[NYer]

My purpose in posting this thread is not to stir up rancor with those who worship at an SSPX Chapel. Rather, it is to point out that not all 'catholic' churches are Catholic.

This point was driven home recently when several friends insisted that a particula 'catholic' church was fully Catholic when, in fact, it is part of the Polish National Catholic Church. One woman practically called me a liar because her pastor (this is my former parish) assists the priests at this particular church!

I will be distributing this article to her and the other Catholics who are ignorant about the various churches that call themselves 'catholic' when they are not in communion with the Magisterium.

[Claud]

I have no idea how a prelate can attest that attendance at the SSPX chapel does not fulfill the Sunday obligation when a) I believe Rome has said the exact opposite, and b) how in the world could an Eastern Orthodox Divine liturgy fulfill your obligation and an SSPX Mass cannot?

[Salvation]

**According to Zabrina Decker, vice chancellor of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, the answer is no. **

Correct!

[Pyro7480]

If you attend the service conducted in Latin in the Tridentine rite by a priest of the Society of St. Pius X, would you have fulfilled your Sunday Mass obligation?

According to Zabrina Decker, vice chancellor of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, the answer is no.

That actually isn't true. From Letter by Msgr. Camille Perl Regarding Society of St. Pius X Masses

Points 1 and 3 in our letter of 27 September 2002 to this correspondent are accurately reported. His first question was "Can I fulfill my Sunday obligation by attending a Pius X Mass" and our response was:

"1. In the strict sense you may fulfill your Sunday obligation by attending a Mass celebrated by a priest of the Society of St. Pius X."

His second question was "Is it a sin for me to attend a Pius X Mass" and we responded stating:

"2. We have already told you that we cannot recommend your attendance at such a Mass and have explained the reason why. If your primary reason for attending were to manifest your desire to separate yourself from communion with the Roman Pontiff and those in communion with him, it would be a sin. If your intention is simply to participate in a Mass according to the 1962 Missal for the sake of devotion, this would not be a sin."

That said, the article mentions, For individuals wanting to worship in a pre-Vatican II rite, Father Robert Skeris, chaplain of the archdiocesan Tridentine community, offers Mass weekly at St. Mary, Help of Christians Parish, West Allis, Wis. - with the permission of Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan.

[Dominick]

I am hesitant to start this again, the broken record nastiness of some non-catholic groups has no place on a conservative forum.

The Rule is valid Mass but illicit. Under extreme circumstances, you may fulfill your Mass obligation at Church not in perfect union.

If Mass was not offered within say 50 miles, then that may be extreme. No place in the United States, except for Death Valley or remote islands meets reasonable criterion for going to a non-Catholic service.

They include Old Catholic with SSPX, and this is also problematic, as the situations of Old Catholics and the SSPX are totally different.

The Church has said, specifically, that preference for the Tridentine Mass is not an extreme valid cause. The Church has also said that to be in union you may not hold the position that the current order of Mass is invalid.

Proponents of the independent bodies who benefit from the perpetuation of the various schisms often overstate the Church's leave to attend a non-catholic service. The so called "perpetual emergency" theory has been set aside many time here and elsewhere.

Setting the situation of the illicit masses aside; priests can't be incardinated by excommunicated Bishops, so they do not have faculties to give absolution or perform Marriages that are legitimate. A Bishop who is elevated without leave from the Holy see is automatically excommunicated and stripped of his faculties.

Short summary:

The Mass Obligation is a gray area, the Church has erred on mercy by stating there are extreme circumstances where a Mass at an illicit site would be acceptable. The Church makes it clear, absolution and Marriages can't be performed by priests who are not validly incardinated, and the Diocesan official is correct.

[vladimir998]

Quote: "According to Bishop Sherman R. Mosley, “legally we are Roman since we were never excommunicated. There never was a bull of excommunication from Rome saying we were.” He added, to avoid confusion, the church uses the name Old Catholic Church of America, (OCCA)."

You're self-excommunicated Mosley! Wake up!

[Zetman]

I would give all of these stories which more credence if they were not usually complaining about CONSERVATIVE Catholicism. It seems that the majority of these stories in the mainstream press seem to have the unstated purpose of moving people away from Conservative practices by pointing out the Conservative groups which are not in Communion. There are perhaps many more examples of leftist abuses of Catholicism in this manner, but you almost never see these called to task (outside of the Conservative Catholic press). This seems to me to be nothing more than a backhanded way of supressing Orthodox Catholics.

It looks like they are getting their last licks in before the Pope allows greater usage of the old Latin Mass. Who will these writers use as their whipping-boy if the SSPX winds up returning to full Communion with the Church??