The Catholic Voice

(Under the patronage of St. Joseph) Newsletter of the Society of Traditional Roman Catholics
P.O. Box 13173 Charlotte, NC 28270
CALL FOR MASS LOCATIONS AFTER 6:00 P.M. (EST): (423) 510-9106

Phone: (704) 843-0648

FAX: (704) 843-0874

Volume 14, Number 1

March, 1998

Jewish Hanukkah Is Celebrated In The Vatican Gardens

In a show of a continued "ecumenical spirit", Cardinal Edward I. Cassidy of Australia lit a Hanukkah Candle last December at the beginning of the Jewish eight day ceremony. The candle was lit on John Paul II's behalf. The lighting ceremony took place near an olive tree, planted in the Vatican Gardens, and taken from one of the trees in a grove on Mt. Olivet in Jerusalem. It was brought to Rome in 1965 following the Second Vatican Council as a symbol of the Vatican-Israeli diplomatic relations established 18 months earlier. The candle lighting has an even deeper significance to traditional Roman Catholics. It marks one more event in a series of "ecumaniacal" events coming out of Rome leading toward a compromise with Judaism. This heretical effort at unity is coming at the price of our Catholic Faith and the recognition that the Catholic Church alone (despite what the decrees of Vatican II say) is the path toward salvation. Quasi-liturgical ceremonies such as this serve only to numb the sensitivity of Catholics to this dogmatic truth of our Faith. These are not "anti-Semitic" considerations; rather they are expressions of concern for the direction Vatican leaders are taking with those who do not, and will not, accept the divinity of Jesus Christ. In 1978, during a visit to the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz, John Paul II likened the Holocaust to the "Golgotha of our century", placing the Jewish side of the slaughter on par with the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Likewise forgotten in this statement is the recognition of the hundreds of priests and religious also killed by the godless Nazi force. While still reflecting on the Nazi atrocities, John Paul II remarked in

Cardinal Cassidy lights one of the candles of the Jewish menorah.

December, 1997, that "certain erroneous interpretations of the New Testament" had fueled centuries of hostilities toward the Jews. Thus, the Church erred in the interpretation of Scripture and is to blame for the "persecution" of the Jews. This is the apology that will be given in Jerusalem at ceremonies marking the new millenium. Such statements cannot bring joy to the truly Catholic heart. How much farther will Rome go in this compromise? Our need is urgent to accomplish the restoration of our traditional Roman Catholic Faith through the return of the Tridentine Latin Mass on every altar of the world. We cannot slacken in this effort, for the fate of the belief of Catholics for generations to come depends on what we do right now.

There Is Hope, And It Might Come From The Next Pope

By ROBERT De PIANTE Publisher, The Catholic Voice

In the past few weeks , I received at least six calls asking me what I thought about the return of the traditional Faith to our Church. The question came in different ways, but the bottom line was always the same. One person called and talked with me about the need for unity in the Traditional Movement. His question was simple, and one I wish I could answer with a simple statement. Why cant traditionalists work together, join forces, fight the novus ordo, be as well organized as they are? What can get us united so we work together? Another writer asked a simple question: Whats wrong with the pope? Why is he allowing this to happen? A third asked why the bishops are acting the way they

are. Whats wrong, the writer asked, with the bishops when they got the same training as many of our traditional priests received? They were trained properly, but somehow they ended up insulting the Blessed Sacrament, and saying a Mass that contradicts every facet of our Faith. Another asked: Whats the solution? or he put it another way later in our conversation, What do YOU think is the solution? Thus we come to the multi-part question that sums up all these points: What caused us to lose our traditional values, what can we do to get them back, and most important, will we be able to get them back? It brought a related question to our conversation: If we get our traditional values back, will they come back to us as we lost them, or will there be some changes that traditionalists will be able to accept? (Continued on Page 6)

Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!

Page 2

The Catholic Voice

STRC Board Meets: Projects Continue, Serving Tapes Available

Annual Board Meeting In mid-January, the Society of Traditional Roman Catholics held its annual meeting at the home of Robert De Piante. 1997 was an important year for STRC. Many projects to advance the traditional cause were accomplished, including the National Conference on the Latin Mass, the publication of a Special Edition of our newsletter for a brief explanation of our work, and the distribution of an Altar Servers cassette tape and manual for serving at a Low Mass. Each of these projects has met with great success. A new project for 1998 is the sponsoring of a pilgrimage of reparation for the crimes of abortion to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City in October. The Catholic Voice Special Edition The Special Edition of The Catholic Voice became available in September 1997. To date we have distributed over 1,300 copies. We still encourage our readers to order this publication to pass out to family and friends, or leave in church pamphlet racks. A minimum donation of $25.00 for 50 copies is asked to help offset printing and shipping costs. Altar Server Tapes We continue to get "rave reviews" from those who have used the cassette tape and booklet provided by STRC. The initial interest in the project far surpassed our expectations, and priests who have encouraged their altar servers to use this set have reported wonderful results. We are quite pleased that our efforts to help altar servers conduct their duties with diligence and precision seem to be working. Christ Our King deserves such great service at Holy Mass. About Our Mail We need your help. Every month, STRC gets more than 300 pieces of mail. In addition, we get scores of phone calls. Our mail includes everything from requests as to where the traditional Latin Mass is held (we supply that information, but on a limited basis) to requests to add new names to our mailing list. We handle all those requests and try and send a welcome letter to everyone we are asked to contact. Each of those letters costs us about $3.50 to compose, handle and mail. And thats where we need your help, not in paying for the costs of these introductory packages, but rather in improving the success of where we send them. When you ask us to send our newsletter to a friend, someone in your parish, or to your novus ordo priest, please tell them its coming. You know, there are people out there that think were sort of out of touch to feel the way we do and are not willing to receive our material. Please be reasonable in your requests. No, not in the number of names you give us, but how you give us the names and addresses. Give us the full name and address, including the full ZIP code. Please print the names carefully, so that we can clip them and send the first introductory package using the name we clip from your letter as the mailing label. We will include a note telling the recipient that well continue sending them The Catholic Voice if they send us their name, address, etc. in the enclosed envelope. (Well supply the envelope.) When we get their name back, well add it to our permanent mailing list. If we do not get a return, then we will not send anything further. We cannot afford to send material where it is not wanted. Premiums we offer in our newsletter will be sent to all those who donate until the next issue is published. After that point, well include the new premium offered in the current issue. If you would like a premium offered in a past newsletter, please let us know. Well try, but cant guarantee that we have it available. One more point: Our premiums are mailed from either Charlotte or our Washington state office. Thus, you may get premiums in several packages if you request several different items. This is not a waste of postage, as some may think. It is the most efficient method we have at this time in handling the many requests we receive for items available from STRC.7 Past Articles Of The Catholic Voice Available As Reprints
Are you a new reader of The Catholic Voice? Do you want to know where we're "coming from"? Or, would you like more ammunition in the fight to defend the Tridentine Latin Mass? Whatever the case, we have begun to reprint several articles for those involved in the Traditional Movement. We now have these articles available: 1. Defending The Tridentine Mass Our case fully explained. 2. What Catholics Once Were, We Are . . . A simple comparison of Catholics of old with modern-day Catholics and the way they worship. 3. The Sky Grows Darker Yet (Omlor) We are in serious times, but there is hope to be found. 4. The Ventriloquists (Omlor) "Many" and "All" do not mean the same thing! 5. Tridentine Mass Not Illicit! An answer to those who try to keep people away from the Tridentine Latin Mass. 6. Has The Church The Right? (Omlor) Does the Church have the authority to change the Mass? 7. The Ecumenist Heresy (Omlor) The ecumenical movement is heretical and a danger to Faith. All of these reprints are available for a donation. Please request the article by name. For quantity discounts, contact us by mail or call us at (704) 843-0648.7

The Catholic Voice is a publication of the Society of Traditional Roman Catholics, and is published quarterly. There is no subscription fee, but donations are requested to help us continue our work. Executive Board Officers of the STRC are Larry Martin, President and Treasurer, Robert De Piante, Secretary and Publisher of The Catholic Voice; Fr. Kevin Vaillancourt, Editor of The Catholic Voice. Unsolicited manuscripts are welcome, but are subject to the editorial policy of the STRC Board of Directors. There is no stipend paid for unsolicited manuscripts and material submitted cannot be returned. Pro Multis pins can be obtained from STRC for a minimum donation of $3.00.

