Attacks On Tradition And Piety Continue Unabated

When I endured my little insult this past weekend, I wondered if it was due to a growing trend among establishment clergy: that is, clergy slavishly beholden to Francis and his now-obvious animus towards the Faith.  I believe it is.  Indeed, two more recent examples have come to all our attention.

In the Diocese of Westminster in England, Cardinal Nichols announced that no celebration of the Triduum in the Latin rite will be permitted.  Over the past several years, people had been coming from surrounding areas to celebrate Triduum as had been done for hundreds of years.  Nichols, in his letter, stated "I realize that this will disappoint some people, but I have to keep the wider picture in view."  This "wider picture" entails the systematic deconstruction of Sacred Tradition.  Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivandi.  The "lex orandi" is under direct attack.

Closer to home in Texas, in the Archdiocese of San Antonio, the Sevigny family, a Catholic family of six, own and operate a ranch and retreat center that they call Sanctus Ranch.  Archbishop Garcia-Sillar issued, on January 30, a public letter to all Catholics in his diocese not to do business with the ranch.  He specifically forbade Catholic organizations not to utilize the ranch for retreats or other spiritual purposes.  I understand that Garcia-Sillar has that authority over Catholic organizations, but what right does he have to tell the ordinary person to conduct no business whatsoever with the ranch?  Clearly he has overstepped his bounds.  He also ordered organizations that had already signed contracts to explore ways to break the contracts.

Garcia-Sillar stated as a reason that there is an "unapproved chapel lacking canonical status", forgetting that he himself offered Mass there in the past.  Might the reason be that (gasp!) the Latin Mass is offered there?   Here is Garcia-Sillar's letter as it appears on the diocese's site.  Here is the response from Sanctus Ranch. 

Two prelates have recently spoken against this trend of progressive bishops to degrade and mock our Faith.  Bishop Joseph Strickland penned an open letter to all bishops, including Francis, exhorting them to "return to Christ and His way".  LifeSiteNews has the full text of his letter.

Cardinal Sarah  has voiced full support of the African bishops who are not going to implement Fiducia Supplicans.  That would be all African bishops, except those in South Africa.  He recently stated that Fiducia Supplicans MUST be resisted for it contains heresy that will undermine the Catholic faith.  Cardinal Muller said the same thing.

Now what does all that mean for us lay Catholics?  Frankly, I live in a diocese that could easily see an attempt to "bless" mortally sinful relationships.  Will we have the presence of mind and courage to denounce these things, even to the point of protesting when and where they are occurring?

Freemasonry Infiltrated The Church Decades Ago - The Novus Ordo Mass Is Just One Result

I have known that for a while now, having read a bit about Freemasonry and how it insinuated itself into the Church over the past 100+ years.  LifeSiteNews published a report six weeks ago entitled "Is Masonic Infiltration Responsible For The Widespread Apostacy Among Catholic Clergy?"  That and more.  Anyone who is seriously concerned about the state of affairs in the Church (that should be everyone who calls themselves "Catholic") needs to read that report carefully.  It is long past the time when faithful Catholics can wear rose-colored glasses in regards to the quality of our clergy.  If such Catholics remain stubborn against calling a spade a spade, they will be held culpable of aiding great sin in the Church.

In this report, you'll see some background information regarding:

• Setting an arbitrary retirement age of 75 years for bishops, allowing Masonic Vatican officials to replace the retirees with their Masonic accomplices
• The placement of harmful prelates such as McCarrick, Mahoney, Brown, etc in their respective sees
• The assassination of Pope John Paul I
• The creation of the Novus Ordo Mass by the Mason Anabale Bugnini

The report, at the beginning, cites "Alta Vendita", where the plan for the ruin of the Church was laid out.  It is readily available for reading.  I'd suggest getting it from the Tan Books site.  As you read it, bear in mind that it was written over 100 years ago.  The authors knew that their plans would take decades to implement and that they wouldn't live to see them come to fruition.  But they advocated patience.  Now we may wonder, since they have come to their final end, what they think now - but I digress.

