An Open Letter to the Church Renouncing My Service on I.C.E.L.

Communicantes (Newsletter of the Society of St. Pius X in Canada) ^ | October 2002 | Rev. Fr. Stephen Somerville

[Loyalist]

Fr. Somerville used to be considered one of the Canadian Church's liberal liturgical heroes (though Somerville, to his credit, never saw himself that way).

His condemnations of the New Mass cannot be so easily dismissed by the KJPL gang; he was one of its contributors.

[Loyalist]

PING!

Please freepmail me if you would like to be added to or removed from my Traditionalist list.

[Goetz_von_Berlichingen]

Wow! This is like Trotsky coming out as a Tsarist.

Do the Traditionalists have a Witness Protection Program?

[Domestic Church]

Is Fr.Somerville, as of October 2002, aligning himself with the SSPX or is he just aligning himself with the traditionalist movement?

[ultima ratio]

Great post. Father Somerville will now be persecuted for daring to speak up for the faith.

[american colleen]

Good article. You would have been further heartened to hear Archbishop Dolan who appeared tonight on "The World Over" on EWTN and spoke about this very subject. He sees the confusion over translation(s) coming to an end and a return to the true Latin translation. There is a new leadership of conservatives rising out of the USCCB, thank God.

I find this confusing: "SSPX declares itself fully Roman Catholic, recognizing Pope John Paul II while respectfully maintaining certain serious reservations."

Shouldn't it be that Pope John Paul recognizes the SSPX while maintaining certain serious reservations? It seems to me that the writer has his statement backwards and I'd guess that men like Fr. Richard McBrien recognizes himself as "fully Roman Catholic," so I'm not sure what that means. I'm also wondering what the SSPX means when they say "recognizes Pope John Paul 11" - what do they recognize him as?

[Maximilian]

I.C.E.L.’s changes amounted to true devastation

This is a powerful testimony. As Fr. Somerville himself points out, this information has long been available to anyone who takes the time to investigate a topic so essential to the salvation of your immortal soul.

Clearly, I.C.E.L. has written a new prayer.

Even if you are convinced of the validity of the Novus Ordo, when you attend Mass in the vernacular, you are participating in a travesty of even this new service. THE PRAYERS ARE NOT THE SAME.

I have come to know with respect and admiration many traditional Catholics. These, being persons who have decided to return to pre-Vatican II Catholic Mass and Liturgy, and being distinct from “conservative” Catholics (those trying to retouch and improve the Novus Ordo Mass and Sacraments of post-Vatican II), these Traditionals, I say, have taught me a grave lesson. These demonstrated cumulatively, in both scholarly and popular fashion, that the Second Vatican Council was early commandeered and manipulated and infected by modernist, liberalist, and protestantizing persons and ideas.

"Conservative" Catholics (aka "neo-Catholics") are part of the problem, not part of the solution. They are not defending the 2000-year tradition of the Church. Instead they are institutionalizing abuses and corruptions.

Such a litany of defects suggests that many modern Masses are sacrilegious, and some could well be invalid. They certainly are less Catholic, and less apt to sustain Catholic Faith.

For the good of your soul, ATTEND THE LATIN MASS. You are gambling with all eternity otherwise.

It is FOR THE FAITH that I am renouncing my association with I.C.E.L. and the changes in the Liturgy. It is FOR THE FAITH that one must recover Catholic liturgical tradition.

Let's please dispense with all the hackneyed accusations of "schismatic" and "heretic." It is clear that Fr. Somerville is devoted to the Catholic Faith. Let's address the substance of his arguments. Your destiny for all eternity is riding on it. As Fr. Somerville said:

You, who must know that only the true Faith can save you, that eternal salvation depends on holy and grace-filled sacraments as preserved under Christ by His faithful Church.

[american colleen]

These demonstrated cumulatively, in both scholarly and popular fashion, that the Second Vatican Council was early commandeered and manipulated and infected by modernist, liberalist, and protestantizing persons and ideas.

This is where I go bonkers. Does this mean that they (SSPX & Fr. Somerville) believe that Vatican II was abandoned by the Holy Spirit and therefore is null and void? Where exactly does this thinking leave us?

[cebadams]

I'm glad to see changes coming at ICEL but I'm afraid we are years away from a better English translation making it down to local parishes. I don't know the process but I imagine that even after a new translation is approved it will take quite some time for new lectionaries to be printed, distributed and used.

[ultima ratio]

Two points. First, the problems aren't only with the translation of the Novus Ordo. It's with the Latin original as well. The vernacular version is only slightly worse, building on an already Protestant foundation. In any case, the new Mass in Latin is nowhere to be found in the real world--except maybe on EWTN.

