Stories: Early Days of Tradition Part 5 - Persecution of Fr. Normandin

JMJ

Following the thread of the internal persecution of Catholics (Bishops, Priests, Monks, Nuns, Brothers) who were repulsed by the 'new way' that swallowed the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council, I have one story that I witnessed the end stages when my family started to attend the Tridentine Mass in the early 80's.

As I've mentioned before, I didn't want to be there as we walking into the little chapel. It was small, maybe it could hold 80 people. It smelled, small building imbued with incense - a new experience. It was strange, very strange.

It was a small chapel, a hall purchased by a group of pioneering Traditional Catholics to be their anchor in a Catholic World gone mad.

They had started as a rosary group in a layman's basement. Then when Fr. Normandin started travelling across Canada, they rented a room at the convention centre.

Those were heady days of First Fervour. When news that Fr. would unexpectedly be in town, the call went out: Father has a layover and will say Mass at 2 a.m.

The thirst for Mass was such that many came. I heard of a story of one Veteran who had already taken her sleeping pills, fought all the way through Mass to stay awake.

I had the grace to meet Fr. Normandin a few years before his death. He still had the light in his eye and recounted how he once blessed a forest fire. According to the story, the flames stopped at the spot when he'd stood. On the wall in his room was a newspaper clipping with a photo of him blessing the flames.

In those early days the chapel was a picture of ethnic diversity. I still remember everyone saying the Rosary before Mass, in their own language. It was a little bit of cacophony, but a symbol that even if we prayed in different languages, we were all Catholic.

Someone objected once when a vacationing seminarian gave a sermon in French because they couldn't understand it. His response stuck with me, "It is one of the few sermons that Mme. Zed could understand." That ended the objection right there.

At that time, the chapel was like a small, someone cantankerous family with a blend of languages, ages and experiences. Having been born near the end of the sixties, I had been baptised in the 'Old Rite' but grew up in the fog, ignorant of what Catholic Life had been like before V2.

In a way, I miss those days. Not because I like chaos, nothing could be further from the Truth. I miss them because it was a simpler time where the focus was on the Mass and the Truths of the Faith. Anything that deviated, like Bayside or Sede-Vacantism was quickly addressed by the Vets and Father.

At the same time, there was a camaraderie between all those because we were all hanging on to the same rope with a knot tied at the end.

The Angelus Press has re-printed Pastor Out In The Cold and I heartily recommend it (link).

P^3

Comments

Validity of new rite of episcopal consecrations - Courtesy of SSPX.org

+ JMJ In the blogosphere there are number of responses to this crisis in the Catholic Church that lead to conclusions that run counter to Catholic Doctrine and Dogmas - if taken to their logical conclusion. The validity of the New Rite of Episcopal consecrations is one such hotspot within more extreme sections of the 'traditionalist' culture. Validity of new rite of episcopal consecrations Courtesy of SSPX.org Why the new rite of episcopal consecration is valid Introduction This comprehensive study was compiled to settle a debate that has been circulating in traditional Catholic circles. Some writers have examined the new rite of episcopal consecration and concluded that it must be invalid. Since this would cause manifest problems if it were true and due to the heightened awareness of such a theory, we present a study of this question concluding that it is valid. Following the Council, in 1968 a new rite for the ordination of bishops was promulg...

The Curious Case of Steve Skojec and the Dangers of Deep Diving into the Crisis Sub-Titled: The Failings of Others

+ JMJ It's been a while now since Steve Skojec sold 1P5 and abandoned the Catholic Faith. I've been a 'Trad' since 1982 and in those 40+ years I seen this death-spiral before with a similar end point. It seems that anyone who jumps into the fray unprepared for the enormous task of righting wrongs will, eventually, become discouraged by not the task but the people who surround them. I remember when Skojec complained of the treatment his family received from a traditional priest. This seems to have been the start of the end for him. So what can we learn from the likes of Steve Skojec, Michael Voris (maybe?), Louie Verrecchio, Gerry Matatix and other celebrity Catholics? Probably quite a lot about what not to do. First, don't burn out on the crisis? When you burn out, on work or anything else, little things assume a more greater importance than they are due. This is one of my 'canary in the coal mine' signals that I've been stretching myself too th...

Conspiracy Theories, Cognitive Dissonance Theory, Fatima and the Sister Lucia Doppleganger (Update 2 with response to comment)

+ JMJ I realised a while back that conspiracy theories are attempts at explaining complicated events. Which isn't a big deal until they become a belief. When I first entered the Traditional Catholic domain, there was a theory the Paul VI had been replaced by some nefarious people. The reasoning what similar to the SedeVacantists, the pope can't do X, and did X so he can't be pope. Fast forward forty years and we have a respectable academic ( Home - Sister Lucy Truth ) saying the same thing about Sister Lucia. It is basically the same premise all over again, Our Lady said X and Sister Lucia said X (about the consecration) and that can't be so ... Sister Lucia can't be Sister Lucia. You see where this is going? People get kidnapped all the time, but this one is a stretch for a big reason: The fake Sister Lucia lived amongst her sisters for years and most importantly was visited by her relatives. If she'd been swapped out don't you think they would have notic...

SSPX and the Resistance - A Comparison Of Ecclesiology

Shining the light of Church Teaching on the doctrinal positions of the SSPX and the Resistance. Principles are guides used to aid in decision making. It stands to reason that bad principles will lead to bad decisions. The recent interactions between Rome and the SSPX has challenged a number of closely held cultural assumptions of people in both sides of the disagreement. This has resulted in cultural skirmishes in both Rome and the SSPX. Since it is the smaller of the two, the skirmishes have been more evident within the SSPX. The cultural fault-line that Bishop Fellay crossed appears to be linked to two points of Catholic Doctrine: Ecclesiology and Obedience. The cultural difference of view points is strong enough that it has resulted in the expulsion of a number of members. It should also be noted that some other priests expelled since the beginning of the latest interactions (starting in 2000) held the same view points and have joined with the l...

Fr. Burfitt on Fr. Pfeiffer's Attempted Consecration

+ JMJ Amidst the shadows cast by the publication of Traditionis Custodes, I am working on a map of the 'resistance' splinters to put their reaction in contrast with that of the SSPX. In the midst of this, I just came across Fr. Burfitt letter on the attempted consecration. Breaking it down (see below) items 2 and 3 are key. Just as the consecrating bishop is 'doubtful', even if he hadn't muffed the first attempt, Fr. Pfeiffer remain doubtful and therefore this impacts those men is attempts to 'ordain'. There were rumours that Fr. Pfeiffer was seeking episcopal consecration for years as he cast about for various bishops (also doubtful) to help him achieve this goal. I wonder how he convinced the 'doubtful' bishop to provide (twice) the doubtful consecration. What a mess! This creates a danger to the souls of his followers and wonder where it will end. Will he go full sede and have himself 'elected' pontiff as others have done before him...

Tradicat

Search This Blog