Quote of the Day

When Jesus sends crosses and trials into our life, He is inviting us to help Him save the world.

-- Fr. Solanus Casey, OFM, Cap.

The 95 Theses of "Fr." Matthew Fox

Mmmmm ... I love the smell of heretics after lighting themselves on fire. I wonder, how far will this spread? Maybe Fox is on to something! The League of Evil Traditionalists need a "Traditionalist Manifesto", written under the name of Gazpacho Marx.

Everything below this line is sic.

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Here is the offical St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church report on the event in full.

Come join us for the ceremonial nailing of the theses in the doors of all the Churches in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

For more information about this sanctioned and sponsored event, contact Father Dubrycker directly at:
"Father Debruycker" jdebruycker471@mac.com or jdebruycker@stjoan.com,

By phone

office: 612.823-8205
home 612 825-5811

Matthew Fox walked into the church at St. Joan of Arc on the evening of April 28th and nailed 95 Theses to a door in the church. His action was reminiscent of Martin Luther’s nailing his Theses to the church door at Wittenberg, German over 500 years ago. Don’t expect to see the Fox Theses nailed to THE door of the church. Out of respect for his venue and so that all of the 300 or so people gathered to hear his lecture could witness the event, Fox brought his own door!

Fox greeted the St. Joan of Arc community with the words “I love this church.” In fact when Fox scheduled several lectures in Minneapolis, he called St. Joan’s and inquired if he could also speak here. The theme of his lecture was “A New Reformation” which is also the title of his newest book whose subtitle is “Creation Spirituality and the Transformation of Christianity.”

Fox wrote the 95 Theses shortly after the election of Cardinal Ratzinger to Pope. By coincidence he had been invited to speak on Pentecost Sunday at the Bad Herrenalb Healing Center in Frankfurt, Germany. As he states in his book “Given these circumstances, I could not in conscience speak on the Pentecost of rebirth of the church.” He awoke early one morning and the 95 theses poured from his pen. The Theses flow from Fox’s life and “practicing religion and spirituality.” Fox described the process of obtaining a permit to post the Theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg, a permission that Martin Luther most likely did not need. The current rules require that one to stay 50 feet away from the door so that the view tourists have is not impeded. Fox thought the 50 foot distance was not conducive to reenacting Luther’s actions. So with persistence he obtained permission to post his Theses at the door itself.

Fox told his audience that he finds many parallels between Luther’s time and the present era. According to Fox, Luther’s Reformation was a product of a number of forces including the invention of the printing press, the rise of the nation-state, corruption of the Catholic Church at the highest levels and the rise of an educated elite. Fox contends that the forces at work today that contribute to a new reformation are the electronic revolution, the waning of nation-states and the rise of multinational, global corporations, the corruption and ineffectiveness of western religion and an awakened scholarship. Fox did not mince his words in characterizing the current state of the Catholic and Protestant churches. In the Catholic Church Fox said he sees “corruption at the top” and in the Protestant Church he sees “apathy”.

After describing the genesis for his Theses, Fox addressed the second theme of his book, “Two Christianities: Time for a Divorce”. According to Fox, today’s Catholic Church does not want theology, it wants ideology. Fox believes this is one cause of the priest pedophile crisis. Fox surmised that in the business environment, a CEO under whom such actions occurred would be gone the next day. Not so with the bishops said Fox. The Boston Cardinal was left in place several years before resigning and then transferred to a position in Rome. At the same time Fox noted that the three most read theologians were expelled from the church, an effort Fox said to dumb down the church.

Fox contended that the issue of homosexuality was splitting the church. He compared the issue to Galileo three centuries ago being tried and convicted of heresy for teaching that the sun was the center of the solar system. Both the nature of the universe in Galileo’s time and homosexuality now are scientific issues, said Fox. Fox noted that when Pope John Paul reinstated Galileo he said it was a lesson that religion should listen to science. When Cardinal Ratzinger spoke out against homosexuality, Fox said there was not one reference to science. Fox believes there are far more important issues to deal with than homosexuality, issues such as racism and economic imbalance. Why, he questions, do we let this issue of homosexuality take such energy.

Fox said he sees mainstream Christianity as a sleeping giant. “My work”, he said, “is to kick the ecclesiastical cadaver to see if there is any life in it.” According to Fox there is life after Roman Catholicism. But you don’t leave the bus voluntarily he said, just as Rosa Parks did not exit the bus over 50 years ago. But if you stay, Fox said, you should make some noise. Fox encouraged his audience to go out on Pentecost Sunday and pound his Theses on doors all around the city and to bring the media. Conservatives learned how to use the media, Fox says, while liberals were feeding the poor and looking at footnotes.

MATHEW FOX's 95 THESES to be nailed on Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Church doors on Pentecost Sunday!

Like Luther, I present 95 theses or in my case, 95 faith observations drawn from my 64 years of living and practicing religion and spirituality. I trust I am not alone in recognizing these truths. For me they represent a return to our origins, a return to the spirit and the teaching of Jesus and his prophetic ancestors, and of the Christ which was a spirit that Jesus’ presence and teaching unleashed.

1. God is both Mother and Father.

2. At this time in history, God is more Mother than Father because the feminine is most missing and it is important to bring gender balance back.

3. God is always new, always young and always “in the beginning.”

4. God the Punitive Father is not a God worth honoring but a false god and an idol that serves empire-builders. The notion of a punitive, all-male God, is contrary to the full nature of the Godhead who is as much female and motherly as it is masculine and fatherly.

5. “All the names we give to God come from an understanding of ourselves.” (Eckhart) Thus people who worship a punitive father are themselves punitive.

6. Theism (the idea that God is ‘out there’ or above and beyond the universe) is false. All things are in God and God is in all things (panentheism).