So what brought about this infiltration?  Obviously evil people have been trying to destroy the Church since Christ founded it Himself.  I cannot recall, though, when the evil inside the Church has had such an upper hand.  Perhaps this quote from Saint John Eudes might shed some light.  From his book, "The Priest: His Duties and Obligations"..The most evident mark of God’s anger and the most terrible castigation He can inflict upon the world are manifested when He permits His people to fall into the hands of clerics who are priests more in name than in deed, priests who practice the cruelty of ravening wolves rather than the charity and affection of devoted shepherds. Instead of nourishing those committed to their care, they rend and devour them brutally. Instead of leading their people to God, they drag Christian souls into hell in their train. Instead of being the salt of the earth and the light of the world, they are its innocuous poison and its murky darkness. St. Gregory the Great says that priests and pastors will stand condemned before God as the murderers of any souls lost through neglect or silence….

When God permits such things, it is a very positive proof that He is thoroughly angry with His people, and is visiting His most dreadful anger upon them. That is why He cries unceasingly to Christians, “Return, 0 ye revolting children . . . and I will give you pastors according to my own heart” (Jer. 3, 14-15). Thus, irregularities in the lives of priests constitute a scourge visited upon the people in consequence of sin."

For instance, so many of us have decried the refusal of the popes since 1960 to consecrate Russia to Mary's Immaculate Heart.  Yet how many of us are faithful to the daily Rosary and the Five First Saturdays devotion?  How often do we advocate it?  Also, how many of us tolerate the liturgical abuses of the Novus Ordo without raising one protest, for fear of incurring personal dislike from the priests?

Many of us decry the errors of Francis as he occupies the Chair of Peter, but how many of us have turned blind eyes to the errors of Pope John Paul II and even Pope Benedict XVI?  How many of us complied with the lockdowns and absented ourselves from Mass, when Masses were available (albeit at some sacrifice)?

I will suggest some things that I and others have been suggesting for some time.

• Attend the Traditional Latin Mass, even if you have to drive a bit.  By the way, contrary to popular fairy tale, the SSPX is NOT in schism.  You can attend those Masses and still fulfill Sunday obligation.
• If you have no other choice but to attend Novus Ordo, be reverent and respectful of the Blessed Sacrament on the altar.  Do not behave as though the nave of the church is a social hall.  You might stick out like a sore thumb by so doing, but so what?  Perhaps others, by reason of your example, might come to deeper belief in the Real Presence.
• Pray your Rosaries daily for the conversion of the world.
• Learn as much as you can regarding how the Church got to this sorry state of affairs and tell others about it.

Of Hysterics Against The Latin Mass And Horrid Red Hats

Below is last week's episode of the Anchor Team.  Michael and Alyssa Hichborn spent the bulk of the time on the conversion of Shia  LaBeouf and his subsequent interview with Bishop Robert Barron.  It is an hour and twenty minutes long and I myself am in the process of listening to it (in chunks).  Here is the link.  From what others tell me, LaBeouf brings the focus on the Traditional Latin Mass as being a key factor of his conversion.  He learned of it as he was preparing for his role as Padre Pio in a biographical movie of the saint.  Hichborn tells of his impressions of Barron's reaction to LaBeouf's account.

From what Hichborn says, Barron's reaction to the Latin Mass is somewhat similar to what Molly Olmstead wrote in the Slate a few days ago.  Here is her screed.  In addition to being informed of what she says, you'll also have the added benefit of mortification of your sensibilities as you take in both her ignorance and arrogance.  She says the Latin Mass is "controversial", as if that is a bad thing.  The fact is that for centuries, the Catholic Faith has always been "controversial" enough in the eyes of those set in their sins that they have always striven to mock and persecute us.

