J+M+J
I wish His Holiness is signaling a universal mandate requiring the reception of Holy Communion kneeling and on the tongue, then maybe one about Ad Orientum worship.

I agree with you, Mr. Archbold. This is good news. Not very, very, times infinity good news (the only very, very, times infinity good news is the Ressurection), but still good news. This will have drawbacks, like every event in this valley of tears, but a Pope executing the mission Christ gave to him and avoiding a schism is always good news (and it proves that Joseph Ratzinger is probably one of the men on this planet who cares least about himself and most about Christ, period).

Now, instead of SSPX In, Heretics Out, what I would really like to witness is “SSPX In, then Eastern Orthodoxs In, then Anglicans In, and so on”. It will happen, in the end, since Christ promised it, but it doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t like to see some of it during my short pilgrimage on Earth. And I already saw the beginning of it. Hosannah in excelsis Deo !

this is truly great news. the restoration of traditional catholicism has just been given a huge boost! deo gratias! next, i would like to see catholic churches start to restore tabernacles to their proper place within the church, not off on a side altar. after that, put the communion rails back in. in short, get back to being CATHOLIC, not trying to imitate protestants.

God bless his Holiness, SSPX & your good self!
Speaking as one who [among so many] has suffered in the wilderness of denial - meaning I too have tried to keep my head when all about me have been losing theirs and blaming it on whoever…The confusion & even insanity which has been prevalent among both clergy & laity will be abated, I believe by the grace of the Almighty. We must have faith in Him - among earthquakes etc which rock our troubled world. Christ has truly risen & He will overcome!

I agree with most of your commentary.  The only place I differ is in your portrayal of the heretics and radicals as still being an extremely powerful force in the Church.  Hopefully, they are not. If their agenda were so powerful and attractive, then thousands of parishes which have closed under their influence would still be open. Mass attendance in the USA would still be 85% like it was before Vatican II, not 20% as it is today, and 3% in France (as compared to 60% before Vatican II). Religious Orders might have had double the numbers they had before Vatican II….not be on the point of extinction today.  Seminaries would be filled to overflowing, not 95% empty with thousands closed.
One religious Order really puts the whole of the disaster of Vatican II in perspective…the Franciscans OFM (Friars Minor)
Before Vatican II, there were almost 30,000 Franciscan Friars Minor throughout the world.  They were everywhere in Europe, and very numerous in the USA as well.  But after 50 years of radical liberal rot from Vatican II, they stand at barely 14,000 members and at less than 10,000 priests. There are barely 1,000 Franciscans left in the USA. They have been pretty much wiped off the face of Europe, whereas before the Council they were seen everywhere. Rome alone had over 1,000!  Other Orders like the Jesuits (36,100 before Vatican II, 17,200 today), Redemptorists (10,000 before VAtican II, 4,900 today) and even the Trappists (4,900 before Vatican II, 1,800 today) have collapsed as well.
The return of the SSPX and the several dozen religious Orders in union with it and the perhaps 1.5 million+ faithful will be a tremendous surge of energy for the Church, and will help us to discarded the failed radical agenda of the aged, embittered progressive heretics who wanted to turn us all into Presbyterians, and reclaim our ancient Catholic liturgical traditons and other traditions and disiplines as well.
Many young Catholics of today who are traditonal cheer the return of the SSPX, and believe that in 25 years, Vatican II and what came from it will be nothing but bad memories.

As a very new catholic I’m confused by the disdain shown for Vatican II.  One of the many things that drew me to the Catholic church was the fact that it was the church was ordained by Christ with Peter as it’s first pope.  So either that office holds authority or it doesn’t.  After years in protestant land, I take great comfort in the fact that our pope is the Vicar of Christ.  It seems to me that the traditionalists would get that more than anyone.  So, while I’m happy that our Pope is avoiding schism, I just don’t understand the lack of obedience in regards to V II.  To me it’s like refusing to say “And with your spirit” in the new English translation of the mass.

