Wednesday, March 5, 2014

A few upcoming St. Stanislaus (ICKSP) events to note and attend

Im getting off the internet for Lent, but I wanted to let you know about a few things:

I think it worthwhile to note a few upcoming events people are invited to regardless if they are parishioners at the Institutes Milwaukee apostolate.

The first is an upcoming Mass at Holy Hill

The second event is actually to be held at St. John Cantius in Chicago. New Liturgical Movement noted this event a while back here


The final event is a regular Sursum Corda meeting to be held March 28th after the 6:30 low mass.  Canon Jayr of the Institute will deliver a lenten reflection for all attending. Refreshments will be provided and people are invited afterwards to join in on some volleyball actions.

+JMJ+


Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Dr. Taylor Marshall's take on the Fisher-More Situation (From his Facebook)


Regarding Fisher More College and what you're reading in Rorate Caeli:

Now that the Bishop of Fort Worth has weighed in (and is now being maligned), after much prayer, I feel that I should break the silence.

First off, I love the students at Fisher More College (FMC). I love them so much. It was heartbreaking for me to leave FMC. Last summer (2013) was very difficult for me. I also love the Latin Mass and write about it often on my blog and talk about it publicly (my family belongs to a FSSP parish – Mater Dei parish in Irving, Texas).

For the record, I resigned as Chancellor of the College at the beginning of June of 2013—only days after our seventh baby was born. I had no job prospects and no income. I did it for the sake of conscience. I felt it would be a danger to my soul to remain at Fisher More College.

I resigned when moral, theological, and financial discrepancies came to light regarding the presidency of Michael King. I was an ex officio member of the Board so I knew what others did not. From May to early June of 2013, five of the eight College Board Members also resigned for two reasons:

1) Mr. King refused to disassociate himself from the public statements of faculty member Dr. Dudley that claimed in his Year of Faith lecture that Catholic professors have the duty to teach young people that Vatican 2 is not a valid Council (he also endorsed other “resistance” positions regarding the Novus Ordo, John Paul II, etc.)

2) Mr. King, after selling the original FMC campus to Texas Christian University for millions of dollars, had imprudently entered into a real estate deal that financially crippled Fisher More College.

Much of the politicization around the “Latin Mass and FMC” is Mr. King’s careful attempt to distract attention away from his financial misdealing at FMC. The college is currently teetering on bankruptcy and this latest entanglement with the bishop will lead to a public statement: “Fisher More closed down because the new bishop of Fort Worth persecuted the Latin Mass!” when in reality the College is failing because Mr. King entered into a dubious real estate deal that washed out college’s endowment AND all the proceeds from the sale of the original campus.

How did a College sell its extremely valuable campus to TCU for several millions dollars in 2012 only to announce at Christmas 2013 that it might be closing without an immediate fund raising campaign through Rorate Caeli?

Rorate Caeli has just released their sensational “exclusive” report on how the new Bishop of Fort Worth is persecuting the traditional Latin Mass in the person of Michael King. They included the (private) letter of Bishop Olson to Michael King and offered their speculation.

This controversy created by Rorate Caeli with the help of Michael King’s letter is not about the Latin Mass or Summorum Pontificum.*

FMC hosted a public repudiation of Vatican 2 and the Ordinary Form of the Mass in April of 2013 that was so offensive that my wife and I walked out of it before it’s conclusion. That did not do much to heal the breach with the local diocese or presbyterate and it contributed to the priests of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) discontinuing their support and presence at FMC. The current FMC website advertises that the FSSP provides a chaplain, but this is not true.

At the same time, Michael King estranged himself from the diocese of Fort Worth by not allowing the Ordinary Form (as stipulated by the previous ordinary Bishop Vann of Fort Worth). He also contracted an irregular/suspended priest without faculties, and hired “trad resistance” faculty while there was no bishop in Fort Worth to check these developments. Mr. King was able to create a community in his image (he affectionately referred to himself the “father” of this community) during the episcopal inter-regnum of the diocese of Fort Worth.

Clearly, a bishop's intervention was inevitable. The current controversy really has nothing to do with the Latin Mass per se. The Latin Mass is at the center because Michael King is politicizing the Latin Mass in his favor, knowing that “bishops vs the Latin Mass” is red meat for some traditionalist blogs.

Bishop Olson says in the letter that he is doing this for Michael King's "soul." The bishop understands that this is a personal intervention – and not an attack on Fisher More College or its students or the Latin Mass.

