SSPX Rosary Crusade Officially Started

[Below is an article which appeared on Rorate Caeli yesterday (April 25th)]

The new SSPX Rosary Crusade

In his latest Letter to Friends and Benefactors (in French, dated April 15, 2009), the Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (FSSPX / SSPX), Bishop Bernard Fellay, after some strong words about those enemies of the Church (inside and outside Church institutions) who have been trying to undermine the Pope's efforts of reconciliation, proposes another Rosary Crusade, much larger than the other two previous Crusades:

"It seems to us that the moment is come to launch a substantial offensive, deeply anchored in the message of Our Lady at Fatima, in which she herself promised the happy ending, for she announces that, in the end, her Immaculate Heart will triumph. It is this triumph that we ask her, by the means that she herself requests, the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart by the Supreme Shepherd and all the bishops of the Catholic world, and the propagation of the devotion to her Dolorous and Immaculate Heart. It is for this that we wish to offer her, with this purpose, from now to March 25, 2010, a bouquet of 12 million Rosaries, as a crown of as many stars around her, accompanied by an equivalent sum of daily sacrifices that we may be able to fulfill most of all in the faithful accomplishment of the duties of our state of life, and with the promise to propagate the devotion to her Immaculate Heart."

FULL ENGLISH VERSION (SSPX - UNITED KINGDOM):
Just as we were launching a second Rosary Crusade at our Lourdes pilgrimage last October, we hardly expected such a swift answer from Heaven! As for the Vicar of Christ’s Motu Proprio liberating the traditional Mass, our second entreaty was answered even more swiftly by the Blessed Virgin, because on the very same visit I made to Rome in January to put in the Sovereign Pontiff’s hands our bouquet of 1,703,000 Rosaries, Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos put in my own hands the decree lifting the “excommunications” of 1988!

That is something we had asked for back in 2001, as a sign of good will on the part of the Vatican towards the Traditional movement. For, ever since the Council, everything Traditional or seeking to be Traditional in the Church has been undergoing one vexation after another, up to and including our being cast into exile. Naturally that undermined partially or even totally, ones trust in the Roman authorities. As long as that trust is not partially restored, as I said at the time, the relations between Rome and ourselves will hardly exist. Trust is not just a nice feeling, it is a fruit that grows all on its own when one can recognize in the Roman authorities shepherds who have the interests of everything Traditional at heart. That was the meaning of our two preliminary requests. It is impossible to understand our present position and attitude towards the Holy See if one does not take into account the state of crisis prevailing in the Church, which is no superficial matter, nor just a personal opinion. It is a reality quite independent of our way of looking at it, which is admitted now and again by those authorities, and verified all the time by the facts. There are numerous and varied aspects to the crisis, some profound, some merely circumstantial, but everyone suffers from it. What strikes the faithful above all are the updated liturgical ceremonies—very often scandalous, alas! and the day-to-day preaching from the pulpit of positions on moral questions in direct contradiction to the age-old teaching of the Church and the example of the Saints. Very often parents have been grieved by their children’s losing the Faith, after having been entrusted to Catholic schools, or by their almost complete ignorance of Catholic doctrine, thanks to the lack of any proper catechism. A countless number of members of religious orders, through their Constitutions having been re-written and their minds re-trained according to Vatican II, show that they have lost the spirit of the Gospel, in particular, self-renunciation, poverty and sacrifice. This loss has almost immediately resulted in such a falling off of vocations that a number of Orders and Congregations are closing their houses one after another, or disappearing altogether. The situation of many dioceses is just as dramatic.
All of which forms a coherent whole that did not happen merely by chance, but arose out of a Council setting out to reform everything, and claiming to bring even the Church up to date. Yet we are accused of either seeing a crisis where there is none, or of wrongly blaming the Council for a disastrous and enormously serious situation which anyone can recognize, or again of profiting by that situation to justify a wrongful attitude of rebellion and independence.

On the contrary, pick up the writings of the Church Fathers, or the Magisterium, or the Liturgy or Theology down the ages, and you find a unity of teaching and example to which we cleave with all our heart. This unity of doctrine is in practice heavily contradicted, thwarted and attacked by present ways of doing things. We are not imagining things when we say there has been a break. The break is all too real. To observe how the Bishops of certain countries treat us even after the “excommunications” were withdrawn, is enough for one to see how deeply the up-dated churchmen reject anything that smacks of Tradition. The only name that can be given to such an occurrence is a break with the past.