The Catholic Voice

Page 3

As Time Goes On, More Vestments Disappear In The Novus Ordo

By LARRY MARTIN President, STRC

Have you been looking at pictures of the Novus Ordo liturgical celebrations lately? If you have, then compare them to pictures taken just a few years ago. Then, take those pictures, and compare them to pictures taken of priests who observe the traditional rites of the Catholic Church. Notice the differences? You should; the differences among all three sets of pictures should be obvious. Several years ago, when the liturgical revolution following Vatican II was in full swing, perhaps the most obvious change to be noticed (after the departure from Latin, of course) was in the vestments the priest was wearing. Through the 60's and early 70's we had the paisley print look, then the burlap look. As we approached the 80's, the style changed from the use of a chasuble (the outer garment the priest wears) to a stylish alb-andstole-only model. These weren't just the linen albs of old, either. They had a style all their own, and often were accompanied by a cute little hood on the back. After all, there was a fashion statement that needed to be made: we have a modern liturgy with modern styles. Absent from all these was the traditional emblems that adorn the time-honored vestments of liturgical attire. The "IHS" on the back of the chasuble was replaced with a modern slogan, or a flame of fire. Likewise, medallions of similar ancient spirituality have all but vanished, except if an occasional usage of a mothballed vestment seems needed. While chasubles seem to be making a "come-back" in the Novus Ordo camp, they are far from traditional. In vogue now is a broad strip of multi-colored cloth in the middle of a chasuble that is of quite large design. With the loss of these devotional emblems came the loss of the sacred significance the traditional designs conveyed. Since ancient times, the back of the priest's vestments -- the side the people saw as he faced God and the tabernacle during the Holy Sacrifice -showed special cloth traced in the form of a Cross. The priest is offering a sacrifice, and he carries the burden of the Cross with him as he re-enacts the Sacrifice of Calvary in an unbloody manner. A strip of cloth, or a flame or a slogan cannot inspire the faithful who gaze at the priest during Mass as the traditional designs do. But, then, the modern "mass" has become a side show, and the priest a mere actor in the drama. This drama even needs to be "interpreted" by liturgical dance or other such tomfoolery from time to time. One could not use vestments with traditional sacred symbolism at times like that -- the secularism of the modern age blasphemes the holiness the traditional vestments depict. From the beginning of the liturgical revolution, some vestments were eliminated altogether. The first of these was the maniple. In traditional liturgical attire, the maniple is the strip of cloth worn over the priest's left arm. It is of the same color and material as the chasuble and stole. One of the great cries of the Modernists

The Collar Look

has been to say that in the Mass and things surrounding it are redundancies -- useless repetitions of words, actions and even vestments which give modern man little relevance. The maniple was one such vestment. The spiritual significance of it is lost in the modern religion and its rites. Coming to us from the ancient Roman garb of the senators, the maniple was a cloth used to wipe the brow during labor and the day's heat. It carried through as part of the priest's attire to remind him that he performs the great -- even greatest -work of God, and that he is a laborer for the Lord. He must be willing to undertake any hardship for Christ, especially that of offering the Holy Sacrifice in a worthy and becoming manner. But a maniple is not needed at a meal, which is the new definition of the Mass. It would "get in the way" and be useless at the table. So, it has been disposed of. Less visible, but equally absent is the amice. This is the first vestment the priest puts on as he prepares for Mass. The symbolism of this under cloth is best found in the prayer recited as it is put on: "Place, O Lord, on my head the helmet of salvation, so that I may resist the assaults of the devil." Of old, the amice was used to cover the head and neck like a hood. When used indoors it was lowered and laid over the shoulders. That this vestment could be found to be superfluous is easily seen. The existence of the devil and his desire to do harm to the children of God is down played, and in some places, even denied. Imagine, then, a vestment being worn, visible only to the priest, which would remind him of this invisible enemy of God. How could modern neo-paganism accept such a notion? The elimination of the amice did not hapen right after Vatican II. It has taken awhile for this vestment to stop being worn, but its use is disappearing as fast as older priests are dying. In vogue in the 90's is the "collar look". The American version of the Roman collar now enjoys prominent view, as if to show off to people that this man in front of them at least still believes in a priesthood and that he wears his collar at least for the "supper of the Lord". Once again, the modern liturgy is a show-me drama, a fact demonstrated each time the minister "performs" for the people in front of him. His clothing must demonstrate this, as well as his actions and his tone of voice. While not a vestment, the chalice veil and burse are gone as well. But why? These, too, were symbols of the sacred, and the sense of the sacred is what is lost in the Novus Ordo Missae. New priests of a new religion need new attire. The desire to distance themselves from the Church before the Council is succeeding. It shows all too clearly in their modern, ecumenical style of dress.7

Page 4

The Catholic Voice

The Destruction Of The Mass & Some Historical Parallels

The following is a document first published in the early 1970s by a group of lay people in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as means of alerting Roman Catholics about the serious dangers in the changes afflicting the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. You will find that the concerns raised here are just as important today. They are precisely the reflections that modern Catholics need to make. The Destruction of the Mass - Part I We, the members of the Catholic Laymens Association for the Tridentine Latin Mass, are dedicated to the unceasing battle to preserve without compromise the doctrines and dogmas of the One, True Church. Our first and primary concern is the preservation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in its integrity and according to the Catholic Theology of the Mass, as it was formulated at the Council of Trent. We are addressing these words to all faithful Catholics. As we give you this pamphlet, you are either on your way to, or on your way home from, your parish church. You believe that you have assisted, or are going to assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as you have in years past. But, is this true? Is this the same Mass or a diabolical perversion of it? Horrified, you insist - it cant be a diabolical perversion of the Mass! After all, it is being said in the same churches we have always attended! And it is being said by priests of the diocese who have been in our parishes for years. Let us remind you that the Mass was perverted and eventually destroyed in times past by members of the hierarchy and clergy who used Catholic buildings to do so. In the beginning of the 16th century, the European countries were Catholic. There were no other church buildings but Catholic ones. There was no other clergy but the Catholic clergy. And yet, before the end of the 16th century, the Sacrifice of the Mass had been destroyed in some of the European countries, notably Germany and England. The Catholic people were going to the new services in the same church they had always attended, and the services were being conducted by the same bishops and priests they had always known. To show the parallel between the events of the 16th century and the post-conciliar period in our own day, we have prepared three articles. Part I outlines the Reformation in Germany; Part II deals with the English Reformation; Part III recounts the renewal in our day. In this section we will take up the account of the German Reformation. Martin Luther, who was a Catholic priest, was the prime mover in the destruction of the Mass in Germany. Lets take a look at some of his thoughts as found in his writings: When we have overthrown the Mass, we shall have overthrown the whole Papacy with it. For it is upon the Mass, as upon a rock, that the Papacy rests - with its monasteries, its bishoprics, its colleges, its altars, its ministers, and its doctrines. All these will fall when their sacrilegious and abominable Mass has crumbled into the dust. Yet, in order to achieve this aim successfully and safely, it will be necessary to preserve some of the ceremonies of the ancient mass for the weak- minded, who might be scandalized by too sudden a change. At the earnest pleading of his first disciples, Luther drew up his famous Formula Missae. In connection with it he said, We must state in the first place that our intention has never been to abolish divine worship, but merely to purge the form which is used of all additions which have sullied it. I am speaking of that abominable Canon which is a confluence of slimy lagoons; they have made of the mass a sacrifice; they have added to it offertories. The mass is not a sacrifice, it is not the act of a sacrificing high priest. Let us regard it as a sacrament, or a testament. Let us call it a blessing, or eucharist, or Lords Table, or Lords Supper, or the memorial of the Lord. Or give it any title we like, provided that it is not sullied by the term sacrifice, or re-enactment. With the Canon we discard all that implies an Oblation, so that we are left with what is pure and Holy. (Remember that these are words of an ordained Catholic priest.) Keeping these words in mind, lets take a look at a statement that appeared in LOsservatore Romano (The Vatican newspaper) on October 13, 1967; Liturgical reform has taken a notable step forward on the path of ecumenism. It has come closer to the liturgical forms of the Lutheran Church. Isnt that frightening? Luthers avowed intention was the destruction of the Mass and we find a Vatican paper bragging that we are coming closer to the Lutheran form of worship! Luther did indeed destroy the Mass, and he said that the devil taught him Reformation. But dont get the idea that he and his followers just announced to the people that they were getting rid of the Mass. If they had, the Catholic people would certainly have opposed them. Rather, they slowly and gradually changed the Mass, explaining to the people that they wanted to simplify the liturgy so they could more easily understand it. The first step was a new translation of the Bible, followed by the translation of the Mass from Latin into German. But Luther did not believe the Mass was a sacrifice and he did not believe in Transubstantiation, that is, that the bread and wine became the Body and Blood of Christ, so he wrote his Formula Missae. In this new vernacular Mass, many parts of the ancient Mass were retained, but he eliminated the Offertory and the Consecration. He inserted more readings from the Bible. Next, the altars were removed because they represented the sacrificial quality of the Mass, and communion tables were moved into the sanctuaries so the priest could face the people. Crucifixes were taken out too because they were reminders of the Sacrifice of Calvary. Once Luther had opened the doors and instituted change, other priests appeared on the scene with even more drastic changes. They discarded their clerical robes; they allowed the people to receive holy Communion under both forms; they permitted the laity to take the Communion into their own hands and eat; they discarded Gregorian chant and the use of the
(Continued on Page 5)

