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Subject: Percy-L: Literary, Religious, Scientific, and Philosophical Discussion on Walker Percy

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  • From: Mike Frentz <mfrentz_2 AT comcast.net>
  • To: Percy-L AT happyhouse.metalab.unc.edu:Literary and Philosophical Discussion <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Cc:
  • Subject: Re: [percy-l] Retaining My Amateur Status
  • Date: Sun, 15 Feb 2004 23:35:45 -0500

Chuck,

Also speaking as an amateur I'd like to make the following comment: I don't know of any changes in *theology*, per se, resulting from V2, only in the practice. V2 has a very bad name in some circles, very good in others -- but both often for the wrong reasons -- primarily due to an overabundance of zeal in carrying out unjustified mandates corresponding to misinterpretations of the spirit and letter of the Council. It was wrongly perceived as a license to do things that were never intended by the magisterium and we've still much cleanup to do as a result (especially among the misguided and woefully catechized apparatchik hangers-oners at the diocesan levels who continue to do more harm than good wrt effective catechesis, in my personal experience).

I believe that V2 was very good, timely, and *needed* in bringing the practice of the Church into the 20th century (e.g. the active role of the laity, especially given a high percentage of college-educated congregration compared with all previous generations), but that V2's continuing wide misinterpretation continues to cause problems. EWTN is fixing some of this slowly (but surely among those that bother to watch it).

One thing I've seen of late (and it was predicted to me by a priest four or five years ago at the Eucharistic Congress in Washington..) is that the new priests coming out of the seminary are *excellent* (4 for 4, by my personal experience since that prediction). These priests are anachronistically "traditional" (in the warped view of V2 misinterpreters, I would guess), but are actually quite true to the *true* spirit of V2 IMHO -- i.e. they are "post-V2 priests", but well-catechized and quite effective in their apostolate. Not at all allergic to (nor addicted to..) to Latin. We're seeing turnarounds in vocations in our parish already due to this properly nurtured and well-kindled zeal.

As for Percy, you've got me on specifics -- I've never seen any indication in any of the things of his that I've read (for better or worse, only his nonfiction I'm ashamed to admit) that would indicate that he had heartburn with the essence of V2. At the essence level, it's hard to object if your beliefs are orthodox. V2 was beautiful. But separating the essence from the artifacts in this area is very problematic (your mileage may vary..).


Mike Frentz

P.S. Karey, I saw your note. I hope things are going well. I'll try to regroup my thoughts and respond tomorrow.



On Feb 15, 2004, at 7:24 AM, marcus AT loyno.edu wrote:


Chuck,

That's a good question! You at least deserve to reclassify
yourself into semi-pro status!

I want to think about it for a couple of days before
venturing any thought out answers. Also, I'd like to hear
some responses from others with other information. But I do
not recall WP ever being scornful about any V2 changes.

Also, I'm not sure what a "true" V2 Catholic is, anymore
than I am sure what a "true" pre-V2 Catholic was.

Percy might have said he was a "bad Catholic" before V2 and
remained a "bad Catholic" afterwards, meaning both
ironically, of course, as a sidestep into a peculiar act of
personal humility, and then, if it happened to be a Friday,
head over to a restaurant on the Lake in Mandeville for a
Jack Daniel's followed by some salad, good bread, and a
plate of Trout Almondine.

But this is all speculation.

Marcus Smith

----- Original Message Follows -----
From: chaslow53 AT aol.com
To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [percy-l] Retaining My Amateur Status
Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2004 22:51:07 EST



Unlike many of you on this list, I neither knew Walker
Percy nor am able to study his work for extended periods
in an academic setting. I am what Kieran Quinlan
characterized in The Last Catholic Novelist as a
nettlesome amateur, or what the Victorians more kindly
called a "general reader."

Here is my observation, which leads to a question: WP
obviously was an advocate of a pre-Vatican II theology,
both in terms of the articles of belief themselves and in
the way that those articles were taught and held. He
makes that clear in essay after essay directly, and in
the novels indirectly. His views on dissenting clergy,
liberation theology, etc., expressed in the decades after
the Vatican Council, could just as easily have been
regarded as common before the Council.

The question, then, is this: is there any indication of
what he thought of some of the day-to-day changes made
following the Council? Was he sorry to see the Latin
Mass go? Did he rush to trade fish for hamburgers on
Friday? Did he abandon the Rosary or any other of those
devotional elements that were widespread at the time of
his conversion but which are now much rarer?

Father Samway, in his biography, makes the very specific
assertion that WP was a true Vatican II Catholic. I just
haven't seen much evidence of it, and I thought that
maybe others on the list could offer insight.

Thanks. I would be grateful for any insight forwarded to
the list or any private responses. Apologies to any on
the list who are not particularly interested in this type
of question.

Chuck Lowry
Brooklyn, New York


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