St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parish of the FSSP in Thorold, Ontario - spectacular chapel renovation!

 

The Legacy of Thomas Cardinal Collins: FSSP invited in, lied to about a church given and taken away and kicked out over Holy Communion on the tongue!

 As the great celebration of embracing gratitude for His Most Serene Eminence, Thomas "No Mass For You" Collins approaches, it behooves us to recycle some posts from the past.

The FSSP was invited to Toronto and promised a parish. The parish was to be Canadian Martyrs and was publicly announced on the diocesan web page. Outrage happened and the usual suspects ganged up on a weak and ineffective leader and he took back the public offer. Neil MacCarthy, his spokesman, blamed the Pastor for publishing it. I asked Neil, "Oh, and when did Father become your webmaster?" In November of that year, 2009, the H1N1 pandemic fraud began and Thomas Cardinal Collins banished Holy Communion on the tongue. The Fraternity priest did not comply, publishing in the bulletin, "At this Mass, in accord with the universal law of the Church, Holy Communion is only distributed on the tongue." I know, I was there. I was the Schola and Choir Master. In January 2010, the Fraternity met with Collins about the need for their own church. The meeting did not go well. A few weeks later the announcement was made after Mass. It was, I recall, the Second Sunday of Lent. They were gone after the next Sunday. The Fraternity issued a statement to cover for Collins. But we all know what happened. It was an early example of: "I WILL SHUT YOU DOWN."

Sunday, 21 February 2010

FSSP APOSTOLATE IN TORONTO COMES TO AN END!

TORONTO--Only three weeks after a Solemn High Mass was held on Candlemas assisted by transitional Deacons and Seminarians of St. Augustine's Seminary in Toronto; and less than a week after a column appeared on Rorate Caeli Blog extolling the provisioning of the Traditional Latin Mass in Ontario, it was announced today after the Mass for Quadragesima Sunday that effective next Sunday, February 28, 2009, the Toronto Apostolate of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter will come to an end.

Apostolate Chaplain, Father Howard Venette, FSSP addressed the nearly 100 congregants following the Mass advising the shocked congregation that the departure was due to "internal personnel" matters. Father Venette will be reassigned to Orlando, Florida following his 19 month stay in Toronto.

The FSSP was invited to Toronto by Archbishop Thomas Collins with the hopes of establishing a personal parish for the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. In September 2009, a public announcement was made by the Fraternity and on the Archdiocese of Toronto web page that the Canadian Martyrs parish would be the location over a six-month transitional period. Within days of this announcement and without public explanation, the situation changed and the parish plan did not materialize.

Recently, the Fraternity was advised that while a parish was not currently available, its provision would depend on the continued growth and financial viability of the community. In the last 19 months, attendance at the Sunday Mass at St. Theresa Shrine Church increased over 100% from the attendance under the former indult at the Missa Lecta to the Missa Cantata.

Upon arrival in Toronto, Father Venette was in residence at Holy Cross parish where the Mass was celebrated daily and on High Holy Days. Following the situation in September over Canadian Martyrs, Father was moved to St. Brigid's where the daily Mass schedule changed from week to week and the High Holy Day liturgies were split between St. Brigid's and St. Theresa's Parish.

According to officials from Una Voce Toronto, Archbishop Collins had indicated that he desired no less than "five" Extraordinary Form Masses throughout the Archdiocese of Toronto every Sunday.

A Solemn High Mass was being planned for St. Theresa's for March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph, Patron Saint of Canada, and has now been canceled. After the departure of Father Venette, the only daily Mass in the Extraordinary Form in the Archdiocese of Toronto will be at The Toronto Oratory Church of the Holy Family. The Oratorians continue to celebrate the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite Missa Cantata or Missa Solemnis Sundays at St. Vincent de Paul Church at 11:30AM.

Latin Mass joy in Saskatoon!

In better news. Bishop Mark Hagemoen of the Diocese of Saskatoon has appointed the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter to the Diocese. 

May God bless him for his pastoral charity.

Dear FSSP Father - a conversation from the combox

From the combox following this post:

Vox Cantoris: THE ENEMIES OF SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM WANT WAR - Paix Liturgique. AND THEY WILL GET IT! - Vox Cantoris

Today I spoke with an FSSP priest about Summorum Pontificum and referred to this post.