The Catholic Voice

Page 5

History Repeats Itself: Luther's Apostasy Lives On Today

(Continued from Page 4)

organ. Instead, they promoted folk music with the use of cymbals, trumpets, and stringed instruments. These Catholic priests and monks, infected with such fierce enthusiasm for change, tore down altars; burned pictures; smashed statues and discarded their habits. With every year that passed, the Mass was gradually changed from the re-enactment of the Sacrifice of Calvary to a communal gathering of the people of God. This desecration was brought about by priests using Catholic churches, monasteries and convents. Most of the people were Catholic in their tradition and ideas, but as they continued to attend the perverted services in their Catholic churches, they were led out of the Catholic Faith and into Apostasy. Of course, their children, exposed to the new perverted services from an early age, grew up without any real knowledge of the One, True Church founded by Christ. This takes on frightening implications when we recall that the Church has always taught: Outside the Church there is no salvation. In closing this section, we would like to point out that the Protestant religions that we see today all grew out of a Catholic priests attempt to reform the Church. These churches offer no Sacrifice to the Infinitely Holy God; they do not know Mary, the Mother of God; they have no devotion to the Angels or Saints; they do not pray for the souls of their deceased relatives and friends. And all of this came about through the destruction of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by priests using Catholic churches to do so. Luther said it was necessary to preserve some of the ceremonies of the ancient Mass for the weak-minded. Are you one of those weak-minded people who are being led blindly into apostasy? Or will you join the small group of Catholics who want to remain faithful to Christ, His Cross and His teachings? If you desire to remain faithful, you will have to suffer along with Christ on Calvary in loneliness and ridicule and misunderstandings. But, let us assure you that there are others who share these sufferings with you. The Destruction of the Mass - Part II In this part, we will take up the account of the English Reformation. At the beginning of the 16th century, England was a completely Catholic country. The Faith was rooted in centuries of Catholicity. All the churches were Catholic ones. (Westminster Abbey, Winchester, Coventry, Canterbury were some of the principal churches of that day. Oxford and Cambridge were centers of Catholic education.) And yet, before the end of the 16th century, England was a Protestant country, and the hierarchy and clergy were holding Protestant services in what were once Catholic churches. In our day England is still Protestant, and the famous cathedrals, such as Westminster, are seats of Protestantism. How did it happen? Did it come about overnight? Did those in power and the Church and the Government proclaim to the people that they were going to abolish the Mass? Of course not! Any sudden action

of that kind would have roused such popular resistance that it would have put them in peril. But, nevertheless, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was essentially destroyed within a few years and the Catholic people, for the most part, were not even aware of it. The man chiefly responsible for the destruction of the Mass was Thomas Cranmer, Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury. He had a passionate hatred for the Catholic theology of the Mass with its idea of a sacrificing priesthood and a sacrificial victim. He denied the doctrine of Transubstantiation, that is, that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ at the Consecration. However, as long as Henry VIII was alive, he hypocritically continued to offer Holy Mass and he even celebrated Mass at the coronation of Edward VI, the successor of Henry, in 1547. But before the year was out, Cranmer had prepared a book of homilies, which he ordered the priests to read to the people at Mass, Sunday by Sunday. These were intended to prepare the people for more drastic changes which were to come later by presenting them with the idea that the Bible had been suppressed too long by the Church and that it was the only source of true knowledge of God. In the churches, the priests had to read from the new translation of the Bible. The next cautious step was taken in 1548. In this change, the Communion was prefaced by English exhortations in which reference to the Real and Corporal Presence were carefully omitted. The following year they issued a new prayer book: The First Prayer Book of Edward VI. The title page read: The Supper of the Lord and Holy Communion, commonly called the Mass. The order of the service was the same as that of the Mass. But there were some things in which innovation was manifest; the first was the change in the language; the other was the change - by implication - in the doctrine. The change in language was the obvious challenge thrown down to the ordinary Catholics, but the appeal was made to them: Surely, worship should be in a language which all men understand. And the people accepted this. In the meantime, however, the doctrinal changes were of more direct and spiritual importance, though to the average man they meant nothing and could hardly be noticed. But, in this new vernacular service, they omitted not only whatever would emphasize the Real Presence, but also the Sacrificial quality of the Mass. The first introduction of the new rite took place on the Feast of Pentecost, 1549. In the meantime, Parliament enacted a statute providing that Holy Communion should be administered under both forms. In the following year, Parliament abolished the old ritual for the ordination of priests and the consecration of bishops. The new rite, composed largely by Archbishop Cranmer, eliminated every phrase or ceremony which indicated that the purpose of the rite was to confer a power of offering sacrifice. The whole purpose was to dedicate the recipient as one authorized by the Church to preside over the assembly of God by preaching the Gospel and administering the sacraments. And the people were not even aware of this change. (Continued on Page 6)

Page 6

The Catholic Voice

Anglican Defection From The Faith & The Novus Ordo

(Continued from Page 5) The Communion service and the ordination rite had now been dissociated from the idea of a sacrificing priesthood. There still remained in every church, however, the silent reminder: the consecrated stone called the altar. Therefore, the bishops ordered these to be taken down and all altars destroyed. Every parish was now to provide a table of wood. The official explanation for these changes was: The form of a table shall move the simple (minded) from the superstitious opinion of the Papist Mass into the right use of the Lords Supper. For the use of an altar is to make sacrifice upon it; the use of a table is to serve for men to eat upon. Bishops who resisted these changes were deprived of their sees. So, of the 23 bishops in the country, no more than four could be counted on to champion the sacramental theology of the Church, and these four were imprisoned. In 1552 the King, as the head of the Church, imposed the Act for the Uniformity of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments. This act prescribed heavy penalties, not only for those who publicly criticized the new services, but for the clergy who used any other services. In the meantime, Cranmer and his associates ordered all statues to be taken out of the churches, the stained-glass windows were broken; they removed all the sacred vessels made of precious metals; they preached against the idea of Lent, the long penitential preparation for the feast of Easter; they ridiculed the Catholic belief that the souls of deceased Christians can be aided through the Sacrifice of the Mass. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Matt. 11:15) The above account of how a once completely Catholic country became Protestant in the matter of a few years should be a warning to all of us. It can happen here and now. In fact, it has already happened. The last phase is ALREADY upon us, since the New Order of the Mass BEGAN here on PENTECOST SUNDAY 1970. What should you do? Definitely, you should stay away from these perverted services and quit contributing to the parishes that hold them because you are helping to betray Christ by supporting them in their apostasy. This article will be concluded next issue with a further study of the historical parallels to our modern day crisis. 7

When The Restoration Comes, What Changes Will Occur?

(Continued from Page 1) WHATS THE ANSWER? First and most important, will we ever be able to get back to the standards of our traditional values as we knew them prior to Vatican Council II? I think the answer is a positive yes. But it will take new leadership, leadership that will have to come from within the highest ranks of our Church. It might be someone of traditional values, or more logically it will be a pope elected from within the Church who turns out to be a closet traditionalist. Based on the history of many of the leaders of the world, it is often those who appear to be liberal who turn out to be the most conservative. In addition, I think that because our problems started with a pope (remember the pope who was going to open the windows and let in a breath of fresh air, and instead, allowed the destruction of Vatican II to occur) it will take a pope to reverse the damage that has been done. It will take a person of that same high rank to reverse the damage done by the Church leaders of the past 30 years who caused our Mass to be changed and who set aside our traditional values. The solution will have to come from another pope. And someday, a pope that will be elected will appoint traditionalists to key Vatican positions, will order our Mass restored, will return Latin to its rightful place in our Church, and will set up a program that will, as surely as we lost our values, restore them. He will have the support of key Vatican officials, and those who wont cooperate will find themselves serving as papal nuncios to small island nations where they can do no harm to the Restoration Movement. Impossible? Look back to the period prior to Vatican II. Look back just 50 years ago. Would you have said then that the changes since Vatican II were possible in the 15 years from 1965 to 1980? True, those changes were easier than the ones we are seeking. Those changes made life easier. One of the keys to the success of the novus ordo was that it made it easier to be a Catholic, not necessarily a good Catholic, but one acceptable to the new rules of the "novus ordo catholic" church. Sin was gone, fasting and abstinence were left by the wayside, Saturday night mass was introduced. Now you can sleep late on Sunday, and theres no need to hold Sunday in reverence as a day of rest and prayer. The theory of a day of rest was scrapped, and in its place we had Sunday football, hockey, and the wonderful world of wrestling. The Restoration of the True Faith will make life more difficult. That pope, whoever he might be, will demand that we attend Mass on Sunday. He will force the return of a universal language (gee, wouldnt Latin fit that demand?), so that wherever we attend Mass, just by using our Missal, we will be able to follow the priest as he celebrates the restored Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, no matter what country, what church, what the native language happened to be. But there will be consequences. There will be legal battles over church property, Thousands, no, millions of people will split from the Roman Catholic Church to form things like the American Catholic Church, the English Catholic Church, the Australian Catholic Church, the German Catholic Church, and so on. Those people who remain with the True Church will be a small central core of devoted Catholics who will seek to make our Church what it was for 2,000 years, the Church founded by Jesus Christ. It will take courage to be Catholic in the future. It will not be a simple life. The question is, how many of us will be able to meet these demands?7

