This was a long time coming. At last there is a glimmer of hope for justice. The man bringing these charges is just one of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of young men preyed upon by the disgraced ex-cleric. I would hope there is real punishment, including time behind bars. The realist in me says that won't happen because McCarrick may well be able to blackmail key people - certainly his fellow cleric-perverts. Still, I'm glad at least one man had the ability and determination to pursue justice.
As far as McCarrick is concerned, we must pray for his final conversion and repentance. All indicators point to a dismal eternity for him IF he doesn't repent of his many crimes and make a good, sincere Confession. He is an old man with not too much time left before his particular judgment.
A Pontifical High Mass had been scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 14, at DC's Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. It was supposed to take place last year, but the Covid shutdowns forced its postponement. I suspect it would have been much like the one I attended three years ago.
Despite the fact that all permissions and other protocols had already been obtained, Cardinal Gregory compelled the intended celebrant of the High Mass, Archbishop Thomas Gullickson, to apply for permission, ostensibly in compliance with Traditionis Custodes, even though that had already been done. Today Gregory sent notice that permission was denied - just two weeks prior to the Mass, after all preparations had already been made. This motu simply gave the archdiocese an excuse to renege on its word to the Paulus Institute for the Propagation of Sacred Liturgy.
In light of the contents of this motu proprio, I think the name would be more accurately rendered, "Traitorous Custodians". Earlier, Cardinal Gregory said he would have to "prayerfully reflect" on the pope's missive. Obviously we now know where he stands
By-the-by, the ADW's Annual Appeal is underway. I think we now have yet another reason to boycott this shake-down. Whatever "support the work of the Church" means, it does not mean throwing money at those who dare to quash the Mass of the Ages.
A shout-out to my blogging colleague Dymphna for her practical suggestions in preparing for the worst in the wake of Traditionis Custodes. She reminds us that the steps that she suggests were taken in the 1960s-1980s by those who sought to preserve the Traditional Mass in the wake of Vatican II. At the time, I was a child whose family more or less went along with the new changes so I was not aware of those people and their heroic efforts. At this time, a goodly number of US bishops are opting for the status quo, at least until they've had a chance to study the document. If the Vatican had two functioning brain cells, they would have realized that an immediate implementation was not logically feasible, but but logic and common sense are not in plenteous supply at the Vatican these days.
Following along with my previous post against trying to put on a "smiley-face" for the benefit of the progressives watching us, I'd like to post an article reminding us of the proper use of righteous anger - an anger not to be stuffed down, but to be utilized for the good. And now, a word from Mother Miriam on this mess...
With these two reactions, I seek not only to give the reactions to highly-respected orthodox clerics in the Church, but to highlight also their understandings of just how insidious this motu proprio really is. They both bring to bear their expertise on theology and canon law. First, I link to a treatise written by Cardinal Burke.
Note that in his first point, Cardinal Burke asks why the document wasn't written first in Latin. He then points out how an Italian word could be mistranslated into English. Whether or not he intended it, His Eminence illustrated Latin's value as a dead language.
Throughout his analysis, His Eminence comments on the alleged evils described in the motu, stating that in all his years of dealing with attendees of traditional Latin Masses, that he never saw the ills that the pope stated were such a threat. I'll leave the rest for your reading.
Taylor Marshall then deals with the statement that Archbishop Vigano made regarding the pope's obvious antipathy for the Latin Mass. The archbishop recommended to our reading an article by Massimo Viglione, entitled "The Hatred For The Mass Of All Time And The Question Of Obedience". The archbishop wrote the forward to that article. To be honest, I haven't yet had time to digest the article myself, but I trust the archbishop enough to believe that when he recommends it to our reading, then we should take him at his word. I also post Marshalls' commentary below.
In this video, Taylor Marshall gives his analysis of the MPFH, that is, Moto Propitio From Hell, also known as Traditionis Custodes.
Towards the end of the video, Marshall opines that the end game of the modernists is to move faithful Catholics into some "coral". He speaks as if that is an inherently bad thing. I'm not so certain of that. Recall that Pope Benedict XVI predicted that the true Church would have to get smaller. So is this "coral" necessarily bad? If we are isolated, perhaps we are in the sense that the ancient Roman Christians were isolated in the crucible of the catacombs. They loved and supported each other, and most importantly, gave true worship to God and spread the Gospel and the Church.
I do have another issue with this video, and perhaps it's more of a matter of emphasis. Several times Marshall exhorts us to be "joyful", but he seems to be speaking in terms of not giving the progressives ammnition to us against us. Well, what does he mean by "being joyful"? I ask because the world has a definition of "joy" that is quite at variance with that listed as a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians. If he means that this "joy" should somehow mollify the progressives, isn't that in fact asking Catholics to conform their behavior to worldly standards of "joy"?