It's a serious pastoral problem. Mr. King no doubt leaked Bp Olson’s letter via one of his few supporters to build sympathy before the inevitable financial collapse that will expose his mishandling of Fisher More College. Mr. King, more than anything, would like to blame the inevitable collapse of FMC (within only weeks or months) on the bishop’s “persecution of the Latin Mass.”

Hold your peace. Watch for how it unfolds, and most of all pray for the students that are still dutifully studying and praying. There are some GREAT students at Fisher More College.

As one who loves and prays the Latin Mass, please don’t curse or blame Bishop Olson for this one. He is a new bishop who inherited a TOUGH pastoral problem. Pray for him. And if you love the Latin Mass, don’t be so quick to judge the bishops or cite canon law. Sometimes there are things behind the scenes that you don’t know.

1 Cor 11:1-2 If I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

*Regarding Summorum Pontificum in this situation. It doesn’t apply here since the college chapel does not have a priest requesting to say the Latin Mass and the chapel therefore falls under the direct pastoral control of the bishop. It’s the case of a layman (Michael King) asking for it. Those accusing Bishop Olson of breaking canon law or despising Summorum Pontificum should be more careful. Moreover, be assured that Bishop Olson supports the FSSP in his diocese and has nothing against the Extraordinary Form.

Monday, March 3, 2014

On the Fisher More situation (Calm down, and pray)

Last night I came across a tweet from Rorate that read the following:


My initial thought was:  "Dang nab it!  Don't these prelates understand that they are stoking and not calming
the fires of Lefebvrian drift".  I admit that I am very concerned about some within the traditionalist movement seeing this and becoming more paranoid (rightly or wrongly) about the continued persecution of traditional teachings and practices of the faith.  There are some circles that see traditionalism as an ends rather than a means to sanctification.  We need first remember that the end is Christ. Period!! Jesus is the Point to all this, and we deserve the frustrations that are put in our way, and are expected to make the best of what we have because it is part of God's just will.

Fr. Z makes some interesting points on this matter in his recent article

Fr. Z’s first reaction to Bp. Olson banning Extraordinary Form at Fort Worth’s Fisher More College


That said, what we don’t know about this situation could fill volumes.For example, I discern in the bishop’s second point, the one about his granting faculties, the possibility that the priest who had been saying Mass at Fisher More on a regular basis may not have had any faculties at all, from any bishop or religious superior.  I suspect that there is more to that poorly phrased second point than meets the eye.
Also, while some Catholic college and university chaplaincies also have the canonical designation as a parish (e.g., St. Paul’s at the University of Madison), Summorum Pontificum doesn’t seem to apply as clearly.  The Motu Proprio doesn’t seem to apply to college chapels and chapels on military bases.  That said, the spirit of both Summorum Pontificum and Universae Ecclesiae communicate something far different from the tone, at least, of the bishop’s letter.
A commentator also made an interesting point in Creative Minority Reports account of the matter:

federoff11 said...
There is much more to the story, but I am not allowed to talk about it. This isn't an attack on the TLM, its the problems with FMC (and its feeder school FMA). I see no good reporting here, trying to get to the underlying issues by talking to the staff that has left FMA recently.
MARCH 3, 2014 AT 9:33 AM
 This reminded me of Taylor Marshall.  You probably know him from his old blog Canterbury Tales. Dr. Marshall was made Chancellor of the College about 2 years ago, and yet within a half a year resigned leaving many questions.  Nothing official was said by the college or by Dr. Marshall himself, but this does support the possibility that there might be some underlying issues that would play into this decision.

The Holy Father Francis told the Personal Apostolic Administration of St. John Mary Vianney (Campos, Brazil), Bp. Fernando A Rifan that "[Pope Francis] thinks that the Traditional Latin Mass is a treasure to the Church and that his only fear is that the Holy Mass in the Extraordinary Form could be “instrumentalized”

Some might ask what this could mean, but I think it is clear and just.  People using traditionalism and its practices as a way to deny Church authority in disciplinary matters (in a just manner of course). I would point readers to a controversy in the 1400's in the Latin rite where the Ultraquist's were given permission to offer communion under both species.  They did so with the intention of using it as an instrument in deny rightful Church authority in distribution of the sacraments (a discipline as the mass is itself). They were then suppressed for their abuse.

I do pray this situation will be cleaned up soon and the information necessary to calm things down be made public to do so.  Until such times PRAY for all involved!  And dont assume the worst on the part of the Bishop or those reporting on the matter.

+JMJ+