ON SET OF THE PASSION, IT WAS MASS THE OLD WAY

Spirit Daily ^ | March 5, 2004 | Spirit Daily

[Maximilian]

Recently, a guest host on Catholic Answers said that he had it from a friend who spoke directly with Mel Gibson that he is a sedevacantist.

Mel Gibson may or may not be a sedevacantist, I don't know for sure. However, I would not believe anything coming from Catholic Answers. These are the same people who make a hobby out of slandering other traditional Catholics like Gerry Matatics by throwing around accusations of "anti-semitism." Kind of reminds you of Abe Foxman, doesn't it?

[Pyro7480]

Catholic Answers needs to stay in the apologetics business and stay away from hounding others who do similar work.

[american colleen]

At the end of the credits of "The Passion of the Christ" the Jesuits and the Legionaries were thanked. That confused me as I had previously leaned towards Mr. Gibson being a member of the SSPX. You would think that he would have acknowledged them and that they (SSPX) would be using this movie as a tool to gain name recognition to the mainstream audience who probably never heard of them (I mean that with all due respect).

If Mel Gibson's parish isn't (according to Cardinal Mahony) under the juristiction of the Archdiocese of LA it may be LC since the Legionairies of Christ isn't under the juristiction of the local ordinary - or am I wrong?

[Maximilian]

At the end of the credits of "The Passion of the Christ" the Jesuits and the Legionaries were thanked.

I assume that this was acknowledgement of material assistance. I know that a Jesuit did the translations of Aramaic and Latin in the script. The Legionaries probably provided similar kinds of help.

[Maximilian]

That confused me as I had previously leaned towards Mr. Gibson being a member of the SSPX.

Mel Gibson is almost certainly not associated with the SSPX. I'm sure that they are glad to get so much publicity for the traditional Catholic cause, but I don't believe there is any direct connection.

Fr. Stephen Somerville, who is the subject of this article is officially a priest of the diocese of Toronto, but I understand that he is currently cooperating with the SSPX. Since the SSPX is just a society of priests, and they provide pastoral services to lots of traditional Catholics, priests from lots of different affiliations work with the SSPX to offer the traditional Latin Mass to various chapels around the world. I believe the same applies to Fr. Stephen Zigrang who was the subject of last year's controversy down in Houston. He is not a member of the SSPX, but he works in cooperation with them to provide the Latin Mass to traditional Catholics.

[Pyro7480]

Do you know why Gerry Matatics is no longer teaching at the FSSP seminary? Was that just a temporary post, or was he chased out?

[Maximilian]

Do you know why Gerry Matatics is no longer teaching at the FSSP seminary? Was that just a temporary post, or was he chased out?

I didn't realize that he ever was teaching there.

[Pyro7480]

I read it on his website. Prof. Matatics has taught... most recently, served for three years as Professor of Sacred Scripture and Apologetics at Our Lady of Guadalupe International Seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

[Arthur McGowan]

LeFebvre incurred an automatic excommunication for illitly consecrating BISHOPS.

[LiteKeeper]

read later

[CathyRyan]

Please Help and no flames, Please. OK, I am starting to read the Bible for the first time (that it is not under threat of my parents, my Sunday School or for a grade in school) Where can I find a dictionary (on the net I hope) that defines words used in KJV? I know what the words mean now but they do not fit into context. Thanks. And yes I when out and bought a new Bible because I could not find my old one. Thanks to Mel and The Passion.

[Maximilian]

Where can I find a dictionary (on the net I hope) that defines words used in KJV?

That's a tough one. I'm not sure of the answer, maybe another person here can help you. I'm glad that you are recognizing that it's difficult and problematic to try to interpret the Bible (KJV or any other) on your own. That's why a really good study guide is recommended. Unfortunately, virtually all the study guides written in the past 40 years have been terrible.

The only good one I know of is the Haydock Bible. It combines the Douay-Rheims Bible (which is the one you should be reading if you are Catholic) with a traditional study guide. Unfortunately, I don't think it's on the web, and it's rather expensive in print (although well worth it). Here is one source:

Catholic Treasures Douay-Rheims Haydock Bible

The crown jewel of all publications by Catholic Treasures is the magnificent reprint, photographically reproduced from a very large old Bible first printed in 1884. The commentary covers from one-third to one-half of the space of every page and was selected by the highly respected Father George Leo Haydock. Throughout the 1800's the best known Douay-Rheims Bibles were known as "Haydock's Bibles" because of the powerful footnotes or commentary that was selected by Fr. Haydock to help the faithful to understand Scripture according to the mind of the Church. The Haydock commentary in this edition was taken from a Bible originally printed in 1812 and includes the Saints who were given the title "Father of the Church" because of their outstanding writings explaining Holy Scripture. Fr. Haydock also included notes from other eminent scholars which soundly refute Protestant errors on various passages from the Bible which give important historical explanations to help every reader to better understand God's Holy Word. This edition of the Douay-Rheims Old and New Testaments contains a Bible Dictionary which is Illustrated. Although the commentary is smaller than the text, the average reader should have no difficulty reading these tremendous explanations. There is no commentary more accurate and true than that of the Fathers of the Church. The study of the writings of the Fathers is termed Patrology. Where the Church has spoken, everyone must be of one mind in holding the understanding and sense of any Scripture word or verse. With this edition it is possible for all to hold those passages of Scripture with the mind of the Church. We can know what Our Lord wants us to know with certainty. No more opinions of so-called "experts" or faithless theologians. Bible study-groups can now come alive with the truth and knowledge we have been hungry for. 2 Vol. ITEM #11050 $99.00