The Catholic Voice

Page 7

The Liturgical Movement And Its Misdirection

By FR. KEVIN VAILLANCOURT Editor, The Catholic Voice

It is quite a formidable task to write concerning those matters which touch on the Sacred Rites of Holy Mother Church: Holy Mass, the Sacraments, the Divine Office, processions and more. The reason for this is because the Roman Catholic Church is filled with wonderful acts of liturgical piety which are, of themselves, an expression of the Faith of the Church. Ecclesiastical liturgical practices are many, and vary between the approved Rites of the Church and what is found in practice in Rome. This does not make the practice of one Rite "bad" and the other "good". Rather, it demonstrates that, according to the infinite variety found in God, He established His Church on earth upon the Apostles in different lands with different cultures. This variety is the source of the many liturgical practices in the Church, taken as a whole. But, the vast majority of those who read this publication are Roman Catholics, which means that we follow the liturgical practices in use in Rome (Eternal Rome, not the one controlled by the Modernists). So, for the rest of this article, any discussion regarding the Liturgy or the Liturgical Movement will apply specifically to the Roman Rite, unless otherwise noted. It is the plan of this article to discuss what has come to be known as the Liturgical Movement: that historical work of clergy and laity which had as its end the desire to draw the faithful closer to God through a deeper understanding of the prayers and actions of the liturgical ceremonies. I make mention of this Movement in the past tense because I separate the work of Catholics in the Traditional Movement from the neo-pagan revolution which followed the Second Vatican Council, an aberration which was never the desired end of the participants in the centuries-old true Liturgical Movement. Likewise, I also refer to it in the past tense because, among Catholics of the Traditional Movement, the desires of the popes and saints who were main movers of liturgical awareness through the centuries is not being realized today -- and perhaps never will be. We spend too much time defending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass against the Novus Ordo Missae of Paul VI to advance to the same liturgical understanding the saints and other devout men and women achieved. Too many today are caught up in listening to tapes and reading books about this error and that, or the latest element of a conspiracy. Few relish reading a devout work on the Mystery of the Mass, or listening to a conference or sermon on the meaning of the prayers of Holy Mass or the Sacraments. The Council of Trent bid pastors most solemnly to preach on this important element of everyone's spiritual life, but I'm sure many were discouraged in its practice due to the lack of interest on the part of the laity. Or, maybe they were lost in how to explain such a religious topic, except in the words of a tattered book that has been over-used on the same topic already. Likewise, we live in too materialistic an age to say that we could even think (and I'm writing about traditional Roman Catholics here) that the same people who are too bored to listen to a sermon of more than 15 minutes in length on a Sunday or a feastday, or the clergy who too "religiously" avoid

a sermon of a length greater than a quarter hour (they were taught in the seminary to do this), could even dream of understanding and implementing a true Liturgical Movement amongst us as the real method of combatting the errors of our age. But I digress. Meanings and Definitions Before I proceed any further, I want to assure the reader of my absolute compliance with traditional Catholic thought and belief in the matter of liturgical practice. My definition of terms, although they may sound like those used in the Novus Ordo Church, will not (for the most part) have the same meaning as theirs. Pope St. Pius X warned us in his encyclical Pascendi (On the Errors of the Modernists) that a subtle error of the Modernists is to use the same vocabulary as a traditional Catholic, but to use these words in an entirely different sense from what the Church has always held and does hold today. I assure the reader that I did take the Oath Against Modernism prior to ordination and do fully intend to live up to its demands. So, that I may not confuse the reader, I list below a few words that will be used frequently in this article and the meaning I attach to them: Liturgy: That combination of spiritual exercises which the Roman Catholic Church uses in her public worship of God. I'll interchange this with the language of the Council of Trent which refers to such ceremonies as the rites of the Church. What I do not mean by this term is the central act of worship in the Church. I believe it to be wrong for traditional clergy to use Liturgy when they refer specifically to this central act of worship which all are bound to attend on Sundays and Holydays. By doing this they have joined in the newspeak of the Modernists, and they confuse those who listen to them. When I wish to talk about that act of worship, I will call it: The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, or The Mass: The unbloody re-enactment of Calvary, solemnly codified by Pope St. Pius V, and which bears little, if any, resemblance to the Novus Ordo Missae of Paul VI. That last mentioned heretical form of worship is not the Mass, but is an invalid error of the highest caliber. The Liturgical Movement: Begun around the Twelfth century, principally in Germany and France, for the purpose of creating an awareness among the people of the Liturgy of the Church and to encourage the faithful to participate with their whole heart and soul in every liturgical function they could. It was derailed by the Modernists in our century who took the desires of the popes from St. Pius X to Pius XII to continue this work for a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Liturgy and made it into something which takes Catholics away from their spiritual and supernatural ends by over emphasizing man and his natural ends. The thieves who stole this name for their erroneous work have made of the Liturgy a mockery and something which will not touch the soul of man in his desire to know and serve his Creator better. (Continued on Page 8)

Page 8

The Catholic Voice

(Continued from Page 7)

The Liturgical Movement And Its True Application

participating in the manner that the Church has always understood. An example will bring this thought closer. How many times during your attendance at Holy Mass have you read the words of the Offertory? If you are a "Sunday-only" Catholic, then I venture to say that you haven't done so very much. Or, even if you have, it was done so quickly or distractedly because the Offertory is the time the Sunday collection is taken up. People are too busy rummaging around their pockets or purses to pay attention to the prayers. The movement of the ushers, although necessary, distracts far too many people who really are probably just looking for an excuse to be distracted anyway. But, if you will take the time to read and pray the Offertory with the priest (in your heart, not out loud) you will find one of the most solemn acts of participation that has ever taken place in any liturgical function. As you follow the prayers, count how many times the priest says the word "I" as compared to "we" or "us". You will see that most of the prayers are said in the plural form. Don't you realize that the Church expects us to offer the prayers with the priest because he is praying in our name too? We are called to participate in the prayers of the Offertory, not by saying words out loud, and by all means not by being part of a little procession of "gifts" down the aisle for the priest to use in the ceremony. No, our participation is by uniting our hearts and souls to the words of the prayers and really, really making them our own. When the host is being offered up in reparation for sin, that is our sins the prayers mean -- and not just sins, but faults, failings, negligences and the like which all cause us to fall short of the true worship of God in our daily lives. Each Mass, then, becomes a true propitiatory action, not just for sin in general, but for my sins our sins - in particular. This is but one example of how the true Liturgical Movement desired participation in the Liturgy. We in the Traditional Movement are wrong if we do not recognize these ideas and do what we can to implement them in our personal lives. If we shy away from the term participation it is only because of the abuse of the term in the Novus Ordo Church. We should not, however, fail to make use of it in its proper sense. Advance To A Modern Discussion Time and space do not permit a worthy discussion of the work of the Liturgical Movement, particularly at the Council of Trent and by Pope St. Pius V. Perhaps at another time. I will mention here, however, that the popes, whose job it is to safeguard the Liturgy, have always taken great care to make sure that the substance of the Mass and the Sacraments was never tampered with. Prior to the Tridentine Council, many "liturgies" were in vogue which started to do harm to the Faith. This is why pope St. Pius V issued the bull Quo Primum to standardize -- codify -- the Mass and to eliminate from liturgical usage any form that was not more than 200 years old. What may have started as a desire to advance piety was quickly corrupted by the Protestant Reformers. These enemies of the Church of Christ used the motto: It is the Mass that matters, meaning that (Continued on Page 9)

Eucharist: This term will never be separated from the Holy Eucharist, to mean the Blessed Sacrament, the true Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present on the altar at Holy Mass and in the tabernacle. I will not use this term synonymously with the Mass. This is Modernist newspeak. Even though the early Christians used this term, as well as many saints and pious writers, I stand behind Pope Pius XII's observation in Mediator Dei when he explains that just because something is an old or ancient practice of the Church does not mean that it should be recalled and used today. There has to be a true pastoral reason for doing so. The Modernist innovators re-coined this term so that they could give legitimacy to their liturgical revolution. I don't want to be looked upon as aiding their cause. Some may think me to be over-sensitive, but I see the refusal to use "Eucharist" as they do as an act of reparation for the evil abuse in the modern church. I do not say it is a "sin" to use the term, just that I prefer not to in this present writing. The Liturgical Movement: An Historical Overview The definitions being made, let's proceed to look at what the Liturgical Movement really was. As mentioned above, it began centuries ago; about the time when more and more of the faithful were losing sight of the simplicity of their Faith. What is all too common today is a centuries-old vice: too many people stay away from the liturgical rites of the Church, contenting themselves with doing what is necessary just to avoid sin -- mortal sin, at that. That it is a venial sin to come late to Sunday Mass without a good reason is beside the point to them. It's not a mortal sin. Likewise, that it is a venial sin to miss or get excessively distracted during the Sunday sermon without good reason is something they don't care about either. "It's not a mortal sin, is it Father?", they ask. No, I reply, but such actions speak of a terrible disposition of the soul. The Liturgical Movement began with the desire to have more people participate in the liturgical ceremonies. Now there's another term I should have added to my list of definitions, for it is under the hallowed banner of participation that the Modernist innovators have convinced a gullible faithful and clergy that their liturgical revolution bears a great resemblance to the true Liturgical Movement. Modernist "participation" is to have people standing, sitting, "dialoguing", shaking hands, standing around the table, concelebrating and more, all the while being assured that they are the "People of God", a branch of the priesthood (the Apostle says so!), and their participation in activity is important, nay, necessary for the "Liturgy" (sorry, used it in the Modernist sense here.). It is so necessary that a modern priest is forbidden to celebrate the novus ordo without someone else there to actively participate (Mysterium fidei, AAS 57 - 1965). This is different from the prescript of the priest requiring the presence of at least an altar server. However, the true sense of participation is to have all present, the clergy and the laity, come to a deeper understanding of the prayers of the rites and the actions that take place. By fully uniting their prayer to that of the Church they are in fact