I'm not so certain that "joy" is a proper response. Consider that the (reputed) Vicar of Christ just abrogated the supreme means of offering God fitting worship. This isn't about us primarily, but about an insult to God Almighty by the Vicar of Christ in the name of the Roman Catholic Church. Do we understand how catastrophic this is? If this goes unopposed, serious spiritual ramifications will follow. Yes, God is in ultimate control and yes, there will be the ultimate triumph of Mary's Immaculate Heart, but in the meantime souls will be lost forever owing to the derelictions by the Church that seem to be mounting almost on a daily basis. Pray, fast, do penance. Build up your local TLM parishes and Masses. If necessary, go to TLMs outside your dioceses - and take your donations with you. This is a time for serious prayer and action, not trying to give or take comforts every time a hardship is presented to us. There will be literal hell to pay in the meantime. We need stiff spines, hard noses, thick skins.
I believe Michael Matt's take on the gravity of the situation is much more realistic. Yes, hope, but acknowledge the reality of the struggle.
Church Militant had done some expose on Father Miqueli, a priest in the Archdiocese of New York who was both a thief and pervert. He resigned only after Catholics of that diocese filed suit in court. Since the time of my writing Miqueli died under very sordid circumstances. Church Militant has uncovered more tentacles of that corruption. See below
I suspect that this sort of thing doesn't register a blip on the pope's radar. He is dealing with greater threats - such as Catholics kneeling reverently for Holy Communion at a Traditional Latin Mass. Now we see that the pope can be forceful and resolute - when he wants to be.
The "rumors" that have been circulating about the pope's intention to strangle the Usus Antqior have all been confirmed. Here is the official decree. Please scroll down for the English version. At the very bottom is a link to an accompanying letter; again, scroll down for that English translation.
Note the frequent references to "Saint Paul VI" and "Saint John Paul II". I think we now see why those canonizations were hurried along - to give credibility to the claim that the Novus Ordo can actually supplant the Tridentine Mass. But if we need to invoke canonized pontiffs to establish legitimacy of rites, let's examine Quo Primum, authored by Pope Saint Pius V just a few years after the Council of Trent ended. From the third paragraph: "Let all everywhere adopt and observe what has been handed down by the Holy Roman Church, the Mother and Teacher of the other churches, and let Masses not be sung or read according to any other formula than that of this Missal published by Us. This ordinance applies henceforth, now, and forever,.." (Emphasis mine) Please read the entire thing, which happens to be an Apostolic Constitution, as opposed to a Motu Propitio. Pope Francis cannot overrule that.
Two weeks ago, I posted a video from Taylor Marshall about the situation with my own commentary. Again I reiterate my claim that this supposed invocation of "unity" as a reason to strangle the Traditional Latin Mass was merely smoke and mirrors. That too has been confirmed. This is nothing more than sheer hatred of Tradition - and part of the scheme to make the church more suitable as a vehicle to legitimize the New World Order/One World Government. I think that is the end game.
Meanwhile, we must resist this diabolical attack with everything that we have. That may mean walking away from our parishes (with our donations) to find where a Latin Mass is being celebrated. During the lockdown, no entity beholden to the bishops - including the FSSP - had their doors open for Mass; indeed, in most cases the restrictions imposed by the bishops were more draconian than those of civil authorities. The SSPX did offer Mass to the public, albeit in conformity with local restrictions. I attended those SSPX Masses; driving 6 hours round trip. It was worth every minute to actually receive Our Lord physically in Holy Communion and attend a Mass in person, even if in my car. I remind one and all that the SSPX is not in schism with Rome and was, for at least two months, the only Catholic organization looking out for the sacramental needs of the Catholic faithful. If necessary, I will attend SSPX mases once again.
Again, we are presented with the need to resist evil in the Church, even if that evil emanates from the Holy See. We either prepare ourselves to do that, or we risk the eternal loss of our souls and those of our loved ones.
While the scenario shown in the video below is rather stark, we must be prepared to see more and more of these encounters occur. Moreover, like the young men of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property, we too - of all ages and genders - must prepare to confront evil head on. We will have no choice for evil will present itself to our faces, whether or not we care to acknowledge it.
This incident happened in Bladensburg, MD, in the county next to mine on July 10, last Saturday. The written account is here. Please note that there are many other good Catholics there in addition to the TFP men. Sooner or later, all good Catholics must confront evil publicly - the sooner, the better.
I will be posting a number of videos that may seem somewhat disjointed, but they are really examinations on what has been happening in the Church lately. The mess started decades ago, quite some time before the obviously turbulent 1960s.
