How should a traditional Catholic prepare for societal collapse, if indeed, that is in our foreseeable future?
I am not a “prepper,” but there are plenty of people who are, both Catholic and non-Catholic alike. Material preparation, of course, for any eventuality is never a bad thing. But as a traditional Catholic, it seems preparation for societal collapse entails more than just a “survival of the fittest” attitude in the face of chaos. That’s what I am interested in for purposes of this article: what do traditional Catholic principles provide for when financial stability, the rule of law, and cultural morality all collapse at once?
But first, what brought this question to mind?
Road Trip Observations
I just returned from a long road trip across the middle of the country. The trip included visits to St. Marys (no apostrophe!), Kansas; St. Louis, Missouri; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Chicago, Illinois; and Omaha, Nebraska. With the exception of St. Marys, where I made a quick visit to the new Immaculata church, I spent considerable time in each of these major cities.
Interestingly, regardless of which of these major cities I visited, I noticed some common themes, so this is not just a localized phenomenon. People were, more than usual, noticeably very rude and distant when engaging one another. Whether driving in a car, walking down the street, or standing next to one another in a coffee shop, there remains (probably left over from the Covid-19 shutdowns) a pervasive sense of fear.
I also noticed a lack of physical care for the community. Streets and sidewalks were dirty. Lawns were not taken care of and there was plenty of graffiti in places you would not expect to see it in years past.
I noticed a significant lack of personal hygiene and modesty. Beyond the ubiquitous immodesty of yoga pants and low-cut shirts, I am talking about a significant overweight population with both men and women tattooed across their entire bodies, unnaturally colored hair, and disheveled appearances. Much more than even a few years ago, there seemed to be a significant lack of interest or care in one’s appearance when in public—or a lack of respect for oneself.
The language used in public, even in front of children, was crude, disgusting and certainly would have been completely inappropriate in years past. And I am not talking about the 1950s—inappropriate in the 2000s. At least twenty years ago a grown man dropping an F-bomb in front a ten-year-old girl would have caused some embarrassment, not so anymore.
All of this, of course, on top of the poverty, homelessness with beggars now spreading out of the cities into the suburbs, where it was not unusual to observe aggressive street people on their cell phones at the front door of stores, rudely demanding cash from patrons.
It was clear to me after taking this road trip that American communities, regardless of the locality, are experiencing the beginning of what I can best describe as a societal collapse. Things are getting worse and worse—and everyone can feel it.
Societal Collapse in the News
This experience, sadly, is also being confirmed on a daily basis in the news stories.
Right now, along the lines of third-world dictatorship regimes, we have a political situation where the criminal courts are being used to persecute and threaten political opponents during a presidential campaign. How will a nation handle it if Biden, himself under investigation without the state-run media reporting on it, is “reelected” thanks in part to imprisoning his political opponent?
We continue to spend billions on a useless and pointless war in Ukraine, supported by both Democrats and Republicans while Russia seems to be making an effort to stand out as a new moral authority in the world. All of this, of course, while we remain completely dependent on the Chinese for manufacturing our “cheap necessary gadgets” and infrastructure materials.
Financially, the nation is teetering on destruction. Almost every economist I read says the same thing—this situation cannot continue. It’s just a matter of exactly what a financial collapse will look like. We know how people respond from the Covid-19 experience when life’s daily conveniences such as toilet paper cannot be purchased due to supply chain interruptions.
And consider the real estate market that is crumbling because of the previous ridiculously low interest rates forced upon the nation, jacking up home prices, and now trapping people in homes that are well-over valued while higher interest rates and skyrocketing taxes close opportunities for young couples wanting to start a family of their own.
All of this on top of the obvious and ongoing inflation, jacking up the price of food, cars, and general necessities in life such as medical care, insurance, and household goods while the 401k retirement funds are tanking.