@Maggie: Vatican II was highjacked by people who imposed their idea of change. It is only now becoming clear what Vatican II really said. It was Pope Benedict XVI who said that the Latin Mass was NOT banned by Vatican II. Vatican II added the vernacular to the Mass but did not make Latin obsolete. Latin still remains the language of the Catholic Church and of the Mass, because as a dead language the meanings of words can never change. The desecration of churches, liturgy, music and reverence was wholesale and the laity were herded, yes, herded like cattle into what some people call wreckovators of churches, litury and music, leaving our generation stranded with no connection to tradition. So, this news is more than welcome, it is a blessing.

@Maggie:

Welcome home! I think that you’re right in your understanding. Vatican II was a legitimate Council of the Church, one which, I believe, is responsible for a great deal of good; unfortunately, as Mary De Voe points out, much of that good was obscured by the actions of those who took the Council as a license to remake the Church in their own image. Thankfully, we seem to be moving forward, recovering what was good of the old traditions while not abandoning the good work of the Council.

I whole-heartedly pray for the return of SSPX to full communion with the Holy See, as I think that the devotion and fervor of their priests and lay followers will be invigorating for the Church as a whole.

I can imagine God laughing at all of this back and forth about liturgy.  What is so great or sanitary about holy communion on the tongue? I don’t think God is swayed by form over substance.  If so, then let’s require suits and ties and dresses for all Mass attendees.

Obedience is a moral virtue that is subservient to justice; as the Spanish proverb goes: Obedience is the servant of Faith, not Faith of obedience.
The SSPX is following what the Church has always taught and practiced - but in some cases, the post-conciliar popes have been teaching things (per Vatican II) that are in opposition to authentic magisterium.
That is what the discussions have been about - how to reconcile the errors of Vatican II with Tradition (a pillar of the Church) - which even non-SSPXers such as Msgr. Gherardini, Prof. John Lamont and Roberto de Mattei are saying.

Thank Mary & Peter for your responses.  They were both very helpful.  It has been a new experience for me to be in obedience to the church.  I had trouble when the new translation came out with it’s very minor changes.  I can only imagine the transition between V I & II.

Gene, I wouldn’t be so presumptuous.  What we pray is what we believe, and the Mass is the most important prayer in the life of any Catholic, because it is the public worship of the Church;  so this has nothing to do with “sanitation.”  It has everything to do with clearly knowing Who it is we worship and thus the proper posture to be accorded Him.

What’s at stake here has more to do with sanity rather than mere sanitation.  Our identity as individuals is to be found within the Body of Christ.  And we can’t do that meaningfully if the way we worship even so much as suggests that the Eucharist is not Christ Truly Present, but merely a “symbol.”

It is always interesting to see the “analysis” of what has caused problems in the Church, particularly those which presume, apparently, that the Church operates in a vacuum instead of in the world.  Simplistic answers to complex questions rarely provide true insight, and often nothing more than a biased opinion.

Vatican II did not occur in a vacuum; and neither did the responses, from one end of the spectrum to the other.  What is occurring with the SSPX is one very small part of that spectrum, at the very conservative to extremely conservative end.  God willing, it will be resolved in a manner that follows the will of Christ.  But to presume that it is somehow a panacea of the problems within and without the Church borders on utter nonsense.  It is but a miniscule, albeit very noticeable part of all the problems the Church faces.

@James:
I agree with you that obedience is subordinate to justice; however, I would stress that if there is disagreement over whether something is just or not, consonant with the teaching of the Church or not, it must be decided by the competent authority. Jesus established His Church on the foundation of Peter and the other apostles, and to the college of bishops and ultimately the successor of Peter is given such authority, with the guarantee of the Holy Spirit. That is the “authentic” magisterium. I submit that Vatican II taught nothing contrary to the previous teaching of the Church, though many people on both sides of the “conservative/liberal” divide attempted to interpret it in that way.

Gene: The moment before I receive Holy Communion on my tongue,I relinquish all control to my Lord Jesus. I am ready and open to receive Him in the most humble of manner. I surrender; He is fed to me. It is even more humble when I can kneel to be fed. Ironically, in giving up all control, I am free. I have never experienced this joy of freedom when receiving the Lord from my own hand. By taking the Host in my hand and putting it in my own mouth, I control what is happening. I do not feel that moment of surrender. Because I am a proud and vain person, I need to openly and publicly surrender. I need to sacrifice all appearances, which is hard to do when one might be concerned how one looks with their head titled, their eyes closed and their mouth open while on their knees. In a sense, it is a sacrifice of pride. It is in this, my sacrifice, that I unite with the sacrifice of the Holy Cross. It is a mystical experience that cannot be had by receiving the Sacred Host in one’s own hand.

humblewriter, thank you for putting it so eloquently.

