Fisher More College awaiting answer from Ecclesia Dei After having TLM suppressed by Bishop Olson, school expects answer soon

Rorate has obtained a first look at a statement to be released tomorrow by Fisher More College. In the statement below, the school -- for the first time -- confirms publicly what Rorate has known: that it has rightly appealed to Ecclesia Dei and expects an answer soon.

Back in March, Rorate broke the exclusive story that the Most Rev. Michael Olson, the newly-ordained bishop of the Fort Worth Diocese, had suppressed the Traditional Latin Mass at the college, writing to the president it was for the good of "your own soul" (read the whole story here).

Maybe most disturbing is that Bishop Olson not only took this unjust action, but has remained silent on the matter since, refusing to even meet with some of the students of whom he has banned their God-given patrimony.

Bishop Olson has also ignored a list of questions Rorate asked of him in writing, giving him every opportunity to use our blog to explain his actions to those scandalized by this matter. We still welcome His Excellency to respond to our questions and will run them in full without editorial comment.

Let us pray Ecclesia Dei steps up and stomps out this complete and unjust overreach. The statement from Fisher More College follows:

The business operations and programs of the College proceed as usual into normal summer mode. An announcement regarding fall courses and enrollment will be made as soon as it is possible. The College has petitioned the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei for hierarchical recourse against the decision of Bishop Michael Olson prohibiting Mass in the forma extraordinaria of the Roman Rite at the College chapel. Based on our understanding of canonical procedure, the Commission can be expected to rule on this matter by mid-July. At this time, the College intends to withhold making any decisions regarding its campus and residential program until it receives a ruling from the Commission.

The Fisher More Academy online program is healthy and operates with business-as-usual in preparation for next school year. The Academy continues to add exceptional teachers and staff from across the country, has been accepting enrollment for grades 4 thru 12 since the beginning of April, and looks forward to another year of providing an education program to Catholic families that is traditional, formative, excellent, and affordable.

For the record: Cardinal Schonborn's congratulations to "Conchita Wurst"Is cross-dressing now an example of the "diversity" of "God's garden"?

It was widely reported in German-language media, and noted on a handful of English-language blogs, that Cardinal Schonborn of Vienna had offered his congratulations last week to Thomas Neuwirth, a.k.a "Conchita Wurst", for the bearded transvestite's "victory" at the Eurovision Song Contest earlier this month. 

Now, thanks to a friend of Rorate, "EP", we have a full translation of the Cardinal's remarks as published on his official Facebook page (see here), remarks that were echoed on the website of the Austrian daily, "Heute". The emphases are Rorate's.

It is said on the first page of the Bible: “And God created man to his own image…male and female he created them.” How wonderful, this idea of God’s. What a dull and dreary place the world would be if it were populated by one sex exclusively. The mutual attraction between man and woman is what makes life interesting. The complementarity of the sexes is something both precious and wonderful. None of us would be here today if a man and a woman had not conceived us in what was, hopefully, an act of true love, giving us the gift of life.

Yet, as we all know, God’s garden is full of diversity. Not everyone who was born a man identifies as such; the same goes for many women. As human beings, they deserve the same respect that we all have a right to. I am happy for Thomas Neuwirth who has been acclaimed for his recent performance as Conchita Wurst. It is my sincere hope that success does not go to his head and I pray for God’s blessing in his life.

Is this a triumph of tolerance? The recent kidnapping and forced conversion of 276 Christian girls by the Islamist Boko Haram is a shocking example of intolerance. Another such example is the death penalty threatening homosexuals is various countries. I find the advertisement for the upcoming “Life Ball” to be much less of a threat by comparison, though still questionable. Yes, our world is in need of true tolerance, i.e. the respect for others, even when we do not see eye to eye.   

The Life Balll advertisement can be viewed elsewherenon the web (Warning: the image may be disturbing for many of our readers, and we cannot link to it.) "Life Ball" is billed as "one of the biggest AIDS charity events in the world" but has its roots in Vienna's "gay" scene; according to the event's website, this year's Life Ball is "dedicated to the topic 'The Garden of Earthly Delights'. Lust as something that links people is displayed in all its diversity and brought to life in highly imaginative garden settings, worlds of insects and flowery sceneries." Predictably, Mr. Neuwirth will be performing there as "Conchita Wurst". 

Three 1sts for one U.S. diocese this year

We have written several times about the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, as it is a fascinating example of post-Summorum Pontificum accomplishments led by young, traditional-leaning priests.  Founded in 1974, the traditional Latin Mass was "prohibited" in the diocese until 2006. In April 2006 one TLM was permitted and in August 2006 a second Mass was authorized by the bishop.  The announcement was coupled with permission for female altar boys to serve at novus ordo liturgies.

After Summorum Pontificum in 2007 removed local bishops from the TLM decision-making process, several priests immediately scheduled traditional Latin Masses in the diocese, including one on the day the motu proprio became effective. Today the Diocese of Arlington has 14 locations (13 parishes and the chapel of Christendom College) where the traditional Latin Mass is offered, a relatively staggering number considering the diocese has only 68 parishes. A diocese where the TLM was banned until eight years ago now features a regularly scheduled TLM in one out of every five parishes.  Eight of those parishes offer the TLM every Sunday, with a ninth soon on the way.

The bishop of the diocese, His Excellency Paul Loverde, has granted permission for a traditional ordination, scheduled for Saturday, 14 June, at 9 a.m. at Saint John the Apostle church in Leesburg, Va. The two Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter deacons to be ordained priests are the Rev. Mr. Daniel Heenan, FSSP, and the Rev. Mr. Zachary Akers, FSSP -- 2005 graduates of Christendom College in the diocese.

