Saint Joseph Catholic Chapel in Greenwood, Indiana is a private (and independent) Catholic Chapel that celebrates the traditional Latin Rites of the Catholic Church. The chapel was founded by a group of families who rejected the changes that were introduced in the wake of Vatican II. At first, the families met in their homes to hear Mass from Father Wathen. At some point in the early 1970s, these families realized that the New Mass was not a short-term temporary fad and established St. Joseph's as a permanent home to weather the storm of the "New Pentecost".
I don't know when Father O'Connor came to Saint Joseph, as he was already the pastor when my family came in out of the cold. Father John O'Connor is an elderly priest. From what he has told us in his sermons over the last few years (since I began going to the chapel) I've learned a little of his history. When the New Mass was introduced, he accepted it because he thought that obedience required him to do so. After a short time, he began to realize that something was terribly wrong. Eventually he refused to say the New Mass and was disciplined by his order. For a time, he assisted the SSPX, filling in at various chapels as needed. At some point he ended up residing at Saint Joseph's chapel. I don't know the specific circuмstances as to how he came to be at Saint Joseph.
Father O'Connor is not sedevacantist. The chapel is not sedevacantist. On the other hand, there are some sedevacantists who come to the chapel (as, I am sure, can be said of almost all traditional chapels--including SSPX and indult). Additionally, Father O'Connor and the chapel's board seem to recognize that the sedevacantist theory is not necessarily a crackpot idea and is very tolerant of those who believe the See of Rome is currently vacant. "Sedevacantism" does not appear to be thought a "sin" by most people at the chapel including Father O'Connor.
Father O'Connor will not be at Saint Joseph for much longer as he is preparing to move to a traditional monastery. The chapel's board is searching for a new priest. As most traditional Catholics know, this is not an easy task and I've not heard that they have had any success as of this writing.
I have read numerous calumnies about Saint Joseph chapel in other forums, usually written by people who admit that they have never actually stepped foot in the chapel or who came once or twice and didn't like some of the personalities they met. The one thing that is true about Saint Joseph that seems to rankle a lot of people is that the ushers will ask visitors to refrain from receiving Holy Communion until they talk with the priest.
Topic: st. joseph catholic chapel (Read 5162 times)