Let us pray that the society of saint pius x does not compromise truth. As a convert from modernist catholicism to tradition I believe with all my heart that this holy fraternity founded by the holy french archbishop, is the only remnant in todays world. When one attends holy mass in any of the sspx chapels one comes to realize that so many of the great saints could have not been mistaken when these martyrs gave their lives for the holy mass of all times. In mexico, in france and the few english who gave their lives instead of betraying HOLY MOTHER CHURCH. The society of saint pius x must remain faithful to the church of all times not the conciliar church. If the sspx collapses then we could very well be intering the ends of times. Holy saint pope pius x ora pro nobis, your excellency from heaven pray for us. May we pray that the bishops have courage to repent and defend the truth. Our lady of fatima ora pro nobis, saint joseph protector of holy mother church ora pro nobis. Saint Michael, saint gabriel, saint raphael, saint john the baptist, saint peter and paul, saint john the evangelist, saint athanasius, saint gregory, saint thomas more, saint thomas aquinas, saint phillip neri, saint john vianney, saint padre pio and all the saints before him pray for us to our blessed Lord in heaven.

@james

It is a tragic that most modern catholics identify themselves more as CCR(catholic charismatic renewal) than as RCC(roman catholic church). One only needs to see some videos on what is going on with the chuch today, to realize that we are offending God very very much. Our blessed lady said it in her message in 1917. Catholics attending church services with very unholy dressing(women half naked as if they were prostitutes in the house of our Blessed Lord, and men with jeans, shorts, muscle shirts, pathetic with sports jerseys etc). Priest that have caused and will continue to create much more scandal and all because they are embarrassed to serve and honor Jesus Christ before anyone else. How many times have any one of us might have by this time come across a man who is a priest but we didn’t recognize him because he does not wear his cassock. Bishops, cardinals and even holy fathers who now say that muslims, hindus, and all other false religions adored the same God as the catholics. The holy cure of ars and his family would travel very long distances for sunday mass during his early years and all because the new french government run by the devil had given options to priest. Priest had to preach sermons according to the governments socialist way if they didn’t they were beheaded. All of us catholics must read the lives of the saints in order to realized that the modern churchmen are in error and not them in the past. saint vincent ferrer would die of sadness if he was alive in these days. Throught the will and grace of God he converted many jews to the one true faith. If the world loves us then we are opposing Our Lord Jesus Christ, if the world hates us then Christ says to us that we are blessed. The sspx must continue to exist in the vertical essence not in the horizontal way. Pleased God first and then man, and not man before God.

I grew up in the pre 1962 Latin Rite and have watched with awe as we obedient to the end followed a wild and many times whacked out road to near destruction for Holy Mother Church’s children.  After our priests removed the Tabernacle from the church I knew we were in schism with Christ and would soon be led away to a mostly protestant type of faith.  God and Barney are one!  I love you, you love me…. Blah blah blah.  Let us pray that we are all coming home to over 2000 years of tradition and reverence toward Almighty God.

Gene:

My architect friend told me that form follows function.  Basically, this means that a building should be designed (form) based upon what you want it to accomplish (function).  It is not so different with regard to worship.  That is, the externals, what you would call form, are often a reflection of the internal (what you would refer to as substance).  And in many cases, if the form is not adequate, it will restrict the function.  For example, it would be difficult to play basketball in a gym designed with 7 foot ceilings. Likewise, the less “reverent” the external forms during worship, the more difficult it is to maintain an internal reverence for what is going in during the Mass.  Not impossible, but it can make it more difficult.  A more casual dress, mannerisms, language, music and surroundings will obviously create a more causal atmoshpere.  A good example - how many people would walk into the Supreme Court to argue their case in t-shirt and shorts?  How seriously do you think they would be taken?  How seriously would you believe a Supreme Court justice was taking your case if he asked you to meet at the hot dog stand around the corner to present your argument, while, in his flower print shirt and Bermuda shorts, he chomps on a footlong chili cheese dog?