For again, as surprising as was the appearance of the Decree of January 21, just as astonishing was the violence of the reaction of the progressives and leftists in general with regard to ourselves. By Bishop Williamson’s unfortunate words they may well have been handed a golden opportunity to smear the whole Society of St. Pius X and to treat it as a scapegoat, but the truth of the matter is that we were merely an instrument in a much more important struggle, the struggle of Mother Church, truly called the Church Militant , against the evil spirits prowling through the atmosphere, as St. Paul says. It is no presumption on our part to say the Society has just now been playing a part in Church history, the history of the titanic struggle for the salvation of souls, announced in the Book of Genesis and described so dramatically in the Revelation of St. John. Normally this struggle confines itself to the spiritual domain, but every now and again it flows over from words and souls into the bodily domain, and then it becomes visible, as with open persecutions.

In all that has happened these last few months we should see a particularly intense moment of this struggle. It is clear as clear can be that the main target being aimed at is the Vicar of Christ as he attempts to undertake a certain restoration of the Church. A coming together of the Head of the Church and the Traditional movement is much feared, as is any going back on the novelties of Vatican II, so everything possible is done to prevent it. What does the Pope truly think? What position is he taking? Jews and progressives want to force him to choose between Vatican II and ourselves…. to such a point that to re-assure them, the Secretariat of State could find nothing better than to lay down as a necessary condition for our canonical re-instatement the complete acceptance of what we consider to be the main source of the current problems we have always been opposed to!.... Yet those churchmen are bound, as are we all, by the Anti-modernist Oath and all the other Church condemnations of modern novelties. Thus we refuse to approach Vatican II from any other angle than that of the Solemn Declarations (Profession of Faith and Anti-modernist Oath) drawn up before God and the Church. And if the Council is incompatible with such Declarations, then it is the novelties that must be wrong. We are relying on the up-coming doctrinal discussions to clarify these points as much as possible.

Profiting from the new situation arising from the withdrawal of the “excommunications” which has actually left the canonical status of the Society unchanged, several Bishops try to square the circle by demanding that we obey Canon Law to the letter on every point, as though we were perfectly in order, at the same time as they declare we have no canonical existence! One German Bishop has announced that by year’s end the Society will once more be out of the Church… Nice of him! In fact the only possible solution is the one we already asked for, namely an intermediary status, necessarily incomplete and canonically imperfect, but generally accepted as being intermediary, without our having to be constantly accused of disobedience and rebellion, without our having ridiculous prohibitions thrown at us. When all is said and done, one more proof that the Church finds itself in an abnormal state, which we call a state of necessity, is the present words and deeds of certain Bishops with regard to the Pope and Tradition.
So how will things develop from here? We have no idea. We stand by our proposal to accept our present imperfect situation as being temporary, even while we enter into the doctrinal discussions that have been announced, in the hope that they will bear fruit.
But on this difficult path, in the face of such violent opposition, we ask you, dear faithful, once more to resort to prayer. It seems to us that the moment has come to launch a major offensive, firmly anchored in the message of Our Lady at Fatima, where she promised us success, announcing that in the end her Immaculate Heart will triumph. This is the triumph we are asking her for by the means she herself requested, namely the Consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart by the Supreme Pastor and all the Bishops of the Catholic world, and the spread of the devotion to her Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. So for this purpose we wish to offer her by March 2010 a bouquet of 12 million Rosaries, like a crown of 12 million stars all around her, to be accompanied by a similar quantity of daily sacrifices to be drawn above all from the faithful accomplishment of our duty of state, while we promise to spread the devotion to her Immaculate Heart. We are firmly convinced that if we take care to do what she says, we will obtain much more than we could ever have hoped, and above all we will make sure of our salvation by benefiting from the graces she has promised us.

So we ask also of our priests a special effort to make this devotion easier of access for our faithful, by putting the accent not only on the Communion of Reparation of the first Saturdays of the month, but also on living very close to Our Lady through the consecration to her Immaculate Heart. It would also be good to know better and to deepen the spirituality of Fr. Maximilian Kolbe, the great herald of the Immaculate.

Our Society was consecrated to the Immaculate Heart 25 years ago this year. We wish to renew this happy initiative of Fr. Schmidberger by wholly devoting ourselves to that Heart and by reviving our own hearts in this spirit. Obviously we are not going to tell Providence what it should do, but we have learned from the examples set by the Saints and in Scripture itself that to have great desires can bring forward the designs of the good Lord in a remarkable way. Thus today we make bold to entrust this intention to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, by asking her to take you all under her motherly protection. May God bless you abundantly!

On the feast of the glorious Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ,

Winona, Easter 2009

+Bernard Fellay


[For original article, please click here]

Death of Garabandal Visionary Mari Loli

Garabandal visionary Mari Loli Lafleur has passed away (April 20th). Below is a statement released by Joey Lomangino (founder of The Workers of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel de Garabandal, Inc.)


