The New Liturgical Movement's post on Opus Mariae Matris Ecclesiae reminded me that, in 2009, Rorate had received information (via Enrico Spitali of Messa in Latino) from the same community about itself and its founder, Fr. Pietro Cantoni. However, I was not able to post the community's letter due to time constraints and I soon forgot about it. Permit me therefore to share it, albeit belatedly.
Fr. Pietro Cantoni was born in Piacenza in 1950. After his doctorate in Philosophy (1975) at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, he experienced a strong calling to priesthood through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Due to the confused atmosphere that followed Vatican II, he entered the Econe seminary in Switzerland, where Monsignor Lefebvre intended to give seminarians a traditional formation. He was ordained a priest in 1978 and invited to teach Ecclesiology in Econe (Switzerland). In time he realized the risk of schism of the Society of St. Pius X and- having received no answer from Mons. Lefebvre to his letters - he chose to leave. Some seminarians from Econe followed him and they were accepted by Mons. Aldo Forzoni, diocesan bishop of Apuania (now Massa Carrara - Pontremoli), a small diocese in northern Tuscany, in 1981.
This small group had the desire to pursue many good things they learned in time, especially the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the Vetus Ordo Missae but encountered many problems; only in 1991 the small fraternity had its first approval as "private association of clerics" and in 2002 Opus Mariae Matris Ecclesiae had its approval as "public clerical association" from Mons. Eugenio Binini (as you can read in this section of our website http://www.opusmariae.it/chisiamo.htm). We look forward with much hope to the approval as "Society of Apostolic Life" as expressed in our Constitutions (http://www.opusmariae.it/CostituzioniOMME.pdf).
Opus Mariae Matris Ecclesiae is a Marian priestly fraternity commited to the sanctification of priests and the people we minister. With a strong Marian characteristic, we dedicate ourselves to the preaching of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola & other spititual retreats, trying to serve the Holy Church for that great spiritual work that John Paul II called "the New Evangelization", in unity with the Holy Father. For this purpose our bishop entrusted us a big house for our home and apostolate. We also minister 16 parishes, we assist spiritually various catholic associations, some of us teach in the local seminary and other schools in the area. Some of us are engaged in the formation of future priests as recently we were allowed to form our seminarians internally.
Today (2009) the fraternity is composed of 8 priests and 2 seminarians. Since the beginnings we always considered Liturgy (in both forms of the Roman Rite) as the basis for our spiritual life; much before the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, we often celebrated the Holy Mass according to the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite with the generous permission of our diocesan bishop. We always found in this practice a great nourishment for that "hermeneutics of continuity" indicated by the Holy Father Benedict XVI as a strong remedy to many problems within the Church.
Fr. Pietro Cantoni is the Founder and Moderator of Opus Mariae Matris Ecclesiae. He teaches Metaphysics, Ecclesiology and Mariology to the Studio Teologico Interdiocesano based in Camaiore (Lucca province - Italy), where the seminarians of 6 dioceses from northern Tuscany and south-western Liguria study. After his Doctorate in Philosophy and the Licenciate in Theology he is working at a thesis on the role of the doctrinal authority in the Church. Fr. Cantoni is a founding member of Alleanza Cattolica for which he wrote many articles on Cristianità; he writes regularly on various italian magazines of apologetics & priestly formation as Il Timone and Sacerdos. He spoke at many conferences in Italy and abroad. Many of his writings and speeches can be found on our website www.opusmariae.it"