“Latin still remains the language of the Catholic Church…”-Mary De Voe

False.

You’re confusing the Patriarchy of the West with the whole of the Catholic Church.

As for the SSPX, the latest initial news appears positive but remember that the SSPX has proved reluctant to acknowledge the Vicar of Peter’s authority in the past.  The risk that the latest news is again a false hope remains great.

I find it interesting that many people have responded to my earlier post speaking about the need for reverence and creating a sacred environment.  Following the same line of reasoning, there is no dress code or related decorum in most Catholic Churches I have attended over many, many years, including pre-Vatican II.  Candidly, most Protestants dress with much more reverence for their services.
So if casual attire is the norm (and it most certainly is) then why make a fuss about Communion in the hand?

While this is another step in the right direction, it is only the beginning for the SSPX. Yes, there is much in the Church that must be reformed,(as there always has been), yet,  there is much in the SSPX and it’s followers that need to be tempered and balanced.

By bringing in the SSPX, has not the good pope functionally defanged them insofar as they cease to be the ‘datum’ against which traditionalist Catholics measure the Church and church practice? Rather they are subsumed, becoming just another part of our plural Church, like the Ordinariate or Opus Dei.

On another note, I wouldn’t expect this to go easily - not many Society people I know think Fellay is right to do this, but instead promote other separatist options. And of course this is inevitable - they are in reality Protestants, schism is what they do.

After 50 years of Disorientation and Crisis in the Church, things seems that are starting to turn around. Great battles and wars inside and outside the Church will happen during the Restoration Process.
Justice to Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and the SSPX is due.

To quote a part of “humblewriter”‘s comment above: Sacrifice of pride… this is what I believe will be key to the whole “hand vs tongue”, “Latin vs. Native language”, “etc etc…” hang ups.  I have seen some serious pride on BOTH sides of this issue, but more among those who are ‘extreme’.  Of course, I am guilty of this myself, but I have grown much less critical since I encountered ugly pride among a small group of Tridentine individuals.  After what I saw there, I would be afraid to enter an SSPX church, because to me, lack of charity (and the pride of ‘being right and better than everyone else’) is uglier than clapping after Mass, much as the clapping irritates the heck out of me.

Pat, I have GOT commend you on the “ankle length skirts” comment.  That is absolutely hilarious and all too true!  ;) 

Like Pat says in the article, I agree: not so fast.  Lots of prayers are needed in our times.  The devil is cunning, and certainly knows Latin.  But thankfully, the gates of hell will NOT prevail.  My prayer is that SSPX and any schismatic groups come into full communion.  But that they will be in FULL communion and leave the superiority complex at the door.  Just sayin’.

shalimamma at lifevictorious dot com.

As one that has journeyed from the Baptist church of my youth, to the Methodist Church of my 20’s, entered the Novus Ordo in my 30’s and then TLM in the Dioceses and now am happily in the SSPX. Mostly driven by the faith and devotion of the numerous young priest’s and brothers in a near by Monastery a lone diocesan priest who learned and loved the TLM.  I am blessed to see the discussion of what was the true purpose of Vatican II is finally being discussed through the light of tradition.  I and my family ended up where I am in a quest for truth.  I initially came into communion with the Catholic Church because I realized that the truth was rooted in the traditions of the historic Church. 
Then the local parish we were attending started drifting away from those traditional teachings (It was one of the last in the Diocese to change postures during the mass) and the homilies had become less doctrinal and more ambiguous.  My children’s formation classes started changing their instruction.

