For a five minute sermon, Father sure gets the point across!
Month: October 2014
Tyranny, Dictatorship or Despotism?
Our friends in Quebec brought this to our attention. They copied the original memo for ease of reading and linked to an excellent analysis. The memo is from Fr Duverger (high up in the SSPX hierarchy) and signed by Fr Wegner, to discredit the Dominicans of Avrille, who are visiting tertiaries in Canada and the US.
Source: http://cor-mariae.proboards.com/thread/2665/district-superior-begins-another-persecution
The text of the memo follows:
Society of Saint Pius X
District of the United States of America
Regina Coeli House
Father Jurgen Wegner 11485 N. Farley Rd.
District Superior Platte City, MO 64079
Phone: 816 753 0073
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Dear Fathers,
In the early 1980’ʹs, Archbishop Lefebvre helped institute a community of traditional Dominican friars who
wished to remain faithful to the Constitutions of the Order of Preachers before they were modernized after the Second Vatican Council. The first two friars were ordained by the Archbishop in 1982. For more than two decades, the Dominicans of Avrillé worked with the Society of St. Pius X in their defense of Catholic Tradition. It is this fidelity which surely attracted you to become Tertiaries.
As you may or may not know, however, relations became strained in 2012 during the period of time where it seemed the Roman authorities might regularize the canonical status of the Society. Certain individuals mistakenly interpreted these discussions as a betrayal of Archbishop Lefebvre’ʹs principles. As the last few
years have proven, however, there has been no compromise on principles or practice. The Society of St. Pius X continues in the line of Archbishop Lefebvre: maintain contact with Rome while refusing any innovation or agreement that would endanger the work of Tradition.
Unfortunately, the priests of Avrillé have decided to break with the Society of St. Pius X and work with the
loose federation of clerics who make up the so–‐‑called “Resistance.” They now plan to visit some of their former friends and tertiaries in America, many of whom may not be aware of the circumstances of the past few years.
Not only are they not working with the Society any more, they are actively working against it. Their friars
have even signed a declaration against the Society of St. Pius X.
The Society has not been involved with any of their recent planning. We thus ask our faithful not to have
anything to do with this subversive activity. We encourage those interested in this question to contact Fr.
Albert at the new Dominican foundation in Belgium. He has the support of Bishop Fellay, the Superior
General of the Society, as well as Bishop de Galaretta, who works with the religious orders affiliated with us. I likewise lend my support to these faithful Dominicans and encourage you to help them.
I sent a similar letter to the Dominican Tertiaries all over the United States.
You will find here below the planned itinerary for as far as I heard of it. I would appreciate that you let me
(Fr. Duverger) know any other of their plans.
With assurance of prayers in Our Lady,
Fr. Jürgen Wegner
District Superior
_____________________________
Planned trip of Dominican Friars:
Oct. 25 to Nov. 10: visit in USA and Canada
Oct. 30 Chicago area (M. Joe Pfeifer)
Nov. 5–‐‑6 Post–‐‑Falls/Coeur d’Alene (Mrs. Christine Koziol)
Read Archbishop Lefebvre’s They Have Uncrowned Him
When Archbishop Lefebvre called Vatican II the French Revolution in the Church, he was not being clever or witty. He was serious and he meant it literally. In They Have Uncrowned Him, the Archbishop gives a clear and concise refutation of the error of Liberalism, its origin in the 16th century Protestantism and its triumph in Vatican II.
Liberalism is so pervasive in today’s society that we are probably not aware of how infected we really are. They Have Uncrowned Him is a wake-up call for all:
- The Social Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ is not a nostalgic wish; rather, it is a “dogma of the Catholic Faith, which no one can put in doubt without being a heretic” (p 99).
- Likewise, Separation of Church and State is “an impiety and an error close to heresy” (p 102).
- Archbishop Lefebvre calls Liberal Catholicism a “sickness of the mind” (p 111).
- The Archbishop illustrates a rule: “Liberalism leads from compromise to betrayal” (p 229).
- He calls Religious Liberty of Vatican II a “Masonic victory” (p 67).
- He reminds us that we must have a correct sense of history or a goal of history, which is the “recapitulation [restoration] of all things in Christ” (p 140).
- The remedy Archbishop Lefebvre offers is to return to the sane and sound Thomistic teaching (and therefore thinking) and then to rebuild the Social Kingship of Christ.
- He warns that once confidence in the truth is lost, Catholics (Congar, Rahner, Murray, Bea, etc.) then turn away from God and engage in senseless dialogue with the world, which leads to compromises and to the inevitable loss of Faith.
