Father Daniel Couture, Superior of the Asian District of the Society of Saint Pius X (FSSPX / SSPX), sent this appeal to his priests and faithful.
May 31, 2012
Feast of the Queenship of Mary
Let us implore the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary for our Superior General, for his Assistants, for our Bishops« All these were persevering with one mind in prayer with the women, and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. (Acts 1,14)
On this last day of May, feast of the Queenship of Our Lady and eve of the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I am making an urgent appeal to all the members of the Society of St Pius X of the Asian District, to all our faithful and to all those who want to join with us, to continue “persevering with one mind in prayer .. with Mary the Mother of Jesus”, our Immaculate Queen, Queen of the Clergy, Mother of the Church, for the Retreat and important Chapter of the SSPX which are scheduled to take place next July 1-14.
In the present difficult circumstances, truth will be made known to souls who humble themselves before God, to those who control their passions and their interior agitation in order to have no other thirst than that for the truth of God, and no other will than His. This is not the first time the Society of St Pius X goes through stormy days. Back in 1977, after a major crisis had hit the seminary of Ecône, the Archbishop wrote the following lines which radiate the peace and fortitude of the Holy Ghost present in him even in times of trial. What he said under Paul VI, he would certainly substantially repeat again today under Benedict XVI.
“Born in this period of confusion, the Society was bound to be persecuted by the Church’s destroyers. Whatever they have done against the Society, has been motivated by the fact that we refuse to scale down the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This Kingship is splendidly expressed within the traditional liturgy, confirmed by Theology and the other Sacred Sciences, in the Law of the Church. (…)
It is certain that the Pope is imbued with liberal principles. Cardinal Daniélou himself and his friend Jean Guitton, both affirm this. This deplorable influence seems sufficient to explain the unfortunate incoherence and contradictions coming from the Pope and his circle. However, if that forbids us to follow him when he speaks or acts in an erroneous manner, it must not lead to disrespect or contempt, for he sits on the throne of Peter. We must pray for him, so that he teaches the Truth and works exclusively towards re-establishing the reign of Our Lord. Let us avoid taking extreme positions that no longer correspond to reality but to our own a priori judgments , which needlessly troubles our conscience without enlightening it. Let us avoid the bitter zeal condemned by St Pius X in his first encyclical:
But in order that the desired fruit may be derived from this apostolate and this zeal for teaching, and that Christ may be formed in all, be it remembered, Venerable Brethren, that no means is more efficacious than charity. ‘For the Lord is not in the earthquake’ (3 Kings 19:2). It is vain to hope to attract souls to God by bitter zeal. On the contrary, harm is done more often than good, by taunting men harshly with their faults and reproving their vices with asperity. True the Apostle exhorted Timothy: ‘Accuse, beseech, rebuke,’ but he took care to add ‘with all patience’ (2 Tim 4:2). Jesus has certainly left us examples of this: ‘Come to Me’, we find Him saying, ‘Come to Me all ye that labour and are burdened, and I will refresh you’ (Mt 11:28). And by those who labour and are burdened, He meant only those who are slaves of sin and error. What gentleness, was that shown by the Divine Master! What tenderness, what compassion towards all kind of miseries!
That is why it is impossible for us to approve the attitude of those who have only bitter words for their neighbour, who judge them rashly and thus create a division amongst those who are fighting the same fight. (…) Let us keep our souls in a spirit of patience, gentleness, humility, as well as strength and firmness of faith. Our establishments, our priories and above all our seminaries, must breathe this atmosphere of charity, and devotion towards our divine King, and atmosphere of loyalty, friendliness and fraternal understanding.” (from Cor Unum, Letters and Conferences of Arch. M. Lefebvre, SSPX USA, Letter 3, Christmas 1977)It is worth recalling the wise rules of St Ignatius for the Discernment of Spirits, especially the 2nd and 5th rules. The 2nd describes how the devil tempts good souls. The classic signs are: anxiety (ex. what if... ? panic attacks, etc.), sadness, obstacles, false reasons, trouble, and discouragement. We do find all these signs at present in our ranks. It means the devil is nearby “as a roaring lion seeking whom to devour”. But then, we must remember the 5th rule which tells us what to do in times of spiritual desolation: pray, meditate, do penance, and examine yourself! This ought to be our program in this month of June, much better both for us and for our cause than rash judgments and idle gossip.
Finally, I would also like to make mine this time the words of the French District Superior, Fr. de Cacqueray, who made a similar appeal recently, last May 17, on the feast of the Ascension:“Let us join to our prayers our sacrifices, as the Blessed Virgin Mary has always urged us to do! Priests, Brothers, Sisters, let us give the example! Let us ask forgiveness with our whole heart to Our Blessed Lord for all our sins and let us live in the state of grace. Let us bear with patience the daily crosses, let us not abandon our duty of state on the pretext that all is already lost. Let us even give generously to God a little extra of ourselves that is a bit costly, painful, in order to cling more strongly to Him.
We are living a very great trial, but Our Lord is still present in the ship even though the storm is fierce and seems about to drown it. Let us not be afraid if Our Lord again seems to be sleeping, because in reality, He never ceases to watch over us. We believe it with our whole soul. That is why we must remain in serenity, deeply convinced that the Good Lord watches over us.
Let us implore, and storm Heaven for our Superior General, for his Assistants, for our four Bishops that they may receive the graces of light and strength which they need to remain firm in the good battle of the Faith in these difficult circumstances.
We have a great debt towards our four Bishops and we beg God to be able to celebrate their episcopal silver Jubilee on June 30, 2013.
Let us also ask these graces for ourselves, for one another, because we have all much need of them.”For all the priests of the Asian District, during the whole month of June, on all 3rd and 4th class days, an extra commemoration will be added (oratio imperata) which will be that of St Pius X, September 3rd. May our great Patron Saint intercede with the King of kings and the Queen of Heaven to save this Society which was put under his powerful patronage. For all, I recommend fidelity to the daily rosary, even its 15 mysteries, the Litanies of the Sacred Heart, and if possible some fasting, perhaps once a week.
During this month which is also the month of the ordinations, let us remember the deacons who will be receiving the grace of the sacred priesthood in our various seminaries.
“Public prayers have great power with the Sacred Heart, which turns away the rigors of Divine Justice by putting itself between Justice and sinners to obtain pardon” (St Margaret Mary).
Entrusting the whole Asian District to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary and to St Joseph.
Fr. Daniel Couture, Asian District Superior
