!” Leo was visibly upset when I asked him what he was going to do about it.
After Leo left there was almost a repeat of the previous day, a lady came up to me and explained that although she was raised as a Lutheran, she was married to a practicing Catholic. They had two children who had been baptized in the Catholic Church and were being raised in the Church. She attended Holy Mass weekly with her family, but didn’t really see why she should become a Catholic. After hearing the doctrine of the Real Presence explained, she knew she had to become a Catholic and asked how she might begin instruction.
Two days went by and, since out store had been closed, we did not hear from Leo. When I arrived on Tuesday morning, Leo was waiting at the door. He told me that he had spent the weekend with three protestant ministers and that “none of them could prove the Protestant doctrine of sola scripture or refute the Church’s doctrine of the Real Presence.” That was enough for Leo and he also began instruction in the Faith.
Not long after Leo began instructions, his brother David, who had previously converted to Catholicism, notified him that their mother was hospitalized and not expected to live. The two brothers flew back to be at their mother’s bedside. She wanted to know why her boys had decided to become Catholics and they explained. There was a Catholic church across the street from the hospital. Leo and David sought out the parish priest, explained the situation and, at her request their mother was baptized, received Holy Communion, and went to meet Christ as a Roman Catholic.
We live in an age when the Church is under attack from within as well as without. This is not the time for us to hunker down and bother only about our own personal salvation. It’s a time to stand up and be counted and to reach out to others. We must win souls for Christ. Only God can make good come from an evil. A video that misrepresented the truth of the Catholic Church directly and indirectly brought about the conversion of at least four wonderful people. As long as there are Catholics like the men and women who took the time to defend the Faith that evening, there will always be a living, growing, dynamic Church.
Postscript: Last I heard Leo had entered the seminary. First published in Lay Witness, published by Catholics United for the Faith, Inc., Steubenville, Ohio. September 1997.
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The Journalist’s First Loyalty: Truth in the Service of the Human Person
Question: What is the Catholic Church’s teaching on pornography?
Question: Which religions in the world advocate or support Lesbian and/or Homosexual activity?
Democratic Socialism in the United States
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“A Plea for Intolerance”: A Catholic Moral Reflection on Truth, Error, and the Crisis of Moral Indifference
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