7. Everyone is born a mystic and a lover who experiences the unity of things and all are called to keep this mystic or lover of life alive.

8. All are called to be prophets which is to interfere with injustice.

9. Wisdom is Love of Life (See the Book of Wisdom: “This is wisdom: to love life” and Christ in John’s Gospel: “I have come that you may have life and have it in abundance.”)

10. God loves all of creation and science can help us more deeply penetrate and appreciate the mysteries and wisdom of God in creation. Science is no enemy of true religion.

11. Religion is not necessary but spirituality is.

12. “Jesus does not call us to a new religion but to life.” (Bonhoeffer) Spirituality is living life at a depth of newness and gratitude, courage and creativity, trust and letting go, compassion and justice.

13. Spirituality and religion are not the same thing any more than education and learning, law and justice, or commerce and stewardship are the same thing.

14. Christians must distinguish between God (masculine and history, liberation and salvation) and Godhead (feminine and mystery, being and non-action).

15. Christians must distinguish between Jesus (an historical figure) and Christ (the experience of God-in-all-things).

16. Christians must distinguish between Jesus and Paul.

17. Jesus, not unlike many spiritual teachers, taught us that we are sons and daughters of God and are to act accordingly by becoming instruments of divine compassion.

18. Ecojustice is a necessity for planetary survival and human ethics and without it we are crucifying the Christ all over again in the form of destruction of forests, waters, species, air and soil.

19. Sustainability is another word for justice, for what is just is sustainable and what is unjust is not.

20. A preferential option for the poor, as found in the base community movement, is far closer to the teaching and spirit of Jesus than is a preferential option for the rich and powerful as found in, for example, Opus Dei.

21. Economic Justice requires the work of creativity to birth a system of economics that is global, respectful of the health and wealth of the earth systems and that works for all.

22. Celebration and worship are key to human community and survival and such reminders of joy deserve new forms that speak in the language of the twenty-first century.

23. Sexuality is a sacred act and a spiritual experience, a theophany (revelation of the Divine), a mystical experience. It is holy and deserves to be honored as such.

24. Creativity is both humanity’s greatest gift and its most powerful weapon for evil and so it ought to be both encouraged and steered to humanity’s most God-like activity which all religions agree is: Compassion.

25. There is a priesthood of all workers (all who are doing good work are midwives of grace and therefore priests) and this priesthood ought to be honored as sacred and workers should be instructed in spirituality in order to carry on their ministry effectively.

26. Empire-building is incompatible with Jesus’ life and teaching and with Paul’s life and teaching and with the teaching of holy religions.

27. Ideology is not theology and ideology endangers the faith because it replaces thinking with obedience, and distracts from the responsibility of theology to adapt the wisdom of the past to today’s needs. Instead of theology it demands loyalty oaths to the past.

28. Loyalty is not a sufficient criterion for ecclesial office—intelligence and proven conscience is.

29. No matter how much the television media fawn over the pope and papacy because it makes good theater, the pope is not the church but has a ministry within the church. Papalolotry is a contemporary form of idolatry and must be resisted by all believers.

30. Creating a church of Sycophants is not a holy thing. Sycophants (Webster’s dictionary defines them as “servile self-seeking flatterers”) are not spiritual people for their only virtue is obedience. A Society of Sycophants — sycophant clergy, sycophant seminarians, sycophant bishops, sycophant cardinals, sycophant religious orders of Opus Dei, Legioneers of Christ and Communion and Liberation, and the sycophant press--do not represent in any way the teachings or the person of the historical Jesus who chose to stand up to power rather than amassing it.

31. Vows of pontifical secrecy are a certain way to corruption and cover-up in the church as in any human organization.

32. Original sin is an ultimate expression of a punitive father God and is not a Biblical teaching. But original blessing (goodness and grace) is biblical.

33. The term “original wound” better describes the separation humans experience on leaving the womb and entering the world, a world that is often unjust and unwelcoming than does the term “original sin.”

34. Fascism and the compulsion to control is not the path of peace or compassion and those who practice fascism are not fitting models for sainthood. The seizing of the apparatus of canonization to canonize fascists is a stain on the church.

35. The Spirit of Jesus and other prophets calls people to simple life styles in order that “the people may live.”

36. Dancing, whose root meaning in many indigenous cultures is the same as breath or spirit, is a very ancient and appropriate form in which to pray.

37. To honor the ancestors and celebrate the communion of saints does not mean putting heroes on pedestals but rather honoring them by living out lives of imagination, courage and compassion in our own time, culture and historical moment as they did in theirs.

38. A diversity of interpretation of the Jesus event and the Christ experience is altogether expected and welcomed as it was in the earliest days of the church.

39. Therefore unity of church does not mean conformity. There is unity in diversity. Coerced unity is not unity.

40. The Holy Spirit is perfectly capable of working through participatory democracy in church structures and hierarchical modes of being can indeed interfere with the work of the Spirit.

41. The body is an awe-filled sacred Temple of God and this does not mean it is untouchable but rather that all its dimensions, well named by the seven charkas, are as holy as the others.

42. Thus our connection with the earth (first chakra) is holy; and our sexuality (second chakra) is holy; and our moral outrage (third chakra) is holy; and our love that stands up to fear (fourth chakra) is holy; and our prophetic voice that speaks out is holy (fifth chakra); and our intuition and intelligence (sixth chakra) are holy; and our gifts we extend to the community of light beings and ancestors (seventh chakra) are holy.

43. The prejudice of rationalism and left-brain located in the head must be balanced by attention to the lower charkas as equal places for wisdom and truth and Spirit to act.

44. The central chakra, compassion, is the test of the health of all the others which are meant to serve it for “by their fruits you will know them” (Jesus).

