Posted on 12/28/2004 2:00:22 PM PST by CatherineSiena
NOTE. TRADITIO has been inundated with messages about the goings-on at St. Anthony of Padua. It is a matter of great interest to the traditional Catholic community. Most messages are expressions of concern that Fr. Wickens' work be honestly carried out in the way that he himself did. We have received phone calls and messages from traditional priests around the world (several of them SSPX priests), from local members of the congregation on all sides of the issue seeking our counsel, and from other concerned observers of the goings-on, including a private investigator and an attorney who are monitoring whether what is going on is legal.
The concern of this varied group of traditional Catholics is moving. However, a few messages were received of rather vile nature, whose content is not to try to understand and resolve the situation in a fair way, but to vilify individuals by name, among which vilified individuals are traditional priests. (***H1 Note...Like they did to Fr.Murphy.)
In every case, the vile messages have come from those who identify themselves as associated with or favoring the Society of St. Pius X. If he were alive today, Abp. Lefebvre, a most gentlemanly and saintly man, would disown them!
These messages only confirm exactly the warning that has been raised about the SSPX organization. It is not that the Society is "schismatic" or theologically off base. TRADITIO has consistently defended the Society upon those points. It is, rather, that the Society has appointed too many unqualified and, yes, nasty people to its leadership. They do not hold a candle to the standards that the Archbishop set for them. Some new visitors to SSPX chapels report receiving this chilling attitude (although it is only fair to say that there are many fine SSPX priests, who do not exhibit such an attitude).
It is this chilling attitude that some SSPX leaders and some SSPX priests have, which filters down to the laypeople in association with them, that requires a warning for people who have never dealt with the SSPX on a leadership level. One messenger admitted that he knew nothing of the historical matters mentioned. Then, instead of researching them, he went into a tirade against certain non-SSPX priests.
TRADITIO tries maintain a reasonable balance between all factions of the Traditional Catholic Movement, but based on history and the public record. We have never condemned the Society as a whole. We have always spoken in a praiseworthy fashion of its saintly Archbishop-Founder. Some of the Society's products, such as The Angelus and The Angelus Press, have many praiseworthy features.
What we do remind people of is that some leaders of the SSPX, particularly in the United States (and we're not speaking here of a bishop), have compiled a public record of undermining non-SSPX sites just like Fr. Wickens', even through stealth (here we are thinking of the "Blue Paper" documentation about the money and property of an independent site being converted to SSPX coffers).
It is a pretty fair guess that somewhere along the line it was passed on to him, and It was more than scathing. And Rightfully so.
;-)
10am.
HDO? Don't know what that stands for, sorry.
To my knowledge, the suit was successful. Here's a link to the attorney who represented the woman who sued McMahon:
http://www.lawyers.com/dennisdettmer/
A diocesan affiliation doesn't bother me one way or the other. The Object is to have the Traditional Faith preached and taught. The evidence is fairly clear, that a diocesan affiliation didn't bother Father Wickens all that greatly.
With regards to the SSPX, if he was that enamored of them, he could have joined them, he chose not to, instead praising the good works they did, but remaining at a respectful distance.
I would think that somewhere along the line the calculus involved would take into account ones personal measure of the Priest, rather than a 'diocesan, bad, Not diocesan good' tone.
Holy Day of Obligation....
Thanx!
You're Hobbes the Omniscient. You know EVERYTHING, remember? On the other thread you said you have your "sources" for information and know all about what the hotel group is doing..
You tell US when Mass is.
Sticking your head up for that? Sheesh.
Once again, let me say I am not implying you personally, but a fair reading of any of these St. A's threads reveals a segment of the wandering group, that seems to almost revel in this discord. And once again, that is a fairly one sided deal.
Personally, I find it rather sad, as I am sure many of those that left do.
How many saints have you just condemnded?
What about the background of the priest who runs the "Traditio" site? There's this interesting item:
http://home.earthlink.net/~grossklas/morrison.htm
"Sticking your head up for this?"
Yeah. I can read though the baiting tactics with your cronies to start a flame war.
Also, because this thread is going to devolve into something nasty again. I have held my tongue all this time.... but it's your cocksure attitude that you know every bit of the happenings of our group. There is nothing for us to be embarrassed about.
Why are you so interested in what the group does?? Stay where you are and drink the Koolaid of the Chapel.
And by the way... I had NOTHING to say about Fr. Murphy to Traditio or to any other public posting. Don't even insinuate that I was part of a disgruntled group that made comments about him.
MMJ
The Church is "divided"? What a shocker. "Independence" does that. It sows the seeds of division and helps cultivate a spirit of autonomy.
Reading the thread and associated posts I was struck with how similar it all seemed to some of the situations which my Protestant friends have described to me when their Church picks a new pastor. The factions, the arguments......"we want this guy"....."no, we want somebody like the previous guy"...."no, let's ask the people"......."etc, etc
Paddling your own canoe is not an advisable exercise in the spiritual life, no matter how convincing the excuse may seem to be.
"What about the background of the priest who runs the "Traditio" site?"
So......what about it? Personally it makes no difference to me if the person running that site is a priest or not. It is what is written there, and the veracity of it which is important.
If you strip away some of the excess rhetoric on Traditio, you still have some very interesting and valid observations of things.
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