OK, I Get It... She Was Jewish 
But why the change in tradition?
In 1891, a baby girl was born of Jewish parents, Siegried Stein and Auguste Courant, in Breslau, Germany. That same child eventually converted to Catholicism. And tragically, she died in the gas chambers at Auschwitz on 9 August 1942. As this Saint once said, "Once can only learn the science of the Cross by feeling the Cross in one’s own person."
We should all follow the example of St. Teresa Benedicta of The Cross... or is it St. Edith Stein?
OK, here's my complaint against PC, yet again, run amok in The Church. For centuries and centuries, whenever a Cleric or Religious took vows, they took a "vowed" name other than their Baptismal name or family name. And if said person would ever become raised to the altar, they were to always be known by said professed name.
Do we have a St. Helen Kowalska? No, we have St. Faustina
Do We have a Mother Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu ? No, we have Mother Teresa
Do We have a St. Raymond Kolbe? No, we have St. Maximilian Kolbe
Do We have a Blessed Kaia'tanon Tekakwitha? No, we have Blessed Ketari (Algonguin for Katherine) Tekakwitha
Do We have a St. Giuseppe Sarto? No, we have Pope St. Pius X
Do we have a St. Simon bar-Jonah? No, we have St. Peter
Do we really have to resort to the cheap theatrics of stressing to the absurd, the ethnicity of someone? OK, I get it... St Teresa Benedicta was ethnically Jewish. So?
As far as I'm concerned, she's St. Teresa Benedicta of The Cross, and will always be.
But why the change in tradition?
In 1891, a baby girl was born of Jewish parents, Siegried Stein and Auguste Courant, in Breslau, Germany. That same child eventually converted to Catholicism. And tragically, she died in the gas chambers at Auschwitz on 9 August 1942. As this Saint once said, "Once can only learn the science of the Cross by feeling the Cross in one’s own person."
We should all follow the example of St. Teresa Benedicta of The Cross... or is it St. Edith Stein?
OK, here's my complaint against PC, yet again, run amok in The Church. For centuries and centuries, whenever a Cleric or Religious took vows, they took a "vowed" name other than their Baptismal name or family name. And if said person would ever become raised to the altar, they were to always be known by said professed name.
Do we have a St. Helen Kowalska? No, we have St. Faustina
Do We have a Mother Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu ? No, we have Mother Teresa
Do We have a St. Raymond Kolbe? No, we have St. Maximilian Kolbe
Do We have a Blessed Kaia'tanon Tekakwitha? No, we have Blessed Ketari (Algonguin for Katherine) Tekakwitha
Do We have a St. Giuseppe Sarto? No, we have Pope St. Pius X
Do we have a St. Simon bar-Jonah? No, we have St. Peter
Do we really have to resort to the cheap theatrics of stressing to the absurd, the ethnicity of someone? OK, I get it... St Teresa Benedicta was ethnically Jewish. So?
As far as I'm concerned, she's St. Teresa Benedicta of The Cross, and will always be.
posted by Kevin Whiteman at
12:24 AM
9 Comments:
Advice to Rome: Enough of the Ecumenical crap that has invaded Holy Mother Church since 1965. In the words of Larry the Cable Guy, "For the love of the Lord, stop!"
Ecumenism has gotten us...nowhere. If any of you think differently, please explain? Take for example my old crew, the Anglicans. Now where the hell has that gotten us? Priestesses, queer bishops, pro-abortion, and rejection of every foundation of Christian orthodoxy.
The only ecumenical outreach that the Church must hold to is the "Theology of Return." Anything less is heresy. (P.S. Please pass this on to Cardinal "all religions are the same" Kasper.)
Calling that excellent lady and Holy Martyr Edith Stein doesn't bother me in the least. I save my indignation for larger issues.
Anon,
Just make sure to let Pope St Pius X, Mother Teresa, St Faustina, St Peter, etc, etc, know that The Church had it all wrong, OK?
Just so long as it doesn't bother you, OK?
Anonymous,
It is just these "small" things that, if not checked now, will allow Rome to finally "Protestantize" Holy Mother Church. If you think this is impossible, review the "Springtime of the Church" since 1965. Review these past 40 years, then review the Church prior to 1965. You know, that dusty, old, out of date, homophobic, authoritarian Church that Vatican II, thankfully, threw out (but let the smoke of Satan in).
Guys, guys, guys I'm on your side! I went to parochial school in the 1950s. I LOVE the Latin Mass and can still recite most of it. If given a chance, I would go to a Tridentine Mass in a heartbeat and I am making out a list of hymns to be banned at my funeral (all post Vat II). I lve chant, I love devotions and think that a lot of the "spirit of Vatican II" is total tosh. I have nothing in common with the McBriens and Reuthers of the world. But I still say that referring to St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross as Edith Stein is not all that important.
Anon,
I can understand how one would look upon refering to St. Teresa Benedicta by her familial name as "not all that important".
But I ask you to consider the following:
The taking of a "vowed" name goes back all the way to 33AD. If and when one became a Saint, the vowed name stayed with the individual. Why the change now? To prove to the Jews that we actually Canonized a Jewish woman? No need for that, we've had a Jewish woman as a Saint since the Annunciation.
I honestly look upon this episode as just another attempt to lessen yet another great Catholic tradition.
Besides the fact that there are a whole of non-Jewish Germans named Stein, I totally agree with NSD and prevatII that the abandonment of a vowed name is silly and certainly unprecedented in the history of the Church.
(A different anon)
The added factor with Edith Stein, however, is that she was well known for her philosophical writing under the name "Edith Stein" and so there is a certain disconnect that would occur by referring to her only as "Teresa Benedicta".
Sort of in the same manner that while generally having very negative feelings about women keeping their maiden names after marriage, I can see it in cases where she is already well known under her maiden name.
Different Anon,
I understand what your saying, but must disagree.
Her martyrdom occured when she was a Religious, not a philosepher. And besides, when she did become a Religious, her past life was just that to her... the past.
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