In normal times, this would be a prime opportunity for the Church to take a leading role in guiding the faithful and arming them with the spirtual tools, community support, and sacraments needed for survival during turbulent times. Sadly, the Antichurch’s heretical hierarchy that hijacked the real Church, does nothing for families and souls. Instead, they continue to spend their time promoting a progressive environmental political agenda, supporting non-Christians in their false religions, and playing a servile role in implementing the globalist agenda.
A Traditional Catholic Response
So, what is left for traditional Catholics in the face of all this chaos, destruction and evil? Opposed to the materialistic, individualistic, and Godless society we found ourselves in today, building proper Catholic communities is a key element of survival. The following suggestions focus on defining what these communities may look like.
First and foremost, all efforts to stay afloat during these perilous times must be centered on maintaining a proper relationship with God through proper worship at the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM). Without maintaining a proper relationship with Christ by participating in His sacrifice at calvary, and openly receiving the graces that flow from the Mass, nothing else matters. Nothing. This means it is imperative to make every effort possible to live near a TLM parish or at least have access to the TLM somewhere on a weekly basis. Obviously, an established Ecclesia Dei traditional parish or SSPX parish is ideal, but we have to make do with what is available in this time of Church crisis.
The next level of society we must strengthen and defend is our immediate family unit. If your children are in public schools, you must find some way out of that. Are you and your spouse faithful and focused on the family, or distracted by sports, social media, and other side-shows that separate and divide the family? Men, are you drinking too much, consuming pornography, ignoring your wives and/or treating them with disrespect in the home or in public? Ladies, are you constantly nagging your husbands, spending too much money on unnecessary items, and/or undermining the husband’s role as head of the household? Stop it—now. A weak family unit will only falter under pressure—you can’t afford it, and the rest of the Catholic community needs you as well to maintain a strong healthy family unit.
The next level up, an often overlooked one, is what I call the micro-Catholic community. These would be communities of families or individuals (if not married) who provide material and spirtual aid, support, and fellowship on a weekly if not daily basis. It’s an intimate type of inter-familial relationship that acts similarly to the old-fashioned extended family unit Catholics used to enjoy but have since rejected in the modern world. Of course, this must be grounded in the common traditional Catholic faith and bound by a strong commitment to provide aid and support during good and bad times.
After the micro-community is the local community (or village as I like to call it). I am not speaking so much of those who reside close to us physically. This has more to do with our local spiritual and religious community. We must maintain and build community with our fellow traditionalists, even if it costs us relationships with our secular friends, neighbors, and family. Physical proximity is ideal, but not required. Genuine and strong defensive bonds require a common faith and ultimately true charity is going to flourish when such charity is based in Truth. Sadly, so many of our work friends, family members and acquaintances have no relationship with Christ and accept the modern culture’s lies. As we learned during Covid-19 scamdemic, surface level charity seems to fall quickly to the wayside when fear of material deprivation and death takes over.
After the local community, the next level of societal organization is the state. This, of course, is hopelessly corrupt as it currently stands. To the extent we ever had a “constitutional republic” in the United States, that is now long gone. We cannot place our hope in politicians, even those who claim to be “conservative” as I wrote about previously. While a Christian monarchy is ultimately the best form of government and one we can pray and hope for, at this time, it is not feasible because a Christian monarchy requires Christians! This means, we must evangelize and continue to pray for, and when possible, lead our non-Catholic friends and family back to the Church.
Finally, superimposed on all levels of community described above, is our relationship with our priests and clergy. Do not forget about your priests and clergy. We need them and they need us. If you think you feel alone and abandoned during these times, imagine how the traditional priest feels, especially if they are not connected to a formal religious community. They are under attack by the world and the evil churchmen at the same time. If you do not know a traditional, orthodox priest on a personal level, get to know one.
I make the above reflections only as suggestions of course. Whatever your particular situation is, you will have to adapt to it accordingly. Recall what it means to be a true Christian and a saint. Do what God calls you to do. We were born in this place and time for reason. Don’t ever forget that.