Just curious how many here found tradition first or second?

[drummerboy]

I guess I was an "NO trad" all my life, attending the NO with my parents, and still do for practical/logistic reasons, but have been to the TLM several times.  But I was raised in a traditional rural family, so traditionalism in anything is just part of life, all I know.

[VeraeFidei]

My tradversion overlapped with my conversion. I converted from "scientific" atheism and typical high school immoral behavior to evangelical Protestantism at 16, in high school, after going to a camp. I came home and endeavored to learn all that I could, doing Bible studies, youth group, and so forth. I went to a protestant college and began taking Bible classes, Theology classes, and Philosophy classes. Everyone at the college was required to read St. Augustine's Confessions in an Intro freshman class. My class was taught by a rabid feminist professor who piled on St. Augustine because he supposedly hates women. I, in my contrarian but perceptive spirit, wrote my paper on how the feminist narrative about Augustine hating women ignores his relationship with his mother and how he values women in the right way.

The more I studied Church history and theology, the less sense Protestantism made to me. I was heavily involved in a nondenominational evangelical protestant church and so I violated my conscience by staying longer than I should have, but one day during the service I fully realized and admitted to myself that their communion service is a lie and not what Our Lord intends.

The very next day, I attended the NO, and did so weekly. At the time, I did not know if I would convert to Catholicism, Eastern "Orthodoxy," or High-Church Anglicanism, but I knew that evangelical Protestantism was garbage. I continued attending the NO while reading all that I could, mostly online. My roommate, also a Theology & Philosophy student and who had been in RCIA, told me about newadvent.com. (I went from thinking it was too conservative to thinking Fr. Z's blog was too conservative to thinking that Rorate Caeli was too conservative to...something else)I began reading a lot from what was linked there, and slowly but surely learned more about Catholicism, and slowly but surely began to realize that the NO I was attending was not the same as the Catholicism of history that I thought I was moving toward. I began RCIA a year after I began attending Mass, also right around the time that I attended my first TLM - a High Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It wasn't quite a one-and-done for me like it is for some, but things were coming together and incrementally continued to do so. I made the stupid and cowardly mistake to continue at RCIA at the NO parish even though I knew the priests were full of crap. I didn't make my first Confession there because I didn't trust the priests; I went to the conservative biritual parish for that. I was received at the Easter Vigil and received on the tongue and did not receive from the Chalice because I didn't want to receive from a layperson. The next day, Easter Sunday, I made my then-fiancé go with my to a Solemn High TLM. I methodically transitioned from 1/2 NO and 1/2 biritual churches to about 1/4 NO 3/4 Indult TLM-only church to, recently, Indult & SSPX mix but ideologically elsewhere.

[RobertJS]

I grew up in an NO parish- that is why I cannot deny the presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist in an NO Mass. I found TLM much much later on my journey.

How many here have come to the TLM first?

I was born in 1964. I remember asking my mother about the short wooden structure sticking out of the wall on one side, and she told me that it was a vestige of a "communion rail" that used to go around the whole sanctuary. I would look at that often and ponder. I would admire the high alter that was marble and beautiful, but ignored while the "celebrants" had their back to it. I remember my mother insisting we genuflect to the side altar where the Blessed Sacrament was supposed to be. To make a long story short, I remember 1972, what I refer to as, my "first holy spiritual communion". We found tradition in 1982.

[Chestertonian]

I guess I was an "NO trad" all my life, attending the NO with my parents, and still do for practical/logistic reasons, but have been to the TLM several times.  But I was raised in a traditional rural family, so traditionalism in anything is just part of life, all I know.

that's so wonderful . What a blessing.

[angelcookie]

Thank you for sharing your stories. It was nice to read the thread.

[zork]

Thank you for sharing your stories. It was nice to read the thread.

Not quite over yet! 

I was baptized into the NO as an infant and had a typical bland NO Catholic (school) upbringing.  After a many years of being agnostic or lukewarm, I made the choice to become fully-practicing "conservative NO-er" (not a neocath, though). The Holy Ghost rewarded my growing desire to express piety, humility and reverence to our Lord by leading me out of the charismatic/NO wasteland to holy tradition in mid-2010 (and brought into the local SSPV parish by a friend of mine), and I have exclusively attended the TLM ever since. I am religiously, doctrinally and theologically a Trad--culturally, not so much.

[Chestertonian]

Thank you for sharing your stories. It was nice to read the thread.

I am religiously, doctrinally and theologically a Trad--culturally, not so much.

I'm still working on being "culturally Catholic." There are a lot of little things I don't understand even after being in the church for 10 years.  But think of how many "culturally Catholic" types there are who are basically nonbelievers when it comes to doctrine.

[Recovering NOer]

What does "trad culture" or "Catholic culture" even consist of?

[SamVanHouten]

That's what I wonder. I don't know, either. It could vary because a LOT of it is tied to heritage.

[Penelope]

I'm still working on being "culturally Catholic." There are a lot of little things I don't understand even after being in the church for 10 years.  But think of how many "culturally Catholic" types there are who are basically nonbelievers when it comes to doctrine.

What does "trad culture" or "Catholic culture" even consist of?

That's what I wonder. I don't know, either. It could vary because a LOT of it is tied to heritage.

This would make a good thread on its own. Whoever can think of the best phrasing for the question gets to start the thread!

[SamVanHouten]

You're right. I don't think there's really an answer because it's so varied due to heritage. You won't see Mexican children putting out their shoes for Sinterklaas or Dutch/Flanders children doing Las Mañanitas in honor of the BVM. It's so tied to heritage because by nature, religion and heritage are beyond interconnected.

[Gardener]

What does "trad culture" or "Catholic culture" even consist of?

"Love, and do what thou wilt" - St. Augustine

^^ Is the ideal

"zermuhgosh my idiosyncratic hang ups will be rationalized and justified with some obscure papal quote from 1098AD ripped out of context!" -- the reality.

The great beauty of the Church is its universality in things which are necessary and bind all, and its individual liberty in those things which do not bind.

In short, in this culture of death and secularism, lacking God and even basic understanding of natural law, we in America, who remain dedicated to the idea of our Catholic identity, have an opportunity to make our own culture.

This takes place first in the family. But it's also culturally syncretistic. For example my fiancé's grandmother grew up in the Southwest. She adopted the Mexican practice of kissing the thumb/hand after doing the Sign of the Cross. My fiancé adopted this, in imitation of her grandmother. So now we have the inclusion of a practice of Mexican piety in a soon-to-be family which is decidedly not Mexican.

American Catholic culture of the future will be entirely syncretistic in its scope of things not contrary to the Faith. Yet, it will also be regional. One would not expect a family in an Irish enclave to adopt things which are outside of their cultural patrimony.

Succinctly, it's up to YOU and YOUR family as to what "Catholic culture" looks like so long as it is not something against the Faith.

[Penelope]

I figured out how to word it. Here's the new thread about Catholicism and cultural identity: http://www.suscipedomine.com/forum/index.php?topic=7276.msg152264#msg152264

[lauermar]

I like that word--tradversion. Don't mind me if I borrow it.