It was with great sadness that we were informed late last night of the death of Garabandal visionary Mari Loli Lafleur in Boston after a long illness. She was very much loved by everyone involved in the promotion of Garabandal. We ask your prayers for Mari Loli and her family and close friends.

Joey and Marilynn Lomangino
The Workers of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel de Garabandal
Lindenhurst NY USA

Please note: We have no further information at this time.


May God have mercy upon her soul.

Our Lady of Garabandal, pray for us!

Happy Easter!

T.C.N. wishes you a most Holy and Happy Easter!

Mass Times for Holy Week in Britain

Below are the times/locations for Holy Mass during Holy Week (SSPX Britain) :

Maundy Thursday Good Friday Holy Saturday Easter Sunday
9th April 10th April 11th April 12th April

Bristol: 1900 1500 2215 1000

Burghclere: - 1500 2200 0800

Edinburgh: 1900 1100* - 1300

Gateshead: - 1500 2000 1100

Glasgow: 1900 1500 2000 1000

Herne: 1900 1600 - 0900

Holnest/
Middlemarsh: - - - 1730

Keighley: - 1100* - 1330

Liverpool: - 1100* - 1300

London/
St. Joseph's: 1900 1500 2000 1100

London/
Wimbledon: 0800* 0800* - 0800

Manchester: 1900 1500 - 1000

Oxford: - - - 1000

Portsmouth: 1900 1500 2000 1100

Preston: 1900 1500 2000 1000

Rhos: - - - -

Taunton: - - - 1430

Woking: 1900 1200* 1000* 1700

*Mass not celebrated - other service such as Stations of the Cross or Tenebrae.

If you would like a more clear/detailed view of the mass times within Holy Week, please click here

Catholic University Encourages Alternative Lifestyles

[Taken from Blogger News Network]

(Above photo) FLAGS ON LAWN AT XAVIER UNIVERSITY TO CELEBRATE, “QUEER WEEK!”

This entire week at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio the Jesuit Catholic University has engaged in observing, what they call, “Queer Week!” Today, April 3 marks the end of the week’s programs and special events that are intended as “A week to embrace and celebrate the use of queer as an inclusive, unifying socio-political term for people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, straight, transsexual, intersexual, gender queer, or anyone else who supports the equality of all identities and expressions.” The quoted text is taken directly from the University’s web site.

When trying to call the University to ask someone how this campus observation of, “Queer Week,” appropriately fit into the context of Catholic moral teachings on the matter of homosexuality, the number called only provided an automated voice mailbox on which to leave a message or request a call back. The issue really is two-fold: How does a reportedly Catholic University promote, support and endorse a week of seminars and activities regarding a lifestyle that is contrary to Catholic moral and sexual teachings. Secondly, the question needs to be considered is how can any institution of higher learning consider itself authentically Catholic with such initiatives?Part of the continuously emerging concern in the American Catholic Church is the insistence of Catholic educational facilities to sponsor speakers, events and activities that are contrary to Catholic Church principles and teachings. The matter spills over into multiple topics, from (Pseudo) Catholics that are ProChoice, to the proverbial Quasi (Catholic) that endorses same-sex relationships, marriages and even gay civil rights.

It seemingly looks as if modern secularism is not only infiltrating the foundational teachings of Catholic moral and ethical teachings, but is actively eroding the theological and moral principles from within: namely Catholic institutions, clergy and faithful that are erroneous in their understanding of what the Catholic Church precisely teaches.

Additionally erroneous on the part of these groups is what the Catholic Church believes in living a lifestyle that is in accordance to the message of the Gospels & the teachings of the Apostles.Entities such as Xavier University engaged in discussion, development and fostering of activities such as,”Queer Week, “are indeed not in compliance to the four necessary components that are consistent for an educational facility of higher learning to maintain its Catholic identity.

Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Constitution on Catholic Universities clearly states:

1 .A Christian inspiration not only of individuals but of the university communityas such;

2 .A continuing reflection in the light of the Catholic faith upon the growingtreasury of human knowledge, to which it seeks to contribute by its ownresearch;

3. Fidelity to the Christian message as it comes to us through the Church;

4. An institutional commitment to the service of the people of God and of thehuman family in their pilgrimage to the transcendent goal which gives meaningto life.

Xavier University does not appear to provide a consistent vision in their application of these four points as stated by the Apostolic Constitution. As a direct result of this obstructed vision on the Church’s points, Xavier University is indeed not properly functioning as an institution of higher Catholic learning. They should immediately cease referencing themselves as a Catholic University.