The ordination is open (no tickets necessary) to the public, with light refreshments to follow in the church hall.  It will be two weeks after seven other FSSP deacons will be ordained in Omaha, Nebraska.  The Most Reverend James Conley, bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska, will ordain Deacons Heenan and Akers and celebrate a pontifical High Mass from the faldstool.  Bishop Loverde will be in choro -- the first time a bishop of Arlington has ever attended a traditional Latin Mass in the diocese. (Readers may recall Bishop Loverde, who turns 75 next year, attended one TLM outside of his diocese two years ago for the wedding of a former employee.)

The ordination Mass will be the red-vestment Pentecost Ember Saturday Mass, in full, with its many lessons before the Epistle.  The assistant priest will be the Very Rev. Fr. Josef Bisig, FSSP, the rector of the Fraternity's North American seminary; the deacon will be the Rev. Fr. Matthew McNeely, FSSP; and the subdeacon will be the Rev. Fr. Paul Scalia, the bishop's delegate for clergy in the Diocese of Arlington.  The assistant priest for Father Heenan will be the Rev. Fr. Rhone Lillard, FSSP; and the assistant priest for Father Akers will be the Rev. Fr. John Brancich, FSSP.
 

First the friars, and now the sistersFranciscan Sisters of the Immaculate placed under visitation

Corrispondenza Romana reports that the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate, also founded by Fr. Stefano Manelli FI, has been placed under visitation by Cardinal Braz de Aviz. The visitation was announced on May 19 with immediate effect.

There's another report in English, here.

Perhaps our readers remember that in December of last year, the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate had issued an official statement courageously attacking Fr. Volpi's accusations against them as totally unfounded: a statement that has been all but ignored in the rush of certain sectors to justify every step and every measure taken against the Franciscans of the Immaculate. 

This tragic news comes on the heels of Rorate's reporting last week that a large number of Friars are seeking to be released from their pontifical vows (see here).

***

UPDATE. The following is a translation of the original Corrispondenza Romana report. Many thanks to a reader of Rorate, Seamus O'Halloran.


Salus animarum suprema lex?
by Roberto de Mattei. 

There can be no further doubts for anyone who still had any. There exists a plan for the systematic destruction of the Franciscans of the Immaculate and Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate, the two Religious Institutes founded by Fr. Stefano Maria Manelli currently caught up in the storm.

On Monday 19 May 2014 João Cardinal Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life, informed the Superior General of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate that he was to appoint, with immediate effect, a “Visitor” for the Institute with utmost powers which would make her a sort of “Commissar.” At the Generalate in Frattocchie near Rome, Sister Fernanda Barbiero of the Institute of the Sisters of St. Dorothy, a “grown-up” and “up-to-date” nun with moderately feminist tendencies and a follower (although somewhat later than all his other followers) of Jacques Maritain, has already been installed.

The Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate are a Religious Institute of Pontifical Right distinguished by its very young average age, high number of locations, and especially the strictness of their charism in accordance with the Rule of St. Francis. Many of them are living an intense missionary apostolate in Africa, Brazil, and the Philippines, and others are living the contemplative life in a spirit of asceticism and prayer. The Sisters, drawing inspiration from St. Maximilian Kolbe, run publishing houses, radio stations, and print many popular magazines. This great apostolate, together with their love for Tradition, is certainly one of the reasons for the hatred many feel towards the Sisters and towards their Confreres (the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate).

On 11 July 2013, Cardinal Braz de Aviz entrusted running of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate to an “Apostolic Commissar” who, in less than one year, has shattered the Order and forced some of the best Friars to ask for dispensation from their vows and to leave an Institute which now looks like a bomb site, and they have tried to live their vocation to the Priesthood elsewhere.

The situation for the Sisters is now even more serious. The pretext for the “visitation” and “commissioning” of the Friars was the presence of a tiny but highly aggressive group of “dissidents,” encouraged and fired up from the outside. There have been no dissidents among the Sisters, who have been living in a spirit of perfect Christian charity. Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Immaculate are to be suppressed, mainly because they are so close to Tradition and are thus in conflict with the general procedure in other Institutes of Consecrated Life. I use the word “close” very guardedly, because these two Franciscan Congregations were born and live completely away from the “traditionalist” environment.

In the light of all the theological and pastoral disasters which came in the wake of Vatican II, they have shown their love for that orthodoxy which is in complete contrast with the prevailing doctrinal and liturgical creativity in today’s Church. The Congregation for Religious considers this “traditional” thinking with the church incompatible with any Vatican-II equivalent.

The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life clearly committed an abuse of power when it forbade the Franciscans of the Immaculate from saying Mass according to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. And the Friars themselves committed another error by accepting that anyone could stop them saying the Tridentine Mass. They gave two reasons for accepting the ban: obedience and bi-ritualism. But the underlying problem cannot be brought down to mono-ritualism or bi-ritualism.

The fact remains that the traditional Mass was never abrogated and cannot be abrogated, and all priests are entitled to say it. This was set out by Benedict XVI in his Motu proprio Summorum Pontificum on 7 July 2007, where His Holiness gave every Priest the right to “celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass following the typical edition of the Roman Missal, which was promulgated by Blessed John XXIII in 1962 and never abrogated, as an extraordinary form of the Church’s Liturgy.” This is the universal law of the Church, and merely confirms St Pius V’s Bull Quo primum (1570). No Priest has ever been punished for saying the traditional Mass, nor indeed could he be.

Layfolk and religious sisters cannot be forced to forgo a Rite which has been canonised by almost two thousand years of use by the Church.

Obedience is a virtue, probably the highest of all, about the problem in today’s Church is how this obedience is to be practised and who is to be obeyed. When obedience to instituted authority does not affect our spiritual life, but rather jeopardises it and puts our eternal salvation in danger, it must be rejected with all our energy; “we ought to obey God, rather than men” (Acts 5, 29).

