What People are Commenting
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Vernacular, Bridal Shower & Konotopie Statue
Living in Sin & Bridal Shower
II am hoping that you can give parents Catholic guidance on how to handle visits to a son or daughter’s home and gatherings in that home when they are living with their boyfriend or girlfriend.
Also, if the said couple plans to get married in a Novus Ordo Church, can the parents attend the wedding? Should the mother attend the bridal shower?
Once the couple is married, is it permissible to enter the couple’s home and gatherings?
AAnd if the said couple begins to have children, is it permissible to attend the baptism if they do not plan to raise the child Catholic, but, instead will raise the child in the Novus Ordo religion?
Sincerely,
S.F.
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TIA responds:
Dear S.F.,
We will divide your questions into parts to make it easier to answer them.
- Question: I am hoping that you can give parents Catholic guidance
on how to handle visits to a son or daughter’s home and gatherings in that home when they are living with their boyfriend or girlfriend.
Answer: An analogous situation was addressed here. You may apply those principles to your case. - Question: If the said couple plans to get married in a Novus Ordo Church, can the parents attend the wedding? Should the mother attend the bridal shower?
Answer: Their plan to marry is good, because an irregular and sinful situation will end.
Since the separation of the Novus Ordo Church is not official and most people still consider it as the Catholic Church, we are in a transitory historical situation similar to that of the Apostles at the time when the Synagogue and the Catholic Church were not entirely separated. Therefore, we believe that the rules for not attending marriages in non-Catholic sects do not apply straightforwardly to this case.
Practically speaking, we believe you may attend the marriage of your son or daughter in a Novus Ordo Church.
The same regarding the bridal shower. - Question: Once the couple is married, is it permissible to enter the couple's home and gatherings?
Answer: Yes, it is. - Question: If the said couple begins to have children is it permissible to attend the baptism if they do not plan to raise the child Catholic, but, instead will raise the child in the Novus Ordo religion?
Answer: Yes, for the reasons explained above in number 2.
For further answers on these matters you may benefit from perusing our page on Catholic Morals.
Cordially,
TIA correspondence desk
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Konotopie Statue
Praised be Jesus Christ.
A large statue of Mary was recently unveiled in the Polish town of "Konotopie." I'm attaching a photograph of it. This event attracted considerable attention from local media (and reportedly, some foreign media also reported on it).
Could I ask your opinion on this image? Do you find anything disturbing or inappropriate about it?
God bless,
M.S., Poland
TIA responds:
Dear M.S.,
Thank you for your message.
In principle it is very good to have an enormous statue to honor Our Lady in Poland. Yours is a country whose history is closely linked to the Catholic Faith and the Catholic Church, which is a glory for Poland.
There is a saying in the Church, attributed to St. Bernard, that we follow: De Maria numquam satis, It is never enough to praise Mary.
Therefore, our first reaction knowing about this statue is of joy and approval.
However, we looked at some other pictures of the statue besides the one you sent us, analyzing several close-ups ...
… and they cause some strange impressions:
- It is not normal to depict Our Lady with her breasts so perceptible under her dress as is portrayed in this statue;
- The features of its face are those of an average woman, without any special note of majesty or grandeur as is habitual in Our Lady’s statues;
- The facial expression is that of a woman who is not comfortable with what she is doing; it is somewhat annoyed and seems to be asking: “Why am I here?”
- The position of her arms confirms this impression of a depressve questioning;
- It is the representation of a bothered woman turned toward her internal problems and not toward the devotee who comes there to venerate her.
- Consequently, the statue shows neither accessibility to others nor goodness.
Regarding those pillars that support the monument some questions come to mind also:
- Why are heaviest parts of those pillars on the top and not on the bottom, as would be normal? Any reasonable person would be surprised to find those upside-down "Eiffel Towers." Why such challenge to the law of gravity? Is this a tribute to modern art? Is this just an expression of the extravagant “originality” of the artist?
- Why are they inclined and not perpendicular to the ground, as would be expected in a grand monument? They are neither gothic flying buttresses, which are normally inclined, nor straight columns. Again, is it just "originality" to cause an impression of instability?
Now, it happens that in Slavic mythology the goddess Lada – the personification of love and fertility – has also an eight-point-star inside a circle as her symbol, see photo below.
So, the question arises: Does this statue of Mary have a double meaning, which would be to symbolize the Mother of God for Catholics and the Slavic goddess for pagans? We do not know.
These are some considerations that occur to us at this moment to answer your question.
Cordially,
TIA correspondence desk
Posted August 27, 2026
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The opinions expressed in this section - What People Are Commenting - do not necessarily express those of TIA
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I am fortunate to have a parish in the diocese that celebrates the Latin Mass on weekdays early at 7:00 am, but unfortunately whenever I have occasionally gone to that parish throughout the years for the morning Low Mass, the priests read the Epistle and Gospel in English and not in l Latin. I have only noticed this at the Low Mass and not at High Mass.
After reading more of your articles on Progressivism, I made the choice last year to stop attending the Low Masses at that particular parish.
I was wondering if one could attend such Masses while actively recognizing that such a practice is wrong, as well as internally resisting the abuse? Or is it better not to attend at all? I hope you can help me clear up my doubts.
Thank you and God bless you,
K.A.
TIA responds:
Dear K.A.,
Thank you for your consideration.
You are very fortunate to have daily Latin Masses. Many people have to drive three or four hours just to assist at the Sunday Mass in Latin.
You did not mention where these are ’62 Masses – which is a serious limitation – but they probably are; otherwise the local Bishop would not permit them. The other limitation – which is what you mentioned: – is that the readings are in the vernacular.
However, our opinion is that the advantage you receive from those Masses, without compromising your principles, is greater than the disadvantages.
Since you know that the ideal is to have a pre-1955 Mass with the readings in Latin and you go to the ’62 Mass only because we are living in a time of great crisis in the Church, as long as you internally resist those concessions, we believe you may attend regularly the Mass you mentioned.
Cordially,
TIA correspondence desk