    The first TLM I went to was incredible, the smell of incenses was wafting in the air, every one in the Church was kneeling and praying the rosary before mass, everyone knelt and received are Lord from the priest at an alter rail, the Choir sang Gregorian Chant.  I did not understand the words that day but was over whelmed by the entire experience.  I knew I was home. I was lead into greater devotion and understanding.  The first time I read the English translation of the mass so many of the Church teachings were cemented in my soul.  I was shocked to see how many prayers had been removed or altered in the new mass, especially the prayers before and after mass.  How powerful it was to recite the Prayer of St. Michael before heading back into the world.  The prayers of St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Bonaventure and St. Ambrose, incredible.  The repetition of the Confiteor and three mea culpas and three Domine non sum dignus… The tabernacle at center high alter with the crucifix directly over head.  How complete. At a high mass you realize the mass is a continuous prayer to our Lord.  In the new form it is disconnected and choppy in the old it is so fluid and evident. The holy silence at times in mass for mediation is surreal.  You truly sense that at that moment of consecration with Church bells ringing and all your senses being heighted, that this is truly the place where heaven and earth intersect.  The Church Triumphant and the Church Militant for a moment are truly united in time and space within the sacrifice of the perfect offering.  Just like when all the little pieces of a puzzle are put together and you see the image crafted by the artist the TLM brought our faith into perfect focus. 

Is archbishop lefebvre witnessing the destruction of the society of saint pius x? Have the current leaders of holy archbishop’s society thrown the towel and given up? Monsenor Lefebvre, the bravest and holiest archbishop of the 20th century must be suffering in the presence of our most blessed lady. Every person that has left a message here must read A LETTER TO CONFUSED CATHOLICS. The author himself says that even if all the priest of the fraternity abandoned him, he would still know that the whole of catholic tradation for the pass 2000 years was on his side. This almost sounds like a prophecy when I think about it. I really do pray and I will pray the most holy rosary more so that the sspx do not reunite with rome. I just think his excellency from heaven must be thinking that the bishops he consecrated in 1988 have now sold out and betrayed him but most importantly our Lord Jesus Christ, just like judas did in year 33. It is a misconception to think that we have any conservative bishops in rome let alone in the united states. Can people say that an archbishop who wears a cheesehead and is now the leader of the U.S bishops is really morally conservative. While pope leo 13 threatened to excomunicated any of the cleargy who participated in the intereligious gathering in chicago way back during his pontificate over 100 years ago, his successor in 1988 scandalizes the heavens by he himself organizing his assisi prayer. While pope saint pius the x condemned modernism the last few pope embrace it. All of us faithful catholics have the obligation to read the encyclicals of the popes before the second vatican counsil. We must reject ecumenism, religious liberty, the new mass and the idea of the college of bishops having the power of a modern day congress to veto the president which in this case would be the pope himself. Saint Michael the archangel defend us in this battle….by pope leo 13….ave maria gratia plena dominus tecum, benedicta tu in…... May our lady of the most holy trinity pray for us in heaven.

All bishops are vicars of Christ, but the Sovereign Pontiff is the Vicar of Christ.  He has full, supreme, and immediate jurisdiction over the Universal Church, a power he can always exercise unhindered. 

I lived in the Diocese of Rochester.  If not for such spiritually holy priests as Frs. Antinarelli and Bonsignore, Bush, and McMahon (and also the wonderful holy priests at St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church) it would have been a total void.  A wasteland.

Yet I would never, ever, ever, ever consider leaving the Roman Communion.  To me that’s the blackest of sins, pride.  Believing that I know more than the Church.  I would never leave even if Alexander VI was pope.

This deification of Lefebvre and others I don’t get.  It’s because “he represented the truth” is nonsensical.  Christ Himself at Caesaria Philipi gave Peter the Keys alone.  The other bishops in Matthew 18 could bind and loose, but only Peter had the keys.  Lefevbre is no different than Cerularius or others who died separate from communion. I shudder to think what happened to him at death and I pray for his immortal soul.  And I hope the SSPX would humbly embrace Peter.  I do embrace his good works in Africa and other places and think he really meant well.  But dying unreconciled is a horror.

To me, schism is the worst. (and I know, I know, the SSPX was just “canonically irregular” but that’s because Rome desperately wanted to keep them in the fold.  To me the SSPX was no different than Photius) 

Heresy is terrible, but if you are educated and have faith, you can easily reject and refute it.  Apostasy is frightening, but to me it underscores something deeper, something psychological.  Schism is, to me,the most diabolical because it represents at its core a falsity, a mocking of the truth.  There are people in the SSPX who are trying desperately to be holy and just about all of them mean very well.  But the situation is not a good one until they reestablish canonical regularity.

