A Priest on the American Church's State of Emergency
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Forty years have gone by since the Second Vatican Council concluded its work. The 16 conciliar documents have brought about many changes in the Catholic Church. One of the most visible changes is the way the Mass in the Latin rite is celebrated.
Unfortunately, shortly after the close of the council, the liturgical reforms the council set in motion have been upset by ignorance, misinterpretation, and even infidelity. The liturgy in America has become an ongoing battle between three groups of Catholics.
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As the chaos and polarization continued, the Tridentine Mass movement began to take shape. Close to Ridgefield, just over the state line, Fr. Francis Fenton and Fr. Robert McKenna of the Orthodox Roman Catholic Movement began to say the Tridentine Mass every Sunday in a converted barn on the property of Bob and Doris Cleary. The two priests were later assisted by the first priests ordained by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre who were just beginning their apostolate on Long Island, NY. Years later, the Society of St. Pius X purchased the Jesuit Retreat House in Ridgefield, which presently functions as a very successful retreat center.
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First of all, we have the problem that many bishops have taken Bishop Walter Curtis's position. They have spent their time building hospitals and parishes, but have done nothing to properly educate and correct their priests.
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First and foremost, bishops need to be courageous shepherds. As George Weigel pointed out in his excellent work, The Courage to be Catholic, something needs to be done to reform the way bishops are selected in America. The present system is broken. It encourages ambition and favoritism.
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Regarding the Society of St. Pius X, they need to come home. It would be a terrible tragedy if this schism were to continue. Lay people involved with the SSPX are there precisely because they have been so terribly scandalized by lunatic bishops and priests who have destroyed the liturgy in many parishes around the country. The pope should grant an indult for the full use of the Tridentine Mass in order to keep the scandalized laity in the Church. The leaders of the SSPX, for the good of the people they serve, should be humble and obedient, and reconcile with Rome. At the same time, Rome cannot play games with the SSPX — nor can the leaders of the SSPX remain stubborn. The faith and spiritual fervor of the laity attached to the SSPX is remarkable. It would be a tragedy if we were to lose these good people.
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