He said "It's not Christian to attack episcopate in such a way, it's very demonic. Jesus Christ would never do that, he even died on the cross in full submission to his enemies."

I didn't want to make an argument with him. But what would be your response?

4:57 pm, June 30, 2021

Blogger Vox Cantoris said...

Friend,

I would respond in this way. Feel free to print it out and hand it to the good father along with my email address; voxcantoris@rogers.com

Father, as a priest of the Fraternity of St. Peter, you are compromised. So is your whole Fraternity. You have no bishop, in fact, as so well reported here: French bishop tells faithful protesting departure of FSSP from their diocese that their priests must concelebrate the Novus Ordo | News | LifeSite (lifesitenews.com) you are slaves to the same men who hate you and what you stand for. On one hand, you allegedly carry the doctrine and on the other, you admonish those faithful who suffer and are not as gentle and eloquent as you would wish them to be in the battle. In fact, I would say that you're not even in the battle. I would say that you are more enamoured with smells and bells and are all lace and no grace than engaging in battle to save souls or restore the Church. You see Father, as long as you stick to celebrating the traditional Mass and as long as it doesn't mean anything you're all good. You see, it’s not the Mass they hate, it's what it represents. That is evident in that linked article on the Dijon situation.

Father, as for calling me "demonic" you're being very judgemental and display a complete lack of charity and care for the smelly sheep who have been abused by an evil stepfather.

As for the holy episcopate which you accuse me of demonically insulting in an un-Christian manner, what did our Lord Jesus say to the episcopate of his day? "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you are like to whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear to men beautiful, but within are full of dead men's bones, and of all filthiness." And then we have this, "You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."

As for demonic, Father, shall we talk of the savage beatings and bruising by your Basilian confreres this writer as a 13-year-old boy? 

Shall we speak of the priest academic who sodomized one known to me and tried to groom him into a life of sodomy? How many millions of others were there?

What shall we say, dear Father, of the financial corruption and perverts and drug-fueled orgies in the Vatican? Do we dare speak of the cover-up by the criminals in the Church that abused so many?

Shall we speak dear Father of the Church in Canada that took government money to take children from their families against the teachings of the Church and betrayed them with abusive and perverted priests who raped many in our sad history of indigenous residential schools?

Shall we speak of our Bishops who even now, at least here in Canada, take abused taxpayer's money from the Government of Canada in exchange for shutting down our churches and sacraments?

Dear Father, I could go on and on to even now how these dear holy episcopal leaders cannot even let the children have the crumbs of tradition from the Master's Table.

So Father, why did you become a priest and when did you lose your cojones? When did you become brainwashed in a corrupt ultramontane view of the papacy, the priest as all-holy, untouchable and elevated on a pedestal along with a maniacal obedience to evil? 

You covered it up Father, You still cover it up. You knew. You all knew. You did nothing! Worse? YOU STILL DO NOTHING!

You see Father, all of the above is because of priests such as you as articulated in the previous sentence.

One more thing, Father FSSP, you are "But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep." 

In Toronto it's 15% Sunday in Ordinary Time - Recalling a time when Collins fullfiled his word, "I will shut you down!

All quiet on the Cardinal Collins front. He seems quite satisfied with himself having convinced Ontario Premier Doug Ford to classify religious services at the same level of importance as shopping for a pool noodle. Yes, friends, Collins has betrayed and abandoned us. The Church in Canada, as with the Residential Schools, has sided with evil Canadian governments for money rather than the little people.

During the draconian shutdowns, many priests cowered in their rectories, no doubt worried about their own "compromised immune systems." Not all did, though. Many did reach out to their flocks by phone, by email, by caring and did administer the sacraments and did so because it was what they were called to do by Our Lord in spite of the bully and tyrant who told them all in a webinar, "I will shut you down." God reward them all.

