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PAX
August 28th, 2016,
Feast of St. Augustine,
Doctor of the Church.
Dear friends and benefactors,
Our bulletin was about to be posted when we received Bishop Fellay’s statement last June 29th. That statement made us stop sending this newsletter. Is the SSPX about to change their opinion on the issue of an agreement? Some waiting time was necessary. The statements that came from both Rome and the Society showed us that it was not about that.
The analysis by Bishop Williamson (please check the Eleison Comments 474) on Bishop Fellay’s statement dated June 28th (published after the 29th) shows us that the doctrinal question has not been solved even within the SSPX. Moreover, presenting Pascendi as denouncing independence is a revealing error. The heart of Modernism, as St. Pius X teaches, is agnosticism, i.e., an error of thinking that affects the faith through false philosophy. It is the danger of intellectual death, said Marcel de Corte. It is the intelligence that is touched first by the modernists, the intelligence that is the headquarters of the supernatural virtue of faith. It is the “total perversion of the spirit,” said Archbishop Lefebvre. If such perversion is achieved, all the rest follows it. Modernism destroys the setting all together: nature and grace, intelligence and faith.
St. Pius X arose to protect the faith. Archbishop Lefebvre stood up for the same reason. The Resistance does it likewise. If faith is shaken, the whole building collapses. The issue of independence is very important, but the issue of faith precedes it. First, the submission of our intelligence to Our Lord is necessary both through submission to the reality accessible to reason and through the submission to faith itself through Revelation, which gives us the possibility to know the reality that is inaccessible to reason itself. Submission to our superiors is subject to such fundamental dependency. It comes as the latter and it is based on the former. Satan’s masterstroke was to put all Catholics in disobedience to tradition for the sake of obedience, said Archbishop Lefebvre. It is paramount to not repeat the same mistake.
We send you, therefore, the text that was ready to be sent in June, as well as Arsenius’s article on the 29th of the same month, and we strongly recommend reading the Eleison Comment 474.
We pray for the SSPX, and in no way do we wish their loss. But if the Society drags its members and faithful to a decrease of the Catholic faith, we can neither follow it nor approve of it, nor fail to warn the faithful.
May St. Pius X and Archbishop Lefebvre come to rescue all of us.
+ Thomas Aquinas OSB
A SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED CHANGE
Arsenius
As we know, the General Chapter of the SSPX, held in 2006, decided that it would only make a practical agreement with Rome when there was a doctrinal agreement. We also know that in 2012 the new General Chapter judged differently: now accepting the basis of a practical agreement, without first requiring modernist Rome to abandon its modernist doctrine.
Last June 2016, there was a “general half-chapter”, if we may call it so, about which the most logical predictions were that it would go in the same direction as the decisions taken in 2012 because the most recent statements of high ranking officials of the SSPX, such as Frs. Schmidberger and Pfluger, seemed to indicate this.
However, what can we read in the Superior General’s declaration at the end of the aforesaid meeting this year? A text Archbishop Lefebvre himself would sign, which affirms, among others, the supremacy of doctrine over a practical agreement. Why is there such a change of course in order to consider the convenient position to take in the current crisis? We believe that we can make two assumptions.
Did Pope Francis`s greatly (and increasingly) scandalous actions and words open the eyes of the overwhelming majority of members of the “general half-chapter”, thus making them come to the conclusion that continuing to seek an agreement with modernist Rome in the current situation would be an inevitable suicide and that this situation would have Bishop Fellay, a diplomat, to be confronted with many objections to what until yesterday he thought to be the right course of action? Perhaps. The fact that traditional Catholics, mainly from Europe, tend to be very loyal and sincere in their words corroborates such assumption and, moreover, by publishing the aforesaid text of the statement, it would bring about a refusal to Rome to continue the process of the “regularization” of the SSPX, since it is said that the Pope is one of the major causes of the crisis that we face.
The second assumption would be, as says Alex Curvers, “the great art of subversion in all its forms is to speak strongly in one direction and act much more forcefully in the opposite direction.” Would such statements be intended to solely calm restless spirits (for being farsighted), probably increasingly numerous ones, before embarking on the disastrous path that the leadership of the SSPX decides to take? Perhaps. The number of previous contradictory statements from the Superior General corroborates that assumption.
We do not choose to affirm or favor either of these assumptions. We think it is better to wait for the future, with the facts, to tell us whether we should believe or not believe in the sincerity of the declarations of the SSPX. If we see that all the trying to reach an agreement is gone, if Bishop Fellay shows himself repented of his previous statements, if he rehabilitates the expelled members of the SSPX precisely for having defended the good cause (e.g. Bishop Williamson), and the like, we see that the first assumption was certainly true. If, however, despite what was said in the statement, the actions and words remain in the same direction as the previous ones, we must unfortunately note that the second assumption was the most credible one.