Perhaps Cardinal Braz de Aviz wants to push the Sisters en masse into the Society of St. Pius X, and thus show that there is no room for “schismatic” traditionalists in the “post-conciliar” Church. If His Eminence did so, he would be showing two things: firstly, that many Bishops – and indeed Bishops’ Conferences – are now much more separated from the Church in matters of Faith than the Society of St. Pius X is from the Authorities; and secondly, that Canon Law allows Sisters and Friars to be released from their vows and to reorganise as a private association of faithful, thus living their vocation away from any arbitrary imposition (Canons 298-311).

Does his Congregation really want to deny 400 Sisters any dispensation from their vows? It would be a brutal violation of that very freedom of conscience which everyone talks about nowadays, usually in the wrong way. The traditional teaching of the Church considers freedom of conscience to be an inviolable right, because nobody can be forced to choose something, but the same cannot be true for the public sphere: only the truth, not error, has any rights. Fanatics of Vatican II talk about religious liberty in the public sphere, and hand out rights to all sorts of cults and sects, but they do not do so where it really matters, and judge intentions and think they can see into people’s consciences.

How dare they think they can force Friars and Sisters to remain in an Institute where they no longer feel at home because its very identity has been destroyed? The idea that salus animarum suprema lex is the underlying principle of Canon Law itself, and indeed of spiritual growth for any baptised Catholic. Its rule must be the salvation of our soul.

If someone in a situation like this wanted to follow their conscience and fight back against injustice, what do you think would happen to them? Dialogue? Open discussion? Mercy? A big stick, more like. Are expulsions, censures, suspensions a divinis, excommunications and interdictions only reserved now for those who are faithful to proper Catholic teaching?

One final question is still awaiting an answer. Is the big stick used by Cardinal Braz de Aviz in open contradiction with the mercy preached by Pope Francis? Or is it merely one means for expressing it?

(Roberto de Mattei)

Cardinal Lacroix to celebrate Confirmations in the Traditional Rite for Quebec parish

 Cardinal  Lacroix during the pastoral visit on March 9                                                             Photo: Jacinthe Soulard

His Eminence Cardinal Lacroix, Archbishop of Quebec, will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite at St. Zéphirin, a parish of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) in Quebec on Saturday, May 31 at 5:00 pm. It will be the first time since the introduction of the Pauline reform during Advent of 1969 that an archbishop of Quebec will administer this sacrament in the traditional rite.

His Eminence made ​​a pastoral visit to the parish on March 9. He attended Mass celebrated by Fr Gouy, FSSP assisted by Frs. Deprey, FSSP (Ottawa) and Huang, FSSP (Montreal) who served as deacon and sub-deacon respectively and he gave a sermon. The Mass was followed by a reception then a Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament by the Cardinal. Pictures of the pastoral visit are available on the website of the parish.

[Source: Notions Romaines, May 19, 2014]

Jesuit General to resign in 2016 due to advanced age.And the Society of Jesus? Still aging, and still shrinking.

Today's announcement by the Jesuit Curia that the General of their Order, Fr. Adolfo Nicolas SJ, will be resigning in late 2016 due to "advanced age" naturally raises the question: how are the Jesuits doing? How many Jesuits are there, after 49 years of aggiornamento and of the post-Conciliar "springtime"?

As of January 1, 2014, according to a report published on March 25 in Populi (citing statistics published on that same day by the Society of Jesus), there were 16,986 Jesuits worldwide: 12,107 priests, 1,331 lay brothers, 2,842 scholastics and 706 novices: a decrease of 268 members over the previous year. The report itself is deceptively titled "Gesuiti, aumentano le vocazioni" -- "Jesuits, an increase of vocations" -- due to there being 706 Jesuit novices as of Jan. 1, 2014 as compared to 699 in 2012. (The source for the figure of 699 novices is not given.)

Unfortunately even that little statistic does not seem to be accurate, insofar as pre-2014 figures are concerned. A complete set of statistics from 1974 to 2013 on the website of the Jesuit Curia, published on April 10, 2013 gives a slightly different picture: As of Jan. 1, 2013, there were a total of 17,287 Jesuits: 12,298 priests, 1,400 lay brothers, 2,878 scholastics and 711 novices. 

If the Populi statistics for Jan. 1, 2014 are accurate, then the real decrease of Jesuits since Jan. 1, 2013 has been by 301 members (and not 268), and there has been a decrease of 5 novices rather than an increase of 7 novices. Priests, lay brothers, and scholastics also saw a diminution of their numbers

And how many Jesuits were there in 1966? There were 36,038, of whom 20,301 were priests. (Source.) 

Pope names former adversary in Argentine episcopate to head office that does not yet exist

From the Monday bollettino:

Vatican City, 19 May 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has - appointed Metropolitan Archbishop Jose Luis Mollaghan of Rosario, Argentina as member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with responsibility for the Commission for the examination of appeals by clergy accused of “delicta graviora”, to be established.

Sandro Magister quite understandably interprets this as a removal - from Archbishop of a large diocese of over 2 million faithful to head of a (non-cardinalatial) office within the CDF that does not even exist yet. The 68-year-old Mollaghan was one of those named by Pope Benedict XVI against the line espoused by the Bergoglio side of the Conference - and actually from outside the "terna" prepared in Argentina.

Rorate reported this at the time, when, during the first half of his pontificate, Benedict XVI appeared strongest (2006):

Pope picking bishops from outside the lists

The general system for the appointment of bishops in the past 40 years has included some negotiations between the local episcopal conference and the local nuncio -- who then sends a list of three names to the Pope, through the Congregation for Bishops.

The Italian press reports today some very interesting news. In his recent audience with the Pope, Cardinal Bergoglio, archbishop of Buenos Aires (and, according to some reports, runner-up in the last conclave) mentioned the fact that two of the most prominent recent episcopal nominations in Argentina, the Archbishops of Rosario and Resistencia, were men whose names had not been included in the lists sent by the nuncio. It is not completely clear if he complained to the pope about the practice, but it seems so, since the report mentions the "concern of the Argentinian episcopate"

It is excellent news that the Pope has chosen to eventually choose names from outside the usual "progressive" careerists handpicked by the local nuncios and conferences of bishops.