In 2010, Collins did shut down a parish - a growing community. It was the Toronto Apostolate of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. They arrived in 2007 and took over an indult community and quickly started to grow it. They turned the Sunday, quiet Low Mass to a full sung Missa Cantata. They were treated badly. This writer was the Schola Master and Choir Director. Having been promised their own parish it was finally granted and three days later, cancelled. The enemies had heard of it and had enough - they ganged up on Collins and demanded he reverse his decision which he has often done after revolt and the Director of Communications spun the scandal that it was the FSSP priest's fault. "He released the information," said Neil MacCarthy to this writer. "Really Neil? Then how did it get into the Archdiocesan Update and on the web page? Is Father V your Webmaster?" The parish was to be Canadian Martyrs whose community would have been merged with St. Brigid Parish. Two months later, Collins banned Holy Communion on the tongue due to the last China Virus, H1N1. In the bulletin, Father V wrote, "At this Mass in accord with the laws of the Universal Church, Holy Communion is only received on the tongue." He defied the Cardinal and a few months later, Collins made sure that Father V and the Superior General of the FSSP knew it. 

He shut them down.

The result of this is that today, as for the last year, the famous Toronto Oratory will provide holy communion on the hand only at the traditional Latin Masses.

Yet, after his edict, this writer attended the funeral Mass of Msgr. T. Barrett Armstrong of St. Michael's Choir School. On the left in line, I went to the Deacon for Holy C0mmunion and abiding Collins' edict, received in the hand. On my right was the Cardinal who gave Holy Communion to people on the tongue. Do as I say and not as I do is not good leadership.

In Markham, northwest of Toronto, this privately-owned Cathedral of the Transfiguration which can hold 1000 will be filled to the dictated limit and 300 or so at two Masses will attend the Holy Mass. More than the Cardinal will have in his own Cathedral. 

The post-CCP Virus Church in Toronto is going into dark days and well deserved

Quite the legacy.

Toronto - Church of the Transfiguration - District of Canada (sspx.ca)

Two Deacons to be ordained to the priesthood in Quebec in the traditional form!

From Notions Romaines blog and Rorate Caeli:

It is with joy that we relay the information that Messrs. abbots Alexandre Marchand (Gatineau) and Jacques Breton (St-Hyacinthe) will be ordained priests in the Holy Church of God on Saturday 13 June this year.

We can truly rejoice because both deacons of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) will be ordained in Canada, specifically in the diocese of St-Hyacinthe, Quebec by His Excellency, Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, Archbishop of Ottawa. These ordinations are likely to be the first in the extraordinary form of the Roman rite in Quebec for decades.

Messrs. abbots Marchand and Breton are seminarians studying at the International Seminar of the fraternity to Wigratzbad (in Germany). The FSSP is responsible for conducting his apostolate as part of the traditional Roman liturgy and train priests.

In French Canada, the FSSP is in charge of two parishes (St. Clement, Ottawa and St-Zéphirin, Quebec) and assists the pastoral work in another parish (St. Irenaeus, Montreal).

We hope to provide more details on this in the coming months.

This is joyous news and let us hope that they be appointed to the Quebec parishes!

Where is the mercy?

This blogger has friends that worship at the Toronto chapel of the Society of St. Pius X. I have a conflicted view of the fact that they do, but I can clearly understand it. One one hand, they attend their in a comfortable way, they do not participate in the life of the greater Archdiocese nor do they fight it out in the trenches; it would be a lot easier with them in the fight directly with those of us engaging the crisis daily. On the other hand, who am I to judge? The scandal and sorrow that they have endured on the part of priests or previous Ordinaries not sympathetic to the cause is legion. (I do not include Cardinal Collins in this as he has generally been supportive of the Toronto Traditional Mass Society's goals and the needs of the faithful. though clearly the FSSP issue is still a hard point), 

It is also repugnant that certain puerile people label them and others as madtrads or radtrads or trads-behaving-badly. It is insulting, degrading, juvenile, schizophrenic and unbecoming of any Catholic who purports to love the Our Lord Jesus Christ, and His Holy Sacrifice at the Mass and His Church. 

It is regrettable that under our dear Pope Benedict XVI, a complete reconciliation could not be realised and I long for the day in God's good time and may I live to see it, that a perfect communion is established.