45. “Joy is the human’s noblest act.” (Aquinas) Is our culture and its professions, education and religion, promoting joy?

46. The human psyche is made for the cosmos and will not be satisfied until the two are re-united and awe, the beginning of wisdom, results from this reunion.

47. The four paths named in the creation spiritual tradition more fully name the mystical/prophetic spiritual journey of Jesus and the Jewish tradition than do the three paths of purgation, illumination and union which do not derive from the Jewish and Biblical tradition.

48. Thus it can be said that God is experienced in experiences of ecstasy, joy, wonder and delight (via positiva).

49. God is experienced in darkness, chaos, nothingness, suffering, silence and in learning to let go and let be (via negativa).

50. God is experienced in acts of creativity and co-creation (via creativa).

51. All people are born creative. It is spirituality’s task to encourage holy imagination for all are born in the “image and likeness” of the Creative One and “the fierce power of imagination is a gift from God.” (Kaballah)

52. If you can talk you can sing; if you can walk you can dance; if you can talk you are an artist. (African proverb and Native American saying)

53. God is experienced in our struggle for justice, healing, compassion and celebration (via transformativa).

54. The Holy Spirit works through all cultures and all spiritual traditions and blows “where it wills” and is not the exclusive domain of any one tradition and never has been.

55. God speaks today as in the past through all religions and all cultures and all faith traditions none of which is perfect and an exclusive avenue to truth but all of which can learn from each other.

56. Therefore Interfaith or Deep Ecumenism are a necessary part of spiritual praxis and awareness in our time.

57. Since the “number one obstacle to interfaith is a bad relationship with one’s own faith,” (the Dalai Lama) it is important that Christians know their own mystical and prophetic tradition, one that is larger than a religion of empire and its punitive father images of God.

58. The cosmos is God’s holy Temple and our holy home.

59. Fourteen billion years of evolution and unfolding of the universe bespeak the intimate sacredness of all that is.

60. All that is is holy and all that is is related for all being in our universe began as one being just before the fireball erupted.

61. Interconnectivity is not only a law of physics and of nature but also forms the basis of community and of compassion. Compassion is the working out of our shared interconnectivity both as to our shared joy and our shared suffering and struggle for justice.

62. The universe does not suffer from a shortage of grace and no religious institution is to see its task as rationing grace. Grace is abundant in God’s universe.

63. Creation, Incarnation and Resurrection are continuously happening on a cosmic as well as a personal scale. So too are Life, Death and Resurrection (regeneration and reincarnation) happening on a cosmic scale as well as a personal one.

64. Biophilia or Love of Life is everyone’s daily task.

65.Necrophilia or love of death is to be opposed in self and society in all its forms.

66. Evil can happen through every people, every nation, every tribe, and every individual human and so vigilance and self-criticism and institutional criticism are always called for.

67. Not all who call themselves “Christian” deserve that name just as “not all who say ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven” (Jesus).

68. Pedophilia is a terrible wrong but its cover-up by hierarchy is even more despicable.

69. Loyalty and obedience are never a greater virtue than conscience and justice.

70. Jesus said nothing about condoms, birth control or homosexuality.

71. A church that is more preoccupied with sexual wrongs than with wrongs of injustice is itself sick.

72. Since homosexuality is found among 464 species and in 8 percent of any given human population, it is altogether natural for those who are born that way and is a gift from God and nature to the greater community.

73. Homophobia in any form is a serious sin against love of neighbor, a sin of ignorance of the richness and diversity of God’s creation as well as a sin of exclusion.

74. Racism, Sexism and militarism are also serious sins.

75. Poverty for the many and luxury for the few is not right or sustainable.

76. Consumerism is today’s version of gluttony and needs to be confronted by creating an economic system that works for all peoples and all earth’s creatures.

77. Seminaries as we know them, with their excessive emphasis on left-brain work, often kill and corrupt the mystical soul of the young instead of encouraging the mysticism and prophetic consciousness that is there. They should be replaced by wisdom schools.

78. Inner work is required of us all. Therefore spiritual practices of meditation should be available to all and this helps in calming the reptilian brain. Silence or contemplation and learning to be still can and ought to be taught to all children and adults.

79. Outer work needs to flow from our inner work just as action flows from non-action and true action from being.

80. A wise test of right action is this: What is the effect of this action on people seven generations from today?

81. Another test of right action is this: Is what I am doing, is what we are doing, beautiful or not?

82. Eros, the passion for living, is a virtue that combats acedia or the lack of energy to begin new things and is also expressed as depression, cynicism or sloth (also known as “couchpotatoitis”).

83. The Dark Night of the Soul descends on us all and the proper response is not addiction such as shopping, alcohol, drugs, TV, sex or religion but rather to be with the darkness and learn from it.

84.The Dark Night of the Soul is a learning place of great depth. Stillness is required.

85. Not only is there a Dark Night of the Soul but also a Dark Night of Society and a Dark Night of our Species.

86. Chaos is a friend and a teacher and an integral part or prelude to new birth. Therefore it is not to be feared or compulsively controlled.

87. Authentic science can and must be one of humanity’s sources of wisdom for it is a source of sacred awe, of childlike wonder, and of truth.

88. When science teaches that matter is “frozen light” (physicist David Bohm) it is freeing human thought from scapegoating flesh as something evil and instead reassuring us that all things are light. This same teaching is found in the Christian Gospels (Christ is the light in all things) and in Buddhist teaching (the Buddha nature is in all things). Therefore, flesh does not sin; it is our choices that are
sometimes off center.

89. The proper objects of the human heart are truth and justice (Aquinas) and all people have a right to these through healthy education and healthy government.