And most importantly:

Pope picking bishops from outside the lists - II

The largest Argentinian newspaper, Clarín, has several interesting news on the crisis between the Holy See and the "ultra-progressive" Argentinian Conference of Bishops on the nomination, by the Holy Father, of so-called "conservative" bishops to the Archdioceses of Rosario and Resistencia, whose names had not been included in the ternas (the lists of three names sent by the local nuncio, in agreement with the local episcopal conference, to the Pope through the Congregation for Bishops) .

Some excerpts of the three articles published today show the amazing insolence of the local bishops. Fortunately, the Holy Father has shown even greater determination in this showdown with the Argentinian Episcopate by naming another "conservative" bishop to the Diocese of Zárate-Campana, while Cardinal Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires and President of the Episcopal Conference, is in Rome to voice these pathetic "concerns" of his colleagues.

From the first article:

"The most serious case is that of conservative bishop José Luiz Mollaghan, named new archbishop of Rosario, of the most important sees of Argentina. Most Argentinian bishops had preferred bishop Agustín Radrizzani, who had also been elected vice-president of the Argentinian episcopal conference, in a clear sign to Rome."

"The other case is that of bishop Fabriciano Sigampa, new bishop of Resistencia, also seen as 'very conservative'."

From the second article:

"The last nominations of bishops in the Argentinian Church have not reflected the majoritarian preferences of the Argentinian episcopate. ... Finally, the bishopric of Santiago del Estero is also vacant, since its titular bishop, Juan Carlos Maccarone, resigned in August, after being involved in a sex scandal. It is said that the only recent nomination which has reflected the wishes of the leadership of the episcopate was that of Jorge Lozano -- up to December an immediate collaborator of Cardinal Bergoglio -- to Gualeuguaychú. Even so, his nomination was not the product of a rapid process, but [of a] labor-intensive one."

Do you all remember who Maccarone was? He was the bishop who was forced to resign last August [Aug. 2005] because of a video portraying his sexual acts with a young man -- a resignation which the pope immediately accepted (of course), as he was on his way to the World Youth Day in Germany. And the Argentinian bishops want the Pope to accept their choices?

The third article explains that the conference of bishops wishes to minimize the clear battle between the Roman Curia and the national episcopate. Well, too late for that, now.

(Just to clarify the information published in the Italian press, as reported here, the Argentinian articles make clear that the Pope has actually not granted the audience requested by Cardinal Bergoglio to voice his concerns -- at least not until now.)

Well, things have certainly changed. But maybe it is just a fortunate coincidence, and the Pope really wanted to charge Mollaghan with judging the delicate delicta graviora, which are truly at the heart of the crisis of credibility faced by the Church since the late 20th century, in the office that still does not really exist. Of the conservative bishops named against the wishes of then-Cardinal Bergoglio, Magister recalls that Sigampa is already retired, Mollaghan is now named to this non-cardinalatial subordinate post, and the only one remaining is the now completely isolated archbishop of La Plata, Héctor Aguer.

You suggest: creation versus evolution, a debate

From a reader:

The Kolbe Center for the Study of Creation with the assistance of friends at the University of Kentucky has scheduled a debate on theistic evolution with a retired biology professor and a priest of the Lexington Diocese. The debate will take place in the hall of the Catholic cathedral in the Lexington Diocese from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, May 22, 2014. The event is open to the public.

The Kolbe center proposition is the following:

Be it resolved that the traditional Catholic doctrine of special creation -- the creation of all things by God's fiat at the beginning -- is a better explanation of all the facts of Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, Magisterial teaching, and natural science than theistic evolution. 

The opponents will argue against this proposition.

Click here for details.

Event: Bishop Athanasius Schneider to confer ordinations on LiveMass.net

The good folks at LiveMass.net have sent us a sneak peek at a promotional video they will start running soon announcing the ordination of seven FSSP candidates to the priesthood to be conferred by His Excellency Bishop Athanasius Schneider.

Please check out the video below, plan to watch the ordinations live on LiveMass.net and pray for these seven fine young soldiers of Christ that they may remain always attached to Our Lord, Our Lady, the Church and Tradition.

Centennial of Dom Delatte's Commentary on the Rule of St. Benedict I - Saint Benedict was above all a man of Tradition

Solesmes Abbey, France

Dom Paul Delatte, a diocesan priest who, later in life, joined St. Peter's Abbey, in Solesmes (historically, on the border between the Maine and the Anjou, now at Sarthe, Pays de la Loire, France), and, not long after his perpetual vows, was elected third Abbot of Solesmes in 1890, wrote many of the fundamental works on Benedictine life in the modern age. He suffered greatly in his years as successor to Dom Guéranger, certainly due to the intense persecution unleashed by the government of the Third French Republic, that forced the religious of France from outside their own houses (the monks of Solesmes had lived in various houses in the city outside their abbey since 1880) and finally into exile for not adapting to atrocious anticlerical association rules established in 1901.

But, and this is less well-known, Dom Delatte suffered even more from the intense internal persecution by some of his monks, who again and again denounced him (and also his great friend Mother Cécile Bruyère, first Abbess of St. Cecilia's, Solesmes) to the Apostolic See, causing him all kinds of trials, until his request for resignation (not his first) was finally accepted by the Holy See in 1921. Much of this is detailed in the French edition of a selection of his letters, "Lettres", published by Solesmes

Among his many great writings, probably none is as influential as his Commentary to the Rule of Saint Benedict, first published 100 years ago, in September 1913. The full text is available in its French text here, and in English here (translated by Dom Justin McCann, of Ampleforth Abbey). Various reasons prevented us from celebrating its publication in the exact centennial date, but since we are still in its centennial year, we are quite happy to post excerpts of the English translation for the edification of our readers. If you wish to help the work of Our Lady of Clear Creek Abbey, you may also buy a print version from their website here.

