Fr. Z's Blog

I listened to SSPX Bp. Fellay’s sermon for the ordinations to the priesthood today in Econe

Our friends at Rorate have some English.  Audio in French is here.  BTW… I haven’t heard many “normal” bishops speak at an ordination with this sort of fervor about priesthood.  But here is what he said about the current situation…

[…]

Certainly, you ask of me, ‘What is happening with Rome?” If up to now we have said almost nothing, it is because we do not have much to tell you. Up to now, things are at a stage, we can say, of a full stop. In the sense that there have been tos and fros, there have been exchanges, effectively, dealings, proposals, but we are at the point of departure. The point of departure in which we had said not being able to accept, not being able to sign. We are there, that is all. We see, on one hand, this situation getting complicated, it has been two, three years I have said before, in Rome, before the contradiction. Since 2009, I have said it, and I repeat it, and well that takes place every day. It is the state of the Church, what do you want? There are those who try, who wish to move further, we can say, on Progressivism and on the consequences of Progressivism. There are others who wish corrections to take place. And we, in the middle, we have become as a ping-pong ball, that everyone hits. We know that in the end, in the end, the Church will find herself again, and to us belongs this yearning of not being satisfied with a certain, let us say, comfort. With a situation that is simply not normal. We cannot become in the end used, because we are in a situation in which we do whatever we want, to consider the state in which we find ourselves as normal. This isn’t true. Simply not true. It is normal that we seek, with respect for all conditions that are necessary, evidently, to recover this title, that is ours, to which we have a right, of Catholics. This doesn’t mean that we must place ourselves simply in the hands of the Modernists, this has nothing to do with it.

But it is a difficult situation, difficult, everything seems electric, we see clearly that the devil runs unchained on all sides. And therefore, this is the time for prayer. It is a difficult moment. For us, about us, all sorts of things are said. Dear God, the only thing we wish for is to make God’s will, that is all. The will of God is expressed in facts. … It is also clear that we cannot bring good to all the Church than by remaining faithful to this heritage of the Archbishop. From which come these famous, I don’t know, “conditions”, “assurances”, that we have presented several times, that must ensure that the Society will remain what it is. If, at a certain time, a collaboration is conceivable, when, how, well the circumstances will show it.

[…]

So, who knows what is up with them.  When I hear these sermons, I always keep in mind that he has a particular audience and that he must be very careful not to alienate them.

Meanwhile, mark on your calendars to pray for the SSPXers who will soon meet in Chapter:

The SSPX annual General Chapter takes place from 9-14 July.

The SSPX has invited everyone to pray a novena to the Holy Ghost from 30 June – 8 July. The novena will consist of praying the Veni Creator Spiritus with the addition of 2 invocations:

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us. (3 times)
St. Pius X, pray for us.

The text of the Veni Creator Spiritus with translation. HERE

I will be praying this novena and I encourage you to do so in solidarity with the SSPX and especially for the cause of full canonical recognition for the Society.