Posted on 11/15/2004 2:31:05 PM PST by nonsumdignus
Bishop Michael Sheridan sent a letter to about 60 households that said Servants of the Holy Family is not part of the Roman Catholic Church, despite what church priests tell them.
I entreat you to separate yourself from the Servants of the Holy Family and return to full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, Sheridan wrote in his letter. No one can claim to be authentically Catholic if he or she is not in communion with the diocesan bishop and the Pope.
One of the five priests at the church, Father Allan Kucera, said in an e-mail that the church will not answer questions about the church or Sheridans letter. Servants of the Holy Family will neither participate in a public debate or controversy, nor will it in any way contribute to the strife and division already present today in the Catholic Church, Kucera said. He added, If anyone is interested, he or she may come and see for themselves what we are about.
The Gazette of Colorado Springs reported that some former members said the church is as much a personality cult as a place of worship. The former members said priests berate church members from the pulpit and demand unquestioned loyalty.
The groups Web site, www.servi.org, says Servants of the Holy Family was founded in 1977. The church offers traditional Latin Mass six days a week, which has made it attractive to Catholics looking for a more traditional service. The church Web site also sells gourmet specialty foods and religious articles.
Some former members said they had no idea the church was not affiliated with the Roman Catholic church.
Patrick and Patty Biolchini were married in Servants of the Holy Family in 1994. When they left in 2003, a Catholic priest told them that, in the eyes of the Church, they never were married because the church isnt sanctioned by Rome.
"We might as well have gotten married in front of a justice of the peace," Patrick told the Gazette.
Thanks for making my point.
That is the problem.
Nuptials performed in Protestant churches get a blanket dispensation because they are not fraudulently representing themselves as Catholic churches.
Can. 1108 §1 Only those marriages are valid which are contracted in the presence of the local Ordinary or parish priest or of the priest or deacon delegated by either of them, who, in the presence of two witnesses, assists, in accordance however with the rules set out in the following canons, and without prejudice to the exceptions mentioned in cann. 144, 1112 §1, 1116 and 1127 §§2 - 3.
-that is about all that he did AND it is about time he became aware of it -I commend this Bishop for speaking and acting in Truth!
This is not about tradidional vs. non-traditional -THIS is about Catholic vs. non-Catholic
When Campos regularized with Rome all previously administered Sacraments were recognized as valid.
Like magic.
Unless you enter an Episcopalian church and the rector piously tells you, "Oh but we are Catholic, my dear..."
Never had that experience.
Since marriage is contracted through the mutual, expressed consent of the spouses, without the priest and his blessing, a valid marriage can still take place, even though the sacrament is of course lacking. Even a marriage that may have been illicit can still be valid, as such, I fail to understand how the canon law you posted does not contradict previous RCC teachings. OTOH, its easy to see how that canon could ultimately be responsible for many broken families.
"We might as well have gotten married in front of a justice of the peace," Patrick told the Gazette.
-that is about all that he did AND it is about time he became aware of it -I commend this Bishop for speaking and acting in Truth!
But he could still petition to have his marriage regularized (is that the right term?), couldn't he?
Converts do.
"I've always thought it outrageous that these folks are the ones the bishops come down so hard upon, while pro-abortion pols are coddled. I don't condone schism and they should get in trouble, but other "catholics" deserve far more trouble and aren't getting any."
Amen, you aren't the only one to feel this way! I've said several times in this forum that I cannot understand why those (whether SSPX, FSSP, or whatever) who want the Latin Mass, prefer it, etc. - regadless of whatever group they do or do not belong to - seem to be marginalized, maybe given a crumb of one parish in a diocese, etc., yet the pro-abort politicos, outright heretics like Mahoney, etc., etc., etc., are barely tapped on the wrist. Maybe because I'm a "dumb" new convert, I haven't been around long enough to understand all the internal politics.
All I know is that I see people, some of whom belong to groups in schism, others in groups where it is not clear if the groups are in schism or not, others within the Church, who truly want to have proper liturgy and worship, solid doctrine, the opportunity and option for a more traditional Mass, priests they can trust with their children and teens (especially the boys), and those people are made to feel that they are "out of their place", and at best, are ghettoized or ignored. I see others, who flat out advocate and stand for things I knew even in my Protestant days were not even remotely Christian or part of the Church, and barely a word of rebuke.
Yes, of course the marriage can be made valid as long as there are no impediments.
the saying "honor amongst thieves" comes to mind as an apt analogy of what you observe...
Judging from your posts, I'd be happy to dumb like you :-)
:) Thanks! We could have a "dumb-a-thon" and drive all the termites crazy! :)
LOL! Of course, we old fashioned Anglicans ARE catholic! We just don't operate under the authority of Rome.
Actually, my Anglo-Catholic church is in many ways much, much closer to the pre-Vatican II Catholic Church than it is to the contemporary expressions of the Church. Our liturgy is slightly different and our language is reverential English with a dash of Latin but a Catholic Traditionalist would find much that is familiar.
Confusing the lack of the Sacrament with the validity of the marriage is quite common with the novus ordo folks. The Sacrament may be lacking but the contracted marriage is valid - assuming there were no diriment impediments involved.
LOL
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