Second, the point Fr. Somerville was making was not to suggest SSPX deigns to recongize the Pope. It is to silence those who believe SSPXers are in "schism" because they do not recognize the Pope. This was never the case. It's refreshing to hear someone outside the movement admitting this.

[ultima ratio]

Look, you are not correct on this matter of the Holy Spirit. The Church has always taught that divine protection against error only occurs at a council when a solemn dogma is being declared. Vatican II declared no new dogmas, therefore there can be no assurance of divine protection for any of its statements. Many on this site--yourself included--have this loony idea that everything issued by the Council is binding on the faithful, as though God Himself had spoken. This is patent nonsense. Pastoral decrees can be full of mistaken ideas and even liberal foolishness--as Vatican II undoubtedly was.

[narses]

Ping

[redhead]

"In any case, the new Mass in Latin is nowhere to be found in the real world--except maybe on EWTN."

Our parish celebrates a New Mass in Latin on every First Saturday, in honor of Our Lady. We use the booklets that come from Ignatius Press, which are free for the asking. The booklet is called simply, "The Mass of Vatican II" and it is in the public domain, so reproductions are permitted.

[BlackElk]

I don't think you are going to find us silenced by Fr. Somerville's magisterium either. And a member of ICEL, no less. Either you guys knuckle under to papal authority or you remain in schism. It's just that simple. As American Colleen posts, Fr. McBrien probably imagines himself Catholic but that does not make it so.

Your recognition of the pope [We'd know that guy anywhere! We recognize him! He's that Polish guy who claims to be pope, right?] is on a par with my making a promise to an errant child to remember the child in my will and then having the only remembrance be a paragraph to the effect: to my rebellious and unrepentant child whom I promised to remember in my will, Hi kid! Don't expect Fr. Somerville's "admission" to become an epidemic.

The "movement" huh?

The new Mass in Latin has been said often at St. Mary's Church in New Haven, CT, founding location of the Knights of Columbus, at Opus Dei houses and a lot more places as well. Where do you get the notion that it is never said?

SSPX is such a tiresome schism!

[ultima ratio]

While you're defending the indefensible--popes and cardinals bowing down to Allah--all the while attacking solid Catholics who prefer the fullness of the Catholic faith to becoming Protestants, take a little time out to read the article. Your ignorance needs schooling badly.

[sockmonkey]

Our parish celebrates a New Mass in Latin on every First Saturday, in honor of Our Lady. We use the booklets that come from Ignatius Press, which are free for the asking. The booklet is called simply, "The Mass of Vatican II" and it is in the public domain, so reproductions are permitted.

We have the NO in Latin on Sunday evening. My Priest used to do the Tridentine Mass during that same time slot, but the Archbishop pulled the indult.

I don't share the heated emotions that some on this forum do regarding the SSPX vs NO Catholics. Even at it's most reverent, IMHO, the NO basically stinks. The language is common, and there is nothing about it that I find elevates the Mass to that "glimpse of the supernatural" that I would like to experience during the Mass. Add to that mix, the many "pastoral innovations", aka, dancing girls with bowls of incense, less than noble vessels, bad music, etc, and I have to wonder if it's ever going to get better. I now attend the Rite I of the Anglican Use, so I no longer feel angry, sad, hopeless, etc, following Mass.

I know many people long for the NO as celebrated at EWTN or at Mother Angelica's new monastery in Hanceville. In fact we discussed it at Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, and we've all attended both of those Masses many times. The basic thought was that even the most reverent Priests, beautiful surroundings, traditional hymns, and lack of innovation can't overcome the defective language in the NO.

That said, I am curious what the replacing of Cardinal Estevez with Cardinal Arinze is going to do along the lines of "fixing" the defects in the NO.

[sinkspur]

Pursue these grave questions with prayer and by serious reading, especially in the publications of the Society of St Pius X.

So, we should get the "truth" from a group of schismatics?

What a waste of time reading this tripe was!

[heyheyhey]

...attacking solid Catholics who prefer the fullness of the Catholic faith...

You got me lost! What is it exactly, in your opinion, the fullness of the Catholic faith? It seems something much better than the Pope or even Jesus would have imagined.

BTW, I found a nice little anti-Pope for you on www.truecatholic.org. Enjoy!

His Holiness Pope Pius XIII  July 4, 1999

The White SmokeBurning of the Ballots at the Conclave of 1998.   Actual photo of the White Smoke signaling the election of Pope Pius XIII to the Chair of St. Peter.

Pope Pius XIII - Papal Oath

Pope Pius XIII in good spirits after his Episcopal Consecration (with Cardinal Bateman) July 4, 1999

[drstevej]

Looking at picture two it seems the Conclave was held at Ted Kaczynski's cabin.