Full disclosure: I have worshipped at the Toronto chapel in the past and sang in the Schola there whilst between other chant engagements. I have never gone to the Sacrament of Confession there for obvious reasons but the Mass if valid and holy.

What these two bishops, in Italy and Argentina have done, by threatening the lay faithful with excommunication when the Church has already stated that they are not excommunicated is the height of episcopal arrogance and hypocrisy. These are our brother and sisters. These are Catholic faithful living the faith as the parents of these bishops did!

There is much talk of mercy these days. Mercy for sodomites, mercy for those paying the price for murder, mercy for adulterers. Mercy. Mercy. Mercy.

Well? Where is the mercy for these 99?

INTERNATIONAL UNA VOCE FEDERATION

MEDIA RELEASE – IMMEDIATE – 4 November 2014

International Una Voce Federation: threatened SSPX excommunications may be illegal

LONDON 4 November 2014 – The International Una Voce Federation which seeks to promote the traditions, particularly the liturgical traditions, of the Roman Catholic Church, within the official structures of the Church, today questioned the legality of a “notification” dated 14 October 2014 of the Roman See of Albano, Italy, claiming to ex-communicate those who receive the sacraments from, or attend religious services of, the Society of St Pius X (SSPX).

The Federation questions the legality of a notification in similar terms of Bishop Óscar Sarlinga of Zárate-Campana in Argentina, issued on 3 November 2014.

The Federation, which is a lay movement independent of any priestly or religious community, believes that preservation of doctrine, law and justice, as well as good pastoral practice, within the Church, is important.

The Federation believes that these “notifications” tend to imply that anyone who has ever attended services of the SSPX is not welcome in parish churches in these dioceses.

This view is clearly in direct contrast with the emphasis of the Supreme Pontiff, Pope Francis, upon mercy and forgiveness, as well as the “openness of heart” requested by Pope Benedict XVI as a prelude to a healing of divisions “in the heart of the Church”.

The Bishop of Albano is the Rt Rev Marcello Semeraro, media spokesman of the Italian Bishops’ conference and secretary of the Papal inner Council of 9 advisers.

The Federation is asking the Holy See to advise that these notifications are defective and to require them to be modified so as to comply with the law of the Church and the decisions of the Holy See.

BACKGROUND

On 14 October 2014, the Chancery of the Diocese of Albano issued a notification to parish priests claiming that anyone who attends SSPX services, even, apparently, children, thereby “break communion with the Catholic Church” and can only be re-admitted to the Church after “an adequate personal path of reconciliation”. The notification reads:

“The Catholic faithful cannot participate at Mass, neither request and/or receive sacraments from or in the Society. Acting otherwise would mean to break communion with the Catholic Church.

Therefore, any Catholic faithful who requests and receives sacraments in the Society of Saint Pius X, will place himself de facto in the condition of no longer being in communion with the Catholic Church. A readmission to the Catholic Church must be preceded by an adequate personal path of reconciliation, according to the ecclesiastical discipline established by the Bishop.”

Bishop Óscar Sarlinga of Zárate-Campana in Argentina, in a letter to his diocese dated 3 November 2014, states:

“It is not licit for the Catholic faithful to take part in the celebration of Mass in these conditions, neither to request nor to receive sacraments from the priests of the aforementioned "Society of Saint Pius X", including in private places turned into places of worship, without excluding, in case of obstinacy, also the ferendae sententiae penalties that may apply, according to the ecclesial spirit and that of protection of the faithful.

In the case of the rupture of ecclesiastical communion by the above-mentioned founded motives, in order to be later readmitted to the Catholic Church, a personal path of reconciliation (and eventually of removal of the canonical censure) will be required, according to the discipline advised by the Holy See and the [diocese's] own, established by the diocesan bishop.”

CANONICAL BRIEF

The attitude of the Holy See has always been that lay faithful who receive the sacraments from priests of the SSPX are not excommunicated. Examples are as follows.

In 1991 Bishop Joseph Ferrario of Honolulu declared six lay Catholics excommunicated on grounds of schism for having procured the services of an SSPX bishop to administer confirmation. These appealed to the Holy See which, through Cardinal Ratzinger as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, declared the decree invalid because their action, though considered blameworthy, did not constitute schism.