90. "God” is only one name for the Divine One and there are an infinite number of names for God and Godhead and still God “has no name and will never be given a name.” (Eckhart)

91. Three highways into the heart are silence and love and grief.

92. The grief in the human heart needs to be attended to by rituals and practices that, when practiced, will lessen anger and allow creativity to flow anew.

93. Two highways out of the heart are creativity and acts of justice and compassion.

94. Since angels learn exclusively by intuition, when we develop our powers of intuition we can expect to meet angels along the way.

95. True intelligence includes feeling, sensitivity, beauty, the gift of nourishment and humor which is a gift of the Spirit, paradox, being its sister.

Lovin' the Spam

... no, not the kind in a can. Although this one should go in the can:

Catholic Underground Texas sent me an "invitation" to attend their conference in Irving, Texas. If you are keeping track, that is a 718 miles (or 1155.5 kilometers for you metric folks in Canada). Google says that it is a 12 1/2 hour trip by car.

Ummm ... yeah. No thanks.

Being a Traddy Trad man myself, I figured I would look at the list of speakers (or performers as the case may be):

Strike One: Fr. Stan Fortuna --'nuf said.

Strike Two: Franciscan Friars of the Renewal.

What?!? How can you, Jimmy the Hand, not like the FFotR? They are doing awesome work! And Fr. Benedict Groeschel is doing great things for the Church!

Well, let's just say that I know a couple of Capuchin Franciscans. You know, the ones abandoned by Fr. Groeschel to start the FFotR. Apparently, when Fr. Groeschel approached the Chapter to tell them he was leaving, they -- of course -- asked, "Why?". He said he wanted to reform the Franciscans, of which the Capuchins are already a reform. They said they would like him to stay and reform through them. He said, "No". Thus the FFotR.

Now, the common sense part of me says, "Huh?"

My guess/speculation/judgment is that there is not enough notoriety in reforming an already existing order. So much for St. John of the Cross, or St. Theresa of Avila ...

Being an old-skool man myself, if the Capuchins were good enough for St. Pio and Venerable Solanus Casey, why not stick with them? But I guess it is the post-Vatican II need for a reform of the reform of the reform et cetera ad nauseum.

Strike Three: Performances by "everybody's favorite funk band, Crispin"

umm ... brain ... hurts ... must not ... try to ... c.o.m.p.r.e.h.e.n.d (Where is William Shatner when you need him?)

Strike Four: Phatmas

If you don't got a problem with Phatmas, then talk to my brotha the Inquisitor, he can tell you all about them.

But that is four strikes! Everyone knows that it only takes THREE to strike someone out!

Yeah, I know, but bass-playin' rapper Fr. Stan Fortuna is a screwball. No one can hit that one, so they get a mulligan. (How is that for a mixed metaphor?)

You can try looking for me at the Catholic Underground Texas thingy, but I won't be there.

Wikipedia Saints Portal

Not sure who else has seen this. There is now a Saints Portal on Wikipedia. It seems to have some potential for Trad influence.

Also of note is the Saints Wikibooks and Saints Wikiquote.

The only caveat would be Wikipedia's notorious Neutral Point Of View (NPOV).

Ascension Thursday

The 1st Class Feast of Our Lord, Forty Days after His Glorious Resurrection ...

... is Cancelled Due To Lack of Interest...

... or rather, just moved to Sunday because the Roman Catholic Church in the United States of America is just too damned lazy to observe a Holy Day of Obligation in the middle of the week.

New SSPX District Headquarters

I recently read Fr. Fullerton's letter in the May 2006 Regina Coeli Report regarding the new location of the U.S. District Headquarters "located
northwest of Kansas City, just outsite of Platte City, Missouri".
For those afraid of PDF, the District Superior's letter also located here.

I am wondering if the true location is in Farley, Missouri. This would be a nice surprise, considering that I have family in that area, and would make my "Traditional Mass Commute" a 10 minute affair, rather than the 45-60 minute trek that normally occurs when I am in the area.

Will they offer daily/weekly Mass and devotions? Inquiring minds want to know ...

Roasting Heretics

In honor of the Inquisitor Generalis:

I'd Rather Be Roasting Heretics Apron

Catholic Church Break In -- II

Wednesday, May 10 was another eventful evening. Daily Mass was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. with Schola rehearsal afterwards.

Fr. F unlocks the doors at 6:00 p.m. to find the lights turned on in the Sanctuary (again), and the Sanctuary Lamp lit. ( The Sanctuary Lamp has not been lit since Sunday evening when the Sacred Species was removed from the tabernacle due to the security issues discussed here.)

Once again, the County Sheriff arrived on the scene to take a statement. All four officers whom we have met so far seem genuinely pleased that we have moved into the neighborhood and look forward to seeing the fruit of our future renovations. Deputy G from Sunday night (a self-professed fallen-away Catholic) is going to bring his wife down to the parish to speak with Fr. F.

Say a prayer for both of them.

I'm Just Saying

There is a wonderful phrase that allows one to spout off about any subject without any consequences whatsoever. The phrase is, "I'm just saying."

I recently got an email:

Now, I know cultures are different and all, but where I
grew up the guy who couldn't keep a girl didn't go around throwing
"fag" insults at others. I'm just saying.

The one who posted this is free from all culpability resulting from the insult. The phrase, "I'm just saying" is an indication that the speaker is stating the obvious, and therefore the listener should not take offense.

Another such phrase is "God bless him". As in, "He's a no good bum and a pathetic loser, God bless him."

Once again, we see that rather than insulting the person, the speaker is actually giving blessings to the subject. Therefore, no offense may be taken. Rather, the subject should count his blessings for the obviously magnanimous statement.

So, only a filthy wretch could find fault with the illuminating logic demonstrated above.

I'm just saying.