The Archbishop gave this book a subtitle: From Liberalism to Apostasy • The Conciliar Tragedy.
Since the publication of this book, several Traditional groups (Le Barroux, Campos, the Institute of Good Shepherd, the Redemptorists of Papa Stronsay) have been lost to Conciliar Rome.
More recently, the SSPX has pivoted towards Liberalism: In 2012, with the April 15 Declaration and the July General Chapter 6 Conditions, the SSPX openly abandoned the principles of Archbishop Lefebvre and pursued regularization/recognition with Conciliar Rome. This was followed by punishments and expulsions of priests who questioned and disagreed with the new orientation.
The Archbishop, after the 1988 Consecrations, clearly held the position that Vatican II cannot be understood in the Light of Tradition (chapter XXVII). He called the Council a “robber council” (p 163). Compare this with the April 15 Declaration, paragraph 4: “The entire tradition of Catholic Faith must be the criterion and guide in understanding the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, which, in turn, enlightens – in other words deepens and subsequently makes explicit – certain aspects of the life and doctrine of the Church implicitly present within itself or not yet conceptually formulated.”
Lessons to be drawn from They Have Uncrowned Him
Those who want to work from within the SSPX in order to bring the SSPX back to the founder’s principles and those who want to work from within Rome in order to convert Rome must remember that they are not exempt in any way from the fate that befell the other Traditional groups who were regularized/recognized by Conciliar Rome:
• They must be silent on thorny issues, for example, errors of Vatican II.
• They need to compromise on thorny issues in order to be accepted by others who have already compromised.
• Finally, Liberalism creeps in and the Social Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ becomes an embarrassment (especially after they have lost all their friends). Suddenly, all these Catholic “things” (doctrines) become imprudent and must be deferred until better times.
From reading They Have Uncrowned Him, one must conclude that it is time to work for the Social Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The first and the most important step is strict adherence to Catholic Doctrine. This means the refusal to compromise with liberals whether in Rome or scattered throughout the Indult communities.
The great Cardinal Pie understood that the only way to fight the Revolution is to be faithful to Our Lord Jesus Christ. To Napoleon III, who prided himself for restoring Catholicism by implementing Religious Tolerance (Vatican II already at work), the Cardinal (then Bishop) answered: “[If] the moment has not come for Jesus Christ to rule, – well! Then the moment has not come for the government to endure [to stay in power]” (p 28). In other words, God will not bless those who compromise in order to do good. This is a violation of the principle that one cannot do evil in order to do good.
They Have Uncrowned Him should be read by all members of the Resistance and especially by those attempting to change the SSPX or Rome from within. The book was relevant when the Archbishop wrote it; it is equally relevant today.
Work cited:
They Have Uncrowned Him, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, Angelus Press, November 1992,
3rd Edition, pp. 261
Sr Constance (TOSF)
Prayers to Christ the King
Consecration to Christ the King
O Christ Jesus, I acknowledge Thee as universal King. For Thee all creatures have been made. Do Thou exercise over me all Thy rights. Renewing my baptismal vows, I renounce Satan with all his works and pomps, and I promise to live as a good Catholic and soldier of Christ. Especially do I pledge myself to work with all my power for the triumph of the rights of God and Thy Church, up to my death! Amen.
Prayer to Christ the King
Almighty everlasting God, Who in Thy beloved Son, King of the whole world, hast willed to restore all things anew; grant in Thy mercy that all the families of nations, rent asunder by the wound of sin, heresy and apostasy, may be subjected to His most gentle rule. Who with Thee liveth and reigneth world without end. Amen.
These prayers may also be said daily as part of the requirement of being a member of the League of the Kingship of Christ. A pdf of these prayers can be found here.
Pilgrimage Recap
Our Lady of Good Success Mission held their first pilgrimage to the Martyrs’ Shrine on this past Saturday. In spite of potentially bad weather, it turned out to be a beautiful experience. The Faithful started off with a Rosary recited in the Shrine itself and then proceeded to say the Stations of the Cross in the outdoor location. Several non-Traditional pilgrims and a NO priest joined us for the Stations of the Cross. Deo gratias!
The pilgrims then met for a potluck held in a parishioners’ home. A good time was held by all, and heartfelt thanks go to the hosting family.
We are already making plans to have our second pilgrimage in May 2015 at a shrine in the Kitchener area. This idea was suggested by a friend and we are hoping to make it work. Please mark it in on your calendar.
Remember that suggestions for parish activities are always welcome.