Planned “Veritatis Splendor” Community Aims at Preserving, Living, Sharing the Catholic Faith

Co-founders Lisa Wheeler and Kari Beckman talk about the genesis, focus, and goals of the Catholic community to be located just north of Tyler, Texas.

The hills, lakes, and piney woods of East Texas will soon be home to a planned Catholic community, with the aim of living intentionally faithful lives and supporting, preserving, and spreading the Catholic Faith.

Called “Veritatis Splendor,” the community is in its nascent stages. The organizers have purchased 600 acres of land in rural Texas, outside the small city of Winona, located about 20 minutes north of Tyler. Plans for the community include a grand Oratory, seven Institutes, educational facilities, recreational facilities (including swimming, fishing, hunting, and equestrian), and residential neighborhoods.

The idea of Veritatis Splendor had its genesis separately in several places, which converged last year. Lisa Wheeler, a co-founder of Veritatis Splendor, had been discussing with her husband and Bishop Joseph Strickland of the Diocese of Tyler ways in which the Church could provide greater support and resources for foster families, including perhaps some sort of intentional community. At the same time, Kari Beckman (founder of the Regina Caeli Academy), had been struggling with how the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns had jeopardized people’s access to the sacraments, especially Reconciliation and the Eucharist. Beckman also contacted Bishop Strickland; he told her said anyone who came to the Diocese of Tyler in search of the sacraments would not be turned away. The idea of an intentional Catholic community was sparked by that conversation and began to develop.

In addition, Bishop Strickland had been having similar conversations with Deacon Keith Fournier, in relation to St. John Paul II’s 1993 encyclical Veritatis Splendor. Before long, the three strands of thought converged and the idea of the Veritatis Splendor community began to take shape.

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A web site popular among “RadTrad” RCs who reject Vatican Two is https://novusordowatch.org and which sums up the situation by saying,

In response to the phenomenon of the Vatican II revolution, there are three essential lines of thought that have been proposed as “solutions” to understanding the situation. This is not now the place or time to critique or justify any of them. For now, we want to just describe them: (1) despite appearances, nothing has really substantially changed, and any interpretation of Vatican II that arrives at the conclusion that there has been a substantial change must be incorrect; (2) we must oppose (resist) these substantial changes and stick to the traditional, age-old teaching instead and ignore the Vatican II novelties while recognizing, however, that the authorities in the Vatican are legitimate and genuine Roman Catholic authorities — we just cannot agree with them on these points; (3) because it is impossible for the Catholic Church to change substantially, and because Vatican II constitutes such an impossible substantial change, it is necessary to conclude that the authority which gave us Vatican II is not in fact the legitimate Catholic authority; that is to say, the “Popes” which gave us Vatican II are not true Popes, nor are their successors, who have implemented and expanded this new religion that has its roots in the council. In fact, the entire religion that now occupies the Vatican and the official structures of the Catholic Church throughout the world is false — it is not the Catholic religion at all, and its putative authorities are not Catholics but heretical usurpers.

The first line of thought described above is often termed (not necessarily correctly) “conservative Catholic”, “orthodox Catholic”, “Novus Ordo”, “conservative Novus Ordo”, or “indult”. Prominent organizations and individuals which can be said to promote or be associated with this position would include Catholic Answers, EWTN, Fraternity of St. Peter, Institute of Christ the King, Franciscan University of Steubenville, National Catholic Register, The Wanderer, Latin Mass Magazine, Church Militant, Vericast, Fr. Kenneth Baker, Rev. John Zuhlsdorf, Karl Keating, Scott Hahn, Michael Voris, Tim Staples, Jimmy Akin, Steve Kellmeyer, Dave Armstrong, Mark Shea, and many others.

The second line of thought described above is often termed (not necessarily correctly) “traditionalist”, “traditional”, “resistance”, “recognize-and-resist” (“R&R”), or “SSPX”. Proponents of this position include the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), Fatima Network, Tradition In Action, The Remnant, Catholic Family News, TradCatKnight, Bp. Bernard Fellay, Bp. Richard Williamson, Rev. Paul Kramer, Rev. Nicholas Gruner, John Vennari, Michael Matt, Christopher Ferrara, Louie Verrecchio, John Salza, Robert Siscoe, Eric Gajewski, and many more. Here at Novus Ordo Watch we like to refer to this position as “recognize-and-resist”, “neo-traditionalist”, “pseudo-traditionalist”, or “semi-traditionalist”.

The third line of thought is the one we espouse at Novus Ordo Watch, and it is a theological position known as “Sedevacantism”, from the Latin sede vacante, “the chair being empty”, referring to the Chair of St. Peter that is occupied by the Pope — when there is a legitimate Pope reigning. Sedevacantism is by far the least popular position, the “black sheep” no one wants to be “tainted” with. Besides Novus Ordo Watch, other groups or individuals who promote or share this position include True Restoration, the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen (CMRI), Istituto Mater Boni Consilii, Sodalitium, Daily Catholic, The Four Marks newspaper, Bp. Geert Stuyver, Bp. Donald Sanborn, Bp. Mark Pivarunas, Bp. Clarence Kelly, Fr. Anthony Cekada, Fr. Michael Oswalt, Fr. William Jenkins, John Daly, Thomas Droleskey, Stephen Heiner, John Lane, Michael Cain, Mario Derksen, Griff Ruby, Steve Speray, and others.

As for the term “Novus Ordo”, in its most general application it simply refers to the new, pseudo-Catholic religion of Vatican II described above.... To be clear: We adhere fully to the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church from her founding in 33 A.D. by the Blessed Lord Jesus Christ through the death of the last known Pope, Pius XII, on October 9, 1958. We are Roman Catholics. - https://novusordowatch.org/start-here/

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