The Catholic Voice

(Continued from Page 8)

Page 9

The Liturgical Movement And The Twentieth Century

after the seminaries, the training ground of future priests. A new liturgical outlook geared toward a false concept of participation arose in the 1870's, and liturgical authors of our time like Joseph Jungmann, Odo Casel, Romano Guardini and Pius Parsch give the best expressions of it. The railroading of the Liturgical Movement was underway, and they would use the Modernist newspeak to accomplish it. The Corruption of Papal Documents Read the following. It is a document out of the era which is outlined above. The year is 1913. "Two years ago, in publishing Our Apostolic Constitution, We had especially in sight the recitation, as far as possible in its entirety, of the Psalter on weekdays, and the restoration of the ancient Sunday offices. But Our mind was occupied with many other projects -- some mere plans, others already on the way to realization -- relating to the reform in the Roman Breviary. "However, because of the numerous difficulties preventing Us from executing them, We had to postpone them for a more favorable moment. To change the composition of the Breviary to make it in accordance with Our desires, that is, to give it a finished perfection in every part, would involve: restoring the calendar of the Universal Church to its original arrangement and style, retaining meanwhile the splendid richness which the marvelous fruitfulness of the Church, the Mother of Saints, has brought to bear upon it. utilizing appropriate passages of Scripture, of the Fathers and Doctors, after having reestablished the authentic text; prudently correcting the lives of the Saints according to documentary evidence; perfecting the arrangement of numerous points of the liturgy, eliminating superfluous elements. "But in the judgement of wise and learned persons, all (Continued on Page 10)

the only way to cause the Catholic Church to fall apart was to attack the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the surrounding liturgical rites and ceremonies. St. Pius V recognized this and acted against it with a papal bull and the publication of the Catechism of the Council of Trent. The only way to safeguard a true Liturgical Movement was to make sure that the faithful, both clergy and lay, knew their Holy Faith well and had it preached to them, in sound doctrine, from the pulpit. The Protestants and the other enemies of the Church suffered a great defeat at Trent. The internal reforms mandated by that holy Council did wonders to restore the piety of the faithful and the training of the clergy. However, the enemies may have lost a battle, but they were still in the war for the duration. What was tried in the sixteenth century was begun again in the eighteenth, although in a more subtle manner. A lesson learned by those who wish to make changes is that if you want to be subtle, be bold. While this may sound like a confusion of terms, it is what was found in the very actions of the neoRevolutionaries in France and Germany. The Protestant insisted on a vernacular ceremony with prayers that de-sacralized the ancient understanding of Holy Mass. Trent answered their arguments and showed the falsity of them. It condemned the whole concept and forbade Catholics the use of such ceremonies in the Liturgy. The neoRevolutionaries, however, just went ahead and did it because the eighteenth century was the Age of the Enlightenment. Whatever was truly avant garde and against the Old World established customs was done. Whereas the Protestants attacked only the Mass and the Sacraments, the neo-Revolutionaries went after them and more. Their one mistake was in attempting to dissolve the Sodalities in the parishes. Seeing their pious organizations threatened, the sodalities rose up against the neoReformers, and brought to light the errors of their promotions. But, like a giant cockroach, these neo-Reformers scurried away to a safe hiding place when their plans were brought to light, waiting for the chance to advance. This time it would be to go

Traditional Movement Goes On With Many Conferences

Last year, the Society of Traditional Roman Catholics sponsored the National Conference on the Latin Mass in Dallas, Texas. It was a wonderful opportunity for traditional Roman Catholics to come together for a weekend of inspiring talks, numerous opportunities to meet with fellow Catholics and, most of all, to assist at Holy Mass twice each day. There is much work involved in sponsoring such an event. Likewise, there is a deep commitment on the part of the attendees who come from various parts of the country to share in this time of grace. This year, STRC is encouraging Catholics committed to the Traditional Movement to do what they can to attend similar Conferences being sponsored by various traditional organizations in different regions of the United States. We are asking those who are organizing such Conferences to inform of us these events, their dates, times and places. Be sure to tell of us these events in plenty of time for publication in our newsletter.We will do our part to inform concerned Roman Catholics of these events and encourage attendance at these regional Conferences. In this way, STRC is doing its part to promote the cause of Traditional Movement: the education and inspiration of the faithful toward a restoration of the Tridentine Latin Mass and our traditional Catholic Faith. One such Conference taking place in early summer is sponsored by the Catholic Research Institute. The theme: Restoration Takes Change. It will take place in the Los Angeles area June 19 - 21. The Keynote Speaker will be Patrick Omlor. As the theme suggests, this Conference has as its purpose to encourage those who wish to fight for a Restoration to change their hearts and attitudes. A special forum of important topics of our day is planned, along with a discussion session for all. For further information regarding this Conference write to: The Catholic Research Institute, P.O. Box 756, Greenacres, WA 99016.

Page 10

The Catholic Voice

The Liturgical Reform And The Restoration Of Holy Week

(Continued from Page 9)

this would require considerable work and time. For this reason, many years will have to pass before this type of liturgical edifice, composed with intelligent care for the Spouse of Christ to express her piety and faith, can appear purified of the imperfections brought by time, newly resplendent with dignity and fitting order. "In the meantime, through correspondence and conversations with a number of bishops, We learned of their urgent desire -- shared by many priests -- to find in the Breviary, together with the new arrangement of the Psalter and its rubrics, all the changes which already have come or which might come with this new Psalter. "They have repeatedly asked Us, indeed they have repeatedly manifested their earnest desire that the new Psalter be used more often, that the Sundays be observed more conscientiously, that provision be made for the inconvenience of transferred offices, and that certain other changes be effected which seem to be justified. "Because they are grounded in objectivity and completely conform to Our desire, We have agreed to these requests and We believe that the moment has come to grant them." An observant reader, one well versed in the current rage of arguments in the Traditional Movement, should have caught some of the things being planned in this document: a new Breviary Psalter (the Psalms used), the re-authentication of passages of Scripture in liturgical texts, the correcting of the lives of the saints according to modern evidence, and the elimination of superfluous (redundant) elements in "numerous points of the liturgy". So, who was the conspiratorial author? None other than Pope St. Pius X in his Motu Proprio Abhinc Duos Annos given on October 23, 1913. What Was The Papal Plan For The Liturgy? So, why bring this up? Are we saying that the Pope, and a saint at that, was a conspirator with the same modernists that he condemned not long before in a very forceful encyclical letter? Or, shall we say, as some have alluded, that Pius X said these things because he didn't know what he was doing, or that he didn't go to the right schools, or that he was influenced by the Freemasons. Freemasons? Yes, the Vatican has many of them in there, and one was almost elected in the place of Pope St. Pius X. (In all fairness, some who state this make these comments about Pope Pius XII. However, this line of argument is what is used when talking about what may or may not be legitimate acts of a Liturgical Movement.) All this is begging the question, for we don't know what Pope St. Pius X had on his mind. As the editor of the text from which the above quote is taken remarks: "Minor modifications are then authorized, with the hope of a full reform later, but Pius X died less than ten months later." What was the idea of a papal reform of the Liturgy? Just how far could a pope go before he ventured into areas that were not within his power? More to the point, could he reform some liturgical ceremonies, such as those of Holy Week, and still be within his power? Yes he can, and the Council of Trent says so.