The promotion of activities and events that are not consistent with the Church’s teachings quite frankly help to the disintegration and misunderstanding of authentic Catholic principles. The ersatz juxtaposition implied by, “Queer Week,” implies a tacit moral approval of alternative lifestyles as consistent with Catholic moral and ethical teachings. Any semblance of approval as illustrated at Xavier University to alternative lifestyles alienated from the authentic Catholic marriage and family pursuit indeed promotes a contrary to Catholic cultural traditions and should not be tolerated by the American Catholic hierarchy, and orthodox faithful Catholics in the United States.

If indeed any Catholic university wants to discuss the topic of homosexuality and the moral lifestyle implications, it should never be contemplated from a, “unified socio-political view,” but in the proper and correct context of authentic adherence to the Catholic Church’s guidelines set forth for the proper functioning of a Catholic University, and the proper implementation of Catholic social and sexual norms of appropriate behavior.Xavier University…stop advocating political correctness and start observing Catholic morality!

For original article, please click here

Why do Catholics not eat meat on Fridays?

Fr. Peter Scott, rector of Holy Cross Seminary Australia (sspx) answers frequently asked questions about Catholicism.

Question: Why do Catholics not eat meat on Fridays?

Answer: The practice of Friday abstinence dates from the very beginning of the Church. The principle of the penitential practice abstinence, in order to achieve self-mastery, was already outlined by St. Paul himself: “Everyone striving for the mastery must abstain from all things” ( I Cor 9:25) and “Let us exhibit ourselves as the ministers of Christ in labours, watchings, and fastings” (2 Cor 6:5).

Explicit mention is made of the practice of abstaining on Fridays in a documents from the end of the first century (The Didache of the Apostles), as well as by St. Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian in the 3rd century. It was the universal custom from the very beginning, and Friday was chosen in memory of the Passion of Our Lord, as a day on which we should make a special effort to practice penance. It is in recognition of the fact that Christ suffered and died, and gave up his human flesh and life for our sins on a Friday that Catholics do not eat flesh meat on Fridays. Pope Nicholas I made this a law of the Church in the ninth century. In the Latin Church, from the early middle ages this one day of abstinence was not considered enough, and Saturday abstinence was added, in honor of the burial of Christ and the mourning of the Blessed Mother and the holy woman on Holy Saturday. This was made a law of the Church by St. Gregory VII in the 11th century, but has since fallen out of custom, except by those who desire to profess their devotion to Our Lady in a special way. The Eastern rite Church also had strict rules for abstinence, given that it was binding for them on Wednesdays and Fridays.

The rules for what can and what cannot be permitted on days of abstinence have also varied with time. St. Thomas Aquinas, for example, indicates that eggs, milk, butter, cheese and lard are forbidden on days of abstinence because they come from animals and have some identity of origin with flesh meat. Present days rules limit the abstinence to flesh meat only.

The abstinence from meat is an ecclesiastical law, but one which has long obliged under pain of mortal sin. Pope Innocent III made this very clear at the beginning of the 13th century, and in the 17th century Pope Alexander VII anathematized those who would minimize the character of this obligation and declared that transgressions against it were only venial sins.

It is certainly true that, as an ecclesiastical law, it can be changed by the Church’s sovereign authority. However, the way this important precept has been trivialized by the post-conciliar church is a great disgrace and shame for Catholics. It is clearly not taught to bind under pain of mortal sin, and the mention of the possibility of substituting any other kind of sacrifice by the 1983 Code of Canon Law has effectively destroyed this very ancient practice. The fundamental reason why the modernists detest the Friday abstinence is that they refuse the need for at least some small works of penance to satisfy for the temporal punishment due to our sins, and they do everything they can to empty out the mystery of the Passion, that is of the Cross, and to replace it by a Risen Christ with suffering and sacrifice. However, it was by suffering, and by offering up his own flesh and blood that Our Divine Savior deigned to redeem us, and consequently it is our duty to associate ourselves with Him by the Friday abstinence.

Traditional Catholics know full well that they have a grave obligation of maintaining this ancient penitential Tradition. They can and should confess it as a mortal sin, if they break the Friday abstinence without any excusing reason. It is not a mortal sin in virtue of the Church’s positive, ecclesiastical law, or at least not clearly so. However, it is a sin of disrespect and contempt for Our Lord’s passion and death, for the Church’s traditions, and for the necessity of doing penance, and a sign of grave indifference to the work of our Redemption. Consequently, the priest will not hesitate to give absolution to one who confesses this sin, being truly contrite for it.