INTRODUCTION

"THE man of God, Benedict, among the many wonderful works that made him famous in this world, was also conspicuous for his teaching: for he wrote a Rule for monks, remarkable for discretion and rich in instruction. If anyone desires to know more deeply the life and character of the man, he may find in the ordinances of that Rule the exact image of his whole government: for the holy man cannot possibly have taught otherwise than as he lived." To this judgement of St. Gregory the Great, so complete for all its grace of form and sobriety of language, we may yet add two observations: first that the moral beauty of St. Benedict, his temperament and almost his characteristics, are reflected also in the pages, at once candid and profound, of his biographer; secondly, that the Rule itself came, in the middle of the sixth century, as the ripe fruit of a considerable monastic past and of the spiritual teaching of the Fathers.

St. Benedict was above all else a man of tradition. He was not the enthusiastic creator of an entirely new form of the religious life: neither nature nor grace disposed him to such a course. As may be seen from the last chapter of his Rule, he cared nothing for a reputation of originality, or for the glory of being a pioneer. He did not write till late, till he was on the threshold of eternity, after study and perhaps after experience of the principal monastic codes. Nearly every sentence reveals almost a fixed determination to base his ideas on those of the ancients, or at least to use their language and appropriate their terms.

But even though the Rule were nothing but an intelligent compilation, even though it were merely put together with the study and spiritual insight of St. Benedict, with the spirit of orderliness, moderation, and lucidity of this Roman of old patrician stock, it would not for all that be a commonplace work: in actual fact, it stands as the complete and finished expression of the monastic ideal. Who can measure the extraordinary influence that these few pages have exercised, during fourteen centuries, over the general development of the Western world? Yet St. Benedict thought only of God and of souls desirous to go to God; in the tranquil simplicity of his faith he purposed only to establish a school of the Lord s service: Dominici schola servitii. But, just because of this singleminded pursuit of the one thing necessary, God has blessed the Rule of Monks with singular fruitfulness, and St. Benedict has taken his place in the line of the great patriarchs.

We may almost say of the Benedictine Rule what is certainly true of the Law of God that it bears in itself its own justification, that it is self-sufficient; "the judgements of the Lord are true, justified in themselves," and that it only needs to be read and loved and lived. ... Perhaps the publication of these notes will satisfy, in some measure, the interest of the many Christian souls who ask us every day for enlightenment on the mode of life, spirituality, and real usefulness of monks.

...

The primary purpose of these studies is neither curiosity nor historical knowledge: our concern is with the soul and with the supernatural life. By constant communing with the master thought of St. Benedict and with the minds of his best disciples, will the sons of D. Guéranger be able to keep alive among them the true spirit of monasticism.

Clear words, “prophetic words”

The follow originally ran in Riscossa Cristiana, translated by Rorate's Francesca Romana:

By Marco Bongi

“We will find ourselves more and more faced with someone who professes to speak to us in the name of God by telling us that we have no need of Him.”

I listened to these dreadful words spoken by Alessandro Gnocchi on the 8th March 2014 at the annual meeting of Civitella del Tronto.  The title of Gnocchi’s presentation was: “The Crisis of the Sacred and the Church kneeling before the World.”

At first reading this seems to be a provocative statement and a bit over the top.

However I have reflected on it for some time - not as a theologian which I am not - but as a simple layman who observes what is happening around him.

Now I have arrived at the conclusion that these are, indeed, “prophetic words” an expression which will make those who are [especially] fond of it in the wrong way very happy!

Here then are some simple thoughts on the matter:

1) In the final analysis, what is the religious liberty expressed in the concilar document Dignitatis Humanae? In the years following the document, the diplomacy of the Holy See didn’t do very much, in the name of the Council (and thus  God)  about the demand to remove  every reference to the religion of the State from the constitution, did they? In other words, it (The Holy See) was asked to declare in the name of God that God is not important.

2) Didn’t the same thing happen with ecumenism? In the name of God they forced us to believe that, fundamentally the differences among the various Christian religions and non-Christian ones too, are - all things considered - negligible i.e. whether God is present in the Eucharist or not, whether Christ is the Son of God Incarnate or not, whether “without Faith it is impossible to please God” or not –  these things are not important.  So God Himself ultimately, is not important to them.

3) And the question of the Mass of Ages? If you think about it a bit, the innovators hate it because it attributes too much importance to God and to the transcendent dimension of [our] relationship with Him. In the name of God, they oblige us instead, to give importance to man, the assembly and “the supper in the community”…

4) The harshness and intransigence which admits no discussion that the modern pastors hurl at every supposition of “ a war” started in the name of Religion is also shocking:  to wage war in defense of God is blasphemy, an inexcusable crime. Much more understandable instead, are the people’s revolts i.e. the occupation of factories and the so-called wars of liberation.   What does it mean? It’s obvious. God is not important, there is no sense in fighting to defend Him and, if you haven’t understood this [yet], we order you to understand it in the name of God Himself!

5) There would be many more examples, but looking at the near future, I would like briefly to mention the possible and probable, re-admission of the divorced and remarried to the sacraments. We will certainly have to accept it, in the name of God’s authority, even if God has clearly said: “What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.” Moral: the law of God is not important, you must believe this in the name of God Himself!

6) And the praxis, (or what they like calling “the pastoral”), follows the new theology faithfully.  What does it mean?: imposing, de facto, Communion in the hand, impeding, de facto,  genuflections (since  the kneelers have been taken away) expelling, de facto, sin, the last things, the objectivity of morality from catechesis as well as homiletics?

This is why, in my view, Alessandro’s statement is truly prophetic, in the most authentic sense of this expression.

The final questions are consequently inevitable, even if they appear provocative:

Can the ecclesiastical authorities teach such things? Is it part of their legitimate powers? Do the faithful have the duty to obey such orders?

And, ultimately:

Will God accept being put to the side like a useless toy for much longer?

