Whether intentionally or not, Catholic tradition frequently fails to take account of, or to remember, beliefs, practices, or objects previously received by the tradition. Such forgetting proves unavoidable, but it can actually help the tradition as a whole to perdure in continuity with its origins. The theories of Yves Congar, John Thiel, and Kathryn Tanner on Christian tradition could be strengthened by taking into account this role of forgetting. The argument developed in this article could have significant implications, for example, in ecumenism.