[To view more frequently asked questions about Catholicism (answered by SSPX Seminary rector, Fr. Peter Scott), please click here

Fourth Anniversary of the Death of John Paul II

Today is the fourth anniversary of the death of John Paul II. Below is a PRESS COMMUNIQUÉ
on the death of Pope John Paul II from the superior of the Society of St. Pius X, Bishop Fellay.

Menzingen

Easter Saturday

2 April, 2005

The Superior General of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X and his two assistants, together with all its members: bishops, priests, brothers, sisters as well as the faithful, join in the prayer of the Universal Church at the announcement of the passing of the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II. We commend his soul to the mercy of God the Father and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

There will be a Requiem Mass said in each house of the Society for the repose of the soul of the Holy Father.

The Society of St. Pius X, founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, applauds the fight undertaken by Karol Wojtyla for the protection of life and his efforts in the moral sphere. Nonetheless, it feels it a duty to repeat that it has always disapproved of the indefatigable efforts of Pope John Paul II towards ecumenism, efforts which have led to a weakening of the Faith and of the defence of Truth.

The Society is aware of the superhuman task awaiting the future Supreme Pontiff and prays the Holy Ghost to enlighten the Cardinal Electors. It hopes the new Vicar of Christ will be able to take up the helm of the Church with a steady hand and make good the damage caused in the wake of the Second Vatican Council: liturgical unity and the unity of Faith have been dissolved and doctrinal errors have spread amongst all the clergy.

While we wait and hope for this, it is now time to pray for him who has just entered eternity.

Bishop Bernard Fellay

Superior General of the SSPX

[Source]

Below is a photo showing Pope John Paul II kissing the Koran. May Almighty God have mercy on his soul!

SSPX York Pilgrimage April 2009

The SSPX.uk will be running its annual pilgrimage (formally known as 'the York to Hazlewood Pilgrimage') this month on Saturday 25th.

Pilgrims meet outside St. Wilfred's Catholic church, York at 10am and then walk through the narrow streets of York to visit religious sites such as: the house of St. Margaret Clitherow and the site where she was brutally martyred. Pilgrims also get the chance to venerate the incorrupt hand of St. Margaret and visit other sites where many courageous martyrs such as Francis Ingleby died for the faith.

The pilgrimage ends in Askham Richard with Holy Mass being celebrated in the Village Hall at 2pm.

No payments/fees are required for taking part in the York Pilgrimage and all are welcome to come.
For further details
please contact: Mr G Townshend
Tel: 01535 630436

If you would like to read the original program (published in the March 2009 newsletter by the SSPX), please click here

Bishop's Course For Couples Step in The Right Direction?

[Lancashire Evening Post]

31 March 2009

By David Coates

Couples in Lancashire will have to do a course in marriage before they are granted a Catholic church wedding.

Bishop of Lancaster Patrick O'Donoghue has drawn up the Marriage Preparation Course as the final part of his controversial Fit for Mission? review of the Catholic church.

He has already announced the closures of churches in the county and attacked his fellow Bishops for failing to tackle issues such as homosexuality and same-sex adoption elsewhere in the review.

The Bishop plans two courses – Marriage Preparation, a basic curriculum for non-practising Catholics, and Marriage Preparation Plus for churchgoers.

Both courses include homework and are spread over six sessions.

Fr Robert Billing, the Bishop's secretary, said the courses had been requested by priests across the Diocese who were struggling to teach brides and grooms enough about marriage within the faith.

He said: "At the moment there is some kind of education, because couples who want a church wedding meet a priest a few times before a wedding.

"Often the priests are at a loss how to structure it, so this process formalises the whole thing."

In his introduction to the courses, due to be published shortly, the Bishop said he accepted that many who wanted a church wedding would be non-practising Catholics or have "no religious background".

The Bishop, who retires next month, said the basic course was aimed at "couples with little or no knowledge of the faith or experience of the church".

The Marriage Preparation Plus course assumes a "knowledge of the faith and a living relationship with Christ".

Fr Billing said priests would judge which course was best suited to each couple.

He said: "When I was at St Maria Goretti in Preston four years ago, the weddings I did were rarely with two practising Catholics.

"Often it was lapsed Catholics or people who had been to a Catholic school, so there was some contact but it was distant."

Fr Tom Singleton, of St Ignatius and English Martyrs churches in Preston, said the courses would help priests plan marriage preparations in a "more uniform way".

He said: "The important thing is that priests are able to help couples for the long term and prepare them for the challenges which married life brings to a relationship.

"It is about helping teach them about the church, and about how it can support them through their married lives."

[For original article please visit Lancashire Evening Post]

What do you think? Feel free to post comments on this article.