Bishop Finn: moving in the right direction

The Curmudgeon in KC has highlighted an NCR Article (a.k.a hit-piece) about Bishop Finn. Having grown up in the KC-St.J diocese, I found it particularly interesting.

From a Traditionalist perspective, Bishop Finn is moving in the right direction.

For the record, the Latin Mass Community of which the article speaks is located at Old St. Patrick's Oratory, and is staffed by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.

p.s. Funny thing. The "Worthwhile Links" section of the Oratory website has a link to the Curmudgeon's Cave.

Catholic Church Break In!

The Third Sunday of Easter was the first Sunday Mass for Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Colorado Springs. Immaculate Conception is staffed by a priest of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), and exclusively offers the Traditional Sacraments.

Following the 9 a.m. Mass, attended by 200 of the Faithful, many attended the other great Latin Mass Tradition -- coffee and donuts. The after-Mass socializing continued until 2 p.m. Fr. F then secured the Church and attached buildings so that he could make is regular Communion calls, leaving the property at 4 p.m.

Following his calls, Fr. F stopped by the homestead to unwind from the busy day and partake of the feeding of the Clann with baked spaghetti.

Upon returning to the Church, he noticed that the sanctuary lights were on. After going inside to investigate, he immediately called me to come down to the Church. We found that two votive candles with brass holders were missing, one from in front of a picture of Our Lady, and one from in front of a picture of Our Lord. The Paschal Candle was also turned in an odd fashion. Fr. F then called the police, and three armed county deputies soon arrived. They proceeded to "clear" the property, and then gave us a walk-though detailing their discoveries.

A window in the reception hall had been kicked in, indicating the point of entry. The door to the accessibility ramp was ajar, showing the point of departure. In addition to the stolen items, graffiti was found on the wall in one of the classrooms.

The Deputies said that there is a "gang" in the area that has previously broken in to this building, looking for cash and other easily-sold items. They recommended some additional security measures and assured us of their ongoing diligence in this area.

We are now in the process of upgrading our building security.

Athanasian Creed

GFvonB at Traditio in Radice has posted my favorite Creed of the Church (in both Latin and the Vulgar). In the Traditional Breviaries, this Creed is said following the psalms of Prime on Trinity Sunday. Sadly, it is very much overlooked in these times. I wonder what would happen if your friendly neighborhood Novus Ordo priest were to read this Creed from the pulpit:

• His head would explode, covering the guitar player(s) in brain matter
  
• "Extraordinary" Ministers of the Eucharist would light the pews on fire and storm the pulpit
• 75% of the parish would immediately seek out the priest after Mass to hear their confessions. They have seen the error of their ways and wish to repent.

You can decide for yourself, based on your own parish experience.

Trads: No Fun for You!

W has a guest post over at Stephen Heiner's TrueRestoration.com regarding sport and celebrity. Overall, a pretty good post, but I admit that I shriek in terror (but not like a little girl) at the conclusion:

But I think that attending professional sporting events still ought to
be avoided because of the potential messages it sends our children. We
are, in a way, buying into the sport hero worship.

Can we Trads not have any fun?!?

I think that informing the conscience of the Faithful is a far more effective approach. What really is wrong with taking my sons to a Saturday afternoon Major League Baseball (MLB) game? Yes, I know that the food and beverages are extremely overpriced. But there is nothing like sitting in a stadium with 10,000 of my new best friends to cheer on the home team.

How are Trads going to witness to and convert the world when we will have no part of it? Are we just supposed to sit at home with our rosaries and pontificating on the blogosphere? The Great Commission has suddenly become the Great-Avoid-Everything-Of-The-World. Is Trad fun limited to board games? I certainly hope not! (I do enjoy board games, by the way. And I agree with W that Settlers of Catan is one of the better games out there).

So in honor of W, I am going home this evening to drink some beer, wine, & whiskey (not necessarily in that order), smoke a Marlboro, and plan my next sporting event with my sons. American boys without baseball ... what is the world coming to?

News :: AQ Exclusive: An Interview with His Excellency Bp. Rifan

Servitium at the AngelQueen forums has another Episcopal interview. The site seems to be down, so here is the interview in its entirety:

News :: AQ EXclusive: An Interview with His Excellency Bp. Rifan

AQ Exclusive:

An Interview with His Excellency, Bishop Rifan

A very candid conversation with the traditional Bishop of the Diocese of Campos

I recently received a call from our "French Connection", who contributes greatly to Angelqueen.org but still wishes to remain anonymous. From this point forward we'll refer to him as "FC". FC often calls just to chat, but just as often the purpose of his contact goes beyond friendly conversation. This was one of those times.

Recently, Bishop Rifan had spent some time in Europe where he gave several semi-private and public talks. It was at one of these talks in France that FC - having an uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right time - managed to strike up a conversation with His Excellency and build enough rapport in a short period of time to convince the good bishop to agree to an exclusive interview with AQ.

After FC informed me of the development, I gave it some thought and told him that although I appreciated His Excellency's generosity, if the interview was to occur, I wasn't about to toss him a bunch of softballs for him to hit out of the park. Of course I would be kind and give due respect to Bishop Rifan, but there were many lingering questions I and other traditionalists would like for him to answer. FC agreed this was the correct approach.

After some further discussion with FC and getting further input from him on what type of questions should be asked, I put together the questions. However, after reading though them, I feared that because some of the questions touched on delicate and controversial topics, that His Excellency would become angry or perhaps immediately send my email to his "deleted items" folder. This turned out not to be the case.

Very shortly (literally hours) after I somewhat apprehensively hit "send", I received a kind reply directly from the good bishop himself, blessing me and thanking me for the opportunity to be interviewed. No auto-responders or assistants, and no hesitation whatsoever to tackle the interview. I was immediately impressed.