The 1956 Restoration Of Holy Week Was the change to the Holy Week missal by Pope Pius XII really a part of the true Liturgical Movement? That is hard to say, for the papal decrees and desires of Pius X, Benedict XV, Pius XI and Pius XII on this matter were misdirected toward the end of the Modernists toward the accomplishment of a goal: to change the Mass and force all Catholics to worship using it. Was the Restoration of Holy Week a part of this plan? Not on the part of Pius XII, I'm sure. Yes, he did have Annibale Bugnini in his midst, but that supposed Freemason (there is no conclusive evidence that Bugnini was a Mason) did not willy-nilly play to the fancy of change in the mind of Pope Pius XII as some might suggest. The pope's first intentions were to restore Holy Week to its ancient practice of an evening ceremony so that the faithful would have no good excuse for not attending, and because it didn't seem liturgical that Lent should end at Noon on Holy Saturday. So, the Pope's first action was to restore Holy Week to its ancient time of the day. The Ordo for Holy Week was changed, and Annibale Bugnini, the master architect for the "reform" of the Mass resulting in the Novus Ordo Missae, did cooperate in writing the Ordo. But it was read over and debated for several years by cardinals in the Sacred Congregation of Rites (under Cardinal Cicognani, not Bugnini). But, is that reason enough for condemning it? After all, Archbishop Lefebvre admitted that he was ordained and then later consecrated by a Freemason. Does that affect the validity of his ordination and consecration? No, and neither does it affect what we say here. It has been alleged that what Pope Pius XII did was "heretical" and "against the Council of Trent". A passage from the Canons for Session 7 is quoted, stating that all "pastors may not change the Liturgy". Since the pope is a pastor, they say, therefore he cannot change the Liturgy. But, in Session 21, Chapter II, the Council of Trent declares that "this power has ever been in the Church, that, in the dispensations of the Sacraments, their substance being untouched, it may ordain, or change, what things soever it may judge most expedient, for the profit of those who receive . . . according to the differences of circumstances, times and places." As long as the substance of the Sacraments is not changed, the Church has the power to change other liturgical ceremonies. So, Pope Pius XII was within his power to do this. Perhaps the real question is: Were the changes prudent? Perhaps not, but that will be up to a future pope to decide, not priests and pastors who have no right to go aside from these matters based on their own devotional practices, whims or desires. It is certain that the Restoration of Holy Week gave courage to the enemies of change within the Church, and that at Pope Pius XII's death the true Liturgical Movement ended. The devil and the Modernists took over, and we have the mess we are in right now. But the point is, the Popes did plan to make some liturgical changes -- not to the degree done at Vatican II, but some things were planned. In the next issue, we will explore some of these from Pope Pius XI, using the encyclical On Divine Worship, seeing that if a true Liturgical Movement had been carried out, we may not be suffering as we are. 7

The Catholic Voice

Page 11

Letters To The Editor

What Is Meant By "Body of Christ"; Tri-Lingual Abuses

(Editor's note: From time to time I am asked why we give such prominence to letters from our readers. Some think it is space wasted, for we could run another article or two which would help our cause. The fact is, the letters you see here and in past issues help our cause just as much as another piece of research. In the words of a woman in Texas whom I recently visited: "The letters are my favorite part. They give me courage and hope, because I know others are going through what we do." There's your answer. This is why we print so many letters.)

What Is Meant By "Body of Christ"? Editor, The Catholic Voice, In the last issue of The Catholic Voice, you question why the change in the people rushing to say Amen after the priest says The Body of Christ. But, more than that, dont you wonder what is meant when they say Body of Christ? Is it referring to the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist or is it only making people think that it really refers to the people who are the Mystical Body of Christ? Why should they have changed it in the first place if it didnt have some new meaning? We all have been thinking that the Eucharist surely meant Christ, but that term is now being used to mean the communion of all the people worshipping together. Also, from the Internet, I am learning that in some places the consecration is being done as only one species the bread and in others the bread and wine are being done together with the priest saying only This is Jesus. Hows that for an invalid Mass? Weve been expecting the consecration to come out of the Mass, but if this is the way they are going to do it, isnt it clever? Some people will even defend it as being redundant under both species. For any people who subscribe to Prodigy unlimited with both Classic and Internet for $19 mo., we now have our own board on Religion Concourse II. It is named Catholic/ Latin Mass. We invite anyone to join us. We have been doing a lot of good and sharing good information. We, as well as others, are learning and it is a very interesting bulletin board. S. L., Louisville, KY Editor's Note: Traditional Catholic presence on the Internet is increasing, so it is not surprising to know that those involved in communicating our message are achieving a growing success. Not only can we help each other understand our Holy Faith better and better, but we can expose the continuing outrageous innovations in the Novus Ordo. It is an important apostolate the laity can participate in and is a part of Catholic Action. However, care must be taken of uncensored theological opinions which may occur on some Internet sites. 7 7 7 Trilingual Mistranslations Caught In Southwest Editor, The Catholic Voice, A good friend here in El Paso, TX, introduced me to STRC several months ago. The Special Edition was of particular interest to me as it clarified what the Church teaches as

necessary and sufficient for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Thank you and STRC for turning on the light. For a number of years my wife and I had enjoyed Sunday mass at one of the local Franciscan seminaries. The mass was a trilingual high mass with Latin hymns beautifully sung by the young seminarians and sermons given in both Spanish and English. Over the years I had noticed subtle changes; not in the sermons as these were always very traditional. Several incidents, which I will not go in to, that made me wonder what was going on. Then one Sunday I compared the Latin text of the handout made available against my Missal and was shocked at the outcome. The words of Consecration were different. I wondered how this could be. When I showed the celebrant my discovery the only explanation offered was that it was the New Mass. If the new mass, as it was instituted in the early days some 30 years ago, was just the English translated version something must be wrong. I explained further that even, so a faithful translation starting from Latin, to English, and then back again to Latin should result in the original wording. No explanation came forthwith. Because of the language barrier, I dont speak Spanish and the Friars speak little English. I dropped the matter and have not gone back. I hope and pray that at some time your publication will also be published in Spanish for the benefit of those misguided, ill-informed, faithful who still seek the Truth and desire to serve God. I realize that to publish a Spanish edition requires some effort; my association with the pro-life group Children of the Rosary , has given me some insights as to the difficulties involved in Spanish translations. Thank you, Father, for remaining faithful to your vocation. B. M., El Paso, TX Editor's Note: You had the unique opportunity to do a side-byside comparison of the vernacular translations with the Latin version. This is one way of catching the Innovators at their game, although there is a Novus Ordo Missae in Latin as well. Yes, a Spanish edition of our newsletter has been considered, but we would need the help of a good bilingual translator and editor. We do not have those resources at the present time. In God's time, I'm sure, this will come to pass. 7 7 7 New Subscriber "Dusted Off" Edition Of Mediator Dei Editor, The Catholic Voice, Please send me your newsletter. I read your September issue and found it very well presented and informative. I will keep you in my sincere prayers for the complete Restoration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. At present I am reading Mediator Dei. Thank you for bringing it to my attention and that it was written 50 years ago. I had one on the bookshelf and dusted it off. Could you please let me know how authentic are the Old Roman Catholics? They only offer the Tridentine Latin Mass, (Continued on Page 12)

Page 12

The Catholic Voice

Mediator Dei Is A Strong Support For Traditional Mass

(Continued from Page 11)

but I hesitate to go. When I asked a priest of the Fraternity of St. Peter this question, I was told that they (Old Catholics) are not Catholic priests. But, I I still have questions, so please help if you can. D.M.R. Boca Raton, FL Editor's Note: The mention of Mediator Dei in our past newsletters was meant to call attention to this important encyclical. It is good to see that interest has sparked in it. We all would do well in reading and studying it frequently. This dogmatic and infallible presentation by the Pope Pius XII was written while the innovations were being plotted, so it is important ammunition for our cause. As to the Old Catholics, the final answer is not so easily given, for there are a number of branches of them scattered throughout our country. There is even a group of Theosophists up and down the West Coast who identify themselves by that name. In general, the Old Catholics are schismatic, but not in the manner the modern clergy like to label traditional Roman Catholics. They deny papal infallibility, and some branches admit of a married clergy. While it may be possible that many priests in this sect possess valid Orders, that is not enough for true worship of God, just as going to a service just because it has Latin (like the Latin novus ordo or the hybrid liturgy of EWTN) is not an acceptable compromise either. Old Catholics are even mixing with some branches of the Anglicans in Canada in hopes of giving them "valid" Orders. (Sometimes the bishops of these two groups are consecrated and re-consecrated six and seven times over.) The Church has always forbidden her children the permission to attend the ceremonies of the Old Catholics, and the Sacraments cannot be received from them except in danger of death -- provided, once again, that their validity is assured. 7 7 7 A Request For More Information On FSSP Editor, The Catholic Voice, Please enter the enclosed names on your mailing list. The Fraternity of St. Peter has begun having the Tridentine Latin Mass in Indianapolis. Several people from our traditional chapel (not under the local "Archbishop") have left to attend Mass there. I believe you wrote in one of your very informative newsletters that the Fraternity of St. Peter comes to places where there is a traditional Mass and lures people away. Does it also happen that once they do this, then they leave the area and the faithful no longer have a Latin mass to attend? Could you please give me more information about this? M.T. Indianapolis, IN Editor's Note: It has been our experience that priests of FSSP are often found in the same cities and regions where traditional chapels have resisted the novus ordo for a number of years. While presenting a very "traditional" air about them, they fail to

tell traditional Catholics that they support the modern changes, use the modern liturgical calendars and approve of the modern "mass". The FSSP is not a "traditional" religious organization, but an element of compromise with Modernism. This is shown more strikingly in another comment from one of our readers:

7 7 7 Constitution Of Fraternity Of St. Peter Changes Editor, The Catholic Voice, We receive The Catholic Voice second hand (it saves on postage!), and we look forward to every issue. We are encouraged by your position to stand by the traditional Latin Mass and not give in to those who would sacrifice what is true for the sake of the approval of the novus ordo bishops. Dealing with the compromising modernists of the Fraternity of St. Peter and the Institute of Christ the King can only lead to destruction. To make the point: We recently learned that the Fraternity of St. Peter has changed its Constitution in order to allow its priests in France to use the 1965 (Vatican II) missal in the vernacular. No one in authority in the FSSP has refuted this. They could probably say that the 1965 missal is "Tridentine" in nature, but anyone with Catholic common sense can see that it is a sellout to the Modernists, and that it won't stop there. No doubt, the Fraternity received some "concessions" to abandon exclusive use of the True Mass, but then Judas probably figured that thirty pieces of silver were a significant concession as well. The only way to restore the Tridentine Latin Mass is for traditional Catholics to work together and spurn the efforts of phony allies who pretend to support Tradition, but whose actions help only the Modernists. We will continue to read and pray for your excellent publication. LK Chula Vista, CA Editor's Note: In several issues of the past year or two, we have related our concerns about relying solely on the Fraternity of St. Peter and such like organizations to maintain Tradition. These groups are allowed in the various dioceses of the world to say the Latin Mass for people since they agree that the Novus Ordo Missae is as equally valid as the Tridentine Latin Mass. But, this is theologically incorrect, as we have often times explained, and the priests of these organizations err against truth and Tradition by admitting it is. If FSSP continues to deny the observations made by this reader, then we have a clear demonstration that compromise begets compromise. 7 7 7 Gratitude Expressed For Altar Server Tape Set Editor, The Catholic Voice, Benedicamus Domino! First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for remitting us the audio tape on teaching the Altar Server the Mass. After hearing the tape myself, I was truly astonished at the indefectible ensemble that was offered in learning, praying and serving Holy Mass. (Continued on Page 13)

The Catholic Voice

Page 13

Thank You For Altar Server Cassette Tape & Booklet

(Continued from Page 12)

Secondly, after assigning the tape to my Altar Servers to listen to and practice from, I was once again completely astonished at the formidable difference it made in them; their efforts, posture, diction, reverence and attention at the Altar. I can't help but take the time to once again say thank you to those who took the time to put this type of instruction tool at our fingertips. Whoever instructed these individuals who presented the voice and diction for the tape, were not only serious about what was being effected, but were very genuine and reverent in their presentation. This does not occur by formulating an audio tape to "sell" . . . this occurs by offering an audio tape that is very favorable to Our Lord . . . for it is to His glory that this training tape has been distinctly prepared. I can't emphasize it enough . . . I can not acclaim it enough . . . that if any one who is truly devoted to and sincerely affected in learning the Canonized Mass of Holy Mother Church . . . then they have no alternative than that which is presented by the STRC. I look forward to additional tapes, i.e., the Requiem and the Nuptial Masses (food for thought). May God bless you in all your efforts. Rev. Fr. RSA Eastman, WI Editor's Note: Thank you for the high praise for the Altar Server Tape Set. (No, we didn't solicit a paid endorsement from Father.) We have heard similar comments from others who use this booklet/tape set in their parishes. Yes, the dedication and love for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on the part of the participants in this production is easily detected. 7 7 7 A Thank-You For 1998 Calendar Editor, The Catholic Voice, Many thanks for the offer of the 1998 calendar. I do hope you still have a few left for us. I had misplaced the September newsletter and the announcement made about ordering the calendar, but I found it the day I received the one for December. Enclosed is my donation. B.S.L. Capitola, CA Editor's Note: By the time you receive this newsletter, you should have the 1998 calendars you ordered. However, if others did not respond as early as you, then they will not be as fortunate. This year's calendar was, by far, our most popular edition. Because of this, we sold out completely just after Christmas, and so we do not have any to meet future requests. The costs would be too prohibitive to reprint the calendar to meet them. We apologize to those who did not get their orders in early. We will increase our print order for next year. (Hint: Order early -- around September or October.) 7 7 7

Priest Asks For A Calendar And An Ordo Editor, The Catholic Voice, I am writing to learn whether or not your Society is able to help me secure an Ordo or Guide for the celebration of the old Traditional Latin or Tridentine Mass for each day of the year. My experience is that while there are calendars for the entire year annotating the feasts and/or saints and the "times" of the liturgical seasons, there are variations also in the calendars by different companies. Yet, none publishes an Ordo (in Latin) stating what rank a certain feast enjoys, whether commemorations are to be made or feasts transferred and so forth. If you can assist me, I am prepared to send a remittance for the cost to the publisher. I will be deeply grateful for any help you might be able to provide. Rev. A. N. South Williamsport, PA Editor's Note: Perhaps the laity don't realize just what a "chore" it is for priests who stop saying the novus ordo and who return to the Tridentine Latin Mass. Not only is the calendar of saints and commemorations different from that found in the modern church, but an Ordo (a guide for the celebration of Mass and the recitation of the Divine Office) is an absolute must. To abandon the "liturgy of innovation and convenience" for the "Mass of All-Time" a priest must reacquaint himself with liturgical discipline that is not found in the modern church. Yes, Father, we can help you with your request. You should have received a 1998 Ordo long before you read this reply in our newsletter. 7 7 7 Why Not Buy Churches As they Close? Editor, The Catholic Voice Along with two newspaper articles about parish churches combining in various cities due to financial conditions, the following letter was enclosed: Why can't the STRC locate churches like these that are closing? Couldn't you use this opportunity to expand the Tridentine Latin Mass? M. O. Necedah, WI Editor's Note: The difficulty for STRC to meet your request is best summarized with the words of St. Anthony Mary Claret, "The spirit is willing, but the cash is weak". And, even if we did have an unlimited source of funds, it would not be possible to open up more churches throughout our land without priests to offer Mass. The serious decline in vocations in traditional seminaries due to the influences of secularism and materialism is a greater difficulty to overcome than the lack of money. This is why there is a moral obligation for Catholics to pray and sacrifice for an increase in vocations, especially to the priesthood. 7 7 7
(Continued on Page 14)

Page 14

The Catholic Voice

Newsletter A Starting Point; Indult Attendance Discouraged

(Continued from Page 13)

Traditional Ideals Found In Rome Editor, The Catholic Voice, While in Rome in early November with The Latin Mass Tour, we met many priests that attended the North American Catholic College and other schools. I was quite surprised at the traditional bent of these fine religious. One statement made by two of them would let you know what is going on through the world: "We are just waiting for those old graying cardinals and bishops to die off so we can start rebuilding the Church tradition. It is not too late to save the Church. Please, please, all of you: Pray for the clergy." Also, many said: "Please pray for a strong pope (Pius 13)". The Tridentine Latin Mass is said all over Rome daily. I attended a traditional Mass by a cardinal in view of the Vatican. Also, I saw the new "mass" at St. Peter's Tomb, which was said in Latin, and was upon the altar (no table). The shocking thing is that the Latin novus ordo greatly resembled the traditional Latin Mass. When I asked the priest about it, he said: "The new "mass" (Our quotations. Ed.) does not have all the funny things the American church has done to you." I came away from Rome very encouraged that our Church will survive, but we must work hard to help it along. Please send me 50 Special Edition copies of your newsletter. MC Treasure Island, FL Editor's Note: Without trying to dampen your hope, there is more to the Mass than just the Latin language and reverent gestures. A look at the novus ordo Sacramentary from 1967 shows some radical departures in the novus ordo from the Tridentine Latin Mass, even if it is said in Latin. The chief of these is the change in the words of Consecration -- Christ's own words! These are invalidating changes, even in Latin. America is not alone in the liturgical abuses we so often hear about in our country. They can be found in many parts of Europe, in Australia and New Zealand, and in the countries of the East. The corruption is universal. Of equal concern is the corruption of the Faith present in the modern seminaries, even the ones you describe in Rome. The teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas are replaced with modern heretical and naturalistic philosophies. A seminary is considered "traditional" if it teaches there is a hell, that abortion is a sin, and that one must go to confession to have mortal sins forgiven before receiving Communion. If you still have contact with these seminarians who are "waiting for Tradition", tell them they should wait no more and join us in our fight for a Restoration now! Our hope is in God to revive His Church, not so much in people or circumstances. 7 7 7 Keep Up Prayers For Those In Novus Ordo Editor, The Catholic Voice, I received the 1998 calendar and I was pleased to receive it. Thanks again. I display it proudly. Keep up your good works. I feel you are doing a truly great

