The Late Great United States

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Readers of this blog know the only reason why I include the predictions of Gerald Celente is because of his remarkable track record of accuracy.

This is it. This year will likely be the last good year the United States will see for decades, and we've only got a few months left. The collapse of the United States begins within the next few months. It starts with a complete and total collapse of the stock market, followed by the collapse of what's left of the economy, a greater rise in unemployment, and the complete meltdown of the dollar. After that, your guess is as good as mine.

Right now a lot of people are getting into survivalist mode. They're stocking up on food, water and ammunition. While having an emergency stash of necessities, and the means to defend it, is always a good idea, no matter what the circumstances, I do not believe the survivalist mentality will be sufficient enough to get people through this crisis.

The way to survival lies in community not survivalism. The way to recovery lies in making connections, and forming small communities of people you can trust, for the purpose of trade and charity. The place to start this is in our local parishes (churches). For Catholics the time has come for small groups to pull together and figure out how we're going to help each other out. Of course, it would be advisable for everybody to stock up on some things, but there are very few of us who can stock up on everything. That's why we need each other. That's why the time for networking is now. PASTORS TAKE NOTE - THIS MEANS YOU!!! It is your job to care for the spiritual well being of your parishioners. You know as well as I do that spiritual well being and physical well being are often interconnected. This impending crisis is a GRAND OPPORTUNITY for you as a spiritual leader to "kill two birds with one stone," by getting your congregation networked into small groups of parishioners who live in relative close proximity to each other. By doing this you create a tight knit community, of people who spiritually and materially depend on each other. The potential to create a strong community has never been higher. ACT NOW or you'll regret it later when the "stuff hits the fan" and you're having to play catch up.

HOW?

1. Start organizing weekly small groups in volunteers' homes.  The home owner is the "leader" of the small group per se' but that leadership only involves hosting activities.  Of course every member continues to go to mass at the local parish just as he normally would.
2. No teaching or catechesis activities will take place in this setting.  That is solely the responsibility of the pastor.  Instead, participants will do either the rosary or evening prayer from the office.
3. This will be followed by a pot-luck for building relationships and talking.
4. The pastor charges each group with coming up with a long term survival plan in the event of a national or local emergency.
5. The "leaders" of each group report to the parish pastor in one meeting every month, to compare notes and determine how best to coordinate between groups -- subsidiarity.