When I got the interview back from Bishop Rifan, I realized that he not only answered every question posed to him, but he answered them thoroughly and with due care. Although he is a very busy man, he took the necessary time to give an excellent interview. At times, he is plucky and direct, but honest and forthcoming.

Enjoy.

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AQ: You recently gave several talks in Europe, one attended by several hundred people. What was the purpose of your trip? Did you find it fruitful?

Bishop Rifan: Three things:

1) The purpose of my trip
2) The message of my conferences
3) The contacts and fruits.

The purpose
I have some friends there -- priests who just fixed their irregular canonical situation, and they invited me to help them with some suggestions or advise regarding the path to follow. I accepted this invitation as a way of being charitable with them, as the Holy Father Benedict XVI told me during the meeting I had with him. What he had told me as a cardinal -- is that the Campos Apostolic Administration is an example for all the groups attached to traditional liturgy, on how to maintain liturgical tradition in communion within the Church. Cardinal Castrillon encouraged me this visit. The pope told me he is happy with the peace in Campos, between the local diocese and his bishop and us. Cardinal Castrillon told me that the existence of Campos and the life of the Apostolic Administration, with its independent churches and proper rite, in perfect co-living with the local diocese -- unity in diversity -- shows that this is possible. I think demonstrating that co-living is possible is a useful point both for progressives and for traditionalists. For progressives believe such is not possible, fearing unity of Church would be undermined if they open the door for traditionalists, and traditionalists fear the may loose their identity with this co-existence. No! Peace is possible with liturgical diversity, disciplinary diversity and of course fidelity to doctrine.

The message
A newspaper in France surmised my visit by writing: "Mgr Rifan appealed to unity and warned traditionalists against radicalism and fundamentalism." I spoke about how we must adhere to the Magisterial Church and I insisted on the necessity of communion with Hierarchy and the sensus Ecclesia. I warned them against mixing political issues and liturgical matters. Speaking about the crisis, I explained it brought wrong to the progressives -- and to traditionalists as well.

I said that if I were to speak to progressives I would repeat what Cardinal Ratzinger said once: "While there are many motives that might have led a great number of people to seek a refuge in the traditional liturgy, the chief one is that they find the dignity of the sacred preserved there. After the Council there were many priests who deliberately raised 'desacralization' to the level of a program... they have despoiled the churches as much as they could of that splendor which brings to mind the sacred..." (Cardinal Ratzinger's Conférence to the Bishops of Chile, June 13, 1988). That is to say: you, progressives, you are guilty of the lack of sacred and of the generalized desacralization in the Church. You are guilty of the traditionalist phenomenon.

But since I spoke mainly for traditionalists, I first spoke about the great qualities of traditionalists groups, of their great love for the Church, their zeal for sacred, and so on; traditionalists are "those who do not look to the liturgy for a spiritual show-master but for the encounter with the living God in whose presence all the "doing" becomes insignificant since only this encounter is able to guarantee us access to the true richness of being." (Card. Ratzinger -- for Claus Gamber)

But for the sake of truth, I also collected of the seven capital sins of the traditionalists, that is temptations and dangers where they can fall in, and sometimes do fall:

1. Pride - feeling like we have some exclusive and personal knowledge of truth, cultic idea that we are the only Catholics, the Church's savers.

2. Systematic lack of charity - "See how they hate each other" That's the contrary of what pagans said about the first Christians. The art of changing one's friends into enemies. The spirit of division.

3. Rash judgement - Spirit of suspicion. Conspiracy theory.

4. Scandalmongering - Criticism as a sytem. Ministery of criticism.

5. Spirit of dispute - Systematic disobedience. Independence toward hierarchy and Church's Magister.

6. Cultish group spirit - "no salvation outside of us".

7. Pessimism - against Christian hope (In spe gaudentes). To some point, satisfaction with the anormality of one's situation - and with errors by the human part of the Church - like if this could justify one's own position.

Contacts and fruits
I asked to meet with - as I usually do - the bishops of the dioceses I would be visiting. This was also a way of indicating to traditionalists the necessity of communion. Hence, I visited Mgr Vingt-Trois in Paris, Cardinal Ricard in Bordeaux, I had lunch with Mgr Pansard in Chartres and I was received by the nuncio in Paris. They all treated me like a brother. Mgr Vingt-Trois wrote me afterward very kindly: "I heard good reports on your stay and I thank you for the ecclesial words you spoke to the auditories. We pursue our pastoral effort at the service of communion and we put our efforts under the intercession of the Most Holy Virgin." I received many good repercussions of my talks. Many, many traditionalists have appreciated my conferences. I have spoken the truth of my convictions. I think I did my duty even if I could not please everybody.

AQ: Could you explain what the difference is between an Apostolic Administration as exists in Campos and a Sacerdotal Society like the SSPX or the FSSP?

Bishop Rifan: An Apostolic Administration, as exists in Campos, is not a group or a religious society or congregation, but is a normal and official ecclesiastical circumscription of the Catholic Church, the same as a Diocese or a Prelature or an Ordinariat, that is, a particular church, part of the Universal and unique Catholic Church. Because of that the Bishop of the Apostolic Administration has the same power as an diocesan bishop, in his jurisdiction.

AQ: As a traditionalist Bishop, how is your relationship with the other Brazilian bishops? Have you run into any political problems or other issues that may stem from your unique status?

Bishop Rifan: As a catholic bishop in full communion with the catholic church, I have good relationships with the other Brazilian bishops. I am present in all of the bishop's meetings and I receive all the consultations as would any other bishop while conserving my peculiarity and individuality, primarily regarding the traditional liturgy. The bishops respect this independence and this peculiarity of our proper rite, as the Holy See erected it. And because of this good relationship, we have many dioceses outside of Campos which now allow the traditional Mass.