On 5 September 2005, the Holy See, through the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, affirmed that “the faithful who attend the masses of the aforesaid Fraternity are not excommunicate, and the priests who celebrate them are not, either—the latter are, in fact, suspended.” (Protocol n.55/2005, signed by the then Secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, Mgr Camille Perl).

On 27 September 2002, quoted and reaffirmed on 18 January 2003, the Holy See, through the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, stated that “In the strict sense you may fulfil your Sunday obligation by attending a mass celebrated by a priest of the Society of St. Pius X.” (Letters signed by Mgr Camille Perl).

“To break communion with the Catholic Church”, i.e. excommunication, can only be incurred where there is both an “external violation of a law or precept” and it is “gravely imputable by reason of malice or culpability” (canon 1321) and only if the proper penalty is excommunication.

Excommunication is not the proper penalty for “participating at mass” or “requesting or receiving the Sacraments” from SSPX priests or in SSPX-administered places of worship. Thus:

It is accordingly not correct that excommunication is thereby incurred.

In any event, those under the age of sixteen cannot incur a penalty (canon 1323.1); this would apply to those under this age who received baptism or confirmation.

Even when basing a canonical argument on the assumption that the SSPX has no canonical status in the Church and that its priests are suspended, following ordination without dimissorial letters, it does not follow that to seek the sacraments at their hands is an illegal act on the part of the lay faithful.

To say otherwise also conflicts with the provision in canon law (canon 1335) for the suspension of any prohibition of the celebration of the Sacraments or sacramental, or the exercise of a power of governance, when one of the faithful requests it for “any just reason”.

Furthermore, the notifications appear to challenge the Decree of the Congregation of Bishops dated 21 January 2009 lifting the excommunications of the SSPX bishops and instead seem to wish to re-impose those excommunications, within each diocese, contrary to this decree of a Congregation of the Holy See.

Moreover, it would be incongruous for the legislator to lift the excommunication of the bishops while imposing or maintaining it on the lay faithful to whom they minister.

CONCLUSION

The Federation is thus obliged to question the notifications since they appear to undermine papal legislation and canon law.

** ends **

The International Una Voce Federation is a lay movement, initially founded in Zurich in 1967.

The International Una Voce Federation aims to foster the cultural heritage of the Latin rite of the Roman Catholic Church upon which so much of European culture, music, art, literature and architecture has been built and nourished. Beginning with the retention of the Jewish Temple worship which, under Christian tutelage, developed into plainchant, sacred music became the basis of all later classical and choral music. Similar developments took place in art, architecture, literature and all the arts, in which the Christian tradition built upon the ancient Classical world and upon the Hebrew traditions that it inherited.

The Federation’s principal aims are to ensure that the traditional Roman rite of the Church is maintained in the Church as one of the forms of liturgical celebration, and to safeguard and promote the use of Latin, Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony and all the sacred, artistic, literary and musical traditions of the Roman Church in all their beauty and integrity.

A General Assembly of the Federation is convened every two years in Rome and elections are held for the Council and Presidency.

The Federation is recognized by the Holy See, its views are received with courtesy and respect by the relevant Roman Congregations, and its representatives are received by them in the same manner.

Its first President, Dr Eric Vermehren de Saventhem, was a German anti-Nazi diplomat who, together with his wife, born Countess von Plettenberg, from a well-known anti-Nazi Catholic family, escaped via the Embassy in Istanbul to Britain. Other Presidents have included the author Michael Davies from Britain.

Over the years the Federation has made various successful interventions. It was instrumental in persuading Pope John Paul II in 1986 to convoke a special Commission of Cardinals which resulted in the issue of the decree Ecclesia Dei Adflicta in 1988 and also played a part in persuading Pope Benedict XVI to issue the motu proprio decree Summorum Pontificum in 2007.

Mr James Bogle

The battle we face goes on, we will not give up. Long Live Papa Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Emeritus

Perhaps the professional clericalists that head universities and alleged Catholic cable networks which have the temerity to say "don't get me wrong, I loved Pope Benedict, but look at how they dressed him up" and then continue to affront others that actually have read him might want to view this 51 minutes by Father Calvin Goodwin, FSSP who quotes considerably from Joseph Ratzinger and says himself, "we should not underestimate the situation we are in."

