Rorate Caeli

It seems we'll never know what happened at St. John Cantius, Chicago


Saint John Cantius in Chicago, the church brought back to life by Fr. C. Frank Phillips and his Canons Regular, was a famous example, known around the world, of how beauty in the liturgy (and the Traditional Mass, which is celebrated with great reverence alongside a beautified Novus Ordo in that church) could function as a catalyst for the restoration of the faith of the people.

Sadly, a few months ago, the Archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Cupich, removed Fr. Phillips from his post, after learning of "credible allegations of improper conduct involving adult men." (Chicago Tribune)

After months of speculation, the Congregation of the Resurrection (C.R.), the order to which the founder of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius, Fr. Frank Phillips, belonged, issued a final statement on his situation:



Something happened. What happened? The Congregation of the Ressurrection and the Archdiocese of Chicago have an obligation to make public those parts of their conclusions that can be made public (that is, with names or other information that could identify specific persons blacked out). Otherwise, the removal of Fr. Phillips will be seen as a persecution motivated not by his "improper conduct" (what was it?), but actually by his good work at St. John Cantius. The people have a rightful expectation to know what actually happened.


(Letter image source: Twitter account of Fr. Cusick)