deed by bringing the truth to others. Otherwise, some of us would never know what the Truth really is. I have many friends in the novus ordo church, and I've tried to tell them they have left the True Church. But their hearts are so hard to the pagan style of living. So, I just pray for them. You and all the staff are in my daily prayers. May God bless all of you and Mary protect you. RS Ocala, FL Editor's note: Don't lose heart! St. Monica continued her prayers for her son, Augustine, even while he was under the influence of the paganism around him. It was her prayers that won for the Church a St. Augustine. This has to be the attitude we should take toward those involved with the novus ordo church. "More good is wrought in this world by prayer than this world dreams of", is a motto of The Christophers. 7 7 7 Letter To Bishops Reminds Them Of Their Duty Editor, The Catholic Voice, I came across a reply of Archbishop Lefebvre to the Bishops of Gabon, the place where he formerly led the Holy Ghost missionaries. This was in response to their letter to him expressing their concern that he should reconcile himself with Rome, on Rome's terms, of course. He started by using the words of St. Paul to the Galatians: I am shocked that you turn away so quickly from the one who has called you in the grace of Jesus Christ to pass to a different Gospel. He then added, "I am in a position to repeat these words to you because I am the one who announced to you the Gospel, the only one. The new gospel of religious freedom and of the rights of man is not the true Gospel. We have a tragic choice to make: either to keep the Catholic Faith and not to follow the authorities unfaithful to their task, or to follow blindly those authorities and accept a false gospel . . . The day of our judgment, God will ask us if we have been faithful, not if we have obeyed unfaithful authorities. Obedience is a virtue relative to truth and good. When it is submitted to error and to evil it is not a virtue, but a vice. May you remain disciples of truth and not of error." We should ask ourselves how this advice applies to us. Are we disciples of truth or of error? Do we stand for the one, true Catholic Church, or for the one which calls itself that but does not live up to the eternal teachings of the Church? Do we support all that the Catholic Church is doing today? If so, then by all means follow it in all things. If you do not believe in what the modern "catholic" church is doing today, do you think it is still proper to follow it and support it? By support I do not mean just monetary support. Do we openly attend its services and obey its leaders? Do we petition its leaders and assume these leaders have the authority to make the decisions that we ask? If these leaders, on some occasions, do grant our requests, do we thank them? If so, we are
(Continued on Page 15)

The Catholic Voice

Page 15

The Annunication Of the Angel To Mary: Words Of Hope

On March 25, the Church interrupts Lent with the thoughts of Christmas. Exactly nine months prior to the traditional observation of the birth of Jesus Christ, the prayers at Mass lift our hearts and souls for one brief day from the sobering thoughts of penance and the sufferings of Jesus to the moment of His annunication by the Angel Gabriel to Mary. Men and women have been led to the highest measures of sanctity reflecting on this great Mystery of our salvation. Perhaps this is why the Fathers of the Church delighted in preaching eloquent and very pious sermons on this feastday. Consider that the Annunication is the feast that marks the conception of Jesus Christ at the will of Mary. God did not force Mary to be His Daughter, His Spouse, His Mother -- it was up to her. Non-Catholics accuse us of too great a devotion to the Blessed Virgin, but whatever honor we show her is nothing when compared to the "courtship" of God with Mary. He lavished her with praise; He preserved her from sin. He made her the best of all His creatures, and kept her will always one with His own by His grace. There is the philosophical possibility that Mary could have refused the invitation to be the Mother of the Messias, but the probability of it happening is a near impossibility. For, you see, the will of Mary was one with the Will of God. All God had to do was ask, and she would say "yes". So, God asked. Through His Angel, He asked her consent. The only doubt she had was the preservation of her great act of love for Him: her virginity. No love of man could satisfy her once the love of God entered her soul. As a woman, she had the highest desire to be a mother, but she would sacrifice her maternal instinct to prove she loved God more. So, when the Angel said that she would be a mother, she hesitated, and, as St. Augustine says, "the world held its breath at this pause". She hesitated to do what God asked because she did not know how could it be. She had no intention to refuse God His desires, but she would ask God to clear her mind of doubt regarding the preservation of her loving virginity. The Angel tells her. He informs her of the great mystery of God, that He is Three-in-One. While she honors God as her Father, the Child she is to bear will be her/His Son, and this will be accomplished by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost. She will be the Daughter, the Mother and the Spouse of God all at the same time. Instantly Mary "sees" the Divine Plan and how she can remain a virgin, yet still conceive. This is what Isaias had foretold, and it was to be accomplished in her. The last doubt was put to rest. Mary looked to Heaven, and smiling said to the Angel: Behold the Handmaid of the Lord. Be it done to me according to thy word. At that instant, the Word was made flesh, and dwelt in Mary and among us. At that instant, the disobedience of Eve was repaired. At that instant, Mary became the Queen of Heaven and earth. At that instant, our redemption was assured. So, could we ever have too much devotion to Mary? Of course not, for all that we could say would be far less than what she deserves. St. Louis Marie De Montfort, the Doctor of Mariology, found a special revelation in this Mystery. The total dependence the Son of God chose to have toward His Mother for those nine months is given as an example of the dependence we should show upon her. She is His Mother; she is our Mother, too, as well as our Queen. If Jesus was dependent on Mary, so should we be. St. Louis called his understanding of this Mystery Holy Slavery -- the dependence we should show upon Mary is the same as a slave shows to his lord and master . . . but she is our Lady and Mistress. If the early Christians delighted in being called the Slaves of Christ, we in our age will be honored to add to that the title of being the Slaves of Mary. The faithful living of this devotion is the highest form of the imitation of Jesus Christ. If you have never read the book by St. Louis De Montfort, True Devotion, do so soon. Your love and service of Mary, and of Jesus through her, will be weak until you do. 7

Traditional Mass Is Preserved In Unlikely Circumstances

(Continued from Page 14)

supporting them. Christ Himself said, "He who is not for Me is against Me." (Matt. 12:30) Which side are we on? RC, Fulton, IL Editor's Note: Thank you for your observations. They are the same examinations that all who are faithful to Tradition should make. Compromise with the Modernists "authorities" will serve to lead one away from truth and the Church of Jesus Christ. They do not represent the Church, for theirs is a new religion, begun at the Second Vatican Council. 7 7 7 More Requests For "Special Edition" Editor, The Catholic Voice, Kindly send me 50 copies of your recent Special Edition. I think it is an excellent tool for possible conversion to the Traditional Mass, etc. If only more novus ordo people would open their minds and hearts and eyes to find out exactly how

things are in their "church" now. Continue your great work and God bless you and your endeavors. A. C., Metairie, LA Editor's Note: Your order has been filled. We are quite pleased with the response shown by our readers for this Special Edition. They have found it a great tool for explaining to those in the novus ordo church about the sad loss of Faith which has occurred in the past 30+ years. Spreading these newsletters around is a wonderful opportunity to practice Catholic Action, that highly indulgenced plan blessed by many popes. 7
Want To Contact Us? Here's How: By Letter: P.O. Box 13173, Charlotte, NC 28270-0077 By Phone: (704) 843-0648 By Fax: (704) 843-0874 Our BBS: (423) 855-4318 For Publication in The Catholic Voice: E-mail: depiante@charlotte.infi.net U.S. Mail: P.O. Box 13173, Charlotte, NC 28270-0077 For personal correspondence by e-mail: Bob De Piante: depiante@charlotte.infi.net Larry Martin: 70244.2177@compuserve.com Fr. Vaillancourt: cri@sisna.com

Page 16

The Catholic Voice

Among The Saints We Honor Statement of Purpose

The CATHOLIC VOICE is the newsletter of the Society of Traditional Roman Catholics, a non-profit corporation, incorporated under the laws of the State of North Carolina. The Society is a Catholic Apostolate, of both laity and clergy, established to work for the full restoration of traditional Catholic rites, most especially the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass of the Council of Trent, the ancient Latin Mass. We, the directors and officers of the Society pledge our fidelity to the Roman Catholic Church and to her teachings as handed down by the Sacred Magisterium through the centuries. We dedicate ourselves and the works of our apostolate to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. We place our efforts under the patronage of St. Joseph, patron of the Universal Church, and offer all we do in the name of Jesus Christ for the greater honor and glory of God. We invite all Catholics to join in our work. 7 (These are only some of the days in the next few weeks devoted to honoring a specific saint. The feast days of all saints are listed in the calendar which is distributed every year by The Society of Traditional Roman Catholics).
March 7 ....................................................... St. Thomas Aquinas March 9 ........................................................ St. Frances of Rome March 19 ..................................................................... St. Joseph March 21 ...................................................................St. Benedict March 24 ................................................... St. Gabriel, Archangel March 25 ...................................................... Annunication BVM April 5 ..................................................................... Palm Sunday April 9 ................................................................. Holy Thursday April 10 .................................................................... Good Friday April 12 ................................................................. Easter Sunday April 25 ........................................................ St. Mark, Evangelist May 1 ....................................................... St. Joseph the Worker May 2 .................................................................... St Athanasius May 3 ................................................. Finding of the Holy Cross May 5 ........................................................................... St. Pius V May 8 .................................................. Apparition of St. Michael May 11 ....................................................... Sts. Philip and James May 13 ....................................................... St. Robert Bellarmine May 21 ....................................................... Ascension Thursday May 31 ............................................................ Pentecost Sunday June 8 .......................................... Queenship BVM (transferred) June 11 .................................................................. Corpus Christi June 13 ...................................................... St. Anthony of Padua June 19 ...................................................... Sacred Heart of Jesus

Address Correction Requested Forwarding Postage Guaranteed The Society of Traditional Roman Catholics Post Office Box 13173 Charlotte, NC 28270-0077

FROM:

Benedictus qui venit in Nomine Domini!

TO:
NON PROFIT U.S.Postage PAID GREENACRES, WA Permit No. 34