While this writer in no way endorses the actions of any of the four bishops consecrated by Archbishop Lefebvre, it does not mean that what they may say from time to time is not correct:

“But blind obedience is ridiculous! What are we lambs to do when the Shepherd is struck and the sheep are scattered ? Pretend all is well. and let ourselves be devoured by wolves in the name of obedience ? What can one say to such people? They are wilfully ignorant in the belief that wilful ignorance is a virtue! Where does such a mindset come from ? What error crept into the Church to make Catholics switch off their minds? Richard Williamson, SSPX

One year ago...

One year ago today, the announcement came that the Toronto Apostolate of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter had come to an end. It as the First Sunday of Lent, 2010. Since that time, the Archbishop of Toronto appointed a diocesan priest to celebrate the traditional Latin liturgy at St. Theresa's Church in Scarborough in addition to his other parish duties as Associate Pastor at large and demanding parish north of Toronto. The Mass is no longer a Missa Cantata and attendance has dropped as well since the departure of the FSSP with no signs of growth to be had. The location remains a problem, little transit, not much parking and the time of day at 1:00 is still problematic.
On the positive side, the traditional Mass continues to grow, albeit slowly at St. Vincent de Paul under the Fathers of the Oratory and the Toronto Traditional Mass Society, soon to be known as Una Voce Toronto, has a new Board and is planning more regular programs and opportunities to move the agenda forward.
In my own opinion, the Fraternity will come back to Toronto some day, but on their terms. That would be no more bouncing from one parish to another and one rectory to another. They must have their own parish and rectory to develop live their charism and serve the people desiring to worship and live the Catholic culture in accord with the traditional liturgy and fully united to the Holy Father.
That day will come when the inevitable closing of parishes occurs, particularly in east Toronto where many struggle to survive amidst changing demographics and immigration patterns and general apostasy of Catholics from the faith.

Originally posted on February 21, 2010.

 TORONTO--Only three weeks after a Solemn High Mass was held on Candlemas assisted by transitional Deacons and Seminarians of St. Augustine's Seminary in Toronto; and less than a week after a column appeared on Rorate Caeli Blog extolling the provisioning of the Traditional Latin Mass in Ontario, it was announced today after the Mass for Quadragesima Sunday that effective next Sunday, February 28, 2010, the Toronto Apostolate of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter will come to an end.

Apostolate Chaplain, Father Howard Venette, FSSP addressed the nearly 100 congregants following the Mass advising the shocked congregation that the departure was due to "internal personnel" matters. Father Venette will be reassigned to Orlando, Florida following his 19 month stay in Toronto.

The FSSP was invited to Toronto by Archbishop Thomas Collins with the hopes of establishing a personal parish for the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. In September 2009, a public announcement was made by the Fraternity and on the Archdiocese of Toronto web page that Canadian Martyrs parish would be the location over a six-month transitional period. Within days of this announcement and without public explanation, the situation changed and the parish plan did not materialise.
Recently, the Fraternity was advised that while a parish was not currently available, its provision would depend on the continued growth and financial viability of the community. In the last 19 months, attendance at the Sunday Mass at St. Theresa Shrine Church increased over 100% from the attendance under the former indult at the Missa Lecta to the Missa Cantata.

Upon arrival in Toronto, Father Venette was in residence at Holy Cross parish where the Mass was celebrated daily and on High Holy Days. Following the situation in September over Canadian Martyrs, Father was moved to St. Brigid's where the daily Mass schedule changed from week to week and the High Holy Day liturgies were split between St. Brigid's and St. Theresa's Parish.
According to officials from Una Voce Toronto, Archbishop Collins had indicated that he desired no less than "five" Extraordinary Form Masses throughout the Archdiocese of Toronto every Sunday.

Candlemas

Today is Candlemas, when we celebrate the traditional conclusion of Christmastide. This is the day of the Presentation of the LORD in the Temple and the Purification of Mary.