In the first video, Taylor Marshall exposes the friendship that existed between Saul Alinsky and Cardinal Montini in the late 1950s. Cardinal Montini, a few years after their conversations, became Pope Paul VI. Doesn't that put Vatican II in a different light?
So it seems that these troubling occurrences of highly-placed prelates hobnobbing and even taking cues from progressive anti-God subversives is nothing new. It goes back over sixty years and involves the sitting pope at the time. Could this be one reason why Pope Francis desired to canonize Paul VI? At Vatican II, the New World Order's war on Christianity was significantly advanced, and continues to this day, with greater momentum.
In this video, Michael Matt talks of the "encouraging" letter that Pope Francis wrote to heretic Fr James Martin, carrying on the dubious tradtion established with the Montini-Alinsky gabfests.
So Father Martin, owing to his dissidence, is one priest who was not canceled at the behest of the New World Order demagogues. But plenty were. Several days ago, Steve Bannon interviewed Liz Yore on his War Room podcast, discussing the various "cancellations". She pointed out two things. First, the progressives are coming out of hiding and are doing their mischief quite blatantly. Second, more and more good people are waking up and are starting to stand up to the nonsense. My prayer is that this is not "too little, too late". Here's that video.
The Catholic internet has been ablaze with the announcement that Father Altman has been kicked to the curb by Bishop Callahan of the Diocese of La Crosse. Complicit Clergy has the official decree on their site. Read it and notice a few things. First, he's not completely suspended. He is able to offer private Mass, but only his parents would be allowed to attend. So far, they haven't kicked him out of the rectory. UPDATE! I heard he has 30 days in the rectory before he and his parents must vacate - but he is still required to reside in the diocese. Well, that's nice I suppose, but when you consider that his 90-year old parents live with him in the rectory, even for Callahan it would be rather underhanded to kick them to the curb. Callahan didn't order him to complete silence, either. He just can't preach.
Item 7 speaks of addressing "the issues that caused the issuance of this decree". Okay! So what are these alleged "issues"? Why won't the bishop explain just what they are? Could it be because those "issues" do not justify the restriction of Father Altman's priestly vocation?
Father Altman isn't taking this lying down. He shouldn't, and neither should we. I post now his reactions as shared with LifeSiteNews. Below the video I'll have more discussion, along with actions to take.
As Father Altman noted, the bishop didn't give him his notice of dismissal himself. I recall when Father Guarnizo was ejected from my parish nine years ago, at least Bishop Knestout lowered the boom in person, showing just some shreds of decency. Father Altman didn't get that. Neither did his parishioners, for Callahan had a letter read to the parish, instead of an in-person explanation. Here is a recording of that reading. Again we hear the sniveling about "division". So what? Truth is "divisive" only if there are those who rebel against it. Aside from the de facto enshrining of "unity" as the "idol-de-jour", that letter was nothing but a bunch of fluffy-puff stuff.
Many things can only be done by local residents: cutting off donations, prayers and protests outside diocesan offices and the bishop's residence. Whenever he appears in public, someone should be there to challenge him - respectfully but plainly and loud enough to be heard, recording it - regarding his despicable actions towards Father Altman.
Other things can - and must - be done by those of us living in other areas. Here is contact information from the diocesan website. We need to fill their email and regular mail boxes, melt their fax and phone lines, and to do so on a long-term basis. Most of us have cell plans that encompass the entire country as a "home area" so there is no "long-distance" reason not to call repeatedly. Because I suspect that other bishops - particularly progressive bishops - may have added some impetus to Bishop Callahan's dismissal of Father Altman, I suggest we hold their feet to the fire, too - especially financially.
On a Facebook page dedicated to Father Altman and his plight is a suggestion that we all wear or carry white roses to Mass on August 15th to raise awareness of the situation. I support that idea, PROVIDED that all who wear or carry a white rose be prepared to explain the significance of this white rose to people who will wonder why you are doing so. Remember that archdiocesan Catholic news outlets will most likely be striving to keep this matter quiet, so many good Catholics may well not be aware of this situation.
Father Altman has made it clear that he will not quietly fade away. Neither should we.
Recall that you are United States citizens with rights. These progressives are serving evil, whether or not they realize it. Therefore, it would not only be imprudent, but downright sinful to acquiesce to their intrusive interrogations. Recall the Nine Ways of cooperating with sin. If we don't stand up and resist these thugs, they'll demand more and more from everyone.
Some good people are stepping up to the plate and are advising us of preventative measures that we can take. I link now to one very informative article from Leo Hohmann, who has some very good suggestions. I urge all to read it and will buttress his ideas with a few suggestions that I read elsewhere. First, your sign, in addition to saying "No Trespassing", should also say "No Soliciting". Or these can be two separate signs. At any rate, they should be prominent, plainly visible.