However, these days the persecution of faithful Catholics is coming from quite a few prelates.  We just saw several questionable bishops receiving their red hats from Francis, one of them being Robert McElroy of San Diego.  I've written a lot on him in the past.  Towards the end of the Lepanto clip, the Hichborns discuss some ominous theories that could well have solid basis.  There's talk of Francis appointing a "papal co-adjutor", owing to his failing health.  Cardinal Cupich, who has his own long litany of insults to the Faith, seems to be a top contender for that role.  Should that happen, there's a decent possibility that McElroy would be moved to Chicago, to further cement that archdiocese's descent into disbelief and debauchery.  In fact, all these appointments place many souls in jeopardy.

As mentioned in my previous post, it is high time that faithful Catholics stood up to the tyrants that are literally in our midst.  Some are already about that important task.  One such effort in the DC area will occur Saturday Sept 17 - a pilgrimage for the restoration of the Latin Mass.  More details can be found here.

Next Saturday, Sept 3, this same group will be conducting a Rosary Rally at 10 am outside the Papal Nunciature.  The address is 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC.

Details Of Attack On Traditional Latin Mass Emerge

If you haven't done so yet, please read the previous post.  It is an attempted summary on recent events.  In that otherwise-excellent summary, I saw no mention of the attacks on the Traditional Mass; perhaps the summary was composed before the nefarious designs against the Mass became known.

St Padre Pio once said that "it would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do without Holy Mass."  He died before the Novus Ordo Mass was promulgated by Pope Paul VI.  St. Leonard of Port Maurice said of the Mass, "I believe that were it not for the Holy Mass, as of this moment the world would be in the abyss."  Clearly Saints Pio and Leonard understood the absolute necessity of the Mass - as it existed before Vatican II.

Vatican II, either by intent of some council fathers or by misinterpretation (and I think it's the former), led to massive changes in the Mass.  I don't have time to rehearse all of them, save to say that extreme violence was done to the dignity and theology of Holy Mass, with devastating spiritual and societal results.  Many good people understood the dangers, if only instinctively.  Thanks to them, the Traditional Latin Mass never completely faded into obscurity.

In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI issued a Summorum Pontificum, basically allowing priests to celebrate the Tridentine Mass without having to seek permission of their bishops, provided that a stable group of lay people wished to have said Masses and be willing to support them.  With that, the Mass in the Extraordinary Form started to be celebrated in many locations.  Many of the faithful Catholics attending them were young people.  These young people tend to have large families and thus their children were growing up in a decent liturgical setting.

As I mentioned in one of my posts this past Thursday, it became clear that the pope and many of the progressives in the Vatican have malicious designs upon the Tridentine Mass.  The edicts they are going to promulgate will have the immediate effect of hobbling those who wish to participate in the Mass of the Ages, with the ultimate aim at choking off that Mass altogether.

The details of this attack are now crystalizing.  Both GloriaTV and Rorate Caeli agree that there are two parts to this attack.  First (to come in a matter of weeks) involves focus on the clergy currently celebrating Traditional Latin Masses.  They will have to apply for permission from their bishops to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass, even if the Mass is now well-established.  This is a direct contradiction to Pope Benedict's Summorum Pontificum. 

In addition to the previous post's take on current events, I post the June 4th broadcast of the Anchor Team, where Michael Hichborn and Jim Maughan put forth their own observations.  Please take the time to watch this and to read the other material.  I realize it's a lot of information and it can be overwhelming, but we - each and every one of us - must understand these matters so that we can understand and defend ourselves and our loved ones against all the forces designed to imperil our souls.

Might this wreckage be averted?  By the grace of God, it can.  Sometimes shedding the light and drawing attention to planned mischief can cause would-be perpetrators to reconsider their contemplated crimes.  Of course be praying your daily Rosaries.  Pray the prayers of Leo XIII after Mass.  They are a standard ending of every Low Mass anyway, but consider making them a part of your after-Mass thanksgiving.  Certainly be talking of these matter amongst yourselves to make all aware of what is happening and to strategize how you'll approach your pastor, bishop, etc.

As further developments emerge, I will post them.