The LCWR right now are an abomination and need to be fixed, but even they can be easily laughed at and mocked.  It’s harder to corral a group like the SSPX who seem much closer to the truth.  I hope the signing of the doctrinal preamble is that good first step.

How is it possible that LCWR and its members with there unrepentant disobediance to Church teaching be in “full communion” and those priests and Bishops in the FSSPX that continue faithly to preserve the pre Vatican II tradition of the Church be in irregular communion.  It is totally upside down. My head of my diocesian religious formation and developement center taught that the Pope was not the final authority all bishops have the same authority, that in reality the Church should be a democracy, that their are many pathes to heaven not only the Catholic Church and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament was a waist of time.  Your telling me that I was supposed to be obediant to that.  He taught with the authority of the local Bishop. And these people are in “full communion” because they give lip service to Rome, please.  It is the Bishop of Rome’s responsibility to remove this type of hetrodoxy. Trust me Rome knew about it enought letters were sent.  Finally after these teachings are deeply rooted in the faithful they don’t remove the Bishop they relocate him. The viper that is teaching at the dioceses is still there preaching his drivel. Beautiful. I pray for the Pope and all the Bishops and priests and things do seam to be moving in the right direction in the Church but to me it seams it not the SSPX that has been changing it is the Church that has been moving.  First away from traditon and now slowly back to it. The SSPX has been doing what it has always done. Agnus Dei, miserere nobis.

“Agnus Dei, miserere noobis,” or, “Lamb of God, pray for us rookies.”

Briefly, I attended a Catholic prep school in the ‘70s, but since it was run by Liberation-Theologist Jesuits, I got exactly NO traditionalist religious education.

I was Episcopalian at the time, not going through RCIA until about 10 years ago, so “what a long, strange trip it’s been.”

Anyway, too-long now short, it is apparent that

A) the government is forcing us to choose sides, and fast. So,
B) My choice being obvious, I need to arm.

Where do I go to get the pre-Vatican 2 lowdown? Is there a good site for non-contentious discussion on kneeling/standing, hand/mouth reception of Our Lord? Iinterestingly, the Episcopal church I was raised in had a kneeling rail for Communion.)

Where does the wanderer rest?

Thanks.

People who divide people in the name of the Christ are the true heretics!!!

That is a fantastic point Dyana Jean.  This is about coming together isn’t it? Defining what is communion and obediance. We can see that issue going on with the LCWR also. Pope Benedict XVI is finding ways to bring in Anglicans, Episcopoles, Lutherians and hopefully the SSPX and correcting those that are in communion but in great disobediance to the doctrine of the faith.  The question is where is the middle and what doctrine is that. The real question should be what is the Truth. I think the greatest dividers in history would be the protestant reformers who have managed to chock up about 40-70,000 different denominations or sects.  But even inside the Church you have a spectrum that ranges from the LCWR and Mahoneites to the FSSP/SSPX. How could you even call them the same faith. That would be great TV having the SSPX and the LCWR have a discussion on what it means to be in communion with the One, Holy, Cahtolic and Apostolic Church of our Lord Jesus Christ and define the authority of the Pope and the Magisterium. This is what Pope Benedict is dealing with and trying to bring to unity. He needs our prayers more than ever. I think EWTN is doing a great job of finding the middle by the way.  When you have the left calling you a Nazis and the far right calling you liberals your doing a pretty good job of finding the middle. Let us all offer up a thankful prayer for Mother Angelica and her works.

@Rick,

This has nothing to do with finding the “middle”, but in finding the Truth.

A heretic on the right is no different than a heretic on the left. If you disobey Peter you cease being Catholic.

Some say that the true heretics are the Cardinals and Bishops who have sat silently back hile the faithful flock they shepherd takes the wide road to perdition only to protect their mini kingdoms here on earth.  Cardinals in Washington DC and Los Angelus, Bishops in Santa Rosa(recent past) to the Carolinas.  Leading with their silent examples, and tassid approvals of lies, cheats, and thieves.