If at all possible, don't open your door. If at all possible, open a nearby window (or one on the second floor of your home). Do NOT engage them in conversation or that can be construed as welcoming them to your property. Simply point out what your signs say, reminding them that they are trespassing and that you will call the police if they don't immediately depart. End the conversation right then and there. If they don't leave, then call the police. Remember that bluffing is a sin against honesty. Be polite but firm, and remain in control of any interaction, keeping it brief. Do not divulge or confirm any personal information whatsoever.
Do not let your emotions overrule your intellect. It's quite possible that these people have friends in the background, just waiting to film a temper-tantrum on you part. Don't give them that opportunity. Speaking of filming, please record your interactions. Zoom on their faces and any identifying information (such as badges and sleeve insignas). If their cars are nearby, record them with license plates. If any reporters are accompanying them, get them on your recording devices as well.
Along with praying our Rosaries, we must act with courage and resolve. If we don't use our God-given civil rights, we will lose them. I will post more news and ideas as I learn of them.
The video below, by itself, is not germane to the point of this post, but the music will help set the tone for what will follow. So click on it and while it is playing, read the post below the video. You'll see for yourselves just how appropriate is the music.
It seems that with the US starting to resemble pre-Covid normalcy (even with Plugs and the Camel in the White House), the progressives are noticing that people aren't living in fear as they were this time last year (although many still insist on wearing the face-diapers). Well, they just can't have people living like free folks! How else will the Falsy-bunch control every facet of their lives?
Enter a new boogy-bug, called "delta variant". Doesn't that sound oh so scary? News flash! Viruses mutate all the time! Anyway, to combat this new bunch of cooties, Plugs et al will be "encouraging" us to endanger our health and commit mortal sin by allowing them to inject goop into our bodies. Mind you, this stuff was engineered using the bodies of murdered children.
Doesn't all this "encouraging" sound familiar? Oh, yes! Less than two months ago, Marc Elrich, Biden's Montgomery County counterpart, salivated over the prospect of conducting his own jack-boot campaign in Montgomery County! Ladies and gentlemen, shall we give them a rousing "seig heil"? None of these gestapo wanna-bees will be granted admittance onto my property!
Please watch this video in its entirety. Discussion below.
So in the name of "unity", the pope and his progressive lemmings want to ban TLM "only-ism", essentially forcing priests devoted to the TLM to say Novus Ordo Masses because of "rigidity" or other such nonsense.
It seems to this lowly layperson that the pursuit of "unity" must work both ways, right? Where's all this "dialogue" that was supposed to be a hallmark of this papacy? The word "dialogue" means a two-way conversation, some "give and take" on both sides, right?
Therefore, if the vatican wants to rid the world of that deadly plague known as TLM-only-ism, surely it wishes to do the same of what can be similarly called NO-only-ism. We eagerly await the announcement that all Novus-Ordo priests will be obliged to learn the traditional Latin Mass, and that henceforth it must be taught in all seminaries. In other words, each and every Roman Catholic priest (of course bishops are priests, too) will be able to celebrate both forms of Holy Mass! Not only that, but the NO priests will be called upon to celebrate the Latin Mass periodically, just as the TLM priests will be ordered to celebrate NO Masses! What's that you say? "Don't hold my breath"? What???
Would that what I proposed facetiously in my last paragraph was what the pope had in mind. I only stated it, however, to illustrate the hypocrisy and double-standards. I will say this for them, though. As evil as the vatican inhabitants are, they at least understand the principle "lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivandi". Too many Catholics, faithful and well-meaning though they be in other areas, simply fail - or refuse - to understand that principle. They fail to accept how they compromise their own faith when they giggle at jokes from the pulpit or sing some heretical poop for the offertory or clap for some individual during Mass.
Let's look at what the Council of Trent says about the Holy Mass. Scroll down a bit and read Canon IX. "If any one saith, that the rite of the Roman Church, according to which a part of the canon and the words of consecration are pronounced in a low tone, is to be condemned; or, that the mass ought to be celebrated in the vulgar tongue only; or, that water ought not to be mixed with the wine that is to be offered in the chalice, for that it is contrary to the institution of Christ; let him be anathema" So anyone banning the use of Latin is anathema.
That said, we note with displeasure the words attributed to Cardinal Parolin: "We must end the Old Latin Mass forever". If he said this, he stands in direct disobedience to the Council of Trent. However, as noted above, these fellows understand "lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivandi". They acknowledge, albeit grudgingly, the superiority of the Tridentine Rite. Whether or not they succeed in driving the TLM out of Catholic parishes remains to be seen. We must, however:
Be praying our Rosaries that Our Lord protect the Holy Mass
Be supporting those priests who do offer the Traditional Mass, both by our attendance and with our dollars.
Be prepared to go underground to celebrate Mass properly.