May God grant that all of us unite in the same fight against the common enemy, modernism and its perpetrators, without giving in on this or that point. Oh, Most Holy Virgin, pray for us.
BULLETIN OF THE HOLY CROSS
JUNE 2016 – No. 52
Dear friends and benefactors,
In these tragic times in which we live, God’s mercy becomes more present and solicitous. Not false mercy, which calls good evil and evil good, but real mercy that says: “Go and sin no more.” Unfortunately, Pope Francis preaches false mercy and not true mercy, and he is accelerating the current crisis.
To make salvation less difficult in the times in which we live, Our Lady gave us the reparative devotion of the five first Saturdays. Let us make use of these means because this devotion to the Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Mary is the last gift given to souls by divine mercy. In the confusion that reigns today in the ranks of those who desire to serve God, let us fix our eyes on the Star of the Sea, the Immaculate Virgin, and we will find the way of salvation.
Some say that we, the resistance, do not have or have lost both the love and sense of the Church. Who are we to say that charity shines in our lives? We can not proclaim it, but we can honestly say that our constant concern is to follow not only the steps of those who preceded us in the current struggle, but also the warnings and requests of Our Lady. We believe that this is to have the sense and love of Holy Church.
Taking the five first Saturdays as devotion and the Popes’ encyclicals that condemned modern errors as the object of our studies, we have always wanted to unite science to piety: cum pietate scientia (the motto of the French Seminary of Rome, where Archbishop Lefebvre graduated).
If the Society finds it appropriate to be regularized canonically, we consider it appropriate not to do so, for the simple reason that a canonical normalization in these current times is reckless. How can we put ourselves under the authority of those who do not profess the integrity of the Catholic faith? But they tell us, “And the Pope? What do you make of obedience to the Pope?” We pray for the Pope. We recognize the dignity of his office, but we can tell that he does not act as he should and that he participates in the destruction of the Church and civil society. But the Pope needs our help, some insist. We help more by refusing the same unilateral agreement instead of establishing a false peace with the Roman authorities. “But there will be no false peace! The struggle will continue! The fight will actually start now, and it will be more decisive than ever!” some insist. We can not help thinking that this is pure illusion. Campos thought the same thing. The Campos illusion has lasted until today. May the Society not follow the same path as theirs and awake while they still can.
Bishop Thomas Aquinas, OSB
THE FIVE FIRST SATURDAYS
Conditions to receive the promised grace:
“Look, my daughter, at my heart surrounded by thorns which ungrateful men at all times pierce me with blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console me and say that all those who:
for five months [in a row],
on the first Saturday,
confess,
receive Holy Communion,
pray a third of the Rosary and
keep me fifteen minutes of company meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary
in order to vindicate me,
I promise to assist them at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for the salvation of their souls. “
The five reasons of comfort and reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady
are the top five offenses she receives, namely:
Blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception;
The blasphemies against Her perpetual Virginity;
The blasphemies against Her Divine Maternity, refusing at the same time to recognize Her as the Mother of men;
The blasphemies of those who publicly seek to sow in the hearts of children indifference, contempt and even hatred of this Immaculate Mother;
The offenses of those who outrage Her directly in Her sacred images.
CHRONICLE
March, 15th
Arrival of His Excellency Bishop Williamson. Taking the opportunity, we asked him to give a conference on the Pascendi, which we could sum up in two words: “Primacy of the object.” In heaven we will see to what extent this primacy is all our good, for God seen face to face will make all our beatitude. Denying the object of our intelligence, as Kant does, is, in a way, refusing the beatific vision. They have eyes and see not, they have ears and hear not.
March 16th
Arrival of His Excellency Bishop Faure, who had just been to the state of Minas Gerais to comfort the faithful shaken by recent events.
March 19th – Feast of St. Joseph
New Consecration, motivated by the situation of the Church and the need of the faithful. The mission of bishops is to safeguard the deposit of faith and the sacraments of Confirmation and Order.
Several priests, including the Rev. Jahir Britto FBMV, Rev. Fr. Rafael OSB, Rev. Fr. Joaquim FBMV, the Rev. Trincado, the Rev. Zendejas, Rev. Fr. Beltran, Rev. Fr. Marcelo Masi, Rev. Fr. Angelo were present at the ceremony.
March 21st
Bishop Faure departs followed by the departure of Bishop Williamson a few days later.
April 2nd
Departure of Bishop Thomas Aquinas to Contagem, where he celebrates Mass on Saturday night and Sunday morning.
April 3rd
Arrival in Ipatinga, where Dom Tomás celebrates Mass in the afternoon.