Franciscans of the Immaculate: will Francis save them?Sources: large number of FI priests petitioning to be relieved of pontifical vows

Last month, Sandro Magister reported (see here) the personal plea to Pope Francis of a couple, six of whose nine children are members of the Franciscans of the Immaculate (FI).  In response to the couple begging the pope to help, he answered "soon, soon" according to Magister.

Now, multiple sources are telling Rorate that a large number of FI friars -- possibly 100-150 -- are petitioning Rome to be released from their pontifical vows and to be placed under diocesan bishops.

As we have reported from the beginning, the order assigning a commissioner, which has led to the rapid destruction of a growing order that was increasingly attached to Traditional Catholicism, and has led numerous Faithful to lose access to the Traditional Latin Mass, was approved directly by Pope Francis.

We do not know what Pope Francis meant when he told the distressed parents "soon, soon." In Roman time, soon rarely means quickly. Let us pray that soon the Holy Father will end this drastic intervention that he approved and save a beautiful order currently in critical condition.

Restoring the Mass to an ordinary parish

A parish in Alexandria, Virginia, in the U.S. has been slowly introducing the traditional Latin Mass to its congregation and beyond since Summorum Pontificum, starting with one-time High Masses on certain feast days, then expanding to weekly Thursday evening Masses, and now with weekly Tuesday and Thursday evening Low Masses. The goal, many there would agree, is a Sunday Mass added to that schedule.

The parish, Saint Rita's church, is in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood and survived almost all of the building wreckovations of the late 20th century. A former parochial vicar there, the Reverend Father Paul Scalia, restored the traditional Latin Mass, and the current pastor, the Reverend Father Daniel Gee, expanded its now-regular schedule.  Father Gee, who previously offered the TLM at Christendom College while chaplain there, has also worked with Saint Rita's clergy, including former and current parochial vicars and the parish's deacon, to offer several Solemn High Masses in addition to the Tuesday and Thursday Low Masses he rotates with the parochial vicar, attracting an impressive number of young adults from the area.

Saint Rita's will mark two important events on Thursday, 22 May, with -- fittingly -- a traditional Latin Missa Cantata.  The first event is the feast of Saint Rita that day, and the second is the 100th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone for the original church (a larger, beautiful, stone church was subsequently built in 1949: the dedication Mass is pictured below).  What better way to commemorate Saint Rita (who died 22 May 1457) and a centennial than offering the Mass that would have been recognized by both Saint Rita and the church's first congregation?

The High Mass on 22 May will begin at 7:30 p.m., preceded by a half hour of polyphonic motets beginning at 7 p.m.  The pastor has hired a local, all-male polyphonic choir, the Suspicious Cheese Lords, to sing.

A newly found Canto

This "find"  comes from our friends at the The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny:

The following manuscript was sent to me by a friend. He said it was found recently in the cellar of what was once a monastery and now is a Walmart. Its authenticity is certainly open to question.  As experts have already pointed out, the terza rima scheme has been abandoned, and it is in the wrong vernacular.  But there has been no authoritative judgment as yet on its provenance or authenticity.  Its authorship remains a mystery.

Event: conference on the Traditional Latin Mass

From the hosts:

The next event of Juventutem Louisville will be on Friday, May 16th, at Guardian Angels (6000 Preston Hwy).  Fr. Leger will be giving a conference on the Traditional Latin Mass.  The conference will be a great introduction to the TLM for “newcomers” to the liturgy, but will also be a good refresher for those who have familiarity with it!  Food and social time will begin at 6pm followed by the conference at 7pm.

Francis: importune us to "give you the milk of grace, of doctrine and of leadership"!

May the Lord help us shepherds always to be faithful to the Master and wise and enlightened guides of the people of God entrusted to us. I also ask you, please, help us to be good pastors. Once I read something beautiful about how the people of God help bishops and priests be good shepherds. It is a text of St. Caesarius of Arles, a father of the first centuries of the Church. He explains how the people of God must help the shepherd and gave the following example. When the calf is hungry, he does to the cow, to the mother, to get milk. The cow, however, does not immediately give it to him: it seems that she is keeping it for herself. And what does the calf do? He knocks against the cow’s udder with his head so that the milk comes out. It is a beautiful image! “So you too,” the saint says, “must be like this with the shepherds. Always knock at their door, at their heart, so that they give you the milk of doctrine, the milk of grace and the milk of leadership.” And I ask you, please, to importune the shepherds, to disturb them, all of us shepherds, so that we can give you the milk of grace, of doctrine and of leadership. Importune [us]! Think of that beautiful image of that calf, how he importunes the mother so that she gives him something to eat.

In imitation of Jesus, every Shepherd “will sometimes go before his people, pointing the way and keeping their hope vibrant. At other times, he will simply be in their midst with his unassuming and merciful presence. At yet other times, he will have to walk after them, helping those who lag behind” (“Evangelii gaudium,” 31). May all shepherds be like this! But you must importune the shepherds, so that they give you the guide of doctrine and grace.

Francis

Address before the Regina Caeli (Zenit translation)

May 11, 2014

Photo: Ordination in St. Peter's Basilica, May 11, 2014. Source. 

Rorate Exclusive: Pope Francis received Bp. Fellay, SSPX Superior General, sometime in the past few months.

Rorate has learned and can exclusively confirm that Bishop Bernard Fellay, the Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X (Fraternité Sacerdotale Saint-Pie X - FSSPX / SSPX), was received by Pope Francis in the Domus Sanctae Marthae sometime in the past few months. In order to protect our sources, we cannot detail the date and persons involved in the meeting, but only generally locate it in time - if the current pontificate so far can be divided into two halves, the meeting took place in the second half.

We can also add as part of this exclusive information that it was not a merely fortuitous event - that is to say, many off-the-record meetings with His Holiness have taken place since his election precisely because his being at Saint Martha's House make him much more accessible and available than many previous pontiffs. No, that was not the case at all - the pope was previously duly informed and duly met Bishop Fellay. The meeting was apparently short and cordial.