Last year in Toronto was an occasion not to be forgotten part of which is captured below. The first Solemn High Mass on Candlemas for generations. The celebrant was Father Howard Venette, FSSP. The Deacon and Subdeacon were transitional Deacons and are now priests in parishes in the Archdiocese of Toronto and the Diocese of Hamilton. Many of the Acolytes and Servers were Seminarians at St. Augustine's Seminary and others at Serra House in Toronto.

In a few weeks we will recall the one year mark since the loss of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter from Toronto.

Abbé Franck Quoëx, FSSP and the Holy Name of Jesus

On this, the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (Traditional Calendar) comes this reprint from New Liturgical Movement.

"Our dear Abbé Quoëx died, dare I say, like a saint! After several months of illness and unrelenting agony that lasted over a month, great suffering, and always a great interior generosity, small delicate words and diverted complaints, apologizing for being a burden. (...) Always he drank prayer like the water with great savour, in which his whole body seemed to burn. He especially liked the prayer of Jesus. Often he would ask, on the morning after a night of suffering: "Help me up, I wish to say Mass ..." We had to explain that he could not rise, and that he would be offering a Mass by suffering with Christ, before being able to offer it soon in Heaven, in the beautiful heavenly liturgy of which we had spoken of so well one Holy Thursday... He passed away quietly this morning, the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, watched by a close friend who, after singing the hymn Jesu dulcis memoria and reciting Lauds in his hospital room, after having also read a poem by Cristina Campo (Non si può nascere, ma si può morire innocenti) approached supporting him and said: 'Today is the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. You'll celebrate it up there, the heavenly liturgy is more beautiful than you described. Go ahead, Father, go, the door of heaven is wide open.' He then took breath twice, and left..."



Read it all here.

The Battle for the Ancient Mass

I urge you to sit back and listen to Father Calvin Goodwin, FSSP, from Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, Nebraska as he discusses the history and struggles associated with the Traditional Latin Mass in this hour long talk.


There are remarkable quotes from Leo XIII, Pius X, Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI and insight into the pathetic opposition at the highest levels to the traditional liturgy.

FSSP TORONTO LETTER

From: info@fssp.com

To:
Subject: FSSP in Toronto
Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:17:40 -0500

Dear Dr. K------ M-------,

Greetings in Our Lord. Feel free to disseminate this e-mail as you deem best.

d

As questions have been sent to the Fraternity of St. Peter about our leaving the Archdiocese of Toronto at this time, we wish the faithful to know that this decision was made after discussing the matter with Archbishop Collins and Fr. Venette. The decision was clearly made by the District Superior of the FSSP due to the need for priests elsewhere, where they are being given "personal parishes" and being allowed to function fully their charism. There was a common agreement among all parties and the FSSP was not put under pressure from the Archbishop to definitively leave the Archdiocese. Let us remember that His Grace, Archbishop Collins invited the FSSP to Toronto and has indicated his desire to see them return.

In short, the Archbishop remains committed to providing the Extraordinary Form in his Archdiocese in various locations. In the end, the situation in Toronto for a Mass location and for a residence for a priest of the FSSP was not what the Fraternity and the Archbishop had hoped it would be by this time. This is due to many reasons, but the primary concern for the FSSP revolves around the well-being of its priests by providing them a life in common according to our Constitutions. This is part of the community life and personal holiness to the priestly vocation in the Fraternity, the FSSP priest's charism would suffer if this issue was not resolved sooner rather than later.

r

The Fraternity of St. Peter has agreed with the Archbishop to look at the situation again when a more fitting arrangement can be found. It would follow that any return by the FSSP or the inviation of the ICK would need to include a canonical arrangement for a parish similar to those in Ottawa, Vancouver or more recently the sale for nominal sum of a church in Quebec City to the FSSP by Marc Cardinal Oulette. Since Summorum Pontificum, the FSSP sees its role as either serving stable parochial communities or training other priests to provide Masses in accord with the needs of the Archdiocese.

We realize this is a disappointment for many of the faithful in Toronto, (!!!) yet the best course for both the FSSP and the faithful wishing a FSSP priest in the Toronto area will be our keeping in contact with the Archbishop as he is certainly not opposed to our assistance.

In Christ,

Fr. Eric Flood,
FSSP
North American District Superior