April 4th
Departure to Vitoria, where four children have their First Communion.
April 5th
Mass in Vitoria, with oblation of Mrs. Alicia Henriques Coan Delazari whose Oblate name meets the Queen of the Angels and the one that St. Pius X hailed as the greatest saint of modern times, one unknown Carmelite who in life was known only by her sisters of habit and her relatives, a beautiful example of fruitfulness of life that does not require advertising as sought by the world.
April 6
Departure to Teixeira de Freitas, where two religious vocations have risen. Let us pray for their perseverance.
April 15th
Arrival of Mr. Daniel Leroux.
April 16th
Daniel Leroux’s oblation, who is called Br. Tomás Maria (Thomas Mary).
April 17th
Our Brother Tomás Maria’s conference about the current crisis and on his book, “Peter, do you love me?” which he autographs for the attendants.
April 24th
Mr. Paul Rousseau’s conference on the political situation in the world today.
With our best wishes. May our Lord blessed you all for Christmas and the New Year.
REPORT OF THE CELLARER
The Cellarer must look after all the material goods of the monastery. In the exercise of his duty, he should be like a father to the whole community, as the monk, having nothing of himself, is entirely dependent on superiors and particularly the Cellarer for all that relates to health, clothing, food, work tools, etc.
But the poor Cellarer can only give what he has and what he has is often an empty safe box. For this reason, he comes and begs help from you to be able to fulfill his mission, which resembles St. Joseph’s in the Holy Family.
Our prayers at Mass and Offices always intercede for our friends and benefactors.
Br. Cellarer
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The Miraculous Medal
In 1830, in the Rue du Bac in Paris, the Blessed Virgin Mary appears to Saint Catherine Labouré, a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, in a dress and mantle “as white as the dawn”. The Blessed Virgin appeared to her and, among other things, she asked her to order the coining and spreading of medals containing the same image in which she appears to her at that moment. She appears on a globe, holding out her hands, from whose fingers (though not all) some rays descend. Around Our Lady, there was the inscription: “O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!”
The Virgin explains to the religious sister that the rays represent the graces the good Lord pours through her hands onto the world and that those fingers from which rays do not emit are the ones that she wants to grant, but men do not ask of her.
Our Lady promises to the religious saint that all those who devotedly wear the medal around his or her neck and pray every day the prayer contained therein, thus honoring the Immaculate Conception, would obtain her protection and other great graces, ESPECIALLY CONVERSION.
Some important miracles witnessed in history
The conversion of the Jew Alphonse Ratisbonne
In 1842, sometime after receiving the miraculous medal, although in spite of it, but because of politeness and consideration to his Catholic friend (Baron Theodore Bussières) who had given it to him, the Jew Alphonse Ratisbonne, from an important family of Jewish bankers, about to marry a young Jewish girl, was miraculously converted to the Catholic Faith at 27 years old after entering a church, while accompanying his friend who was going to request a Mass in the sacristy. Our Lady appeared to him and he burst into tears, thanking and praising God for bringing him to know the truth and be converted to Our Lord Jesus Christ in such a manner. Upon leaving, he asks his friend to take him to a priest to tell of what happened and to ask for holy baptism, without which he could not be saved. Not content with only embracing Catholicism and, thus, to give up his Jewish family wealth, he also breaks up his engagement and he entered the seminary, then he was ordained a priest and he later founded the congregation of Our Lady of Zion, which aimed at promoting the conversion of the Jews to the Catholic Faith. This fact stunned everyone at that time, and it was even reported in the newspapers.
Paris is protected by a rain of medals.
In the chapel archives of Rue du Bac, there is a brochure with a drawing of an airplane throwing medals all over Paris. It was explained therein that on the 3rd of September 1939, an aviator with an energetic face that demonstrated the seriousness of the situation arrives at a convent that owns a certain chapel. He asks the sister who meets him to gather all the medals she could find because many were needed: it was necessary to “encircle Paris with the protection of the Blessed Virgin,” he said. The next day, he flies over Paris, dropping thousands of miraculous medals from his plane. The newspapers spoke of a miraculous preservation of Paris. The city has kept intact its monuments, churches, bridges, etc. Historians claim that Paris was not torched, this being due to the fact the Commander Chief of the German Army, Von Scholtiz, refused to obey Hitler.
How to wear the medal
It should be worn preferably hanging around the neck, but in case of such impossibility, one can bring it elsewhere, such as wallet, purse, etc. It is usually nailed at the entrance of a house, or even hidden among the belongings of a person who one would like to be converted, but who does not accept the medal. In addition to wearing the medal, one must also pray every day a prayer in honor of Our Lady, preferably the one that comes on the medal: “O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us that have recourse to you.” If the person who is given the medal does not pray, we should pray for him or her.