The Pope has a true interest in resolving this situation, it seems to be understood by our sources.

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Note to new readers: the Society of Saint Pius X is a society of common life for priests and the formation of priests founded by Abp. Marcel Lefebvre in 1970, and it was involved in the controversial episcopal ordinations of 1988, in Écône, Switzerland. The penalties incurred by the living parties with that act were rescinded by order of Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. Doctrinal talks were conducted with the Vatican between 2009 and 2011, and the discussions fell through at the last moment on June 13, 2012. The Holy See considers the canonical situation of the Society as irregular and that, "as long as the Society does not have a canonical status in the Church, its ministers do not exercise legitimate ministries in the Church."

[When mentioning the content of this item anywhere and in any language, please mention Rorate by name and link to us, as a matter of courtesy. Thank you.]

Update: Italian version by Il Sismografo.

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UPDATE (05/11/14): I.Media reports that Bishop Fellay came to the Vatican with Frs. Niklaus Pfluger and Alain-Marc Nély (respectively the First and Second Assistants to the Superior General of the SSPX). On this occasion, the two assistants of the Superior General of the SSPX were present at the daily Mass celebrated by Pope Francis at St. Martha House. Afterwards Bishop Fellay dined with Abp. Guido Pozzo and Abp. Augustine Di Noia (respectively the Secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei and the Adjunct Secretary of the CDF) at the refectory of the same House. At the end of the meal, Bishop Fellay briefly met the Holy Father.

Vatican Insider has another account, with further details -- and an acknowledgment of Rorate's initial report.

UPDATE (05/12/14): the SSPX has released an official response, here, denying I.Media's additions.

UPDATE (05/13/14): the Holy See spokesman also denied I.Media's additions.

Blasts from the Past: Bergoglio's legacy; Pascal and speculation.

“Yes I know Bergoglio [, says a Jesuit superior from another Latin American country]. He’s a person who’s caused a lot of problems in the Society and is highly controversial in his own country. In addition to being accused of having allowed the arrest of two Jesuits during the time of the Argentinean dictatorship, as provincial he generated divided loyalties: some groups almost worshipped him, while others would have nothing to do with him, and he would hardly speak to them. It was an absurd situation. He is well-trained and very capable, but is surrounded by this personality cult which is extremely divisive. He has an aura of spirituality which he uses to obtain power. It will be a catastrophe for the Church to have someone like him in the Apostolic See. He left the Society of Jesus in Argentina destroyed with Jesuits divided and institutions destroyed and financially broken. We have spent two decades trying to fix the chaos that the man left us.”

Paul Vallely

Pope Francis: Untying the Knots
2013

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[Just to be clear: this second quote is unrelated to the quote above.]

In those cases in which the State is interested as well as Religion, your apprehension of man's justice has induced you to divide your decisions into two shares. To the first of these you give the name of speculation; under which category crimes, considered in themselves, without regard to society, but merely to the law of God, you have permitted, without the least scruple, and in the way of trampling on the divine law which condemns them. The second you rank under the denomination of practice, and here, considering the injury which may be done to society, and the presence of magistrates who look after the public peace, you take care, in order to keep yourselves on the safe side of the law, not to approve always in practice the murders and other crimes which you have sanctioned in speculation. ... Such is the style in which your opinions begin to develop themselves, under the shelter of this distinction [between speculation and practice], in virtue of which, without doing any sensible injury to society, you only ruin religion. In acting thus, you consider yourselves quite safe. You suppose that, on the one hand, the influence you have in the Church will effectually shield from punishment your assaults on truth; and that, on the other, the precautions you have taken against too easily reducing your permissions to practice will save you on the part of the civil powers, who, not being judges in cases of conscience, are properly concerned only with the outward practice. Thus an opinion which would be condemned under the name of practice, comes out quite safe under the name of speculation.

Pascal

Provincial Letter n. XIII

September 30, 1656

[Source for the first quote of a papal biography from a mostly Liberal perspective: The American Catholic blog, via P. Blosser. // We will return to this Pascal quote, closely linked to the presentation of the Kasper Doctrine on the destruction of the Christian doctrine on marriage, in short time.]

The Oh-so-very-bourgeois Antibourgeois Revolt and the Heresy of Formlessness

Alessandro Gnocchi

[T]he affirmation that graciousness is the prime matter for Grace is in evidence and has its origin in page after page of the Gospels, where the Good News makes itself known through good manners as the seal does through wax.  “Praesta, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus: ut, qui paschalia festa peregimus, haec, te largiente, moribus et vita teneamus” says the Collect of the Traditional Mass for the Sunday after Easter, Dominica in Albis.  “Almighty God, grant, we beseech thee, that we who have gone through the Easter mysteries may, through thy bounty, hold fast to what they contain in our practices and in our life.” And, in the Gospel for this Mass we see the gracious act of the resurrected Jesus in helping Thomas overcome his rude incredulity.  It is for Thomas, who eight days before had not been present at Jesus’ appearance in the Upper Room, that the Lord returns to show with ceremonial humility the wounds on his body:  “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe”…."My Lord and my God!"  Thomas’ acclamation of faith comes from his being won over by the supreme act of graciousness towards him by his Lord and his God.  Thomas confesses Jesus’ divinity as no other apostle had done until then, and then he brings the Happy News as far as Persia and India, all the way to his martyrdom.

It is in this personal encounter that is so intimate and ceremonial, where the purest form of the sacred acts like a wax impression of the materiality of the gesture and the word, it is here that man has a fruitful relationship with God.  Here resides the strength of true conversions, provided that the ceremonial, were it also for the weakness of man, can be repeated by turning to the rite.  Saint Gregory the Great explains in the Third Nocturne of the Ascension:  “The slowness of the disciples to believe in the resurrection of the Lord, more than showing their weakness, functioned  in behalf of our own certainty of belief. In fact, their doubt was the occasion for the Resurrection to be shown as real with many encounters with the risen Lord as proof….The story of Mary Magdalene so ready to believe, is less useful to me than that of St. Thomas who doubts for some time, because this apostle, in his doubt, touched the wounds of the Lord and in this way took away from our hearts the wound of doubt”.