[Maximilian]

I read it on his website. Prof. Matatics has taught... most recently, served for three years as Professor of Sacred Scripture and Apologetics at Our Lady of Guadalupe International Seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

That would have been a couple years back. Gerry Matatics still lives in Scranton, but the seminary has moved to Lincoln, Neb. Most likely it was the geographic separation that led to him not teaching there anymore.

[Pyro7480]

I didn't notice that detail. Thanks for point that out.

[CathyRyan]

Thank you for your reply, it helps. :)

[Coleus]

NJ Catholic priest was so appalled by Mel Gibson's "The Passion of The Christ'' that he described the film as "religious barbarism.'' "I saw it as religious barbarism ... in my opinion, God did not send his son to die,''

[m4629]

Max, back in the late 80s, I called Fr. Sommerville on the phone and we talked for about hour and a half, mostly on sacred music, subject of his passion.

He was still a pastor in Toronto at the time. Very knowledgeable about church matters also, but never had the chance to meet him. BTW, Toronto has the only Pontifical Music Academy in North America, St. Michael's Choir School, for children up to grade 12. These kids do a great job at the Toronot cathedral I understand, but never had the chance to hear them. They do have a few CDs out tho.

I am not surprised to learn Fr. Sommerville turned trad. There are definitely those priests with regular status sympathetic to the trad movement. These are very smart and loyal people, willing to help in making things right in the Church and bringing home the sons who moved out of the Home temporarily on the account of the step-brother causing havoc.

We too, within the Church, should also unite and deal with this unruly step-brother and bring home our blood brother.

[BlackElk]

The two orders that I know to be papal prelatures (not under the local ordinary) are the Jesuits (What irony as the order has so badly degenerated to God's enemies instead of God's Marines) and Opus Dei (raised to that status by JP II). Legionaries are, to the best of my knowledge subject to local ordinaries and are certainly a thoroughly regular and orthodox order. It is a rare Jesuit today who could serve as a supporter of this film but apparently Mel Gibson found one.

The claims that Mel Gibson has anything to do with the SSPX schism may well be greatly exaggerated. Note the confusing use of the term Traditional Catholic by many of the schismatics even to describe the excommunicated Lefebvre and the other excommunicated SSPX bishops. This is the misuse of words in service to propaganda. No matter how sincere and well-meaning those who adhere to the schism may be, it is still a schism and NOT Catholic.

Everyone now wants a piece of Gibson because of the film. Everyone wants to bask in the reflected glory of his achievement. He may be SSPX. He may be SSPV. He may be sedevacantist. He may be instead of any of those things a Roman catholic fully in communion with the Holy See. We all ought to pay him the respect of either publicly stating what he is or not stating as he sees fit.

There is also the question that arises because this chapel is in the notorious Archdiocese of Los Angeles laid waste for years now by Roger Cardinal Mahoney. If Mahoney says that the chapel is not regular and approved by the archdiocese, why has Mahoney not moved against it? Certainly not because of any orthodoxy of Mahoney.

[BlackElk]

I know you are not attacking him. I know that SSPX is not formally sedevacantist but they are close when they say they can pick and choose when they obey. The cafeteria has tables to the right as well as tables to the left. One distinction is that JP II has declared SSPX schismatic and excommunicated its bishops. The National antiCatholic Reporter presumably is beneath the notice of the Vatican or its proprietors might have been burned at the stake by now. NaCR seems permanently sedevacantist (at least operationally) unless (quite unlikely) and until a fully heretical pope supporting abortion and homosexuality might be chosen.

See NaCR return to "Catholicism" when: We announce to you a great joy: The conclave has elected the former superior general of the Benedictine Order and Archbishop Emeritus of Milwaukee as Pope Rembert I.... and then, "We, Rembert, in the first hour of our papacy, hereby name Frances Kissling to be the new head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Albany Bishop Howard Hubbard to be the head of a new Congregation on Social Life, Roger Cardinal Mahoney to be the head of the new Congregation on Church Architecture....."

[BlackElk]

My wife and I are acquainted with Gerry Matatics because we brought him to New Haven some years ago to debate a particularly annoying "fundamentalist" preacher. Gerry demolished him. We spent a lot of time with erry that weekend and were very impressed after asking privately every tough question we could. He is a great guy.

I regret that we have not kept up with him but he told us details of the split with Karl Keating. I have also questioned two friends who worked for Keating in San Diego and who are supportive of Keating in the mtter. I take Gerry's side without regarding the situation as one that totally discredits Keating. We all have our faults.