AQ: Since the establishment of the apostolic administration in Campos, do you feel at all stifled in communicating your thoughts regarding the direction of Holy Mother Church, the Novus Ordo liturgy and traditional Catholicism?

Bishop Rifan: No. I don't feel at all stifled in my right of criticizing everything wrong in the Church. We are limited only by catholic doctrine or theology. This right is placed expressly in our declaration, according the Canon 212 of the Canon Law.

AQ: Do you have any authority outside of the diocese of Campos? Would you be able to administer confirmations in the United States or any other country? If so, what conditions would have to be met?

Bishop Rifan: I have jurisdiction in the full territory of the Diocese of Campos. My jurisdiction is cumulative with one of our Diocesan Bishop, with the difference that mine is personal and his is territorial. Outside of my diocese, as every any bishop, in order to minister sacraments I would need the approval of the local bishop. This is the way I have administered the sacrament of confirmation and the sacrament of holy orders in several other dioceses, in Brazil and elsewhere.

AQ: Your relationship with the SSPX was quite friendly before the Campos reconciliation, not long after it became less friendly. How would you describe your relationship with the Society currently, in particular with Bishop Fellay?


Bishop Rifan: We were together during the conversations with the Holy See in order to regularize our canonic situation; We were even invited by them and were very grateful to them for this. When the Holy See offered them and us an Apostolic Administration they refused, and we in good conscience couldn't refuse this offer, or more to the point this explicit will of the Holy Father. After that, they began to attack us. They removed our Masses from the list of the Traditional Mass in the world. I sent an invitation to my Episcopal consecration to the four bishops of the SSPX and they refused. I offered many times myself in order to help them in order to get a canonical regularization, and they refused. This month, during my visit in France, a friend invited one of their Bishops to speak with me and he refused, saying that it was not necessary. So, I continue to pray for them.

AQ: If a Catholic lives in an area where a Novus Ordo church and an SSPX chapel are the same distance from his home, where would you advise this person to attend Mass?

Bishop Rifan: The attendance to the Sunday Mass is an obligation for every catholic. For me, of course, the Traditional Mass is better than the Novus Ordo Mass, so I guide people to the Traditional Mass. But the Novus Ordo Mass is a valid catholic Mass, of course. The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei stated that attendance at Mass in an SSPX chapel is valid. The problem is the ambience. In the Novus Ordo, the modernist ambience must be considered and in some cases avoided. In the SSPX, the anti-roman ambiance must be considered and in some cases avoided. It depends on each case. As someone said me in Rome, the problem is not the rite, the problem is the sermon!

AQ: There exists a document called 62 Reasons Why One cannot, In Good Faith, Attend The Novus Ordo, published by "Padres de Campos" (Fathers of Campos). Most of these priests are now under your charge. Would you consider the 62 Reasons a document that the faithful should take to heart?

Bishop Rifan: There not exists this document, signed by nobody. There exists a list of reasons against the Novus Ordo, created many years ago, collected by a priest of Campos from many different sources. This document is not official. The reasons must be considered each one, and its authority depends of the document from where they have been collected. Most of these reasons are really artificial, saying, for instance, about the apostasy of priests, etc, with no necessary causal relationship with the Novus Ordo.

We can have critics against the Novus Ordo, but inside the limits allowed by the catholic doctrine and by the Magisterium of the Church.

AQ: It has been said that you concelebrated a Novus Ordo Mass on September 8, 2004 in Brazil. What was your role at the Mass? Were you at all disturbed by anything that went on at the Mass?

Bishop Rifan: In this day, September 8, 2004, it was a great feast of the centenary of the Coronation of the Patroness of Brazil, Our Lady Aparecida, for which all bishops of Brazil were invited, with a official representation of the Brazilian Government, and so I judged necessary to be present, mainly to show our public devotion to Our Lady, attacked by the protestant sects in Brazil. I have not concelebrated sacramentally: I was only present with the Episcopal ornaments, as the catholic Bishops (only the Anglican bishops, sometimes present by courtesy, use the coral vests, without ornaments, because they cannot concelebrate). But if I had concelebrated I would not have committed any sin, of course. I don't understand this scandal made about it, as I had committed a very big sacrilege.

But I think that the best answer of this question is already done by our spokesman, with my agreement, as follows:

NOTE ON THE PARTICIPATION IN MASS CELEBRATED IN THE RITE OF PAUL VI:

Some persons have questioned the occasional participation of Dom Fernando and some of his priests in Masses celebrated in the Rite of Paul VI.

Dom Fernando is a Catholic bishop, member of the Catholic episcopate, in communion with the Holy Father the Pope. Thus, like every Catholic bishop, even those of a different rite, he must demonstrate this full communion practically.

No one can be Catholic while remaining in an attitude of refusal of communion with the Pope and with the Catholic episcopate. In fact, the Church defines as schismatic those who refuse to submit to the Roman Pontiff or to remain in communion with the other members of the Church who are his subjects (canon 751). Now, to refuse continually and explicitly to participate in every and any Mass in the rite celebrated by the Pope and by all the bishops of the Church while judging this rite, in itself, incompatible with the Faith, or sinful, represents a formal refusal of communion with the Pope and with the Catholic episcopate.

The objective fact cannot be denied that the rite of Paul VI is the official rite of the Latin Church, celebrated by the Pope and by all the Catholic episcopate.