Gracious formality in everyday life responds to the liturgical nature of man.  In this way Saint Francis de Sales loved to teach that good manners are the beginning of holiness, or when Leon Bloy said that “only persons without depth do not trust appearances”.  But today one sees a type of Christianity that feels that it is more authentic the more it takes a negative attitude towards the least sign of reverence for form.  Religion as practiced now finds glory in getting to the substance of things, ending up by trying to find meaning in matter left to itself.  This oh so very bourgeois antibourgeois revolt has introduced a type of heresy of formlessness that feeds on an exegesis of the ugly as the only reading of the Gospel.

But the life and teaching of Jesus, the most true gestures of those around him, are all instances of a “waste” of beauty, born of spiritual devotion to the mystery of all that exists.   In great events and in small things, in kingly gestures and in the small, everyday cares, the characters in the Gospel are gentlefolk called to good manners.  

Among the clearest examples is the dinner at Bethany in the house of Simon.  This is a ceremonial occasion so full of gestures and ulterior meanings that one needs to look at the accounts of this meal in the different Gospel writers to fully understand the meaning of this event.  That evening, recounts St. Luke, Jesus entered the house of Simon the Pharisee and sat down at table.  “And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was sitting at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.”  The master of the house, looking in consternation at this display of so much attention given to a woman known as a sinner, had certainly organized a dinner with everything at the highest level, with a careful choice of foods to be served, correct service, every course of the highest quality.  But the one he had invited, the one for whom all this was prepared, reproached him, because those good manners of the Pharisee are not the acting out of the Good News that his guest is bringing to him as a gift.  “Do you see this woman? I entered your house, you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.  You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.  You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.  Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little”  Minutiae of a sterile formalism, one would say today, but Jesus, perfect God and perfect man, sees that there is no formalism here.  Because the rite with which one adores the Lord and the ceremony with which one renders homage to one’s neighbor do not fulfill their purpose if everything is not done as prescribed.

You Report: 2014 Great Marian Procession for the West Coast, San Francisco

From our friends at the Traditional Mass Society of San Francisco:

A multitude of Catholic faithful from all over California and other states participated at the 6th Annual Great Marian Procession West Coast last May 3, 2014. The three mile processional walk started at the East Lawn Memorial Park and ended at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in downtown Sacramento, California where a Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form was celebrated with His Excellency, Auxiliary Bishop Myron J. Cotta, in choro. The Mass was sung by the Choir and Choristers of St. Stephen the First Martyr Parish, which has been entrusted as a personal parish to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP). The next Annual Marian Procession West Coast will take place on May 2, 2015. For future updates, be sure to visit http://www.BringMary.com.

The "absolutely non-negotiable point" for the Congregation for Religious: "faithfulness" to (their idea of) Vatican II

New Pontificate, new "non-negotiables". If for Benedict XVI, non-negotiable items were clearer and more definable, for the new Secretary of the Congregation for Religious, there is above all one point, what appears to have been the only relevant Catholic event in the history of the universe.

The Secretary of the Congregation for Consecrated Life, Franciscan José Rodríguez Carballo, for the past year number two of this Vatican organism charged with religious life, was in [Barcelona,] Spain this past weekend [May 3-4] to attend the meeting of the Union of Religious of Catalonia. [Infovaticana, en español]

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This is a moment of "chaos, dark night, and twilight" for religious life, that sees the number of members and vocations fall, especially in Europe. But "it is a critical situation that is also an opportunity for the beginning of something new." ...

José Rodríguez Carballo mentioned as an important point of religious life fidelity to Vatican II: "For the consecrated, the Council is a point that cannot be negotiated." And he affirmed that those who search into the reforms of Vatican II all the ailments of religious life "deny the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church."

He explained that in the Congregation for Consecrated Life, they are "particularly concerned" with this matter: "we are seeing true deviations." Above all because "not a few institutes give not only a pre-conciliar, but even an anti-conciliar formation. This is inadmissible, it is to place oneself outside of history. It is something that worries us greatly in the Congregation." [Catalunya Religió, en català] 

It is clear who is living outside of history - the anachronistic people running the Congregation for Religious stuck with false solutions thought for the reality of the 1960s that, when "faithfully" implemented, led to the near collapse of almost all consecrated life, and the corruption of most religious life that remained almost to the point of non-recognition. This tragic reality is acknowledged, but no amount of cognitive dissonance prevents the super-dogmatization of Vatican II. The latest Council as "super-dogma": how long and strongly did Joseph Ratzinger fight to get rid of this notion! How strongly the Franciscans of the Immaculate (certainly one, probably the main, institute Rodriguez Carballo had in mind in his words) tried to help Benedict XVI in the search for a way of continuity out of this crisis of legitimacy that the understanding of Vatican II as the one essential religious event in the history of Catholicism has fostered.

It is as if we were in the 1970s all over again and no lessons had been learned. What is facetiously said (the origin is uncertain) of a certain dynastic house, that "they never learn, and they never forget": that seems to be the only way to explain the obsession of the "Spirit of Vatican II exclusivists". As diehard Marxists who watched the collapse the Soviet Empire, after decades of suffering and bloodshed supported by them and their fellow travelers, their only explanation is not that maybe there is something wrong with Marxism, but that it was not "rightly implemented": time to try it all more faithfully once again. "Spirit of Vatican II exclusivism" would just be embarrassing, were it not filled with real-life consequences.

We now see clearly that the Pontificate of Benedict XVI was not the beginning of something, but merely a brief stop in the oasis in the middle of the desert: a respite for ourselves and our camels. Miserere nobis, Domine!