If we consider the New Mass in itself, in theory or in practice, as invalid or heretical, sacrilegious, heterodox, sinful, illegitimate or not Catholic, we would have to hold the theological conclusions of this position and apply them to the Pope and the entire episcopate residing in the world -- that is, the whole teaching Church: that the Church has officially promulgated, maintained for decades, and offers every day to God an illegitimate and sinful worship -- a proposition condemned by the Magisterium -- and that, therefore, the gates of hell have prevailed against her, which would be a heresy. Or else we would be adopting the sectarian principle that we alone are the Church, and outside of us there is no salvation, which would be another heresy. A Catholic, either in theory or in practice, cannot accept these positions.

Our participation, therefore, is based on doctrinal principles. And it does not mean that we do not have reservations about the new rite, as we have already respectfully brought to the attention of the Holy See. Neither does our participation signify approval of everything that may happen. To be united to the hierarchy of the Church and in perfect communion with her does not mean approval of many errors that grow in the bosom of the Holy Church, provoked by her human part. And, of course, we lament profoundly with the Holy Father that the Liturgical Reform has given room for "ambiguities, liberties, creativities, adaptations, reductions and instrumentalizations" (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, n. 10.52.61) and also has given "origin to many abuses and led in a certain way to the disappearance of the respect due to the sacred" (Cardinal Edouard Gagnon, Offerten Situng -- Roemisches, nov.dez. 1993, p. 35). Above all, we reject every profanation of the Liturgy, for example the Masses in which the "Liturgy degenerates into a 'show,' where one is tempted to make religion interesting with the help of silly changes in fashion...with momentary successes for the group of liturgical fabricators", as Cardinal Ratzinger criticized (Introduction to the book La Réforme Liturgique by Mgr. Klaus Gamber, p. 6).

For all these reasons, we preserve the venerable rite of St. Pius V, but "cum Petro et sub Petro", in full communion.

Pe. Gaspar Samuel Coimbra Pelegrini

Spokesman of the Apostolic Administration

Perhaps, another question, linked to that, is why we conserve and celebrate the Traditional Mass, what are the thru reasons. Because of that, I think it is good to add this explanation, I published in our bulletin:

Why do we love, preserve and prefer the classic liturgical form of Roman rite, The Traditional Mass?

Would it be only because we are nostalgic or sentimentally attached to past forms of liturgy? Only this reason would be not enough.

Would it be because we deny the power of the Pope to modify and promulgate liturgical laws? It would be against supreme Pope's power dogma!

Would it be because we just consider the New Mass, or Paul VI's Mass, invalid, heterodox, sinful, sacrilegious or not catholic? These statements would be against Church's indefectibility dogma and unity of cult dogma, and they have already received the Teaching Church's anathema, so it is an universal liturgical law, promulgated by Church's supreme authority 34 years ago and adopted unanimously by the whole Teaching Church.

The real reasons are:

for a question of better and more precise expression of our Faith in Eucharistic dogmas,

for safety, for protection against abuses,

for the good of whole Church, in contribution for liturgical crisis' reform,

for wealth and solemnity of rites,

for better precision and rigidity of rubrics (giving no space to "ambiguities, liberties, creativities, adaptations, reductions and instrumentalizations", as complains the Pope - Ecclesia of Eucharistia, n. 10, 52, 61),

for the sense of sacredness,

more wealth and precision of prayers' formulas, in reverence,

for personal and ritual humility,

for elevation and nobility of ceremonies,

for respect, beauty, good taste, piety, sacred language, tradition

and legitimate right recognized by Church's Supreme Authority.

AQ: Your Lordship's final message.

Bishop Rifan: I think that the present crisis is mainly a crisis of Faith, of Hope and or Charity. Lack of Faith in the Church, in his divinity and indefectibility - to look too much the human part or the Church, forgetting his divine part. Because of that, lack of hope and, consequently lack of love of God, lack of love for the Church as our family and lack of charity for the brothers. Prayer and spirit of Faith, this is the solution.

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Tolerance at Its Finest

Here is a recent post from the Cornell Society. It is a prayer for peace to be said between the decades of the Most Holy Rosary.

• Do we have pagans in our nation?


• Do evil minds persecute the Lord God?


• Have I offered prayers with distraction?

Answering YES to any of the above questions demonstrates the necessity of this prayer. So make a copy of this prayer and share the love.

The original post has a scanned image of the prayer card. However, as stingy as I am, I will post only the text.

Inter-decade Prayer of Rosary for Peace (17 November 1948)

Lord Jesus Christ, forgive our sins, take care of the pagans for the peace of our nation and lead the evil minds among them who persecute [the] Lord God onto the just path, redeem Russia for the peace of the world. Sacred Heart of [our] Lord Jesus Christ, Immaculate Heart of [the] Virgin Mary, make our hearts like the heart of our Lord.

Make this world free of evil inhabitants and tolerate our prayers offered with distraction. The most Sacred Heart of [our] Lord Jesus Christ, the Most Immaculate Heart of [the] Virgin Mary make our hearts fervent.

Imprimatur: Bishop Daniel H. Tji

Spinster

A very Happy Birthday to the spinster Miss Hilary Jane Margaret White, a founder of the League of Evil Traditionalistas.

Happy Susie Day to one and all.

Which Star Trek Character Are You?

Scotty. You are a miracle worker in the eyes of other people and you are always able to perform them too, but your repair times just get longer and longer as you grow older.

Which Star Trek Character Are You?
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Which Twentieth Century Pope Are You?

You are Pope Pius XII. You're efficient and

dedicated, but not very approachable.


Which Twentieth Century Pope Are You?
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Mammon: guilt-free

Ian over at Nobis Quoque has posted an image that really touches my heart. The pagan ladies next door can't keep their mouths shut about not-legislating morality (esp. in regards to abortion). I have posted the image on my office door.
Let the inter-office back-biting commence!

Soul for Sale

'Tis a dangerous thing to do such things. The "auction" ends Feb-04-06 00:32:03 PST



Soul For Sale